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“Thanks, T.”

I wish I could focus on being happy, but the concerns are so much louder right now.

And my bed feels too empty.

27

“Hey, guys!” I say as I open the door for Jace and Kieran.

“How was Germany?” Patrick asks before they get a word in.

“It was incredible. So many Christmas markets; we had a great time,” Jace answers.

“Glad you’re finally putting that passport to good use,” I comment.

“After the way he acted flying first class to Vegas, I knew we were going to have a lot of adventures ahead of us,” Kieran adds, and I laugh at the reminder of the story of Jace freaking out over how great the experience was.

They follow us into the living room and kitchen area, sitting down at the table I have set for five. Jace doesn’t seem to notice, but Kieran immediately raises his pierced eyebrow as he turns to me. “Is someone else joining us?”

“Yeah, he should be here soon,” I answer without hesitation.

Patrick and I already discussed how we should approach telling them about Scotty. The good news is, they already know that Patrick and I have our vacation rule. We took Jace to Mexico with us years ago, and even though we had different rooms, he walked in and clearly saw we had another man with us. That was a bit mortifying, but Jace was no virgin—we’d seen enough of his one-night stands as they were leaving the next morning when he’d lived with us—so the conversation was easy enough.

There also might’ve been a time in Vegas when we were on a separate trip at the same time Jace was there, and he saw us dancing with a man we didn’t know was his friend. We would’ve brought him back to our room if Jace hadn’t told us who the dark-haired stranger was. Kieran was there for that experience, so I don’t think either of them will be too surprised that we’re now starting a new relationship with another man.

I check my phone but still no message from Scotty. He told us he had a crazy schedule this week, but he’s been busier than I’d realized, hardly even texting us in the couple of days we’ve been back.

I hope his lack of response is actually work-related, and that he’s still planning to come. Whenever that is, I’d like to have this conversation with them before he shows up. “We’d love to hear more about your trip, but there’s something we want to talk to you guys about first.”

Sure, Jace isn’t my son, but he’s my nephew, and since he moved in with us at eighteen, I’ve felt a sense of responsibility for him in a way that’s probably the closest thing I’ll ever get to being a parent. He’s the most important person in our lives. Well, next to Scotty now.

“What’s up?” Jace asks.

“You both know about our vacation rule, but we never told you why we have it,” Patrick starts.

“Probably good we have some secrets, huh?” Jace jokes.

“Not this time, kid,” Patrick dismisses with a smirk before continuing. “Before you moved in with us, we had a friend who lived in the building that we were close with, Scotty, and when we went on a trip with mutual friends fifteen years ago, we hooked up with him for the first time.”

“He moved to LA shortly after that, but he’s back living in New York. We actually ran into him at the SEN holiday party,” I pick up. “So, we invited him to our Vermont trip and had a really great time. But we don’t want it to just be a vacation thing with him. We’d like to date him.”

“You want to be in a throuple?” Jace clarifies, sounding surprised but in a curious way, not judgmental.

“We do,” I confirm as I turn to look at Patrick, who nods.

“Scotty means a lot to us. He’s coming tonight—or he’s supposed to—and we want you to know how important he is to us.”

“Well, I’m happy for you both,” Kieran says.

“Me too,” Jace echoes. “Maybe I’m biased with our story, but it kind of sounds like you’re getting another chance with him if he’s back after all of these years. I’m glad you guys aren’t wasting it.”

I didn’t expect either of them to react poorly, but it’s still a relief to be met with such support the first time we have this conversation with someone. I’m sure it won’t always result in such a positive reaction, but Jace and Kieran are more important than anyone else we’ll eventually tell, so I don’t truly care. I’ve already dealt with losing my family for being gay, and I have no regrets there. I have much more accepting people in my life now than I did back then, and I’m sure I’ll have no regrets about this either if it means we get to be with Scotty. “We can’t wait for you to meet him.”

“Have you guys ever considered dating someone before?” Kieran asks.

“No, we haven’t,” Patrick confirms for us. “He’s always been different though, and the connection we had all those years ago is still there.”

“That’s great. I’m excited to meet the guy who’s got my uncles looking like teenagers with their first crush,” Jace teases.