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  Until she walked through her front door found her living room full of stacks of boxes.

  “Dad?” she called out, seeing his car was parked in the driveway.

  “Back here.”

  She threaded her way through the boxes and found him packing their bedroom. “What are you doing?”

  He stood and turned to her, a snarky smile on his face. “Really? What’s it look like, honey?”

  Ironically, she would have been dancing for joy and helping him out just a week ago. “You don’t want to wait until Mom’s home to do this?”

  “Are you out of your mind? This way, I can take her straight to the new place once she’s discharged. I don’t want to bring her back here—no offense—because I don’t want her reverting to old habits if we can avoid it. Supposed to be closing tomorrow morning on the condo.”

  “Wow. That was…quick.”

  “Yep.” He smiled. “Already arranged for the movers for Monday. They’ll get our stuff out of storage first, then follow me here and get the rest of it.”

  “This is going awfully fast, Dad.”

  “I know. That’s the way I want it. The doctor said they’re going to keep her for at least another week. The fact that she threatened the staff, and made suicidal threats in front of them, sealed it. They want to make sure they get her the right combination of drugs and she’s stabilized before they release her.”

  “Any answers yet?”

  “The psychiatrist they brought in to treat her is suspecting bi-polar disorder. When he had me filling out questionnaires about her behavior over the years, it turns out she might have been this way for a while and really hid it well. Once she was in close quarters with you and me and unable to hide things, it kind of got pushed to a breaking point. He said now they’re trying to make sure that with elderly patients they don’t just label behavior like this dementia without carefully ticking all the boxes. So they’re going to try mood stabilization meds on her.”

  “That’s…good, right?”

  He shrugged. “It’s better than other options. And potentially treatable, if they get her stabilized and she’ll take the meds like she’s supposed to. There’s still a few test results they’re waiting to get back to completely rule out Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, but they’re working on the presumption that it’s psychiatric in nature.”

  “You’re handling this rather calmly.”

  He turned. “Honey, you have no idea what she’s been like the past ten years. I could hardly stand to be around her sometimes, which is why I started volunteering. She refused to let me plan trips with her or do any of the stuff we’d talked about. I couldn’t just sit around the house staring at her all day or doing honey-do chores because she refused to have a life. I am relieved to finally have a doctor nodding his head and saying, yep, you’re right, she’s got a problem. It’s not just you.”

  He sank to the bed. “I’m sorry it took me this long to bring things to a head. Honestly? I thought it’d happen a lot sooner. I hate to admit this, but that’s another reason why I finally went along with her scheme to move in with you. I thought okay, Em will get sick of her shit and see what she’s doing and call her out on it and force her to look at her behavior. Then…you didn’t. So I started thinking maybe I was the one with the problem.”

  She sat next to him. “I was trying to get along. I didn’t want to cause any trouble. Keep my head down and hope for the best.”

  He let out a laugh. “We’re a pair of enablers, huh? Gawd. Thank goodness Amy didn’t have the kids with her yesterday.”

  “She called me and told me about it.”

  He scrubbed his face with his hands. His voice sounded weary. “She’s as stubborn as your mom sometimes.”

  “I feel like I should be doing more to help you with this.”

  “You are doing what I need you to do, which is being supportive. You’ve been through enough. I’ve got this from here. I want to do this myself to keep busy. If I need something, I’ll tell you. I promise. I want to…”

  He sighed. “I don’t know. I feel like I’ve had zero control over my life the past three years. I’m done with that. I want to reclaim it.” He looked at her. “You’ve got a relationship now, too, it looks like. I’m happy for you. I’ve also felt guilty that your mom blew those other guys out of the water.”

  She certainly could understand him wanting to retake his life. “Then…I guess I need to be honest with you about something.”

  “What?”

  “I’m not just seeing Jarred. I’m seeing Jarred and Garrison. As more than just friends. It’s a long story, and I’ll spare you the details, but they’re a package deal. I’m telling you this because I don’t want you to get the wrong idea and think I’m cheating on one of them with the other. You might be seeing a lot more of them in the future if things keep going well between us. I’m not going to lie or pretend I’m not involved with both of them.”

  He went silent for a long, nervous moment. “Honey, you’re an adult. As long as they treat you right, I’m not going to judge you.”

  “I wanted to warn you because of Mom.”

  “I appreciate that. Can I ask a stupid question?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Why both of them?”

  “You know how Chelbie does work for us, and I kind of dodged your question that time about which brother she’s with?”

  “Ye—oohh.”

  “Exactly. She’s in a poly triad with them. Jarred and Garrison have been together a long time. Unlike Chelbie’s guys, Jarred and Garrison are a couple. They were both with Janis. Jarred married her when she got sick. But it was all three of them together for like seven years.”

  “So this was their suggestion?”

  “Kind of a condition I didn’t mind agreeing to. I don’t know what the future will hold, or if it’ll last. But life’s short. I really like them. Mitchell and Brent have met them and signed off on them, too.”

  He chuckled. “Then that’s all I need to know, sweetheart. If they’re good enough to meet Mitchell’s standards, then I’m sure they’re good men.”

  She stood, a thought hitting her. “Oh, since you guys are moving, take the phone line.”

  “Huh?”

  “I’ll have the house number transferred over to your new place. Anyone who calls Mom calls on that line, since she doesn’t use her cell. I’m only going to have it turned off anyway, once you’re gone.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah. I never get any calls on it. It’s one less change she’ll have to deal with, and one less aggravation for you to have to make sure your new number gets around.”

  “Oh. Okay. Thank you, sweetheart. I hadn’t even thought about it.”

  “Yeah, well, not totally magnanimous on my part. I won’t have a home phone for her to try calling a bazillion times when she can’t get me on my cell phone.”

  “Ah. Very sneaky and very smart.”

  * * * *

  Jarred had spent the morning painting test patches on various walls in the house, now that he’d narrowed down the shades to a couple per room. Then he’d pulled out one of the upper sections of cabinets from the kitchen.

  He knew Em’s dad was next door and had seen him unload a whole carful of flat boxes hours earlier. That’s why Jarred didn’t walk over there when Em got home, suspecting she might need time alone to talk to her dad.

  When she finally walked over, he had the front door open and was waiting for her. She hadn’t emerged with any of her stuff, so he didn’t want to think that meant she might have changed her mind about spending the night.

  But it sure seemed suspicious.

  After he kissed her hand, she stepped in for a long, strong hug he never wanted to release.

  “Need to talk about it, Ma’am?”

  “Dad says he’s closing on their new condo tomorrow,” she mumbled against his chest. “He’s already packing. He wants to have it ready so that when Mom’s discharged from the hospital, he can t
ake her there.”

  “That’s…good, right?”

  “I guess.”

  “You can stop beating yourself up anytime now.”

  She looked up into his eyes. “That’s freaking spooky, you know.”

  “Can we do anything to help him?”

  “Nope. He said he wants to do it all on his own. He’s got movers scheduled and everything.”

  “Ah. Okay. Hey, I got you something shiny today.”

  “What?”

  He took her hand and led her over to the dining room table, where he picked it up and handed it to her. “I changed the locks this morning. Deadbolt and knob match, as does the side garage door. This is yours.”

  She stared at the key for a moment. “You sure you want me to have this?”

  “Absolutely. If you want it.” For a moment, his heart raced as he worried that maybe he’d pushed too hard, too fast.

  Too much.

  Assumed.

  She turned it over in her palm for a moment before throwing her arms around his neck for another strong hug. “Thank you.”

  He nibbled on the side of her neck, trying to control his willful cock as he did. Yeah, he wanted to bend her over what was left of the kitchen cabinets and fuck her brains out.

  This was not the time for that.

  Not yet, at least.

  “We trust you,” he said. “Regardless of where we go in the future, the three of us, I still want you to have that. Any time you need to come over, the door is always open to you. Well, metaphorically speaking. You might have to unlock it.”

  She sniffled and stepped back as she looked at it again. “My keys are next door. I’ll put it on there in a little while.”

  He gently stroked her cheeks with his thumbs, brushing away her tears. “If you’ve changed your mind about tonight, I understand.”

  That’s when she let out a snort and an adorable laugh. “Changed my mind? Why would you think that?”

  “Because you didn’t haul your stuff over here. That’s why I didn’t race out to meet you.”

  She grinned. “That’s because I figured you wouldn’t mind walking over to get it for me. I left it all on the couch next to the front door.”

  Before he realized what he was doing, he’d pulled her in for a deep, soul-sucking kiss. One hand cupped the nape of her neck, and the one along her ass pressed her hips against his so she could feel how hard his cock now was.

  “Thank you, Ma’am,” he hoarsely said when he finally came up for air.

  “Holy crap, if that’s the kind of kiss I can expect just for carrying a laptop case and overnight bag, I can only imagine what you’ll give me if I let you haul my groceries in from the car.”

  “It’s a good thing I can’t fuck you right now, or I’d be balls-deep inside you.”

  She draped her arms around his neck. “If that was you trying to talk me into moving in with you guys, it’s working.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Em’s nerves worked overtime as Garrison drove them to the party Saturday night.

  “You said I met them at Tony’s dinner party?” she asked once again.

  “Yes,” the guys said.

  Jarred took over. “Max, Sean, and Cali kinda sorta have a similar dynamic to what we have.”

  “Kinda sorta?”

  “They’re all switchy, but Cali’s not much of a Dominant in their dynamic as she is sometimes Toppy. She’s more submissive to her guys.”

  Em hadn’t missed that the guys had brought a bag of implements with them. It was stashed in the trunk and she hadn’t seen all the goodies in it, other than the Hitachi and the butt plugs. She’d exchanged a few more texts with Tilly, who said she’d be happy to help her with her impact play technique, or at least demonstrate stuff, if she wanted.

  “No one’s going to try to do anything to me tonight, will they?”

  Both men laughed. “No one will try to do anything to anyone tonight against their will, believe me,” Garrison said. “It’ll be like the dinner party at Tony’s, except some people will be naked and orgasming at various times during the night.”

  “That sounds…” She wasn’t sure what it sounded like.

  Then again, she’d been to some of Mitchell and Brent’s parties that had gotten…wild.

  “I promise I won’t freak out,” she said. “But I’m not sure how comfortable I’d be getting naked or anything in front of others.”

  “You don’t have to, Ma’am,” Jarred said. “But feel free to order us to get naked, if you’d like.”

  “Jare,” Garrison cautioned, “behave. Don’t pressure her.”

  “I didn’t take it that way.” She glanced over her shoulder at Jarred and spotted his playful grin. “Haven’t decided yet if I want anyone else looking at my goodies.”

  Jarred snorted. “Everyone who will be there has probably already seen us naked,” he said. “More than once. Although Janis did go through a latex gimp suit phase with us for a while.”

  “I think mine finally rotted along the seams,” Garrison said.

  “Okay, back up. What’s a gimp suit?”

  Jarred pulled up something on his phone and passed it forward to her over the seat. “That’s one variation of it.”

  The guy in the picture was dressed, literally, from head to toe in a skin-tight latex suit, including a hood that only had holes for his eyes, nose, and mouth.

  “That looks like the suit from American Horror Story.” She handed the phone back to him. “That’s what that’s called?”

  “One variation,” he said.

  “I think I want to get used to you guys with collars and cuffs first,” she said. “I’m having too much fun with you naked. Those things would make it hard for me to reach your fun parts.”

  “Oh, they make suits with access—”

  “Jarred,” Garrison said, sounding like he was trying not to laugh, “Ma’am just gave a huge hint there.”

  “Oh. Oh! Right. Sorry, Ma’am.”

  She reached across the seat and patted Garrison’s thigh. “Go easy on him. He’s just being eagerly helpful.”

  “I don’t want to overwhelm you.”

  “I’m tougher than I look. If something freaks me out, I’ll tell you.”

  “I wonder who’s holding the Halloween party this year,” Jarred mused.

  “Whoever it is, I’m sure if Tilly has her way, we’ll be invited,” Garrison said.

  “I take it there’s a kinky twist?” Em asked.

  Both men laughed. Garrison explained. “One year, at Seth and Leah’s, they had a diving for dildos contest.”

  “How’d that work?”

  “Well, it was supposed to be bobbing for boners,” he said, “until they realized most of the things didn’t float. Seth and Leah have a pool, and things…escalated.”

  “They were brand-new, unused dildos,” Jarred added. “Remember the ass-o-lantern contest?”

  “That was good.”

  She waited for what she was sure would be the explanation. “Markers and bare asses,” Garrison said. “Crowd favorite won.”

  “Ah. That doesn’t sound…painful.”

  “Oh, it wasn’t. We have a lot of fun at the private parties. It’s not like one big orgy.”

  They parked along the street just down from the house. Jarred got out and opened her door for her while Garrison retrieved the casserole they’d brought for their pot luck contribution, as well as their bag from the trunk. He led the way while Jarred, Em on his arm, followed.

  Em immediately relaxed when she spotted the woman who opened the door for them. Yes, she had met the trio at Tony’s but she hadn’t remembered their names. They’d been very nice, funny, and if she remembered correctly, Em’s men actually owned several of their implements. Max and Sean had vanilla jobs, but they also had a kinky toy site where they sold paddles and other things they made. Cali ran the website end of things for them.

  “Come on in!” Cali said, giving them all hugs before taking the cassero
le from Garrison. “I’m so glad you guys are here tonight! Tilly gave me a heads-up. She’s already here somewhere.”

  They went in and Garrison set their bag down while Jarred led Em through the house in search of Max and Sean. They found them, and Tilly, talking out on the screened lanai.

  “Hey, there they are.” Tilly, who tonight was dressed in jeans and a black tank top, stood to give them welcoming hugs.

  “Where are the guys?” Jarred asked.

  “Sir Fussypants overdid it playing horsey with the munchkin today. Threw out his back. So Cris is staying home and babysitting him and the munchkin. Well, technically not babysitting her since she’s our daughter. You know what I mean. Although he is babysitting Lan. He’s a horrible patient. Believe me, I’m glad to not be home with the whiner tonight.”

  They quickly got settled in a far corner of the living room to talk. The men had, without Em asking, taken positions on the floor on either side of her, kneeling and awaiting her orders.

  Tilly smiled down at them. “Nice when they come pre-trained, huh?”

  Em reached out and stroked Garrison’s hair. “I’m afraid I’m the one who needs training.”

  “So. What do you want to know first?”

  “I don’t even know to ask. Tony said that’s a good thing to admit.”

  “It is. Did you want to learn flogging or impact play? I’m good with teaching you whatever you feel like learning. I’ve played with the guys before, so they know what I’m capable of. It’s your call.”

  “I guess the party will get kind of crowded, huh?”

  “Probably. Max, Sean, and Cali usually put on a good show when they play, and I heard they had a new bondage frame they wanted everyone to test out. But I already cleared it with them that we can go into their spare bedroom here and play in private, if you’d be more comfortable with that.”

  Em glanced around, knowing if she took too long to make up her mind that her nerve might flee her. “Okay. Let’s do that.”

  “Cool.” Tilly rubbed her hands together. “What limits do you have?”

  “I…don’t even know.”