Page 5

“Hell yeah.”

We make our way over and say hello. Oliver is as nice as I remember. A few of his teammates and friends from other sports come up, and we spend a while talking about their seasons. We both genuinely love sports and are up to date with the stats on most professional teams, so the conversation is easy, but more than that, Patrick naturally draws people in. He makes everyone around him comfortable with his warm smile and easy laugh, so even though he’s chatting with a group of celebrities, I’m not surprised everyone is turned to him as he tells a funny story about the last hockey game we attended. It’s clear he’s absolutely loving this, so I leave him to it as I excuse myself briefly to go to the restroom.

I pass by a few of the decorated Christmas trees, servers with more trays of hors d’oeuvres and champagne, and a space with a backdrop set up for an elaborate holiday-themed photo booth on the way. Everyone appears to be having a good time, so it seems like company money well spent.

As soon as I finish washing and drying my hands, the door to the multi-stall bathroom pushes open. I turn, ready to walk out, then freeze, shocked by who just joined me. There’s no way I’m looking at Scotty McGuire at my company holiday party in New York City, am I?

But I think I am. He has the same blue eyes and light brown hair, styled a bit shorter than I remember, and he’s definitely mirroring my pleasantly shocked expression as he asks, “Joey?”

“Scotty?”

His handsome face breaks out into a huge grin, and I do the same. I forgot how much I missed that smile. It’s been over a decade since he moved away, and there are some smile lines on his face that weren’t there before, but he looks as incredible as ever. He’s dressed in a sleek black suit with a red tie covered in what look like little white snowflakes.

“What are you doing here?” I ask, approaching him for a hug. I wrap my arms around him and relax a bit as he hugs me back as tightly as he always used to.

“I moved back last year. I’m the executive producer of the event planning company that organized this party.”

“No shit? That’s awesome. I can’t believe you’ve been in New York that long without reaching out, though. We’ve missed you, man.”

He lets out what I think is a nervous laugh. “It’s been, what, almost fifteen years? God, maybe more. Whatever it is, it’s been a long time since I’ve been here or seen you guys. Last I checked, neither of you were on social media. I wasn’t sure where you were at or...”

Scotty trails off, and I notice his gaze drop to the ring on my left hand, so I hold it up. “Oh, Patrick and I are still happily married; we just use our middle names on social media for more privacy.”

His smile grows, and he seems genuinely happy for us as he responds, “Thank god, true love does still exist.”

It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask him about the boyfriend he started dating shortly after our vacation hookup all those years ago, the man he left NYC with, but the door swings open again, and I realize maybe the bathroom at an event he’s probably working isn’t the best place to catch up.

“How about I come find you after… this.” He motions to the bathroom, likely having the same realization as me.

“Sounds great. Patrick and I were planning to grab a more substantial meal after this. Maybe you can join us, and we can catch up?”

He nods eagerly. “That sounds perfect. I should probably keep working while I’m here, but I don’t have to deal with the event breakdown, so I’ll be free around ten thirty. Is your number still the same?”

“Yeah. Text me when you’re available, and I’ll let you know where we end up.”

“Can’t wait.”

2

“He said he’s leaving the venue now, so he should be here shortly,” Joey tells me, looking up from his phone.

“What are the chances Scotty moved back and organized SEN’s holiday party?” I muse, leaning in across the booth of the cozy pub we ended up at. There are rainbow-colored Christmas lights hanging from the ceiling and covering the bar, which I’ve always appreciated more than white lights, so I’m loving the vibe. “I can’t wait to catch up with him.”

“Me too.”

“What do you think the odds are he’s our neighbor again?” I tease.

Joey smirks. “Unfortunately, very fucking slim. Best neighbor we’ve ever had, though.”

“You’re certainly right about that.”

Hanging out with Scotty all the time was great. Not to mention, his regular joking about wanting to hook up with us is what pushed us to seriously talk about having sex with a third all those years ago.

So much time has passed, but I remember those first discussions like it was yesterday. We’d both initially brushed off the idea, assuming the other wouldn’t be into it. I didn’t want Joey to question my love or commitment to him just because I thought it would be fun for us to have a night with Scotty. We were already navigating moving from Massachusetts—a state where our marriage was legal—to one where it wasn’t acknowledged for Joey’s job. We had no regrets. I love that my sports-obsessed, finance-nerd husband landed such a cool position that’s absolutely perfect for him, and transferring into a new union when I already had experience helped me advance pretty quickly too. The move was great for us both, but I was a little worried to suggest even more change when I had no idea how he’d react.

Coming out wasn’t easy for Joey; his shitty family disowned him when he finally did, and I wasn’t sure if the strict environment he grew up in meant he’d hate the idea of a less traditional arrangement. It wasn’t anything I’d even thought to discuss before we got married because, until we met Scotty, it wasn’t something I’d considered myself. But then I noticed the adorable way my husband would blush when Scotty flirted with him, and it reminded me of how he was when we first met, back when Joey was still in the closet and couldn’t quite believe how desirable he truly is.

Eventually, one night after a few too many drinks, we admitted to each other that taking Scotty up on his offer was a desire we shared and agreed that radical honesty would be the best thing for our marriage. Then, when we were sober, we talked about it a whole lot more and agreed we still really wanted to do it. Not because we were unhappy together, or felt like we were lacking something, but because it sounded like something we’d both enjoy, so there wasn’t any reason not to.