On The Same Page Ch. 15

Note: Thank You all for sticking with the story so far! Its been a blast for me as a person who just writes for fun in their free time to dive back into writing for fun. Your comments have been amazing, the positive feedback has done a ton for me mentally as well. I hope you enjoy the chapter! A always, positive feedback is welcomed and encouraged in the comments! While this story is winding down, I do have plans for a whole new story in the works!

Chapter 15: Reality

Robbie's POV

I had spent three amazing weeks on my honeymoon with Kat. Two weeks on an insanely amazing luxury cruise in the Caribbean and then another week at an all-inclusive resort in Mexico. It was absolute paradise. Amazing food, no worries, sunshine, relaxation, free drinks, and, most importantly, an amazing amount of time with my wife. It wasn't lost on me how lucky I was.

Now we were on the final descent into the Philadelphia airport, coming back to reality. As much as I absolutely loved everything about the honeymoon, I was excited to be back home and come back to the most unique thing about our relationship: our girlfriend. I couldn't help but smile knowing she was waiting at the baggage claim area, ready to welcome us home.

The honeymoon was ours. We both knew it, Cassie knew it, and we never doubted that. Kat and I both still mentioned several times that we missed her or that she would love an activity we were doing or something like that. Nothing to take away from our happiness, just observations. It had made us feel a little better that Cassie's sister Angel had decided to extend her trip, since it was summer break, to check the area out. She had been thinking of getting out of her parents' house and spreading her wings a bit. I was glad Cassie wasn't alone for that long. She would've gone crazy. Well, crazier than she already was. The wheels touched down, and Kat's hand tightened around mine.

"Well," she said, looking out the window. "We're home."

I lifted her hand and kissed her fingers.

"Glad to be back?"

She turned toward me, smiling.

"Yeah. I loved every minute, but I'm ready to be home."

"Me too."

She leaned over and kissed me before settling against my shoulder. We watched the airport pass outside as the plane made its way toward the gate. I could still smell a little of her perfume, the same one she'd worn to dinner on our last night in Mexico.

Three weeks had gone by faster than I would've thought possible. I wasn't sure we'd ever had that much uninterrupted time together. No work, no obligations, no reason to leave the bed in the morning until we felt like it. I had gotten very comfortable with that last part.

Kat picked up her phone.

"Cass is already here, baby."

"What'd she say?"

"She wants to know if we've landed."

Kat typed a reply, then smiled when another message came through.

"What?"

"She says she can't wait to see us."

I looked toward the front of the plane, where people were already standing.

"Neither can I."

Once the aisle started moving, I got our bags down and let Kat step out ahead of me. She held her hand back as we reached the jet bridge, and I took it.

We walked into the terminal together. People were waiting to board, hurrying toward other gates, or standing beneath signs trying to figure out where they needed to go. After three weeks of waking up somewhere beautiful with very little expected of us, it felt strange to be surrounded by people and busyness again.

Kat stayed close beside me, her thumb moving over my wedding ring.

"What?" I asked when I caught her looking down.

"Nothing. I still like seeing it."

I smiled.

"So do I."

She brought our joined hands up and kissed mine. We followed the signs toward baggage claim. Every so often, she'd look ahead, searching beyond the people in front of us. I was doing the same thing. Then, as we stepped off the escalator, Kat squeezed my hand again.

"There she is!"

Cassie stood near one of the columns, her phone in her hand. She looked up and saw us. Her face lit up. I had seen that smile on my phone plenty of times while we were gone. It was considerably better in person. She tucked her phone into her purse and came toward us, walking quickly before breaking into a run. I let go of Kat's hand and set my bag down just in time. Cassie threw her arms around my neck and jumped into me. I caught her beneath her thighs as her legs wrapped around my waist.

"Hey, Papi!"

"Hey, Chica!"

She kissed me, her fingers sliding into the hair at the back of my neck. I held her close and kissed her back, no longer particularly interested in who might be walking past us. When she pulled away, she stayed close enough that her nose brushed mine.

"I missed you."

"I missed you too."

I held her for another moment before setting her down. Her hands lingered on my shoulders, and I kissed her once more before she turned toward Kat. As she did, I noticed what she was wearing for the first time. She had on one of my hoodies. It was baggy enough that it fit her like a dress, though I did notice she was wearing shorts underneath.

"Why are you wearing one of my hoodies?"

"It's cold in the airport, Papi. I wanted to stay warm."

"That makes sense, but why one of MY hoodies? You have like 6,000 of them."

Her cheeks flushed, and when she answered, she had a super cute, super feminine voice, the one she typically saved just for me at home. "None of them smell like you, though, Papi."

That made me smile as I nodded and just said, "Alright."

Kat was already reaching for her. They wrapped their arms around each other, holding tightly. Cassie said something too softly for me to hear, and Kat smiled before leaning in to kiss her.

I watched them while I picked up my bag. There was something in the way Kat's hand settled against Cassie's cheek that made me smile. The way they looked at each other and just how we all gelled together filled my heart in a completely different way.

Cassie drew back just far enough to look at her.

"You look beautiful, Sweetie!"

"So do you, Honey."

"Well, thanks, but that tan, girl! I have to sit out by the pool more to catch up!"

Kat brushed a strand of hair away from her face as she smiled.

"I missed you so much."

Cassie hugged her again.

"Come on," she said when they finally separated. "Let's get your stuff and take you home."

We walked toward our carousel with Kat holding Cassie's hand and my arm around Cassie's shoulders.

"Was the flight okay?" she asked.

"It was good," Kat said. "He slept through most of it."

"What can I say? Those first-class seats were crazy comfy."

"Oh my God, they really were, though."

Cassie looked up at me.

"Still tired?"

"A little. Mostly ready to be done traveling."

"Well, you're almost there."

Our bags started coming through a few minutes later. I retrieved them while the girls stood beside me, Kat telling Cassie about our last evening in Mexico. Cassie listened closely, smiling when Kat described the table near the water and the dinner neither of us had wanted to end. I found myself listening too. I remembered the meal, but mostly I remembered Kat sitting across from me, her hair moving in the breeze, looking happier than I knew how to describe. When I got the last suitcase, Cassie reached for the handle.

"I'll take this one."

"Thanks, Mi Vida."

She smiled up at me, and we headed outside.

Once the bags were loaded, Cassie got behind the wheel and Kat settled beside her. I climbed into the back, happy to let someone else get us the rest of the way home.

"How's Lady?" I asked as we pulled out of the parking space.

"She's good. She's going to be very excited to see you."

"Been behaving?"

"Mostly. She decided Angel's side of the bed belonged to her."

Kat laughed.

"That sounds right."

"They eventually worked out an agreement."

"Did Angel get much of a say?" I asked.

"She did not."

Cassie checked for traffic and pulled out of the garage.

For the first part of the drive, the conversation stayed on the honeymoon. Cassie asked about the cruise and whether we'd enjoyed Mexico as much. Kat told her about the places we'd visited, the food, and how easy it had been to lose track of the days.

"What was your favorite part?" Cassie asked.

Kat looked back at me.

"The suite on the cruise was pretty insane." I smiled. "We spent a lot of time in there."

"It was perfect," Kat said. "We could sit together and watch the water on the terrace, eat outside, get in the pool whenever we wanted."

"That terrace was also a good place for a nap," I added.

She laughed.

"You think any place is a good place for a nap."

I shrugged as Cassie glanced at me in the mirror.

"You look rested."

"I feel rested."

"Good."

There was something warm in the way she said it. She knew how busy we'd been before the wedding, how many evenings had ended with one or more of us still thinking about everything we needed to do the next day.

"What about you?" Kat asked. "How's the store?"

"Good. Busy enough to keep everyone happy. The managers handled things really well."

"I noticed. You barely needed me."

Cassie smiled.

"You were on vacation. I wanted to be sure you stayed there, you know, mentally."

"I did."

"And Angel?" I asked. "She's coming back next week?"

"Yeah. She went home to get more of her stuff."

"So, she's decided to stay for the summer?" Kat asked.

"The rest of it. She wants to give herself enough time to see what living here would be like."

"I'm glad," Kat said. "It'll be nice having her around."

"Yeah," Cassie replied. "It was good having her here."

She went quiet as she merged onto the highway. Kat watched her for a moment.

"Everything okay, Honey?"

Cassie nodded, then glanced at me in the mirror.

"There's something I wanted to talk to you guys about. Something that happened while you were gone."

I shifted forward a little.

"What happened?"

"The morning you left, my parents were at the airport picking up Tía Elena."

She paused.

"Mom saw me kiss you, Robbie."

I looked at her reflection as I processed the situation quickly.

"But she didn't see you with Kat, did she?"

"No, she did not."

Kat let out a quiet breath.

"So, she thought..."

"Yeah. They came over after I got home. Mom wanted to know how I could do that to my best friend."

Cassie kept her eyes on the road.

"I told them about us."

I watched her face, trying to read what she hadn't said yet.

"How did they take it?" I asked.

"Dad was worried. He had questions about where I fit, about you two being married and what that means for me."

Kat nodded slowly.

"And your mom?"

"She had a harder time."

Cassie's voice was steady, but her fingers tightened around the wheel.

"She kept coming back to the marriage. Her faith. What she'd raised me to believe."

I waited. Then Cassie took a breath.

"She said it sounded like a pretty excuse for behaving like a slut."

Kat turned fully toward her.

"Cass."

For a few seconds, I couldn't find anything useful to say. Of course, a string of hurtful and angry things came to mind, but I knew that wouldn't help. I hated thinking of her standing in her own home, trying to explain something important to her, and hearing that from her mother.

"I told her to leave," Cassie continued. "Dad backed me up. She apologized before they went."

"I'm sorry, Chica," I said.

Her eyes met mine in the mirror.

"Thank you."

Kat rested her hand on Cassie's forearm.

"That must've hurt."

Cassie nodded.

"It did."

Kat's face softened.

"Oh, Honey."

"Angel stayed with me. Ricky and Evan came over a little later too."

I was grateful to hear that.

"How were they?" I asked.

"Good. Really good." A small smile touched her mouth. "Neither of them was particularly surprised about us."

Kat glanced back at me. I smiled faintly.

"Ricky always did notice more than he let on."

"He told me you loved me."

"I have told you that I love you. Many times."

Cassie looked at me again.

"I know, Papi."

Kat's hand slid down to hers for a brief squeeze before Cassie returned it to the wheel.

"I'm glad they were there," Kat said.

"Me too."

I sat back, letting her take her time.

"I had lunch with Dad the next day," Cassie continued. "That went better. He listened. We talked about The Bowery too, and some regular stuff. It helped."

"And your mom?" I asked.

Cassie's eyes stayed on the road.

"We haven't spoken since that morning."

Kat's hand went still beside hers.

"Not at all?"

"No."

Cassie swallowed.

"I needed some space. But it's been three weeks now, and neither of us has picked up the phone."

I watched her in the mirror. There had been hurt in her voice when she told us what Maria had said. This sounded quieter, but it wasn't any easier to hear.

"You don't have to decide what to do about that today," Kat said.

"I know."

Cassie looked toward her.

"I wanted you both to know before we got home. I didn't want it sitting there while we were trying to enjoy being together again."

"I'm glad you told us," I said.

"I needed a little time before I could talk about it. And I wanted to do it in person."

"That's okay," Kat said. "We're here now."

Cassie's shoulders eased a little. I wanted to reach for her, but from the back seat there wasn't much I could do without making it awkward. I settled for meeting her eyes when she looked in the mirror.

"Is there anything you need from us?"

"Just this, right now."

"Okay."

"I don't want anybody calling Mom."

"We won't," Kat said.

She looked at me. I frowned slightly, looking conflicted.

"We won't... right, baby?"

I rolled my eyes slightly and nodded.

"No, we won't."

"You decide how you want to handle it. We'll be here."

Cassie smiled, a little more naturally this time.

"Thank you."

Kat watched her for another moment.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"And you know I love you," I said.

Cassie's eyes found mine.

"Yes, Papi. I love you too."

We let the conversation rest there for a little while. Kat kept her hand near Cassie's, and I watched the familiar exits pass outside. It wasn't the homecoming conversation I'd expected, but I was glad she'd told us. I didn't need her to make everything sound fine so we could keep feeling like we were on vacation.

After a few minutes, Kat asked about Angel.

"Was that part of why she wanted to stay longer?"

"Part of it. She didn't like how Mom treated me. But she'd already been thinking about leaving home."

Cassie checked her mirrors.

"She feels like Mom has a say in every decision she makes. She wants some space to figure out what she actually wants."

"I get that," Kat said quietly.

I did too.

"What's she thinking about doing here?" I asked.

"She's still working that out. I told her I'd offer her a job at The Bowery if she needed one."

"Of course," Kat said.

"And she's interested in looking at apartments eventually."

"Whenever she's ready, we can see what's available," I said.

Cassie smiled at me in the mirror.

"I thought you might say that."

"She doesn't have to decide everything this summer. Maybe we could offer her a short-term lease if she really wanted a taste of what it's like to live out here."

"That's what I told her about deciding. That would be amazing for her to have a place, but I don't know about furniture and all that. No, Papi, you don't need to take care of all of it. I know you want to, but we need to let her figure it out."

The conversation gradually drifted toward the days they'd spent together. Angel helping at the bookstore. Dinner with Ricky and Evan. The two sisters lying in bed talking long after they'd meant to go to sleep. I liked hearing about it. Cassie sounded happy when she talked about having her sister nearby, and I hoped Angel would find something she wanted to stay for.

By the time we turned into our neighborhood, Kat was telling her about something she'd bought in Mexico that she wanted to show her.

"It's in one of the suitcases," she said.

Cassie smiled.

"You have no idea which one, do you?"

"No. But I'll find it."

"We have time."

I looked past them as the house came into view. Cassie pulled into the driveway and turned off the engine. Kat looked back at me, smiling.

"Home."

I took a deep breath, glad to finally be back.

"Home."

Outside, I went around to Cassie's door as she stepped out. She looked up at me, and I opened my arms. She came close, wrapping hers around my waist. I held her with her cheek against my chest and rested my chin lightly on her head. For a few seconds, we didn't say anything. Then I kissed the top of her head, savoring the vanilla scent of her shampoo.

"I missed this," she said softly.

Her arms tightened.

"Me too."

Kat joined us, her hand settling on Cassie's back. Cassie lifted her head and reached for her, drawing her close enough for another kiss. I had spent three weeks with my wife in places I would remember for the rest of my life. Now I was standing in our driveway with both of the women I loved, and I didn't feel like I'd left all the happiness behind.

Barking erupted from inside the house. We all looked toward the door. Cassie laughed.

"She knows."

"I should probably go explain myself."

"You should," Kat said. "We'll get the bags."

I kissed Cassie, then Kat, before heading up the walk. The honeymoon had been everything I'd hoped for. Coming home felt pretty good too.

I opened the door, and Lady saw me and immediately sat down as I had trained her to. Her tail was wagging so hard I thought it might fall off. Her front paws were jittery. She was struggling to stay still and failing miserably. I sat down on the stairs and said, "Alright, girl, come on!"

That was all she needed before she launched herself at me like a small furry missile. She was covering me with kisses and continuously trying to burrow into me to get closer. I cuddled her, I petted her, I gave her belly rubs, I praised her, I told her I missed her. None of it seemed to be enough. Cassie and Kat came in with all the bags. Lady came up to Kat, gave her a couple of affectionate licks, and then returned to me.

"You would never guess that she is my dog," Cassie said.

I finally got away from Lady long enough to take the luggage upstairs. After coming to get all the souvenirs she'd bought, Kat went back out to Cassie's to give them to her. I took this opportunity to take a shower and relax. Showering in my own shower felt amazing. After the shower, I came down to our living room and turned on a random baseball game and chilled on the couch for a while. I was in the middle of dozing off when I heard Kat come back in. She came up the stairs and saw me laid out on the couch, Lady cuddled up to me.

"Baby, go spend some time with your girlfriend!"

"Well, we just got back, and I wasn't sure if you..."

"Baby, I have been with you for three amazing weeks, spending every minute of every day with you, talking with you, loving you, cuddling you, fucking you as much as possible. I don't regret a single second of it, but now I've got laundry to get in and work emails to catch up on. I insist you go spend some time with your girlfriend."

I looked at her and smiled. I sat up, much to Lady's objections. I walked over to Kat and wrapped my arms around her. "You sure, babe? I could help out..."

"Go to her, baby. She deserves time with you now. She has waited patiently," she said before kissing me.

When she kissed me, I caught a familiar scent followed by a familiar sweet, musky taste. I looked at Kat and raised an eyebrow. She bit her lip and giggled.

"What? I missed my girlfriend too, you know."

"Obviously. I hope you didn't ruin your appetite eating before dinner."

"Ordering dinner is on my to-do list too."

I laughed out loud.

"Go. Spend. Time. With. Your. Girlfriend," she said again, kissing me between each word.

"Yeah, alright, babe. I love you."

"I love you too, baby. Text me if you're going to sleep out there tonight, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am."

With that, I headed downstairs, across the patio, and over to Cassie's. I knocked lightly before opening the door. When I opened the door, I immediately saw her sitting on the couch. She was curled into one corner of the couch with her legs tucked beneath her. She had changed out of my hoodie, but she was still wearing her shorts from the airport, now with a loose T-shirt. Her hair fell around her shoulders, and she smiled as soon as she saw me.

"Hey, Papi."

"Hey, Chica."

I closed the door and crossed the room. She reached for me before I'd finished leaning down, one hand settling against my cheek as I kissed her. When I started to straighten, her fingers curled gently around the back of my neck.

"One more."

I smiled and obliged. Then another, because she still hadn't let go.

"Hi," she said softly with a wide smile.

"Hi," I responded with a chuckle.

She looked me over, taking in the athletic shorts and old T-shirt I'd pulled on after my shower.

"You look comfortable."

"I had every intention of accomplishing very little for the rest of the day."

"Perfect. Come here."

She moved her legs out of the way, and I sat beside her. Before I could settle in, she lifted my arm and tucked herself beneath it, resting her cheek against my chest. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders.

"Is this where you want me?"

"Mmhmm."

Her hand settled against my stomach, and she let out a slow breath. I kissed the top of her head. For a little while, neither of us said anything. The television was on, some conversation happening in a kitchen, but Cassie didn't seem particularly interested in it. Her thumb moved back and forth over my shirt. I rested my hand over hers. She turned her palm upward beneath mine and threaded our fingers together.

"How's this?" I asked.

She looked up at me.

"Very good."

I smiled.

"Good."

She leaned up for another kiss, then settled against me again.

"Where's Lady?"

"Supervising Kat. I think she's worried the laundry might turn back into luggage."

Cassie laughed.

"She checked your bedroom every day while you were gone."

That tugged at me a little.

"Did she?"

"Yeah. She'd go in, look around, then come back out."

"I'll have to make it up to her."

"You already did. She'll forgive anything for a belly rub."

"Useful information."

Cassie lifted our joined hands and kissed the back of mine.

"I'm slightly more demanding."

"I'm beginning to notice."

She smiled against my hand before lowering it to her lap.

"You complaining?"

"Not even a little."

Her eyes stayed on mine for a moment. Then she tucked herself closer, drawing her legs up across my lap. I rested my free hand on her knee. The television continued talking at us.

"What are we watching?" I asked.

"I have no idea."

I looked down at her.

"You put it on."

"I needed something to do while I waited for you."

"You could've come over."

"I know."

She reached for the remote and handed it to me.

"But you were gone for three weeks. I was hoping for a bit more privacy."

"Mmmm, I bet. I couldn't help but notice you've already gotten a little privacy with Kat."

She giggled slightly and said, "Yeah, I sure did. I'm not sorry about it!"

"Nor should you be."

"It also doesn't mean that I want your attention any less."

I understood that. I liked having somewhere to go where she would be waiting, comfortable in her own home, making room for me because she wanted me there. I found a movie we'd both seen before and set the remote aside. Cassie watched the opening scene while I moved my hand slowly over her knee. Her skin was warm beneath my palm. After a minute, she laid her hand over mine and drew it a little higher, settling it against her thigh before resting her head on my shoulder. No explanation. No glance to see whether I understood. I left it there and kissed her hair.

"You smell good," she murmured.

"I showered. Seemed considerate."

She giggled. She turned her face into my neck and stayed there for a second. I smiled.

"Checking?"

"Enjoying."

That made me pull her a little closer. We watched enough of the movie for me to remember the next scene before it happened. Cassie laughed at a line she clearly remembered too, and I found myself looking down at her instead of the television. She caught me.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Her eyebrow lifted.

"I'm looking at my girlfriend."

Her expression softened, and she brushed her fingers over my jaw.

"I love how you look at me. Don't stop."

"Looking?"

"Mmhmm."

I leaned down and kissed her.

"That too," she added.

I laughed quietly.

"Very demanding."

"I warned you."

After a while, Cassie shifted, trying to get comfortable without moving away from me.

"We can move, Chica."

"I am moving."

"You're doing it very carefully."

"I just got you where I wanted you."

I reached for the blanket on the back of the couch.

"Come on. Let's lie down."

She sat up long enough for me to stretch out, then settled beside me with her head on my chest and one leg over mine. I pulled the blanket across us while she reached behind her head to free a strand of hair caught beneath her shoulder. I settled my head into the pillow and got comfortable.

"Here," I said.

I lifted her hair clear, smoothing it back.

"Thank you."

She laid her hand against my chest and relaxed.

"There we go."

I could feel how much easier she was breathing now. She had been happy to see us at the airport, affectionate in the driveway, steady while she told us about her parents. Here, she didn't have to keep talking or watch the road or think about what came next. I moved my hand over her back, slowly enough that she closed her eyes.

"You okay?"

"Yeah."

She lifted her head just enough to look at me.

"Are you?"

"Very."

"Good."

She kissed my chin before settling down again.

We stayed like that while the movie played. Sometimes we watched it. Sometimes she told me something that reminded her of a day with Angel, and I listened while my fingers moved through her hair.

"One night, we decided to make fajitas," she said. "Cut up the chicken, peppers, onions. Got everything cooked. Then Angel asked where the tortillas were."

I smiled.

"Where were they?"

"At the store. Where both of us thought the other had gotten them."

"What'd you do?"

"Put everything in bowls and ate it that way."

"Still sounds like a good dinner."

"It was. But we felt pretty dumb standing there with a whole pan of fajitas and nothing to put them in."

I laughed.

"At least you both forgot. Nobody gets to blame the other one."

"Oh, we tried anyway."

I told her about Kat confidently leading us toward the wrong restaurant at the resort.

"She insisted she remembered the way from our walk that morning."

"Did she?"

"She remembered a way. Just not the one we needed."

Cassie laughed.

"When did you figure it out?"

"When we ended up back at the pool... again."

"And what did Kat say?"

"That she'd wanted to see it at night anyway."

Cassie lifted her head, smiling.

"Of course she did."

"She looked around for another minute, then I handed her my phone with the resort map open."

Cassie shook her head and laid her cheek against me.

"I can picture that."

I smiled, remembering Kat trying to keep a straight face as she handed back to me. We'd still made it to dinner on time, and she'd spent the walk there pointing out things she claimed she'd intended to show me all along. Cassie's fingertips brushed my wedding ring. She moved it gently, studying my hand where it rested beside hers.

"Kat kept looking at that in the airport."

"I noticed," I said with a nod.

"I like it too."

I looked down at her. She smiled and slipped her fingers between mine.

"It suits you."

"Thank you."

She kissed our joined hands, then brought them back against my chest. There was no change in the way she held me afterward. She stayed warm against my side, occasionally laughing at the movie, occasionally lifting her face for a kiss. The lack of change in our interaction helped put my mind at ease and made everything feel just a bit easier.

At some point, I closed my eyes. I wasn't quite asleep. I could still hear the movie and feel Cassie's hand moving over my chest. I was just comfortable enough that opening them again seemed unnecessary. Her lips touched my jaw. Then my cheek. I smiled without looking.

"Something you need?"

"Your attention."

"You have it, Mi Vida."

"Your eyes are closed."

"... A fair point."

She laughed softly and kissed the corner of my mouth. That was worth opening them for. Her face was close to mine, her hair falling forward over one shoulder.

"There you are."

"Here I am."

She brushed her thumb along my cheek. I turned and kissed it. Her smile changed a little.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing."

I waited. She looked down at me again.

"I like being able to do this."

"Wake me up?"

"Touch you when I want to."

I rested my hand at the back of her neck.

"You can."

"I know."

She said it softly, then leaned down to kiss me. There was nothing tentative about it. She knew where she wanted her hand, how close she wanted to be. When I drew her nearer, she came willingly, her fingers slipping into my hair. The kiss lingered. When she finally lifted her head, I brushed a loose strand away from her mouth.

"I missed having you around."

Her eyes stayed on mine.

"I missed you too, Papi."

She kissed me once more, then laid her head back down. I kept my hand in her hair. For a few minutes, we watched the movie again. Her foot moved slowly against my calf beneath the blanket, and I traced the same easy path along her back. Then she reached down and tugged the blanket higher over us.

"Cold?"

"A little."

I tucked it around her shoulder. She looked up.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Now you're doing it."

I smiled as my hand slid slowly down her side.

"I'm enjoying being useful."

I kissed her neck as my hand slid between her thighs.

"You're very useful."

"I have to keep you warm, don't I?"

Her legs separated slightly as I began rubbing her pussy through her shorts.

"Mmmm, you're doing quite a good job."

I kissed her neck some more. She closed her eyes beneath it. That small reaction stayed with me. The way she leaned into a touch she knew was coming. How she rested against me without trying to fill every quiet second.

I kept kissing and nibbling on her neck as I continued rubbing her pussy.

My phone buzzed on the table. Cassie reached for it since she was closer, then passed it to me. It was Kat.

Kat: Dinner in about an hour. Love you guys ❤️

I smiled and replied quickly.

Me: Sounds good, babe. Love you too.

"Dinner?" Cassie asked.

"In about an hour."

"Okay."

She settled back against me while I put the phone down. For a little while, I thought we might actually finish the movie. Then Cassie kissed my neck. I turned toward her. She looked entirely pleased with herself.

"So, we have an hour..."

"I suppose we do."

Her hand slid up my chest to my shoulder.

"I can think of so many things we could do in that time..."

"I can only imagine..."

"So many things I want to do."

I smiled.

"What'd you have in mind?"

She kissed me instead of answering. I brought my hand to her cheek, and she leaned into it as her lips moved against mine. This kiss was different from the little ones she'd been giving me all afternoon. She took her time, then came back when I thought she was about to pull away. My arm tightened around her. When we separated, she stayed close.

"That," she said.

"I can work with that."

Her fingers curled lightly in the collar of my T-shirt.

"Good."

She pushed herself up, and I helped her as we shifted into a sitting position. The blanket slipped into her lap. Cassie reached for the remote and paused the movie.

"Giving up on it?"

"For now."

She turned toward me, one knee folded beneath her, and smoothed her hand over my hair. She smiled and leaned closer. I caught her hand and kissed her palm. Her fingers curled against my cheek before she kissed me again. This time, she moved into my lap. I held her waist as she settled, and she slipped her arms around my neck. For a moment, we just looked at each other. Then she smiled.

She kissed me slowly, then drew back just enough to let her nose brush mine. I moved my hand over her back. She shifted closer, her fingers tightening gently in my hair.

The room had gotten quieter with the television paused. I could hear the air conditioning and the faint sound of something moving outside. Mostly, I could hear her when she laughed softly against my mouth because I'd tried to follow her before she'd finished pulling back.

"Patience, Papi."

"I've been very patient."

"You have."

She brushed her lips against mine. I kissed her again, and this time she stayed. Her hand moved from my neck to my chest, then down to the hem of my T-shirt. She caught the fabric between her fingers and looked at me.

"Can I?"

I smiled.

"Of course."

I lifted my arms while she drew it over my head. She tossed it beside us, then rested her palms against my chest. For a second, she didn't move. I touched her cheek.

"What?"

She shook her head slightly.

"Just missed you."

I drew her close and kissed her. Her arms came around me, and I could feel her smile before the kiss deepened. I stayed with her, letting her set the pace, until she pulled back and rested her forehead against mine. Neither of us reached for a joke. I brushed my thumb along her cheek, and she turned her face to kiss it. Then she slipped off my lap and held out her hand.

"Come with me?"

I took it and stood. She led me toward the bedroom, stopping in the doorway to turn back into my arms. I held her while she looked up at me, her fingers resting loosely at my waist.

"I love you, Papi."

I brushed her hair away from her face.

"I love you too, Mi Vida."

She rose onto her toes and kissed me. When she drew me into the room, I followed her. She stopped next to the bed. She backed up into me so her ass was pressed firmly against my hardening shaft. I caught the hem of the shirt she was wearing and lifted it up as she continued rubbing her ass against me. I threw it to the side as I ran my hands up her sides to her bare breasts.

She moaned as I began massaging them and kissing her neck more as I continued, pinching her nipples lightly. She turned around in my arms to face me. She went up on her tiptoes and pulled me into a deep and passionate kiss. Her tongue swirled around mine as her hands slid down my stomach to the waistband of my shorts. When she broke the kiss, she immediately started kissing my neck as she lowered my shorts just enough for my cock to spring free.

She wrapped her fingers around my shaft and began stroking me as she kissed down my neck and collarbone. Each time her lips touched my skin, it felt electric. I couldn't help but moan in pleasure as her hand slid up and down my cock. She kissed down my stomach until she dropped to her knees. With my cock still in her hand, she began kissing and licking my shaft. Eventually, she licked the sensitive underside of my cock from the base all the way to the head, slowly. She then took the head of my cock in her mouth and began working my shaft with her mouth instead of her hand. She quickly began deep-throating me as my fingers tangled in her hair.

Her eyes locked with mine as she slid my cock slowly out of her mouth. She used her hand to stroke my saliva-covered cock. Without breaking eye contact, she moved down and started licking my balls. The dual sensations of her stroking me while taking my balls into her mouth one at a time drove me wild. My breath became shaky as she continued. The tension was already building up deep inside me, but I was not ready to cum yet. I wanted to enjoy myself more.

I pulled away from her slightly, saying, "Not yet," when she looked up at me.

She stood up, and I immediately kissed her deeply again. When I broke the kiss, I pushed her down onto the bed. I reached up and grabbed the waistband of her shorts and panties and pulled them off with one motion. Without hesitation, I dove between her thighs and brought my tongue to her delicious slit. She immediately began moaning the second my tongue touched her clit. I savored the delicious flavor of her pussy as my tongue slid between her delicate folds. The moans became even louder a few times when I would lick past the bottom of her entrance and run my tongue all the way to her asshole. It didn't take long before I felt her body tensing as I devoured her. Her back arched off the bed as she grabbed handfuls of my hair, and her thighs clamped around my head. I heard her moaning my name loudly until finally her orgasm crashed over her.

I savored the flavor of her arousal as she came down. I wiped my mouth off before taking my place between her legs. She crawled back farther onto the bed as I did. Once we were sufficiently in the middle of the bed, she wrapped her legs around my waist as she reached up and pulled me into another kiss. As we kissed, I felt the tip of my cock brush against her slick entrance. Without breaking the kiss, I slid inside her slowly. She moaned into the kiss as my cock slowly plunged into her. Once I was fully sheathed inside her, I broke the kiss and moved to her neck. One of her hands held the back of my head as the other rested on my chest.

She rolled her hips to match each thrust into her. My pace kept increasing as I drew closer to my own release. The room was filled with the sounds of our mutual moans and skin slapping against skin as I plowed into her as deep as I could. I buried myself as deep inside her as I could before finally releasing my load. I felt powerful jets of cum shoot inside her with each twitch of my cock. Feeling me cum inside her pushed her into her own orgasm.

We stared into each other's eyes as we rode out our orgasms. Both of us were breathing shakily as we came down. I collapsed next to her. She instantly turned to me and kissed me several times. I looked at her and smiled before saying, "I love you, Cassie."

She kissed me again and said, "I love you too, Robbie."

She cuddled into me, and I held her as we just lay in bed. After a while, we began talking about anything that came into our minds. Anything from what we were thinking about at that moment, books, movies, trips we would like the three of us to take someday, trips we would like to take just the two of us, how easy everything was when it came to the relationship, and how happy it made us.

We had completely lost track of time when we heard a knock at Cassie's door. We knew it was Kat, so Cassie called out for her to come in. Kat did so and came walking back to the bedroom before asking if it was okay if she came in. When we said it was, she walked in and saw us cuddling under the sheets, and she smiled. I lifted my opposite arm as a clear invitation to take the open spot on the other side of me. She looked hesitant for a moment before smiling again and crawling into the bed and taking the spot.

"You know I can never turn down cuddles, baby."

"I know, babe. That's why I offered."

"Well, I came down to tell you guys dinner got delivered. I ordered us burgers from Oliver's. If you guys would rather eat out here by yourselves, I totally understand, though."

"For one, Kat, that sounds amazing. For two, I think I can pull myself off him long enough for us to join you."

With that, Cassie slid out from under the sheets, still completely naked. Kat and I both took a second to appreciate the view of Cassie's naked form before looking at each other and smiling. I leaned down and kissed Kat.

Cassie put on a pair of black boy-short panties, causing Kat to say, "Those look so cute on you!"

Cassie responded with a wink and by turning around and shaking her ass a little. "You guys just like anything that shows off these Latina cheeks, don't you?"

Kat and I responded in unison, both saying, "Yup." Then Cassie slid on what I guess one could technically call a shirt. It was a loose-fitting crop top that barely covered her tits all the way and did little to hide her rock-hard nipples. Neither of us was complaining about that.

When Kat went to get up, I noticed she was now only wearing one of my oversized T-shirts and a thong with nothing else. After realizing how amazingly lucky I was, I asked, "So, do I get to keep any of my shirts to myself?"

This time it was the girls who responded, "No," in unison as Kat stood up out of bed.

"Cool, good to know."

"Are you really complaining, baby?" Kat said, bending over slightly, showing me a perfect view of her ass in the thong just to tease me.

"I... am not."

I found my shorts and pulled them on while the girls waited by the door. Cassie grabbed my T-shirt from the couch and handed it to me.

"Here you go, Papi. You can keep that one," she said with a grin.

"Well, thank you."

She leaned up for a kiss before taking my hand. Kat took my other one, and we headed across the patio together. Lady was waiting just inside the house. She hurried over as soon as we opened the door, her tail going while she sniffed each of us. I bent down to pet her.

"Hey, girl."

"She's been watching the food since it got here," Kat said.

"Making sure nobody steals it?"

"Probably hoping she could find a way to steal it."

The bags from Oliver's were on the kitchen island. Kat unpacked them while Cassie got our drinks and I carried the plates to the table. Within a couple of minutes, we were all sitting down. I took a bite of my burger and nodded.

"Good call, babe."

Kat smiled.

"I've been wanting one all day."

"The food on the trip was amazing, but I missed this. It's amazing how hard it seems to be to get burgers right anywhere else."

"I know, right!"

Cassie reached over and took a fry from my plate.

"You have fries, Chica."

"Yours were closer."

"So, you just sat here to steal my fries?"

"No, there are other benefits."

"Such as?"

Cassie leaned in and kissed me.

Kat laughed and said, "She got you there. You can't argue with that benefit."

"Fuck. I really can't."

Lady settled beneath the table with her chin resting on my foot. I could feel her watching me every time I reached for another fry. Dinner was exactly what I wanted. A good burger, a cold drink, and both girls at the table with me.

We stayed there for a while after we finished eating. Kat showed Cassie a few more pictures from the trip, leaning closer so they could look at her phone together. I had seen every one of them already, but I still leaned over when Cassie laughed.

One was a picture Kat had taken of me asleep on the terrace.

Cassie enlarged it.

"Oh, I want this one."

"Of course you do."

"Wait, why do you want a picture of me sleeping on the terrace?"

"Because even when you're just sleeping, you look so handsome and sexy."

"You really do, baby."

"Whatever you ladies say."

Kat sent it to her. A second later, Cassie's phone lit up beside her plate.

"Thank you, Sweetie."

"You're welcome, Honey."

I shook my head and got up to clear the table. Cassie caught my hand as I passed her chair. I looked down, and she tipped her face up for a kiss. I leaned down and gave her one.

"Thank you for dinner, babe," I said to Kat as I picked up her plate.

She caught the front of my shirt and pulled me down for one too.

"You're welcome."

Between the three of us, cleaning up didn't take long. Once the table was wiped and the trash was put away, Kat slipped her arm around my waist.

"Want to watch something?"

"Yeah. Theater room?"

Cassie nodded.

"I'll get the blanket."

We picked a movie we all liked. Well, to be honest, it was a rom-com the girls loved and I could tolerate. I wasn't in the mood to spend half the night deciding, and neither of the girls seemed to be either. I settled into the couch while Kat started it. Cassie came in with the blanket, spread it over my lap, and sat beside me. Kat turned down the lights before joining us on my other side. Cassie drew her legs up and leaned against my chest. I lifted my arm so Kat could get closer, then pulled the blanket over her too.

"Good?" I asked.

Kat nodded, resting her head against my shoulder.

"Very."

Cassie's hand settled over my stomach. I kissed each of them, then leaned back. Lady wandered in a few minutes later. She stood in front of us for a second, looking at the couch, then lay down beside my feet. The second we reclined the seats, she jumped up and settled in a spot between my legs.

The movie was funny enough, which was about all the effort I wanted to put into watching something. We had seen it enough times that nobody minded when one of us talked. Cassie occasionally leaned forward to say something to Kat, and Kat would laugh before answering her. I liked hearing them together again. For three weeks, I'd mostly heard Cassie through a phone. Now she was warm against me, laughing in the same room as us, reaching across my lap for Kat's hand. I rested my hand over theirs for a moment. Kat looked up at me.

"What?"

I shook my head and kissed her. She smiled when I pulled back, then settled against me again. After a while, Cassie shifted onto her side. I moved my arm out of her way while she tucked her feet beneath the blanket and rested her cheek against my chest.

"Am I squishing you, Papi?"

"Nah. You're good."

She slid her arm around me and relaxed. On my other side, Kat's fingers moved slowly over my forearm. Every so often, she lifted my hand and kissed it without taking her eyes off the screen. I wasn't doing a great job of following the movie anymore. Cassie caught me looking down at her and smiled.

"Hi."

"Hey."

She reached up to touch my cheek. I leaned into her hand before kissing her.

Kat glanced over and smiled. She leaned across me, and Cassie met her for a kiss. When they settled back into place, Kat tucked the blanket around Cassie's feet where it had slipped.

I tightened my arms around them and went back to watching the movie. For the rest of it, we barely moved. Cassie laughed against my chest. Kat's hand stayed in mine. Lady slept with one paw resting on my foot. I could've stayed there all night. When the credits started, Kat stretched and lifted her head.

"Bed?"

"Yeah," I said. "I'm so ready."

Cassie sat up, brushing her hair away from her face.

"So am I."

Kat touched her knee.

"Stay with us tonight?"

Cassie smiled.

"I'd love to."

Cassie went across the patio to get her phone charger and make sure her door was locked while Kat and I took Lady outside. When we came back in, Cassie was waiting at the foot of the stairs. Lady hurried past her and headed up.

"She knows where she's going," Cassie said.

"She's been waiting all day to get her snuggles," Kat replied.

Cassie took my hand.

"Can't blame her."

Upstairs, Kat turned on the bedside lamp while Cassie plugged in her phone. I took off my shirt and put it in the hamper, then pulled back the covers. After three weeks away, our bed looked pretty damn good. Kat climbed in on her side. I settled beside her, and Cassie got in on my other side, pulling the covers over her legs. The Alaskan king had more than enough room for all three of us. We could've spread out without coming close to touching. Neither girl seemed interested in doing that. Kat tucked herself beneath my arm, her hand settling against my chest. Cassie turned toward me and slid closer until I could wrap my other arm around her. I let out a long breath as my head settled into the pillow.

"That good, baby?"

"Yeah."

Kat smiled and kissed my shoulder.

"Me too."

Lady appeared beside the bed. Her tail brushed against the nightstand as she looked up at me.

"Come on, girl."

She jumped up and walked toward the foot of the bed. After sniffing the blanket and turning around a couple of times, she settled against my legs. Cassie reached down to rub her back.

"There you go, baby girl."

Lady stretched out with a sigh. Kat leaned across me to kiss Cassie goodnight. Cassie's hand came up to her cheek, keeping her close for another one before they pulled apart.

"Love you, Honey."

"Love you too, Sweetie."

Kat kissed me next.

"Goodnight, baby."

"Goodnight, babe. I love you."

"I love you too."

She settled back against me while Cassie lifted her face to mine. I brushed her hair away from her cheek and kissed her.

"Goodnight, Mi Vida."

"Goodnight, Papi. I love you."

"I love you too."

I reached over to turn off the lamp, then lay back down. Cassie adjusted the pillow beneath her head while Kat pulled the covers a little higher. Once they were comfortable, I rested my arms around them again. For a few minutes, we talked quietly about tomorrow. Nothing urgent. Kat wanted to sleep in before going anywhere. Cassie offered to make breakfast. I was too content and too comfortable to have any input. The room gradually went quiet. I could hear Lady breathing near my feet, and Kat's hand relaxed beneath Cassie's. Cassie kissed my shoulder once more before resting her cheek against me.

I held them both and closed my eyes. The honeymoon had been amazing. I would've happily spent another three weeks alone with my wife. But lying in our bed with both of them tucked against me, I was glad we'd come home.

Cassie's POV

I woke up with Robbie's arm around me and my cheek against his chest. For a while, I stayed still. His breathing was slow and steady beneath my ear, and Kat's hand rested beside mine on his stomach. She was still asleep on his other side.

I had missed this. Not just sleeping beside him. Waking up without having to reach for my phone to find out what time it was wherever they were. Being able to touch him, hear Kat breathing, and know that neither of them had anywhere they needed to go yet.

I moved my hand a little, and Kat's fingers curled around mine. When I looked over, her eyes were barely open, and the cutest, sleepiest smile was on her face.

"Morning, Honey," she whispered.

"Mornin', my sweet."

She smiled at me before glancing up at Robbie.

"Still asleep?"

"I think so."

His arm tightened around me.

"Mostly."

I lifted my head. His eyes were still closed, but he was smiling.

"Good morning, Papi."

He opened his eyes and brushed my hair away from my face.

"Morning, Mi Vida."

I leaned up to kiss him. Kat moved closer on his other side, and he turned to kiss her too. Nobody seemed particularly interested in getting out of bed. We stayed there until Lady decided we had slept long enough. She came up from the foot of the bed and pushed her nose beneath Robbie's arm between him and me. She was always so demanding in the morning. He rubbed her head.

"Yeah, alright, girl. I'm coming."

Kat caught his hand before he could get up and kissed it.

"Coffee?"

"That would be amazing, babe."

"I'll start breakfast," I said.

He looked down at me. I smiled.

"You two are so amazing."

That's how our days went. Over the next week, life settled back into its usual rhythm. Kat and I went to The Bowery. Robbie was still on summer break, which meant he got to stay home while we tried to remember why we had chosen jobs that required us to be dressed and awake in the morning. It was good being back at work with Kat. We had things to catch up on, but the managers had handled the store well while she was gone. Most mornings, we went through what needed our attention over coffee before getting pulled in different directions.

Sometimes we barely saw each other until lunch. Other days, she came into my office with a question and stayed long enough to sit beside me for a few minutes. I liked those visits.

Once, she stopped in after a particularly frustrating phone call and rested her forehead against my shoulder while I held her. She had to fire someone who was constantly showing up late, if she showed up at all. I had offered to handle it, but she said she had to handle stuff like this too and insisted.

"I just need a minute," she murmured.

"Take as long as you need."

She stayed until her breathing eased, kissed me, then went back to work.

At home, Robbie was getting things done at his own pace. The luggage finally disappeared from their bedroom. He went to the gym, ran errands, and took Lady on walks long enough that she was usually asleep when we got home. He spent time helping Ricky at his rental properties or with Saul going over various investment opportunities. It was actually interesting to see him take more of an interest in the business side of things during the summer. Stockton Holdings had actually outgrown Saul's wealth management company, so Robbie and Saul changed the arrangement to a partnership and merged the two companies to make Hearthstone Holdings LLC. Even though Robbie was the CEO on paper, it was Saul who was running things day to day, but Robbie would still go into the office regularly.

He also started making sure we actually stopped for lunch. One afternoon, he showed up at The Bowery carrying food because neither of us had answered when he asked whether we'd eaten. Kat met him in the hallway.

"Baby, you didn't have to bring it."

"I know I didn't have to. I get to."

He kissed her and handed her a bag.

"Where's Cass?"

"In her office."

He found me answering an email, looking stressed, and he put my lunch beside the keyboard.

"I just need five more minutes, Papi."

He looked at me seriously and said, "Fine... finish it. Then eat, Chica."

I looked up at him. He leaned down to kiss me before pulling a chair over.

"You staying?"

"For a little while."

I finished the email. Kat came in with her lunch, and the three of us ate in my office while Robbie told us about Lady trying to carry a branch home that was wider than the sidewalk and about a few different things that were going on at Hearthstone. We talked about our days and everything we had going on. By the time he left, I was smiling ear to ear and had eaten every bite. That was a big deal for me. I had actually been losing weight because of my lack of eating during the day. Robbie wasn't having it. I had to give it to him; the man knew about healthy weight management.

The evenings were my favorite. Sometimes I went home to my place first to shower or change. Sometimes I went straight into the house with Kat. We made dinner, ordered something, or ate whatever needed to be used before it went bad. There was usually a television on somewhere and Lady trying to convince one of us that the others had forgotten to feed her. I had started leaving some of my stuff in the massive walk-in closet, as I was staying in their bed more often, though.

I had liked having my own space before, but as our relationship kept growing, that was changing too. I liked being around them; we liked being around each other. I actively liked spending the night with them. Most nights, I did.

Before Angel came back, Kat and Robbie offered for me to just stay with them for the rest of the summer. That way she could stay in the pool house to have her own space. She could take her time figuring out work and looking at apartments without feeling like she had to find somewhere immediately. If any of us wanted privacy with another, we agreed that the third person would stay in one of the guest rooms.

Kat called Angel herself to make sure she knew the offer was from all of us.

By Thursday evening, there were clean sheets on the bed and space cleared in the closet. I put a few things in the bathroom that I knew Angel liked, then sent her a picture of the room, telling her the pool house was all hers for the summer. She called me less than a minute later, beyond ecstatic.

I picked Angel up the following Friday. She spotted me near baggage claim and hurried over, leaving her suitcase standing beside us while she hugged me.

"Hey, Manita!"

"Hey, Mana."

She held on for a second before stepping back.

"You look good."

"So do you."

We collected her other bag and headed out to the car. She had brought considerably more this time. I tried my best to hide a smile when I thought it was so heavy it felt like she'd already made up her mind.

"Did you leave anything at home, girl?"

"Some things."

I glanced at her.

"Things you actually want or need?"

She smiled a little.

"Probably not."

Once we were on the road, she told me about the flight and the last few days at home. Dad had helped her pack. Mom had reminded her twice that she could come back whenever she wanted after telling her she really didn't need to do this. She told me that Mom said repeatedly she felt like she was being abandoned by both her daughters. I wasn't sure what to do with that, so I left it alone. We both knew she was toxic and needed to change before we would want a relationship with her. Neither of us knew if she actually would change, though.

"Can we stop at a store?" Angel asked. "I need tampons. I thought I had more, but I used my last one."

"Yeah. There's a drugstore on the way home."

I kept driving, but something about the question stayed with me. Tampons. I tried to remember the last time I'd needed any. Before the honeymoon. Before the wedding, actually. At a red light, I picked up my phone and opened the calendar.

Angel looked over.

"What's up, Cassie?"

I counted backward. Then I counted again.

"Cassie?"

"Holy shit! I haven't had my period in over six weeks."

She went quiet. I stared at the date for another second before putting my phone down. The light changed, and I drove. I lost track of how many thoughts were rushing through my head in that moment.

"Are you usually regular?" she asked.

"Pretty much."

"Fuck... so, you could be... pregnant!"

"I... I don't know. I mean, yeah. I could be... but..."

Saying it made my stomach tighten. I had been busy. Work, the wedding, everything with Mom, then trying to get through three weeks without Robbie and Kat. I hadn't been sitting around waiting for my period, but six weeks was six weeks.

At the store, Angel picked out what she needed while I stood in front of a wall of pregnancy tests. She came back and stopped beside me.

"Do you want me to get one for you?"

"No. I've got it."

I took several boxes off the shelf. She reached for my hand as we walked toward the registers. I held hers the rest of the way.

Once we got home, I helped Angel carry her bags to the pool house. Kat and Robbie were still out, and she already knew where everything was, so I took the tests into the bathroom of the pool house. I read the instructions twice.

Then I sat on the edge of the tub with my phone counting down beside me.

I wasn't sure what I wanted it to say. A positive result would change a lot. I knew that. We hadn't discussed having a baby, hadn't decided when or how that would fit into our lives. Still, I caught myself picturing Robbie holding a baby, our baby. That was enough to make me look away from the test.

When the timer went off, I checked it. Negative. I let out a breath and sat there a little longer. What surprised me was that it didn't feel like a sigh of relief.

Angel knocked softly.

"Cass, you okay?"

"Yeah. You can come in."

She opened the door.

"Negative?"

I nodded.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

I looked down at it again.

"I think I'm going to call my doctor anyway."

"Okay."

She sat beside me on the edge of the tub. For a minute, neither of us said anything. Then she leaned her head against my shoulder. I rested mine against hers. She didn't say anything; she was just there for support as the thoughts raced through my mind.

I knew I couldn't keep this to myself. Kat and Robbie were my people, my boyfriend, my girlfriend. I was scared of what could change with this conversation, but I had to tell them. So, I told them that evening.

We were in the kitchen, with Angel down in the pool house unpacking and settling in. Kat had been telling me about something that happened at the store, but she stopped as soon as I blurted out that I'd taken a pregnancy test.

Robbie put down the glass he was holding. Kat came straight over to me.

"Oh, damn! What did it say, Honey?"

"Negative. But I'm late enough that I want to get checked."

She took both of my hands.

"How late?"

"A little over six weeks since my last period."

Her eyes searched my face.

"Are you feeling okay? Any pain or nausea or anything?"

"No. I feel fine. I didn't even realize until Angel asked to stop for tampons."

Kat nodded, but she didn't let go of my hands.

"When did you take it?"

"This afternoon."

"Oh, Honey. You could've called us."

"I know. I wanted to take it first, and then I called the doctor. I figured I'd tell you both when you got home."

"Okay." She brushed my hair away from my face. "I just hate thinking of you sitting there worrying by yourself."

"Angel was with me."

"Well, at least there's that, then."

Robbie moved beside us.

"Do you have an appointment?"

"Monday."

"Want me to come?"

I looked up at him.

"Yeah. I'd like that."

He rested his hand against my cheek.

"Then I'll come."

Kat slipped her arm around my waist.

"I can come too, Honey, if you want me there."

I leaned against her.

"I'd like that, but somebody should probably be at the store."

"I can arrange coverage."

"I know you can." I squeezed her hand. "I'm just worried I would be overwhelmed with too many people around this time. Can you just keep your phone close in case that changes?"

"Of course! I'm here for whatever you need!"

She held me for a moment, her palm moving slowly over my back. Robbie stayed close, his hand holding mine.

"Are you scared?" Kat asked quietly.

"A little. Mostly because I don't know why it hasn't come."

"We'll find out," she said.

I nodded. She drew back enough to look at me.

"And how are you feeling about the test?"

I knew what she meant.

"I'm not sure."

"That's okay."

"I was relieved when it said negative. But then I kept thinking about what it would've meant if it was positive."

Kat listened, her thumb moving over my hand.

"We haven't really talked about that," I added.

"No, I suppose we haven't."

I looked between them.

"I didn't know what either of you would think."

Robbie's hand settled over mine.

"You could've told us the second you realized you were late, Chica."

Kat nodded in agreement.

"You don't have to have an answer before you come to us. We are here for you."

My eyes started stinging a little.

"I know."

She kissed my forehead and pulled me close again.

"Whatever you're feeling, Honey, I want to hear it. We both do."

I held her, letting myself stop trying to explain everything for a minute.

When I lifted my head, Robbie brushed his thumb against my cheek.

"We'll go Monday. Then we can sit down and talk about the rest."

"Okay, that would be great."

Kat kissed me softly.

"And if you start worrying before then, tell me. Even if you think you've already said it."

I smiled a little.

"You might regret that."

"No, I won't."

I believed her. The weekend passed in a blur. Robbie drove me to the appointment on Monday. Kat kissed me before we left and asked me to call as soon as I was done. She had already told the managers she might need to step away from the store, just in case.

Robbie came into the waiting room with me and held my hand until they called my name. I kissed him before we followed the nurse back. The nurse took my vitals and made sure I was okay with everything happening with Robbie in the room, which I obviously was.

When she came in, the doctor asked about my usual cycle, medications, birth control, and whether anything had changed lately. Then she asked about stress. I gave her the shortened version. Work. The wedding. My parents.

When she asked about the pregnancy concern, I explained about Robbie and Kat. That they had just gotten married, but the three of us were together. That I loved them both and was happy with them. I also admitted that we hadn't talked much about children.

She listened without interrupting.

"Remember, I am not here to judge anyone. Stress can affect the hormones that regulate your cycle," she explained. "Sometimes that delays ovulation, which can delay your period too."

"So, this could be from everything going on?"

"It could. I don't want to assume that's the whole explanation without checking."

They repeated the pregnancy test and took blood. The office test was negative too. Before I left, she came back to what I'd said about our relationship.

"It sounds like you have support at home."

"I do."

"Then it may help to talk with them about family planning. Whether you want children, when you might want them, and what you're comfortable doing to prevent pregnancy until then. It's not uncommon for women to forget to take their birth control when times get hectic like this, but I would strongly suggest an alarm or something to make it part of your daily routine so that doesn't continue to happen."

I nodded.

"I think realizing we hadn't talked about it scared me almost as much as the test."

"That uncertainty is something you can address together," she said. "It won't answer every question about your cycle, but it may take some pressure off you."

It was a simple suggestion. I had already been thinking about having the conversation. Hearing it said that plainly made it feel easier to start. I called Kat from the car before we pulled out of the parking lot.

"The test there was negative too. They took blood, so I'm waiting on that."

"Okay, Honey. How do you feel?"

"Better."

"Good. Did she have any idea what might be going on?"

"Possibly stress. She wants to check everything before assuming."

Kat let out a quiet breath.

"I'm glad you went."

"Me too."

"Come see me when you get back?"

"I will."

When the bloodwork came back, the pregnancy result was still negative. The other results didn't give the doctor an obvious reason for concern. She told me stress was a reasonable explanation for the change in my cycle, especially with how the last several weeks had gone. She wanted me to keep track of it and follow up if my period still didn't return. By then, I was relieved. I was also a little quieter than I'd expected to be. Robbie noticed when I told him about the results.

"You okay, Chica?"

"Yeah. I'm glad nothing seems to be wrong."

"But?"

I looked over at him.

"I spent a lot of time thinking about what I'd do if it was positive."

He reached for my hand.

"We can talk about that."

"I want Kat there too."

"Of course."

We talked that night after Angel went out to the pool house to call a friend. Kat and I were scrolling on our phones as we cuddled up to Robbie. He was sitting with us on the couch watching a baseball game. I had been trying to find a way to bring it up since dinner. Finally, I put my phone aside.

"Can we talk about kids and this whole thing?"

Kat sat up and turned toward me. Robbie turned off the TV and turned his attention toward me as well.

"Yeah, of course!"

"I know I'm not pregnant. But for a couple of days, I thought I might be, and I realized I didn't know what that would look like for us."

Robbie's hand settled over mine.

"What were you worried about?"

I took a breath.

"Where I'd fit. Where a baby would fit."

Kat watched me closely.

"Cass."

"I know you both love me. I'm not asking you to prove that." I looked between them. "But you two are married. If you have a baby together, everybody already understands what that family is. If I have one..."

I stopped. Robbie waited and rubbed his thumb over the back of my hand. Kat moved to sit next to me.

"I don't want to be raising your child across the patio while you have a family over here."

Robbie's expression changed to one of confusion.

"That isn't what I'd want either. Why would we handle it like that?"

"I didn't think it was. I just needed to put my thoughts out there."

"I'm glad you did. I want to make sure you always feel comfortable enough to share your feelings."

Kat moved closer.

"Do you want children, Honey?"

"Yeah, I think so. Someday." I looked at her. "Do you?"

She nodded.

"I do."

Robbie squeezed my hand.

"So do I."

For a moment, hearing all three answers out loud was enough. Then Kat took a breath.

"If I got pregnant, I'd want you there. With me. Not waiting for an invitation to be involved."

My eyes stayed on hers.

"Really?"

"Yes." She touched my cheek. "I'd want you helping me pick things out. Going to appointments if you wanted to. Holding the baby so I could sleep. All of it."

I smiled faintly.

"I'd want to."

"And if you got pregnant, I'd want to do those things for you."

Robbie nodded.

"We'd be doing it together. I guess I'd never really thought about it because it just seems, I don't know, logical, for lack of a better word. I guess I can understand how it's different from where you ladies sit, but I would expect us to still be one family."

I looked at him.

"Either way?"

"Either way, Chica. If either one of you is pregnant, or both of you are pregnant, I'm going to appointments, getting up at night, changing diapers. Whatever needs doing."

"And neither of us should have to do it alone just because she's the one who had the baby. We're in this together," Kat added.

I rubbed my thumb over Robbie's hand.

"So, one family?"

"One family," he said.

Kat nodded.

"Our kids would grow up together. We'd raise them together. Just like everything else, if we have concerns or anything, we talk about them. We keep communicating."

I sat with that for a second. I could picture it more clearly now. Not every detail, not all the things we'd have to work out, but enough.

"People are going to have questions."

"Probably," Kat said. "We'll decide what we want to tell them."

Robbie leaned forward a little.

"There are practical things we'll need to figure out. But that's something we can do. I want us to be clear about what we want first. When it comes to questions people might have down the road, well, we can handle that then."

"And you're sure?" I asked.

He looked directly at me.

"Hell yeah, I'm sure."

Kat's eyes shone a little.

"Me too."

I hadn't realized how tightly I was holding my shoulders until they relaxed. Robbie drew me against him. Kat moved with me, resting her hand on my back while I tucked myself into his side.

"I'm not saying we need to start trying tomorrow," I murmured.

"I know, but to be honest, we haven't really been doing anything besides the pill to keep it from happening."

"Same. It makes me feel a lot better to know we could have that."

Kat leaned in and kissed me.

"We can."

I kissed her back, then rested my forehead against hers.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Robbie kissed the top of my head. When I looked up, he brushed his thumb beneath my eye.

"Love you, Mi Vida."

I smiled.

"I love you too, Papi."

We stayed close for a while before talking through what we wanted for now. We agreed we weren't ready to start trying yet, and I would talk with my doctor about our contraception plan.

Later, Kat wondered which room would make the best nursery. Robbie looked toward the stairs, clearly thinking about it, and I had to remind them that we were still talking about someday.

Even so, I liked that they were thinking about it. When we went upstairs for bed, Kat reached back for my hand. I went with her. We cuddled in bed for a while before we fell asleep. Eventually, after whatever ball game he was watching, Robbie came up and joined us as well. As always, Lady came to bed with us as well.

A few evenings after that, Angel came up while we were making dinner. She had spent part of the afternoon looking at apartments online and wanted to show me one. I was cutting vegetables, so she set her phone on the counter beside the cutting board.

"That one's close to The Bowery."

I leaned over to look.

"It is. Did you check what's included?"

"Not yet."

"Start there. And see what they charge for parking."

She nodded and made a note. Robbie came in from outside with Lady and stopped beside Kat, who was at the stove. He rested his hand on her waist and kissed her cheek.

"Need anything?"

"Can you drain this for me, baby?"

He took the pot she indicated. Kat moved aside, then came over to see the apartment on Angel's phone.

"The windows are nice," she said.

"That's what I thought."

"Let us know if you want to go look at it. And don't feel like you need to rush. The pool house is yours while you figure things out."

Angel glanced up at her.

"Thanks. I really appreciate you guys letting me stay."

"We're glad you're here, Angel," Robbie said from the sink.

Kat squeezed her shoulder before going back to the stove. Robbie put the empty pot down and came to stand beside me. I leaned back against him while I finished cutting. His hand rested on my hip.

"Careful," he murmured when one of the peppers slipped.

"I've got it."

"I know."

He kissed my shoulder before taking the bowl of chopped vegetables over to Kat. Angel watched him go, then looked at me.

"What?" I asked.

She shook her head.

"Nothing."

I left it alone. Dinner took a little longer than we'd planned. We stood around the kitchen talking while Kat finished cooking, then carried everything to the table. Angel told us about a job listing she'd found. Robbie asked what interested her about it, and she talked more once she realized he was actually listening. Afterward, he and Kat cleaned up while Angel helped me put the leftovers away. Kat came over as I was closing the refrigerator.

"Come sit with me when you're done?"

"Of course, my sweet."

She kissed me, then headed into the living room. Angel waited until she was gone.

"You guys are really comfortable together."

I turned toward her.

"Yeah. We are."

She looked down at the container in her hands.

"I knew you loved them. I just didn't know what it was like when nobody else was around."

"This is pretty much it."

"I'm starting to see that."

I took the container from her and made room for it in the refrigerator.

"Does it feel different from what you expected?"

"A little."

She leaned against the counter, thinking.

"I could understand you and Kat. You've always been close. And I could understand you and Robbie." Her eyes lifted to mine. "I had a harder time picturing all three of you together."

I nodded.

"And now?"

She glanced toward the living room. Kat was telling Robbie to move over, and he was lifting the blanket so she could sit beside him.

"Now it makes more sense."

I followed her gaze. Kat settled into his side, then looked back toward us.

"Cass?"

"Coming."

Angel touched my arm before I could walk away.

"You seem really happy, Cass."

I smiled.

"I am."

She hugged me. I held her close for a moment, grateful that she could see it for herself.

When we went into the living room, Angel took the chair beside the couch. Robbie reached for my hand as I passed him, and I sat down beside Kat. Kat drew the blanket over my legs. I leaned against her, and she kissed my temple before turning back toward the television.

Angel tucked her feet beneath her and picked up Lady's toy from the floor. Lady immediately went over to investigate. For a while, we watched TV and talked about the apartment. Angel asked another question about the neighborhood. Kat answered while Robbie's fingers moved slowly through my hair.

I rested my hand on Kat's knee. Angel looked over once, then smiled and went back to petting Lady. I settled a little closer to Kat and let myself relax.

"You know, with some conversations we have been having lately, if you wanted, we could make the pool house arrangement more permanent."

Angel looked up from Lady.

"Permanent?"

"If you decide you want to stay here after the summer, yeah."

Her eyes moved from me to Kat and Robbie.

"You guys would be okay with that?"

Kat nodded.

"We would. You'd have your own space, and you wouldn't have to find an apartment just because summer was over."

"Take the summer to see how you like it," Robbie added. "If you want to stay, we'll work out the details."

Angel looked back at me.

"Are you sure, Mana? It's your place."

I glanced at Kat. Her hand settled over mine on her knee.

"Yeah. I'm sure."

"But where would you..."

"Here."

I felt myself smile as I said it.

"I've barely slept out there since they got home anyway. Especially with you here. Most of my clothes have already migrated upstairs."

Angel watched me for a moment.

"Is this because of the pregnancy thing?"

"Partly. More because of the conversation we had afterward."

Robbie's fingers went still in my hair, his hand resting gently against the back of my head.

"We talked about what would happen if either of us got pregnant," I continued. "We all want kids someday, and we agreed we'd raise them together. One family."

Angel's face softened.

"All three of you?"

Kat nodded.

"If Cassie has a baby, I want to be there for her and help raise that baby. And I want her there with me if I have one."

"And I'm going to be their dad either way," Robbie said. "We want to do it together."

I leaned a little closer to Kat.

"Once we talked about that, I started thinking about why I was still treating the pool house like somewhere I needed to go back to."

"You liked having your own place," Angel said.

"I did. I'm glad I had it." I looked at her. "But as this situation with the three of us has grown into what it is, those feelings changed. I am ready to live with my boyfriend and my girlfriend."

Kat turned toward me. I could see how happy hearing that made her. She kissed me softly.

Robbie leaned down and kissed my hair before I looked back at Angel.

"So you wouldn't be taking my place from me. I'm choosing to move back in here officially. That leaves a place I already know you like."

Angel glanced around the room, then down at Lady, who had rested her chin on her knee.

"I do like it."

"You don't have to answer tonight," I said. "You might find an apartment you love, or decide you want to go somewhere else. That's okay too."

Robbie nodded.

"We just wanted you to know you have the option."

She was quiet for a few seconds.

"Could we talk about what I'd pay and everything before I decide?"

"Of course," Robbie said. "We can sit down whenever you're ready."

"I'd want to contribute."

"We'll figure out something that works," Kat told her.

Angel looked back at me.

"I think I'd really like to stay."

I smiled.

"We've got time. Take the summer to make sure."

She nodded, but she was already smiling too.

"Thank you. All of you."

"We're glad you came back," Kat said.

"Me too."

Lady nudged Angel's hand until she started petting her again. Robbie turned the volume back up, and we settled into the couch. A few minutes later, Angel picked up her phone. She looked at the apartment listing one more time before closing it. Kat's fingers slipped between mine beneath the blanket. I lifted her hand and kissed it, then rested it in my lap.

Moving into the house had happened a little more at a time. More clothes in the closet. My charger beside the bed, staying there. Staying every night because Angel was here. I had just realized that I wanted to wake up with them every day.

Now that I'd said it, it really just sounded like making it official. I looked up at Robbie. He smiled and brushed his thumb over my cheek.

"You good, Mi Vida?"

"Yeah, Papi."

I settled back against Kat, with his arm around us both.

"I'm really good."

Kat's POV

After Angel went back out to the pool house, Cassie stayed tucked against me on the couch. Robbie's arm was still around us, his fingers moving slowly through her hair while the television played. I hadn't paid attention to it in a while. I kept thinking about what Cassie had said. That she wanted to live with her boyfriend and her girlfriend. That she wanted to wake up with us every day.

I wanted that too. I had gotten used to finding her in our bed when I woke up, seeing her clothes beside mine in the closet, and hearing her talking to Robbie while I got ready in the bathroom. But hearing her choose it out loud had made me ridiculously happy.

She looked up at me after a while.

"What, my sweet?"

I brushed her hair back.

"I'm glad you're staying."

Her smile softened.

"Me too."

I kissed her, keeping my hand against her cheek when she drew back. Robbie's thumb moved over my shoulder, and I leaned up to kiss him too.

"I love you both."

"Love you too, babe."

Cassie slipped her arm around my waist.

"I love you, Sweetie."

We stayed downstairs a little longer, then went up together. Cassie paused in the closet to get something to sleep in, looking at the clothes she already had hanging there. I came up beside her and moved a few of mine farther down the rail.

"We should make you more room."

"You already have."

"You're going to bring more over."

She looked at me and smiled.

"Yeah. I am."

I reached for her hand and brought it to my lips. Robbie appeared in the doorway a moment later, watched us for a second, then crossed the room to kiss Cassie's temple.

"So, are we still pretending that I am going to get any space in that massive walk-in closet and that my stuff isn't being relegated to the dresser?"

"We don't know if that's a thing that we know, Papi."

"Yes, it is, and you both know it!"

"I may not take up all of it... at first."

She turned to kiss him, and his hand settled at her waist. I watched them for a moment before going to turn down the bed.

The rest of the summer went by faster than I expected. Cassie moved the rest of her clothes into our room over the next few days. We cleared a drawer for her in the bathroom, made room for her shoes, and found somewhere for the things she wanted to keep close. There were still a few boxes to deal with, but Angel helped her bring them over and settled more fully into the pool house as it emptied.

I loved the small changes. Cassie's jewelry beside my rings. Her perfume on the dresser. The way Robbie automatically set out three mugs when he made coffee. I started buying the yogurt she liked without having to think about it, and she learned which mornings I needed a few minutes before anybody asked me a question.

It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, though. We drove Robbie insane with the amount of hair in the shower that apparently neither of us was great at cleaning up. Robbie and Cassie both got frustrated with how cluttered my side of the dual vanity counter was. Cassie and I would still get a bit irritated at how organized Robbie tried to be. These were all little things, though. We gladly worked through all the little minor issues.

Sometimes I woke up with Robbie behind me and Cassie facing me, her hand tucked beneath her cheek. Other mornings, Cassie was curled against his chest while I had somehow ended up sleeping halfway across the enormous bed. We rarely stayed in the positions we fell asleep in. I liked reaching over in the morning and finding one of them anyway.

The conversation about children stayed with us too. We weren't trying yet, and we had agreed to be more deliberate about preventing it until we were ready. But once we knew what we wanted, we started talking about the future more easily. Something would come up in conversation, and one of us would mention what we might do when we had kids. Nobody went quiet afterward or wondered whether the others meant the same thing.

One evening, Cassie and I were folding laundry on the bed when she held up one of Robbie's shirts.

"Our children are going to outgrow everything in about ten minutes if they take after him."

I smiled.

"Ricky isn't much smaller either, so it runs in the family. We'll have to buy things a little big."

"How big?"

I looked at the shirt.

"Possibly very big."

She laughed and folded it, then stayed quiet for a moment.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing. I like being able to talk about it."

I put the towel in my hands aside.

"So do I."

She moved closer, leaning her shoulder against mine while we finished the laundry. Later, Robbie came upstairs and found us lying across the bed talking, the clean clothes still stacked beside us. He put them away before stretching out with us.

I noticed him and Cassie getting closer in ways that had very little to do with whether I was in the room. She called him when she needed to talk something through. He asked her opinion about things at Hearthstone and actually listened when she gave it. Sometimes I came home and found them cooking together, her perched on a stool while he worked at the stove. Sometimes they were quiet, Cassie reading with her legs across his lap while he watched a game.

I liked seeing her comfortable enough to tell him when something was bothering her. She didn't always make it easy for herself, but she was getting better at letting him help. He was getting better at asking what she needed before deciding for her.

Cassie and I had changed too. We had always known each other well, but there was something different about coming home together now. At work, she might squeeze my hand beneath the desk while we went over a problem. At home, I could hold her when she was tired, kiss her because I wanted to, or sit beside her while she did nothing more interesting than paint her nails.

Once, she looked up from what she was doing and caught me watching her.

"What?"

"Nothing. I like this."

"Watching me paint my nails?"

"Just... our lives. It feels almost unfair to be this ridiculously happy."

She set the bottle down, careful of her wet nails, and leaned over to kiss me.

"I like it too, my sweet."

Robbie and I still found time for ourselves. We went out to dinner, took walks, and occasionally stayed up talking after Cassie had fallen asleep. I loved the way he reached for me when I came into a room. I loved that being married still made him smile when he looked at my hand.

One night, while Cassie was outside with Angel, he came up behind me at the kitchen sink and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Hello, my beautiful and amazingly sexy wife."

I smiled before turning in his arms.

"Hello to you, my handsome and incredibly hot husband."

He kissed me and stayed close afterward, his forehead resting against mine.

"You happy, babe?"

"Very."

"Good."

I ran my fingers through his hair.

"You?"

"Beyond happy."

I believed him. I could see it in him.

The Bowery kept us busy. We hired someone to fill the position I'd had to let go, worked through a few scheduling problems, and started planning for the fall. Cassie and I were getting better at dividing things between us instead of both trying to handle everything. We still had long days, but we were making more of an effort to eat lunch and leave at a reasonable hour.

Robbie helped with that. Sometimes he brought food. Sometimes he called and asked what time we were coming home, which was usually enough to make me look at the clock and realize I'd been there longer than I intended.

He was spending more time at Hearthstone too. Saul still handled the day-to-day business, but Robbie had started setting aside regular mornings to be in the office. He came home talking about properties, prospective investments, and conversations he'd had with Saul. I liked hearing him take an interest in it. He wasn't just agreeing to things because someone told him they were good ideas anymore. He wanted to understand what they were doing.

Other days, he went with Ricky to look at a property or help with something that needed to be done. There were afternoons when they came back dusty and hungry, carrying drinks from whatever place they'd stopped on the way home. Cassie would look them over and tell them to wash up before they touched anything.

Ricky and Evan came over for dinner fairly often. Sometimes they stayed for a movie. Sometimes we ended up outside talking until it was dark, Lady making her way between everyone to see who was willing to pet or play with her.

Angel joined us more often as the summer went on. She had offered to work at The Bowery, and we had room for her, but she was still figuring out what she wanted to do. With one year left in her accounting degree, she wanted to find something that would give her experience she could use after graduation.

The possibility at Hearthstone came out of one of those dinners. Robbie mentioned Saul needing help with the financial due diligence on potential deals. There were financial statements to review, supporting records to check, and questions to sort out before they decided whether an investment made sense. Angel started asking questions.

"What would he let me work on?"

"You'd have to talk to him about that," Robbie said. "But I can introduce you."

She looked interested, but cautious.

"I don't want him to feel like he has to give me something because I'm Cassie's sister."

"He won't. Trust me. He isn't like that. I got you. I'll set it up. Both of you can see if it interests you."

She did. Saul started her with a few pieces of the financial review, going over her work with her and explaining what he wanted her to look for. She compared the figures they'd been given with the supporting documents, organized questions about expenses, and flagged anything she couldn't reconcile. She wasn't making decisions about the deals herself, but she was helping Saul get the information he needed to make them.

Over the next few weeks, she spent more time at Hearthstone. When she came over in the evenings, she had more to say about what she'd been doing. Sometimes she was excited about something she had figured out. Sometimes she was frustrated because she'd spent an afternoon working through numbers that still didn't make sense. I liked hearing her talk about something she was considering for herself. Cassie noticed it too. She listened closely, asking questions without turning every conversation into advice.

One afternoon, Angel came into the kitchen with her phone still in her hand. Robbie was making coffee, and Cassie and I had just gotten home.

"Saul offered me the internship!"

Cassie turned toward her.

"Officially?"

Angel nodded, smiling.

"He said he's happy with the due diligence work I've been doing and wants me to keep working with him. It's paid, and we can arrange the hours around my last year of school."

Robbie put down the mug he was holding.

"That's great, Angel."

"I told him I wanted to do it."

Cassie went straight over to hug her.

"I'm so happy for you, Manita."

Angel held her tightly.

"Me too."

When they separated, I hugged her as well.

"Congratulations."

"Thank you."

She looked around at us, her smile turning a little nervous.

"I'd like to stay. In the pool house, I mean. After the summer."

Cassie's eyes shone.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. If the offer's still there."

"It is," I said.

Robbie nodded as he said, "We'll sit down and work out the arrangement, but there is no way in hell you are paying rent while you're in school."

Angel let out a breath.

"Okay, fine. Thank you, all of you!"

Cassie hugged her again, and this time Angel laughed into her shoulder. I looked at Robbie over their heads. He smiled at me, then reached for my hand.

With Angel's decision made, there were things she needed to deal with back in Arizona. More belongings to collect, arrangements for school, and a conversation with her parents that she didn't particularly want to have over the phone. Cassie still hadn't worked things out with her mother.

She spoke to her dad regularly, but the silence with Maria had gone on long enough that picking up the phone seemed harder every time she considered it. I knew she missed her, even when she was angry. Sometimes she would mention something her mother would have liked, then get quiet afterward.

One evening, while we were talking about the trip, Cassie set her phone down and turned toward Robbie.

"Papi, would you come with us?"

"To Arizona?"

She nodded.

"I want you to talk to my parents."

He gave her his full attention.

"Okay. What do you want them to hear?"

"That this is real. That you love me and you're not just..." She paused, looking for the words. "I've tried explaining it, but Mom keeps coming back to you being married to Kat. I think she needs to hear from you that nobody's being lied to or used."

I reached for her hand.

"I can talk to her too, Honey."

"I know you would." She squeezed my fingers. "But we both know someone needs to stay behind and run the store. Plus, with my Mama being on a Jesus kick, bringing my bisexual girlfriend too would probably be a bit much up front."

Robbie nodded slowly. I couldn't disagree.

"I'll come, Chica. I can tell them how I feel and what we've agreed to."

Cassie watched him for a moment.

"I don't expect you to fix everything. I just want them to give us a chance."

"I understand."

"And I don't want a fight."

"I don't either."

She leaned against him, and his arm came around her.

"Thank you, Papi."

He kissed her hair.

"Of course."

The three of them booked their flights, with a return date a few days later. I wanted to go, but we already had things scheduled at The Bowery that I needed to be there for. Cassie assured me she would call, and Robbie promised the same.

The morning I dropped them off, Angel went ahead with the bags while I stayed beside the car with Robbie and Cassie. I wrapped my arms around Cassie.

"Call me when you get there."

"I will, my sweet."

"And if you need me before then."

She pulled back enough to look at me.

"I know."

I kissed her, then held her for another second before turning to Robbie. His arms came around me, and I rested my cheek against his chest.

"I'm going to miss you, baby."

"I'll miss you too, babe. Don't worry, though. It will only be a couple of days."

He kissed me, his hand warm against the back of my neck.

"Take care of yourself while we're gone, okay? Please don't forget to eat today."

"I won't, baby."

Cassie took his hand when we separated. I watched them walk toward the doors together, then waited until they were inside before getting back into the car and heading home. I had barely been home long enough to set down my bag when the doorbell rang.

Lady reached the door before I did. My mother was standing outside.

"Mom?"

"Hello, Katarina."

I looked past her at the car in the driveway, then back at her.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yes. I should have called."

There was something careful in her voice that made me uneasy.

"It's fine. I just didn't even know you were in town! Please, come in."

She followed me inside and greeted Lady before setting her handbag down. I offered her coffee. She accepted, and I went into the kitchen, grateful for something to do while I tried to figure out why she was there. She waited until I had put the mugs on the table.

"I rearranged my schedule to stop by and talk. Cassie's mother called me."

My hand stopped against the back of a chair.

"When?"

"Yesterday."

I sat down.

"What did she say?"

"Something about you and Robbie corrupting her daughter." She rolled her eyes slightly. "She told me you, Robbie, and Cassie are in a relationship. All three of you."

I looked at her.

"Well, when it comes to the relationship part, we are."

She nodded slowly. I could tell she was processing the information as well as she could.

"I wanted to hear it from you."

I had imagined this conversation a few times. Usually, it had gone badly enough in my head that I stopped thinking about it. Now she was sitting across from me, watching my face, and I didn't know where to begin.

"Are you angry?"

"Concerned, not angry."

"About what?"

"Whether this is something you want. Whether you feel secure in your marriage. Whether anyone is agreeing to something because they're afraid of losing the others. To name a few things."

I took a breath.

"This is what I want."

She listened.

"I love Robbie. I love Cassie. They love each other too."

"Did this begin before the wedding?"

"Yes."

"And you were comfortable getting married with that understanding?"

"Yes, Mom. We talked about it. Cassie was there with us through all of it."

She looked down at her coffee for a moment.

"Maria described it rather differently."

"I'm sure she did."

My voice came out sharper than I intended. Mom looked up.

"I'm asking you, Katarina. Obviously, as your mother, I have some valid concerns, but I want to understand what's going on."

I nodded.

"Sorry."

"You don't need to apologize for having feelings about what she said."

That surprised me enough that I went quiet. Mom rested her hands around her mug.

"I don't understand how this works yet. But I refuse to squander the progress we've made because there's something about your life I don't understand. I want to make sure you are being taken care of, both emotionally and, yes, financially too. An arrangement like this can complicate a lot of things. Then again, love always does."

My throat tightened. She held my eyes.

"I came here to listen, Katarina."

So I told her. I told her how things had changed between the three of us, how we had talked before the wedding, and how Cassie had moved back into the house. I told her about work and ordinary evenings at home. About how happy I was when I came back from the honeymoon and had both of them with me again.

Mom asked questions. Some were difficult to answer simply, but she gave me time.

"Do you still get time with Robbie?"

"Yes. And Cassie and I spend time together. Robbie and Cassie do too."

"And when you disagree?"

"We talk. Sometimes we need a little time first, but we talk."

She nodded.

"Does Cassie feel she has a say in the life you're building?"

"Yes."

"Does everyone?"

"Yeah, communication is one of the cornerstones of this relationship. We put everything on the table."

I thought about the pregnancy conversation.

"We've talked about having children someday. About raising them together."

Mom sat back slightly.

"That's a considerable commitment."

"I know."

"And all three of you want that?"

"Yes."

She studied me for a moment. I let her.

"I'm happy, Mom. I don't know how to make it sound familiar to you, but I'm happy."

Her expression softened.

"You don't have to make it familiar before I can believe you."

I looked down, blinking hard. She reached across the table for my hand.

"I needed to know you were being heard. That you weren't making yourself smaller to keep someone."

"I'm not."

"Good. You two have continuously surprised me over the years. I have no reason to believe you won't here too. Obviously, this is more than some impulse or something driven by lust."

Her thumb moved gently over my fingers.

"I can see that they truly matter to you."

"They do matter to me, both of them, equally."

"I know. I can tell."

We sat quietly for a moment before she asked where they were. I explained about Arizona, Angel's internship, and Cassie asking Robbie to come speak with her parents. Mom listened, then nodded.

"I hope they give him the opportunity. Maria's mind seems... resolute would be a polite way to say it."

"I know what you mean. I hope they do too."

She stayed for another cup of coffee. We talked about The Bowery, and she asked how I was settling back into work. The conversation gradually got easier. I didn't feel like I had to keep defending something she had already agreed to hear.

At the door, she turned back to me.

"I may still have questions."

"That's okay."

"And I may not always know the right way to ask them."

"You can ask me anything, Mom."

She nodded, then pulled me into a hug.

"I'm here for you, Katarina."

I held her tightly.

"Thank you, Mom."

Since she was in town for the day, we got lunch. She even came by The Bowery, and I surprised her by being able to go over our financial statements with her and actually know what I was talking about. That was usually Cassie's part.

Of course, she had plenty more questions about our situation. None of them judgmental. They were mostly curious. A lot about logistics. Some about how it started. I was selectively vague about our first experience together; she didn't need those details. All in all, I felt it brought us closer together in a way. When were done, she thanked me for being so open and gave me the biggest and warmest hug I had gotten from her in so long, I couldn't even remember. After her car pulled away, I stood in the doorway for a little while with Lady beside me and waved.

I woke up early the next morning feeling wrong. At first, I thought I was too warm. I pushed the covers down and rolled onto my back, waiting for the feeling to pass. The room was quiet, the bed much too empty without Robbie and Cassie.

Then my stomach turned. I got up quickly, barely making it into the bathroom before I threw up. Lady followed me and stood in the doorway while I knelt beside the toilet. I waited until I was sure I was finished, then sat back, breathing slowly.

Maybe it was something I'd eaten. I tried to remember dinner, but thinking about food made me feel worse. I got up to rinse my mouth and splash water on my face. My reflection looked pale and tired. Then I remembered Cassie counting the weeks since her last period.

I stood very still. Mine had been before the honeymoon too. My birth control made it so I didn't always have mine regularly, though.

"Oh, shit," I thought to myself before my head started spinning and I ran back to the toilet for another round of nausea.

I cleaned up and went back to sit on the edge of the bed. I never even thought twice about it. I laughed when I thought about the fact that birth control is effective 99 times out of 100, but we did have a lot of sex. I cursed the fact that I had such a high sex drive and the fact that sex without a condom felt way too good. Then I remembered Cassie had bought several pregnancy tests. I remembered putting the unused ones away when she moved the rest of her things into our bathroom.

I went back in and opened the drawer. They were still there. My hands were shaking a little as I took out a box. I read the instructions, took the test, and set it on the counter.

Then I started the timer on my phone. Lady settled beside my feet while I sat on the closed toilet lid. I rested a hand on her head and tried to breathe. I thought about Robbie saying we would be one family. Cassie telling me she would want to be there with me. The room we had casually talked about turning into a nursery someday. I looked toward the counter, then away.

The timer on my phone sounded. I reached for the test with shaking hands...