Page 62 of Theirs

Alex gives me a soft smile, and Mac reaches over to hold my hand.

“There’s going to be people who judge us,” Mac says. “But it’s none of their damn business. We’re not hurting anyone.”

“You’re right,” I tell him. “Okay, let’s go. Just be honest. We can do this.”

I’m not actually speaking to the guys when I give that pep talk, I’m more so talking to myself. Trying to prepare myself for possible questions. I know Kristen is probably going to ask about Ben. She knew I was into him from the beginning. She even knew about Colin, but I wonder if she’ll be as supportive if I tell her about Alex and Mac. Maybe they won’t even ask, and I’m just getting myself all worked up for no reason.

The guys climb out of the car, without a care in the world, and Ben opens my door for me, helping me out.

“It’ll be okay, Lavender,” he says, placing a chaste kiss on my cheek. The guys follow me up the walkway and I let myself in, keying the code in like I always do. I just have to treat this like any other time I’ve come to hang out with my brother and sister-in-law.

“Put on some clothes, married freaks,” I yell into the spacious house. “You’ve got polite company.”

“There’s nothing polite about you!” my big brother yells back from the living room. I go over and reach up to muss up his hair. He wraps me up in a hug. “Hey, sis. How are you?”

His voice goes from teasing to caring, and I smile at that. “I’m fine,” I tell him. “You don’t need to worry about me, K.”

“I know, I just...” he begins to stay, but I stop him.

“Don’t—” I tell him. “It’s water under the bridge. I’m fine now.”

He purses his lips, but nods and releases me, saying hello to the guys.

They all give him that typical bro hug where they slap hands and pull each other in for a pat on the back. I roll my eyes and head to the kitchen in search of Kristen. She’s cleaning off the island, and setting out some plates and silverware on the counter. I smell something amazing cooking in the oven.

“Hey, lady,” I tell her, taking a seat at the bar. “Need any help?”

She shakes her head, but doesn’t stop the task at hand. She’s nervous about something. Kristen has a really good habit of cleaning a ton when she’s nervous about something. Her house is normally very tidy, but I glance around and notice that the baseboards have recently been deep cleaned, and the deep farmhouse style sink is clean as a whistle. In college, right before big exams or presentations, she would clean our apartment from top to bottom. I had to leave the apartment for hours because she would tell me I was in her way and she couldn’t study until everything was clean.

Okay, maybe that’s not really a good habit, and more of a thing she should seek professional help for.

“Whatcha cookin’?” I ask.

“Homemade lasagna,” she says simply.

I turn and find the guys catching up with my brother, and then bring my attention back to Kristen.

“I hooked up with Ben,” I say like I’m telling her what I had for breakfast.

“That’s nice,” she says, still wiping away a mess that’s not on the counter.

I nod. “Yeah, I also hooked up with Mac and Colin. Not Alex yet. We’re all dating though. Well, I’m dating all of them. I guess you could call us polyamorous.”

“Cool,” Kristen mutters. Yep, she’s definitely got something on her mind.

The oven beeps, signaling the meal is done cooking. Kristen sprints to the stove, grabbing her oven mitts and pulling out the meal. I grab the plates from the island and take them over to the dining room to set the table. I’m honestly shocked she hasn’t done that yet since she’s acting like she’s preparing to host the Queen of England or some shit. Well... the Queen if she were still alive.

“Lunch is ready,” Kristen yells, bringing the steaming hot tray of lasagna over to the table and placing it on two hot pads. “Kane, can you come slice the bread?”

“Sure, babe,” he says, coming into the kitchen holding a fancy, imported German beer in his hand.

I go over to their wine fridge and pull out two bottles. Mac comes closely behind me and grabs some wine glasses for me. I turn and find him smiling.

“Hey, babe,” Mac teases, and then drops his voice to a whisper. “Can’t wait to get you home tonight for that fashion show Colin was talking about.”

“We’ll see, Sir,” I tell him, giving him a wink as I grab the wine opener out of a drawer. I know my brother’s house like the back of my hand.

Colin comes over and helps Mac grab some of the wine glasses and they sit them on the table. Alex takes the wine and opener from me, and opens each one with ease. He hands me my glass full and I give him a little wink. I’m kind of enjoying having this little secret with my guys while around my brother and best friend.

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