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She looked Pop in the eye. She needed him to understand. With every fibrein her being, she implored him to do just that. “You and everyone else needs to know that I’m not giving Liam up. Neither is King. Not for Eli. Not for anyone. This is real. We aren’t playing games. I’m sorry I hurt him, but I didn’t know.” She sucked in a breath and held tightly to her men. Uttering her next sentence could change her family dynamic forever, even more so than her news only moments earlier. “I also wasn’t asking for permission, so Eli is going to need to get used to our being together.”
“Is that right?” Pop asked with a small but satisfied smile tilting his lips up. He stood and shuffled over to them. Cupping her face with withered hands, he kissed her forehead. “Good girl. You’ve got so much of your nan’s fire in you. It makes me so proud. You love these boys and make sure they treat you and each other right.” He peered up at King then Liam, his gaze never flinching. “Most importantly, be happy together.”
“Thank you.” She hugged him, the strength he wrapped her in disguised by a frail-looking body. “What about Eli?”
“He’ll come around.”
“And Mum?”
Pop shook his head. “I think once she stops to think about it, she’ll be more disappointed in herself for believing, even for a split-second, that you’d hurt your brother. She just wants you happy, all of you.” His gaze wandered to the men by her side. “So seeing one of you happy when the other one thinks it’s at his expense upsets her.”
*****
Two months later and things had somewhat settled down at home. Eli was just as angry and hurt that Liam hadn’t confided in him as he was with her for dating his best friend and his first crush. That’s all it had been for Eli too—a teenager’s first love. But the shock of Liam’s coming out had thrown him right back to where he was as a sixteen-year-old, his heart breaking over the boy he’d dreamed of and never had a chance with. Seeing his sister’s hand in Liam’s had gutted him all over again.
Adelaide understood why he was upset. She hated that she’d brought it all back up for him, but refused to let him hold it against her. They’d talked it out, looking back through school year books and laughing at themselves. Eli admitted to her how he’d idolised Liam, and with the freedom that came from no longer being bullied, he’d explored his sexuality. At first he’d mistaken the combination of raging hormones and Liam being front and centre as love, but realized after a while that it was an unshakeable friendship that drew them together.
Eli and Liam had spent a lot of time together too, talking and just hanging out. Reminding each other of the importance of their friendship. Living next door to each other had lulled them into a false sense of security. They’d become lazy in caring for their relationship. But Liam was taking the speed bump as an opportunity to rebuild it from the ground up stronger than ever.
They were still working through the fact that Liam hadn’t gone to Eli with his questions about King. He was finally realizing that it wasn’t because Liam didn’t want his opinion. He hadn’t been able to seek his advice. Liam didn’t want Eli to think he wasn’t important, and he was proving it. Slowly, they were reconnecting and mending their bond.
Adelaide was still upset with her mum. While she’d tried to put aside her hurt, it was hard. Her mother’s reaction had shattered the faith she had in her, and the repairs to the cracks in the foundation of her relationship with her mum were going to take longer to fix.
King’s parents had shocked the hell out of her. Betty had covered her mouth and burst into tears, scolding King for hurting Adelaide until she realized that she was holding Liam’s hand. Hurt had turned to surprise, and when it dawned on her that the three of them were happy together, Betty had thrown her hands up in the air, praised Madonna—the religious kind, not the singer—and rushed into the kitchen to cook. Alfred had simply given his son a tight shoulder squeeze, had kissed her on the cheek, and had engulfed Liam in the longest, tightest hug she’d ever seen a parent give to their child. And that’s what Liam was to Alfred, another son. They had a mutual adoration society happening, and it warmed Adelaide’s heart seeing the beauty of the connection Liam had formed with the older man.
Everything seemed to be on easy street for the moment, those twists and turns, and highs and lows exciting. Adelaide knew that taking the road less travelled was worth it. Her relationships with her guys were blossoming. It was so much better than she’d even dreamed.
She was glad she’d waited to choose her career too. Content for her Patreon was flowing out of her like crazy, and the videos were blowing up, more and more people signing up every day. King’s big reveal had them signing up in droves, and now that they had another partner too—albeit one who spoke off camera like King had done in the beginning—it was a hit.
Adelaide was loving her prac too. The Exchange was a member’s only swingers club. When she’d heard about it, she’d imagined a seedy bar in an industrial estate with drugs, sex, and danger. It was the complete opposite of what she’d feared. The four-storey mansion built in the centre of Surfers Paradise was a wonderland of lust. A palace of pleasure. There was a hell of a lot of sex in the club—after all, that’s what it was there for—but it was so much more than that too. It was a safe space for people to learn about themselves. A judgement free zone. Real relationships developed there, all the way from friendships to love, and they dissolved there too.
She loved observing and talking to the patrons. She’d helped one woman live out her fantasy. Five men, one for each hole and hand, took her in front of a crowd of people in the colosseum. The amphitheatre on the second floor was a haven for both exhibitionists and voyeurs. The woman’s husband was one of those voyeurs, observing from his spot just off stage, living out his own fantasy. Adelaide’s role had been to coach the men on what her clients wanted. It was their twentieth wedding anniversary present to each other—granting the other’s fantasy. Adelaide had revelled in being able to help them.
She’d found her tribe. The people were fascinating, and she was learning so much. Adelaide was chomping at the bit to work there full-time after her second prac term; it was exactly what she wanted.
Her life had been hectic to say the least.
But she was taking a moment to unwind. It was her afternoon off and she was scheduled on again at midnight. She wanted to be at home with her guys—they craved every stolen moment together that they could grab—but all three of them had something on. She’d been invited to Robyn, Mike, and Ezio’s housewarming. Liam had wanted it to be the day she introduced everyone to King, while he sat his final exam. But a night’s sleep so broken that King had crawled into his bed and held him, and an email from Liam’s parents with scans of the baby and “look it’s a boy!” written in his father’s perfect cursive, had turned her man into a freaked-out mess.
Adelaide was convinced his parents had timed the baby’s gender reveal to coincide with his exams, but they were too negligent to have done that. It would have meant taking notice of what Liam was actually doing, and that was far beyond any level of care they showed him.
Liam’s exam was on campus. She’d suggested that the three of them go, then head to the party afterward. Liam had acquiesced, wanting to please her, but Adelaide could see it was too much for him. She’d pulled the plug, suggesting just he and King go instead. Statistics was their thing, the mountain that they’d scaled together, and she wanted to give Liam the time together to fall into the headspace he was in when it was just him and King working together.
King was torn. He’d wanted to be with Adelaide so bad, but knew Liam needed him. It had been an easy decision for her—Liam’s exam was more important. It was his last shot to get a pass, and King had a way with him that calmed Liam instantly and concentrated his focus. Knowing King was only a few metres outside the room cheering him on would make all the world of difference to Liam.
Adelaide smiled, one of those dreamy love-drunk smiles, as she thought about her guys and took a sip of her cider. The conversation around her buzzed, and Adelaide startled as Katy’s cousin, Nick, asked her, “How do you guys know one another?” pointing between herself and the happy trio curled up together.
“Connor and I have been friends for years, and I met Katy and Levi through him.” Connor snorted out a laugh, and Katy elbowed him while Levi blushed to the roots of his hair.
“Oh, now there’s a story,” Eddie teased in his beautiful British accent. Will, his partner, laughed and slipped a hand up Eddie’s gauzy blouse. The man shivered, adjusting his spot on Will’s lap as the other man pulled him closer.
“I helped Levi see what he was missing, that’s all,” Adelaide explained like it was no big deal. Truth be told, that conversation had been a pivot point for all their lives. “He just needed a nudge.”
“In the form of a butt plug,” Connor teased.
“You love it.” Levi’s voice was husky, and when he bit Connor playfully on his shoulder, the other man’s breath audibly hitched.
She loved that Liam and King had that kind of relationship too. They were affectionate and loving, but playful and so so hot when they got riled up. Hiding was hard on both of them, and so was downplaying their relationship. At least her guys had Bryce and Cole. They’d been there for both Liam and King whenever they’d needed to vent. It was them who’d suggested that Liam have his own room in King’s house, rather than sleeping in the same room. They’d suggested they do that when Adelaide officially moved in. She was ready and had stayed most nights with them since returning from Sydney, but officially moving out when she was still on rocky footing with her mum seemed like a recipe for disaster. An excuse to run away rather than work through her issues.
