Foundations: The Power of Three Love Series Read online

  When I knocked on Andrew’s door, he opened it within three seconds, understanding I’d be lying low at his house for a couple of days. Mainly, I didn’t trust that batshit crazy woman. “You look like hell,” he surmised within ten seconds.

  “Well, that’s what happens when I can’t stop crying.”

  “What the hell happened? It seemed like you three were having so much fun.”

  “I was having the time of my life until that fucking insane Lana appeared on their front steps.”

  “Oh, hell. What …” He paused briefly. “Arden is blowing up my phone. He wants to make sure you’re safe.”

  Letting out a large breath of air, my reply was simple, “I’ll take care of it. I can text him. But that girl was crazy, and I refuse to turn out like her.”

  He pulled me in tight, a comfort that I’d come to expect from my best friend. “Did you ever think she ended up like that because of her choices? I’m not saying that they are your future or the only men who can make you happy, but you’re in control of your own happiness.”

  “Andrew, if you would have seen her, you’d understand,” I insisted, trying to convince myself more than Andrew.

  “Do you know the whole story? Spencer is a controlling SOB. He gave her an ultimatum, and she never wanted Arden. She wanted Spencer and Daimen, and Spencer wouldn’t have it.”

  I sighed. I knew the story; hell, and I now knew it to exhaustion. “I love them, but this is the reason three people in a relationship will not work.”

  My head was still in the crook of his neck. “Ell, all I can say is that you have a choice that can make you incredibly happy. Just date them, get to know them better.”

  “Shit, Andrew, I just need sleep. Please?”

  “Okay, make yourself at home in my guest room. Lie down and I’ll check on you later.” Dropping a kiss on my forehead, I climbed the steps to the second floor of his apartment and pulled out my phone.

  Me: I made it to the city. I’ll have Andrew drive the Land Rover to the office on Monday. Please respect my wishes and leave me be for now.

  I powered off my cell. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust them. I didn’t trust myself.

  49

  Daimen

  I was silent on the way home and with Arden, of all people. After he threw our breakfast against the wall, I knew Elliot had walked out of our lives. We left for Chicago shortly after her. “I could kill Lana,” Arden almost roared.

  What could I say? To want to hurt Lana and Spence would mean they mattered in some form to me and my life. As soon as we could buy them out, they’d be irrelevant and no longer a part of anything.

  “The problem, though, honey, is she thinks we messed Lana up. It was the SOB Spencer.” Arden was babbling and had been since he had gotten behind the wheel of our BMW we kept at the lake house for this reason.

  I’d grabbed Arden’s hand and kissed it in the elevator ride to our penthouse. I made a beeline straight to our bedroom and undressed. I put on a pair of gym shorts before crawling into bed. It was the same reaction when Lana broke up with us. It was what I’d do when life with Mom got so bad, I couldn’t think. Depression had hit me before, but this would envelop me like the black death.

  It would have been hard, no matter the reason, if she’d left us. But after I tasted her and filled her with my cock, losing her at this juncture was painful beyond understanding. And that was where I was at, beyond understanding.

  Arden sat down with me, stroking my head. “Let’s see how long she needs. After a week, if she still wants time, we’ll try to talk to her. We’re not giving up,” Arden announced.

  He began to read his text from Andrew, and all I wanted was silence. “She’s planning on working from home this week. Wanted to give you the heads-up.”

  “Okay, if we don’t hear from her by next weekend, we call her. Right?” Arden vowed. His willingness to believe that everything would be peachy was one reason I loved him. But I couldn’t take the false hope.

  Finally breaking the silence, I shouted, “Leave me the hell alone, Arden. I love you, but I need time. You owe me that much. You pushed and pushed, and here we are again. Lana all fucking over again.” It was a dick move, and I knew it the second it flew out of my mouth, but I couldn’t take the hope he had in his voice. I was done, over, finished.

  He swallowed hard, and his eyes widened. “Okay, honey, I can do that. Love you. Call me if you need anything. I’ll be on the phone with our lawyers, working on dissolving our partnership. Okay?” Kissing me one last time, he placed the covers over my bare chest and turned off the light.

  50

  Elliot

  It’d been a week, and with working from home, all communication went through Scarlet and Andrew. I missed the boys so much my heart was bursting at the seams. But seeing Lana come undone was the straw that broke me. There was a reason traditional marriage had been the only option I should’ve ever considered. But I wasn’t lying. I loved Daimen, and I loved Arden.

  I placed my necklace across the mirror of my bathroom sink. I wanted to remember that night and our weekend together with clarity. It hurt, but I always smiled, imagining their arms, full of muscle and strength, wrapped around me.

  My text alert went off, and I figured it was Andrew as we were going back and forth on specs for the top floor of the building near the Navy Pier. When I picked up the phone, my axis started to spin like I had vertigo.

  Arden: Ell, please let us take you out today. We miss you. We can go slow. I have tickets to a White Sox/Cubs game. Someone told me you were a big Cubs fan. Please, let us spend time with you. If you miss us like we miss you, I know you’re miserable.

  He was right. I was miserable. Maybe I overreacted. I wasn’t strong enough to withstand them together.

  Me: I’m not making any promises, but you got me at Cubs.

  Arden: We’ll be there at 2 p.m. to pick you up. Drinks before the game. We love you.

  I didn’t respond. I only went to my closet to choose an outfit and proceeded to my bathroom to work on my puffy eyes. All I’d done was cry, but when my eyes landed on my necklace, I smiled. I fastened it around my neck again where it’d stay.

  An hour later, both men were at my door. The first words from Arden’s lips were so sweet. “You look great, hot stuff.” I had on a simple navy-blue striped shirt with bright yellow skinny jeans and navy-blue flats with a large yellow bow on top of my shoes. “Ready to head to the game?” He instantly spotted the necklace they’d given me, and his smirk turned to a radiant smile. Daimen was quieter, standing behind him, hands in his pockets. He’d not said anything to me.

  I tried to hug him, but he stiffened. “I’ll meet you two in the car.” He turned and didn’t say another word.

  Arden grabbed my hand to pull me close. “He’ll come around, hot stuff.” Taking my hand in his, he continued, “We always go to a bar down by Wrigley. I hope that’s alright.”

  “I love all the places down there. So where are our seats, anyway? And I’m hungry.”

  “Of course, you’re hungry. I had no doubt. I haven’t fed you for a week, so who knows what you’ve eaten in my absence.” Letting go of me just to let me lock my door, he pulled me into a deep kiss. “Don’t forget how good we are together, hot stuff.”

  My mouth surely hadn’t forgotten.

  * * *

  Daimen had barely talked to me. Whenever our eyes met, I’d smile but only once did his weak smirk match my own. Arden, like the loving man he was, had his hand interlaced with mine and his other hand on Daimen’s thigh. Throughout the whole game, I’d noticed a couple turning around and whispering to each other. Daimen and Arden were well known in Chicago, and I’d assumed the couple was shell-shocked to see Chicago royalty up front. But their whispers became louder, and I’d heard disgusting too many times for me to turn a blind eye. Daimen and Arden were ignoring them, but I couldn’t.

  I finally had enough, and I leaned forward, tapping her shoulder. “Excuse me. Can I help you with so
mething?” In my peripheral, I saw both men tune into this conversation. They shouldn’t be surprised by my brashness. I never looked for confrontation, but I didn’t stray from it either.

  The woman in her mid-fifties curled up her lip, lowered her eyebrows, and simply replied in a voice that carried, “I recognize the men. I know who they are, and I think you all are just a bit too cozy together. It makes me wonder what you may be into and how people like you are polluting this generation.”

  Why the hell did others have to be so hateful? They were spiteful for no reason, especially when it didn’t concern them. “All you need to know is that we’re three friends who enjoy each other’s company. And the rest is none of your fucking business.” A snicker could be heard to my right where both men were sitting. “And furthermore, if you have a problem, maybe it’s something you need to work out on your end and leave us the hell alone.”

  Arden grabbed my hand gently. “Ell, it’s okay. Idiots like them don’t matter to us.”

  Daimen’s glance caught my own. “Thanks for coming to our rescue, beautiful.” His smile was one I’d missed; you know, the kind that took up his whole face. My heart came to life, but then a pain fell upon it so quickly. A life where people ridiculed me would be fine. I’d take every motherfucker down but to bring children into this? That was something I wasn’t sure I could ever do.

  * * *

  The game, along with Lana’s breakdown, showed me that I needed to make an informed decision. Though I’d never regret my words, my body inched farther and farther from Arden’s. When Daimen’s hand reached over Arden to give me the first form of comfort I’d felt from him since leaving them at the lake, I stiffened.

  “We should get some drinks or head back to our place,” Daimen offered, putting his arms around my waist. I would not let my body betray me. It hurt like hell, but shit, I should have listened to my brain when this whole ridiculous idea came about.

  “No, I'm tired. I’ll just head back to my place.” I pulled out of Daimen’s embrace when Arden caught my arm.

  “Um, hot stuff, what are you doing?”

  “I’m gonna grab a cab home. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Again, they were like spider monkeys and on top of me before I knew it.

  “Ell, you’re not taking a cab. Our Town Car can take you home. Do you think we’re gonna let our girl out of our sight at this time of the day?” They were going to make me say it again—what I knew would kill them, as it would me.

  I tried to slip out of the car, but again, they wanted to walk me up to my loft. Inside, I didn’t say anything. Daimen was the first to speak. “Ell.” His hands were the first to alert my body that he was behind me when they found my hips. “I can’t breathe without you. You infected me, and if this is not what you want, I’ll respect it. I won’t fight; I won’t remind you of what we had or what we could have. Your decision will be final. But I’m going to tell you, it’ll be the biggest mistake of your life to throw away what we have.” His words on my skin were like acid because he read me too well. “If you want us, speak now. If not, I’ll walk out of your life and become nothing more than a memory.” The sheer force of his body when he whipped around almost knocked me off my feet. Five seconds passed and the door slammed behind him.

  Facing Arden right now was going to be just as painful, but with him, I knew I’d have to look him in the eye. “Hot stuff, don’t do this.” His plea physically hurt. “Ell, fuck.” I turned with all the strength I could conjure up in my body. Determination was written all over his face by his set jaw, strong posture, and his sharp hand movements when he pointed his index finger my way. “Fear, Ell. That’s all this is. Let us help you. We’ve been through this all before. Daimen and I would not be together if we hadn’t conquered it.”

  What could I say to him to justify my selfish actions? “If it was just the three of us, I’d say fuck them all. But I want kids, I want a family, and I won’t bring my children into the hate that surrounds this sort of life.”

  Inhaling deeply through the nose and then exhaling through the mouth, Arden’s voice reverberated off the walls, gaining momentum. “Love, Ell. We have a love that you’ll never find again. It’s the one thing children need.”

  I turned away, unable to face the beauty of Arden Blakely anymore. “Hot stuff, you may have given up, and Daimen has given up, but I will not. I won’t fucking let you go without a fight. We’re stronger together. You’ll see. There’s a power in three.” He didn’t slam the door behind him like Daimen had, but it was obvious, from the lack of his larger than life persona, that I was alone in my apartment, and it was brutal. All I could think to do was whisper in my own silence, “I’ll never forget you both.”

  51

  Elliot

  I returned to work. I had to adult, after all. Making a commitment to my job was all I had left. Having to face Arden and Daimen in a work environment was part of being a freaking grown-up.

  My mind was deep into my designs, finding relief in the sanctuary of my profession. When the pressure in the room changed by the door opening, I thought it would be one of the guys finally acknowledging I worked in the same building. “Hey, sweetheart.” It wasn’t Arden or Daimen. Looking up at the two pairs of eyes of scrutiny, I saw my parents.

  As if I hadn’t been through the wringer enough, I now had to endure the taut and judging eyes of my parental units.

  “Oh, sugar,” my mother ambled, coming at me with open arms. “Have you lost weight? Well, it looks good on you, honey.”

  Yeah, I lost weight because I’m miserable. Those were the words I wanted to say or what the hell, you saying I was fat before I stopped eating? No, when it came to my folks, I would just grin and bear it.

  The words forming in my mouth were what are you doing here. But because Karma wanted to have diarrhea on me today, the door slammed open to, “Fuck, hot stuff, I can’t take it anymore.” And Arden was now in the path along with my parents. It had been ten days since breaking their hearts a second time after the game. Part of me loved seeing my funny man, but this was shitty timing.

  Arden, who seldom blushed at his own words or anyone else’s for that matter, reddened when my parents’ eyes turned to me then to him. “Um, Mr. Blakely, now’s not a good time,” I spoke through clenched teeth.

  “Yes, Mr. Blakely, do you always talk to your employees like this?” my dad asked, standing between Arden and me.

  “Dad, it’s nothing. Swearing is actually his love language.” I blushed, thinking that talking dirty to me was really his love language, but I skipped that little detail.

  “And hot stuff, that’s really quite unprofessional. But what else could one expect from a man who engages in the lifestyle you do?” My father was on a roll today and his stare challenged Arden.

  Arden’s feathers rarely became ruffled, but he moved into my father’s personal space, articulating his words strongly. “What the hell does that mean?”

  I found myself between both men, turning to my father. “You’ll not come into my place of business and insult the man I’m working with in his building.”

  I twisted back to Arden, a plea on my face that only he could read. Raising his hands in defeat, only for me, he turned, “Ell, can you come find me after they leave?”

  My mom chimed in as if nothing happened. “Actually, Mr. Blakely, we’re here to take our daughter out for lunch.”

  “I’ll see you afterward, Mr. Blakely.” I turned from him—the sorrow in his eyes could write the saddest country music song. But he left, slamming the door behind him.

  When we were finally alone, I twisted my body to my dad. “Don’t ever treat my friend like that again, Dad.”

  “Friends? Don’t you think you have the market cornered on friends who live an alternative life?” I’d never change their opinions, and the only way to get rid of them was to take them to lunch.

  “Oh, maybe we can invite Keith. He was always so good to you, honey. You know you could do worse than him, and I know he misses you,”
my mom continued as I grabbed my coat, hoping to escort my parents out of the building before they came face-to-face with Daimen. He wouldn’t let my dad’s comments slide, not like Arden had.

  I slid on my coat, turning to my mother. “Yeah, Mom, if you call Keith cheating on me several times and lying good for me, then we may have different definitions of the word good.”

  “Oh, I don’t think it was that dramatic as you’re making it out to be, dear. But let’s get going, honey, I’m hungry,” my mom chimed, casually changing the subject from the man who gutted me to food with such ease.

  Out of my eye, Arden caught my attention when the three of us were waiting for the elevator. “Um, I’ll meet you two in the lobby downstairs.” Somehow, they got on the elevator without issue.

  I couldn’t look at him, not face-to-face. As I watched the floor when Arden approached me, the tone of his voice ached with desperation. “Ell.” His fingers tipped my head back, making my gaze fall on his. He was trembling. “Why do you let them treat you like this, hot stuff?”

  I physically felt the vein in my neck pulse and twitch. “It’s the way my family is, and you wouldn’t understand them. Anyway, this is not a subject you have the right to be a part of.” I didn’t wait for the words I was sure were on the tip of his tongue. The elevator opened, and I stepped on, not having the courage to face him.

  * * *

  “I’ll have the salmon crostini with asparagus on the side.” I was the last to order while the waiter collected the menus.

  “So, dear, that Mr. Blakely, he’s such a good-looking man for being a homosexual.” Oh, hell, not this again.

  Everything my mom said would always be so analytical. “Shit, Mom, he’s a normal man who just happens to have another man as his partner. You make it sound so wrong.”