Page 36 of Simply Perfection
“And what?”
A low growl came from the heated interior of the car. Trevor took a moment to fiddle with the vents in the car, then pulled his body tighter inside his coat. Clay kicked up the heater, and Trevor sighed as a blast of hot air hit him in the face and on his feet.
“Better?”
Trevor nodded.
“Now fess up. Should we be on the lookout for a gift registry notice?”
Trevor snorted. “Gay marriage may be legal, but I doubt polygamy will be on the books any time soon.”
“Would you if you could?”
“I don’t know. We’re tight, but marriage between three gay men? What are the chances that could actually work?”
“So you’re using Matt and Niall for the sex? You have no intention of making a life with them? A lifetime commitment to your lover, that’s what it means to be in a marriage. It’s not the piece of paper the state gives you.”
“I like them. I like them a lot. The sex is phenomenal. Matt has this little dominant streak that pushes Niall’s and my buttons in all the right ways, but it’s mo—” Trevor saw Clay’s jaw nearly hit the steering wheel. “What?”
“Wow. I never saw that one coming.”
“Umm…”
“I’m having trouble picturing open and friendly Matt as a dark, ball-busting Dom? Wait, I thought you said—”
“No, no. It’snothinglike what was in the video. It’s hard to explain. He kinda gets intense sometimes, and … I don’t know … it works.”
“I guess part of me is a little stunned that my friend has this side to him I knew nothing about.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean … maybe I shouldn’t have told you, but you asked and…”
Clay placed a hand on Trevor’s shoulder. “You did nothing wrong. Matt, Logan and I have a special friendship. Yes, he’s Logan’s psychiatrist, but that all gets left behind at the office. When we hang out together, nothing is sacred. You remember the holiday party, right?”
Trevor nodded. “I couldn’t believe Ethan and Rick going at it on the Xbox. Conor is an amazing cook, and Calleigh is so nice. I can’t believe she works at the hospital as much as she does and still takes the time to be such a good mom. Mostly I remember you, Logan and Matt playing board games all night.”
Clay nodded. “Has anyone told you how we all became friends?”
“I’ve picked up bits and pieces here and there.”
“Rick and Conor went to school with Ethan. They’ve known each other for years. Ethan met Ryan while the two of them were working on a case. During the process, Ethan was attacked. Brutally. Left for dead in the freezing snow. I was the lead detective on the case. We never caught Ethan’s attackers, because the men we suspected of the act fled to China. Now, Ryan has always suspected and, I have to agree, he’s made some pretty good arguments that the mastermind of the whole thing was actually the person Ethan was prosecuting. Unfortunately, we could never prove it. Anyway, during the entire process, I ended up spending a lot of time with Ryan and Ethan, and eventually met the McGuire gang.”
“That sucks about Ethan. I had no idea.”
“Yeah, the guy is doing thirty years for economic espionage, so at least he’s off the streets, but it still sucks. So, back to using Matt and Niall for sex—”
Trevor’s head hit the headrest in Clay’s car, hard. “It’s not only sex, okay? It’s more. I don’t really know what, but it’s … when I first hooked up with them? Yeah, okay, all I pretty much cared about was getting off. But now I enjoy being at Niall’s or Matt’s place instead of going home after work,” he whispered at the end.
“Why do you like it?” Clay asked, just as quietly.
“Because … there’s someone to talk to. Someone to kiss. Someone willing to watch a movie in the dark or listen if I’vehad a bad day. Someone who … someone who wants me. Really wantsme.”
Clay had leaned over the seat as Trevor said the last words. Suddenly Trevor had an epiphany. The metaphorical light bulb went on over his head, and Trevor felt like smacking himself at how dense he been. Matt and Niall wanted Trevor to share in their lives, to face each day standing side by side.
In the past couple of months, Trevor had spent more time at Niall’s place than his own. It no longer seemed massive and looming, but a comfortable place for the three of them to relax together. It felt like a home. He finally realized what Niall had been talking about the night they met. As individuals, they stood alone, vulnerable and fighting against the world. As a unit, they ceased to merely exist. They thrived. They could support, defend, challenge and grow.
Trevor’s chest hurt as something deep inside him cracked open. He remembered this feeling from his childhood, before everything changed. He remembered how his young heart would feel as if it was going to beat out of chest, he was so excited to play in the park with his mother, or the contentment he felt to sit on the couch, sharing cereal right out of the box with his dad while they watched cartoons together. His feelings for Matt and Niall were the matured version of the childish adoration for his parents.
“I love them,” Trevor said with astonishment.
