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“What’s the rush? Just because everyone else married young doesn’t mean I have to. Is there something in it for all of you? Am I an embarrassment because I haven’t found someone?”
This was the part I hated.
The food was excellent, but my stomach had gone sour.
My mom’s fists were balled.
My father was silent.
My brothers stared at their plates.
My anger bubbled to the surface.
“Yes, honestly,” my mom whispered. Some at the table gasped, but I had no clue why. I wasn’t surprised by her words, only that she finally admitted the truth.
“You’re ashamed of me because I’m not married?” I gripped the underside of the table, begging my voice not to falter.
Faltering would show weakness.
And I was bait in this den of lions.
“Yes. You are a beautiful young woman, but as Emma said, you’re not getting any younger. It seems like there’s something wrong. You don’t date. You work that pathetic job. You read books. Those books aren’t going to pay the bills or give me any grandchildren.”
I pushed back from the table, disappointed in my brothers and my dad. I expected all of this from my mother. She’d been more discreet before, or perhaps simply passive aggressive, but she’d never come out and berated me like this.
“Thanks for the backup, guys. You too, Dad. I’m leaving.”
“We’ll see you next week,” Mom said.
I turned and made sure I had her gaze before I spoke. “Don’t be so sure.”
While I gathered my things, she told the others that I was bluffing. That I would be back next week, but maybe her honesty had lit a fire under my ass.
It had. But not in the way it seemed.
The truth was, I wanted a husband. Wanted more than one, actually. Polyamory had become more acceptable, and something inside me let me know that it could be the way I wanted to live.
Maybe if I found someone, somehow, it would prove them all wrong and get them off my back.
Chapter Two
Ansel
“I’ve got it!” Edward sat a bit straighter and put his hands up. “You’ll never guess.”
“I’m not trying to guess. Tell me already.”
His smile widened but didn’t reach his eyes. Everything felt empty lately. Even our supposed happiness. “The Eastern Antarctic Plateau.”
The only reason I recognized the name was because one of my favorite things to watch on TV were documentaries. My best friend bringing up the coldest place on the fucking planet didn’t really do it for me. “Our balls will freeze, shrivel up, and die.”
“It’s not like we’re using them for anything else,” he grumbled. “We’re not even considering this?”
“I’m not. Feel free to freeze your dick off if you want to.”
He breathed out a long breath. “I haven’t even unpacked my suitcase from Greece.”
We stayed silent for a few moments, each of us sipping our drink of choice. We had run out of options. We’d traveled the world together, Edward and I. Seen everything. As of late, we’d tried every adrenaline-boosting activity, sometimes more than once, convinced another round would make us actually feel something.
