Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 74916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
I wasn’t sure where it was going but it felt like I had to nod. “Yes?”
It wasn’t a terribly confident answer, but it got me another hug. “Alright, let’s try again. Being that we’re discussing eventually living together and we’re wanting to make sure the space fits all our needs now and into the future, do you think it’s reasonable for you to have an input in that decision?”
“Yes.” Gareth was happy to answer for both of us. “But aside from having questions and random thoughts, I don’t really have a huge need to get involved. You guys will do better with that and I’ve got a crap load of papers coming up. So they’re going to win the contest for my free time.”
Probably a good decision…and a good answer.
“Cashel? What’s your answer?” Bates’s soft tone made me sigh for some reason.
“Um, yes, it was reasonable.” Now what?
“I think you don’t always have an accurate view of healthy boundaries.” Bates paused but I wasn’t sure what to say, so I just shrugged and he kept going. “Playing amateur psychologist here, I think your relationship with your parents, and probably watching Gareth’s, made you question if you should be involved in our apartment discussion.”
Gareth leaned forward like he had a spring on his back. “Because they never remembered to include us in that kind of stuff and so we’d internalize it and bring it over into other important stuff?”
All it took was for Bates to nod for Gareth to keep going. “Do we do it to each other or are we so used to it just being us we don’t do it like that? Have I done it? Do you think it would spill out into stuff like sex? Is that why we haven’t had penetrative sex yet? Well, penetrative making love?”
Now I was the one trying not to laugh.
I didn’t do a great job but it popped the last of my stress and I could feel myself snuggling closer to them without thinking about it. “It’s going to kill him to wait much longer.”
“You’re right.” Bates gave us both kisses. “I think I wanted you both to make sure I wasn’t rushing you into that part of our relationship because I kind of was…well, a tad bit pushy in the beginning.”
Gareth snorted. “We needed pushy or we’d have never gotten anywhere. I’d have still thought that loving Cashel like a boyfriend would be going backward. Don’t feel guilty about that.”
Just don’t make him wait any longer.
Bates’s chest jerked for a moment like he could read my mind before he nodded. “Alright, message received loud and clear, but we’re tabling the sex conversation until after we finish the first one.”
My groan just made his laughter finally escape and he kissed my head again. “Now, first, I’m going to say that I want all of us involved in important decisions like where we live and things that would affect our life together. Like if Gareth was going to be looking into master’s programs on the other side of the country, that’s something we’d all talk about together and figure out what worked best for him and us.”
Gareth couldn’t hold back about that, wiggling and throwing the answer out even though there hadn’t really been a question. “There’s a program here that’s my first choice, but if I don’t get in that one, there’s a college about an hour from here that would work. I don’t do well in online classes, so it has to be in person.”
“That’s all good to know.” Bates leaned over and gave Gareth a quick kiss. “It’s been something I wanted to ask about but other things kept coming up.”
Gareth waggled his eyebrows. “Like spankings and pup time.”
Bates laughed and couldn’t seem to resist teasing him a bit. “And what’s for dinner and how your day went.”
Okay, there’d been a variety of distractions in our life.
“No, we’re going to stay focused.” Shaking his head as Gareth giggled, Bates relaxed back in the bed again. “Alright, second, I would like us to discuss the merits of finding a therapist for family counseling.”
That hadn’t been what I thought he would say.
Before I could do more than blink in surprise, Bates kept talking through his idea. “I’m not sure exactly how to describe what I’m picturing, but I think we need to make sure we’re talking about things in healthy ways and that we’re getting an outside check to show Cashel what healthy boundaries look like.”
I started rolling the idea around in my head, wanting to really think about it since it was obviously important to Bates, but Gareth started shaking his head. “I’m not going to let anyone tell Cash that there’s something wrong with us.”
Oh, not good.
“No, baby.” Bates leaned over and kissed Gareth’s cheek before pulling him in closer. “Not someone outside the community who wouldn’t understand us. There’s a therapist in town whose whole practice deals with people who are more interesting than average. He’d have no problem with our relationship or you being a pup or Cashel being a switch. The guy’s a little and gay. He’s totally out in the community.”