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“It’s good to have the house just to ourselves again,” Callum declared, flopping naked onto the couch. Nerea tutted at him, but she was curled up in an armchair reading a book and only wearing one of Jamie’s T-shirts, so as far as Callum was concerned she didn’t have much grounds to complain.
“Wanna have shower sex?” Jamie, wrapped in Callum’s big fluffy robe, crawled up onto the couch with him.
“You’ll still steal the hot water and I’ll still be a foot taller than either of you whether anyone else is in the house or not. I will happily watch, though.”
“I’m not that short!” Jamie protested.
“It doesn’t always seem that way.”
Jamie humphed. Nerea tutted again, the sound fond. It was all so domestic and comfortable that Callum could almost forget the rather large promises they had made one another and the logistics that still needed to be discussed. Time enough for that in the new year, though.
Nerea put a scrap of paper in her book to mark her page and set it aside. “All right, both of you.”
Jamie and Callum both turned to look at her. Callum shifted his legs so Jamie, still settling himself into place on the couch, wouldn’t accidentally knee him in the groin. Jamie’s face tightened with nerves and Callum couldn’t blame him. He felt apprehensive himself.
“You both keep telling me that you’ll support whatever decision I make,” Nerea began, her face so studiously calm that even Callum couldn’t entirely read it. “Which is decent of you, since it’s my body, life, and career that are going to be affected the most by any theoretical pregnancy, no matter what you two swear to do for me after a baby is born.” She paused.
Jamie nodded solemnly, probably because he, like Callum, knew not to interrupt her at this point. At least he, unlike Callum, had some sort of clothes on, and so some sort of dignity to cling to.
“Because, to be honest, a baby being born is not likely. You both know I’m not young.”
Callum’s heart clenched. Nerea’s face continued to be solemn, almost unreadable, and he still had no idea what was going to come out of her mouth next.
“I have, remarkably, had a lot of time to think over the last few days. About what I’ve loved about having children, as well as what I’ve hated. The bad parts are not small, and all the good behavior in the world from the two of you can’t change that. But I also thought about what I’m doing with my life, the challenges I’m willing to face, and all the questions I’ve had lately about how. I did not expect this pregnancy to answer more questions than it’s raised, but it has. Having three children and a famous husband didn’t stop me from becoming a very successful painter. So, as long as I can face this with the two of you, and the universe continues to think my body can do this, then yes, we’re having the baby.”
It was, Callum noted, the first time she’d used the definite article to refer to it.
The next thing he noted was Jamie going utterly rigid and then practically leaping off the couch with a whoop of joy.
Callum felt stunned all over again. He’d hoped, of course, but Nerea wasn’t wrong — reason and logic were against this decision. He would have died rather than not support her in her choice, whatever it was. But this — he watched Jamie’s shining face as he stopped his wild sprawl across the room to look almost reverently into Nerea’s face — this was everything he hadn’t quite hoped to dream of.
Nerea looked between them, amused but also emotional. “I suppose there’s no point asking either of you what you want to do.”
Jamie, still hovering in front of her like he was afraid this might not all be real, had tears running down his face and the brightest smile Callum had ever seen. Slowly, Jamie stooped, and with one hand on the arm of Nerea’s chair and the other on the back of her neck, kissed her so gently and with such tenderness that Callum looked away to give them this moment together.
He turned back again at the sound of Nerea calling his name. He looked at her helplessly, his heart too full to be able to express even a fraction of it. He knew she understood, though. Standing, he crossed the room to where Jamie and Nerea were now curled up together in the chair, and wrapped his arms around them.
“I love both of you,” he said, his own voice threatening to break. “More than I can possibly say.”
* * *
CALLUM DIDN’T REMEMBER hey-Nerea’s-pregnant celebratory sex to be quite so celebratory. But then, the last time they’d had it had been a long time ago. And Jamie, of course, hadn’t been involved.
After, none of them could sleep.
“I’ve been thinking,” Callum said.
Nerea, the covers folded around her, said, “For a change.”
“What’s that?” Jamie asked.
“As you both know I made a lot of promises to Nerea a long time ago, and I didn’t exactly keep all of them,” Callum said. “I can’t do anything about the horrific timing of the press tour for this movie — although I’m going to try — but other than that, I do want to live up to those promises. And Jamie, your willingness to make sacrifices is noble — ”
“And the right thing to do,” Nerea interjected lazily.
“And the right thing to do,” Callum echoed with a smile. “But you also deserve to have your career. You have so much promise, so much opportunity — moments like this don’t come twice, and I can’t let you squander this one. So I want to take some time off. A year, two, maybe even three. Completely off,” he added, just to be entirely clear. “No projects, no press tours, nothing.” When the idea had first occurred to him, he had felt frightened and worried about how he was going to pick his career back up again after the break. But now, as he said it, it all seemed simple, a good and right thing he could only look forward to.
“That’s very thoughtful of you,” Nerea said. “And I’m certainly not going to say no. But what about your work? It’s not as if you don’t love what you do.”
Callum shrugged. “I have this movie coming out, other things in production — the projects will be rolling out for a while after I stop making new ones. No one will even notice I’m gone. And if they do — well, a baby at my ripe old age is a rather good excuse.”
“The media’s going to be way too interested in this, you know,” Jamie put in.
“Mhmmm,” Nerea agreed, running a hand back through Jamie’s hair. “I do know. And as I hope you can guess now, all the terrible things are going to be said about me.”
“That’s bollocks,” Jamie said, his face darkening.
“It is,” Callum agreed.
“And if you want me to do what you do, Callum, where you just sort of quietly terrify people who are awful to Nerea — I guess I can do that. But I also don’t want to be your friend, or whatever, forever. I’m okay with taking some time to figure out what the official story is, but I do want to be a part of it. The story is already trickling out, surely, and we should just get this done.”
“Jamie,” Nerea said. “I have been, in my neighbors’ words, flaunting you before God and everyone for the last week. What makes you think that’s going to change once we’re back in the real world?”
Jamie seemed to take a moment to absorb that. Then he nodded. “Yeah. Okay. Good.”
“Believe me when I say it’s going to be absolutely excruciating, when word of this does get out,” Nerea said. “It’s a minor miracle that the Tate show hasn’t had major fall out. We won’t get lucky like that twice.”
“Which is why we should make a plan now,” Jamie said. “So we can be prepared.”
“And control the message,” Nerea agreed.
“So,” Callum said, “What about my incredibly generous offer to take a few years off?”
He laughed in delight at the exasperated look his wife and his partner gave each other. Whatever else was changing — and rapidly — in their lives, the relationships between the three of them were only going to grow stronger and deeper. But the little everyday joys that had made him fall in love with Nerea and Jamie in the first place were still there.
“We think it’s very generous, entirely appropriate, and definitely appreciated,” Nerea said, turning back to look at Callum. “Was there some other response you were looking for?”
“No,” Callum smirked. “But if Jamie gets credit for being decent and noble, so do I.”
“Ugh, you’re both insufferable,” Nerea said, but she was laughing.
Jamie made a noise of protest. And then he squeaked as Callum rolled over on top of him, pinning him with his weight. Jamie wriggled happily under him.
“Oh no. No no. You’re not keeping him all to yourself,” Nerea said and draped herself over the both of them.
“Oi! Heavy!” Jamie protested, but Callum was pretty sure he’d never seen him look happier.