And Then There Were Three (12 page)

“Mark and I want to protect them but seeing
you a few times a week in secret is not going to work for either of
us, especially after this wonderful weekend.”

“I know how unusual this situation is and I
understand that protecting the kids is priority one. I want to
protect them too.”

“Once you meet the kids and if all goes well
as I suspect it will. I will want you to meet my friends. That will
be much more difficult than meeting my kids, trust me.”

“Which one of your friends will object the
most?” Nicole asked wanted to prepare herself in advance for that
day.

“No doubt all of them will object. They will
each give me detailed reasons why I have made a terrible mistake. I
think that once they meet you and see us together, meaning you and
I, not with Mark, they will see how much I love you.” I said this
but did not register the blushing I was doing. Nicole and I stood
in the center of the room kissing once more. She would do this
because it meant so much to me. She would do this because she
wanted to be a part of my crazy world. She would do this because I
wanted her to do this. She would do this because she loved me just
as much. We exit the office as the time winds down on our fantastic
weekend together.

“Can I ask you what Jason said to you at the
club? You do not have to answer if that’s too personal.”

“He said that he made a horrible mistake when
he left me. I explained that he did not make a mistake. He did us
both a favor. I told him that the moment I met you, I would have
cheated on him with you and with Mark for that matter. He asked me
why I would want to be apart of another couple’s marriage. I
explained that you both loved me completely and just the way I am,
which is something he could never do. Jason dropped his head when
he realized the truth. He wants a family and while we could adopt I
could never biologically give him a child.”

“One day will you tell me what happened with
that situation? You don’t have to right now sweetheart.” I could
see the emotions register on Nicole’s face as she gave me a nod.
Outside my office I push her hair behind her ears and just take in
her sweet face. I am smiling hard as I kiss her deeply. Our tongues
melt into one as we are joined together for quite some time. A few
low moans escape but we remain lip-locked until Mark interrupts our
tender session.

“Oh so she gets to go in the precious
office?” Marks said his voice jovial. Nicole and I giggled shaking
our head up and down. Mark pretends to pout as we cover him in
kisses. “So if I pout then you two kiss me, noted for the future.”
We both try to pull away from him in pretend disgust but he is
stronger. The three of us spend a few moments just kissing, love
not sex.

Before we leave to get the kids I take out
the ingredients for their favorite meal and dessert. Ok so I was
trying to butter them up, sue me! I am not new to parenting.
Sometimes you have to pull out the big guns. Mark and I reluctantly
let Nicole go home and she promised to bring our clothes from her
apartment when she returned for dinner later. Mark and I are
practically humming with happiness as we make the drive to his
parent’s house.

“Mama how was the weekend?” I asked Mark’s
mother Abigail Thompson. Abigail is a tall woman with striking
features on her face that almost refuses to age. Her long salt and
pepper hair hangs freely as she embraced me upon our arrival.

“We had a great time of course,” Abigail
informed me and then whispered, “Sabrina is getting her period,
what a grouch.” We both laughed. I know exactly what she means. My
father-in-law, Martin Thompson, carried Celeste down into the room
considering she was fast asleep. Martin Thompson is not quite as
tall as his wife but his unlike his wife he dyes his hair, no gray
for him. Martin pushed his glasses up on his nose as Mark took the
sleeping Celeste. Junior has Celeste’s overnight bag as Mark places
her in the truck. I give both my in-laws kisses and thanks as
Sabrina made her way out the door, without speaking.

“Brina are you okay, sweetheart?” I asked as
I take her overnight bag. She gave me a painful look and I nod my
understanding as I pulled her in for a hug. I slipped my hand in my
purse and produce a small bottle of Pamprin and she beamed. Sabrina
ran back into her grandparent’s house for bottled water. I can see
just having the coveted pills makes her feel better.

In the car Mark explained, “Miss Nicole is
coming to dinner tonight, if that’s okay, of course.” That last
part of is for Sabrina, who nods that she is okay. I turn around in
my seat and confirm that Sabrina is okay. I gave her a smile and
the dawn of understanding registered on her perceptive face.

“My friend Aaron has a sister, Danielle, that
dances with Miss Nicole. I heard she is super hot,” Junior
announced looking to Sabrina for confirmation.

“She is my teacher you pervert,” Sabrina
threw him a dirty look.

“I heard she was a hot dance teacher,
still.”

We could not have given our only son a more
appropriate name. He is almost a carbon copy of my husband. They
are almost the same height, and I suspect Junior will be taller
than Mark at some point. Aside from the obvious facial
similarities, it’s their personalities that shock me the most.
Junior nearly emulates his dad in everyway. From the way they
dress, to the way they eat, and down to the way they speak, it’s
like watching the world’s weirdest twins. I gave my handsome son a
quizzical look and realize that girls will definitely be a problem
soon. Thank God, Mark has already drilled in him the teachings he
will need to be safe. I have no doubt girls will be throwing
themselves at him, if they are not already.

“Are we home?” Celeste asked, rubbing her
eyes before putting on her glasses. My little girl is the spitting
image of my mother and it is off putting when you see them
together. While Sabrina and I have long hair, Celeste’s hair is
nearly Rapunzel in length. She refuses to have her hair cut so we
deal with its crazy unruliness from time to time.

“You know the drill, everyone get clothes
ready for the week, please.” I shouted as they made quick exits to
their room. Mark was in our room changing the bed while I began my
meal in the kitchen.

I cut the chicken breast thin before making
the batter for my homemade chicken tenders. The water is boiling
for the macaroni and I drop the pasta in giving it a quick stir. In
a large bowl I mix in three different cheeses, milk, butter, and
place it in the microwave to melt. When the pasta is al dente, I
mix it with the cheese sauce and add seasonings. After adding a
beaten egg, I give it a final stir before pouring the mixture in
the greased pan. My kids love cheese, as most kids do, and cover
the top in a thick layer of cheeses. The salad is easy as I toss
the lettuce with an assortment of fresh vegetables. I pull out my
pre-made peach cobbler bites and place them on the cookie sheet.
Inside the oven the smell of peaches, macaroni and cheese cook
pervading the house with delicious smells.

Two hours later Nicole is ringing the
doorbell. Junior makes it his mission to get to the door before
Sabrina. I hear the two of them arguing over who will open the
door. Nicole enters the house as the two teenagers continue to
bicker. Mark greets her first and I see him fighting the desire to
kiss Nicole as they simply stare at each other. Sabrina stops
arguing with her brother long enough to catch the exchange. I
walked in smiling and offered Nicole a quick hug, wanting like my
husband to kiss her passionately.

“C’mon Miss Nicole let me give you the grand
tour,” Sabrina said pulling her away from our son, who is now
gawking at Nicole. Mark gives him a light tap upside the head to
pull his horny gaze away from Nicole, even though he totally
understands. I began the task of making plates and putting them on
the table as Celeste put the silverware down. In the dining room
everyone takes a seat around the table. Celeste gives Nicole a
welcoming hug. She is very friendly and loves everyone immediately.
After a quick blessing of the food, our kids launch into a myriad
of conversations about their weekend. We eat with lots of laughter
and silliness courtesy of my kids and my husband. Nicole is
positively glowing as she takes in all the love we have as a
family. As the dinner concludes and I bring out the dessert, my
kids are in heaven.

“Wait until you taste dessert Miss Nicole,
it’s really good,” Celeste informed pushing her glasses up on her
face. The personal peach cobblers are being destroyed when Junior
speaks up first. “Hey, what’s going on? We have our favorite dinner
and now dessert, what happened this weekend?”

The color drains from my face and Nicole
looks equally pale as Mark clears his throat.

“We can talk in the family room after
dessert,” he said with zero confidence. Sabrina looks almost giddy
at knowing a huge secret before her siblings. I worried about how
Junior would accept our relationship and if Celeste was too young
to even understand. Sabrina being a smart ass chowed her dessert
down with lightening speed. Inside the family room the children sat
on the couch as Nicole and I took the loveseat, not on purpose.
Mark stood before the children as he searched for the words, his
pre-rehearsed speech long since forgotten.

“Well we wanted you all to know that Mom and
I still love each other very much,” he stammered. “We are very much
in love and will grow old together like Grampy and Grammy.” Nicole
and I shoot him appreciative looks for taking the reins on this
one.

“Miss Nicole is Sabrina’s dance teacher but
she is also someone that is a good friend to Mom and I. We have
spent some time with her and we like her very much.”

Junior looked to Sabrina who was beaming with
knowledge as the dawn of recognition registered on his handsome
face. “Wait you and mom like Miss Nicole? Like boyfriend and
girlfriend like or one of the seven sisters like?” Junior asked as
he sat up to look directly at his father then to me. I flinched as
I took Nicole’s hand in my hand. Nicole continued to beam her
bedazzling smile to our children. Celeste just looked lost and
Sabrina nodded her head vigorously.

“Boyfriend and girlfriend,” Mark said softly.
I could see he was sweating profusely and decided it was time I
joined him. “Junior, Celeste, and Sabrina we love Nicole actually.
We will not be getting a divorce or anything like that. Daddy and I
are still very much in love.”

“But how can you have a girlfriend dad if you
are married? Mom, you like women? Why would you let dad have a
girlfriend? This doesn’t make any sense.”

I could see the tears welling up in his eyes
as he contemplated the end of our marriage. I shook my head to
reassure him that we would always stay together.

“I would never do anything to come between
your parent’s wonderful marriage. However I love your mom and dad
equally.” Nicole chimed in taking Mark’s hand in her hand.

“Junior, they really do love Miss Nicole and
she loves them both. I know it seems weird at first but when you
see them together you can see they love each other.”

“Daddy, do you get to have a girlfriend if
you are married to mommy?” Celeste asked still lost.

“Generally no Celeste, I would not have a
girlfriend. So this is a bit weird.” Mark answered before turning
his attention to Junior.

“A bit weird? My mom and dad just told us
that they have a girlfriend that they share. Weird doesn’t begin to
explain this,” Junior said quickly leaving the room.

“I like Miss Nicole, she is pretty. Mommy do
you want Miss Nicole to be daddy’s girlfriend?” Celeste asked
smiling.

“Yes Celeste I love Miss Nicole too,” I
respond softly.

“Sabrina I know you have had more time to
process this. How do you feel about Nicole spending more time here
and being around us more often?” Mark turned to Sabrina who gave
the question some actual thought.

“I am sure it is going to be weird at first.
I have never seen you kiss anyone but mom so that will be weird. I
am sure it will be fine after a while.” Sabrina said knowingly. “I
am going to go talk to Junior.”

Mark decided to join Sabrina in that
conversation while Nicole and I sat with Celeste. In the simplest
of terms Nicole and I explained to my then eight-year old how this
would work. Celeste seemed indifferent to our announcement as she
decided Miss Nicole was too nice not to like. Celeste took this
opportunity to con us into watching a movie with her while the
others talked.

A few hours later Celeste was sleeping. Mark
and Sabrina had returned half way through the movie. Junior was
still brooding in his room, and we allowed him to do so. This was
not easy and we didn’t expect the kids to just hop aboard our crazy
train. Eventually Sabrina took her sister up to her room before
giving us all quick kisses. Mark and I sat with Nicole in the
family room for a while, just holding each other. If I could have
avoided this I would have. The thought of hurting or embarrassing
my kids was so painful that I seriously considered calling the
whole thing off. The look on Nicole’s face as she cried in our arms
changed my mind. She was so happy to have us love her as much as we
did. We were so happy that she chose us for her love and
affections. Mark and I would never be able to recover if we lost
her as part of our relationship.

At our front door, we said our quiet goodbyes
to Nicole. I could see how happy and sad she remained.

“I can’t ever thank either of you enough for
letting me meet your wonderful kids. No matter what happens I
understand they are priority number one. This was the best dinner
ever for me, you two are wonderful parents,” Nicole stammered.

“We love you Nicole,” I managed to say
fighting tears. Mark nodded in agreement.