“What do you have in mind?” Jo looks a little nervous.
“We aren’t fancy men, Jo, but we do want to spend time with you. Spoil you a little.”
“We promise you’ll have a good time. How’s Friday night?”
“Wait, you aren’t going to tell me?” She pouts.
“Nope. And don’t even think of teasing Clay again to get an answer.”
“But that sounded like fun.”
I lean over and give her sexy pout a quick kiss. “Not telling. Besides, it’s more exciting if you don’t know.”
She huffs dramatically, but she’s smiling. Clay’s hand finds mine where it rests against her waist. He squeezes once, not playful, but just there.
The teasing settles into something softer.
Jo shifts, curling into Clay’s chest as if she belongs there. Like she’s been there all along, and we just hadn’t noticed the empty space waiting for her. Clay exhales slowly, his chin resting in her hair. I watch his face lose that last edge of tension he’s been carrying.
He looks… whole.
The realization hits me quietly. How haven’t I noticed this before? We’ve always been happy, so maybe I thought that meant we were fulfilled.
I’m not losing him.
We’re expanding and doing it together.
That fear I’d braced myself for… it never comes. Instead, there’s this strange, steady warmth spreading through my chest. It feels like when we first bought this house and stood in the doorway with nothing but echoing walls and possibilities.
It was terrifying and thrilling all at once.
Jo lifts her head slightly. “You’re both really serious about this.”
It isn’t a question.
“Yes,” I answer before Clay can. My steady voice surprises me. “We don’t do halfway. Not with people we love.”
Her breath catches at that word.
Love.
I’m not in love, but she’s more than a friend, and I do care about her. I need her and Clay to understand that.
Clay shifts beneath us, brushing his thumb along her spine. “You don’t have to decide anything tonight,” he says softly. “We just… we want you. All of you. The messy parts, the scared parts. Not just the fun ones.”
The room grows quiet.
The air feels different now. Heavier, but in a good way. Like something just settled between us.
Jo blinks fast, emotion creeping in despite her playful bravado. “You guys make me feel seen. Feel chosen for who I am.”
That lands harder than anything else tonight.
I lean forward, pressing my forehead gently to hers across Clay’s shoulder. “We’re picking you,” I murmur. “Every day. As long as you’ll have us.”
Clay hums in agreement, his hand sliding up to cradle the back of her neck.
“Okay,” she whispers.