Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 133849 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 535(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133849 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 535(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
“Yeah.”
His father shook his head, a chuckle coming from his mouth. “Well, sometimes this old world pays us back in ways we didn’t dream of. I can’t talk you out of this, can I?”
Josh shrugged. “If you don’t want to meet her, it’s okay. You give me a date when my feelings will be valid to you, and I’ll mark it on my calendar.”
His father sighed. “See, that is karma biting me in the ass because I can’t exactly give you a lecture on how stubborn you’re being. I knew your momma was the one for me and Sam after our first date. Sam knew before I did. But you need to be sure before you start parading her around town.”
“She said she doesn’t care. She knows what we want.” Josh had told her, but he wasn’t so sure she’d taken them seriously. If he had to guess, she hadn’t been treated well in relationships before, and it wouldn’t be the first time a man had lied to a woman to get into her bed.
Which was why she should have woken up next to him.
“Knowing what you want and dealing with being in a nontraditional relationship are two different things,” his father said. “I think it’s safe to say it hasn’t bothered me or Sam, and your momma has made a happy life for herself here, but she was older and more settled into who she is. She’d seen a lot, and those experiences built her confidence. I know it was hard on her when she was younger.”
Because his mother had been born in Willow Fork, and she’d had a relationship with the richest boy in town as a teen. She’d been pregnant with Lexi when he’d died, and Abigail Moore had been driven out of Willow Fork. She’d found a way to put herself through school and build a life for herself and her daughter. She’d only come back to Willow Fork when her mom needed help, and then she’d met his dads.
The thought of Nicole being put through the same treatment made his heart clench. “You don’t think it was worth it to Momma?”
“I know it was.” His father gave him a sympathetic look. “But like I said, she was older and more settled. It’s hard for you to understand because you came out of the womb knowing exactly who you are and making not one damn apology for it. I’m afraid you got that from me, and coupled with the stable childhood we managed to give you, it’s made you far more centered and grounded than I was at your age. For a long time Sam was my focus and this ranch was ours. We didn’t even think about marrying a woman until we were well into our thirties and we loved one who could handle everything we needed.”
“Dad, say what you need to say and say it plainly.” He wanted to get to the heart of whatever was bothering his father. “You don’t think she can handle the pressure that will come with being in a nonconventional relationship. You don’t even know her.”
“No, but I know people, and I know if you’ve never had a ménage relationship in your life, it can be hard to wrap your head around,” his father said.
The whole conversation was making Josh antsy. “So you think we shouldn’t ever get married.”
“I think you know a lot of women who have been around these types of relationships, who won’t think twice about loving two men. Whose families won’t blink at the relationship.”
He knew exactly who his father was talking about. Most of his father’s closest friends were in similar relationships. They understood both ménage and BDSM because their parents lived the lifestyle. He knew damn well his fathers and their friend Julian Lodge would have been thrilled if he and Grim had hit it off with Chloe Lodge-Taylor, but they were just friends. The same had been true with Greer and Harlow Dawson, the daughters of Ben and Natalie and Chase Dawson. They felt more like his sisters.
“But Nicole’s the one I feel for.”
“All right, then you need to pursue it,” his father said with a nod. “But be careful with her and be patient with her. Watch her because sometimes our women try to spare us by not telling us they’ve been hurt. She will get looked at differently.”
He didn’t understand. “There are women my age who go through guys like they’re sampling chocolate, but if they’re from the right family, no one questions them. If they’re from the wrong family, they’re whores. I can sleep with anyone I want and I’m just a guy sowing his oats. Nicole should be able to do anything she likes and as long as she’s not hurting someone, the world shouldn’t have a damn opinion.”