On the face of things, Henri had received far stranger and more worrisome summons than the one to breakfast with Rhian this morning, but he also suspected that there were surprises in store for him yet.
The first came when Savannah opened the door in old yoga pants and a long-sleeve t-shirt with Rhian’s name and number on it. That was…interesting. And Henri couldn’t help but wonder if that was supposed to be a hint, or if Savannah was just showing her support for Rhian.
Garrick came out of the kitchen wearing a Give Blood, Play Hockey apron in brilliant red, a spatula in one hand and a tea towel in the other.
“Henri,” Garrick said with an easy grin. “Can I get you a coffee? Tea? Juice?”
Henri smiled, always pleased to hear his name pronounced correctly south of the border. “Coffee and water, if it’s not too much trouble. I could also get it myself, if you point me in the right direction.”
“Nah, you go on through to the dining room,” Garrick said, waving the way with his spatula. “We’ll be right in.”
Henri turned just in time to see Rhian vault down the last few stairs of the main staircase in the front hall. He’d apparently been upstairs. In his socks. And a ratty pair of jeans and a t-shirt.
Henri thought about that for a moment, then turned back and looked at Garrick. Garrick just raised his eyebrows, as if daring Henri to ask the question.
Henri demurred, for now, and moved toward the dining room. He was pretty sure, though, that he had an idea of what was going on. When he found himself sitting across the table from Savannah, who was slowly sipping her tea and nibbling on plain toast, Henri thought about asking her if she liked being a beard for the gay couple living in this house with her. Then he recalled the reason she might need to start the day with such a bland breakfast, and he got confused again.
Surrogate? Or maybe he was wrong, and she wasn’t pregnant.
Once Garrick and Rhian had carried in a huge breakfast of eggs, bacon, french toast, fresh fruit and juice, and Savannah had plowed through a really impressive portion of it, he knew he was right about one thing.
There was no way that lady wasn’t pregnant.
The rest, though, was still a mystery. They ate, chatting companionably, and Henri was pleased to confirm that he enjoyed Savannah’s company as much or more outside the office, and that Garrick was a great guy. It even turned out that Garrick knew one of Henri’s friends from playing for McGill. It was easy, comfortable, and confusing as hell since Henri knew the reason he’d been asked over today was not to prove that Garrick was a wonderful cook or that Savannah could eat half a loaf of french toast.
Whatever it was Rhian wanted to tell him was obviously still on Rhian’s mind, though he made no indication he was ready to say anything. He did, however, become increasingly quiet as the last of the food disappeared from their plates.
Henri broke first.
“Come on, kid. You can tell me anything. I’m not going to judge you.”
Rhian stared at him, blank faced, as if this wasn’t the reason Henri was here in the first place.
Henri backpedaled. “Or not. It’s okay, either way.”
“No, I want to tell you something,” Rhian said suddenly.
Henri sat back and waited.
“I’m in love with, and in a relationship with, both Garrick and Savannah, and I live here with them, so that’s why the apartment is empty.”
For a long moment, Henri just digested that, because he’d thought he was pretty clever and had figured some shit out, but he hadn’t seen that one coming at all. Damn it, he was sort of disappointed in himself. Because now that he thought about it, it made perfect sense.
He finally spoke when it looked as though Rhian was going to expire from nerves, and Garrick and Savannah were both staring at him as if they could will him, with the power of their minds alone, to be decent about this.
There wasn’t any need for that, of course.
Henri smiled, pitying the terror on Rhian’s face. “Relax, Rhian. It’s cool. Good for you—all three of you.” He nodded to Savannah and Garrick, who positively beamed back at him.
“Yeah?” Rhian said, still uncertain.
“Yeah, kid. Come on. What kind of asshole do you think I am?”
“No, I don’t—I wouldn’t have told you if I thought that.”
Holy shit, the kid was still wound tight about it, though. “I get it. This can’t be easy to keep under wraps.”
Rhian shrugged, and his lovers frowned. “Only family knows, really. A few close friends,” Rhian admitted.
That sounded rough, but Henri was also flattered. “Thank you for trusting me, then,” he said. He made sure they understood he speaking to all three of them. “Are you going to tell anyone else?”
Rhian caught his eyes and Henri knew they were thinking about the same two idiots. Rhian looked so painfully uncertain.
Henri sighed. “Are you worried they’ll judge you or some shit, or are you worried they’ll tell someone they shouldn’t?”
Rhian shrugged. “Maybe a little of the first, and a bit more of the second.”
“The first is bullshit,” Henri said firmly. “I mean really, they have no room to judge, since it’s blatantly obvious to everyone but the two of them that they’re pining for each other.”
Garrick snorted. “How does someone not know they are pining for someone?”
“I don’t know, but those two are totally pulling it off,” Savannah confirmed.
Henri laughed, delighted to know that he and Rhian weren’t the only ones suffering.
“And the second thing?” Rhian asked, worrying his lower lip with his teeth.
“Tell them they can’t tell anyone and they won’t. You know they won’t.”
Rhian sat and thought about that. Henri turned to Savannah. “What do you think?”
“About telling Noel and Jean-Michel? I feel better knowing you trust them with it.”
“Good. Because let’s be real—if they tell anyone, it’s your ass as much or more than Rhian’s.” Savannah nodded. She looked grateful that he’d understood that. He turned back to Rhian. “Tell the boys that. Remind them it’s not just about you. They’ll get it. They won’t do anything to hurt Savannah.”
“They won’t?” Garrick asked curiously.
“Nah. They love her.”
A twinkle entered Garrick’s eyes. “Do they, now?”
Savannah rolled her eyes. “Not like that, you idiot. And god help me if they did. Like I don’t have my hands full with the two of you.”
“She’s right. It’s not that kind of love,” Henri reassured Garrick. “They think of her as sort of the team mom.”
“They what?” Savannah asked, outraged.
“Haven’t you ever noticed they’re always coming to you for advice? Or sitting around your office making a nuisance of themselves when they’ve had a hard loss?”
“Well, yes,” Savannah said slowly. “But I just thought they needed their trainer.”
“Do you think the trainer out in LA helps the boys choose their Christmas gifts for their wives and mothers?”
“Well—but—”
“Or maybe the guy in New York has spent a two-hour long flight quizzing the rookie from Quebec City on English verb conjugation?” Henri laughed at the resignation settling over Savannah. “They spend more time with you in your room or office than they do in the locker room,” he told her.
Savannah’s shoulders slumped. “I thought they’d just sort of followed Rhian.”
Rhian bit his lip, but failed to stifle his laughter. “Actually, most of the time, I was just following them.”
“Oh, my god.” Savannah pointed an accusatory finger at Rhian. “You knew! Why didn’t you ever say anything?”
“What? That two of my closest friends think of my girlfriend like a surrogate mother?”
“Yes!” Savannah said, indignant.
“Are you kidding? I never said anything because I wanted to get laid again. Like, ever.”
Garrick laughed, loud and bright. Savannah rolled her eyes, but grudgingly nodded as if to say Rhian had a fair point.
Henri grinned, pleased to have material to tease Savannah with, who he was feeling much closer to than he had in all the time they’d been working together. He’d always assumed she held herself a little apart from the rest of the team outside of work hours because it was the safest route to protect her professional reputation, but now he knew it was even more complicated than that.
He was happy to have been allowed through at least some of those carefully constructed walls.
These three were a nice…well, not a couple. Thruple? Threesome? Whatever. They made a nice relationship unit, and he’d be happy to spend time with them outside of work.
Savannah walked Henri to the door, smiling as he chirped the boys for their “disgustingly domestic display” while they bickered over who should do the dishes. They were both claiming they should be the one, which was the opposite of what most people had to deal with. Savannah was pretty sure some of her girlfriends would kill for this problem.
“You have a nice family here,” Henri said when they reached the foyer and relative quiet.
“Thank you.”
She was surprised when Henri leaned in and kissed each of her cheeks once. When he stepped back, he said, “I hope that’s okay. I figure we aren’t just coworkers anymore, what with me knowing all your secrets.”
“Well, not all of them,” she said with a sly smile and a waggle of her eyebrows.
Henri threw back his head and hooted with laughter.
She recognized that this wasn’t something she would ever have dared say to or in front of the guys at work—to Henri’s point. Having a woman traveling with the team, one who was constantly in and out of the locker room, climbing all over them in her office, yelling at them in the gym, and on the bench for games, meant that it was easiest if she didn’t ever let them see her flirt or dole out an innuendo, let alone laugh about or talk about anything sexual.
It meant, though, that most of her colleagues had little to no idea who she really was. It was nice, now, to have an exception. She was getting a small taste of what Rhian must have been feeling and felt both guilty for not having realized, and relieved to have someone like Henri in both of their lives.
Rhian was right. This was definitely better.
Still, there had to be rules.
“No kissing at the office,” Savannah said mock-sternly as she helped Henri with his coat.
“I would never,” Henri said, far more seriously. “I don’t know how you put up with the shit you do already. I can promise you, I will never do anything that would make that worse for you.”
“Thanks,” Savannah said. “I have to be honest, I didn’t think anyone but Rhian really saw it.”
“I see it. I’ve seen it. I’ve even thought about offering my help if you needed it, but I suspected that might land me a nice bald patch on my thigh.”
Savannah’s cheeks warmed. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said as innocently as she could manage.
Henri chuckled. “You do what you have to. Though, now that I’ve mentioned the offer, you should know it stands. If there is ever anything I can do for you, or for you and Rhian, you just let me know.”
“Thanks, Henri,” Savannah said, her mind already working on a few ideas. “I may take you up on that.”
She waited at the door until Henri was in his car, then waved as he pulled away from the curb.
Smiling, she went back toward the kitchen, wondering why the arguing had stopped and the water wasn’t running. She found her boys standing in the middle of the kitchen, kissing.
“And people wonder why I worry about leaving you alone. The dishes will never get done,” she said teasingly.
Rhian grinned at her over his shoulder. “Sorry. We were celebrating.” He reached out for her hand and she took his.
“I think that went well,” she said.
Rhian tugged her closer, then sat in one of the kitchen chairs. She didn’t fight it when he drew her onto his lap. “It did.”
“Feeling any better?”
“I am,” Rhian said, shifting her in his lap a little so she could feel how much better.
“Honestly, you two,” she admonished, even as she could feel her pulse speeding up a little. “Henri was right in the front hall!”
“He was leaving,” Garrick said as he pulled up a chair and sat close.
“Thank god he didn’t forget anything,” she chided, but she was laughing. “It’s one thing to know, it’s another thing to see it.”
“I think Henri would be just fine,” Rhian said, his hand skating up her thigh. “I totally caught him checking out Garrick’s ass when he went to get the fresh coffee.”
“He did not!” Garrick said.
Rhian grinned. “He did.”
Savannah was distracted by their teasing, so she was startled by the drag of Rhian’s fingers along the elastic of her underwear.
“You know what I was thinking?” Savannah asked, quickly getting into the spirit of things, so to speak.
“That, statistically speaking, Rhian has probably managed to befriend all the gay or bi guys on the team?” Garrick asked.
“Well, yes, that,” she agreed, while Rhian huffed and rolled his eyes.
“And?” Garrick prompted.
“And,” she agreed, “when Noel, Jean-Michel, and Henri all know, maybe we can ask them to run interference for us when we’re on road trips. They can be your alibi or whatever so you can spend more nights in my room.”
Rhian’s fingers paused as they snuck beneath the waistband of her sweats. “Yeah?”
God, she liked the smile in his eyes. The hope radiating from them. “Yeah. I mean, only if you want to.”
Rhian tugged her down for a long kiss that was still almost chaste as he thanked her or agreed with her or whatever the hell he was trying to convey.
At this point, she was really distracted by his hand in her pants. Goddamn, pregnancy hormones were a thing of wonder.
She only whimpered a little when Rhian pulled away. “So, this means you’re okay with telling the guys?”
“If you and Henri both trust them, then yes.”
Rhian pulled her in again, holding her tight against his chest. She hugged him back. Garrick ran his hands over them both, staying close.
“Thank you,” Rhian said.
“Does it help?”
“Yes. It does,” he said quickly, sincerely. “I’m not interested in having a lot of people speculate about my private life. You know that. And I can’t tell them about my bio family, no matter how much I love them. So, I just needed…I just needed some more of the people I care about to know at least some of the truth about me, I guess.”
“And we can tell other people, eventually,” Garrick said gently. “We can talk about it, and we’ll decide as we go, right?”
She and Rhian nodded. It was still terrifying, but it also still felt like it was the right thing to do. It still felt worth it.