Page 16 of Higher Notes

I must considering my heart rate slowed down.

Sikes stepped inside the room first then held the door open for me while Snipe came in last. Always the protectors.

“Nice room. That is one giant bed.” And the only one. Why in the world was I surprised?

Snipe picked up the room service menu. “You guys want anything?”

“Water would be great.” I forgot to grab a drink at the bar before we left.

“Here,” Sikes tossed me one from the mini fridge. “Snipe, you want anything?”

“Nah, I’m good.” They took a seat on the couch while I chose the chair. “All right, Jase, fire away.”

“Where to start?” I knew, I just had to find the correct words to explain how I felt. “I guess first off, what made you guys decideto add another to your relationship and what made you choose me? I mean everyone can see you’re a cohesive unit and in sync. Like, the perfect relationship.”

“If what we had was perfect you wouldn’t be here with us. Now, it is.”

Sikes had a point I hadn’t considered.

“Why me?”

“Why not you? We’ve been drawn to you since the first time we heard you sing. Your smile is magnetic and your personality lights us up. You wear your heart on your sleeve and you’re one of the truest men we know. You come from humble beginnings, yet you ask for nothing and always give a hundred and ten percent of yourself.”

“Wow, Snipe. That’s the most I’ve ever heard you say.” He shrugged. “But seriously, that’s probably the nicest assessment anyone has ever made of me. But I can’t deny the fear I have of stepping into a long-term relationship and risking tearing it apart or being nothing more than a third wheel.”

It amazed me how the two of them communicated without words, but it was Sikes who spoke first.

“We’ve never considered adding another nor have we brought anyone else into our bedroom. But for a while now things have been a bit…”

“Mundane,” Snipe answered. “Neither of us knew what to do and just kind of went with the flow. We love each other. Always have and always will, but from the moment we met you everything changed, and we both feel with you we’ll be complete.”

For two men that rarely spoke, the complexity and depth of their words hit me right in the solar plexus. They had discussed it, and both felt the same way and weren’t just throwing a dart at a board and seeing where it stuck. They wanted me.

“I won’t deny the draw I have to both of you, but I can’t have you guys clamming up or sweeping issues under the rug as they arise. For this to work the three of us must commit to constant communication. What one feels will affect all three of us and if we don’t speak up we will never know there’s a disconnect until it’s too late.”

“For being the youngest one here, you’re definitely the smartest.” Sikes smiled. “But you have my word, my promise that I will not keep anything, no matter how minor, from either of you.”

Snipe gripped Sikes’ hand and an in random show of love, kissed his knuckles. “You have my word as well.”

“Now that you brought age up, exactly how old are you guys?”

Their deep laughter filled the room and had us all smiling again. Snipe was the first to regain control. “We’re both forty-two.”

“Right on. Well, now I guess we date. Any clue how to do that?”

“Nope, guess we’ll have to wing it,” Sikes winked.

Chapter Five

Sikes

I’d been with women before Snipe and even a couple of men, but he and I just clicked and no one else mattered until Jason came along.

Was that sudden switch flip normal?

Meh, normal was overrated. Snipe and I had been together a long time and now we’d move onto the next chapter of our life with Jason. Even though he came with what most would call baggage, we didn’t. We’d never considered kids of our own but after the glimpse into their dynamic it went without saying that his family was a welcome addition to our future.

The idea that we could have a hand in giving them a better life, helping to provide and nurture was like paying it forward. Snipe’s and my childhoods were shit and though theirs weren’t abusive like ours had been, they hurt in other ways. Taking some of that weight from Jason’s shoulders and onto ours felt right.

---