Rule Breakers (Off Limits #2) - Nicky James Page 0,68
The unreasonable one. The one who couldn’t curb his weird feelings of jealousy. They both knew.
And yet, I understood what we had and knew logically that Uncle Denver and Dad being intimate when I wasn’t around wasn’t in any way a slight. It didn’t mean I meant less to them or was the third wheel who wasn’t always wanted. How fair was it that I had no problem being on the other side, but the minute I was left out, it hurt?
“I’m fine with it,” I lied. “It doesn’t bother me.”
They both remained quiet until I glanced up, shifting my attention between them. My heart raced, giving me away, and I was glad they couldn’t hear it.
It was Uncle Denver who spoke next. “This relationship needs honesty, or it will never work. One of the most important things that bind Harley and me is our honesty. We swore a long time ago that we’d always tell the truth even if it hurt. No matter what. Why do you think I called him and told him what we’d done when you showed up here a few weeks back?”
I couldn’t fight the smile. “Because you’re nuts?”
Uncle Denver chuckled. “Somewhat, but it was because I knew it was the right thing to do. I should have called him in August, and that was my mistake. He deserved to know then.”
I watched them both and ducked my head. “Okay. I’m a bit jealous. I don’t want to be, and I don’t know why it happens.”
“It’s because Den and I had something before,” Dad said.
I nodded. That was it exactly. They had a past together, and I was the extra.
Uncle Denver tipped my chin, bracing it in his hand. His lips brushed mine once before pulling back. “Then nothing happens outside the three of us. Simple as that. Until you believe we are nothing without you, we keep it an all or nothing deal. Is that fair?”
“No.” The single word came out louder than I expected. “It’s not fair. I don’t want that.”
“What do you suggest, Edison?” Dad asked.
I was frantic, grasping for an answer I didn’t have. “I don’t need to be coddled. I’m not a kid. I know I make it worse in my head, and I… maybe if… I don’t know. I’ll get used to it.”
“Or you’ll start resenting us,” Dad said.
“I won’t.”
Uncle Denver looked unsure. He glanced at Dad, and they shared a look between them I couldn’t understand.
“Honesty,” Uncle Denver said to me.
I gulped. “My head knows it’s the three of us. I just have to live it to understand it here too.” I tapped my chest over my heart.
Creases formed along Uncle Denver’s forehead.
“Eddy?”
I glanced at Dad when he called my name.
“We’re nothing without you. You aren’t mine or Den’s. You are ours. Understand? Just like I’m not solely Denver’s. I belong to you both. He belongs to both of us.”
I remembered the feeling of both their releases filling me last night, their rough voices whispering their claim. Ours. Ours.
“If it’s too much, I’ll tell you. I promise. I want us to be able to trust one another. If I’m not here, you two should be allowed to have fun.”
Dad studied me for a long time. He knew me better than anyone. “Okay. Don’t let negative feelings fester or this will sour really fast, Eddy.”
“I won’t. I promise.”
“We need to talk about living arrangements,” Uncle Denver said next.
I hadn’t thought that far ahead, but apparently, they had. I sat quietly as they discussed options, pros and cons, and talked about how it might be perceived if we all lived under one roof. Unconventional. Suspicious. Shady. Unusual. Those were some of the words that got tossed around, along with illegal and risky.
“I’m less worried about people from work or friends finding out. It wouldn’t be hard to keep it from them. It’s not like I have people over here anyhow,” Uncle Denver said. “But the family is going to ask questions. Vanya will figure it out.”
“I’ll handle Vanya.”
“And Mom and Dad?”
Dad went quiet. He didn’t have a good relationship with Gramma and Grandpa to begin with. They’d criticized his parenting for as long as I could remember. They did it in front of me which had always made me feel like a bad kid. My cousins, Aunt Vanya’s kids, had a much better relationship with my grandparents.
No one spoke.
The air turned heavy.
“They never liked me much anyway,” I said because someone needed to speak.