This Year

Chapter 1
What causes someone to go to bed with a packed stomach then
wake up the next morning feeling as if they had not eaten for a
whole week? I had gone to my parents’ anniversary feast and I ate
more than I should because I thought if my mouth was full then I
wouldn’t be able to answer all the questions they had about me
approaching thirty and unable to find a partner. It was so unfair of
them to criticize me because they knew that I had tried, and it
should now be clear to everyone that some people were not meant
to have that kind of life. I had come to accept that I was made to
have just a little romance here and there, but nothing long-term. It
was then that I was able to find peace.
I had explained the struggles to my family over and over and they
had seen the evidence that, despite my best efforts, these
relationships did not last. There were times when I believed that I
had found the one and did everything to keep her happy and
entertained, and it still ended up failing because she found someone
else or felt as if we were not compatible. I was a good person and
had my own home and a good career, so what was chasing these
women out of my life? I would not find the answer because there
was nothing more that I could do, so I accepted that it was not
meant for me and I was not the only one. My best friend, Cory, was
having the same problem.
After a few failures, I started to wonder if people were no longer
interested in having relationships with people who were good to
them, and if being kind and loving was no longer an asset. They were
probably more into a little freakiness…dirty sex, with a side of
disregard. Maybe that was what was doing it for people these days
and ‘good’ was now a turnoff, or was just too ordinary. Cory was a
good guy and he would do anything for the woman he was dating,
even if he wasn’t in love with her as yet – always sending flowers,
chocolates, and gifts. But the more he was nice to them, the worse
they treated him. We were baffled. We just could not get it. We
thought that our way was the way to go, but we learned that we
needed to be someone who was a miscreant in order to make
ourselves more appealing, but that was not us, so we decided to just
live one day at a time and not worry about partnership and family. If
it was not meant for us, then so be it.
I turned twenty-nine one week ago and I celebrated it by sitting in
front of the television with a bowl of ice cream and my best friend
eating it with me. Cory had the day all planned, but I was getting
closer to that dreaded number without a serious relationship and
celebrating it would make it seem as if I didn’t care that my dreams
were not coming true. I did not make it a big deal, but it was to my
family, and the pressure made that feared number very noticeable
as it got closer.
I could have just enjoyed the day and not given a damn about what
anyone had to say, and that was what made me so unattractive to
other women – it mattered what everyone thought about me. This
flaw helped to make each breakup more brutal than it should be.
But, I felt better in my skin these days without a relationship, and I
found that it was best to be alone and in control of my life without
answering to anyone. However, the yearning for a family still
persisted because it was always the dream.
For a long time, I wondered what was wrong with me because I was
not the worse person in my family, yet everyone was settled in a
long-term relationship. It was not as a result of not trying and doing
everything in my power to keep them happy, but somehow I kept
ending up alone. Whatever. I would not subject myself to any more
heartache. She would have to find me this time and she would have
to be the one to put out the effort to make it work because I was
learning to be comfortable in this lonely life. Cory and I would find a
way to continue to live like this until someone found us, and that
was the resolution we made a year ago. Yes, that was how long since
my last relationship and the last time I had sex.
I didn’t need anyone for sex really, because I knew how to bring
myself to an orgasm. It wasn’t the same because it was a beautiful
thing to share that moment with someone special, but in the absence
of that person, bringing myself to completion was a satisfactory
option. I believed that I was very good in bed with my partners, and
no one had ever complained, but I was not a sex fiend like Cory was.
I was more about romance and getting a lot of pleasure from seeing
my partner happy, then that would transition to beautiful
lovemaking. Was I doing it wrong? Did most people like raw, dirty
sex? And was that able to coexist with the desire to have a family
with that person?
I always thought that raw, dirty sex was for a roll-in-the-hay with
someone you were sexually attracted to but with no intention of
making a life partner, because if it started out this way, was it
possible to maintain that freakiness forever? What would happen
after it started to wane? Would those people start cheating in order
to fulfill that desire because their partners didn’t do it for them
anymore? This was the reason I thought my way was best because
the relationship would be built on a solid foundation of love, respect,
romance, empathy, kindness, trust, among other qualities that I
believed I possessed. It was not possible to change from the person I
was, but the person I was had failed me time and time again.
Cory and I had worked this out and we both came to the same
conclusion. We would hang tight and wait for fate to send someone
our way who would want us for who we really were and not an
alternate version of ourselves. I was proud of us for taking a stand,
and it was better late than never.
The doorbell rang and I got up from my desk to go and see who it
was. It was probably a delivery because it was a little too early for
Cory to visit, but my family had no specific time to show up, so it
could be them.
“Cory!” I gave out excitedly.
“That’s me,” he said and wrapped his arm around my neck then
kissed the side of my face.
“What are you doing here at this hour? Shouldn’t you be at work?”
“I was,” he said, walking into my living room and taking a seat
instead of heading to the kitchen like he usually did. “But I cannot
concentrate on work because I need to talk to you and I don’t know
how to say it.”
“You’re moving! Oh my God, I’m going to die.”
“No!” he gave out and laughed. “I wish that were it.”
“Are you sick?”
“No.”
“Then what is it?” I asked and sat across from him because I wanted
to see his full expression.
“Um…I…fuck,” he said and sighed.
“Cory…,” I said out of concern for whatever he was afraid to tell me.
“No. It’s nothing serious. You’re my best friend and I know you’ll be
happy for me…”
“You found someone!”
“I’m engaged,” he said and the words hit me like a ton of bricks.
“You’re what?”
“I’m engaged,” he said and I kept staring at him. “To be married.”
“To whom?!”
“Aren’t you happy for me?”
“No!” I gave out.
“I’m sorry, honey. I know we were supposed to suffer together, but
this was so unexpected that I did not get time to prepare for it and to
let you know that something was brewing. It kind of blew my mind
and I didn’t know how to respond where you were concerned.”
“So all this time…”
“No. No,” he said and wagged his finger at me, warning me not to go
there. “I was not joining you in mourning while I have some secret
affair. We have not really talked about our situation in a while and it
was during that time that Gloria and I fell in love…”
“Who the fuck is Gloria?” I asked because I was still in shock.
“Gloria…Parker,” he said and seemed nervous to mention the name.
“Gloria Parker?” I asked, and I was confused because I only knew
one person by that name and it couldn’t possibly be. “Who’s Gloria
Parker?”
“You know.”
“No, I don’t know. The only Gloria Parker I know is your boss, so
who could it be?”
“It’s her,” he said and I started laughing.
“Good one. I should have known that it was all a joke.”
“It isn’t,” he said and wasn’t smiling.
“Stop playing, Cory.”
“I’m not,” he said.
“Oh my God…what? How is it possible that you and your boss are
seeing each other?”
“Engaged.”
“You hate her!” I reminded him.
“I did, and I’m sure I wasn’t her favorite person, but our eyes opened
and we realized that the reason we were so mean to each other was
because we were too arrogant to pay attention to what we were
truly feeling.”
“So what made you start paying attention?”
“Can you please sit?” he asked and I did. “So I went out with some of
the guys a few months ago and one of them mentioned that he met
his girlfriend through a fortune teller that he had gone to. He said a
friend of his swore by the woman because someone told him about
her and he decided to check it out. The fortune teller told him that
he would meet the woman of his dreams at a coffee shop and he
should not always be in such a rush to get out of there…”
“What?”
“He was always buying his coffee and running out, but when she told
him, he started hanging around,” Cory said.
“For how long?”
“Two weeks. Every day. And that was where he met her and they’re
happily married. So that friend told one of the guys I went out with
that night and he said he decided to pay this fortune teller a visit and
she gave him clues to find his girlfriend who’s just perfect for him.
You know I have always been unlucky in that department, so I took
the information and made an appointment with her…”
“So she told you that your boss wants to fuck you?” I asked because I
was confused and angry.
“No, Bree. She didn’t say that. The woman doesn’t tell you exactly
who it is because…I don’t think she knows. She gives clues to finding
the person.”
“So she’s a psychic?”
“No, she is a fortune teller…a palmist,” he replied. “Well, that’s what
the guys said. She can’t really give specifics, but I used the clues to
find Gloria,” he said.
“Find her? She’s your boss!”
“Not find her as in not knowing where she was. I meant realizing
that we belong together,” he said and I started laughing.
“Cory, she is using you for sex!”
“I told you, we’re engaged,” he said. “I know it’s hard for you to
understand or to accept because we had been hurt and disappointed
so many times, but this is real.”
“Okay, tell me what happened.”
“My friend made an appointment with Oakley…”
“Who?”
“That’s the fortune teller’s name. Oakley.”
“OK. Go on,” I said.
“I spoke with her on the phone and I went to see her for my
appointment. I told her what my issues were and we talked for a
little while. She read my palm and told me that this was my year to
find love and that she is waiting for me to make the move. I asked
who it was and she said she didn’t know but I would just have to
follow the signs until I got to her.”
“What a load of crock!” I laughed. “You sat there and listened to
her?”
“Where am I missing you? Didn’t I tell you that I’m engaged to
Gloria…my boss…the one I would never have gone to on my own, or
even think for a moment that something could happen between us?”
“So she told you that your boss is the one?” I asked with a chuckle.
“No, she gave me the clues that led me to realize that my boss was
being mean to me because she did not want to face the fact that she
was attracted to me. When I found that out, I became attracted to
her and we talked about it. We were able to see that a wonderful
romance could develop from all the animosity, and we were right.
She is actually a very loving and romantic person when she is not at
work, and I get to see both sides of her and separate them.”
“So you’re going to be married to her and working for her?” I asked.
“No. I actually have an interview with one of her associates
tomorrow. If all goes well, then I will be working there.”
“Maybe this is a subtle way of her firing you,” I said. “When you
leave, she will just tell her friend to get rid of you.”
“I am actually very valuable to her company and it was my decision
to leave. I did not want work to affect my one shot at happiness and
a family.”
“She wants to have kids?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Did Oakley say you will have kids?”
“Yes. Two.”
“A boy and a girl, right?” I asked as I chuckled because my brain
could not accept what he was saying.
“Yes.”
“How perfect. Isn’t it a little too perfect?” I asked.
“So you don’t believe that I will marry Gloria and have kids with
her?”
“No! This fortune teller has caused you to become vulnerable and
Gloria Parker sensed your weakness and made her move,” I said and
he sighed and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they had
only pity for me, but he could think whatever he wanted because I
knew that I was the one who would be picking his ass up off the
floor.
“I could make an appointment with her for you, and you can see for
yourself,” Cory offered.
“That’s okay. I’ll take my chances with being alone.”
“But what if your love is right under your nose and you’re not seeing
it?” he asked. “Gloria and I were right there fighting each other all
this time, and it was only when we opened ourselves and be
vulnerable for a moment that we were able to reach each other.”
“You’re in a cult!” I pointed at him and got to my feet.
“Will you be serious?”
“You sound like a person in a cult.”
“Fine. I’m going to leave,” he said and got to his feet.
“I’m sorry. Don’t leave. I’m sorry,” I begged and he sat back down.
“Bree, I was hoping that you would see this woman and hear what
she has to say, but based on all the ridiculing, I see that would be a
waste of time.”
“I won’t go because I don’t believe in that stuff,” I replied.
“I didn’t either, but I took a chance and trusted that this guy was
telling the truth. You know me and I have experienced it firsthand,
so it should be easier for you to give it a shot.”
“I am not giving it a shot because it will be a waste of time.”
“How can you keep saying that when I’m here in front of you and
telling you that I’m in an impossible romantic relationship with
Gloria Parker, my boss, the woman who had made my life a living
hell for the past three years,” he said, trying to get me to see that this
was real. “I’m not saying that she is going to tell you that the love of
your life is living next door. She might see it a few years away, or she
might see it happening now. Just go and hear what she has to say.”
“I know why you’re doing this. You feel guilty that you have a
girlfriend…fiancée, and I am still single and lonely, but you don’t
have to feel bad for me. Just be happy that you’ve found someone
and I’ll be happy for you as well.”
“But you don’t believe Gloria is being genuine?”
“No. I think she’s using you.”
“Because I’m not good enough for her?” he asked and seemed to be
getting upset about my negativity toward a relationship that he had
yearned for for most of his thirty-two years of life.
“You are good enough for her, but she is not good enough for you.
You’re a wonderful person, Cory, and I hope that she is not using you
with the intention to toss you aside when she’s done.”
“Okay, so what we need to do is to invite you to dinner so you can
meet her. How does that sound?” he asked.
“Actually, I would be happy with that.”
“Listen, you are not coming to sabotage my relationship with
Gloria…”
“Why would I do that? I always wanted you to settle down and be
happy, and if she turns out to be genuine about all that you said,
then I would be truly happy for you,” I told him. “I am suspicious
because of the method you used to form this relationship, and I’m
also suspicious because of who she is.”
“Then I will put your mind at ease. I will speak with Gloria and make
reservations for a nice dinner…”
“No. I want to go to her house. Why can’t we have it at home?”
“Why?”
“I want to see how you fit in and how she treats you in her personal
space,” I said, and it was a challenge that I did not expect him to rise
to.
“Gloria knows about you and she has been dying to be introduced to
my best friend, but I kept putting it off because I had not told you
about her as yet,” he said. “I’m sure she will be happy to invite you to
her place.”
“So you’ve been there?”
“We are engaged to be married, Bree. Yes, I’ve been there and I have
slept over,” he said.
“So have you met her family?” I asked.
“She is not very close with them, but she is still planning on taking
me to meet them.”
“And what did your family say?”
“I have not taken her as yet because I did not want them to tell you
before I did,” he said and the whole thing didn’t sit right with me,
but I would get to meet her soon and she would have to tell me what
her real intentions were.
“Fine. Speak with Gloria about that dinner and let me know.”
“You seem angry…”
“I’m not angry.”
“But I’m getting an angry vibe,” Cory said.
“It is a suspicious vibe.”
“Should I make an appointment with Oakley for you?”
“No, thanks,” I replied.
“Can you please just check it out? My treat.”
“Thanks, Cory, but no. I’m not interested in something like that. If
there is someone out there for me, then she will find me. I have no
problem waiting.”
“We have to be willing to put in a little work,” he said. “It’s like
finding a job. Your potential employer will not know that you’re
home in your bed with a degree or a skill that he or she needs, and
he or she will not kick down your front door and go to your bed to
offer that job to you. It could be your dream job, but you will never
know until you take a step.”
“Okay. I’ll think about it,” I said and a smile came to his face.
“That’s all I ask,” he said and open his arms. I went into them and he
hugged me tightly then said he was meeting Gloria for lunch and had
to go.
There was an empty feeling in my stomach as I watched Cory
walking away. Usually, he would spend the rest of the day with me…
or most of it, but now he had to run off to Gloria who was clearly up
to something…something bad. I could not quite put my finger on it,
but there was something unsettling about this relationship and the
method by which it was formed. I would never go to a psychic…no,
um…fortune teller…or palmist. Whatever. I believed that Cory had
been brainwashed into thinking that this was the person for him,
and his desperation to find a partner made him vulnerable to Gloria
Parker’s manipulation.
I felt a little alone, and I hoped that I wasn’t jealous because Cory
found someone and I didn’t, but I had no doubt about my love for
him and how much I wanted him to find happiness with someone
special. I was just having a hard time accepting that Gloria Parker
could be that special someone, and I had a hard time believing that a
fortune teller could just know something like that. How could she
just look at someone’s palm and tell them that the person they hated
the most was actually your soulmate? It did not make any sense.
Both Gloria Parker, the boss, and Oakley, the fortune teller, were
taking my best friend for a ride, and my nerves were just racing
from anxiety because I could not wait to meet them both so they
would know that I was seeing right through their dirty little lies. My
friend would not be taken for a fucking fool!
 Chapter 2
I closed my laptop for the day because I had submitted the final
assessment to SRP Holding Company that I had been working on
without sleep for the past two days. It was time to just relax and get
some rest before I would be at it again for another company. It was
stupid of me to think that owning my own home and being my own
boss was enough to grant me the peace and control I wanted in my
life. Why would I have thought that when I had a family that was
hell-bent on ruining every day they could? I did not know that my
doorbell and the peephole could annoy me so much.
I opened the door and my angry face should have caused my mother,
my grandmother, and my aunt to turn around and leave, but they
were the Elron’s and they did not operate by the rules. Privacy rules.
“Hi, sweetheart,” my mother greeted and almost pushed me out of
the way.
“Hi, ladies. You do know that I work from home, right?”
“And do you know that I went through eighteen hours of labor to
bring your mother into this world?” my grandmother asked.
“And…so?”
“So that she could bring you into this world,” she said as she walked
to the sofa and sat.
“And I should be grateful?” I asked.
“If you don’t want to be grateful to your grandmother then be
grateful to me for the ten hours of labor I went through to get you
here.”
“Ten hours of labor, huh? Tell me the options you had?”
“I could have chosen not to have any children. That was an option I
had,” my mother said.
“And you chose. So I was your choice.”
“Yes, and I didn’t have to make it.”
“Then I would never have known,” I replied.
“This is the problem with people these days,” my aunt joined in.
“They have no appreciation for the sacrifices that people make for
them.”
“Aunt Helen, I was not there when these decisions were being made.
You all chose to have children and you did what any decent human
being should do. You took very good care of the children you chose
to bring into this world. Am I grateful? Yes!”
“Grateful for what?” my mother asked. “Be specific.”
“I am grateful that you are my mother and that I was born into this
family, but I cannot be grateful that you made a decision to have a
child…”
“Oh, my God! Honey, you did a poor job with this girl,” my
grandmother said to my mother.
“She is never going to have a child,” Aunt Helen said to my mother.
“You will never be a grandmother.”
“I’m telling you, it’s that gay boy she’s having as a friend. He is the
one who’s leading her down the wrong path.”
“Cory is not gay; I am. Or have you forgotten?” I asked and sat while
my mother went into my kitchen to help herself to whatever she
wanted.
“That’s part of the problem. If you were seeing a man, you could
accidentally get pregnant, but with a woman, that thing has to be
planned and both people will have to agree,” my aunt said. “You
have had so many relationships and you cannot get pregnant
because it requires you to be married and stable before getting to a
discussion to have a child.”
“I’m fine with not having a baby. I would have loved to be a mother,
but if it doesn’t happen, I’ll be fine…”
“But I won’t be!” my mother yelled from the kitchen. “I am so sick of
your selfishness, Bree!”
“So I should have a baby just so you can be a grandmother?” I asked
just as she walked out of my kitchen with drinks for everyone except
me.
“Yes!” she replied. “You don’t even need to have a partner….”
“I am not having a child alone.”
“You won’t be alone. We’ll be there for you,” my grandmother said.
“That’s not the life I want.”
“So you really are selfish,” my aunt said.
“That Cory wants Bree to stay this way so they could be equal…”
“Cory is engaged.”
“Noooooo!” my mother gave out and held her heart. “Why meeeee?!”
“Mom, will you stop!”
“Ten hours of labor for nothing!” she said, and I was already
forgiving her for letting me know that I was no good if I could not
give her a grandchild.
“What do you mean Cory is engaged?” my grandmother asked.
“He is engaged to be married.”
“To whom?!” my mother asked.
“To his boss.”
“Nooooooo!” she cried out and fell back against the sofa. “And she’s
rich!”
“So what’s wrong with you?” my grandmother genuinely wanted to
know.
“Nothing is wrong with me. I know that the right person is out there
for me and I will find her. I just need to be patient.”
“You have been saying that for ten years!” my mother said then sat
up and looked at me. “Did you get a few tips about how Cory was
able to pull off such a big catch? Didn’t he hate his boss?”
“Yes! And I’ve been trying to tell him that she was just using him
because…”
“So let her use him! I’m sure he’s happy being used.”
“There is no future in that. It is the opposite of what you want for
me,” I reminded them.
“I was your father’s secretary. I was in love with him but he was only
using me. Look at us today,” my mother said with such pride on her
face and I wondered if my entire family had gone mad.
“A very good thing to have listened to my advice. I told you to wait it
out and he will come around,” my grandmother said to her child.
“And come around he did!” she agreed then looked at me. “Cory has
the recipe…”
“He went to a fortune teller. That’s who gave him the clues to
realizing that his boss was the one.”
“Then why are you here and not sitting down in front of that
person?” my mother asked.
“Because she’s a fraud.”
“You know, that one time she fell on her head as a baby, I knew she
would never be the same,” my aunt said to my mother then turned
to me. “Cory went to a fortune teller and the woman gave him clues
that led him to his boss and now they are engaged to be married,
and the woman is a fraud?”
Cory was trying to tell me the same thing, but he lacked the
expression that these people had. My aunt spoke with such scorn, as
in disbelief of how dumb I could be. The three ladies looked at me
and shook their heads in pity and it made me feel so small. However,
I was used to it, and I would bounce back like I always did. My family
was very proud of my achievements and the woman I was, but they
were ashamed of my inability to be a wife and a mother. I could not
do anything about that, so they would just have to continue feeling
that way until the situation changed on its own. I had tried
everything and nothing worked, so I resorted to just spending the
rest of my life alone.
“So are you going to see this…fortune teller?” my grandmother
asked.
“Grandma, don’t tell me you believe in that stuff.”
“I will believe in anything that will lead my only grandchild to a
happy life with the family she has always talked about. I don’t
understand why you would refuse a little help.”
“It’s not that I’m refusing. I just don’t believe in that sort of thing,” I
replied.
“And I understand, but your best friend is about to be married after
using this method. Whether you believe it or not, it’s worth a try.
Don’t you think?” my grandmother asked.
“I’m going to have dinner with Cory and Gloria at her house. After I
meet with them and see how they are together, then I’ll decide if I
should see the fortune teller.”
“They invited you to dinner?”
“Yes.”
“Do not go there and cause any problems for Cory. Be nice to the
woman,” my mother warned.
“Do you know me to be that type of person?”
“I’m just saying. It was so depressing to see both of you sitting down
looking at each other with no future.”
“So only a family…”
“Yes! That’s what a future is! A family!” my mother gave out.
“Why are you shouting at me?”
“Because it’s frustrating! You have all these beautiful girls that
you’ve dated and one by one they left you. Is there something wrong
with you?”
“No, Mom. There’s nothing wrong with me. I was just choosing the
wrong girls. We were not compatible because some of them are just
interested in a good time with no plans of settling down…”
“Then why did you date them in the first place?” she asked.
“Because sometimes I found out after we started dating, and
sometimes I’m just too nice and loving…”
“What kind of horseshit is that?!” my aunt asked. “Who runs away
from someone who is nice to them and treats them lovingly?”
“Some women. They get bored easily and a nice, loving, quiet person
doesn’t excite them anymore.”
“These young people are too complicated,” my grandmother said
and got to her feet. “I have some pastry I made for you. Eat them and
put on a little more flesh. Maybe that’s your problem.”
My grandmother picked up her bag of goodies that she brought and
the three women went into the kitchen while I sat looking at my
fingers as I thought about my quiet existence. I missed Lisa and
Denise. They used to be my distraction, but they did not like Cory
and I did not want to lose him as a friend because we were so
similar and so connected. Slowly Lisa and Denise drifted away until
they started families of their own and I was all but forgotten. Cory
felt horrible that he caused my friendships to end with the girls, but
although they had been my friends since junior high, I felt closer to
Cory and I made my decision. We all could have been friends
together, but they chose to walk away instead of welcoming him into
the fold.
I wished I had a sister – not the mean ones I saw on TV. Like a close
sister that I could talk to about this sometimes very depressing life I
was living. There were times when I was fine with it…even preferred
it, and then there were times when it got really lonely and cause me
to miss having a partner. My family was making me feel that
emptiness right now, but I would bounce back like I normally did
whenever they came at me like this. I had my own house and I had a
rewarding career, so I had a lot to be grateful for, but it felt
incomplete without that special someone. Still, I would focus on the
little blessings in my life until my soulmate found her way to me.
Cory said I needed to put in the work because the love of my life
won’t come knocking on my door, and between him and my family, I
was starting to think about giving the fortune teller a shot – if only
to show them that they were wrong. Did I want Oakley to be wrong
just to prove a point at my expense? That would be rather stupid. If
this was something that could work for me, despite my lack of belief,
then why wouldn’t I want to be pleasantly surprised? I would go to
the dinner with Gloria and Cory, then I would make my decision
about going to see Oakley.
I decided to take myself out of the gloom and join the ladies in the
kitchen. My grandmother packed a plate of pastries for me that
could cure any heartache, so I got lost in the deliciousness of my
childhood favorites. I hated that I was an only child because all the
pressure was on me. I wanted that life they envisioned for me, but I
had come to accept that the unfolding of it was up to fate and there
was nothing I could do about it. If I could, I would have done it, not
just for myself, but to shut them up as well. Cory and my family
believed that I could take some steps, so I was willing to hear what
Oakley had to say, but a final decision would be made after the
dinner with Gloria was over. Cory had called to say that my meeting
with his fiancée would be this evening, and I was actually very
excited to meet her.
My family finally left, and I barely got enough time to get ready
before Cory came to pick me up. I had decided on a beautiful aqua
dress that made my blue eyes brighter and my fiery red hair caused
an Ariel appearance in the mirror. That was not what I was going
for, but I looked beautiful and the dress was perfect for the evening
with a semi-formal look. This was Gloria Parker, and I expected her
place to be a very formal setting. I already started feeling bad for
Cory because he would be so restrictive in that sort of environment.
It was not like that here where he could eat popcorn on the sofa as
we watched television without any concern about how many would
end up in my chair because I had no problem cleaning up after a fun
time hanging out with my best friend.
If I were not gay, Cory and I would have been together because we
got along so great as friends that I could not see how we would not
have worked as lovers. We liked the same things and found the same
things funny. He was so caring and loving toward me and I knew he
would make the perfect husband. If only Gloria Parker was serious
about their engagement and it actually resulted in marriage. She
would be in for a real treat having Cory as her husband, but she
might be stupid enough to send him on his way because he did not
match up to her social standards, not knowing that it would be her
loss and one day she would end up regretting that she gave up this
wonderful man.
Cory wanted me to believe that this was real, and I wished that I
could see it that way. I prayed that when I finally meet Gloria Parker
that she would help me to be at ease with this union. I loved Cory
and I wanted what was best for him, so I would try to go with an
open mind and hoped that at the end I would be offering my
congratulations to both of them.
“Bree!” Cory called from downstairs.
“I’m coming!”
I hurried out of the room and went down the stairs and Cory was
waiting with a smile on his face.
“You finally wore the dress,” he said.
“You remember it?”
“I most certainly do. I helped you to pick it out when I thought that
you and Eloise were going out that weekend,” he said. “But she
broke up with you instead.”
“Do you keep a mental log of all the women who dumped me?”
“No, but something like this drags back my memory,” he said. “You
look beautiful and I’m happy to show off my best friend to my future
wife. You’ll be a part of my family, so I would like you to be on your
best behavior and show Gloria that I did not choose a maniac for a
friend.”
“I am a very nice person…”
“You absolutely are, but you can be very defensive of me. I saw that
with your girlfriends and they meant more to you than Gloria does,
so please, be gentle with her,” he begged.
“Be gentle…are you forgetting that this is Gloria Parker?”
“She’s different outside of work. She’s just an aggressive
businesswoman and she is successful for that reason.”
“She could be a nice successful businesswoman,” I said.
“That’s not her way.”
“I see. Can’t wait to meet her,” I said with a smile.
“Behave,” he warned and took my hand and led me out the door,
locking it with his key.
Cory had blonde hair that was cut low with still enough to show off
his beautiful curls. He was always immaculate in his appearance and
was strong and handsome. No wonder my family thought he was
gay. He was just a perfect man that any woman should be lucky to
call her own, but it was his personality that kept letting him down.
He was just too much of a gentleman, and clearly, not everyone
found that attractive.
Cory and I spoke mostly about our families as we made our way to
Gloria Parker’s house in his silver Audi. His car was always very
clean; so was his apartment. I would just cry right there in front of
Gloria Parker if I realized that she did not really love him and only
wanted him as her puppet. He too was a different person at work
than he was at home because he had stood up to her numerous
times, but I imagined that he wasn’t disrespectful or anything
because he would have been fired long ago. He was probably firm in
his position while keeping his tone at a respectful level. That was
just the kind of person I knew him to be.
“Here we are,” he said and turned into the long driveway of the
beautiful home of Gloria Parker.
“Holy shit,” I said. “I hope this woman is for real because I would
love to pay you both a visit every now and then.”
“You are welcome to visit us any time you want.”
“Don’t throw that out so loosely. Don’t you have to discuss this with
her first?” I asked and opened the car door before he even got out.
Cory walked around and took my hand, but I quickly pulled it away.
He stopped.
“Gloria knows how important you are to me, and she knows that I
need you in my life. There is no compromise on that,” he said and
smiled. “Let me hold your hand.”
“She’ll get jealous.”
“How can she be jealous when she knows you’re gay?” he asked.
“You told her a lot about me,” I said and took his hand. “Did you also
tell her that I’m womanless, childless, and desperate?”
“Basically,” he said and I hit his hand as he laughed.
We walked up to the door, and I was shocked when he entered a key
and turned the lock.
“She gave you a key?” I asked in a whisper.
“Well, if I’m going to be her husband…,” he said and cut his sentence
short when he opened the door and saw Gloria’s smiling face
greeting him.
“Hi, baby,” he greeted and she accepted his kiss before turning her
attention to me. “Honey, this is my best friend, Bryce Elron, but we
all call her Bree. Bree this is my fiancée, Gloria Parker.”
“Nice to meet you, Gloria…is it okay to call you Gloria?” I asked
because I was still aware that she was his boss and I was yet to make
the transition to a girlfriend.
“It’s my name. Nice to meet you, Bree. Is it okay to call you Bree?”
she asked as she took the hand I offered.
“Also my name,” I replied with a smile.
“Welcome to our home…well, Cory doesn’t live here as yet, but I
expect that to change very soon when he decides to give up his
apartment,” she said and smiled at him. “Do come in.”
“Thank you,” I replied as we all walked out of the foyer and into the
living room.
“Babe, you know I’m having a little difficulty breaking away from my
past life, but it’s definitely going to happen because I love you,” he
said and pulled her to him and she giggled like a lovesick teenager.
“And I can’t wait to marry you.”
“You might want to speed it up,” she said and looked at him as if she
really loved him. She accepted his kiss then she pulled away and led
him to the sofa. “Please have a seat,” she said to me and indicated
the other side of the white leather sectional sofa.
“Thank you,” I said and sat looking at them.
“I’m very happy to have you over for dinner, Bree. I’ve been dying to
meet Cory’s family, but he made it clear that you’re the most
important person in his life so it was only fitting that I got to meet
you first. It took a while for him to tell you about us and I was
curious about the reason. He offered an explanation, but I would
love to hear yours.”
“Well, I don’t think if it were another girl he would have been so
hesitant to let me know about you, but you are his boss…”
“Were,” she corrected.
“So the new job is a done deal?” I asked and looked at Cory who sat
with Gloria’s hand in his. “I didn’t know that.”
“He doesn’t know either, but I was told that the job is his,” she
explained.
“It’s the right move because working together could negatively affect
your relationship, especially after the professional one you both
had,” I said and a smile played at the corner of her mouth because
she had enjoyed torturing him. “Which led me back to my
explanation for the reason I wasn’t told. I had spent years listening
to how much of a difficult boss you were to him, so you were the last
person I expected him to say he was having a relationship with. I
think that was the reason for the delay.”
“Well, I’m relieved. At least it wasn’t because he was worried about
how you would respond to him having a girlfriend,” she said.
“Respond how?”
“Negatively.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because he’s your best friend and no one is good enough for him,”
she said and I wondered where she was going with this.
“I don’t know anyone who’s good enough for him. But he’s seeing
you now, so only time will tell if you’re good enough. I certainly
know that he is more than good enough for you.”
“He is, and I hope to be good enough for him.”
“You are, honey,” Cory said and kissed the side of her face, and that
brought a smile to hers.
“See? He thinks I am,” she said to me.
“He’s in love and he’s a good man who believes the best in everyone,
so he’s not the best person’s word to take at the moment…I mean,
you can take it. I will need a little more than that.”
“As long as you keep your findings to yourself,” she replied and the
smile was gone because she felt as if her relationship was being
threatened by a friend who was not really showing her support for
their new life together.
“I won’t keep it to myself if I see that he is just being used and would
be tossed aside when someone shinier comes along.”
“You need someone shiny to come along so you can keep your nose
in your own business.”
“Cory will always be my business, whether or not someone shiny is
in my life,” I said in a threatening tone.
“Alright!” Cory said. “Nice opening chat. How about we sit at the
table and eat.”
“I’m not sure that I would be comfortable eating with the enemy.”
“I’ll only be your enemy if your intention is to break my friend’s
heart,” I replied.
“I think you’re jealous. You’re hiding behind being gay while secretly
having a crush on my man.”
“If I had a crush on him, you wouldn’t even have a chance.”
“Enough!” Cory barked. “Cut this out, right now!”
I sat back and crossed my legs in defiance and so did Gloria Parker.
This evening was about to get really interesting.
 Chapter 3
All three of us barely made it to the dining table because I was
ready to leave and Gloria was ready to kick me out, but Cory
intervened and got us both to go to our corner of the boxing ring. I
was watching her and she was watching me. I was not sure what she
saw, but I was seeing a strong, beautiful blonde who looked exactly
as I had imagined. Cory always said his boss was beautiful and he
did not lie. She was gorgeous actually, and her blue eyes were sharp
and glossy. She was very feminine, yet very powerful and it could be
felt in the air, which made her come across forceful before she even
uttered a word. Still, she moved with such grace and she and Cory
looked beautiful together. If only she weren’t a snake in the grass.
Maybe she wasn’t, but I needed proof.
The housekeepers brought out the warm, appetizing dishes to the
table, and I decided to be nicer to Gloria because I would roll in the
lawn outside and wail if she told me to leave before I got to sample
these dishes. The lobster was sitting on the plate dripping in butter
and herbs.
“Wow, these dishes look amazing – beautiful on the outside but you
won’t know if they’re delicious until you actually taste them,” I said
in reference to her.
“But not everyone responds to taste the same way. What I think
tastes wonderful might be bad for someone else. Like I taste
delicious to Cory, but I might be repulsive to you. Luckily, I don’t
give a fuck what you think…”
“Oh my God!” Cory gave out. “Was this a mistake?”
“Be specific, Cory Allenthahl!” Gloria gave out.
“No, not you, honey. Our relationship can never be a mistake. I’m
talking about this meeting.”
“The meeting is not a mistake,” I jumped in. “Actually, I’ll tell you if it
is after dinner.”
“So food is the way to get to you?” Gloria chuckled.
“I’m the only child of a doting mother and I have two living
grandmothers…plus aunts. Food is always the way to me.”
“Good to know,” she smiled. “Start with whatever you like.”
“Thank you for being such a gracious hostess. Please, pass me the
potato salad,” I said and she started to laugh.
Just as the meal appeared, it was insanely delicious and it opened
me up to the possibility that this thing between Gloria and Cory
could actually be real. As I ate, endorphins rushed through my body
and Gloria was one of the most beautiful people in the world who
loved my Cory just as much as he said she did. I was not sure how I
would feel after the food wore off, but we had put aside the hatchets
and we were having a wonderful time together. Then the drinks
started coming in. I was not a heavy drinker, but these exquisite
flavors that his woman possessed could not go un-sampled, and now
I was half alive on her sofa.
“Bree,” she laughed. “What did you do to yourself?”
“If only someone had stopped me.”
“I wanted to keep you in your happy place so you wouldn’t rip me
apart over your best friend,” she said as she chuckled and looked
down at me with pretty blue eyes. She went on her knees and she
smiled at me. “Will you be okay?”
“Are you my soulmate?” I asked.
“I don’t think so,” she smiled.
“You’re drunk. Come on. Let me take you home,” Cory said and
helped me to my feet.
“I’m not drunk,” I said and I could feel my tongue getting heavy and
my words were taking a while to reach my ears. “I’m just admiring
your girlfriend.”
“My fiancée is not your soulmate. Let’s go,” he said as Gloria laughed.
“I’ll be back in a little while, my love.”
“Ok, baby. See you soon. Bye, Bree. I enjoyed your company. We
should do this again sometime,” Gloria said.
“You are so pretty and you’re so…”
“Okay! Let’s go,” Cory said and lifted me over his shoulder.
“I always love when you carry me like this,” I said as he walked with
me to the car.
“This is the first time.”
“Are you sure? I feel as if we did this before.”
“Everything will feel that way,” he said then put me down and
opened the car down then put me in. He fastened my seatbelt and
that was the last thing I knew before waking up in the bright sunlit
room.
“Fuck,” I said and growled into the pillow.
“Are you okay?”
“Shit!” I gave out and sat up to see Cory wrapped in a blanket on the
loveseat in my bedroom. “You scared the hell out of me.”
“Sorry.”
“You…did you go back to Gloria last night?”
“Yes, and came back. Thanks for ruining my night with her,” he said
and pulled the blanket over his head.
“I’m sorry, but you know I’m bad with alcohol,” I said and he
removed the blanket and sat up.
“You got a little carried away, but I wasn’t worried because I was
there. However, I did not expect you to start hitting on my woman.”
“That was not me. I would never hit on your woman,” I said and sat
up. “Are you going to her for breakfast?”
“No. I have to take my mother to…someplace.”
“Doesn’t she drive?”
“Of course she does! Today is Saturday and I would like to spend it
with Gloria. Fuck! Whatever. I’ll just get it out the way early,” he said
getting to his feet. “So what do you think about Gloria and me? Feel
better about it?”
“Actually, I do. She seems really nice. It’s your fault for painting such
a bad picture of her.”
“Because that was the truth. It’s different now. I get to see the other
side of her,” he said.
“And how is the sex?”
“Amazing,” he smiled. “She likes to take charge and I like to let her.”
“I’m truly happy for you, Cory. I’m sorry I gave you both a hard time,
but I can see now that I was wrong and I wish you both all the best.”
“You’ll be there every step of the way,” he said and I stood up on the
bed and jumped into his open arms and wrapped my legs around
him. Cory was just wonderful and he was the best friend anyone
could ever ask for.
“I need to pee,” I said with my face buried in his neck.
“Oh my God,” he said and lifted me off him and placed me on the
floor. “Go. I’ll see you later.”
“Bye, Cory!” I gave out as I rushed into the bathroom.
I had a little time to think in there and I had to admit that Gloria and
Cory looked wonderful together. She was a mixture of personalities
and she would bring out the one to suit the occasion. Last night she
was ready to attack because I brought my fist up first, but when that
cooled down, she was so wonderful and caring. I remembered the
way her blue eyes looked into mine as she became concerned that I
drank too much. Her laugh was infectious and I could see her living
happily with Cory, and he with her. I was happy I got to see this side
of Gloria and to reassure myself that Cory was right to take this step
and he was in good hands. Until things changed, I had no reason to
think that Gloria was not serious about a committed relationship
with Cory.
I got out of the bathroom and got dressed then went downstairs to
have breakfast. Because today was Saturday, that didn’t mean I
didn’t have work. That was the downside to being self-employed. It
had its perks, but meeting deadlines fell squarely on me.
My phone rang.
“Hey, Cory. You just left here,” I reminded him.
“And I forgot to speak to you about something important,” he said.
“Should I make the appointment with Oakley?”
“Um…yeah, why not?” I said with a smile. “It seemed to have worked
out for you, so I’ll give it a shot.”
“Great! It took two weeks for me to see her so it might be the same
amount of time for you, so prepare yourself.”
“For what?”
“To follow the clues,” he said.
“And what if she doesn’t see anyone in the near future?”
“Then you go back to your life the way it was and see how you can
get laid until Oakley tells you that your soulmate is close.”
“So I should keep going to this woman forever?” I asked.
“If she sees the person you are meant to be with, then you need to
keep going to her with the clues you discovered and let her guide
you.”
“How long did it take you?”
“Five visits. I found out who it was on my second visit, but I went to
her three more times for her to help me get past the hurdle of
forming a relationship with someone I had been clashing with for
my entire employment at her company,” Cory explained. “It wasn’t
easy and I wanted to keep going to her but she told me to take the
wheel because she did not want me to become dependent on her
instead of following my heart.”
“What’s the cost per visit?” I asked.
“Five hundred dollars.”
“Come again?”
“She’s the real deal and it’s worth it,” he said.
“I am not paying five hundred dollars to this woman…”
“Bree, this is a very important step in your life. You will know if your
person is already in your life or if she is years away, and that will
help you to decide how to proceed and not invest too many
emotions in these women who are not the one. You can also decide if
you will have a child on your own until she gets here, or if you’ll wait
and…”
“You said she saw children in your future, right?”
“Yes.”
“How many?”
“Two,” he replied. “Which is in line with what Gloria would want. I
don’t see her having more than two children because she is so
focused on her business.”
“Okay, make the appointment and let me see how this plays out. I
swear you’re paying me back if this woman has nothing for me.”
“It’s no one’s fault if there’s nothing to tell. I know she’s real.”
“Okay, fine. In two weeks I’ll know for sure.”
“Okay. I’ll call you back with the date.”
“Okay, bye,” I said and disconnected the call.
As I had breakfast, I read the news online but it was so depressing
that I turned to a few business emails. I realized that my food was
getting cold because the number of responses I needed to write
became distracting, so I put down my phone and continued to eat. I
would be doing the emailing from my office and not at the breakfast
table. That was what I was used to and should never try to break
that pattern.
My phone rang and I immediately thought it was work-related, but I
was happy to see Cory’s name and image on the screen.
“Hey,” I greeted.
“I got the appointment for you,” he said and I reached for a book and
pen I kept on the table.
“When?” I asked and was ready to write, but Cory was silent. “Cory?”
“I’m here.”
“When is the appointment?”
“Tomorrow.”
+++
I did not expect that I would be on my way to see Oakley so soon
after agreeing to a session with her. I thought I had the same length
of time as Cory did, but no, it had to be the next day at ten in the
morning. I had a meeting for that time and I had to postpone it
because Cory made it seem as if meeting this woman was life or
death, so I would not even dare to suggest a more convenient date
or time. Well, I would just get this over with and then I would be
sure if this was worth my time.
I wanted to trust that what worked for Cory would work for me.
Gloria was beautiful and successful, and I wished that I could find
someone like her who was willing to step out of their comfort zone
to be vulnerable and love me as I love her. Gloria was a fierce
businesswoman and she could switch into the role of a wonderful,
loving, and happy wife, as well as a best friend. I saw her being
capable of that, and I would love someone like her for myself. My
woman didn’t need to be rich because I work hard and could
provide for my family, but I wanted someone who was intelligent
and strong – someone who could take charge when it was necessary
and give up the rein when it was required. I had an ideal woman in
my head, but whoever Oakley told me would be my life partner, then
that was who I would work with.
I pulled up in the driveway of the home of the fortune teller who
was the key to me finding my soulmate, and I wondered why she
choose to have strange people coming to her house. Maybe her
husband or her brother was a cop and was there all the time to
ensure her protection. Or maybe she could tell her own fortune and
know that none of her visitors would ever attack her. She could
probably tell that I was thinking this, so I quickly removed the
thought from my mind and focused on taking the few shaky steps to
her front door.
I was not sure what I was nervous about. It had to be that I was
scared of who my life partner would be, and even more scared that
no one might be in store for me. The latter would really hurt, but at
least I would know and could plan accordingly instead of sitting
down and waiting on someone who did not exist. If I had known
about Oakley, there were a few of the women I had slept with that I
would not have given the time of day. There were at least four that
were a complete waste of my time. Luckily, I had taken a year off,
and now I would have a better idea of how to proceed.
I rang the doorbell and the front door opened automatically. That
was scary for a second, but then I saw Oakley’s smiling face and I
immediately felt at ease. She held up a remote.
“That was not magic,” she said and got to her feet. “Come on in.”
“Hi,” I said and walked over to her. “My name is…”
“Bryce Elron and everyone calls you Bree.”
“Wow, that’s amazing,” I said that she knew my name without me
telling her.
“Cory told me,” she chuckled.
“Of course he would have given you my name,” I laughed at myself.
“I’m sorry. I think I just feel as if you know everything.”
“I absolutely do not. Please have a seat,” she said. “My husband
thought so at first, but when he realized that I kept asking him for
things that I had in my hand then had no idea where I put them, he
figured it out.”
“So what do you do?” I asked as I sat across from her at a beautiful,
small, mahogany table. It had nothing on it. Not even a deck of tarot
cards or burning essence.
“I can see glimpses of other people’s future, so I use that to guide
them to their goals,” the woman said. She was younger than I
thought – somewhere in her early to mid-thirties.
“Do they always get to that goal?” I asked.
“No. Sometimes they’re not good at putting the clues together, and
sometimes they get frustrated and do not return. Those are few
though,” she said.
“I hope that I’m not one of those,” I said.
“I hope so too,” she smiled. “My name is Oakley. I’m sure Cory told
you.”
“He did.”
“Great. Are you ready to begin?” she asked.
“I am.”
“Okay,” she said and covered her hair with a peach and yellow sheer
headpiece that was originally over her shoulders.
Her eyes were dark brown and her hair was also dark brown and a
little disheveled because she probably had very little time to pay
attention to the grooming as her service was in high demand and
whatever time was left was probably dedicated to taking care of her
family. She would know what worked for her and she seemed very
pleasant and happy. I, on the other hand, with my well-groomed
hair, was unhappy with parts of my life and the way my family was
pressuring me about it. I really hoped that Oakley had something for
me.
“Give me your hands. Palms up,” she said and I placed them in hers.
Oakley looked for a while then she smiled and slowly placed my
hands on the table. I was confused when she sat back and looked at
me with her arms crossed.
“That’s it? Are we done?” I asked.
“We have not even started,” she replied. “I have a few questions for
you.”
“Okay,” I said.
“How old are you?”
“I just turned twenty-nine,” I replied.
“Do you live alone?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“House or apartment?”
“House.”
“You own it?”
“Yes…what does that have to do…?”
“I just want to have an idea because I saw something and I want to
get a better understanding of it.”
“What did you see?” I asked with my eyes wide open.
“I’ll tell you…”
“Is it something or someone?” I asked.
“Someone.”
“Oh my God…a life partner?”
“The person you will be spending the rest of your life with.”
“Oh my God!” I said excitedly. “So who…”
“Bryce,” she stopped me. “I have some questions.”
“Okay. I’ll answer them,” I said anxiously. I wanted to get to the big
news and I was willing to tell her anything she wanted to hear.
“Do you have any children?”
“No.”
“Ever been married before?”
“No.”
“What do you do?”
“I’m a business consultant,” I said quickly.
“For a business?”
“For multiple businesses.”
“Are you healthy?”
“According to my last physical, yes.”
“When was your last sexual relationship?”
“A year ago,” I replied.
“Are you seeing anyone or interested in anyone at the moment?”
“No. Oh my God, I can’t wait. What did you see that’s making you ask
all these questions?” I asked anxiously.
“I just want to know if you’re ready to receive this person, because
this person is not ready to receive you.”
“What?!”
 Chapter 4
I sat looking at Oakley as if she was a doctor and she had given me
some life-altering diagnosis. I could not believe what she was saying,
because it seemed as if I would have to sit forever and wait for this
person who was definitely mine but who was not ready to accept me
in her life. As a matter of fact, here was an opportunity to test this
woman’s true abilities. She did not know my sexual orientation,
therefore, she might be seeing some guy who could never be my life
partner. I would know then that she was a fraud.
“Who did you see?” I asked, and I was angry. I shouldn’t be because
she was just telling me what she was seeing.
“Well, I don’t know your sexual orientation, but I see a woman,” she
said and butterflies started going wild inside me.
“Oh my God, I’m gay!” I said to her. “Is she already in my life, or is it
someone to come?”
“Give me your hands,” she said and I eagerly placed them in hers.
They were soft and gentle and she was intense as she placed one on
the table and ran her fingers over the palm of the other, then she
slowly released it and looked at me with a smile.
“So?”
“She’s already in your life,” Oakley said.
“Does she know about me?”
“Yes.”
“But she is not ready to be with me?”
“No.”
“So I should just sit and wait?” I asked.
“Why would you do such a thing? You need to find her and see how
you can get her home with you or how you can get into her home.”
“She has her own house?”
“Yes.”
“But how do I find her?” I asked quickly.
“I can’t help you with that. You’ll have to look around you for clues
about who this woman could be.”
“But you gave me nothing…”
“Really?” she asked.
“So she’s already in my life. She has her own house. She is not ready
to be with me…but how will I know her when I see her? What color
are her eyes?”
She thought for a moment and kept her eyes on the table, then she
closed them for a while before opening them and looking at me.
“Her eyes are blue,” she said. “You have one last question then your
session will be up.”
“No! Please, I’ll pay for another hour.”
“Your session is not by the hour. It ends when I have given you all
the information that I can give for the day.”
“So, can I get another session tomorrow?” I asked.
“There are no slots available.”
“How soon?” I asked.
“I’ll have to check my appointment book and let you know. I have
your number, so I’ll call you.”
“But how long do you think you’ll have a slot?”
“Probably in four weeks.”
“What?!” I asked in shock. “So how did you give Cory an
appointment for me in one day?”
“Because someone else canceled.”
“Oh. So you’ll call me if a slot opens up?”
“I will. Here’s my card,” she said and handed it to me.
“I know I have one question and I want to follow your rules. Really.
But, may I have an additional question?” I asked, and she narrowed
her eyes and looked at me.
Oakley didn’t answer immediately, and I started to wonder if I had
pissed her off. I didn’t want to do that because I wanted to keep the
door open for her to help me to find this woman. Just when I began
to regret asking for that additional question she smiled at me and
shook her head.
“Okay,” she said. “You have two questions, but I can’t guarantee that
I will have the answer for both.”
“That’s fine. Thank you,” I said quickly. “I just want a little more that
will help me to find her.”
“What’s the first question?” she asked.
“What does she do? For work,” I quickly clarified, because that
would narrow the search area.
“She has her own business.”
“What color is her hair?”
“Blonde,” she replied and I closed my eyes and hung my head.
“Fuck.”
+++
I drove home in a daze and I was so dejected after my session with
Oakley. I regretted going to her. I was prepared to just sit at home
and enjoy moments of my solitary existence, and now I knew the
woman I was meant to spend the rest of my life with was out there
and I could not have her. I would have to sacrifice my happiness for
the happiness of my best friend. When I went to see Oakley, I never
imagined that Cory’s woman would be the one she would have in
mind for me. Was she giving the same description to everybody and
so both Cory and I ended up with the same person? How could both
sets of clues lead to Gloria? There was something wrong here.
When my session was over, I paid Oakley for her time and thanked
her because she put in the work and it was not her fault if she saw
Cory’s woman as my life partner. She realized that I recognized the
person and asked me about it. I told her that I knew, but she was
someone that I could not have. She said the palm does not lie and I
would end up with the person I was meant to be with but I must be
patient. I could see that she felt a little bad for me that my soulmate
was not readily available to have me in her life, but all of that was
probably a scam. I had paid the five hundred dollars and the money
would not affect me financially, therefore, I would see that moment
as entertainment and nothing more. It was impossible that she saw
both Cory and me with the same woman.
I started to laugh because it was now funny and I could not wait to
tell Cory that I was right. He and Gloria really did not belong
together and she was just using him. I knew because Oakley was a
fake, giving everybody the same description just to see who they
would end up with. She was fucking sick! She was so pleasant that it
was hard to see her coming, but it was usually clear after she got the
money and the unsuspecting victims were back home trying to find
someone who did not exist. Luckily, I did not have to use too much
brain power to know that this was all made up. The only thing that
she guessed right was the fact that I was gay. Other than that, she
used a template as the person with whom I would be spending the
rest of my life. I wouldn’t be surprised if she would never have
another slot available for me.
I was at home and I felt better knowing that this was all a joke, so I
did not have to waste much more of my time thinking about it. I
decided to eat and relax then go and get some work done. Just then,
the doorbell rang and I prayed that it was Cory, so I got up from the
kitchen table and rushed to open it. I should have known that it
wasn’t him because he had a key and didn’t really care if he came in
and my head was between the legs of another woman.
“Hi, ladies. Why do you always come in threes?” I asked.
“We want to know how your meeting went.”
“Who told you that I had a meeting? And what meeting are you
talking about? Business?” I asked.
“I ran into Cory and I asked him about the fortune teller. He said you
were with her,” my mother said. “So how did it go?”
I walked away from them and sat on the sofa, while they stood
looking at me.
“Grandma, please sit down. You know you have a bad knee,” I said,
and I really was not in the mood for anyone other than Cory.
“So what happened, dear?” my grandmother asked after she sat.
“The woman is a fraud,” I said.
“Why do you say that?”
“Did she see someone?” my aunt asked.
“Yes.”
“And?”
“And she described a woman who couldn’t possibly be the one. It’s
as if she has an idea of the perfect woman and then just shares that
with everyone,” I said.
“But then she would have to know that you’re gay. Did you tell her?”
my mother asked.
“No. She guessed that one right…”
“Guessed?” my aunt asked. “The woman didn’t guess anything. Did
Cory tell her?”
“No.”
“No one can look at you and tell that you’re gay because you don’t
have any visual indicators,” my mom said. “And she would have
known that if she told you that you’re gay when you’re not, then you
wouldn’t believe a word she said after that, so she must have been
confident and certain of what she had seen.”
“I believe that part.”
“Then why not believe the rest?” my grandmother asked.
“Because she described Cory’s girlfriend and that can’t possibly be
her.”
“What?!” my mother gave out.
“Do you think there is someone else who fits that description?” my
aunt asked. “What did she say?”
“How do you know that it’s Cory’s girlfriend? Have you ever met
her?” Mom asked.
“Yes, I have.”
“And how was she with you?”
“We had a little tiff in the beginning because I was suspicious of her
with Cory, but later, we were laughing and she was really very sweet
to me – as she was to Cory.”
“What description did Oakley give you?” my aunt asked again.
“She said she saw a woman with whom I will spend the rest of my
life, but she is not ready to be with me at the moment. I asked if she
knew me and she said yes. This woman has blue eyes, blonde hair,
and runs her own business.”
“Who do you know like that?”
“Gloria! Cory’s girlfriend! Ugh!” I gave out and got to my feet and
started pacing the floor.
“It cannot be Gloria. Oakley sent Cory to this woman and there is no
way that she could have seen the same woman as the soulmate for
both of you. That would be crazy.”
“Because the woman is fake! I’m trying to tell you,” I said to them.
“Cory said a lot of people have been to her and came away singing
her praises. Wouldn’t someone from that group know that she is a
fraud?”
“That’s what I think, but what she’s telling me doesn’t make any
sense.”
“So what if it’s Gloria? If she’s the one, you’ll…”
“I’ll nothing! I am not going to ruin Cory’s life for my personal gain.
Absolutely not. I would rather spend the rest of my life alone,” I said.
“Oh my God,” my mother said and held her head.
“I don’t know what to do with this information she gave me,” I said.
“Honey,” my grandmother said. “You’re going to think carefully
about who else this person could be, and you’re going to sit with
Cory and compare notes to see if we’re talking about the same
person, then you’re going to go back to Oakley. I’ll pay for the next
session.”
“No, Grandma. I have money. I can pay for the session, but I just
don’t think I should go back to her.”
“Not right now. Just think carefully and come up with something,
then you go back to confirm if you’re right,” my grandmother said
softly, the way she always did whenever I was upset or confused.
“Okay, Grandma, I’ll…” Just then there was a knock, then I heard a
key in the door. “Oh my God, it’s Cory. You all need to leave,” I
whispered and they got to their feet just as Cory walked in.
“So Bree, call me when you decide because your father would
appreciate a party…oh, hi, Cory,” my mother greeted, pretending
that we were not talking about him and Gloria.
“Hi, Mrs. Elron,” he greeted. “Grandma Elron, and Aunt Helen,” he
said.
“Hi, Cory. Nice to see you again. Sorry we can’t stay and chat with
you kids, but I have to go and pick up my prescriptions,” my
grandmother said. “Take care of yourself, young man.”
“Thank you, ma’am. I will,” Cory replied, and everyone gave me a
hug and a kiss before leaving me to destroy my friendship with Cory.
That would never happen.
“I can’t believe they got here before me,” he said then came and sat
beside me on the sofa. “How did it go?”
“I don’t really feel as if she knows what she’s talking about,” I said.
“Really? What happened?” he asked, but before I could answer, his
phone rang. “One sec, it’s Gloria,” he said. “Hi, baby.”
“At Taj? That sounds wonderful. I’m with her right now. Let me ask
her,” Cory said then covered the phone and whispered. “Gloria
wants to know if you’ll have dinner with us.”
In my head, I was screaming no, but this was my opportunity to see
if there was any truth to what Oakley had said.
“I’d love to,” I replied and Cory smiled widely.
“She would love to,” he said into the phone. “We can get there in an
hour. I’ll see you soon.”
Cory looked at me, eager to hear what Oakley had to say. I knew he
wanted what was best for me and he would be the happiest man on
earth if I could tell him that Oakley saw someone and the woman
was waiting to make me the love of her life, but that was not the
story I had for him. I had never kept anything from Cory before and
it was suffocating to think that I would have to keep this secret from
my best friend.
“Cory, I truly don’t believe that she’s authentic,” I said.
“I can’t agree with you when I have this wonderful experience with
her,” he replied.
“What did she tell you when you went to her? You never told me. I
want to compare it with mine to see the difference and similarities
in her approach.”
“Well when I got to her, she held my hand and ran her fingers over
my palm and told me…”
“Wait,” I stopped him. “She didn’t ask you about your personal life to
see if you were ready to accommodate Gloria?”
“No. She gave me the clues, I paid her her money, I told her I would
like to see her again, and she got her book and gave me my next
appointment.”
“She told me that she would have to look but her next appointment
would be four weeks away,” I said.
“She is in high demand and she’s probably giving you enough time to
use the clues she gave you.”
“What did she say to you when she read your palms? Give me
details.”
“She traced her fingers over my palms and said I was in a whole lot
of trouble. I asked what she meant and she smiled at me and told me
that getting to her would not be easy although she was right there.
That was one clue. The next, she said, ‘the woman you will spend the
rest of your life with doesn’t know how she feels about you as yet
because it is hidden right under the aggression, but once you pull
that away, it will hit her hard.’ She said the trouble would be peeling
that barrier away, so I would have to go on my hands and knees and
out of my comfort zone to get through to her.”
“That definitely sounds like Gloria. So what questions did you ask?”
“She doesn’t allow questions on first visits,” Cory replied.
“What? I asked her a lot.”
“Really?” He was surprised. “Well, she bent the rules for you.
Everyone who went to her said they listened, paid their money, then
returned with questions if they had them.”
“So what happened when you returned? No, what else did she say?”
I asked.
“Nothing. She had nothing more for me, so I came home and thought
about it. For a second, I wondered if it was you, but you’re gay, so I
ruled that out. Then I started searching my life, especially at work,
the word ‘aggression’ made me wonder for a second if it was Gloria,
but I knew that was impossible, so I started searching. I invited
three people on dates and at the end of it, I didn’t feel as if it were
any of them.”
“So what did you do?”
“I went back to her. I was given five questions, so I tried to make
sure that the answers would get me closer to this woman…”
“And this whole time you didn’t tell me?” I asked.
“I didn’t want to come to you until I was sure it worked, then when it
did, I was afraid to come.”
“Continue.”
“I asked her about the color of her hair. She said blonde. I asked
about the color of her eyes. She said blue. I asked what work did she
do. She said she answers to no one. The moment she said that, it had
a double meaning for me. It meant she was running her business,
and she did not take shit from anyone. That caused Gloria to flash
across my mind again. I asked what kind of car she drove, and she
said she couldn’t see that. I wanted to make sure my last question
would count, so I asked her if it was someone I worked with. She
said, I looked into her eyes quite often like several times per week,
but she didn’t know where that took place.”
“Oh my God, so did you know it was Gloria?” I asked.
“I wasn’t sure, but I went home and spent a lot of time thinking
about it. I prayed that Gloria was not the one, but she matched all
the clues.”
“So what did you do?”
“I resisted because I was afraid and my pride would take a massive
hit, but I knew that was what it would take to get to her, so I opened
myself to her assault and she went hard. I did not fight back; I did
not object to anything; I smiled every chance I got. She didn’t know
what to do with the new me, and my colleagues were making fun of
me, but I sucked it up. One day, she said we needed to discuss
something about work and I said we could do it over a business
lunch. She asked if I would really have lunch with her in public, and I
said I would have lunch with her wherever was most convenient for
her.”
“Holy shit!”
“Yup, and she started coming down from there. I was on my knees
and she came down to me. That’s the reason I believe
wholeheartedly in Oakley. What she did, no ordinary person would
have ever dreamed of putting Gloria and me together.”
“True.”
“Whatever she said to you, is the real deal. Let me help you figure
this out. Who does she have waiting for you?”
“Gloria.”
 Chapter 5
I did not intend to tell Cory about my suspicions because I did not
want to hurt him, but I guessed I wanted to shatter his confidence in
Oakley more than I wanted to protect him. He was singing her
praises and she wasn’t who he thought she was, which would help
him to reassess his plans with Gloria just in case it was misread or
she had other motives. Cory was looking at me and I could see the
hurt in his eyes, as well as anger. I was not sure if they were directed
at me, or if they were directed at Oakley for leading him astray, or at
himself for being so stupid.
“What did you just say?” he asked.
“Cory, you know I don’t keep anything from you, but I should have
followed in your footsteps and kept this one until I was sure.”
“What do you mean she gave you Gloria?”
“The clues she gave are pointing at Gloria. I didn’t realize until we
were at the end of the session.”
“What the fuck did she say?!”
“Can you please calm down?”
“No! What did she say?” he asked, and he was really upset. Tears
started to come to my eyes because I had never seen him like that.
“Stop crying and tell me what she said.”
“She said…she told me it was a woman…”
“Did you tell her you were gay? Because I didn’t.”
“No, I didn’t tell her. She said it was a woman…and…”
“And what?” he asked and got to his feet, towering over me.
“She asked me some questions about my life then she said I am
ready to be with her but she is not ready to be with me. She has her
own business, she is blonde with blue eyes, and she is already in my
life.”
He bit his lower lip and looked down then he shook his head and
looked up at me. Then he smiled.
“Bree, honey, I know it sounds like Gloria is the one Oakley was
referring to, but it can’t possibly be because I’m certain that Oakley
sent me to her. There is no one else in my life like that, and after we
went on our first date, I went back to Oakley and she told me that I
would be married to this person and we would have two children
together. Now we’re engaged.”
“Who proposed?”
“I did,” he said and I stared at him. “What…so because I did it that’s a
problem? I didn’t just do it because that was what Oakley said. I did
it because I did not want to lose this wonderful gift I was given.”
“Why would you lose it if Oakley saw her as your life partner?”
“Because I believe we can change the sequence of events in our lives.
We can be given an opportunity and blow it,” he explained.
“True. So if Gloria is definitely yours, then who in my life is similar to
her?” I asked.
“Lauren.”
“She hates me!”
“So did Gloria. I think it is worth checking out,” Cory suggested.
“She has her own business. She is blonde. Cory, she has green eyes.”
“Maybe Oakley was a little off,” he suggested. “I think you should ask
her out. As far as I know, she’s still single.”
“Oakley said my soulmate can’t be with me right now. That’s two
things that don’t match. I’m telling you it’s Gloria.”
“Will you stop saying that?!” he gave out in his deep, strong voice. “I
am positive that Gloria is not the one.”
“Who else…let’s see,” I said as I thought about the people in my life.
“Could it be Gretchen?”
“She is not gay.”
“Did Oakley say your partner was gay?”
“No,” I replied.
“Then it could be Gretchen.”
“So what should I do?”
“Call her up and invite her out. Spend the evening with her and see
how that goes.”
“She knows that I’m gay, so if I invite her out, she’s not going to
accept,” I said and he picked up my phone and handed it to me. “I’m
going to be so embarrassed if she tells me no.”
“Do you have any idea what I endured to get Gloria to see me as
someone she could spend her life with? You have to put in the work,
Bryce. Oakley has narrowed the field for you, and she is certain that
your soulmate is in your life. She might not be ready at this moment,
but a little nudge in the right direction and she could be in your
arms before she’s even ready.”
“You just don’t want me to go after Gloria, so you’re willing to push
me out to the wolves.”
“I don’t want you to go after my fiancée, but that is not the reason
I’m telling you to call Gretchen. It’s because if you keep your eyes on
Gloria, your woman would be somewhere out there going to waste,”
he said. “Call her. I think she’s the one.”
“Okay,” I said and took my phone from him. I was nervous to call this
woman who was eight years older than I was, who had never dated
another female, to ask her out on a date.
“Hello?” she greeted and I almost hung up, but Cory was threatening
me.
“Hi, Gretchen, how are you?” I asked.
“Who’s this?”
“It’s Bree,” I replied.
“Oh my God, Bree! I have not heard from you in a long time. I’m so
sorry. I lost my phone and my contacts weren’t backed up so your
name did not come up on the display,” she explained.
“That’s okay. So how is everything with you?”
“In terms of my business, that’s doing great. As for my love life, I
have all but given up on that,” she said and Cory started to dance.
“Really? Why’s that?”
“These guys are intimidated by a strong woman. I mean, I’m in a
relationship with someone, but I don’t think it’s going anywhere, so
that sucks. How about you?”
“The same since the last time we saw each other.”
“The last time I saw you, you had a beautiful brunette on your
arms?” she chuckled.
“I’m sure more beautiful brunettes have come and gone since that
time, but I have been going solo for the last few months, so it’s about
waiting for that special someone to come along.”
“It’s so sad. The wonderful people like yourself are just hanging by a
limb while some awful people are in committed relationships…and
sometimes with good people. Good seems to attract bad,” she said
and I laughed.
“That is an excellent topic to continue over dinner,” I said and closed
my eyes in embarrassment.
“What…are you asking me out?”
“Well, we both have not gotten where we want to go, so we could
talk about it and see where that goes.”
“You do realize that I’m not gay and I’m still in a relationship, right?”
she asked and laughed.
“We could talk about that as well,” I said and chuckled.
“Are you that desperate?”
“Kinda. I would like to rule out that the person I should spend the
rest of my life with is not you.”
“It’s not me. Trust me. But, there’s no harm in being sure, right?”
“Right,” I said and she laughed.
“Okay, when are we shooting for?”
“Today, tomorrow…”
“Tomorrow. I have a meeting this evening, so I’ll see you for dinner
tomorrow. I’ll make reservations.”
“I’m the one inviting you out, so I should make the reservations,” I
said.
“And are you coming to pick me up as well?”
“I could do that,” I said and she laughed beautifully.
“How about you send me the place and I’ll meet you there.”
“That could work. See you tomorrow, Gretchen.”
“Can’t wait. Bye, Bree,” she said and disconnected the call.
“Yes!” Cory gave out. “She’s the one! Blonde hair, blue eyes, has her
own business, and not quite free to be with you.”
“Hazel eyes, but yeah, it could be,” I smiled reassuringly, but deep
down, I felt as if there was more to this. It wasn’t Gretchen, and it
was crazy to think that it could be Gloria.
“Gloria is waiting for us to join her for dinner. I’m asking you to keep
your opinions to yourself because Gloria and I will be setting our
wedding date soon. She is not the one for you,” he warned.
“I know. I’m going out with Gretchen but if it’s not her and it’s not
Gloria, then I have no idea who that could be.”
“It has to be Gretchen.”
“That’s what I’m going with,” I said and got to my feet. “I will keep
my eyes off your girlfriend. I promise.”
Cory smiled and pulled me into his arms then he kissed my face.
“Okay, honey. Let’s have a good evening together. I want Gloria to
like you…not too much…,” he said and I laughed. “But you’re very
important to me and I want you to be a part of our lives, especially
after our baby is born. You’ll be auntie.”
“I’m very excited for you,” I said and meant it genuinely. “You’d
make a wonderful husband and father, and I want you to be happy.”
“I know you do, honey. Get your purse and let me call Gloria.”
I got my phone and my purse and I could hear Cory talking lovingly
to his fiancée. I smiled at how wonderful it was that he was finally in
a long-term committed relationship. I prayed that I was wrong
about the possibility that she was the one Oakley saw in my future
because I would choose to live without her for Cory’s sake. I could
never live with myself if I were to take that away from him. I could
hear him telling Gloria that he loved her, and yes, everything was a
little fast, but why should time matter if one is sure?
I sat beside Cory in the car as he drove us to the restaurant to meet
Gloria. I must admit, there was a nervous feeling inside to see her
again – not because I suddenly had feelings for her, but because I
was worried that I wouldn’t be able to act natural and Cory would
think that I was deliberately trying to destroy his relationship with
her.
“So did you make another appointment with Oakley?” Cory asked.
“Yes, but she would call me if something opens up before that.”
“So you said she allowed you to ask questions?”
“It wasn’t that she allowed me. I just kept asking them and she
replied.”
“Well, she told me up front that I was not allowed to ask any
questions on the first visit, but she didn’t say that to you. She must
have realized that your love life was more complicated than
everyone else’s,” he chuckled.
“Funny. I’m going to find my soulmate, and as you said, it has to be
Gretchen. Who else could it be? I don’t know of anyone who fits the
description Oakley said, except Gretchen and Gloria.”
“So it’s definitely Gretchen because it is not Gloria. I have no doubt
about the person Oakley described to me,” he said. “Listen, please do
not act weird around my woman, okay?”
“I won’t be acting weird. I’m not attracted to her or anything, and I
have a date with Gretchen tomorrow. I’m fully aware of who Gloria
is to you, so you don’t have anything to worry about.”
“I hope so,” he said and we chatted about his mother and her
morning errands he had to take her to do, then we were turning into
the parking lot of the restaurant.
Cory got out of the car and came around to open my door and I
inhaled deeply, praying that there would be nothing to suggest that
Gloria was the one. I would much rather that my soulmate was
somewhere else so that I would have a chance at happiness with her
because it could not happen with Gloria. Cory held my hand and I
always felt so safe with him. We were escorted to our table but
Gloria was not there as yet, so we sat and talked until she arrived
ten minutes later.
“Bree,” she greeted with a wide smile then she hugged me before
sitting beside her fiancée. “Hi, honey,” she smiled lovingly at him and
gave him a sweet kiss.
“Hi, baby. I’m always so happy to see you,” he said and there was no
denying the love Cory had for Gloria.
“And you had to run off and work for someone else,” she said as she
looked at him with a smile. “I miss having you around at work.”
“We wouldn’t be productive,” he said and she chucked.
“True,” she replied and she really was a stunning woman, because it
was not just about her physical beauty, it was about the air she
carried. She was a mixture of sexual allure, happiness, and power.
She was just a good balance of the right ingredients and Cory was
the luckiest man alive, but Gloria was also the luckiest woman alive
because she landed herself a great guy. “Nice to see you again, Bree.”
“You too, Gloria,” I replied and I could see from my peripheral vision
that Cory was watching me intently. “I hope you didn’t hold our last
encounter against me.”
“Before or after the drinks you had?”
“Before.”
“Oh, you mean when your claws came out to protect your friend
from me?” she chuckled.
“Sorry. At least nothing happened after the drinks,” I said hoping
that she would not remember.
“It sure did. You had a crush on me,” she said and I almost choked on
my tongue. I had to quickly take a sip of the water on the table. “Are
you okay?”
“Yes,” I said. “Yes, I’m fine.”
“Sure?”
“Absolutely.”
“Okay. Shall we order?” she asked and started going through the
menu. “Baby, when am I going to see your family?”
“After we get married,” Cory said and Gloria and I started to laugh.
“Is it that bad?” she asked me.
“Actually, yes.”
“What about your family? If you and I were dating, would you be
afraid to take me to see them?” she asked, and I wasn’t sure if I could
survive this dinner.
“Not for the same reason as Cory’s family, but yes.”
“What’s the difference?”
“Cory’s family believes that no one is good enough for him, so they
would take you to the interrogation room. My family just wants me
to be with someone, anyone, so they would smother you until you
suffocate and die,” I said and Gloria burst into laughter. I glanced at
Cory and he was just happy to see his fiancée happy.
We placed our orders for dinner, and Cory was just so loving toward
Gloria and she with him. I was wrong. It was not her that Oakley was
referring to. Then I caught her looking under her lids at me. Fuck! I
quickly looked to see if Cory picked it up, but he was busy doting on
his woman that he did not notice her paying attention to me. Did I
misread that? Was it all in my head? The waiter came with our
meals and Cory and Gloria occasionally fed each other. It was
beautiful to watch and I hoped that soon, I would be able to do that
with Gretchen. It would not happen on the first night, but seeing
these two gave me hope that something wonderful would happen
for me as well.
I didn’t realize when I got out of my head and immersed myself in
joy and laughter. It was good that I got along so well with Cory’s
girlfriend, and she welcomed me into their lives with open arms. I
hoped to do the same with Gretchen and we could have a wonderful
foursome going on because she and Gretchen had a lot in common.
I thought we would be going to our separate homes after dinner but
Gloria invited me back to her house, so Cory took me with him and
did not seem perturbed about anything because we had such a
wonderful time at dinner.
“I’m so proud of you,” he said as we drove to Gloria’s place. “You
relaxed and had fun and did not let that little misunderstanding
from your session with Oakley get in the way and ruin the evening.”
“I saw that I was wrong. You both are so happy together and so
loving. I’m just glad that she welcomed me into your lives so that I
wouldn’t feel left out. I hope to do the same with Gretchen when she
is finally free to be with me.”
“So you’re certain now that it’s her?”
“Yes. It has to be. There is no one else in my life that fits that
description. Oakley told me that she was not ready to be with me, so
I understand that a relationship would take a little while to get going
with her, but I have developed patience, so I’ll wait,” I replied.
“That’s the spirit,” he said and turned into Gloria’s driveway.
Cory led me to the front door and opened it. We walked in to see
Gloria with three glasses of champagne and a smile. She had to have
turned into a better boss because there was no way for her to be this
happy at home and it did not spill over at work. Love had
transformed her and it was beautiful to watch.
“Thank you,” I said as I took the glass from her and the seat she had
indicated.
“You are welcome,” she responded and Cory wrapped an arm
around her as she snuggled closer to her, sipping her champagne
with her legs crossed. “You’ll be fine tonight, Bryce. One glass of
champagne should be good for you.”
“Only one?” I asked and she laughed.
“Yes, Bree. Only one,” Cory said. “I’m not throwing you over my
shoulder and taking you home tonight because you’re not going to
ruin sex for me twice.”
“I’m sorry,” I laughed. “He had to spend the night in my bedroom to
see that I was okay.”
“Where did he sleep?” Gloria asked.
“I woke up and saw him on the loveseat in my bedroom. Are you
jealous? That’s so sweet,” I said as I put my hand to my heart, and
she chuckled.
“You’re really very funny and a delight to have around. I’m surprised
that you’re still single.”
“Cory and I always believed that we should treat our partners with
love and respect and make them feel as if they were the most
important people in the world, but we have come to learn that that
is a turnoff,” I laughed. “However, we can’t be anything different.”
“I think it turned off the ones who weren’t meant to be in your lives.
When the right person comes along then they would appreciate
your love, your respect, and the fact that you see them as the most
important person in the world.”
“True,” I said and sipped my drink.
“This is nice, isn’t it?” Gloria asked.
“Oh my God, it’s wonderful,” I replied. “This is exactly how Cory and
I would have wanted our relationships to be – to include each other
in our lives. I’m happy he found you, Gloria, and that you welcomed
me in. I hope to do the same with you when Gretchen and I officially
start our relationship.”
“Gretchen? Honey, you didn’t tell me your friend is seeing someone,”
she said to Cory.
“It’s someone I knew from before but we had not spoken in a while,”
I said quickly because I did not want her to think that her fiancé was
keeping things from her. “I only contacted her today for a date. She’s
not even gay.”
“Then what made you invite her out?” she asked.
“Because Oakley gave me some clues and I think Gretchen is my life
partner,” I said, choosing to omit the part where I had thought it was
her.
“Who’s Oakley?”
Fuck!
 Chapter 6
Cory did not discuss Oakley with Gloria, and now he would be in
deep shit because if he did not tell her, then she was thinking that he
fell in love with her and braved dangerous waters to get to her
heart, but now, someone had sent him to her and I wondered how
he was going to get himself out of this. The look on Cory’s face told
me that he was worried about having to explain something that he
should have told her from the beginning, or let me know that he
intended to keep a secret. He was not a secret-keeping kind of
person in any relationship and I knew he must be regretting not
saying anything to her about Oakley. I just hoped that Gloria would
be cool about it and not get upset with him.
“Oakley is a fortune teller – a palmist really,” Cory said.
“You’re going to a fortune teller to find a woman?” Gloria asked me
and her smile told me that she was not into that sort of thing.
“She hated the idea but I insisted because it worked for me,” Cory
said.
“What? You went?”
“Yes. I had gone out with some guys and one of them told me about
her. His friend is happily married after a number of breakups, and
he is also happily in a relationship, so I asked him to make an
appointment for me. It was Oakley who told me about you,” he
explained.
“What?” she asked as she chuckled in disbelief. “What did she tell
you?”
“She traced her fingers over my palms and said that I was in a whole
lot of trouble. I asked what she meant and she smiled and told me
that getting to her would not be easy although she is right there. She
said the woman I would spend the rest of my life with didn’t know
how she felt about me as yet because it is hidden right under the
aggression, but once I pull that away, it would hit her hard. She said
the trouble would be peeling that barrier away, and that I would
have to go on my knees and out of my comfort zone to get through to
her.”
“She said all of that to you?” Gloria asked.
“Yes. My mind went to you when she said it, but that was impossible,
right? So I left and went home and thought about it and it became
clearer. I went to work and I decided to relax and let you rip me
apart, so I did not object to anything you said or anything you
wanted. I imagined us in a relationship and it was scary as hell, but if
you were the one for me, then I would find a way to get to you, so I
went back to Oakley and asked for a description. Blonde hair, blue
eyes. I confirmed who it was so I lay on the ground and let you
trample all over me until you picked me up,” Cory said and Gloria
held her heart.
“Oh, honey. I’m so sorry,” she said.
“It was worth it,” Cory said and started smiling. I did too because I
was happy that she was not angry about what he did and for not
telling her about it.
“That is such a romantic story. We should lead with that when
anyone asks about our relationship. My family would love to hear
that story,” she said and Cory was very happy. “Why didn’t you tell
me?”
“I didn’t deliberately keep it from you. It just never came up. I was
too focused on our relationship and…I was probably still in shock
that you’re my girlfriend,” he said as she caressed his face.
“Fiancée,” she corrected and kissed his lips. They finally broke away
and Gloria looked at me. “And what did she tell you?”
“Um…I’m still trying to figure it out,” I said as I quickly looked at
Cory.
“You can’t still be trying to figure it out if you have decided on
Gretchen.”
“Well, it was only one meeting and I’m…I think it’s Gretchen.”
“So what did she tell you that made you decide that it’s her?” Gloria
asked, but I didn’t immediately reply. “You seem a little hesitant to
share…did she tell you, honey?”
“Yes,” Cory replied.
“Oh…I get it. It’s fine,” Gloria said with a smile. “A private thing
between you…”
“No, no…not at all.”
“You both seem a little awkward to share the information, but if it’s
private…”
“No, it’s not. It’s just that initially, Bree thought it was you,” Cory
said, and I could just kill him.
“What?” she asked and laughed.
“I know. It’s stupid, right? I was able to convince her otherwise
because I’m sure of who Oakley saw in my future. We put our heads
together and figured out that it was Gretchen.”
“Holy shit…so what did Oakley say?” Gloria asked me. “Why did you
think it was me?”
“She said I am ready to be with my life partner but she was not
ready to be with me just yet. She has her own home. She has her
own business. She is blonde. Her eyes are blue. She is already in my
life.”
“And you narrowed that down to me?” Gloria asked and she was
finding this really funny.
“I don’t know anyone else like that.”
“Clearly, you did because you also came up with Gretchen.”
“Her eyes are not blue,” I said and I saw Cory close his eyes. I didn’t
know I shouldn’t have mentioned that, but when I saw his reaction I
realized that admitting that something was off would make Gloria
closer to a match.
“My eyes are blue,” Gloria said, and Cory looked at me. “What else is
off? Is she blonde?”
“Yes.”
“Her own business?”
“Yes.”
“Her own house?”
“Yes.”
“Seeing someone?”
“Yes…but she says it’s not going anywhere.”
“Then it’s not her,” Gloria said and I swallowed hard.
“What do you mean?”
“Oakley says the person is not ready. It sounds as if Gretchen is
ready to move on. Is she gay?”
“No. She’s in a relationship with a man,” I replied.
“Did Oakley say your person was gay?”
“No. She just told me that my life partner is a woman.”
“Did you tell her you were gay?”
“No.”
“Did you, honey?” she asked Cory.
“No.”
“Okay, so there are two things off. At the very minimum Oakley
would have gotten the eye color right,” Gloria said. “Honey, did she
tell you that I was not ready to be with you?” she asked Cory.
“No.”
“See? That’s significant…”
“Baby, it is not significant. We still don’t know if Gretchen will agree
to a relationship with Bree. She might want to keep trying with her
current relationship for a while, so she’s not free now.”
“But she agreed to a date, right?”
“Yes.”
“Well, if Bree were to ask me out on a date, I would tell her no. So,
I’m the one who would not be ready for her,” Gloria said to Cory.
“Which means, I am exactly the description Oakley gave her – much
more than Gretchen.”
“So what are you saying?” Cory asked.
“I’m not saying it. Oakley said it,” she replied and smiled at him.
“So you would leave me for Bryce?” Cory asked and my heart
stopped.
“Absolutely not,” Gloria said and I breathed. “But if you believe
Oakley about me, then you have to believe the part that includes
Bree.”
“And how would I fit into that picture?” I asked.
“You need to ask Oakley,” she said with a smile.
“Is this a joke to you?” I asked.
“Why are you getting mad at me, honey? I’m an innocent bystander.”
“You called her honey?” Cory asked and pulled away from Gloria so
he could look at her.
“Baby, you both pulled me into this Oakley world, and she said Bree
and I would be together, not right now, but eventually. I love you
and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, therefore, this
would have to be an inclusive relationship and I would have to call
her honey,” she said as she chuckled and I was not sure if she was
joking or not.
“Just a little reminder. Bree is gay. We can’t have a polyamorous
relationship with someone who is gay.”
“We could, because she will not be sleeping with you. She’ll be
sleeping with me,” Gloria said and laughed.
“So you will be in the middle sleeping with both of us? Separately?”
“Or together, but you cannot touch her,” Gloria said and I could not
help it. I burst into laughter.
“You both need serious help,” Cory said. “This is not funny.”
“I love you, baby,” she said and held his face to kiss him, but he got
up and went into the kitchen. “Why are you mad at me? Oakley said
it.”
Cory did not respond and Gloria looked at me, both of us laughing.
Then the laughter died and we were looking at each other with
awareness. Fuck! I got up and went into the kitchen to see Cory
putting together a platter of fruits and cheeses.
“I hope you’re not taking her seriously,” I said to him. “You know she
loves you.”
“I know. I’m just a little worried that Oakley is right. There’s nothing
we can do about fate.”
“I’m sure Oakley would not have sent us both to the same woman,” I
said to him.
“Exactly,” Gloria joined in then took a grape off the platter. She was
so comfortable in her skin and in any conversation that she did not
seem perturbed that Cory might be upset. “Unless that was what she
saw. There’s nothing she could do about that.”
“Okay, so I’ll go out with Gretchen and then I’ll go back to Oakley. I’ll
be clear then about who she had seen.”
“How long before you go back to her,” Gloria asked.
“She made an appointment for me for four weeks from now.”
“Four weeks?! So you’re going to be dating the wrong person for
four weeks before you get confirmation from Oakley?” Gloria asked.
“If I turn out to be the one and you already slept with Gretchen, I will
be very upset.”
“What the fuck?” Cory gave out.
“No, baby,” she laughed. “I’m sorry. I’m just using it as an example,
but look at it. What if there is someone else and that person…?”
“There is no one else. It is either you or Gretchen,” I said.
“So, I will be upset,” she replied.
“Oh my God,” Cory said then picked up the tray and went into the
living room.
“What are you doing?” I asked in a whisper to Gloria. “Are you trying
to fuck up your relationship?”
“Both of you went to a psychic and half cannot be right and the other
half is wrong,” she whispered. “I love him. I want to spend the rest of
my life with him.”
“So, there you go. Focus on that,” I said.
“But you are now a part of the equation.”
“I’m not a part of it. It’s definitely Gretchen.”
“What color are Gretchen’s eyes?”
“Um…hazel, I think.”
“How do you confuse hazel with blue?” Gloria asked.
“Are you two coming out, or are you kissing?”
“Shit,” I whispered and hurried out of the kitchen. “You are really
something,” I said to Cory.
“Now it’s me?”
“Yes. You begged me to go to Oakley and you’re acting all weird
because the clues led to your woman. I told you I didn’t want to go.”
“I’m not accusing you of anything. We are all confused about the
messages you got, so wait and go back to Oakley…”
“So I shouldn’t go out with Gretchen?” I asked.
“Yes, still go out…”
“No,” Gloria said. “I think you should wait and go back to Oakley with
specific questions. We’ll help you to put a few together if you want.”
She sat beside Cory and leaned on him and he wrapped an arm
around her and kissed her head as she kept her eyes on me.
“Like what questions should I ask?”
“Like the kind of car she drives,” Gloria said.
“She doesn’t know that, Gloria,” Cory said. “I asked her about yours
and she couldn’t tell me.”
“Ask her something about the person’s house. Where she went to
school. About her family. Things like that.”
“She doesn’t answer those questions, honey,” Cory said. “She sees
things that you will be doing with each other or that will affect both
of you. I think she gets glimpses.”
“Take a picture of me and ask if I am the one she saw,” she said to
me and sat up. “Take out your phone and take a picture of me.”
“Okay,” I said and opened my phone.
“It seems as if you really want this,” Cory said to Gloria.
“Actually, no. But this woman was right about you and me, and if I’m
the person she is seeing with Bree, we will have to be proactive or
we could ruin everything for all of us.”
“Which means you will leave me to go to her,” Cory said instead of
asking.
“Oakley said I am not ready…”
“You?”
“The person is not ready to be with her, which means eventually
that person will be ready. If it is me, how will I be ready for her with
you still in my life? It would mean that we would eventually break
up. Is that what you want?”
“Of course not!” he said and turned to look at her. “You?”
“No, honey. I don’t want that at all.”
“Is anyone going to ask me how I feel about this?” I asked.
“Would you be in a relationship with me?” Gloria asked.
“You? Definitely. With you and Cory, absolutely not. With you at
Cory’s expense? No way in hell. He’s my best friend and he loves
you, so even if Oakley said you are the one for me, you and I will
never be together because it could only happen by me breaking the
heart of someone I truly love. I cannot do that, so whether you’re
joking or being serious, the answer is no,” I said and Cory looked at
me with pride, but Gloria looked at me with humor.
“Honey, it’s really not up to you.”
When she said it, we all sat in silence and the worried look returned
to Cory’s face. I was nervous inside, and Gloria seemed pensive as if
she was trying to figure out how we would proceed if this were the
case. I wanted to cry at the possibility. It did not even make sense to
see Gretchen anymore because her eyes were not blue and Gloria
was right about me sleeping with her only to find out later that she
was not the one. I could go out with her without us ending up in bed,
but I was free after a whole year of staying by myself and I did not
want to lose that streak or hurt Gretchen only to end up with
someone else. I was not sure what to do.
Cory looked at Gloria as she turned the beautiful engagement ring
on her finger and his face softened a bit, then he brought her into his
arms. I could see how much he loved her and I just wanted to get as
far away from them as possible. I didn’t want to mess with this
beautiful story – neither in thought nor action.
“I need to go home,” I said.
“No, don’t leave,” Gloria said. “I don’t want you to not feel welcome
here. This is Cory’s home and you’re his best friend so you’re
welcome to visit or stay here.”
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“You’re my friend because you’re Cory’s friend. I enjoy your
company and I want us to get along.”
“While we sleep together?”
“What?” Cory gave out.
“No! Forget about this Oakley stuff,” Gloria said. “Let’s all have
dinner tomorrow…”
“I’m having dinner with Gretchen.”
“Don’t do it,” Gloria said.
“I think you should, Bree. That way you’ll know for sure,” Cory said.
“Don’t tell her that!” Gloria said to him. “She needs to wait until she
goes back to Oakley to get some more clues.”
“I’m going out with Gretchen,” I said. “Thanks for the dinner and I’ll
see you around.”
“When?” she asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Can we have lunch tomorrow so I can talk you out of that mistake?”
“Gloria, stop,” Cory said. “I don’t like where you’re going with this,
and if you’re joking, it’s not funny anymore.”
“Fine. I’m sorry. I’ll stay out of it. Whatever you two decide then let
me know,” she said and got to her feet. “It was nice hanging out with
you this evening, Bryce. Honey, take her home and I’ll see you in the
morning for breakfast.”
“So I shouldn’t return tonight?” he asked.
“We need some time apart to think and in the morning we’ll be as
good as new,” she said and kissed him, then she turned and walked
away without telling me goodbye.
I stood watching her as she kept going and she was really a picture
of perfection. When she disappeared into the elevator, keeping her
back turned to me, I looked at Cory and saw a worried look on his
face. He picked up his car key and I picked up my phone and purse
then I followed him to the door. He did not take my hand as he was
accustomed to and I felt a lump in my throat. I sat in the car beside
him and he started the engine and drove away from Gloria’s house. I
wanted to say something but I did not know what to say. He was my
best friend and I could not remember a time when he was upset
with me. This is the worst I had ever felt in our five years of
friendship, and I did not know how to handle it.
He did not say anything the entire way then he pulled into my
driveway and did not get out to open my door as he was accustomed
to whenever I remained seated. He probably was waiting to hear
what I have to say, but I did not know how to get my words out
without crying.
“Bree,” he said and I looked at him, but he kept his eyes on the
steering wheel. “I am proud of you and what you said to Gloria…you
know…about not doing anything that would hurt me. I’m not angry
with you. I’m just scared of…,” he paused and sighed. “If this is what
Oakley means…you know…that you will end up with Gloria. I would
rather share her with you than lose her.”
“What? Are you insane? I would never do that.”
“Then she’s going to be unhappy if she is meant to be with us and
you don’t want her, and if she’s unhappy, then she might leave me.”
“I’m sorry, Cory. I can’t do it.”
“Then there’s no sense in both of us being miserable. I’ll leave her,”
he said.
“It’s the same thing. One of us would still be unhappy, and the same
will go for her. She will be unhappy with just me,” I said. “This
cannot be what Oakley meant. We have it all wrong. It has nothing to
do with Gloria. I’m going out with Gretchen, and that’s final.”
“Gloria doesn’t think you should.”
“But she doesn’t have a valid reason.”
“Her reason is that, if something intimate ends up happening with
Gretchen then Oakley tells you that Gloria is the one she saw…she is
going to be very upset because she told you not to do it,” Cory said.
“I would care if there was a chance in hell that I would sleep with the
woman you’re in love with. I am going out with Gretchen.”
 Chapter 7
I kept watching the clock and it seemed as if the hour hand was not
moving. I had made reservations for Gretchen and me, but six
o’clock was five hours away. It seemed to have been that way since I
woke up at nine and made the call. Gretchen was happy that we
were still on for dinner, and I too was excited to see her. I wanted
more than anything for her to be the one, and I would wait on her
until she was free to be with me. I would much rather that than be in
a relationship with my best friend’s woman.
I could not understand Cory. He was willing to share Gloria with me.
He had been certain since the very beginning that Oakley saw Gloria
in his future with two children, so why would he allow me in when
he knew that Oakley could never have meant it to be that way? I
would not even waste any more time on that thought because I
spent the entire night thinking about the things Gloria said. I
wondered if she really loved Cory, because if she did, why would she
be willing to let me in? She was clear that she wanted to spend the
rest of her life with him, but she would make room for me. She was
rich and spoilt and accustomed to having her way, so boundaries
were a little blurred for her. She believed that she could love Cory
and still add a little more fun to their lives.
I sat at the kitchen table with the half-eaten salad in front of me. I
was too eager to see if Gretchen was the one that I could hardly get
my food down. Or was it because I was so scared that Gloria was
right?
The doorbell rang, and it could not be Cory because he was at work.
I walked to the front door and opened it.
“Fuck,” I gave out and held my chest when I saw Gloria standing at
the door. “What are you doing here?”
“I never treated you that way when you came to my house.”
“I’m sorry. Come in,” I said. She entered and walked over to the sofa
and took a seat without being invited. “What brings you by?”
“You’re our friend. I thought our doors were open to each other.”
“They are,” I said and sat across from her.
“Sit here. I want to talk to you.”
“I can hear you from over here. Does Cory know you’re here?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t believe you,” I said.
“I am not in the habit of hiding things from my fiancé,” she said then
took out her phone and called Cory.
“Hey, babe,” he greeted.
“Bryce does not believe that you knew that I was coming to see her.”
“Am I on speaker?”
“Yes.”
“Bree?”
“Yes.”
“Gloria told me she was coming to see you,” he said.
“You’re so stupid. You would send your woman alone knowing that
she feels that we should be in a polyamorous relationship?”
“She doesn’t feel that we should. She feels that Oakley saw that when
she read your palm. We’re just trying to figure it out,” he said.
“And I agree, but don’t you think that all three of us should be
together when we’re figuring it out? How would you feel if she
comes home and told you that we slept together?”
“That won’t happen.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Because I know you’ll never do it. I have to go. Talk to you later.
Bye, honey. I love you.”
“I love you too,” Gloria replied and disconnected the call. Then she
sat staring at me. “Come sit beside me.”
“No,” I said and she got up and came over to me and sat.
I wished that I had gone to her because we would have had more
space between us, and now we were on the sofa for two with her leg
brushing against mine. I was a woman – a gay woman – and I had
been with multiple partners. I got easily attracted to them and the
one beside me was the sexiest of them all. What was keeping me
from making my move was the fact that she was my best friend’s
woman. As attractive as she was, and despite all the desire she was
bringing out in me, I would not break because the price would be
too much to pay.
“I’m here for one reason and one reason only, and that is to stop you
from going on a date with Gretchen. We don’t know who Oakley saw
you with, but whoever it was, did not have hazel eyes. I don’t believe
in fortune tellers, but how could I ignore her when she brought Cory
and me together? It is the most impossible of unions, and that makes
her very real to us.”
“It cannot be you.”
“It is not Gretchen. Can you think of anyone else?”
“I thought of Lauren, but she hates me,” I said.
“That’s nothing. Cory and I were arch-enemies.”
“Why didn’t you get along?”
“Because he was passive-aggressive and nothing annoys me more.
His number one goal was to oppose everything I said and I had to
remind him whose company it was.”
“But sometimes he was right.”
“I knew that, but his insubordination was noteworthy and could not
be overlooked, but I couldn’t fire him because he was the best I had.”
“So what do you do now without him being there?” I asked.
“That’s the thing with Cory. He is such an unselfish and wonderful
human being that he helped others to follow in his footsteps –
without the fight, of course. So that made the transition a lot easier,
and he is still available for advice,” she said.
“He is a good person. Many people take that for granted,” I said and
looked at her.
“I’m not many people. I am just a proactive businesswoman and it
spills over into my personal life. There are polyamorous
relationships all around us, and there is no point in pretending that
it does not exist. Is that something I want? No. I have never been
with a woman, but if Oakley saw you and me together, then it is
going to happen whether we like it or not. I don’t want Cory to be
out of my life in order for you and me to happen. Let us be sure then
we can move on together or apart.”
“We will not move on together…”
“What is it about me that you don’t like?” she asked.
“Nothing. You’re a very attractive woman and I would definitely be
in a relationship with you if you were free, but you’re not…”
“It sounded as if Oakley was telling you that you would have to wait
to be with me, and I’m giving you an option where we all could be
happy,” she said. “I don’t want you to sleep with me or anything. I
just want you to be sure of what Oakley is telling you because if you
go out with Gretchen and you so much as kiss her then come back in
a few weeks to tell me that Oakley said it’s me, I will be really upset
and I will not be with you.”
“Then I will kiss Gretchen because if you cut me off as a result, that
would be perfect for me. I have no problem spending the rest of my
life alone because…”
My words were cut short when my lips were taken in a brutal kiss. I
was not sure what caused me to respond. It could be the fact that I
had not had a kiss in a year, or that the feeling of her lips shooting
waves of pleasure all over my body.
“Mm,” a soft moan escaped me and my finger slipped into her
healthy, silky waves as I held her head and deepened the kiss. I was
shaking with desire and I lost my head for a moment because I could
not think about Cory’s feelings right now. I knew I would regret this,
but I could not stop.
“Fuck,” Gloria said into my mouth and my fingers started undoing
the buttons on her shirt. I wrapped my hands over her breasts and
her nipples were hard against my palms as they tried to pierce her
bra. Pleasure consumed me and the intoxicating scent of her
perfume rendered me helpless. Only Gloria could stop me at this
moment, and I was disappointed when she said the word. “Stop…”
I took her lips and cut her words off because I wanted more. I was
drunk with passion and I wanted her. I was willing to risk
everything for her to take me to the end.
“Please,” I begged and she held my breasts and gave me her tongue.
“Mmm…”
“Bree,” she said into my mouth. “We have to stop.”
I heard her, and I believed her, but the ball was already rolling
downhill and there was no way back for me. I could not stop until I
got to an orgasm. It was all up to her.
Gloria pulled away. My hand went between my legs and I fell
forward on her. She held me as I panted and tried to ward off the
orgasm that was right under the surface because I did not want to be
embarrassed more than I already was. I was shaking, and I wanted it
to stop.
“Bree,” she said and held my head up to look at her, but my eyes
were tightly closed and I grimaced as the pleasure trapped between
my legs, refused to leave me.
Gloria took my lips again and this time, she slipped her hand into my
pants and brought her fingers to my clit. She moaned into my mouth
and rubbed her fingers against my clit, causing me to buck. I
grabbed her tightly and moaned loudly into her mouth as my
orgasm got closer.
“Fuck!” I cried out. “Don’t stop…fuck, fuck…aaah!”
I trembled violently against Gloria, and I held her tightly as waves
upon waves of pleasure washed over me. I could not control my hips
that continued to move against her fingers that were still working
on my clit as she helped me to completion. It ended, and the blood
started rushing back to my brain. I buried my face in her hair and
slowly removed her hand from my pants. I looked at it and it was
glistening with my nectar. I led her to the powder room then
pumped some soap onto her hand and I washed it as the tears ran
from my eyes. She could not see them, and I didn’t want her to, but
she eventually would. I dried her hand in the towel then I turned to
walk out with her but she stopped me.
“Bree,” she said and I could not look at her. “Bree…look at me.”
“No,” I said and closed my eyes, more tears running down from
under my lids, and she used the towel and wiped them away.
“Bryce,” she said and I opened my eyes and looked at her. “I’m sorry.
That should not have happened. This was not the reason I came
here.”
“I know,” I said and walked out of the powder room.
I walked back to the sofa and sat, hoping that she would sit across
from me, but she sat beside me and brushed my hair from my face.
“Oh my God,” I said because I knew the implications of what just
happened. “What am I going to do?”
“You’re not going to do anything,” Gloria said and I looked at her.
“This has to remain between us.”
“You’re not going to tell Cory?”
“Should we? I don’t think we should,” she said.
“I can’t keep this from him,” I said. “What did we do?”
“We just got carried away, that’s all.”
“That’s all? You cheated on your fiancée!”
“Was that cheating? We didn’t do anything really,” she said and I
looked at her in disbelief. “We didn’t use our mouths…so does that
count? Is that still cheating?”
“You kissed me and you brought me to an orgasm. Yes! It’s fucking
cheating,” I said and fell back against the sofa. “He’s going to hate
me. I’m going to lose my best friend.”
“If only you had listened to me,” she said. “I told you not to go out
with Gretchen but you insisted on doing that and I lost my head.”
“So this is my fault?”
“Yes!” she gave out and got to her feet. “This is your fault! I have
been telling you since last night that you should not go out with her
until we’re sure what Oakley was talking about, but you insisted on
being fucking stubborn and now look what happened. I pray that
when you go back to Oakley that she tells you that the three of us
will be in a relationship, because then, this would be okay. If we
were mistaken…”
“We? You’re the only one who was mistaken. At first, I thought it
was you, but then I realized that it couldn’t possibly be, however,
you insisted that a three-way relationship was what Oakley meant,”
I reminded her.
“I did not insist on any such thing. I said just in case that was what
she meant, you should put everything on pause until we are sure,
but you could not wait to get some pussy so you were willing to go
out with Gretchen when she has fucking hazel eyes!”
“Okay,” I said softly as I tried to bring the temperature down in the
room. “I should have listened. I will cancel the reservation for dinner
with Gretchen and wait for Oakley to help me figure this out.”
“Why couldn’t you have agreed to that before I fucked you?” she
said, and just to hear her say the words sapped the life out of me.
“We’re in so much trouble, because if Oakley said I’m not the one, I
can’t marry Cory.”
“What?!”
“I can’t marry him with this secret, and I cannot tell him because he
would hate you,” she said. “This was not something you wanted and
you made it clear that his happiness supersedes yours. However,
this happened and we cannot tell him. You will not see Oakley for
another few weeks, so even if she confirms that I’m the one, we
cannot go to Cory weeks later to tell him that this happened. We will
have to keep this secret forever.”
“Gloria, I can’t. I can’t keep this from him,” I cried and she looked at
me and sighed.
“Okay,” she said and held my hand. She looped her fingers through
mine and then she wiped my eyes with her other hand and smiled. “I
would’ve wanted you to be my best friend because I had never had
one and I had such high hopes for the three of us to be close before I
knew about Oakley. It’s a pity I won’t get to know what it’s like to
have a best friend.”
“We could still be,” I said.
“I can’t. I’m going to end my engagement with Cory,” she said and
my heart stopped.
“You can’t do that!”
“If you tell him what happened here today, then there is no way
forward. He will end his friendship with you or his relationship with
me. If he chooses me, he will not be happy because he lost his friend
and I’m the reason. If he chooses you, he will not be happy because
you caused his relationship to end.”
“No, just…please,” I said and held in my tears. “Stay with him. I won’t
say anything.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I promise,” I said. “What about you? Will you suddenly decide
to be honest with him?”
“I hate it, but no. If we both don’t say anything then this secret is
safe.”
“Why did you have to do it?”
“I kissed you because you would not shut up about seeing Gretchen
and it felt so good that I could not stop, then when I did, you were…,”
she paused. “I had to help you out.”
“Oh my God,” I said then slipped down the sofa with my head
hanging over the armrest.
“I’m sorry,” she said and I sat up and looked at her.
“It’s okay,” I said. “It’s so sad that such an amazing moment came
from my best friend’s fiancée. I would have loved it if it were with
someone else so that we could do it again.”
“Yeah,” she said and smiled. “I didn’t even get a turn.”
“You have someone to get a turn with. I’m not so lucky.”
“It’s different with you. It feels different,” she said. “There’s a part of
me that’s hoping Oakley would say it’s me, then I could be with you
whenever we want and with Cory’s blessing.”
“You think he would be okay with that?”
“Not at first, but he cares deeply about us and he would eventually
come around,” she said. “If you go back to Oakley and she says it’s
Lauren, would you still be friends with me?”
“Absolutely,” I said and I started to feel a whole lot better, but I knew
that the moment Gloria was gone and I thought about Cory, the guilt
and shame would return.
“Do you think it’s Lauren? Other than the fact that she hates you,
what else is there?”
“She has green eyes.”
“That’s a little close, depending on the shade of blue Oakley saw.
Could it be Lauren?”
“She is single and not gay.”
“Single. Hm. Doesn’t sound like her,” Gloria said. “Babe, you don’t
have enough information to go on. You shouldn’t see anyone until
Oakley gives you more information.”
“You called me babe.”
“I do that with people I’m close to sometimes. It doesn’t mean
anything. Cory knows that.”
“How will you look at him without feeling guilty?” I asked.
“It will be hard, but I’ll…it’ll be fine. Don’t worry about it,” she said
and got to her feet. “I have a late meeting. Would you come to my
office and hang out with me?”
“No…what are you doing?”
“Nothing. I just want you to be a part of our lives.”
“I am a part of your lives.”
“Then why can’t you come by the office? Cory would join us,” she
said. “This is coming from a place of friendship.”
“I think you’re underestimating what’s going on here, and what
happened earlier should serve as an example that love and lust are
more powerful than our convictions. I swore I would never cross a
certain line with my best friend’s woman and look what happened.
Gloria, we need to stay away from each other for a while until I am
settled in the relationship I was meant to be in.”
She held my hand and brought me to stand close to her.
“What happened between us earlier was amazing and I am so torn
between my desire for you and my desire and commitment to Cory,
but just think about what I’m about to say to you for a second. Why
don’t you forget about the woman Oakley saw and just be with me?
You would be happy with us,” she said and wrapped her arms
around my waist.
“If we all agree, I’m sure it would be because Cory loves us both – in
different ways, but still. However, I want to have a family…”
“We could do that. I have one child and you have the other. Both for
Cory,” she suggested.
“And what would your family say?”
“My life is for me to live and I had always done that, so whether they
accept it or not will have no effect on me. What about yours?”
“They wouldn’t disown me, but they would not be happy about it,” I
said. “Anyway, that’s not going to happen.”
“We can make it happen, babe. Just don’t go back to Oakley and let’s
talk to Cory,” she said and brushed her nose against mine, then her
lips kissed mine. “I love kissing you,” she whispered into my mouth
and my tongue went into hers. “Mmm…”
I pulled away and walked to the door.
“You need to leave,” I said and she came and held my hand, pulling it
off the handle of the door, then she brought her face close to mine
and caressed my cheek with hers.
“Or what?” she asked in my ear and my heart started to race.
“Or I’m going to fuck you,” I whispered in hers.
“Shit,” she said and quickly undid the button on her pants then took
my hand and pushed it down into her panties.
I did not object, instead, I found her clit and caressed it as I took her
lips then I went lower and she worked her pussy against my hand. I
entered her, and I almost came again.
“Fuuuck!” Gloria cried out and her head fell on me and my fingers
fucked her hard. I turned her around and against the door. “Oh
God…yes, don’t stop…please.”
I used one hand to undo the buttons on her shirt then pulled her bra
to one side so that I could get her breast into my mouth. I sucked her
pink nipple in and she cried out as my fingers continued to fuck her.
I felt her contracting against my fingers that were trapped inside her
pussy, and I could hear her whimpering sounds as her orgasm
approached. I flicked my tongue over her nipple as my nectar-coated
fingers rubbed her clit.
“I’m cumming! Fuuuck!” she cried and I hoped that Cory was not on
the other side of the door.
Gloria came, and we had no excuses this time. As she shook, I basked
in the feeling that I had missed for so long, and it was so amazing. I
had to hold Gloria against me because her knees buckled from the
mind-blowing orgasm she was receiving from a woman for the first
time. I slowly removed my fingers from her clit and out of her pants
and I held her with my other hand. She was finally able to stand
alone, so I went into the powder room to wash her nectar off my
fingers, but before I did, I brought it to my mouth and tasted her.
The erotic flavor and scent of her caused me to leave my body for a
second, and it took Gloria entering the bathroom for me to reenter
my body.
“What are you doing?” she asked when she saw my unwashed hand.
“Tasting you,” I replied.
“Fuck,” she said and started opening her pants. “You can taste me
now.”
“Stop,” I said and held her hand. “Gloria, you need to go.” I turned
and washed my hands then dried them, and when I turned around,
she had redone her pants. “You have to go.”
“Things just got worse,” she said. “Are you still going out with
Gretchen?” she asked, and I would crush her if I said yes after what
just happened between us.
“No, honey. I’m not going out with anyone,” I said and she smiled
beautifully.
“You called me honey,” she said and touched my face.
“I did,” I replied.
“We need to talk to Cory,” she said softly and I sighed.
“Yeah, we do. Let’s go.”
 Chapter 8

I got dressed and went to the office with Gloria. We drove most of
the way in silence, but she held my hand and caressed it whenever
we came to a light. The moment we entered her building, she
switched into a different mood and it was crazy to see the transition.
She was powerful, strong, and sexy at the same time. Cory landed
himself the big fish, and now he would have to share it with me. I
was sick to my stomach that I would have to talk to him about that
because I told him that his happiness was very important to me and
I would never do anything to take that away from him, yet that was
exactly what I did. I loved Cory, but my actions were not reflecting it.
Did this mean that neither Gloria nor I loved him? My love for Cory
should not be defined by a moment of indiscretion that got me
hooked after one kiss and now I was unable to walk away.
Gloria and I would talk to Cory, and it was up to him how we would
proceed. If he should say no, I would leave them alone, but I no
longer had confidence in my resolve because I never imagined that I
would have given in so easily to Gloria, and I was sure she was
thinking the same way about herself.
She had put me to wait in her relaxation room with the television on
and told me that she was running into a meeting, but she stood and
waited for me to call Gretchen and cancel our date. It wasn’t so bad
because she wasn’t depressed over it. I told her to go out with Jeff
and have dinner on me and to talk to him and see if they could patch
things up. She sounded happy to give that a try.
Gloria was happy that the story with Gretchen was over, but our
own story had just begun and we needed to break that news to Cory.
We were both nervous about it, but I was sure that Gloria would
handle it much better than I did because she ran a massive
investment company and she knew how to handle tough
negotiations and a company full of aggressive, opinionated, and
business-savvy employees. She was different out of her work mode,
but she had it in her to stand up to Cory and state her case. I was
already shaking and I did not want Gloria to fight my battle because
it would result in the end of their relationship, and I would not be
able to forgive myself. I was basically going along with a
polyamorous agreement as Gloria had suggested from the very
beginning because there was no one else in my life like the person
Oakley described except Gloria, and in order to be with Gloria
without pushing Cory out, we would have to find a way to make a
three-way relationship work.
I wasn’t watching anything on the television. I spent the entire time
thinking about how Cory would react and how we would handle it.
The hardest part would be to tell him that Gloria and I had sex
behind his back. Cory was a cool and wonderful guy, but everyone
had their limit and this suggestion of a polyamorous relationship
had been pushing him to the edge. He must be feeling some regret
for telling me about Oakley, but who would have known that it
would have resulted in something like this? He did not want to leave
me behind while he ran off with his beautiful life. So much for being
considerate.
The door opened and Gloria came in and locked it. She walked over
to me and saddled my lap then she took my lips. It was very hard to
resist her kiss, and I returned it, but then I pulled away.
“What?” she asked.
“We shouldn’t do this,” I said and she laughed.
“Isn’t it kind of late?”
“I know, but we need to talk to Cory first.”
“You’re my girlfriend, whether or not he agrees,” she said.
“And what is he to you?”
“He’s my fiancé whether or not you agree,” she smiled and tried to
kiss me but I turned my head away.
“So you’re going to marry him?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Do you even love him?”
“I do,” she said.
“Then how are you able to do this?” I asked.
“Maybe you can answer that question,” she said. “Honey, we do
things for pleasure, fulfillment, satisfaction, and those sometimes go
against conventional norms, but it doesn’t mean we do them
because we hate or with the intention to hurt. I think it’s about
satisfying a desire and sometimes it has a domino effect. I didn’t do
this because I hate Cory or because I was trying to hurt him. I did it
at first because I believed in the possibility that Oakley meant for us
all to be together, then I wanted to stop you from going out with
Gretchen because I did not want her to touch you if you were meant
to be with us. Then when I kissed you, it went further because it
became an overpowering desire. At no point did I think that I
wanted to do this to hurt Cory.”
“As you said, our actions sometimes cause a domino effect. He will
get hurt.”
“But that is not the debate here. The debate is whether or not I love
him and if my actions reflect how I feel about him. I love Cory and I
want to be with him, but I also want you to be there with us. As for
my actions, they are not a reflection of how I feel about him. If I
continue to sneak around behind his back and look him in the eye
knowing that he would be devastated, then that would be a different
situation. I am involving him and will be completely honest with him
about everything. We will decide together how we proceed.”
“What if he doesn’t want me to be a part of your relationship? What
will you do then?” I asked and she remained quiet then got off my
legs and started pacing the floor. “You didn’t think of that?”
“No,” she replied. “As I see it, only Oakley can put an end to this. If
she finds your other half, then I will back off and we will just be
friends, but if she says she sees you and me as life partners, then
Cory will have no choice because it will happen one way or another.
I think he will agree, especially after Oakley already saw him and me
together. It will work itself out…”
“So if Oakley says Gretchen is my other half, you’ll step away and not
want to sleep with me anymore?”
“I will still want to sleep with you. I just wouldn’t do it,” she said.
“And how will we resist?” I asked.
“It’s exciting now because we believe that we were meant to be, but
if we find out that I belong solely to Cory and you belong solely to
Gretchen, I think this exciting and overwhelming desire will
dissipate.”
“Yeah. I think so too.”
“But we’re not going to Oakley, right?” she asked and came back to
my lap and saddled me with her arms on my shoulders, her lips
almost touching mine.
“Because we want to do this?” I asked against her lips.
“Yes, I want both of you,” Gloria whispered. “Can I fuck you in my
office?”
“No,” I said and still took her lips.
“Mmm,” she moaned in my mouth. “Please…”
I broke our kiss and looked at her.
“And what will happen when you want to make love with me and
we’re at home with Cory?” I asked.
“I’ll take you into the other room and fuck you,” she said and kissed
me.
“And he won’t object?”
“No, because he would have known, and he would have agreed.”
“But won’t he feel bad?”
“So will you when I’m with him at night,” she said as she looked at
me.
“So I’ll be sleeping alone every night?” I asked.
“No. We’ll all sleep in the same bed. It’s custom made and has room
for all of us.”
“Wouldn’t that be awkward?”
“Baby, Cory adores you and he is not attracted to you in any way,
just as you’re not attracted to him. He told me that he took you home
and changed you out of your clothes and put on your pajamas while
you were drunk. I asked him about how he felt, and he said he
watched you change all the time, so I’m sure he has no reservations
where you’re concerned. It will be an easy transition to us being
open in a three-way relationship.”
“You will be benefitting most from all of this.”
“It’s not my fault that you’re gay. If that weren’t so, it could have
been divided equally,” she said and slipped her hands under my top
then wrapped her fingers around my breasts. “I can’t believe it feels
so wonderful to have a woman sucking on my breast. I want to taste
yours.”
Gloria slid down on her knees and lifted my top then she unhooked
the bra and sucked my breast into her mouth.
“Fuck,” I said and grabbed her head. “Oh…baby…”
Her phone started to ring and she released my breast then picked up
the phone on the sofa. It was Cory.
“Hi, honey,” she greeted and I quickly tried to re-hook my bra.
“I’m at the office. No, meet me at the house. I have Bree here with me
so we’ll meet you there. I want to talk to you.”
“What did you do?!” I could hear Cory shouting over the phone.
“Baby, please calm down. We’ll talk when we get home. See you in a
little while okay? Okay,” Gloria said and disconnected the call then
bit her lower lip and hung her head. “Fuck.”
“What?”
“This is not going to turn out well.”
“Of course not!” I said and got to my feet. “Gloria, listen to me. We
both love Cory and we do not want to hurt him. Let’s just keep this
between us then wait for my next visit with Oakley. If she
confirms…”
“Then what? We can’t tell Cory weeks from now what happened
today.”
“Then this will be our secret. Why can’t we do this to protect him?” I
asked.
“Then what will become of us?”
“We stay apart until we’re sure. If it’s you, then we talk to Cory about
bringing me in. If it’s not, we remain friends and no one has to
know,” I said.
“And will you be able to keep your hands off me?” she asked with a
smile.
“Yes.”
“Baby, you were adamant from the very beginning that you would
never be intimate with me and look what happened. What you
intend to happen and what actually happens sometimes do not
agree. I don’t want us to have a long-term affair behind his back. He
either agrees or we stay apart.”
“Then we stay apart. This is going to hurt him so bad,” I said. “Please,
Gloria. Let’s push this out of our minds and just be friends.”
Gloria took my hand and sat with me on the sofa, then she played
with my fingers and looked at me.
“We would be taking this secret to our graves. Is that something we
can do?” she asked.
“If we become best friends then I think we can. Friends have secrets
all the time,” I said. “I know you love Cory and this whole thing
happened because we misunderstood what Oakley was trying to
show me, so we got carried away and made a mistake. That’s all it
was. We’re not in love with each other. We just got excited about the
possibility of all of us being happy in a relationship together…and
that might be what it is, but we need to confirm first.”
“I need to have your word that this will stay between us because if
you change your mind because of guilt, our relationship will be
over.”
“I won’t because I have more to lose here.”
“How so?”
“Oakley saw both of you together with two children. She said
nothing about me and Cory.”
“True. In that case, I have a little more confidence that the secret is
safe,” she said. “So that is our final decision? We don’t say anything
for the next four weeks, then when you see Oakley and know for
sure…”
“We still won’t share the secret. We’ll just revisit the polyamory
conversation and then we’ll decide how to move on from there. If
Oakley says the person she saw was you.”
“So from this moment on, we’re just best friends?” she asked with a
smile.
“Yes,” I said and smiled back. “Bound together by a secret that we
will carry for life.”
“Deal,” she said and held out her hand to me. I took it in a long
handshake. “Should we kiss on it?”
“We can’t talk like that anymore. We have to act like friends would,”
I said.
“Okay. Deal,” she replied then turned off the television and we left
the room.
The minute she was out the door, her demeanor changed and she
was so in charge and serious that no one at her office would know
that she was such a fun person to be around. I could imagine how
difficult it was for Cory to get her to a place where she could see that
he wanted her. I did not want to undo all of that hard work, and as
beautiful as it was with Gloria, I had to put the memory in the back
of my mind so that I wouldn’t hurt my best friend. Lying to him
would be brutal because he was already thinking that something
went on between his fiancée and me. He would definitely try to get
to the bottom of it and it would mean lying to him repeatedly, in
addition to the fact that his woman and I had sex behind his back.
As I walked beside Gloria, I wished that she were mine. I felt a little
jealous of my friend that he was so lucky to have been paired with
her. I could feel my throat constricting because I wanted to cry so
badly – for hurting my friend and for being jealous of his success.
Oakley saw the woman who would be my partner and the love of my
life, and I just had to be patient to see who it was. I wanted Cory
there with me every step of the way because I truly loved him. How
was I going to feel comfortable with him in my life knowing the
secret I carried?
“I can’t do it, Gloria,” I said and she turned and saw the tears in my
eyes.
“What the fuck…,” she said and started looking around then she held
my hand and hurried with me to her car. She opened the door and
pushed me in then she went to the driver’s side and got in. “What
were you saying?”
“If my friendship with Cory ends, then I will just have to live with
that mistake but I cannot look into his eyes and lie.”
“We fucking shook hands on it!”
“I know, and I feel as if it is the best way to go, but it’s going to kill
me and I will finally break,” I said and wiped my eyes. “We’ll have to
tell him.”
“Fuck,” she said and lay her head against the rest with her eyes
closed. “Oh my God, what have we done?”
“I thought you were fine with it.”
“I wasn’t. I was dealing with it as a possibility, and it was a joke at
first, but then it seemed real…fuck!” she gave out, hitting the
steering wheel. “Okay. We’ll go home and tell him, but in order for
this to make sense…to do what we did, then we must have believed
that I am the person Oakley was talking about.”
“We don’t have to pretend. That was what you definitely thought,
and I saw no one else in my life who fit the description more than
you do, so we acted based on that. I should have listened to you and
just waited until my next appointment with Oakley, but I decided
that whether it was you or not, I would never hurt Cory. And that’s
what I ended up doing.”
“He might be into this, so let’s not beat ourselves up about it as yet.
At first he didn’t believe it was me, but now he does and he’ll see
that this is happening. He doesn’t want to lose either of us, and we
don’t want to lose him either, so we will just have to make this
work,” she said.
“So I shouldn’t go back to Oakley?”
“No,” she said and took my hand. “I’m now scared that she might tell
you that I’m not the one.”
“It has to be. There is no one else in my life that matches the
description Oakley gave.”
“So we’re doing this?”
“Yeah,” I said.
“You have a habit of changing your mind.”
“I know, but I act based on how I’m feeling. That’s why I got myself
in trouble having sex with you,” I said as she drove out of the
parking lot and onto the street.
“Did we really have sex…or did we just do a little thing?”
“We both had an orgasm. That’s not just a little thing,” I said.
“I guess every part counts in lesbian sex.”
“So if Cory uses his fingers, that’s not sex?” I asked.
“I guess it is, but he has something better, and so do you. We didn’t
do that.”
“You mean my mouth?”
“Or mine.”
“I hate to laugh,” I said as I laughed. “If we had gone there, you
would’ve called off your engagement.”
“What?!” she gave out and pulled off the road. “What’s different…is it
different from a guy’s tongue?”
“I have never felt that, but I cannot imagine it being better than a
woman’s tongue on your clit…”
“Fuck!” she gave out then drove onto the road and spun the car
around.
“What are you doing?! Where are you going?”
“To find a hotel.”
 Chapter 9
We were on our way to Gloria’s house because after begging and
beseeching, I finally got her to turn the car around and head back in
the original direction. I believed we would have a very exciting sex
life if she were mine or if Cory were to agree to a polyamorous
relationship. Gloria was beautiful and exciting and I loved spending
time with her. I was hoping that Cory would not get so mad that he
would end up cutting me off, because somehow I felt as if Gloria
would find me and that would cause some serious problems for her
and Cory. I did not want that, so if we could work something out
then that would be great.
I felt as if I was taking advantage of Cory’s love because he is very
protective of me and was always there for me, and that made me
think that it wouldn’t be hard for him to welcome me into the fold. I
looked at the GPS and we were close to her house. My heart started
to race because I was not sure how I would face Cory and what he
would say, or if I would still be in his life at the end of the night.
“Baby, listen. I know you’re nervous about what might happen
tonight, and I am too, but we’re adults and we get to decide how we
want to live. We can be grown-ups about this and say exactly how
we feel without acting irrationally and stomping our feet,” she said
and turned into the driveway. “Don’t worry about anything. Just be
honest and let’s talk this through.”
“Okay,” I replied as the garage door went up and she drove her black
Mercedes in and parked it beside the white one.
“Come on, honey,” she said and did not seem rattled at all. I admired
her confidence and it was from years of being her own boss and
answering to no one.
Her housekeeper met her and took her purse, her leather attaché
case, and her jacket, and I noticed Cory just sitting there in silence as
he looked at us. I walked over to him and he kept his eyes on me,
trying to read my expression.
“Hey,” I greeted and guilt washed over me.
“Hi, Bree,” he replied in his usual tone, but with a different
expression. He knew. “How are you?”
“I’m not sure at the moment.”
“Hi, honey,” Gloria said and gave him a kiss then she sat beside him.
He did not verbally respond to her greeting, and that made me very
nervous. “How was your day?”
“Very busy. How was yours?” he asked.
“Adventurous,” she said, crossing her legs as she looked at him, and I
sat looking at them.
“And what did that entail?” he asked.
“You seem upset,” she said and caressed his arm. “What’s going on?”
“You tell me. You went to see Bree, then you took her to your office
and now you want to talk to me. Naturally, I’m a little nervous about
what took place, you know, since we were on the topic of a
polyamorous relationship.”
“And that’s not something you would want?”
“Want? No.”
“And if that was what Oakley saw?” she asked.
“See, I’m confused about that because she saw you and me with two
children, then she saw you with Bree…”
“And that’s the reason I went to see Bree. We all agree that I was the
one she saw, therefore, bringing Gretchen into the picture was not a
good idea,” Gloria said calmly to him. “Baby, I don’t want this to be
an either/or situation. I would rather we sit as adults and find a way
for all of us to be happy. I went to Bree’s house to talk her out of
seeing Gretchen, but she insisted on that date and I…I kissed her.”
He was stunned into silence as he looked at her, then slowly his eyes
turned toward me.
“I’m sorry, Cory. I never meant for that to happen,” I apologized
nervously.
“So you kissed her back?”
“Um…,” I said and swallowed. “Yes, I did.”
“And how far did it go?”
“We were right there on the sofa…and the kiss…it has been a long
time for me, so it really affected me…so I…um…”
“I helped her out,” Gloria said.
“Helped her out how?”
“With my hand.”
“Oh my God,” he said and leaned forward with his elbows on his
legs. He looped his fingers together and looked straight ahead, not
making eye contact with me.
“I’m sorry Cory,” I said and he chuckled in disbelief.
“I begged you to go and see Oakley and you didn’t want to go, but I
just felt guilty to have found someone I wanted to spend the rest of
my life with and she wanted to do the same with me. I had no idea
that my concern for you would ruin everything for me,” he said then
looked at me.
“What are you talking about?” Gloria asked then turned him to face
her. “What is ruined?”
“You cheated on me.”
“How can that be cheating when we spoke about it, and at one point
you agreed?” she asked and that was true because he said the same
thing to me. “Nothing is ruined because I still want to spend the rest
of my life with you.”
“In a polyamorous relationship?”
“You introduced Oakley and you believed wholeheartedly in her
ability, so if she saw us living that way then what should we do?
How do you want to handle that?” Gloria asked.
“You made the decision for us when you had sex with my best
friend.”
“It wasn’t a decision. Okay, fine. Bree and I are adults. We can walk
away from what happened, put it behind us and just be friends,”
Gloria said. “Can we do that, Bryce?” she asked me.
“Yes. We absolutely can.”
“I cannot take your word,” Cory said to me. “You told me you would
never hurt me by sleeping with my woman and that was exactly
what you did.”
“Cory, I’m sorry. It just happened. I told Gloria the same thing and I
just had a moment of weakness and then it was downhill from
there.”
“Downhill? How many times did this happen?” he asked and I looked
at Gloria.
“Once with her and once with me. After the first one happened, we
both thought that was it. Then it happened with me,” Gloria said and
held on to him. “Baby, I don’t want this to blow out of proportion.
We have to take control of this situation and just make it work…”
“Gloria, you are accustomed to doing whatever you want and you
live outside the box. Bree and I are not that way. We are traditional
but you’re a modern operator who believe in following how you feel
regardless of where that takes you. Bree and I…we’re concerned
about how things look and how our actions will affect the people
around us. That is the reason you jump on this polyamorous train
long before we could even imagine something like that.”
“You’re right. We differ that way. I don’t care how it looks or how
others feel about what I do, but you’re different and I have to respect
that. I’m sorry that things got out of control today. It was not the
intention when I went to see her,” Gloria said. “Tell me what you
want to do.”
“What happened today, cannot happen again,” he said. “I appreciate
you coming to talk to me about it and it shows that the intention was
not to sneak behind my back and try to hurt me, but I’m not okay
with this. I am willing to forgive you both and move on, but that’s it.
It’s over.”
“Okay,” Gloria said. “If that’s what you want.”
“And what do you want?” he asked.
“It’s not a matter of what I want. It’s a matter of what I don’t want,”
she said. “I don’t want to end up with Bree and you and I are no
longer together. I love you.”
“That’s not going to happen. Oakley saw us both together as a family
with two children, and that is the reason I believe we are
misinterpreting what she told Bree. Yes, the description matches
you because there is no one else in her life that it could possibly be,
but there has to be another explanation. When I put together your
clues, there was absolutely no doubt that she saw you in my life. It
was very clear,” he explained. “The question is surrounding the
person she saw in Bree’s life, but there is no question about us.
When Bree goes back…”
“I told her not to go back. I told her that we should just do this on
our own, regardless of who Oakley saw,” Gloria said. “But you said
we should stop, so she can go to Oakley and see what happens from
there. As a matter of fact, maybe you should call Gretchen,” Gloria
said to me.
“I’m not calling Gretchen. I will wait until my appointment with
Oakley,” I said and tears came to my eyes for being rejected.
Cory did not want me to be an intimate part of their lives, and Gloria
had chosen his feelings over mine. Cory was right. Oakley saw them
together as a couple and they had already bonded with each other. I
was being tacked onto their relationship and that was not how I
wanted to live my life. I felt for a second that I would end up being
an equal part of this relationship, but it would be them…then me.
The problem was that I crossed the line with Gloria and now I
wanted to continue a romantic relationship with her, and because I
loved Cory so much, it did not hurt to share this life with him.
Gloria got up from beside Cory and came over to me and wiped my
eyes, but I did not feel the tears until she gently brushed them away.
“I’m sorry, Bree. I did not mean for you to get hurt,” she said.
“I know. It’s okay,” I said and looked down at my fingers.
“Bree, come here,” Cory said and I nervously got up and went to him.
I sat and looked at him as the tears continued to flow. He gently
wiped them away as he always did whenever I was hurt and he sat
listening to me. “I’m not happy that you slept with my girl…”
“I’m sorry.”
“I know you are, honey,” he said and then he smiled a little. “It
doesn’t hurt as much as it would have if it were someone else and
that is because I love you so much. It’s definitely something we can
overcome and it will not affect our friendship.”
“Cory,” I said and wrapped my arms around his neck and cried on
his shoulder.
“It’s okay, honey. It’s okay,” he said and caressed me as I cried.
Gloria came and sat beside Cory so that she could comfort me as
well. She brushed my hair away and kissed my forehead and it felt
wonderful to have two people caring for me like this. I opened my
eyes and looked at her and I saw the tears in hers. I was bonding
with her the same way I had bonded with Cory, and she would be in
my life forever in any capacity. She gave me a reassuring smile that
everything would be okay, and I believed it. Cory put me to sit and
he held my face and smiled.
“I’m not thrilled about you sleeping with my woman,” he said. “Was
there tongue involved?”
“No! No tongue.”
“Phew!” he said and pretended to wipe his forehead as he looked at
Gloria. “Then I still have a shot at fixing things with you.”
He wrapped his arm around her and hugged her to him.
“What’s this thing with the lesbian tongue?” Gloria asked Cory.
“I heard that men don’t stand a chance against it.”
“If I sleep with her again, then please don’t blame me.”
“What?!”
“I’m kidding!” Gloria laughed. “But you introduce these things in our
relationship and you get me curious and excited about them.”
“You’re a little too spoilt,” he said and pulled her to him in a tight
hug. “I love you.”
“I love you too, honey,” Gloria said, and I smiled because it was so
beautiful. I wanted Cory to be happy and I just wished that I had
found someone of my own instead of getting these little bouts of joy
whenever I was included in the picture. “So we’re fine?”
“Yes,” Cory said, looking at his fiancée.
“So what are we going to do about your friend?” she asked.
“Not take her to our bed. That’s for sure,” he said with a smile and
Gloria laughed. “We’ll find someone for her.”
“No, thank you,” I said. “I’m no longer experimenting. I’ll wait for
Oakley to tell me who is next in line after the woman with the blue
eyes and blonde hair with her own business and in a relationship. If
she continues to see the same person, then…we’re all in trouble.”
We all sat in silence as we tried to figure out what this would mean
for us, and Gloria’s plan seemed like the best option, but Cory did
not want that and we had to respect his decision. The fact that Gloria
was not fighting him on it, meant that she valued his opinion and
this was not just a roll in the hay for her as I had originally thought.
She genuinely wanted to be with him.
“How was it?” he asked Gloria and I almost died.
“How was what?”
“You know,” he said and Gloria chuckled.
“Do we need to talk about that?”
“So if we were in a polyamorous relationship, wouldn’t you talk to
me about your time with Bree?”
“Yes, but now we’re not in one. Something happened and we have
both put it behind us,” she said.
“Don’t speak for her,” Cory said. “Is it behind you, Bree?”
“Yes.”
“When did you become a liar? You know, I blame you for this
because she was never this way,” Cory said to Gloria. “She has never
done a bad thing in her life…”
“She still hasn’t. Bree and I having a sexual experience together was
a result of a conversation we all had. You know what? Let’s not talk
about this anymore…”
“But before you stop talking about it, how was it? Better than with
me?” Cory asked and Gloria laughed.
“Baby, it’s different. I can’t compare them because they are both
amazing…”
“Which means I’m in the lead,” I said to Cory and his mouth opened.
“We were still in our clothes and I had not used my greatest
weapon.”
“Oh my God, I’m going to lose my fiancée,” he said and held his head.
“How can you lose me when we’re not going there again?” Gloria
asked.
“You’re going to do it!” Cory gave out and got to his feet. “You’re
going to get curious and do it!”
“No! Stop,” Gloria laughed and went to him. “Baby, I’m not going to
do anything. Bree is going to find a girl…”
“What if she goes to Oakley and she says it’s you? What then?”
“It is up to you, my love,” Gloria said then smiled. “I can manage both
of you, but the decision is not mine.”
“Why not? Why does it have to be my decision?”
“Because you can’t live with mine, but I can live with yours, so it’s up
to you.”
“So you would have chosen to bring Bree in?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“And you would have agreed?” he asked me.
“Yes.”
“Oh my God!” he gave out. “Some of the men I know would kill to be
in this position – watching two girls fuck each other – but I don’t
want to play around with something so important to me. No! It’s not
happening and that’s final.”
“Okay, honey,” Gloria said. “If Bree goes back to Oakley and she is
clear that she and I would be together, then she will just have to sit
and wait...”
“I know what you’re doing,” Cory said. “We have had these
disagreements countless times in your office, and just bear in mind
that you’re not always right.”
“I know.”
“And this time, you’re not.”
“What am I wrong about, honey?” she asked.
“That Oakley saw you and we were all meant to be together.”
“And who did Oakley see?” Gloria asked and she stood looking at
Cory. “Hm?”
“Fuck!” Cory gave out after he thought about it for a minute. “Call
her.”
“Oakley?” I asked when the order was directed at me.
“Yes.”
“Is that allowed?”
“Yes. One of the guys did it. Well, it’s not allowed, but she
accommodated him.”
“And what should I ask?”
“Just something to give a little more clue. And ask her about the eye
color because maybe it’s Gretchen or Lauren,” Cory said.
I picked up my purse and searched for the card Oakley gave me,
then I made the call. It rang to voicemail at first, but I called again.
“This is Oakley,” she greeted.
“Hi, Oakley. This is Bryce Elron,” I said.
“Hi, Bryce. How are you?” she asked.
“Not so good…a little confused. I want to know if I could have a
session with you over the phone. I’ll send your money through the
app, even if you can just answer a question or two,” I said.
“I’m trying to see if I can squeeze you in for a session, but over the
phone is not as accurate as in person. Most of the information would
be residual from your last visit and not so much what happened
after that.”
“I understand and I want that session as soon as possible, but I’ll
take whatever you can give me now,” I said.
“What happened? You can’t find the person?”
“Not really. No one person has all the clues you gave me.”
“That sucks, right?”
“It sure does. Can you confirm the color of the eyes?” I asked.
“The eyes looking back at you are blue.”
“Could it be green…like bluish green?”
“No. They’re bright blue.”
“Okay. Can you now tell me what color car she drives?”
“I couldn’t tell you when you were sitting in front of me so how…
um…it’s black,” she said and Gloria’s eyes popped open. “Black
Mercedes.”
“Okay,” I said calmly, disguising my shock and Cory hit the couch
and got to his feet. “And she’s in a committed relationship?”
“Yes, but that’s coming to an end. She will clear the way for you. Just
be patient,” she said and all three of us almost fell to the floor.
“Bryce, don’t worry. This is definitely your year for love.”
“I’m excited.”
“You should be. She’ll make you very happy,” Gloria said. “You have
one last question.”
“How many children do you see in my future?” I asked.
“I see a girl and a boy, but they won’t biologically be yours.”
“What?” I asked in utter shock.
“That was your last question. I have to go. Send my money,” she said.
“I’m doing it right now.”
She said goodbye and disconnected the call. I quickly looked at the
information on her card and sent the five hundred dollars to her
then I slowly sat on the sofa across from the two people looking at
me in disbelief.
“Oh my God,” Cory said and wiped his face with his hands then put
them on his hips as he took deep breaths. “What are we going to
do?”
“Two kids that are not mine? Then whose two kids are those?”
“She told me that Gloria and I would have two kids. A boy and a girl,”
he said then turned to Gloria. “So you’re going to break up with me
and take my kids?”
“I would never do that, honey?” Gloria replied.
“But it’s in Bree’s future. She is obviously going to end up being the
mother of our fucking kids – a boy and a girl!”
“Honey…”
“No! I’m going to lose you,” he said and he was really hurt. I got up
and went to him and held his face the way I always did.
“You’re not going to lose her…nor me. The three of us will always be
in each other’s lives.”
“Yes, Bree, but as what? Will Gloria and I be friends while you and
she are lovers…”
“No. Gloria will be your wife,” I said. “Right, Gloria?”
When she did not respond, I turned to look at her. So did Cory.
“Honey?” he said when we saw her just standing there looking at us.
“For the first time in my life I’m truly scared. I am,” she said and I
could see it in her eyes. “I cannot have one of you without the other.
If I choose Bree, you will hate me and I will have to live with you
hating me because she will never let you out of her life. And if I
choose you, I will end up leaving you in order to be with her because
that is the end that Oakley is seeing. It will be a nightmare and I…”
Gloria stopped talking and held her stomach. Her face was contorted
in discomfort.
“Gloria,” Cory said with concern then went to her. “Are you okay,
honey?”
“Fuck…,” she said and rushed to the bathroom.
I watched in horror as Gloria emptied her stomach into the bowl.
Cory held back her hair and gave me a quick look, and we both had a
conversation without saying a word. Gloria was pregnant.
 Chapter 10
I had spent the night in the guestroom at Gloria’s house because I
did not drive and Cory did not want to leave her alone. I could have
taken a cab, but Gloria did not want me to go, so we both took care
of her until she fell asleep. Cory and I had dinner together and we
had a long talk because it was clear what we had to do. We decided
there at the kitchen table that we would have a three-way
relationship to ensure that this story had a happy ending for all of
us. I could see that this was not something Cory wanted, and neither
did I. I would have much preferred to have my own family, but
having Cory by my side every day would be the next best thing. I
knew I would be in good hands because both Gloria and Cory would
do everything to make me happy and I would do the same for them.
I thought about how I would break this news to my family, but I
would take a page out of Gloria’s book and not care about what
anyone else had to say. It could be a happy and fulfilling life without
the drama if we worked together because we all loved each other
and did not want to exclude anyone. In order to make that happen,
we would have to do this together. It was crazy how spot-on Oakley
was, and I had doubted her ability at first, but she was the real deal.
She was honest with what she was seeing and not adding things on
to make her story more believable. If she did not see something,
then she just didn’t see it, and she let us know the limitations of her
gift. You either take it or leave it, but she gave what she got.
We were both driving home in silence after Gloria’s visit to her
doctor. It was confirmed that she was pregnant and she was sent to
see the obstetrician on call. An ultrasound revealed the two
heartbeats and we could not even celebrate because we knew what
it meant. We did not know the genders, but it was the boy and girl
Oakley spoke about. It had started, and if we did not take the lead
and change the course of events, we would all lose, including the
children.
We arrived at home and Cory held Gloria’s hand and led her into the
kitchen for her to have breakfast. She was afraid to eat earlier
because she thought she would bring it all up. I sat with her and held
her hand while Cory made her some toast.
“You have to try to eat,” I said gently to her.
“It’s going to come back up,” she said.
“That’s just out of fear because of how bad it was last night. Try to
eat a piece of toast and have a cup of tea and see what happens,” I
said.
“Okay. I’ll try that,” she said and she was really sad. I was not sure if
it was because she was feeling sick or if she was unhappy about the
pregnancy.
“You’re pregnant,” I said with a smile.
“Don’t remind me.”
“What?” Cory said and came over with the toast. “You’re not happy
about the babies?”
“Why would I be happy about that? They’re going to grow up
without their father around and…”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa…what are we talking about?”
“You know what the fuck I’m talking about! Can Oakley’s prediction
be any clearer?” she asked. “Bree will be there and that will be great,
but I wanted to also raise my children with the man who helped to
create them. Now I don’t know where the fuck you will be!”
“I’ll be right here, honey,” he said and brushed her hair from her
face, then he smiled. “Bree and I decided last night that we are going
to do this together. All three of us.”
“What?” she asked in disbelief and a smile came to her face.
“You were sleeping so we planned to tell you this morning but we
had to take you to the doctor,” he said.
“Oh my God…are you serious?” she asked.
“Yes, honey. No one will be left behind. The only way to beat
Oakley’s prediction is to do it this way.”
“So technically, I won?” she asked Cory.
“Yes, baby, you won.”
She threw her arms around Cory’s neck and kissed him, then she
looked back at me and saw the smile on my face. She got up and
came to me then held my face and kissed my lips.
“Wait a minute!” Cory gave out and we both jumped apart laughing.
“What are you doing?”
“This is what it involves, Cory. If we are all in a relationship, then I
get to kiss her.”
“But I’m not kissing her,” he said.
“That’s because she’s gay and you’re not attracted to her. That’s not
my fault,” Gloria said and picked up a toast. She took a bite and
seemed to be looking better right away.
“I see you’re back to life,” I said to her.
“Yes, because now I don’t have to worry about anything,” she said.
“When are you moving in?”
“I’m not moving in. I’ll be here most of the time and then I’ll go home
to work.”
“I can turn one of the rooms into an office for you.”
“I won’t be able to concentrate here because it is not my comfort
zone yet. When it is, I will work here,” I said.
“But you’ll stay here for a few days, right?”
“You’ll be at the office and Cory will be at work, so there’s no point
in being here alone,” I said and took one of her toasts. Cory was
making the tea for Gloria.
“Let’s go and get a few pieces of clothes and personal items then
come back here and spend a couple of days,” she suggested.
“We could do that,” I replied and she smiled brightly.
“What do you think, baby?” she asked Cory.
“Whatever you do is fine with me, sweetheart. I have made my peace
with the fact that my best friend stole my girl.”
“Will you stop?” Gloria laughed. “You have to be good with this,
babe, or it will defeat the purpose.”
“Baby, I want you to be happy and I want you in my life. Whatever it
takes to make that happen then I’m fine with it. Bree is also the beat
of my heart, so I’ll be happy if you both are happy.”
“So if I kiss her now, you won’t say anything.”
“Wait. I’m trying to reprogram my head to get into the craze of
watching two women make out. It’s the most erotic thing ever but I
just need a little more time to kick-start the desire. I know it’s in me
somewhere,” he said and Gloria and I laughed.
“You’re pregnant,” I said with a wide smile as I looked at Gloria.
“Come. Let me show you something,” Gloria said and took my hand.
“Hey! Where are you going?” Cory asked.
“It’s a girls’ thing,” Gloria said and took me to the elevator. We got
out on the upper floor and she showed me her bedroom without us
going in, then she showed me the room across from it. “This will be
your room, just for a little while. Then you will come into my bed.”
“With you and Cory?”
“That’s what a polyamorous relationship is, babe,” she chuckled then
pulled me into her arms. “He can’t touch you, but I can.”
“Fuck,” I whispered when her hand went between my legs.
“I know why I ended up fucking you yesterday. It’s these damn
hormones. I’m so horny.”
“Stop. We can’t do this.”
“Why not? You’re my girl,” she said and I shivered. For a second, I
wondered if a lack of sex and desperation to have a partner was
causing me to make a mistake. But I trusted Cory, and wherever he
was, that place is safe for me.
“I’m your girl,” I said and took her lips.
“Mm,” she moaned into my mouth and her tongue brushed against
mine.
Our kiss was passionate and immediately I was throbbing for her. It
would be the greatest pleasure to teach her what to do – where to
put her tongue and how to move it. My hand went over her breasts
and I wanted to get her out of these clothes, but I found a little
strength and pulled away. Just like what happened before, my hand
went between my legs.
“Go,” I said to her.
“No…”
“Gloria, go downstairs,” I said.
“No, let me help you. I want to…”
“Cory is not ready. He needs more time. Please go,” I begged.
“If I go downstairs then I’m going to do it with him. I need to cum,”
she said and I did not want Cory to do it. I wanted to taste her.
“Then let him take care of it.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I am. Go,” I said and she turned around and left me in the room.
“Fuck,” I said and put my hand into my panties. I found my clit and
started rubbing it as I tried to get the orgasm out.
I was never good at completely satisfying myself. I would get to an
orgasm, but it never usually felt complete. I thought about Cory and
Gloria fucking and that peaked my senses, but I wanted more. I
wanted to see them or hear them, so I got out of the room and went
downstairs. I could hear the sounds coming from the kitchen. They
didn’t even wait to get to a bedroom. I slowly walked to where I
could see them and I saw Cory with his back toward me.
Gloria was standing on one leg and the other wrapped around him
as he fucked her. Cory’s pants were still on, which meant he pulled
his member through the opening at the front and her panties were
pulled to the side. She just wanted relief and she did not have time
to find a bed or to remove her clothes. Her face was buried in Cory’s
neck as he fucked her and I slipped my hand back into my panties
and rubbed my clit as I witnessed the erotic sight in front of me.
“Yes…fuck me…,” Gloria cried and Cory groaned as he satisfied his
woman.
I started rubbing my clit faster and my eyes closed as the orgasm
approached, when I opened them again, Gloria was looking at me. I
stopped but she slightly parted her lips and her eyes rolled back as
pleasure rushed through her. She refocused them on me and was
willing to bare herself to me as she was being fucked. I started
moving my hand again because I wanted her to see me as well.
“Don’t stop…,” she begged Cory as she looked at me. “Yes, I’m
cumming,” she said and her eyes rolled over again. “I’m cumming,
Cory. Don’t stop, baby,” she said and the sight of her about to cum
pushed me over the edge.
I fought hard to hold in my sounds and I bucked and trembled as I
listened to the cries of Gloria having an orgasm. It was so
overpowering that I could not move and I slipped to the floor. I
heard Cory groan loudly as he came and I was able to open my eyes
and look at him as his hips bucked from shooting his cum into her
pussy.
“Fuck!” he gave out, then he pulled out of her and her leg returned to
the floor.
Just as I was about to move away, Gloria turned Cory around to me.
“Fuck!” he gave out and quickly fixed his pants. “Bree! What are you
doing there?”
“Honey, it’s okay,” Gloria said. “We were kissing upstairs and she
didn’t want to do it, so she sent me down to you.”
“How long were you there?” he asked me.
“An orgasm ago,” I smiled, still sitting on the floor.
“You’re sick,” he said. “You had an orgasm watching me fuck my
woman?”
“Yes,” I said and Gloria laughed. “Now that we’re all satisfied…”
“I’m not,” I said.
“Yes, you are. You need to go home,” Cory said. “Let me take you.”
“No, I’ll take her. I’m going upstairs to shower and then I’ll take her.”
“You’re carrying my children,” Cory reminded her. “We have not
even gotten a chance to celebrate that and you want to fuck
someone else…?”
“Bree does not have a penis. Nothing will be going inside.”
“I don’t care!”
“Fine! You agree then you don’t agree. Take her home. I don’t give a
fuck! Just remember that whatever happens from here is your
decision!” Gloria shouted at Cory then stormed out of the kitchen. I
got up and ran after her as she stepped into the elevator. “Go home,
Bryce!”
The elevator door closed and Gloria went upstairs. I turned and
looked at Cory and he ran his hand over his hair in frustration.
“I’m sorry, Bree,” he said. “We had an agreement and…I’m sorry. It’s
just difficult…”
“It’s me, Cory. We don’t have to be careful or worried or even have
boundaries. We can agree, disagree, apologize, whatever, and it
would be fine,” I said and walked to him. “I take a shower with you
standing there in my bathroom. I get dressed in front of you, and
despite how private and conservative I am, it doesn’t bother me
when it’s you. What are you afraid of?”
“It’s not you, Bree. I trust you with my life, and I don’t care if you end
up hurting me, because I know it’s not intentional. I don’t see a
scenario in which I will not love you, but I have a vision for my wife
and my family and it does not include a third person,” he said. “I
wish I could just look the other way and we just do whatever we
want…”
“So you don’t want anything romantic between Gloria and me,” I
said instead of asking.
“I don’t care if you girls have fun. It’s my two favorite people in the
world so it’s not a big deal.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“It’s messing with the vision in my head. I wanted my wife, my
children, and my best friend. I don’t want a partnership of three and
the children, but I understand that I could lose it all. I don’t want to
lose it all, so I would rather compromise,” he said then sighed and
leaned against the wall. “I really love her, Bree.”
“I know. I’m sorry I’m messing things up for you. I just have to stay
away, so if it means our friendship will have to…”
“I would rather walk away from Gloria and take care of my children
than lose you as a friend, so don’t even suggest it,” Cory said. “You
are not my problem and if you and Gloria sleep together it will not
bother me because I’m not jealous or upset with you. It’s because I
want my wife and children alone. Okay, do you remember Kate?”
“Yes.”
“And do you remember what happened?”
“Yes. She told you to wait for her to get a divorce, but it was taking
longer than you would like because you wanted to marry her,” I said.
“She told you that the assets they shared were complicated but she
loved you and would eventually get it done and marry you.”
“Then what happened?”
“You gave her an ultimatum and she left you,” I said.
“Then?”
“Then she got the divorce and married someone else.”
“Gloria means more to me than Kate, and I don’t want to make the
same mistake again,” he said and held my hand. “Let’s go and get
your clothes. This will be our first night together in the same bed.”
“Can you handle that?”
“Can you handle me having sex with my fiancée with you on the
bed?”
“Why would I have a problem? She’s your woman,” I reminded him.
“And yours,” he said and walked over to the dining room chair and
sat. “Fuck!”
“Honey,” I said and sat on his lap then I smiled at him. “Why can’t
you share your woman with me?”
“Stop,” he laughed. “Why did I tell you about Oakley?”
“This is actually your fault,” I said. “I’ll try not to be better than you
because I don’t want her to kick you to the curb.”
“That is actually a threat. You know she’s going to enjoy you more.
Ugh!” he gave out and fell on my shoulder.
“This could be very exciting,” I said and he looked at me. “Remember
we used to come home and tell each other about our wild sexual
experiences.”
“Wild?”
“Fine. Sexual experiences,” I corrected. “I think we could have fun
with this and we would take care of our children together.”
“Our children?”
“They will be ours, Cory,” I said and he was about to make another
objection, but decided against it. “It would be fun to do everything
together.”
“It would be. I agree. Alright,” he said and lifted me off his lap and
placed me on the floor. “Let’s go get your clothes.”
“Okay,” I said and took his hand, but he wrapped his arm around me
and led me out the door to his car.
“Why couldn’t we have fallen in love with each other?” he asked.
“Our lives would have been so much easier,” I said. “And I see your
skills. You have them, baby.”
“Oh, God! I cannot believe you stood there and watched me have
sex,” he said shaking his head as he drove onto the street. “Then
masturbated to it. That’s disgusting.”
“It was beautiful to watch.”
“So will I get to watch you and Gloria?” he asked, and I was relaxed
when I saw his smile.
“You’re going to love it,” I said. “Every man’s dream.”
“Oh fuck!” he gave out. “I need to be a little more open-minded about
this thing. I might be about to live the best years of my life. I will be
getting married, living with my best friend, having my son and my
daughter, a wonderful job, probably running my wife’s company…”
“It’s looking pretty good, honey. If anyone should be upset, it should
be me. I’m riding on the back of your success.”
“You were always a part of my success plan. I had no intention of
leaving you behind,” he said. “Do you know why you’re my best
friend?”
“Because you can be yourself around me?”
“I can be myself around anyone. You’re my friend because I am
happiest and most at peace with you. You take such good care of me
and you’re just so funny and candid, just a breath of fresh air. I can
face anything because I know that I could come to you and throw
myself down on your sofa and just release. No one understands me
better than you.”
“And no one can love you more,” I said and caressed his head.
We arrived at my house and I got a few things for my night at
Gloria’s, then I got some more for a second night. I decided to call
and check in on her.
“Hi, baby,” she greeted.
“I’m sorry. Were you sleeping?” I asked gently.
“I did for a little while then I woke up and both of you were gone, so
I came back to bed.”
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m okay. Sorry I chased you out,” she said.
“You’re pregnant. Soon you’ll be throwing us out by our ears.”
“That bad, huh?”
“Yup.”
“Are you coming to have dinner and spend the night?” she asked.
“Yes, I’m getting some clothes.”
“You could have worn mine,” she said.
“I had to get my laptop anyway, so I just got a few things.”
“Okay. I’ll see you soon then…wait. What did Cory say about us?”
“We had a talk and he’s into it. He can’t wait for us to have sex so he
can watch. That would be so erotic, wouldn’t it?”
“I’m already aching with desire,” she said and I laughed. “We’re
going to have a lot of fun.”
“We have not yet celebrated your pregnancy. I’m going to make
reservations for tomorrow.”
“Do not go back to Oakley. I don’t want her to ruin this for me,”
Gloria said and I laughed.
“Don’t worry, that’s not going to happen.”
“I’m going to be so in love with you,” she said and I smiled. “I want to
fuck you.”
“Shit,” I said and my hand went between my legs. “When?”
“Right now. Get your ass over here.”
 Chapter 11
I did not tell Cory about my conversation with Gloria because we
started talking about our families and the definite pushback we’re
going to face. It was when we were in the garage that I told him what
was about to happen.
“I spoke with Gloria when I was upstairs at my house,” I said and
removed my laptop from the back seat while he got my bag.
“Yeah? What did she say?”
“She wanted me to come home and make love to her,” I said.
“And she specifically said you?”
“Yes. It is not about sex. I think it’s a bonding thing.”
“Okay. Have fun,” he smiled. “Is this where I watch?”
“Not yet. Let’s get the first one out of the way.”
“What first? You did it already.”
“By hand. I don’t even know what her body looks like,” I said. “So
this would basically be our real first.”
“Okay. I’ll run out and get dinner and you two have fun,” he said and
took my bags inside. “I’ll just go check on her then leave.”
“I don’t want you to feel as if you have to run out of your house…”
“No. I’m not doing it to avoid you and her,” he said and we entered
the elevator.
When we got out, I took the bag from him and entered the beautiful
guestroom Gloria had shown me, then Cory went into their room to
see her. I entered the bathroom and it had everything I needed, so I
got undressed and went under the shower. There was a permanent
smile on my face, which quickly disappeared when I thought about
my family and how they would react to this. They were not going to
approve but I would be happy, and it was my job to secure my own
happiness. Cory came into the bathroom just as I was stepping out of
the shower to let me know that he was going out to get dinner and
he would be back soon. I used the towel to get the excess water from
my hair then I dried my body and entered the bedroom to see Gloria
sitting on the bed.
“Hi,” I said and held the towel in front of me.
“Did you hide your body when my husband-to-be walked into the
bathroom?” she asked with a smile.
“We’re accustomed to seeing each other naked.”
“That’s not fair. Move the towel away,” she said and I slowly did as
she asked.
Gloria got off the bed and walked to me then she stood looking at my
naked body. She was beautiful…and pregnant. She was vulnerable
and did not know what she was doing. I started to wonder if all of
this was as a result of the hormones that were causing her to be so
consumed with sexual desire and wild fantasies. Except, Oakley said
this was how it was meant to be.
“You look beautiful,” she said. “Can I touch you?”
“If you touch me I won’t allow you to stop,” I said softly.
“Why would you want me to stop?” she asked softly. “I won’t want to
stop.”
“You’re pregnant and you need more time,” I said. “Your hormones
are all over the place.”
“It’s the second time today you’ve turned me down.”
“Gloria…,” I said when she turned around and walked away. “Fuck!”
I quickly got dressed and walked toward the door, then I returned to
the bed and sat. I wanted to go to her, but I could not do that unless I
was prepared to make love to her. I wanted to more than anything,
but I felt as if I was taking advantage of her condition. Maybe if Cory
was home it would be different, but I suddenly felt as if everything
was wrong about what we were doing and needed to be approached
with caution. We needed to take things slowly and build up a rhythm
of living together and establishing the boundaries of the relationship
before we jumped into anything.
Gloria re-entered the room and I opened my arms wide for her. She
hesitated, then she climbed onto the bed and snuggled close to me. I
hugged her and kissed her head then I gently caressed her.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“No. Don’t you want me?” she asked.
“So much. We will be spending the rest of our lives together so there
is no need to rush into anything, and I don’t trust your judgment as a
pregnant woman with hormones raging out of control,” I said.
“Ugh!” she gave out and went on her back. “I’m sexually frustrated.”
“I watched you fucking in the kitchen!” I said.
“I want you.”
“Can you please just let me take care of you?” I asked.
“No.”
“Please?” I begged and she sighed then came back into my arms.
We lay there and I thought about everything that could go right and
everything that could go wrong. I was used to overthinking, so I
tried to clear my mind then slowly closed my eyes and a smile came
to my face. I was happy that I was able to fight the urge and just lay
here with Gloria. It gave me more time to be sure before my next
move. I already made one irrational decision and allowed her to
bring me to an orgasm because I was not able to control the urge,
then the act was reversed. Gloria knew that there was much more to
explore and I wanted to teach her, but this is a decision we would
have to live with for the rest of our lives, therefore, it was worth us
taking a little more time to be certain.
+++
I was not sure what happened last night, but I did not wake up for
that dinner and Gloria was hugging me from behind. The sun was
coming through the blinds and that was how I knew it was morning.
We slept in the same bed, which meant Cory spent the night alone.
We were still dressed and that also meant we did not have sex and
Cory did not come in and find us naked. I was proud of myself
because it gave him a little more time to adjust to this new
relationship that included three people.
I turned to face Gloria and her blonde hair fell across her face, so I
gently brushed it away and she opened her eyes.
“I have a meeting,” she said.
“Then you’ll have to get up and have breakfast. You didn’t have
dinner last night.”
“Neither did you. Why are we still in our clothes?” she asked. “Oh, I
forgot. You refused to make love to me.”
“Then I’m going to do it right now and shut you up,” I said and
climbed on top of her.
“Fuck…yes,” she smiled. “I want you…”
My phone started to ring, so I climbed off her and looked at the
screen because if it was my mother, I would not be taking the call.
“Fuck,” I gave out and answered it. “Hello?”
“Bryce?”
“Hi, Oakley,” I greeted.
“I have a cancellation. Can you get here in one hour?”
“Yes! Yes, I absolutely can,” I replied.
“See you then,” she said and disconnected the call, and I jumped off
the bed.
“Oakley? What does she want?” Gloria asked.
“She has a cancellation and asked if I could get there in an hour,” I
said and unzipped my bag to find something to wear.
“We agreed that you wouldn’t go back,” Gloria reminded me.
“Well, she already confirmed that the person is you, so she might
just be giving us some insight about how to proceed. I think it will be
good for us.”
“Honey!” Gloria called and got off the bed then walked to her
bedroom. She was going to complain to her man, but I did not care
because I was going to Oakley even if I had to fly.
“What’s the matter, honey?” I heard Cory asking.
“Didn’t we agree that Bree should not go back to Oakley?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Well, Oakley called with an opening and she’s taking it.”
“Why?” Cory asked and walked into my room. “Bree, why are you
going to Oakley?”
“She has an opening. I don’t see the problem,” I said as I took off my
pajama top and bared my breasts in front of them.
“Wait, let me touch them,” Gloria said and walked toward me, but I
put on my top.
“I literally hate you,” she said and I kissed her lips then walked over
to Cory.
“What’s wrong with me going to Oakley?”
“Nothing, but we agreed to not cause any more problems and just
leave things the way they are. Besides, you already paid the woman
five hundred dollars.”
“Well, my girlfriend is loaded so I can afford it,” I smiled and turned
to Gloria. “Right, babe?”
“Fuck you,” she said and I laughed.
“Why don’t we all go?” I asked.
“To Oakley? All of us?” Cory asked.
“Yes!” Gloria said. “Yes, let’s all go. I don’t want you to give us part of
the story when you get home. I want her to read us as a throuple.”
“I’m not sure she does group readings, so call her and ask,” Cory said
so I picked up my phone and called Oakley.
“Hello, Bryce,” she greeted.
“Hi. Is it possible to bring my best friend Cory and his fiancée with
me? They want to sit in.”
“Then you will have to pay for all three.”
“Absolutely,” I said. “That’s no problem at all.”
“Okay. See you all in forty-five minutes,” she said.
“Thank you,” I replied and disconnected the call. “Move people!”
We quickly got dressed and rushed out of the house. Cory was
driving and he knew all the shortcuts, overriding the direction from
the GPS. We were all excited but scared at the same time. Although
Oakley had already confirmed that Gloria was the one she saw, I just
wanted to hear her say it, and we all would be right there so we
would leave with a better understanding of what to do, in addition
to the guide she would be giving us from the readings.
Cory parked his car in Oakley’s driveway and looked at his watch.
“Oh God, I’m nervous. I had to cancel a meeting to be at this shit,”
Gloria said, and Cory looked at her with a smile on his face. “What?”
“You’re carrying my babies,” he said and she smiled and blushed.
“We haven’t really celebrated.”
“Because there’s so much going on and I just want to know where
we are in this relationship so I’ll be settled in my mind about it. It’s
like I’m not sure what we are.”
“You’re my fiancée,” he reminded her.
“But what about Bree? What is she in our family?”
“She’s your other…partner, your girlfriend, whatever you want her
to be.”
“And what is she to you?”
“She’s my best friend. That’s the only role she can play and that’s the
only role I want her to play,” Cory said.
“It’s still not clear. I feel as if she doesn’t have a place.”
“Because you’re not officially intimate. When that happens and we
all know it’s happening and it doesn’t bother us, then you will see
where she fits,” he said.
“Okay, guys. We still need Oakley’s help with this. Let’s go in and
each of us will get a reading so we will put the clues together and see
how best to approach this,” I suggested.
“Okay, let’s go,” Gloria said and Cory got out of the car and opened
the door for her.
We walked up to Oakley’s front door and pressed the doorbell, and
like the last time, the door automatically opened. She greeted us
with a smile.
“Hi, Cory. Good to see you again.”
“Nice to see you too.”
“Hello, Bryce,” she greeted me then turned to Gloria. “You’re a new
face.”
“Hi. I’m Gloria Parker,” she replied and held out her hand.
“Sorry, I can’t touch your hand because I don’t want it to mess up the
order of the readings,” Oakley said. “But please have a seat.”
“Thank you,” we all said and sat.
“I’ll start your session, Bryce, then Cory, and then you, Gloria. It
means that each person’s session will be limited,” she said.
“That’s okay,” I replied and she covered her dark brown hair with a
blue, sheer headpiece this time.
I looked back at the other two and they were holding hands and
looking in anticipation of what Oakley had to say. They smiled
reassuringly at me and I looked back at Oakley. She had happy
welcoming brown eyes and a pleasant face that made it calming to
just sit and listen to her.
“Ready?” she asked.
“Before we begin, is my person’s name Gretchen?” I asked.
“Really, Bree?” Gloria asked.
“Please do not interfere with her session,” Oakley said to her.
“Sorry,” Gloria replied.
“So you’re a rule breaker?” she asked me with a smile playing at the
corner of her mouth. “Um…no. Your person’s name is not Gretchen,”
she said and I turned to look at Gloria who had a told-you-so look on
her face. I smiled at her and winked. She was my person…and Cory’s.
Fuck!
“Okay,” I said to Oakley.
“Ready?” she asked again with a smile.
“Yes.”
“Give me one hand,” she said in a sweet voice and I gave it to her.
Oakley held it gently, and my heart started to race. I might not get all
the answers today, but I would definitely leave here with more
information on how to proceed. My greatest fear was if Oakley
should tell me that Gloria would leave Cory for me. She slowly
circled my palm and it was taking longer than it did before, then she
closed her eyes and her fingers stopped moving. Slowly she placed
my hand on the table then she looked up at me, tears running down
her face.
“Oh my God…what?” I asked as my heart thudded against my chest.
“Oakley?”
“You told me that it has been a year since you slept with anyone.”
“That’s true,” I said past the lump in my throat out of fear of what
she might have seen. I did something wrong.
“So between the last session and this one you slept with someone
after waiting a whole year?”
“No!” I gave out impulsively, but then I remembered. “Yes, it was just
a little…,” I paused because I was confused.
“Who was it? Who did you sleep with?”
“With the person you said.”
“Who?” she asked again.
“Gloria. You said she is blonde, blue eyes, own business, own home,
drives a black Mercedes…not ready to be with me…”
“Then if she was not ready to be with you, how did you end up
sleeping with her?” she asked and more tears were running down
her face.
“Because I thought it was Gretchen and Gloria didn’t want me to go
to her because her eyes were hazel. I insisted on going and she
kissed me, so it happened from there.”
“Because you were impatient. A whole year waiting and you threw it
all away with the snap of a finger,” she said and looked angrily at me.
“What? Oakley…please. What did I do? Was it not Gloria?” I asked.
I sat in horror as Oakley pulled the wig off her head, revealing
cascading honey-blonde hair. Then I almost fainted when she
removed her contacts and revealed bright blue eyes.
“Oh my God…,” I said when it hit me. “No, no, no….” Oakley got to her
feet and I rose with her – in complete shock.
“Your session is over,” she said then turned and walked away.
“No, no…Oakley, wait! Please!” I begged and she turned and looked
at me in anger.
“Your session is over. Get out of my house!” she shouted.
“Oakley!”
“Bruce!” she called as she walked away and a security guard came
out of nowhere and asked us to leave.
I turned and looked at Gloria who was white with shock and Cory
who was equally stunned. I could not move, so Cory wrapped his
arm around me, and with one foot in front of the other, we made it
to the car. Cory put me in then attached my seatbelt, then he did the
same to Gloria, but he could not drive. All three of us sat in the car
on the driveway in disbelief and shaking from the catastrophic
mistake we had made. Oakley was the one. She was the woman I was
meant to spend the rest of my life with and I slept with Gloria and
started setting up a polyamorous life with her and Cory, and the
woman who was meant to be the love of my life saw the whole
fucking thing!
 Chapter 12
Time was missing. I had no recollection of what happened between
the time Cory strapped me into his car and the time I got back to
Gloria’s house sitting on her sofa in a daze. I was in absolute shock
and I was not sure how I would ever get out of this state. Gloria was
too, and we both just sat there in silence.
“Honey,” Cory said to Gloria. “Please have a sip.”
“Get the fucking water away from my face,” she said tightly.
“Gee, you have to snap out of this, honey. You’re pregnant and you
have to try and…”
“Leave me alone,” she said and Cory sighed and came to me.
“Bree, honey, can you just take a sip of water?” he asked.
“I can’t…swallow,” I said and tears ran down my face.
“Oh, sweetheart, it’s going to be okay,” he said and wiped my eyes.
“It’s Oakley,” I said.
“I know, sweetie,” he said and caressed my arm.
“Oh God,” Gloria said and covered her face, then she looked at us.
“How can it be Oakley? Everything matched with me. Fuck!”
“Honey….”
“No! Everything is so fucked!” Gloria gave out. “How is Bree ever
going to get to her…Oakley is never going to forgive her and it’s all
my fault.”
“It’s not your fault, Gloria,” I said. “You told me to wait until my next
session with Oakley. I insisted on Gretchen and you were just trying
to stop me. It got out of hand from there.”
“Girls, this is an honest mistake. We all thought it was Gloria…”
“No. You kept insisting that it could not be me because you were
sure of who Oakley saw in your future. You kept insisting…”
“But there was no one else in Bree’s life who matched that
description except you, so I eventually came on board. It did not
make any sense to me, but I trusted in Oakley’s abilities so I honestly
thought it was you,” Cory said. “We will not hold anything that
happened against each other, so let’s figure out how we can get
through to Oakley.”
“Did you not see the woman crying in front of us or when she chased
us out of her house? Does that look like someone who wants
anything more to do with Bree?” Gloria asked.
“She was angry and disappointed,” Cory said. “Imagine her looking
into Bree’s eyes…or reading her palm and knowing that she was the
one, then the next time they meet, she sees her having sex with
someone else?”
“She needs to blame herself…”
“I’m sure she’s doing that right now. She is wishing she had told
Bree right there and then,” Cory said.
“She couldn’t have because she wasn’t ready for me. She is in a
committed relationship because she had mentioned a husband, but
she also said my person was going to clear the way to be with me
and that her committed relationship was all but over,” I reminded
Cory. “So was Oakley clearing the way to be with me?”
“That’s what she said. Maybe she saw herself in your future and
knew that you were her soulmate so she was putting things in place
to accommodate you,” Cory said.
“She had told me that I was ready to have her but she was not ready
to be with me. I just needed to be patient, and I fucked things up.
She’s never going to want me now,” I said and started to cry. Gloria
came to me.
“Baby, look at me,” she said and held my face. “She saw both of you
together. How is she going to change that event? That has to happen,
right?”
“Unless our actions can change a future event,” I said.
“But one has to come before the other. You both need to be together
first. What she saw has to happen or she wouldn’t have seen it,”
Gloria said and I desperately wanted to believe her. “She will find
her way to you and she will forgive you. When she is no longer
angry, she would see that it was an honest mistake.”
“You think so?”
“I’m sure of it,” Gloria said.
“So what about us and the plans we had for the three of us?”
“That’s off the table now. We all thought you and I were meant to be,
and in order to not hurt Cory to make that happen, it was best for us
to work something out together. But now we know that we were
mistaken, then your focus has to be on Oakley now. It doesn’t change
anything else. We still love you and you’re a very important part of
our family. You’re now my best friend,” Gloria said and smiled as she
wiped my eyes.
“If Oakley comes into my life, she’s going to hate you,” I said to
Gloria.
“She and my entire staff,” she chuckled. “I’m not afraid of a
confrontation, and I’m expecting that there would eventually be one.
She will never forgive me, but we will all be friends. Don’t worry
about it, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Why don’t you call her and see if she picks up?” Cory said.
“She won’t want to talk to me.”
“But she will see that you’re making an attempt. It will be worse if
she feels as if you’re ignoring her and you don’t feel remorse for
hurting her.”
Gloria gave me the phone, and with shaky fingers, I pressed the call
button. It was on speaker because I did not want to have to repeat
what went on on the other line.
“What do you want?” Oakley greeted.
“I’m sorry,” I said in a tearful voice because that was how I was
feeling inside.
“What are you sorry for, Bryce?”
“I didn’t know it was you and I made a mistake,” I said. “Please
forgive me.”
“Where are you? I can bet my ass that you’re at her house right
now.”
“I was really shocked and upset so they wouldn’t just leave me
alone…”
“So what’s going on there? Are you all practicing polyamory?”
“No. We thought it was Gloria and you know Cory is my best friend,
so we didn’t want to leave anyone out and we were trying to see
how it could work…”
“With polyamory?”
“Um…yes, but nothing happened,” I quickly added.
“Because I stopped you! If I did not call to tell you that a session had
opened up, you would have delved right into it. When I met you that
first time, you did not strike me as someone without boundaries.
Was I wrong?”
“No,” I cried. “No, you weren’t wrong. I was desperate and I thought
it was her. I’m sorry. Can I come by?”
“Oh no, Lea. Why did you do that?” she said and I was a little
confused.
“Mommy, he did it to me first.”
“But he’s three, Lea. You have to teach him to do the right thing. Why
would you pour juice in his lunch?” she asked and sighed. “Now we
have to make him something else. Come on. What’s it going to be?”
“A sandwich. Peanut butter and jelly.”
“Okay. Get a paper plate and here’s the bread. I’ll get other stuff…
Alex, don’t eat that, honey,” she said and we all looked at each other.
“Bryce, I’m very upset with you for not having an ounce of patience
because you went ahead and…”
“Are those my children?” I asked, and there was a long pause.
“Mommy, why are you crying?” Lea asked.
“I have to go,” she said in a tearful voice and disconnected the call.
I looked at them with tears running down my face and I could see
that they were sad for me.
“Lea and Alex,” I said softly. “They were supposed to be my children.
I would have had a family.”
“You will,” Gloria said. “She got emotional when you referred to
them as your children. She still wants this.”
“Think so?”
“Absolutely,” Gloria said.
“She’s right, honey,” Corey added, caressing my hand. “She is angry
with you and with herself for not telling you. She thought she had
more time.”
“But it’s not over. She will see that you’re a good person and
someone who would be an excellent mother to her kids,” Gloria said
and I hugged her tightly as Cory caressed my back.
“Bree, come let me take you home, honey. You don’t want her to call
and you’re still here,” he suggested and I agreed.
“I’ll get your stuff,” Gloria said and went upstairs to get my things.
“Honey,” Cory said and I looked at him. “I don’t like to see when
you’re sad, and I wished that there was something I could do to
make you feel better, but you have to just ride through this moment
like you have done so many times before because this will be the last
time. Oakley will forgive you and you’ll be happy with her. Just take
this last one and wait, okay?”
“Okay.”
“And Gloria and I will be there whenever you need us,” he said.
“I know.”
“Come here.”
He took me into his strong arms. They knew me so well and had
comforted me during my unhappy moments and lifted me during
the happy ones. I closed my eyes and relaxed and I started to feel a
little better, but I knew it would hit me again once I was home and
alone.
Cory got up and met Gloria with my bag and laptop then he put them
in the car while Gloria held my hand and led me out of the house. I
thought she was just going to see me off, but she came in and sat
beside me. She held my hand as Cory drove toward my house in
silence because we were all deep in thought. I was low in spirit but it
felt great to have these two people in my life caring about me, and I
could feel their love and support. I lay my head on Gloria and she
rested hers on mine, offering a little of her strength so that I could
make it through this moment.
We arrived at my house and they followed me inside.
“Are you okay?” Cory asked.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” I replied. “Thanks, guys.”
“We’re going to get some lunch for you,” Cory said. “I know what you
like. We’ll be right back, okay?”
“Okay, thanks,” I said and Gloria gave me a quick kiss on my lips and
left with Cory.
The kiss was innocent and it did not have an effect on me as it did
before because I had mentally transitioned our relationship to
friendship…it probably always was. She was a very attractive
woman and the idea of being intimate with her became exciting
after we thought she was the person Oakley saw as my life partner,
but now that I knew who it was, my mind and body made the shift.
The desire to be with Oakley and her children was much greater
than the desire to be in a polyamorous relationship with Cory and
Gloria.
I kept seeing the beautiful woman with the warm, loving eyes and
gorgeous smile. She removed the wig and contact lenses and she
was the woman I would spend the rest of my life with. I would not
recover if I should miss this opportunity to have this woman and the
family I had always wanted. I blamed myself for not waiting. Gloria
had begged me to wait until my next session with Oakley, but I
insisted on going out with Gretchen. Oakley told me that Gretchen
was not the one and I would have been in a lot more trouble had I
started a relationship with her instead because it would not have
been as easy as it was to change course. Gloria and Cory were my
friends who wanted what was best for me, so they were happy to
move past what happened between us in order for me to have the
life I was intended to have with the person I was meant to be with.
I sat in the living room with the phone in my hand as I looked at her
name. I did not want to annoy her any further, but she was crying
when she disconnected the call and I should show concern and
reach out to her. I pressed the call button and closed my eyes.
“Hello,” she greeted and I was encouraged because it was a better
greeting than the one I had gotten before.
“Hi, Oakley,” I said softly. “I’m sorry.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m at home.”
“With whom?”
“I’m here alone,” I said, and she remained quiet. “What can I do to
make this right?”
“What you should have done in the first place. Sit your ass down and
wait.”
“Okay. I’ll do that,” I said.
“I have to go…”
“Please, can you talk to me a little longer?”
“No.”
“Are the children okay?” I asked.
“Yes, they’re fine.”
“Okay, let me know if you need my help.”
“For what?”
“For anything,” I replied. “I’m here if you need me.”
“Thank you, but we’re fine.”
“Can I have another session?” I asked and she went silent.
“I’m sorry, but there are no sessions available. Stay put, and try not
to fuck another woman while you wait,” she said and disconnected
the call.
“Fuck!” I cried out in the living room as I threw the phone against
the wall.
I lay on the sofa and cried for a long time and I did not immediately
get up when I heard the doorbell ringing. It wasn’t Cory because he
had a key. I jumped up because it could be Oakley. Maybe she got my
address. I wiped my eyes and opened the door and my mother and
grandmother were there.
“Why are you not taking our calls?” my mother asked.
“There’s just a lot going on,” I said and my mother could tell when I
was upset.
“Oh, sweetheart, what happened?”
“Mom,” I cried and fell on her.
“Oh my darling,” she said and held me tight and pressed her cheek
against mine as she always did. “Baby, what’s the matter?”
“Mom, I messed up so bad,” I said and went to sit on the sofa. She sat
beside me and my grandmother sat on the other side of me.
“How did you mess up, sweetheart?” Grandma asked.
“Remember I went to see Oakley? She told me that she saw a blonde
haired, blue eyed woman in my future with her own home and her
own business but she was not quite ready to be with me.”
“That’s great, honey!” my mother gave out. “All you have to do is just
wait.”
“That’s just it, I didn’t wait.”
“What do you mean you didn’t wait?”
“The description matched someone exactly and I thought she was
the one, so I slept with her.”
I had told them that it was Gloria, but I was hoping that they would
not remember because I did not want them to think that she cheated
on Cory. Besides, they would never believe that I would sleep with
Cory’s girlfriend, so it must be someone else who fit the description.
“And it wasn’t her?”
“No, but I didn’t know at the time…”
“But I don’t see what the problem is, sweetheart,” my grandmother
said. “Break off with this person and wait for the right one to come.”
“The problem is that I went back for another session with Oakley
and she saw from reading my palm that I slept with this woman.”
“That’s not her business. You’re paying her for a service and
whatever she sees…”
“She is the woman.”
“I’m not following,” my mother said.
“The woman she described to me was her. Oakley.”
“She saw herself in your future?”
“Yes…”
“Then are you fucking blind?! You didn’t see that she has blonde hair
and blue eyes and she could be the one?!” my mother asked angrily
and getting to her feet.
“She was wearing a wig, and she had contact lenses in, so I didn’t
know.”
“Oh no,” my mother said, coming down from her anger. “Then it’s
not your fault, sweetheart.”
“Cory had told me that it couldn’t be the person I thought, and Gloria
told me to wait for my next session. If I had waited then I would
have known,” I said.
“So what are you going to do?” my grandmother asked. “Do you
think she will forgive you?”
“She has to forgive her. Bree didn’t know, and Oakley should have
told her that she was the one,” Mom said to Grandma then turned to
me. “She saw a future with both of you in it, so she won’t have a
choice but to forgive you, sweetie. Just sit tight and wait, baby.”
“Okay, Mom,” I sighed and lay against the sofa. “It’s just time being
wasted when I could be with my kids.”
“What kids?” my mother asked.
“She said I would have two kids but they would not be biologically
mine,” I said and sat up. “It turns out that she has two small children.
Lea and Alex. Alex is three and Lea is…I’m not sure but she sounds
young.”
“So her children will be legally yours? That’s what she saw?” my
mother asked with her eyes opened wide and I snuggled closer to
my grandmother for protection.
“Um…yes.”
“Which would make them legally my grandkids?” she asked.
“Um…yes.”
“Get your ass off this sofa right now and crawl on your knees and
beg for forgiveness!” she shouted at me as she dragged me from the
chair.
“Mom, she said she’s not ready…”
“Well, I am! Go get my grandkids and do not come back without
them!”
“I can’t just turn up at…”
“Get your ass out of this house!” she said then grabbed my bag and
pushed it into my chest and pushed me toward the garage. I looked
back just in time to see Cory and Gloria walking in with my lunch.
“Go!”
I hurried into my car and drove out of the garage. I saw Gloria and
Cory running toward the car, so I stopped.
“What’s going on?” Cory asked.
“My mom wants me to go and get her grandkids.”
“What?”
“She’s losing it about…”
“Get your ass moving!” she screamed at me, so I sped away and left
Cory and Gloria in the driveway.
“Fuck!” I cried out as I made my way to the woman who told me to
get the hell away from her house.
I was about to disobey another instruction because she told me to
stay home and wait for her, but now I was on my way to see her for
her to tell me the same thing to my face. She had no idea that my
house was occupied by a savage grandmother-to-be and I could not
go home without two children in my arms. That was not going to
happen because the woman had a husband. She told me this on the
first day, so I might be going there to make things worse for her.
This might be the moment she would be free to be with me. That
was it! I was meant to be the destroyer!
“Oh my God,” I said as I came to a light and I put on the indicator to
head back home.
I could not destroy the children’s lives for my own personal gain and
I needed to allow fate to take its course, yet I took off the indicator.
Who was I to mess with the future. Oakley saw us together as a
family. Why wait?
 Chapter 13
I parked in the driveway of Oakley’s house and she was inside, along
with my children. Where was their father? I assumed he was not
going to kill me because she did not see herself at my funeral. I took
deep breaths then opened the car door and made my way to her
doorstep. I raised my hand to ring the doorbell, but I was afraid. She
might be having a session and it should not be interrupted, but I
could not go back home. Well I could, but I was already here. I rang
the doorbell and waited, then the door opened and Oakley was
standing there with her beautiful blonde waves on her shoulders
and her blue eyes dark with anger.
“Really?” she asked.
“My mom sent me,” I said. “I told her that you told me to wait, but
she wants her grandkids and told me to crawl on my hands and
knees and beg for your forgiveness.”
“Do you understand that I work from home and I could have been in
a session?”
“Are you? I’m sorry.”
“Are you keeping a record of how many times you’ve said you’re
sorry today?” she asked.
“Because I am, Oakley.”
“I told you to stay home and wait…”
“I was doing that but then my mother and grandmother came and
chased me out of the house. I did not have dinner yesterday because
I fell asleep and I have not had breakfast. I’m starving. Can you
please give me something to eat?” I asked and she looked at me and
started laughing.
“Why did it have to be you?” she asked and placed her head on the
door frame. “The most disobedient of them all,” she said and sighed
then looked back at me.
“I’m not lying. Look,” I said and held up my palm to her. She did not
take it.
“Come on. I’ll give you something to eat and then you need to go
home and wait for me to tell you when I’m ready,” she said as I
followed her into the kitchen.
I kept looking around for the children, but I did not see or hear
them. I sat at the kitchen table and on the chair she indicated.
“About that. You’ll have to come with me with the kids because my
mother…”
“Bryce, my children are not toys. I can’t just take them up and throw
them at a group of strangers. I will have to talk to them and let them
know that they now have grandparents,” she said as she took out
containers and vegetables from the refrigerator. “That is after I let
them know that they would now have two mothers instead of a
mother and a father.”
“But you saw us as a family, right?” I asked.
“Yes, I did,” she replied as she washed the vegetables.
She was so beautiful and I loved the way she moved. She had
beautiful fingers that were perfectly manicured. She was not close to
the table, but I could still see them.
“Why do you wear a wig and brown contact lenses during sessions?”
I asked.
“Because when I go out with my kids, I don’t want clients coming
over to discuss clues or ask me to give them a reading.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me that it was you?” I asked.
“I was shocked at what I saw, but after years of practice I know how
to not show it and I’m aware of how my reaction could affect a
reading. I have my children and I’m still going through a divorce, so I
couldn’t tell you until I figured out what to do, and while I was doing
that you were sleeping around…”
“That was an honest mistake. I thought it was someone else, and she
actually stopped me from making a bigger mistake because I
thought it was Gretchen.”
“Even though she didn’t tick all the boxes?” she asked and shook her
head. “What’s with this desperation that you couldn’t just sit still
and wait.”
“I had been doing that for a whole year!”
“And then you got a guarantee that someone was on her way,” she
said as she placed a bowl of salad on the table. “Do you have any
idea how freaked out I was after you left? I have never been with a
woman before and I had absolutely no idea how I was going to
handle that or how I would explain it to my children. They have
friends and those friends have parents. They will now see you as the
other parent and there will be questions. I had to think about all of
that, and there was no way back because whatever I see has to
happen.”
“Really?” I said and lit up. Oakley rolled her eyes and walked away.
“Where are the children?”
“None of your concern…”
“They’re mine.”
“Not yet,” she said.
“Where’s their father?”
“They don’t have one.”
“Where’s your husband?”
“In Tennessee,” she replied.
“Doing what?”
“Living.”
“So you live alone?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Lucky for you, I’m here,” I smiled.
“You’re getting on my last…!”
“Mommy,” a crying voice that sounded like Alex said.
“Mommy, I told him to use the blue because the brown is ugly, but
he wouldn’t listen…”
“Brown is ugly?” I asked and that was when they saw me there. Kids
never look left or right when they have a target. “Who says brown is
ugly?”
“Everyone knows it is,” Lea said.
“Well, brown so happens to be my favorite color. Come here, Alex.
Let me see your beautiful drawing,” I said and he came to me and
placed the paper on the table. “You did not draw this by yourself!”
“Yes, I did,” he giggled.
“Good job on the brown shoes,” I said and gave him a high-five.
“But he colored the grass brown. It should be green,” Lea said.
“That’s because they need water. We just need to draw a jug and
some water pouring right here and turn these grass green. Then we
can color the water blue.”
“Let me get the crayons,” Alex said and his blonde curls bounced as
he ran away with his sister running behind him.
“The kids have my eyes,” I said to Oakley and she chuckled and
shook her head then placed the rest of the lunch on the table. There
was grilled chicken and roasted potatoes with herbs and an
assortment of dressing for my salad.
“We both have blue eyes, Bree. Mine is brighter than yours and so
are the kids’. They are definitely not your eyes,” she said and sat at
the table and the children ran inside.
“Here, lady,” Lea said.
“Her name is Bree,” Oakley said.
“Bree, here are the crayons. So where are we going to pour the
water?” Lea asked.
“Where do you want to pour the water, Alex? This is your drawing
and you get to decide.”
“Over here.”
“Good choice,” I said, and I so happened to be excellent at drawing,
so I drew the jug pouring water on the grass then I used the green
crayons to bring them to life.
“Wow! Look, Mommy,” Alex said and took his drawing to show
Oakley.
“This is beautiful, baby,” Oakley said.
“But, Mom, he colored the clouds brown,” Lea said, and this girl and I
were going to have problems for beating down on my son.
“That’s because it’s about to rain chocolate!” I gave out and started
tickling her.
Lea screamed in laughter and Alex ran toward me.
“Me too!” he jumped and came for his tickle as well.
So now, what did we have here? I made my way into Oakley’s house
and now the children were all over me because they realized that I
was the fun mom. They didn’t know who I was to them as yet, but
they would soon find out. The story was starting to unfold. Oakley
agreed for me to take a picture with the children so that I could send
it to my mother because I need them to leave my house with the
promise that I was working on getting her the grandchildren she
had been talking about since I was ten.
She called immediately after getting the picture, but I ignored the
call because I did not want them to ruin my moment when I was just
hanging on by a thread. The children actually were saving me
because Oakley was going to feed me then kick me out of her house,
but the children loved that I was playing with them and getting
down to their level, despite the fact that they had a nanny. The
woman got a chance to go and take care of their other needs while
Oakley and I sat with them after I finished eating. We played for a
long time, and I noticed that Alex looked more like Oakley and Lea
was a mixture of her parents.
“Guys, it’s almost time for a bath and dinner, so say goodbye to Bree.
She has to go home and…”
“No! She’s playing with us,” Lea said, and she was my favorite.
“I want Bree to stay with us forever,” Alex said.
No, wait. He was my favorite.
“Please?”
They both were.
“Bree, don’t you have something to do? Remember you told me
about that thing?” Oakley asked and I turned up my mouth and eyes
to think.
“No, I can’t say I remember,” I replied and she rolled her eyes.
“Okay, kids. Mosha is going to give you a bath then you’ll come down
and have dinner with Bree and me, okay?”
“Okay,” they said and got to their feet then Lea opened the door to
the playroom.
“Mosha!” she called.
“Yeah!” Mosha replied.
“Bath!” Lea said then took her brother’s hand and told me not to
leave, then they were out of the room.
Oakley and I started to pack up the toys and I could not describe the
beautiful overwhelming feeling that was rushing through my veins.
“You know, Lea reminds me of you,” Oakley said and I laughed.
“I can’t argue, but I’m really very quiet and…I’m a good person.”
“I have no doubt that you are. Lea is that way too. She takes very
good care of her brother, but then…both of you have moments,” she
said with a smile.
When we were done packing up. We went into the kitchen to set the
table for dinner which she cooked first thing in the morning before
her clients started to arrive, so now, she only had to reheat and
prepare some things fresh. Like plantains that Alex liked with his
dinner, and she already had salad left over from my late lunch.
“So, how am I going to legally be the kids’ mother? I can’t imagine
their father giving them up for adoption,” I said.
“I told you they do not have a father.”
“But that…you said your husband is in Tennessee, and you said you
were worried about telling the children that they have two mothers
instead of a mother and father,” I reminded her.
“My husband and I had been trying for years to have children. He
was convinced that the problem was with me, so I went behind his
back and did an IUI and I got pregnant with Lea.”
“Did you tell him?”
“No. He was overjoyed, so I didn’t want to rob him of the pride of
finally making it happen. When Leah was a little over two years old,
I did it again, and now we had a daughter and a son,” she explained.
“I did not expect the man to do a DNA test on the children behind my
back.”
“Oh shit,” I said and put my head on the table before looking back at
her. “So you didn’t read his palm and see that this would be the
outcome?”
“I don’t read the palms of the people I’m in a serious relationship
with. That’s a recipe for disaster. If disaster comes, then it should
take its natural course.”
“So what happened? Doesn’t he want them anymore?”
“No. The divorce is almost final and the children are not a part of the
settlement,” she said. “His name was removed from their birth
certificates through an order from the court.”
“Oh, my God. Was it that serious? Does he have other children?”
“No.”
“So why not just keep these?”
“It’s his right, Bree. He wants his biological children,” she explained.
“But he clearly has a problem.”
“He’s in denial about that, but that’s for him to worry about now. He
can do whatever he wants. I cried about it, not because I ended up
losing him, but because my children no longer had a father. When I
saw you with me and the kids laughing in a park and I had time to
process that, it all made sense.”
“What about your family? What did they have to say?”
“I don’t have…well, they’re not in my life. They live in Ohio and I left
home when I was eighteen and settled here. My gift of seeing the
future made me the pariah of the family, so I ran away,” she said.
“I’m sorry.”
“What number are we at now?” she asked with a smile.
“I really mean them.”
“I know,” she said and her gentle eyes looked back at me. “You’re
really good with the children and they fell in love with you right
away.”
“I must say I don’t take kindly to my children calling me Bree. You
planted that in their heads.”
“Would you like to tell them that you’re their mom? Is that a
conversation you would like to have?” she asked and I knew danger
when I heard it.
“No,” I said quickly.
“I didn’t think so. You need to be patient. I see that’s not your strong
suit.”
“Sometimes. I just don’t want anything else to go wrong,” I said.
“Then you need to tell me everything about your sexual escapade
with Gloria. How many times did you do it?”
“It’s really one, but in two parts.”
“What the fuck did you say?” she whispered threateningly.
“No, she only used her hand and I…when we were leaving…”
“Where did it happen?”
“In my living room. She came to stop me from going out with
Gretchen. She said I should wait for my next session to be sure who
you were talking about, but I insisted on going out with Gretchen
and she kissed me. I could not stop and it led to her using her hand.
When we were leaving the same thing happened with her by the
door…”
“Same thing? She did it again to you?”
“No. I did it to her.”
“Get out!”
“It’s the same thing! No, wait!” I said as she dragged me by the arm.
“Wait, Oakley,” I said and pulled my arm from her. “Listen, it’s
different with two females. You have to take turns for both to be
satisfied…occasionally, it happens together, but…listen, we still had
our clothes on. She doesn’t know what I look like without…oh shit…”
“Get the fuck out of my house!” she whispered forcefully.
“I was just naked because I took a shower, so I was putting on my
clothes. That’s all. It was only that one time.”
“So what stopped it from happening again?”
“We couldn’t get it right. Cory was not on board so that caused
delays, then he was and I wasn’t, then…we just could not get our
footing so it delayed things. Honey, I did not know. I would have sat
my ass down and waited for you if I had known. I’m sorry.”
“Bree! I’m all clean!” Lea said.
“Bree, look at my pajamas.”
I looked into Oakley’s eyes and smiled.
“If you’ll excuse me, my children need me,” I said then picked up
Alex and held Lea’s hand and led them to the kitchen to have their
dinner.
Oakley had no choice but to join us and I helped her to set the table. I
knew that Cory and Gloria were anxious to hear from me after I sent
them the pictures with the children sitting on my lap, and I would fill
them in when I had the chance, but now I was trying to make
amends and to establish a presence in the children’s lives. It felt
good to be here with Oakley and I felt as if I did not want to go home
to that empty house, but lack of patience was my downfall these last
few days, therefore, I would try to take it one step at a time and not
cause any more problems for myself.
The children were happy for me to have dinner with them and they
talked about their friends and all the things they loved to do. One
revelation that shocked me was that Oakley and I shared the same
birthday, but she was four years older than I was. Lea was six and
Alex was three. We felt like a family, but Oakley was not ready, so I
would be patient and just wait for her to lead the way. I had not
been doing that because I became overzealous, but I would reset
when I get home and give her the time she needed to feel ready for
us to take the next step.
The fact that we already had a glimpse into the future, then we knew
for certain where this was heading. It felt so amazing to have them
in my life, and I could not wait to get home to scream in joy at the
unbelievable gift that life had given me after so many years of
heartbreak. I was looking forward to sharing this amazing news
with my best friends. This was what Cory had wanted for me when
he insisted that I paid Oakley a visit and I was excited that we both
finally got what we had always wanted. We came so close to ruining
it all, but luckily fate stepped in and slapped me across the face. I
was focused now.
The children were turning out to be my savior. They insisted that I
be there for bedtime and to read them a story. Oakley had meant to
put up a fight, but she was disarmed when she saw how much the
kids loved me. She was happy to have me sharing these special
moments with the children that were mine before I even knew they
existed. When everyone was in bed and asleep, she looked at me as I
beamed with happiness and she smiled as she leaned against the
wall just outside the children’s bedrooms.
“Should I put you to bed as well?” I asked.
“No,” she chuckled. “What am I going to do with you?”
“I have no idea, but in my defense, this is not my doing. Fate has
decided that I’m what’s best for you, so you need to look into
yourself and see where you went wrong in life,” I said and she pulled
me away from the children’s room as she covered her mouth in
laughter.
“I’m so mad that you make me laugh,” she said as we descended the
stairs. “You really hurt me you know.”
“How can I hurt you when I didn’t know it was you.”
“It still hurt.”
“I know. I’m sorry,” I said and she turned to look at me.
“Thank you for forcing your way into my house and taking over my
kids…”
“Your kids?”
“Yes. They’re not yours as yet,” she said. “I enjoyed watching you
interact with them and it’s insane how easily they fell in love with
you.”
“I hope the same will go for you,” I said and she blushed and looked
down at her fingers before looking back at me.
“I hope so,” she said and I smiled. “It was fun. We could do it again
sometime.”
“I would love that,” I said and she walked with me to the door. I
picked up my purse and looked at her. “When will I see you again?”
“I just need a moment to wrap my head around this insane turn of
events and then I’ll call you,” she said.
“Okay. Take your time. Not too long though. I have a little impatience
thing going on, so help me out, please.”
“I will,” she chuckled.
“Can I give you a hug?” I asked.
“Maybe next time,” she said and I was disappointed but I smiled
nervously and tried to not let it show.
“Okay,” I said and touched her arm. “See you soon.”
“See you,” she said and opened the door for me.
I walked toward my car and the amazing feeling I felt inside that
house left me as I walked away. I was happy, yet I wanted to cry.
Patience. Patience. Patience.
“Bree!” I heard Oakley call my name just as I was about to open my
car door. I looked back and saw her running toward me, and
instinctively, I ran toward her. Oakley threw her arms around me
and I hugged her tightly and buried my face in her neck. Her sweet
perfume consumed me and I was lost in the exotic fragrance. She
pulled away and looked into my eyes. “I will be up all night if I don’t
know what it’s like to kiss you.”
“We can’t have that,” I smiled and looked at her lips. “The neighbors
are looking,” I reminded her.
“The neighbors have their husbands to keep them warm tonight, so
why should I care about them?”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you,” I said softly.
“Kiss me,” she said and I took her lips.
This was what a soulmate kiss felt like. No other lips would ever
taste better because now I knew. I had no idea that there was a
difference, but knowing that she was my future made it so much
more penetrating. She would be my wife and the mother of my
children, and I could taste that in the kiss we were sharing. I was not
sure how long it lasted, but I had to end it because I was on the
verge of an orgasm right there in the middle of her driveway. She
looked at me and smiled because she knew what she had done.
“You play dirty,” I said and leaned against the car.
“You have no idea how dirty I can get,” she said then kissed me again
and ran away.
“Fuck,” I said then got into my car and drove away to stop myself
from breaking down her front door.
“Yeeees!” I screamed out in the car, then I called my friends.
“Oh my God, Bree! What’s going on?” Gloria said and I heard Cory
asking too.
“Brace yourself. I’m on my way home and I have the fucking most
exciting story to tell you!”
 Chapter 14
I was becoming a little concerned. It had been two weeks since I had
been sitting at home, afraid to leave my house because I was waiting
for Oakley to tell me to come and see her and the children. I had
texted her my address and told her that she was free to visit me any
time she wanted, and every time my doorbell rang, I fall over myself
trying to get to the door because every knock or ring convinced me
that this time it would be her, and each time I was disappointed. It
got so bad that I did not even want to see Cory or Gloria, and I did
not want to see my mother or my grandmother.
I missed playing with the children, and I wondered if Oakley was
punishing me for that little thing with Gloria, but she had said she
was not ready and she needed time. I promised to give it to her, but I
could not understand what the delay was. Why did she need more
time? She and her husband were in the final stages of their divorce,
and he was not legally responsible for the children, so what was the
big deal? Why couldn’t I be with her until the divorce was final? She
had sent me a picture of herself when I had asked, and it was now
the wallpaper and screensaver on my phone. I was able to talk a
couple of times with the children, but it was not enough for me.
I tried to deal with the longing by burying myself in work while
refusing every invitation from my family to visit them, and turning
down every invitation from Cory and Gloria. I was patient for those
two weeks, but Oakley started taking fewer calls from me and hardly
returning them. Then after a month, I heard nothing. She had asked
me to stay away from her house and I tried hard to respect that, but
five weeks later, she disappeared. I called her number and it was no
longer in service, then I went to her house and the house was empty
with a for sale sign hanging on the front lawn. I held my breath and
drove home with no recollection of following any traffic signal, and I
had been walking around in a daze since then.
It had been two months since I last saw Oakley, and every day after I
realized that she was gone, I cried. My mother had sympathized with
me and encouraged me to give her the time she needed, but now she
was blaming me for doing something to have turned Oakley away
from me. I stopped taking my family’s calls because I needed to
grieve in private. Today was a much better day because I was having
breakfast before midday. I could not remember the last time I took a
shower because my life sucked, and I had gotten a glimmer of hope
that things would get better, but just like that, I lost everything.
There were times when I wished that I had stayed with Cory and
Gloria and not returned to see Oakley because my life would have
been better than the shit it was at the moment.
I heard the key in the door and I knew that Cory was making
another visit. He was unable to get me out of the glum as he was so
good at in the past, and Gloria had run out of ideas.
They both walked into the kitchen.
“Hi, honey,” Cory said and kissed my face.
“Hi, baby,” Gloria continued to call me. “How are you feeling today?”
“A lot better,” I replied.
“Then how about a shower?” she asked.
“No, I don’t…”
“That’s it. Let’s go,” she said and pulled me out of the chair.
“Gloria, I don’t want to shower.”
“Yeah, you have to,” she said and dragged me up the stairs.
She led me into my bathroom and started taking off my clothes. I
objected, but she continued the fight until I was completely naked.
She turned on the water in the tub and poured soap in, then she put
me to sit. I lay back and the water soothed me as Gloria washed my
hair. Her tender touch and concern brought tears to my eyes, and
then the floodgates opened.
“Oh, baby, I’m so sorry,” Gloria said and got on her knees beside the
tub then she gently caressed my face. “She’s still not taking your
calls?”
“She disconnected her phone and she moved away.”
“What?!” Gloria gave out. “What are you talking about? How do you
know that?”
“I went to the house and she was not there, and there’s a for sale
sign on the front lawn,” I cried and Cory walked in.
“What’s going on?” he asked Gloria.
“Oakley changed her number and she moved out of her house.”
“What the fuck…so where is she?”
“No idea,” Gloria said as I cried.
“Oh my God,” he said and came to me.
Cory caressed my face and kissed my forehead and there was just so
much sadness around. I wished that I had not gotten such huge hope
then had it ripped away from me.
“The only way we can protect you is to take you home with us and
into our family,” Cory said, and I expected that to come from Gloria,
but I was hurting and he did not know what else to do. “That’s the
only way that I can keep you safe and happy because we will love
you and take care of you.”
“Yeah. We should have stuck to our plan,” Gloria said. “It’s just that I
thought you would be happier with your own family.”
“The children loved me, and she kept me away from them. Did she
find someone else?” I asked through my tears.
“That can’t be. Right, Cory?” Gloria asked. “She saw in her vision that
both of you will end up being together.”
“But I can’t take it. For two months I sat here waiting. She is free and
she has no reason to keep me away from her and the children,” I
said. “Whatever. She’s gone, so it doesn’t matter anymore.”
“You can come home with us, honey,” Gloria said.
“No. You have your babies on the way and you’re getting married
soon, so I don’t want to impose…”
“In all our plans, room has been made for you in any capacity. You’re
our friend and we love you very much,” Gloria said.
“Thank you. You guys are the best,” I said and washed my body, then
Gloria rinsed my hair.
“This house is making you depressed. I’m taking you with us and we
will go out for dinner and do girls stuff,” Gloria said then looked at
Cory. “With you too, honey.”
Cory gave me a towel and I wrapped it around me, then Gloria blow-
dried my hair. I looked in the mirror and I looked ten times better
than I did before.
“I should have stuck to your original plan,” I said.
“See? I’m a genius.”
“You sure are,” I said and kissed Gloria on her lips. We did these
little pecks now and it was just innocent and sweet. It didn’t bother
Cory, nor me standing naked before him bothered Gloria. We were
just an amazing team.
I went into my bedroom to get dressed and Cory went downstairs to
see if I had enough food just in case I chose to stay home and not go
with them.
“I don’t like to see you sad,” Gloria said.
“And I don’t want you to stress out about me when you’re carrying
two babies.”
“I’m fine. Cory is taking very good care of me. I’m scared to tell my
family because there are just too many of them and they’re going to
want to come over…ugh!” she gave out. “I’m so sorry that our
polyamorous plan did not work out. That would have been a
repellant for them.”
I laughed and fell on the bed, but Gloria pulled me back into a sitting
position.
“Out of this bed. It’s time to cheer up and…”
“Hi, Bree,” a voice said and I knew it before my head snapped
around to where it was coming from.
Oakley stepped into my room and I got off the bed. Cory hurried past
her and pulled his wife-to-be behind him as he tried to protect her
from Oakley, but she ignored Gloria and kept her eyes on me.
“What are you doing here?” I asked with what I was sure was an
angry expression.
“I would like to talk to you in private.”
“I have been crying in public for a month out of the two months I
have not seen you, so why should you get to talk to me in private?” I
said.
“I’m sorry you were hurting, but please let me explain,” she said as
the tears ran down my face.
“I am not interested in your explanation. You need to leave,” I said
and I could feel the anger rising inside me.
“Bree, please…”
“Get out!” I cried. “Get out of my house and out of my life! I don’t
care if you’re my soulmate. I want nothing to do with someone who
could be so cruel and hurt me so bad…”
“Bree,” she said and came toward me.
“Get away from me!” I screamed. “I hate you!”
“Bree,” Gloria said and hurried to me and held me. “It’s okay, honey.”
“No, it’s not okay! She fucking changed her number and moved out
of the house and kept me away from the children. I have been in
pain for two fucking months unnecessarily! I hate her!”
“You don’t hate her, honey,” Cory said and came to me. “Bree, look at
me,” he said and held my face the way he usually did. “Take a
moment. Breathe,” he said then held me against his chest.
I closed my eyes and took deep breaths that were a little difficult at
first, but I got more air in.
“I’m sorry, Oakley, but she’s just a little upset…”
“You don’t get to fucking talk to me!” I heard her shout at Gloria and
I pulled away from the place that was offering me a little comfort at
the moment. “You slept with my girlfriend!”
“No one knew who the hell you were!” Gloria shot back. “You
disguised yourself from her and did not tell her that you were the
one.”
“It didn’t matter if she knew, you had a man!” Oakley said. “Was that
not enough for you!”
“I can fuck whoever I want and only Cory can have a problem with
that. If you pull that little shit you just did ever again, I will go all the
way this time and you’re not getting her back!”
“You bitch!”
“No!” I screamed out and grabbed Oakley while Cory stepped in
front of Gloria to protect her.
“If you lay a finger on my fiancée, you will fucking regret it!” Cory
shouted. “Everybody calm the fuck down!”
We all stood there looking at each other in silence. I was holding
onto Oakley who was panting and looking at Gloria with disdain, so I
pulled her away and took her over to the window, but she went back
to Gloria.
“You need to leave,” she said.
“Oakley, stop,” I said and pulled her away.
“This is not your house and I have more rights here than you do. You
abandoned her and I was by her side every single day holding her as
she cried, so you’re the one who needs to fucking leave!”
“You want her, don’t you?”
“She is my best friend, but I have no problem crossing over to being
her lover.”
“Gloria, stop!” I shouted because Oakley seemed to be out for blood.
“You need to get this straight,” Oakley said to Gloria. “Bree being my
wife and the mother of my children is a guarantee, can you say for
sure that you will continue to be in her life?”
“I am a hundred percent certain of it!”
“The same way you were certain that you were that blonde-haired
blue-eyed woman?” Oakley asked and Gloria had nothing.
“Oakley, listen to me,” I said and turned her around to face me.
“They are my friends. Do not make me choose.”
“If I make you choose, there’s only one choice you would be able to
make, and that’s me. You need to tell your lover…”
“Don’t you get it that we did not know and the moment we did we
have not crossed that line?”
“That does not eliminate the fact that she still has the hots for you,”
Oakley said.
“So what? We’re all friends and nothing will come of any feelings
that anyone might have.”
“So are you attracted to her?” she asked.
“Was, but now she’s my friend.”
“Really? I don’t normally do this with my partners, but I need to
know what I’m dealing with,” she said and took my hand.
“Oakley, please,” I begged.
She looked at my palm and there was a worried look on her face
when she looked back at me. She slowly ran her fingers over it and
she slowly released my hand and hung her head in sorrow.
“Oh no,” she said then leaned against the footboard of the bed and
tears came to her eyes.
“What?” I asked and she wiped her eyes but did not respond. I
looked at Cory and Gloria and they were both showing concerns on
their faces because they knew Oakley saw something and it was not
good. “What did you see, Oakley?”
“I’m sorry, Gloria,” she said and sighed heavily.
“So you saw me with her and you out on the curb, right?” she
chuckled.
“No,” Oakley replied softly, then she walked over to Gloria. She
gently took her hand and looked at her palm, then she traced the
lines. She released it and looked at her. “I’m so sorry.”
“What did you see?” Gloria asked and now she was worried. “What
did you see, Oakley?”
“Are you pregnant?”
“Y-yes. Are my babies okay?” Gloria asked but Oakley did not
immediately respond and tears filled her eyes.
“Oakley, are they okay?” Cory asked and I held my breath that
nothing was wrong with them.
“When I looked at Bree’s hand, I saw her beside a hospital bed
crying and you were lying on it,” she said to Gloria whose hand went
over her mouth in shock. “When I read your palm, you…the babies…
you had already lost them.”
“No,” Gloria said, shaking her head.
“I’m sorry, Gloria,” Oakley said.
“Oh no,” I said and went to her.
“But you said you saw me with a boy and a girl,” Cory reminded her.
“Not these. The boy and the girl were not the same age,” Oakley said.
“You need to get her to the hospital.”
“But she’s not in distress now. What can I say to them?”
“Tell them she’s pregnant and she’s feeling waves of pain and other
discomfort…or that you felt something pop. Whatever,”
“Are you sure about this?” Cory asked.
“I am.”
“Come on, honey,” Cory said and led Gloria out of my bedroom.
“Where are the children?” I asked Oakley as I walked toward the
stairs.
“They’re with the nanny.”
“Go to them. I’ll call you…oh, but I don’t have your number. Great.
Well, you know where I live. It is not a fucking secret…”
“I’m not keeping any secrets from you, Bryce. I came to talk to you…”
“Well, it has to wait. Cory needs me and I need to be there for him, so
I’ll talk to you when next you see it necessary,” I said as I picked up
my purse.
“Baby,” she said and I turned to look at her. She held my arm and
slowly brought her lips to me. She kissed me sweetly and I could not
help but return it, and it felt just as wonderful as it did the first time.
I was still upset with her for what she had done, but now was not
the time to get into that. “Take care of your friends and call me. I’ll
text you my new number.”
“Okay,” I replied and she followed me out, so I locked up and kissed
her quickly then ran to Cory’s car to go with them to the hospital.
I sat in the back then leaned forward and kissed the side of Gloria’s
head then I buckled in and lay back, closing my eyes and hoping that
Oakley was wrong. I felt bad for Cory, but the good part about it was
that he would be a father of two one day.
“I’m sorry, Cory,” I said then caressed Gloria’s shoulder. “You’re
going to be alright, honey.”
“Thank you for coming with us,” she said.
“I’ll always be there for you,” I said to her and she sighed heavily and
relaxed against the seat.
It was a long ominous journey to the hospital because we knew what
was in store for us, and once again, Oakley was right. The fetuses
were not developing and a D&C was recommended, and just as she
said, I sat by Gloria’s hospital bed crying. She was the one
comforting me, gently stroking my hair until I fell asleep. She was
taking it like the true champion she was. I was very proud of the way
they handled this tragedy on their journey to one day becoming
parents. It would happen and I believed that was what made it more
manageable for them.
I was happy for the little insights that Oakley could give from her
readings, but I planned on telling her to confine her gift to her job
only, which was what she said she had done in the past. She went
against that rule because she was jealous and upset, but I was proud
of how she was able to put aside her anger in order to show Gloria
compassion. That was definitely a huge plus for me and it gave me
hope for us as a team. It would take a while, but I was confident that
we would all be friends. Still, I had a feeling that Oakley would never
let what happened between Gloria and me go, and she would remind
us of it until the day she would take her last breath.
 Chapter 15
Gloria had bounced back and had returned to work to make her
employees’ lives a living hell. Cory was in good spirits and back at
work after taking a few days off to be with Gloria. The wedding
planner was a gay guy who was just wonderful and hilarious, and
everything was in full swing for the wedding. The two families were
invited to a country club venue that Gloria had rented and that was
where they announced their engagement and the families met the
beautiful couple. Oakley and I sat there and watched as chaos
erupted between the two families who believed that their family
member was too good for the other. They complained about
everything, and every complaint brought on a counter-complaint.
Oakley thought it was hilarious, but Gloria, Cory, and I thought it
was a major embarrassment. It led to the couple trading in a big
wedding for a private ceremony with just us. The new date was yet
to be decided.
I was getting frustrated with Oakley, because the most I would get
from her was a kiss and the occasional touch of her breasts. It had
been almost a month since we reconnected and I still had not seen
the children, and we had not yet made love. She said there was no
rush because we would be spending the rest of our lives together.
Bullshit. The truth was that she hated me. I did not get the feeling
that she was really into me as a partner and it was annoying the hell
out of me. She kept telling me that the children were not ready, but I
did not understand because I had spent the day with them and they
loved me. I did not like the fact that she was dictating this
relationship and not giving me much of a say, especially when it
came to our kids.
My mother was not giving up, and she spoke for my father. What she
wanted was what they both wanted. She kept talking about her
grandkids and all the things she planned to do with them. The
children did not have any extended family and they were about to
get one they wished they hadn’t met. My family was worse than
Cory’s and Gloria’s combined, but we all survived, and so would the
kids.
I could not wait to see them again and I did not like the punishment
that Oakley was dishing out to me. Was she still upset over that
whole Gloria thing? She hadn’t mentioned it again, and they seemed
to be getting along. I believed that Gloria’s tragedy was what caused
the mend because Oakley was genuinely sorry about what happened
to her.
The front door opened and that could only be Cory or Oakley, and
since Cory was at work, it had to be my future wife.
“Babe?”
“In the kitchen,” I replied.
“Please tell me you haven’t had breakfast as yet,” she said.
“I’m just taking out a bagel.”
“Okay, let’s go.”
“Where are we going?” I asked and I was not excited because
everywhere we went had nothing to do with my children and I was
getting really pissed off!
“We’re going to see the kids.”
“What?” I asked and my heart raced in excitement, but I wanted to
be sure about what I had heard.
“The kids are ready for you,” she said and those were the most
beautiful words I had ever heard. I held onto the counter and hung
my head and tears ran from my eyes. “Oh baby, I’m sorry it took so
long.”
“I told you I’m not patient,” I cried.
“I know, my darling. I’m sorry,” she said and hugged me to her. My
mom and Cory had hugged me so much that it became the go-to
place whenever I was feeling emotional, and Oakley’s arms were just
as comforting. “It’s over, baby. You don’t have to wait anymore.”
I looked into her eyes and she wiped my tears away.
“Are they still at your friend’s house?” I asked.
“It’s a surprise,” she said.
“I can’t handle any more surprises, Oakley.”
“You’ll love this one,” she beamed. “Come on. Get dressed.”
Oakley had said they were staying at a friend’s house for a little
while, and I asked why she could not stay with me, but she said the
children needed more time because I would be a major part of their
lives. I left her to handle the situation as she saw fit, but it took a
heavy emotional toll on me. I was just grateful that I had Cory and
Gloria and they were strong enough to hold me up.
I quickly got into my clothes and went into Oakley’s black Mercedes
– another clue that I had misinterpreted. I was happy and nervous at
the same time because I wanted to see my children so desperately. I
knew it would take a while for Oakley to incorporate me into their
lives, but I would like to be around them as she worked on it. She
said they were ready to have me, and I was not sure what that
meant. Maybe she tried to talk to them about the fact that their
father was not coming back and that she would love someone else
who could be a part of their lives. I was speculating, but I had no
idea how I would have dealt with it if the situation were reversed.
Maybe I should cut her some slack for protecting her children’s
emotional well-being first and follow her example instead of
whining about not having it my way.
“Are you excited, baby?” Oakley asked.
“I am,” I said with a wide smile. “But I’m also nervous.”
“I understand, sweetheart.”
“Are they expecting me?” I asked.
“They have no idea you’re coming,” she said.
“Really? But do they remember me?”
“What?” she laughed. “They talk about you non-stop, and I also kept
the conversation going and reminded them of the wonderful day we
spent together. We made a list of the things they would like to do
with you when you get back. I told them you were away for a little
while.”
“But I used to talk to them on the phone, so why did you stop that?”
“I realized that I should not let them form such a close bond until we
were ready to have you in our lives. There were a lot of residual
problems from my marriage that needed to be addressed. It was just
not a good time. I told you on the first day we met, baby.”
“I know. I just wanted to have my family. I understood that I needed
to be patient, but that’s a flaw I’m trying to work on.”
“I’m excited about you and our future together. I want to make you
happy,” she said.
“I want to do that for you and the kids more than anything and I look
forward to the day when we can be together as a family. I know it
will take some time, but I’m at least happy to be in the children’s
lives,” I said just as she turned into the driveway of a beautiful house
that was much bigger than the one she sold.
“Ready, babe?” she asked and I took a deep breath.
“Yes. I’m ready,” I replied and she smiled at me and drove into the
garage. “Whose house is this? Your friend’s?”
“A girl can’t buy her family a house?” she asked and turned off the
engine.
“You bought this? Is this your new home?”
“Our new home,” she said and I swallowed hard because I wanted to
cry. She came around to me and wrapped her arms around my waist
then took my lips in a long kiss, and when she looked back at me, I
swore it was love I saw in her eyes. “Let’s go to our children.”
Oakley held my hand and opened the door to the living room that
was semi-furnished, but still very beautiful.
“Wow, this is really nice,” I said.
“I left some things for you to put the final touches.”
“You’re wonderful,” I said and a door burst open.
“Mom!” Lea screamed, but I thought she was talking to Oakley but
she ran into my arms.
“Mama!” I heard the voice of my little man as he ran toward me, his
blonde curls bouncing on his head. It was then that I realized that
they were talking to me. They called me their mother.
I hugged them tightly and kissed their faces as tears came to my
eyes from the overwhelming feeling of love for these children. I
never saw this coming. What an amazing feeling to be a mother. I
looked into their eyes as I laughed and cried at the same time.
“Why are you crying, Mama?” Alex asked.
“Because I missed you both so much,” I said and pulled them into my
arms again.
“Mom, I made a welcome home sign for you. Come let me show you,”
Lea said.
“Me too, Mama,” Alex said and he seemed to have preferred that
name.
“I can’t wait to see it,” I said. They opened the door to a playroom
and the nanny was inside but I could not acknowledge her just yet
because the children made so many wonderful drawings for me.
“Oh wow! You’re going to make me cry again. These are so
beautiful,” I said and Alex’s drawings and colorings have
significantly improved. “Alex, these are so amazing. Especially this
one. Mama and Me.”
“I helped him, Mom,” Lea said.
“You are the best big sister ever,” I said and kissed her. Then I
turned to the nanny who had a wide smile on her face. “Hi. Nice to
see you again.”
“Nice to see you too,” she said and I returned my attention to the
drawings.
Oakley came in and sat at the table with us as the children finished
up the banner they were making. I looked at her and she was
glowing with happiness. She made little glances at me and blushed,
and she was absolutely gorgeous. I remembered the first time I saw
her. She had looked pretty under her wig and false eye color, but
when her natural self was revealed, she was way more beautiful
than I could have imagined. She was the gentlest and most
wonderful person, but she was also a tiger when her territory was
being threatened.
“Guys, can you just give your Mom and me a moment?” Oakley said.
“Finish up your banner.”
“Are you coming back, Mama?” Alex asked.
“I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be right back, okay?”
“Okay,” he said.
Oakley took my hand and led me out of the playroom then up the
stairs. She smiled at me and opened the door to paradise.
“I’m sorry that I did this one all by myself, babe,” she said. “I hope
you like it.”
“Oh my God…is this our room?”
“Yes. This is where we will be making love,” she said and pulled me
to her. “And we will be making love a lot.”
“I thought you weren’t attracted to me.”
“Hah!” she gave out and laughed. “Baby, I have been masturbating to
thoughts of you since the first day we met and I knew you were
mine.”
“You’re kidding,” I chuckled.
“You’re not going home tonight,” she said and released me. She
opened a drawer. “Come look.”
“What’s that?” I asked as I walked over to her and looked in the
drawer. “This is for me.”
“I think I have a good idea of your size,” she beamed and I held up a
sexy, silk lingerie.
“Oh shit,” I said and looked at her.
“Let me have a little taste of what you have in store for me,” she said
and took my lips. Her tongue came out and I sucked it into my
mouth as she walked backward with me toward the bed. She turned
me around and we both fell on. She sat up and removed her top and
her breasts were covered in a beautiful, pink, lace bra. I wrapped my
hands around them and then pulled down her bra to free her
nipples. I took one into my mouth and she cried out and fell on me.
“Oh fuck,” she said and I quickly pushed her away. “What?”
“Is the door locked?” I asked.
“Forget about the door. Get back here,” she said and held me. I
screamed out in laughter.
“Stop! We have to close the…”
“Mommy…,” Lea opened the door, crying.
Oakley quickly fixed her bra. Her top was missing but she had to see
to Lea who walked past me and went straight to her.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Oakley asked.
“Mommy…,” Alex walked in crying as well, but when he saw me he
showed me his arm. “Mama, Lea hit my hand.”
“No! You took my butterfly for the banner!” she cried and came over
to us to look at what Alex was showing me.
“Lea, did you do this?” I asked showing her the red mark on his
hand.
“But look, Mom. Look what he did…”
“Oh no,” I said then turned to Alex. “Alex,” I said scoldingly and he
fell into my arms.
“Get out!” Lea screamed and started pulling Alex from my arms.
“Lea! Stop,” I said and pulled Alex’s shirt from her fingers. “Look at
me. I know you got hurt, and you need me to help you, right?”
“Yeah.”
“So let me help you, but I can’t do that if you’re still fighting, okay?”
“Okay,” Lea said.
“Let me take care of your hand and then we’ll talk. Where can I find
a medicine kit?”
“I know where it is,” Lea said and ran toward the bathroom. I picked
Alex up and looked back at Oakley who was lying in bed comfortably
while I handled the feud.
“You’re doing a good job, honey,” she said and Mosha who was
standing at the doorway laughed.
I entered the bathroom that I was seeing for the first time and it was
really spectacular.
“It’s up there, Mama,” Lea said, unable to decide what to call me.
“Mama is mine,” Alex said. “You can’t call her Mama.”
“I can call her whatever I want because she’s my mother too,” she
said to Alex and I decided not to get involved.
“I want to call you Mama. Only me,” he said turning my face to look
at him.
“Really? It would make me so sad if I have two children and only one
calls me Mama,” I said, pouting my lips.
“Okay. Lea can call you Mama.”
“Why are you so wonderful?” I said and kissed his face. “Okay, let me
see your hands.”
I sat on the bathroom floor with both children and I cleaned the red
mark on Alex’s hand that did not really need any attention, but just
for him to feel better that something was done about it. Lea’s arm
had a spot of blood because Alex must have used something with an
edge to hit her.
“Look at this, Alex,” I said and showed him the damage to her skin.
“This cannot happen again. Both of you need to stop hitting each
other, okay?”
“Okay,” they both said.
“The next time there’s hitting, we will have to have another meeting
to talk about the reasons we shouldn’t do that. That meeting might
take place when we need to go and get ice cream or frozen yogurt.
Do you want us to have a meeting when we should be out having
fun?”
“No,” they said.
“Good. Are you finished with the banner?”
“It’s almost done. I just need to paste on the butterflies.”
“Would you like me to help?” I asked as I put a Band-Aid on Lea’s
arm.
“No, Mama. You can’t see it yet. It’s a surprise,” Lea said.
“Yeah, it’s a surprise,” Alex repeated.
“Come, Alex. Let’s go finish it,” Lea said and they both rushed out of
the bathroom.
I put away the medicine kit and looked at my face in the mirror. I
was beaming from ear to ear with happiness because it had finally
come together, and after numerous failed relationships, I was about
to live the life that was meant for me. It required patience, a quality I
did not possess but was forced to learn.
I walked out of the bathroom and saw Oakley still lying in bed. She
turned to look at me.
“Nice move,” I said to her.
“You were bonding, so I didn’t want to interfere,” she smiled.
“Bonding? They were fighting right there in front of me.”
“And you handled it very well. I saw them running off together and I
felt a little embarrassed because if I had gotten involved, they would
still be fighting and crying.”
“Do they do that a lot?” I asked.
“Oh yes, but they really love each other and Lea takes very good care
of him, then out of nowhere they start fighting again,” she said. “It’s
normal for small siblings to be that way, but I have you now so I can
lie in bed while you take a turn as referee.”
“We were in the middle of something important,” I reminded her.
“We need to take them to their grandparents for a weekend so we
can spend some time together because as you can see, they will be
disturbing us,” she said and I laughed. “We could do it at night, but
that’s not enough for me.”
“What about your sessions?” I asked.
“I told everyone that I was fully booked. I was dealing with a whole
lot and I needed to prepare for my new life with you. Once we’re
settled, then I’ll look into a restart date.”
“So their grandparents, huh? You don’t know what you’re getting
into. We might never see our kids again,” I said and she laughed
happily.
“Then we’ll have more time for each other. I love hearing you call
them your kids. I thought I would be going it alone, then I saw us as
a family. It was the happiest day of my life,” she said. “And then you
cheated on me.”
“Oh my God!” I gave out and fell on my back. “Am I going to hear this
for the rest of my life?”
“It depends.”
“On what?”
“If you do me better than you did her,” she said and went up on her
elbow. Her long blond waves falling to one side of her face.
“That’s all I have to do?”
“For now,” she smiled.
“I am happy to rise to the challenge, my love. I’ll give you a little
taste until tonight,” I said then got off the bed and locked the door.
“Oh shit,” she said and pulled away toward the headboard.
“Are you running from me, babe?”
“No.”
“Really?”
I climbed on the bed and removed the top that she had put back on
and I pulled down the pink bra below her breasts. Her beautiful
pointed nipples greeted me and I took one into my mouth. Oakley
grabbed my head and held it in place as my mouth devoured her
sweet flesh. She was breathing rapidly then I heard a whimper as
her head fell on mine.
“Fuck…,” she gave out and I went to the other breast, sucking it in
and flicking my tongue rapidly over her nipple. “Bree…oh my God…”
“Mmm,” I moaned and my eyes rolled to the back of my head as the
most delicious breast I had ever tasted caused pleasure to rush all
over my body.
I released her breast and took her lips as I undid the waist of her
jeans. I pulled them down and kissed her belly but I knew I was
working with limited time so I slipped her panties down, and before
they even got below her knees, I brought my mouth to her pussy and
sent my tongue straight to her clit.
“Aaah! Fuck!” she cried out and I pulled away and covered her
mouth.
“Shhh,” I said softly in her ear and she shuddered.
I pulled her into a standing position then pulled her hips toward me.
I went back to her clit and she grabbed my hair as my tongue
worked all over it.
“Bree…oh shit. Oh my God…,” she said between breaths and she
leaned against the bed as her knees buckled.
Everything about her was delicious and I could not wait for tonight
when we would be naked and our entire bodies would be wrapped
around each other. I loved the way she tasted and I loved her. I
wanted to lick between her folds and taste her juice on my tongue,
but this was just a little precursor of what was to come.
“Baby…oh my God…don’t stop,” she begged. “Please don’t…”
“Mama?”
“Fuck!” Oakley said in a low voice and I grabbed her hand and ran
with her to the bathroom and pushed her in,
“Ow!”
“Mama! Open the door!”
“I’m coming, sweetie,” I said and without checking on Oakley to see
if she had broken her neck, I rushed to the door and opened it.
Two beautiful, excited faces greeted me and I found myself being
dragged away from the room I wanted to be in for a few more
minutes, but my children needed me and I had to sacrifice their
mother in order to keep the beautiful smiles on their faces until it
was time for bed. I loved spending time with my children, but I had
an urgent appointment tonight with their mother and nightfall could
not get here fast enough!
 Chapter 16
I thought Oakley had given up, but when I saw her enter the
playroom freshly showered and in a dress this time, I knew it was
not the end. I helped the children to put strings on one end of the
banner while the nanny helped them to do the other. I glanced at
Oakley and she was shifting uneasily. I smiled at her so she knew I
understood what was happening. She needed me.
“Um…kids,” she said. “Can I just talk to Mama for a second?”
“No! You’re going to take her away again. She’s helping us,” Lea said
and looked at Oakley with an angry face.
“Yeah!” Alex joined in.
“But we’re almost done, right?”
“We need to put it up. Where are we going to put it, Mama?” Lea
asked.
“I think we should put it where everyone can see it. This is so
beautiful.”
“I know where to put it,” Oakley said. “Let’s put it over the fireplace
and that way we can all see it. Come quickly. Let’s hurry and get this
done. Then it’s time for lunch, right?”
“Yeah,” they said and Oakley quickly took up the banner.
“Be careful, honey. We don’t want the butterflies to fall off,” I said to
Oakley.
“I’m being careful,” she replied and we got the banner out.
“Guys, you hold this end,” she said and placed the banner in their
hands. “And Mosha will tape the other end to the wall.”
“I’ll get the tape,” Mosha said.
“I’ll get it. Just hold it like this,” Oakley said then walked toward me.
She looked into my eyes and I knew it meant that I should follow
her. I entered the playroom and Oakley grabbed me and started
kissing me.
“Mm,” a soft moan escaped me.
“Go down…,” she whispered and started pulling up her dress.
“We can’t do it here.”
“They’re holding the banner. It will only take a second.”
“No, we can’t do it now. Let’s wait until…”
“Mommy! Where’s the tape?!” Lea screamed and Oakley picked it up
from the shelf and rushed out.
“Here it is, honey.”
I went out and helped them to put the banner up. It was a little lean
and Oakley wanted to leave it that way, but Mosha and I made it
right and now the children were happy.
“What does it say?” I asked.
“Welcome home Mom!” Lea gave out.
“No!” Alex said and started to cry. “I told you to say Mama.”
“But I love it, Alex.”
“But it doesn’t say Mama,” he cried.
“Okay, ask your sister nicely if she could change the name on the
banner.”
“Lea, can we put Mama?” he asked.
“It’s beautiful and Mom loves it…ow!”
“Alex! Don’t do that!” Oakley shouted. “You are making Mama very
upset and you’re ruining her welcome home because you both won’t
stop hitting each other. I’m taking her away from the two of you
until you learn how to work together.”
“No…Mama,” Lea cried and Alex joined in. “We’ll be good.”
“Work together and fix the banner,” Oakley said and held my hand
and led me away to another section of the house.
“That’s so mean,” I whispered.
“Shut up,” she said and led me through some doors that led to the
side door of a guestroom. We were in and Oakley locked the door.
“Where were we?”
“Can’t we just wait for tonight?” I asked.
“Do you have any idea how long I have not had sex? Two years, eight
months, and three weeks,” she said and started to remove her
clothes. “I am dying, Bree. I just want to cum and then you and those
little…”
“Mommy!”
“Oh my God!” she shouted and marched toward the door.
“Mommy, where are you?”
I grabbed her and pulled her away from the door.
“It’s okay, honey. Let me take care of it. Just stay here on the bed and
I’ll come back to you. I promise,” I said and kissed her lips, then I
went out and saw Lea holding Alex’s hand with tears running down
their faces and the nanny stood helplessly. She was so sweet and
was really gentle with them.
“I’m sorry. They wanted their moms,” Mosha explained.
“It’s okay,” I said. “Let’s have lunch together and I’ll tell you a story
while you eat. How’s that?”
“Okay,” they said and I led them into the kitchen.
“Can we work on the banner after lunch?” I asked.
“Yes, and I want to put Mama instead.”
“That’s nice too,” I said to Lea and we all sat down to lunch.
I was aware that Oakley was lying in the guestroom waiting for me
to go back to her, but I was helping the children with their lunches
and telling them a story. When they were settled and eating with
Mosha’s supervision. I told them that I was going to check on
Mommy and I would be right back. I hurried to the room and saw
Oakley lying on her back and looking toward the ceiling, not
acknowledging my presence.
“Babe,” I said.
“Do not say a word,” she replied. “Do you have to go back?”
“After I make you cum,” I replied and she sat up with a smile on her
face.
“I can’t believe someone could get angry for sex,” I laughed.
“I swear to you, if those children come back around here, I’m taking
you back to your house and fucking you.”
“You are wild. I love it,” I said and pulled her to the edge of the bed
then got on my knees.
“Oh my God,” she said before I even did anything.
Oakley did not have on any underwear because she was waiting for
any opportunity to get my mouth between her legs. I needed to
hurry before the kids tried to find us again, so I pushed her dress
back and she opened her legs. I looked at her pussy and smiled
because it was mine to eat, to lick, to enter, to touch however I
wanted, and I shuddered in excitement. I wrapped my arms around
her legs because she had never been with a woman and had no idea
how damaging the pleasure could be to her mind and body. I did not
want to tease her and cause her to try to escape so I slipped my
tongue between her folds then sucked on her clit.
“Fuck…,” she said in a deep, agonizing sound and she grabbed onto
the sheets for dear life. “Oh God…no, no, no…”
“Mmm,” I moaned and held her in place as I licked from her opening
to her clit.
“Fuuuuck!” she gave out but with a low groan. She grabbed the
pillow and bit into it when my tongue went inside her. “I’m
cumming!” she screamed into the pillow.
She grabbed my hair then released it and grabbed the pillow again,
then she went still but continued to scream into the pillow as she
throbbed against my tongue and lips. I felt her cumming and it was
the most beautiful feeling in the world. How on earth was she
planning on keeping me from between her legs? I would want her
every minute of the day, and I had a feeling that she would want me
just as much.
She removed the pillow from her face and went up on her elbow
then looked at me smiling from between her legs.
“You weren’t kidding when you told me that a woman’s tongue is
way better,” she said with a smile as she tried to catch her breath.
“Told you,” I said and got to my feet. “I’ll give you the full-body
workout tonight, but now we have to get back to…”
“Na, na, na. Up on the bed.”
“What?”
“I want to taste what it’s like,” she said.
“And we’ll do that tonight,” I said and went into the bathroom to
wash my mouth. “Baby, the kids are just getting to know me. I don’t
want them to not trust me.”
“They’re fine…”
“Nope. Let’s go,” I said and took her hand.
We went into the kitchen and the nanny looked at us suspiciously
because she knew we were up to something. The children were
happy to have us back and we sat with them for a little while before
we took them into the playroom to make the adjustment to the
banner. I gave Cory and Gloria a quick call and they invited us to
dinner as soon as we could. We took the children outside to play and
before we knew it, it was dinner and bed. We each read them a story
and kissed them goodnight then we went downstairs to help with
the cleanup before running upstairs to our bedroom.
“I thought this moment would never come,” she said as she ripped
my clothes off me.
I pulled her to me and took her lips, then I took a break just to get
her dress over her head then continued with our kiss. I pulled her
with me into the bathroom and my hands held onto her breasts as I
enjoyed the delectable taste of her tongue. She broke away and
turned on the shower and I got a chance to look at her body. I felt a
shock of pleasure as I admired her beautiful curves and the sultry
way she moved.
“Stay right here,” she said and ran out of the bathroom.
I wanted to know if I should enter the shower or if I should just
stand there, but she ran back in with something in her hand then she
took me under the water. We brushed our wet hair from our faces
then we looked at each other as we smiled.
“Why are you smiling so much?” I asked.
“Because I’m so happy, and I love you so much,” she said.
“I love you too, Oakie,” I said and caressed her face.
“Aww,” she said with her hand over her heart. “A special name for
me.”
“You always called me Bryce, and I remember how I felt the first
time you said Bree. It’s so…amazing, and I wished there was a better
word to describe the feeling of looking at someone and knowing that
you’ll love each other for the rest of your lives…someone who thinks
that you’re the best thing to have ever happened to them and they
would do anything to make you happy and show you how much you
mean to them. It’s just wonderful.”
“It really is, Bree. I’m so happy that I have this gift. It gave me a
glimpse into the future because I would be so afraid that one day I
might lose you.”
“That will never happen,” I said.
“I know,” she smiled as she slid her hand up and down my wet arm.
“I’m sorry I made you wait for so long. I might have taken advantage
of the fact that I knew you belonged to me, and I ended up causing
you pain in the process, but I just wanted to make sure that when
you came home we were ready to have you completely.”
“I needed to be patient…”
“And I knew that was hard for you, but now, I’m yours. Completely,”
she said and went on her knees. Oakley took my hand and slipped a
ring on my finger.
“Oh my God…,” I said and covered my mouth.
“Will you marry me, Bryce Elron?”
“Baby…,” I said in disbelief. “Yes! Yes, I’ll marry you.”
She stood up and took my lips and we kissed as the water and the
tears ran down my face. It was crazy that when the year started, and
I celebrated my twenty-ninth birthday, I had no idea that this year
would be my year to find love. Every new year started with hope
and they all failed, so I had given up on that expectation about three
years ago. But all along, this was the year I was meant to find Oakley
and the family I had always dreamed of.
She released my lips then went down to my breast and sucked it into
her mouth.
“Fuck,” she said and stood up then looked at me with shock.
“What?” I chuckled.
“That’s how it feels to suck a woman’s breast?” I asked.
“Good or bad?” I asked as I smiled at her.
“Fucking amazing! Come here…”
“Wait. Let’s shower quickly and go to the bed. I want the whole
package before I cum,” I said and got some gel in my hands and
started washing her. She did the same to me, but when her hand got
between my legs, she moaned and started caressing my clit. “Wait,
baby.”
I washed the foam from our bodies, but Oakley did between her legs
because if I went there, I would fuck her right where we were. We
got out and dried our bodies and hair then we ran to the bed and
jumped in. I saddled her and sat across her hips then looked at the
ring on my finger.
“This is so beautiful,” I said with so much joy inside me. “I cannot
wait to be your wife.”
“Baby, I can’t hear a word you’re saying. I need your tongue
somewhere on my body,” she said and I smiled at her.
“I’ll start with your lips,” I said and kissed her.
Oakley wrapped her arms and her legs around me and I could feel
her wet, heated flesh against my lower abdomen. I released her lips
and went to her breast, and slowly, I sucked a nipple into my mouth.
“Fuck…what are you doing to me?” she asked and I did the same to
the other nipple. I realized that it was torturous, but still, I sucked
her breast in as far as I could before releasing it with a sound. I held
the delicious mounds together and sucked the nipples which were
close to each other, but she hit my arm and pushed me away. “I can’t
do it.”
“I’ll give you a break to recoup because that’s nothing compared to
what I have in store for you,” I said then flipped her on top of me.
Oakley followed my lead with a kiss then she went to my breasts.
She replicated what I had done to her and I realized how difficult it
was for her to control this amount of pleasure. Oakley was moaning
and rubbing her face all over my breasts and we were in for an
insane night of lovemaking. She went down my belly and quickly got
between my legs because she wanted to know how I tasted. With all
my years of experience, I was scared. I pulled away and went up on
my elbows so that I could look at her to know how far I should allow
her to go. She lowered her head and I pulled away.
“Stop,” she ordered and I nodded.
Oakley was an amateur and that made her deadly. This was new to
her and her mouth will have a mind of its own. She went lower and
then her lips touched my pussy.
“Fuck!” I cried out from the sudden jolt of pleasure. Oakley’s tongue
came out this time and I was paralyzed. I could not move. She
worked her tongue over my lips and between the folds then over my
clit. “Fuuuuck!” I growled and fell back onto the bed.
“Mmm!” Oakley gave out and started ravaging my pussy. She was
eating me without mercy and she was enjoying every second of it.
My orgasm raced to meet her tongue and I had to pull away because
I did not want to cum before she did. I pulled her up to me then went
between her legs. I sucked her into my mouth and slid my tongue up
and down her slit, causing her legs to shake from pleasure. I knew
she would not last long, so I pulled away and she was not happy, but
I had something else in store for her. I got between her legs and
brought my pussy to hers.
“Bree! Fuck! Oh my…fuck!” she cried out as I pressed my pussy
against hers and started moving my hips rapidly.
I fucked her fast and hard and I had stopped breathing at this point
because the pleasure had disrupted the rhythm. I felt my pussy
slipping over hers as our juices combined and created the most
pleasurable lubrication to give us maximum satisfaction. I sucked on
her leg as I fucked her pussy and when I looked at her, she was
actually crying.
“I’m going to cum, Bree,” she said while I fought to hold my orgasm
off. “I’m cumming…oh my Goood…!”
We both exploded at the same time and our cries filled the room. I
was shaking and bucking incessantly, and my eyes were somewhere
in the back of my head. I was finally able to refocus them on Oakley,
and she had gone red from a lack of oxygen. I pulled away from
between her legs and went to her.
“Breathe, baby,” I said and she held onto me and buried her face in
my neck.
Oakley took huge gulps of air, but she was still bucking from her
orgasm. I went beside her and pulled her into my arms. Her heart
was beating hard and rapidly and she could not speak, but I held her
and gently soothed her until her rhythm was under control. After a
while, her body started to go limp and I knew that her orgasm had
wiped her out and she was now falling asleep. I closed my eyes with
a smile on my face. I was home in the arms of my wife-to-be, and my
children were sound asleep in their rooms across the hallway. I was
desperately in love with my family and I could not wait to share the
wonderful news with the person who understood the struggle to get
here, and the wonderful feeling of finally finding love. It was
absolutely beautiful and exhilarating.
With a smile on my face and love in my heart, I joined Oakley in the
wonderful world of slumber.
+++
I knew this would happen. My family had taken over the house and
they could not read my expression that it was time for them to go.
The children were no better. They were obsessed with their new
extended family, especially the endless amount of freshly baked
pastries from my grandmother and the teeth-decaying bags of treats
that my parents kept bringing for them. As for my aunt, she brought
the loudest toys available in stores or online. I was starting to hate
them and wanted to tell them not to return and I would take the
children once per year to see them, but Oakley loved having them
around and the kids could not get enough of them, so I backed off
and suffered in silence.
I left the noise and the bakery my family had established in my
kitchen and drove toward Gloria’s house because she was expecting
me. She wanted me to meet her at her office but I did not like
hanging out with her there because her personality was different at
work, so she agreed to meet me at her place. Cory was at his office
and would be joining us as well. Oakley was supposed to be a part of
the team and we would all have lunch, but she opted to sit with my
family and listen to all the lies they were telling her about me.
Whatever. I had my best friends who enjoyed my company and
celebrated even the breath I took. I was just having a wonderful and
amazing life and I was so grateful.
I was working on a surprise for Oakley with Gloria’s help and we
were just waiting for the final piece of furniture to be delivered for
the surprise to be complete. She would love it, and I could not wait
to reveal it to her. My phone rang and Gloria was on the line.
“Hi, babe.” I still greeted her this way and Oakley hated it, but she
was getting used to this unusual relationship between us. She was
still unable to get over the fact that Cory saw me naked all the time
with his penis remaining in a flaccid state.
“Where are you, baby? I am a busy woman with a company to run
and I am here in the middle of the day waiting and…”
“Alright, alright, I’m almost there,” I said with a smile.
“Cory is on his way, and lunch is on the table. Will Oakley be joining
us?”
“No. She’s at home with the in-laws…”
“Speaking of in-laws. Cory and I set a date for our private wedding,”
she said and sounded as if she was smiling.
“Really?! That’s fantastic!” I gave out as I turned into her driveway.
“Who’ll be there?”
“You, Oakley, and the kids. That’s it.”
“Cory’s family is going to be livid,” I said as I got to the door. “I’m
here.”
“Yes, but we cannot invite his family and not mine, and you
remember what happened the last time. No way in hell will they be
in the same room again,” she said and opened the door. “Hi, baby!”
she gave out and wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug.
She gave me a quick kiss on the lips. Oakley almost killed her the
first time she saw it, and every time after that. I was still surprised
that they had not physically rolled on the floor as they ripped each
other apart over their claimed individual rights to me. I had to get
mad at them to stop, but that usually lasted until the next visit.
“Here you go. All your favorites,” she said and I sat at the table. “So I
was thinking that since you and Oakley are engaged then we could
do a double wedding.”
“Oh my God! You’re a genius!” I said and got up from the table. “We
could totally do it, right?”
“I think we could,” she said and pulled me into her arms. “You would
make a beautiful bride.”
“So would you, honey,” I said and touched her nose. “Oakley would
not be happy with you holding me like this.”
“Yes, well I don’t like the fact that she came into our lives and ruined
polyamory for me,” she smiled and I laughed. “I hate all your stories
of how wonderful your sex life is.”
“What?” I said and the smile left my lips. I slowly pulled out of her
arms and stepped away from her. “What are you doing?”
“Nothing that you don’t know about,” she said. “Don’t act surprised
as if you don’t know that I want to make love to you and it’s killing
me that you’re having all this amazing sex with Oakley.”
“She’s my fiancée.”
“So was Cory when you and I made love.”
“It was a mistake that happened and you know why. Cory and
Oakley have forgiven us for that, so why are you doing this?” I asked
as tears came to my eyes. “We have a beautiful friendship so why are
you trying to ruin it?”
“I can’t keep my feelings to myself any longer. I want you,” she said
and took a step toward me. “It could be our little secret and no one
has to know.”
“You want me to have sex with you behind my girlfriend’s back?”
“Yes,” she said.
“Gloria…”
“I thought you loved me,” she said as tears came to her eyes.
“I do, but as a friend – the same way I love Cory,” I said to her and I
was getting nervous because I did not want to lose her, but Oakley
would hit the roof if she found out what was happening here, and if I
had to choose, my choice would be clear because I loved Oakley and
I loved my children. I need to get this under control. “Gloria, what
happened between us meant nothing…”
“Don’t say that,” she cried. “I love you.”
The front door opened and I almost died when I heard Cory and
Oakley talking as they walked toward us. Gloria made no attempt to
hide her emotions and I knew that we were in a whole lot of trouble.
“Baby, what’s wrong?” Cory rushed to Gloria when he realized that
she was crying.
“I’m sorry, honey,” Gloria said and I swore I just died. “I still love
you…”
“Still? What the fuck?”
“Bree, what’s going on here?” Oakley asked.
“It’s Gloria…she’s a little confused at the moment, but let me take
her to another room and talk to her,” I said and went toward her, but
Oakley held my arm.
“What happened?!”
“Stop shouting,” I said. “It’s…she’s…”
“You took her away from me,” Gloria said and Oakley’s mouth
opened wide.
“What are you talking about?” Cory asked. “Is that thing that
happened between you two still on your mind?”
“Yes!” Gloria replied and walked out of the kitchen and into the
living room as we all walked behind her.
“I told you to stop kissing her on the lips and letting her call you
baby and honey and all that shit!” Oakley said to me. “So do you have
feelings for her as well?”
“No! She’s just my friend,” I said.
“Be honest, Bryce,” Gloria said. “You know you want to. I felt it when
you were hugging me in the kitchen,” she said then got to her feet
and turned to Oakley. “Do you have any idea how hard it has been
lately to sit and hear her talk about how wonderful it is to make love
to you? Ours was wonderful and she would have been here with us
right now if you hadn’t come along.”
Gloria was crying and I went to her.
“It’s okay, honey…”
“Stop it!” Oakley shouted at me.
“She’s upset.”
“She has a man!”
“But she wants me to comfort her,” I said and put Gloria to sit on the
sofa. “You’ll be fine,” I said and she brought her hand to my face.
I felt my body being dragged away from Gloria and I turned to see
the fire in Oakley’s eyes. She pushed me aside and went toward
Gloria, but Cory got between them.
“Step back, Oakley. She’s just a little…she’s not herself at the
moment. She just needs some rest,” Cory said.
“Both of you need to stay away from Bryce!”
“She’s our friend,” Cory said.
“She’s your friend, but clearly she’s Gloria’s lover! Obviously, she is
still hanging on to that thing that happened between them,” she said
then turned to me. “This friendship with her ends right this fucking
minute! Do you understand…wh-what are you doing?”
I walked over to Gloria with a wide smile on my face. I knelt
between her legs and gently caressed her cheek.
“Baby, why do you get so crazy when you’re pregnant?” I asked.
“What?!” Cory gave out.
“You’re horny, right?” I asked with a smile.
“Yes, but I’m not pregnant,” she said softly. “I just want you.”
“I know you want me badly, honey, but let’s go upstairs and do a
pregnancy test, okay?”
“Okay,” she said and took my hand.
I led her to the elevator and the others came in with us.
“I want you to leave her and come home to us,” Gloria said.
“I will, honey. Soon, you and I will be lovers again,” I said and the
others did not object, which meant they believed that the irrational
behavior was a result of pregnancy hormones.
“I just want you so bad,” she said.
“I know, sweetheart,” I said and led her to her bathroom. I opened
the cupboard and took out a test then gave it to her to pee on.
“I’m not pregnant.”
“I know, sweetie. I just want to see it for myself. Just do it for me,” I
begged. “Please?”
“Okay.”
There were no boundaries in the friendship between us because we
all stood there and watched Gloria peed on the stick, then it was
time to wait.
“Wouldn’t it be easier if you just read her palm?” Cory asked.
“No. My gift is for business. I’m never using it in this family again,”
Oakley replied.
“We’re a family?” Gloria asked. She was like a baby, and she looked
really tired.
“Cory hold her,” I said and he pulled her into his arms.
“I want Bree to hold me,” she said to him but rested her head on him
just the same.
“It’s okay, honey. I’ll hold you,” Cory said and kissed her face. “I love
you.”
“I love you too,” she replied. “And I love Bree.”
“What about Oakley? Don’t you love her?” Cory asked with a smile.
“No. She took Bree away.”
“I knew it!” I shouted and started screaming in joy. “You’re
pregnant!”
“What?” Gloria asked and took the stick from me. “I don’t want to be
pregnant,” she cried and turned into Cory’s arms.
“You’re hungry and tired, baby. Let’s go eat…”
“No, I want to go to bed,” she said and she looked really tired.
“Okay,” Cory said. “Do you want me or Bree to lie with you until you
fall asleep?”
Gloria looked at me then back at Cory, and she placed her head on
his chest as she chose him. She walked out of the bathroom and left
Oakley and me standing there.
“What the fuck?” I whispered. “She just left me here.”
Oakley laughed and hugged me in comfort then she looked at me.
“I’m sorry for how I acted, honey. I didn’t know the woman was
losing her mind,” she said.
“Me neither. I thought I was going to die when I heard you and Cory
walk in. Oh God,” I said and buried my face in her neck. “Is this what
I’ll be facing for the next nine months? Please don’t leave me.”
“Baby,” she chuckled and held me away. “I’m not leaving you. I’m
still a little traumatized by what happened between you two, but a
large part of it is that I blamed myself for not telling you from the
beginning.”
“But you were not ready for me, so you didn’t want to reveal it. I get
it now. There were children involved.”
“Exactly. Anyway, just try to keep Gloria out of your pants.”
“I can definitely do that,” I said and kissed her lips. “She wants us to
do a double wedding. What do you think?”
“That’s a brilliant idea. Let’s do it,” she said and her face lit up. “Just
know that Gloria might object when the officiator asks if there is any
reason you and I should not get married.”
“Oh God,” I said and sighed. “We would just have to do it again after
the baby is born.”
“That woman.”
“Please be gentle with her. She needs our love and support.”
“Okay,” Oakley smiled. “Anything for you, my love.”
“I have a surprise for you. It’s not quite ready, but it’s just what we
need after the scare we just had.”
“I’m excited. Let’s go,” she said and we came out of the bathroom.
Gloria was in Cory’s arms fast asleep, so Oakley and I tiptoed out of
the room. We went downstairs and I asked the housekeeper to put
the food away. I wanted to have some, but Oakley told me that my
mother and grandmother had made a special meal for us, and since
our friends were not there to share the moment with us, we decided
to do lunch another time.
Oakley drove behind me until we got to a shopping complex about
five minutes away from our house. She parked beside me and I went
to her car to get her.
“What is this?” she asked.
“I’m taking you to your gift,” I said.
“I’m so excited,” she said with a wide smile and curious blue eyes,
then she took my hand.
The gold shop number was on the wall outside, but a short hallway
led to the door.
“Oh shit!” she gave out when she saw her name on display. There
was no indication of what services were being offered. It was just
her beautiful name in gold on the glass door.
I removed the key from my bag and opened it and she walked in
with her mouth wide open. She was speechless.
“This is what’s missing. A desk is to be delivered here. This is the
waiting area, and your receptionist will be here. Bruce will be in this
area so everyone would know there is protection. Then, come this
way,” I said and opened a door that led to where her sessions would
be held.
“No…what? You did this?” she asked in disbelief.
“Gloria and I did it.”
“Horny Gloria?” she asked as she chuckled.
“Pregnant, horny Gloria. She’s amazing. She got her people to set it
up quickly and so beautifully.”
“This is so comfortable and welcoming. Oh my God…baby, you’re
amazing,” she said and took my lips. “Thank you so much. I love you
and your red hair.”
“Now, you can keep your clients away from our home.”
“Best thing ever! I’ll even have my receptionist doing my bookings
and cancelations and just be here with a client if I’m running late.
Love it, baby!”
“I found out in my past relationships that my value fell in the eyes of
my partners whenever I did nice things for them or treated them
well. Will you tell me when I’m doing too much?” I asked.
“So you were dating fools before I came along?” she asked me.
“So it seems.”
“Well, there is no such thing as too much love, care, and kindness in
a relationship – at least, not for me. So keep them coming, my
darling,” she said and caressed my face and my hair. “You’re so
beautiful, my love.”
“I can’t believe after all those failed relationships, you were waiting
at the end of that very dark tunnel,” I said.
“The children and I are so lucky to have you in our lives. Soon we’ll
be married and you’ll adopt them, and we will be the Elron’s family.”
“You’re taking my name?” I asked and beamed with excitement that
Oakley and the children would have my surname.
“I’m leaving the past behind. You’re my future,” she replied.
I was so lucky to have stumbled onto this blue-eyed beauty. I loved
her with everything inside me. Oakley was my prayer answered, and
the dream that I had been chasing my whole adult life had finally
come true after many heartbreaks and tears. And during all that
time, I had no idea that my greatest love awaited me with two
children who would become my world. I had so much love in my
heart to give them and they were more than happy to accept it. A
family has finally happened for me and I would cherish every
moment with them and never take this gift for granted. At last, love
has found me.
“What are you doing?” I asked as Oakley slowly unbuttoned her
shirt.
“I want to make love to you in my new office,” she said and removed
her top, revealing beautiful breasts trapped in a gorgeous sky-blue
bra. “I would like to offer you my gratitude.”
“Am I dreaming right now?” I asked as my face lit up with so much
joy.
“No, baby, you’re not. My readings are never wrong, and it told you,
this is your year for love.”
“It is.”
“Now,” she whispered on my lips. “And forever.”
THE END

(Also see)
● The Guardian
● Baby, It’s Christmas
● Friends
● Caught
● Under Her Desk 4
● The Years Between Us
● More to Love
● Under Her Desk 3
● Visions of Us
● Under Her Desk 2
● Legend
● Identical
● 69
● Under Her Desk
● Breaking Free
● A Wild Vacation
● As Is
● The Door
● Alone at the Altar
● Elle
● Late
● Heart to Heart
● Pleasure War
● The Island
● The Wedding Invitation
● Revenge
● Five
● Speechless
● The Christmas Tree
● The Promise
● Finding My Wings
● I Did
● The Birthday Clash
● A Message from Eve
● Sleepwalker
● Addicted to Love
● The Will
● Around the Corner
● Remember me?
● Reality Imagined
● The Juror
● Save Me
● Love on the Ground
● LOST
● Love is Not Enough
● To Love and Protect
● Breaking the Law
● The Interview
● Saving Diamond
● Stork
● Secrets
● Watching Her
● The Love Test
● A Home for Cassidy
● Annabelle
● Three Ways
● Trapped 1
● Trapped 2
● Trapped 3
● Trapped 4
● Trapped 5
● Trapped 6
● After the Divorce
● The Color of You
● Squirt
● The Business Trip
● Not Allowed
● I will find you
● The Choice
● Straight...Until You (1-6)
● Trapped (The Whole Story)
● Straight...Until You (The Whole Story)
Thanks for reading.