Secrets Worth Keeping (Finding my Home #2)- Nikita Parmenter Page 0,19

an idea strikes me and I end up buying a leather jacket to go over the top, slightly oversized, it’s more fashion than practicality and wouldn’t be any good for when I ride my bike, which is fine since my actual bike jacket is really good quality.

I add a lipstick that should match my dress and, on a whim, add some straighteners too. This store does next day shipping as well and I’m sort of excited, I’m not even going to tell the guys I got a dress, I like surprising them. I take another sip of wine enjoying the flavour, normal wine tastes really acidic to me, I guess I’ve just been drinking the wrong kinds. I glance over at Jenny and Kat to see if they’re done with their shopping yet and see that they’ve both nearly finished their second glasses. I vaguely remember one of the guys saying something about how they get when they’ve been drinking wine but so much has happened since then I can’t really remember what the warning was, just that it was a warning to not be around them when they drink it.

They share a look and then turn to me, uh oh. I don’t know why uh oh but uh oh is the first thing that comes to mind. I take a sip of wine to distract myself and immediately choke on it with the next words that come out of Jenny’s mouth.

“So you’re dating both of our sons and their friends?” she ask casually.

I damn near have a fucking heart attack.

“I, erm it’s not like that” I try to stutter out. This is my nightmare situation right now, what if this is when they tell me to stay away from their sons, or worse tell me to leave?

“Don’t panic, I had a polyamorous relationship in high school” Kat says grinning and everything pauses for a second before a thousand questions fly through my mind, my eyes dart to Jenny.

“I was her biggest supporter” she tells me, grinning.

That explains why her and Rob were so ok with the idea of all the guys taking me to the Winter Formal.

“Actually, Marc and Jensen’s dad Rich were two of the guys I was in a relationship with.”

Jensen’s dad, holy fuck.

Before I can question her, which probably wouldn’t have been appropriate, although to be honest I think the whole idea of appropriate has gone out the window right now, she carries on telling her story and I’m far to curious to interrupt her and risk her stopping.

“There were five of us, me and the four guys, the other two were never really as invested as Rich, Marc and I were. Eventually one of them left for college and another one just didn’t want to do it anymore. It was hard. I’m not sure what happened but we were teenagers and as soon as they left, it sort of fizzled between Rich and us too. Marc tried desperately to keep us all together seeing how much it hurt me but it just wasn’t in the cards. Losing Rich hurt far more than losing the other two. He moved on and found Jensen’s mom who you probably can’t remember but was such and amazing woman and became one of my best friends. I was happy for him. Marc was too but we still missed him. Still do actually” she smiles sadly as she remembers and suddenly other things that Marc and her or even Rich have done make sense. My heart aches for her, it would be torture to lose one of my guys and watch him be with someone else even if she was an amazing person.

I don’t know what’s in store for me and the guys, there’s a chance that when I talk to them at the end of the trip, they can’t handle it and we end, them never wanting to see me again.

Pain pierces through me, the force of it making me gasp, yeah I am not going to survive that.

Before that happens and I’m no longer around, I want to make sure that Kat gets her happy ever after with Marc and Rich.

“Oh, whoops, I think I’ve had too much wine” Kat giggles but the sound is sad, “watching how you are with the boys just reminds me so much of Rich and Marc, I guess.”

“Does Marc miss Rich as much as you?” I ask hoping I’m not over stepping, “I thought he looked sad when Cash mentioned them all taking