AN: this is Madison's friend updating still. my dad's nose break was much more severe than we thought. But he made it through surgery just fine. He's on his way home now.
It turns out I misunderstood a direction that Madison gave me. Now that I figured it out things are going much more smoothly. And I'm so excited that my dad is doing well. I decided to bless you all with another update. In case you read Madison's other stories. I'm going to try to update all five of them again today. But I may not get it done before he gets home. And if I don't it'll be in the middle of the night at least before I get back to updating the stories
Chpt. 13 CPOV:
"Move in with us Ana," I repeat.
Say yes…please say yes…please say yes…
"Are you sure? I mean what if-"
"We're sure," Taylor interrupts quickly. "Move in with us."
"Hello? Anyone home?" Before Ana has a chance to answer us, Elliot's voice comes from the front door. I immediately jump to go great him, concerned something happened since he wasn't due back until tomorrow.
"Elliot! Kate! What are you guys doing back already? I thought your flight wasn't until tomorrow evening?" Seeing Kate with Elliot makes me relax a little assuming whatever the reason for them returning early isn't because they're having issues already.
"Because of the hurricane, our day trip had to be cancelled. Our travel agent booked us a direct flight home instead," he explains.
"Ana?" Kate says walking into the living room clearly surprised to see her here.
"Kate! Welcome back!" Ana hugs Kate.
"What are you doing here?" Kate asks.
"The water was turned off in the apartment for the last week," she answers. The look in Kate's eyes though tells me that she still has more questions.
"We were just about to order dinner; you guys hungry?" Taylor asks.
"Starving, the airline food sucked," Elliot says.
"I'll order a couple pizzas if that works for everyone?" Taylor suggests.
"Sounds good, man thanks," Elliot confirms.
"Pizza sounds good," Ana says.
"Who needs a drink?" I offer having a feeling that this night is going to turn out differently than I had originally planned. We hadn't discussed with Ana how she felt about telling people the three of us are dating. I know from our previous conversations she wasn't ashamed of what happened in Georgia, but we didn't discuss it further. We didn't talk about telling Kate, Elliot, my family, or anyone else for that matter that three of us are together. Heading into the kitchen where Taylor is on the phone ordering dinner, I grab a few drinks from the fridge.
"What do we do?" he asks quietly.
"Let's let Ana take the lead," I suggest despite wanting to go in there and kiss her senseless so they know she is ours.
"What do you think she'll tell them?" he asks.
"I have no fucking idea…"
"You okay with whatever happens?"
"Yeah…you?"
"I guess."
"We should have talked about this before."
"Yup."
Taylor grabs a few of the beers while I grab the wine glasses and we head back into the living room where Kate is filling Ana in on their trip. With Elliot and Kate sitting on the love seat, Taylor and I each sit next to Ana on the couch. I don't miss the suspicious look from Kate when we both sit down.
"Is the water back on in the apartment?" Elliot asks during a break in the conversation.
"It was turned back on…today," I don't miss the slight hesitation in Ana's voice. The reality is none of know how long the water has been back on for.
"Wow…that really sucks to have been out of water for an entire week," Elliot says.
"How did you end up staying here?" Kate asks the question I'm sure that's been on her mind since the moment she walked in and saw Ana. To Kate and Elliot, we only met Ana at their wedding. They don't know what happened between the three of us in Georgia. Hell, they don't know what happened the night of their wedding and the days following when we returned back to Seattle. I'm sure from their perspective it's odd that Ana would have chosen to come and stay with us.
"Christian and Taylor were nice enough to offer to let me stay with them," Ana answers.
For some reason her answer makes my heart drop; I guess I had hoped she would say more. To tell Kate and Elliot that the three of us are together and that that's the reason we offered for her to stay with us. I can tell from the look in Kate's eyes that she doesn't buy Ana's reason, but Ana doesn't offer any further explanation. A knock on the door ends the awkward silence; I grab the pizzas and we all quietly head to the dining room table.
"So Ana…you're closing on the condo next week right?" Elliot asks.
"Uh…no actually I'm not," Ana shakes her head.
"What happened?" Kate asks.
"I guess mortgage companies don't like to loan people money who don't have a job," she shrugs trying to hide how much it obviously still bothers her.
"Oh Ana," Kate rushes over and hugs her.
"It's not a big a deal," Ana dismisses Kate's concern. When Kate goes back to her seat I squeeze Ana's hand under the table trying to comfort her in a small way.
"Once you get a job I'm sure that will change-" Elliot offers.
"The mortgage guy said I needed to be with my new job for at least six months, preferably a year, before they would consider my application," Ana interrupt.
"Ana, I'm so sorry," Kate says obviously feeling guilty because it was her wedding that caused Ana to lose her job.
"I'm not," Ana's voice is firm and leaves no room for argument. "I wasn't happy there; it wasn't for me. I think…everything that happened was just a sign that the condo wasn't meant to be."
When she squeezes my hand back, I don't know how to interpret it. Is she saying that because she's decided to stay here? My heart practically stops beating at the thought of Ana being here every day with us. The last week has been…amazing. Falling asleep every night with her, waking every morning to either her in my arms or her body wrapped around mine. I love coming home to her at night, to having dinner with her and Taylor, to watching reruns of stupid sitcoms on TV before we go to bed. I love that she truly wants to know about our day and that she's understanding that things come up that prevent us from getting home at a reasonable time some nights. I love that she just jumped in and helped us without even asking when we said we needed her help. I love that…
Holy fuck…
"I know we're meeting tomorrow but anything I need to know?" Elliot's question forces me back to reality.
"Are you sure you don't want to wait until tomorrow?" I suggest.
"Enjoy the last night of your honeymoon worry free?" Taylor teases.
"What happened?" Elliot stops eating mid slice and asks.
"So the good news is we were able to fix the problem before it really blew up on us," I preface.
"And the customer is happy, very happy actually," Taylor adds.
"What happened?" Elliot repeats.
Taylor brings Elliot up to speed with what happened with Dr. Thompson's office and even shows him pictures of what he walked into that night.
"I've had it with them," Elliot slams his fist on the table in frustration. "I warned them one more fuck up and we were terminating our contract with them. I can't believe-"
"It's all taken care of," I assure him before he gets too angry. "We had a meeting earlier this morning and termed the commercial portion of their contract. I let them know that they were on thin ice even for the personal home portion of our business and that they wouldn't be our exclusive designer even for that side of our business any longer."
"Damn right they won't," Elliot grunts. "So how the hell did you fix this and still manage to keep Thompson happy."
"We didn't fix it…Ana did," Taylor says proudly.
"It was a joint effort," Ana argues in an effort to take the attention off of her.
"What? How? What-" Elliot flusters making us all chuckle.
"We worked together," Ana explains. "We took the approved design, made some changes and then the three of us along with some of your crew made it happen."
"In roughly 36 hours," I add.
"Holy shit," Elliot sits back understanding what a huge feet this was.
"And he's meeting with us next week to discuss a remodel of his other office," Taylor chimes in.
"Fuck," Elliot sighs. "I have no idea how you guys managed that and ended up getting him to contract with us for a new project."
"He loved Ana's interpretation of the design," I explained.
"We lucked out," Ana shrugs. "We were able to get what we needed from stores that it on hand and you had an amazing crew who spent long hours with us making sure it all came together."
"Don't sell yourself short," Taylor tells Ana.
"The completed project," I pass Elliot the ipad, "was substantially different from the approved design which is why I said Dr. Thompson loved Ana's interpretation of the design. She took what was approved and made it her own with the limited resources she had to work with."
"Ana…this turned out amazing," Elliot complements.
"Thank you," Ana says quietly.
"I assume we have a meeting scheduled for the four of us?" Elliot asks.
"The day after tomorrow," I explain. "Since you were due back until late tomorrow."
"I think we're going to head back to Kate's," Elliot says after a few minutes of silence. "I'll be by sometime this weekend to pack up the rest of my stuff. I'll arrange to donate any of the furniture you guys don't want."
"Sounds good," Taylor replies.
"Ana…are you coming back to the apartment tonight?" Kate asks.
"Um….no…." she answers hesitantly. "I'm going to be staying here."
"I thought you said the water was turned back on?" Kate asks.
"It is," Ana looks at me questioningly. I nod hoping she's asking me the question I think she is; hoping I'm not misinterpreting what she's asking me. "I'm moving in with Christian and Taylor."
"Wait…what?" Elliot asks.
"Ana…you know you can stay with us right? We're not asking you to move out because the condo didn't work out," Kate says.
"I know," Ana assures her. "It has nothing to do with not getting the condo."
"Then what is it? I'm confused Ana," Kate admits. "You barely met at the wedding and now you're moving in together?"
"We met before the wedding," Ana says and takes my hand in hers before reaching over to take Taylor's hand in other one. "We met in Georgia two years ago."
"Georgia…wait…the guy from the night club?" Kate asks.
"Actually….guys from the nightclub," Ana stresses the s in guys.
"Holy shit…" Elliot sits back, his eyes darting back and forth between the three of us before landing on Ana's hands. "The three of you?"
"Yes," I confirm confidently pleased more than anything that Ana didn't try to hide our relationship.
"The three of you?" Kate repeats. "Like you're together?"
"Yes," Taylor also confirms.
"As in an actual relationship?" the shock is evident on Kate's face as she tries to figure it all out.
"As in an actual relationship," Ana repeats. "The three of us are together."
"Damn, bro," Elliot smiles smugly. I want to deck him just imagining what he's picturing in his head right now.
"Ana….can I talk to you…privately?" Kate asks.
"Um…sure," Ana squeezes my hand before going with Kate down the hall to I assume Elliot's room.
"So…you both…and Ana?" Elliot asks as soon as we hear the bedroom door close.
"Yup," Taylor answers and I nod.
"That's fucking hot," he says.
"It is…but this goes beyond that," Taylor points out.
"Beyond," I grit pissed as hell at Elliot implying that it's just about sex.
"Hey guys, you both know I'm the last person who should judge," Elliot puts his hands up in defense. "If the three of you are happy, I could care less what you do with each other. Just tell me now…is this going to be an issue when we bring Ana on?"
"No," Taylor and I both say at the same time.
"Then we're good," Elliot nods.
"Thanks man," I nod.
"You tell Mom and Dad yet?" Elliot asks.
"No," I answer.
"That's going to be interesting," he says.
"That it will," Taylor nods.
Taylor's practically been a part of my family for the last 6 years. When we first met at basic, we hit it off. When we were home on leaves and he didn't want to go home, he came home with me. My parents welcomed him and when they sent me care packages, they always sent Taylor one. Since we came back stateside two years ago, he's been a fixture at family dinners and holidays.
"They'll deal with it," I say confidently even though I have no idea what their reaction will be.
"Just promise me I can be there when you tell them," Elliot jokes. "It'll make everything I've ever done look like nothing."
"Elliot," I groan.
"They should see how happy she makes us and that's all that matters," Taylor says.
"We'll see," Elliot chuckles.
APOV:
"Explain this to me Ana," Kate says as soon as the door closes.
"Explain what?" I ask defensively.
"You…you're with both Christian and Taylor?"
"Yes."
"The three of you…together?"
"Yes Kate," I sigh.
"Like at the same time or you're dating each of them separately?"
"The three of us are in a relationship together," I repeat.
"And the three of you sleep together?"
"Yes."
"Holy shit Ana," she sighs and sits on the bed. "I don't understand."
"About?"
"Unless you didn't tell me something…you've only been with one guy. And suddenly you're having a threesome with Christian and Taylor?"
"We met in Georgia and we hit it off," I shrug. "I went back to their hotel room and we had an amazing night together."
"The three of you."
"Yes."
"And then you left the next morning."
"Yup and we didn't see each other again until your wedding. We decided that night that we were going to see where this went. When the water was turned off in the apartment last week, they offered for me to stay here rather than getting a hotel room like I planned."
"And now you're moving in with them, after knowing each other for 2 weeks?"
"Kate," I shake my head. "You just married a man you knew for a matter of months."
"That's different."
"How?"
"There's only two of us! And we're in love!"
"Are you saying that because there's three of us we can't be in love?"
"Wait…are you saying you're in love?"
"No…I…." I shake my head completely unprepared for that question. "We care a great deal about each other, Kate. And we're happy."
"I bet," she raises her eyebrows. "I had a threesome once and it was fucking hot! Don't get me wrong, I definitely see the appeal, but…"
"But what?"
"I don't know Ana, I kind of feeling like they're taking advantage of you."
"Taking advantage of me how?"
"Like I said, you were with one guy before you met with them. Maybe it's the appeal of being with someone so inexperienced."
"That's not what this is about," I hiss at her accusation.
"Then tell me Ana...What are you doing with Christian and Taylor?"
"It's no different than what you were doing with Elliot before you got married," I can't see why she's making such a huge deal of it. "We're in a relationship. We're getting to know each other and seeing where this goes."
"And now you're moving in with them?"
"Yes."
"Don't you think that's really fast? It's been two weeks Ana."
"I know, it's fast," I recall Christian's response when I said the very same thing. "But none of what we've done is conventional Kate. Who's to say what's fast? I know it's hard to believe, but we had this incredible connection when we met in Georgia. One that I've never felt with anyone else-"
"Don't hate me for saying this Ana, but is it possible that you felt that strong of a connection because of what you were going through? You had just lost your mom, you had to go through all of her stuff, sell her house…"
"I get what you're saying," I'd be lying if it didn't cross my mind right after that night in Georgia. "But that connection that we had…it didn't stop because we were apart for two years. When we saw each other again at your wedding it was there. That night, it was like we were never apart. If it was about what I was going through in Georgia, none of us would feel the way you do."
"Do they make you happy Ana?" she asks.
"Every day," I say with absolute certainty. "I know it's…different than what most people do but the three of us? It works…we work. They make me feel like I've never felt in my entire life."
"I bet the sex is amazing though," Kate giggles.
"Let's just say I'm not complaining," I admit.
"Damn girl…I never would have thought…"
"Me either."
"So you're really moving in with them?"
"Yup."
"If anything happens, I don't care where Elliot and I are living you will always have place to stay with us. If things between the three of you get too much, you can come stay with us at anytime."
"Thanks Kate, I appreciate that."
"Even if you just need a testosterone break," she winks.
"I'll keep that in mind," I giggle.
"Seriously Ana…you couldn't have picked two hotter guys…damn."