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“I’m Seth’s friend.” I pointed at my house. “And neighbor. I’ve never seen you before.” There was no hiding the suspicious attitude the longer I looked at her. She was so beautiful. Definitely more mature. Older. Made me wonder who else was in his life.
Seth had expressed interest in dating me, but looking at her, I felt so small. So insignificant. I felt like a child. And I hated that. Absolutely hated it.
I had to work to keep my jaw relaxed as I waited for her response.
And of course she did the adult thing and only smiled wider, not seeming bothered by my attitude at all. She came over and held out her hand. “Peyton Eames. So you’re Cadence. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”
“No offense,” I said carefully. “I still don’t know who you are.”
Her eyes widened, and she let out a small bark of laughter. She coughed and shook her head. “I’m so sorry. I guess I should start with ‘Hello, I’m Seth’s aunt.’”
“His aunt?”
She flashed her teeth. “Yes. Through his stepdad.”
“Oh.” That made more sense.
My cheeks heated with embarrassment as I realized that dark icky feeling had been jealousy. I saw a pretty woman Seth knew and the jealousy nearly consumed me.
I released a breath and finally returned her smile. “Nice to meet you. Seth is still at work today.”
She waved her hand, the bracelets on her wrist tingling. “It’s fine. I already dropped off what he left behind and decided to check on Bebe before I headed back home.”
Once he heard his name, Bebe gave off a sharp bark and bumped into my hand, finally ready to receive my attention since Peyton wasn’t giving him any.
I rubbed the top of his head, letting his soft familiarness keep me focused and relaxed.
“Is everything okay with him?” I checked Bebe’s body quickly. He looked healthy to me, even felt it. I was pretty sure the guy weighed more than I did, but he wore it well on his frame. His reddish-brown coat looked shiny, and felt soft and smooth. He moved around with all the energy in the world. More than enough for the both of us. I kind of wished I could draw on his energy to help keep me going.
“He’s healthy and well cared for. I’d beat Seth’s ass into the ground if he ever did anything to hurt Bebe. I was about to check his training and make sure Seth hadn’t been slacking. Want to join? He looks like he’s in good form today.”
“Uh, sure.”
Peyton grinned. “Great. And while we do that, you can tell me more about yourself. Seth has told me a little bit, but I’d like to know more about the girl who stole my nephew’s heart.”
My face burned with embarrassment as she talked. Stole Seth’s heart? I wasn’t so sure about that one.
Peyton dug in her jacket pocket and pulled out a small plastic bag. Bebe went nuts as soon as he saw it, jumping around.
“Stay.” Peyton’s voice was strong. Even I wanted to listen to her.
Bebe definitely did, automatically putting his butt to the ground as he kept his gaze on her hand. “Good boy.” She reached into it and gave him a treat.
“Here.” She put a handful of treats into my hand. “This is actually good that you’re here. I’ll be able to test him better.”
“Are you a dog trainer?” I asked.
“More of a hobby, but one I’m passionate about. I trained Bebe when Seth adopted him. Trained my own dogs.” She snorted. “My husbands like to tease me that I trained them too. They certainly like to act like dogs sometimes.”
“Husbands?” I latched on to that word.
Peyton’s smile stayed, but it seemed to have tightened. Her head tilted to the side slightly. “Yes. I have two husbands. For nearly twenty years now.” She continued to watch me, waiting for my reaction.
“That makes sense,” I finally said, not sure what else to say.
“What do you mean?” She was still focused on me.
“Seth’s response.” I wanted to hide my face, I felt so embarrassed. It’d be easier to talk to her hidden behind something like the car. Could I crouch down and use Bebe’s body to disappear? I was too tempted to try. “He’s always telling me that he cares about me and that he’d be happy no matter how I want to be with him.” My voice dropped down. “Even if that meant dating him and dating others.”
“Ah, I see.” Peyton’s lips pursed. “I may have influenced him a lot while he was growing up. Seth’s very intuitive. He had to be since not all the men his mother dated were upstanding people. And he definitely grew attached to me once we met. Come on, let’s see what tricks we can make Bebe do. And maybe get more insight into how Seth thinks.”
Peyton had me move about ten feet away from them. Bebe looked like he wanted to run over to me, but Peyton instructed him to stay. It seemed he barely did that, but he did, being rewarded with a treat.
“Okay, call him over,” she said.
“Bebe, come,” I said.
Bebe got to his feet and took off, running right for me. Once he was there, he walked around me.
“Good, reward him. Give him a treat and assurances.”
“Good job,” I said, feeding him a treat. “You’re such a good boy.”
“Tell him to stay.”
“Stay.”
Bebe put his butt to the ground and stared back at me.
“Reward him again,” Peyton said.
So I did.
For the next fifteen minutes or so, we did more of the same, going through the commands, testing his patience. Bebe was absolutely amazing, listening, getting his rewards, and overall just being a watchful, patient dog.
“Seth’s good with him,” Peyton said. We were now sitting on the cool grass, Bebe’s head in my lap while I ran my hand through his fur. His eyes were half closed, his tail flopping around every now and again. “And so are you. He’s completely comfortable with you.”
“We bonded pretty well,” I said. “Bebe introduced me to Seth.”
“Did he now?”
“Kind of. I met Seth briefly at the Tri-Town’s event, but officially when Bebe wanted me to play with him the next day.”
“Bebe approached you?” Peyton seemed interested by that tidbit.
“Yeah.”
“Dogs are fascinating, don’t you think?” she asked. “They’re so intuitive that they know, despite their fears and own trauma, they know when someone else needs them.”
I scowled. “What exactly has Seth told you about me?”
Peyton’s expression softened into something that I was beginning to learn was more of a motherly look. I’d seen it on Bayley, Micah’s mom. On my lawyer, Amy Rivera. Even on my doctor’s face. The last person I expected to see it on was Seth’s aunt’s face.
“Enough to know this last year has truly tested you. Enough for Bebe to decide that you needing him far outweighed his own personal trauma.”
Her words felt heavy to me and I didn’t respond, opting to just sit there and let what she said settle. It always felt like Bebe knew when I needed him most and he had always been happy to be at my side in those moments. I just never thought I’d hear someone talk about it. It always felt like a special connection between the two of us.
Something that was unspeakable.
But Peyton voiced it so well.
Two broken souls recognizing that the other was broken and willing to be a companion.
“Are you giving your boys some consideration?” Peyton asked.
“What?”
She was smiling again, but a bit more in a teasing way. “Seth came to my house last Sunday and spent most of it asking my husbands and me questions. He never said why he was suddenly so interested in a poly relationship, but he didn’t need to. He speaks about you a lot and then suddenly he’s showing interest. I’m assuming the guys are interested in you. What about you?”
I licked my lips, my throat feeling a bit too dry all of a sudden. “I actually don’t know for sure where the guys stand. I mean, they said things, took a stance to stand by my side, but I don’t get what it means.”
“They didn’t actually come to you about everyone wanting to date you?”
I shook my head. “Only Seth has been the most up front. And I guess Justin too.” My face was on fire as I talked. “I’ve kissed them both.”
“Well, I guess that’s a start. So you at least like Seth and Justin. Both good boys. What about the others.”
“I do care about them.”
“But you aren’t sure?” she asked.
“I don’t... get it. I don’t understand.”
She nodded and looked up at the sky. Slowly, a smile formed and she seemed so at peace with herself. It made it so hard to say anything else. “I was in your place before,” she said. “I liked two big, annoyingly over protective knuckleheads. Loved them both actually. Yet everyone around me kept telling me I had to choose. Made me believe that I could only have one of them, that our happiness—not just mine, but theirs too—was only if I chose one of them and let the other go. That I couldn’t be greedy. They were so sure that a person can only love one person at a time and they made sure I believed it too.”
“How did you get past that?” I asked.
“I didn’t. My husbands did. I was pushed so hard that I was willing to just say fuck it and not bother with either of them. They were good friends, and I didn’t want to ruin that either. They sensed that I was pulling away from them. Then they proved to me that my heart was big enough for both of them. They proved that all of our happiness was with each other. Fuck anyone else who dared to tell us how we felt. And we’ve been together since. It wasn’t easy, especially early on. My mom even kicked me out of the house until my brother got her to at least be tolerant of my choices. No one thought we’d last.” She laughed and it was one of the most freeing sounds I’d ever heard. “We’ve been proving them wrong for twenty years, and we’re looking forward to another twenty years of doing the same.”
Peyton drew in a breath and released it slowly, her eyes half closed. She truly looked like she was enjoying herself as we sat in Seth’s yard.
“If you love them, if you truly want to be with them, then don’t let anything hold you back, especially the fucked-up society we live in that only lets you love one person. Love is boundless for a reason. Explore what you feel for them. They obviously want to explore it with you.”
Listening to Peyton was motivational. It sent thrills through me, made me feel like I could face the world and more.
“But first, figure out where everyone stands. You aren’t going to get anywhere if you tiptoe around it. It only leads to misunderstandings and extra anxiety. All of you are making a scary decision, and I’ll have to say, five boys. That’s ambitious even to me. But I run in those circles, and I can tell you with confidence, that people out there have made it work. It wasn’t easy. Hard as fuck from the stories they told me, but they did it. So who am I or anyone else to tell you that you can’t. Try. Fight for it. You look like a fighter to me.”
“I don’t really feel like one,” I admitted.
Peyton rested her hand on my forearm and squeezed it, her grip strong and supportive. “You are, Cadence. Your life already proves that. Emancipation. Buying your own house. Already with a career. Moving away from your past. You are extremely strong. Seth sees that. And the other boys too. They all see it and that’s why they’re willing to fight to stay by your side. Now it’s your move.”
“Talk to them,” I whispered, thinking about the little bit of insight she’d given me.
“Yes. You already kissed two and it seems they know you kissed them both, and they’re okay with it.”
“Actually, they all know.”
“And none of them have gone running. Well then, I think you have your answer, no?” Peyton climbed to her feet. “Relationships aren’t easy, even between couples. Everyone has to work together and talk. Talking is big. So start with that. Be upfront with them. ‘Are you interested in dating me even though I’m already dating Seth and Justin? Even though I want to also date everyone else? Even though I refuse to diminish my love by only choosing one of you?’”
“You make it sound easy,” I said.
“Hell no. It’ll be a nightmare. But won’t it be worth it in the end?”
“And if they don’t all want to date me?”
“I don’t think that’s going to happen, but even so, the fact that they are all still in your life when you’ve obviously already kissed two of them says so much. No one has gone running.”
“Not yet.”
“They won’t. They’re strong too. Even if you don’t date everyone, I think you guys have what it takes to find a balance of love and friendship.” She held her hand out to me. I grabbed it and let her help me to my feet, making Bebe let out a little disgruntled sound as he was forced to move from his comfy sleeping position. “Give me your phone. Let me give you my number. If you ever have a question, or just want to talk, call me. Text me. Whatever you’re comfortable with. I’ll respond. And if you want some resources to read, I can dig those up for you too. I suggest being very careful with any online searches you may do.”
I grabbed my phone and passed it to her. Her fingers flew across the screen as she entered her contact information.
“I sent myself a text too so I can add you to mine,” she said. “I look forward to talking with you more. And I’m serious, do not be afraid to reach out to me. I’m a nonjudgmental ear and those are hard to find, especially in towns like this.”
“Thank you.”
She smiled kindly. “Of course. Want to help me with Bebe for a bit longer. There are still a few more commands I want to test out on him.”
“Yeah.”
Before I could move to help her, my phone buzzed. Justin sent me a text. I quickly checked it, my heart freezing as I stared at his plea.
Justin: I’m at the hospital visiting my dad. Can you come get me?
“Uh, I need to go,” I said, unable to tear my eyes away from his text. Something about it was absolutely heartbreaking even if he didn’t allude to anything going wrong.
“Okay, no problem,” Peyton replied, sounding serious as she picked up on the change in my mood. “I’ll make sure to lock the house up tightly after I finish.”
“Thank you,” I said and gave her a wave before practically running back to my house. I was peeling out of my driveway minutes later, anxious to get to Justin.
Me: On my way.
