Neither man broke the silence.
Eventually, Molly did.
“There will always be people in our lives who don’t get us, what we have, and they never will. If you told me this was what I’d have, what I’d want, what I’d work to keep strong and good and happy, what I’d cherish, just three years ago, I would have told you you were crazy. What a mess, two men, one woman. How do you raise kids with that? How do you balance it out so there’s no jealousy? Where one doesn’t feel left out? How do you make love split into three and make it equal? And then we happened and we’re a miracle. We’re so beautiful, we’re a miracle. We’re everything. We have so much to give to each other, it spills over, so our children are going to be so lucky. Just like us. So . . . fucking . . . lucky.”
Her voice broke on the word “fucking” which meant Maddox called out, soft but firm, “Come here now, baby.”
She slid into the water and did a stroke to make it to him, but he’d reached out an arm and hooked it around her waist, gliding her through the water as Diesel shifted positions from his bench to the one Maddox was sitting on.
Mad arranged her in his arms in his lap and Diesel leaned into her, wrapping her legs around his middle.
Diesel laid his hand on her chest. “My shit’s done, baby. I’m here with you. I’m not goin’ anywhere. I promise that. Promise it, Mol. I know how lucky we are. I know how lucky I am and I’m not gonna do anything to fuck that up. Swear it, sweetheart.”
“Th-they mess with your head,” Molly said.
“Yeah, they did,” D admitted. “But if you guys can ride that with me, then I can ride it too.”
“Promise that as well, DD,” she demanded brokenly, and fuck him. He put her through the wringer. “Promise that to both of us too.”
“Shit, I put you through too much,” Diesel bit off.
“Stop it, D, and just promise her, yeah?” Maddox rumbled.
Diesel looked at him, nodded. He looked at their Molly, and nodded.
“Promise, baby,” he said, eyes back to Mad. “Promise, bud. I’m with you. I’m here, with you. And I’m not going anywhere.”
“I love you, DD,” Molly blubbered.
He grinned at her, leaning deeper into her and sliding his hand up to curl it around the side of her neck. “I know, and that’s good since I love you too.”
She bent forward and kissed him, going hard, tangling her tongue to his.
She broke the kiss and turned her head, taking Mad’s mouth, giving him the same.
When she broke it off, she whispered, “Now you two.”
Their girl, testing him.
Diesel didn’t hesitate.
He moved into Mad, who met him halfway. Connection, a stroke of the tongue, but when it ended, Diesel pressed his forehead hard into Mad’s before he broke away.
“Happy?” he asked Molly.
She still had bright in her eyes and her smile was kinda wobbly, but it was there.
“Yeah,” she answered.
“Anything else you wanna let out after that?” D invited. “And, of course, you reaming Mad about his workout clothes. We leaving the toilet seat up? Does Mad drinking straight out of the juice carton piss you off?”
Her eyes got big and she looked at Maddox. “You drink out of the juice carton?”
“Motherfucker,” Mad growled, scowling at Diesel.
D grinned, sat back and massaged Molly’s calf. “It’s sick, Mad. No one wants your backwash.”
“You don’t even drink juice,” Maddox returned.
“I do,” Molly declared.
Maddox looked to her. “Baby, you suck my dick, take my tongue and swallow my cum.”
“Backwash is still gross,” she replied, and his brows hiked up.
“How?” he asked.
“It just is,” she mumbled and gave Diesel big eyes.
D chuckled.
Maddox scowled at him again. “And you’re perfect.”
“I didn’t think so. I thought I was a pain in your asses. But apparently, I’m amazing,” D retorted.
“Just to say, you’re not amazing right now. Right now you’re a pain in my ass,” Maddox shot back.
“Let’s not fight,” Molly put in.
“We’re not fighting, sweetheart,” Diesel told her. “We’re busting Maddox’s chops.”
“Let’s not do that either,” Maddox suggested.
Diesel shrugged.
“Text Sixx, tell her Rebel’s in town and if she’d down with that, we’re all coming for dinner,” Molly ordered.
“Will do, Mol,” D muttered, reaching a long arm out to nab his beer.
“Get Mol’s beer while you’re reaching, asshole,” Maddox commanded.
“He’s so bossy,” Molly murmured in a tease as D disengaged from her legs to do that.
“Don’t complain, darlin’, or I might stop being bossy when you like me bossy,” Mad warned.
“Forget I said anything,” Molly replied quickly.
Maddox chuckled.
D grabbed her beer and went back to his people.
They wound up in each other again, sitting in their pool, drinking beer, shooting the shit, being together.
Diesel did not look forward to the time his mother drew up her courage to make her phone call.
But for the first time since . . . well, fuck—since forever, he wasn’t beat down by the idea of what he’d have to face, and worse, what they would, his man and his woman, when he made shit clear.
It wouldn’t be fun.
It would be ugly.
But they’d make it through to the other side.
Together.
And it would never just be this, the three of them, knowing it was right, getting why it was right, having it all. Other people’s shit would always try to press in.
But now Diesel understood.
For them, the ones who mattered, it would always only be just this.
Their three, knowing what they had was right.
Getting why.
And having it all.
Unfortunately, Diesel didn’t have to wait a lot longer for his mother to draw up the courage to make her call.
It was late the next afternoon, twenty minutes after he got home, when he was out of the shower, washing the day’s dirt, road, and sweat off him. He was in cutoff sweats, a loose tee, hitting the kitchen, about to pop a beer and wait for Mad and Mol to get home, which would be imminently.
The jacked-up coward in him saw the name Mom on his phone and he honest to Christ wanted to let it go to voicemail.
He didn’t.
He had no idea how this was going to go. He’d never let his mind wander to that place of how he would want to do this. Not the dream of sitting his parents down, sharing a few truths, working them through their issues and accepting their hugs and declarations of, “We love you no matter what.” Not the nightmare of sitting them down, giving it to them straight, and eating their shit.
But it was going to happen. He knew it even before Tommy was outed. And he’d dreaded it after Tommy was outed.
It had always just been a matter of time.
He couldn’t run from it anymore.
He had a ring to buy.
(Or, half of one.)
“Yo, Ma,” he answered.
“Hey, sweetie, uh . . . how are you?”
She was always hesitant when she asked that question, and a lot of other times besides, which drove him up the wall.
He was her son, for fuck’s sake. He wasn’t going to say, “I’m great, Mom, the bi-life is awesome. Maddox jacked me off in the shower this morning, fingering Molly until she came with me. I returned the favor by dropping to my knees on the tile and sucking him off while Mol made out with him. It was spectacular. Wassup with you?”