To be honest, the fact that Tarin had boxes stacked around the room felt like a huge step. They weren’t just talking anymore. They’d taken action in her absence.
Kester turned his body to more fully face her. “You’re nervous.”
She took a deep breath. “Yes.”
“Doubts?” Tarin asked. “Are we rushing you?”
“No.” She shook her head. “Definitely no doubts. Just questions. And I’m not sure what our plan is. We haven’t really talked about it beyond attempting to get Stuart on board.”
Kester rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. “I don’t think Stuart is going to come around, honey.”
“I know. I get it. We all tried. It’s okay. I mean, it’s not okay. Not even close to okay, but I’m not going to let him keep me from my own happiness any longer. Any of our happinesses.”
Tarin chuckled. “I don’t think happinesses is a word.”
She shrugged, smiling. “We each have our own happiness, so I think it works.”
Kester was grinning at their silly banter. “To answer your question, we’d love for you to stay here. Sleep here. Now or later or forever. We won’t rush you. Take your time. We’ll take our cues from you. Do what feels right.”
“You have two bedrooms,” she pointed out.
“It would be tight for four people,” Tarin pointed out, “but perfect for three.”
“So, how does this sort of arrangement generally work out, exactly?” she asked, feeling ignorant. She should have asked Layla what her sleeping arrangements were. Someone. Anyone. Why hadn’t she?
Tarin squeezed her hand. “It’s different for every family unit. We decide what we want it to look like for us. There are no rules.”
“I mean my parents were in a marriage of two people of course. They shared a room and a bed. I assume that was the norm for monogamous relationships until shit hit the fan. Now? Obviously, family units of six people for example don’t all share a bed.”
Kester nodded. “True. A family of three might though. But only if that’s something they enjoy.”
She sat up straighter, suddenly feeling more alert. “I have questions.”
Tarin smiled. “Ask them, love. Ask us anything.”
She licked her lips. “Don’t laugh.”
“Never.” Kester shook his head.
“Let’s set aside the fact that I know so very little about sex for now.”
“Okay.” Tarin visibly swallowed.
“So, in these relationships… Polyamorous ones I mean, do we all have sex together? Or like… Just two of us at a time? How exactly does that part work?” Her face heated ten degrees, but it was time to have this chat—before she entered Kester’s bedroom.
Kester moved her hand from her leg to his, though she doubted he realized he was pressing it against his thigh or squeezing it too hard. She was making him nervous. “We’ll decide that together, honey. Again, no rules. Whatever feels right to us, and most importantly you. If you would prefer to be with only one of us at a time, then that’s what we’ll do.”
“I have no idea what I prefer.” She shuddered. “It’s impossible to imagine one, let alone two.”
Tarin smiled. “And no one expects you to know everything up front, love. We’ll play it by ear. Try different things until we know what we like best as a family unit.”
“What else do you want to ask us, honey?” Kester prodded after a few moments of silence.
She glanced back and forth between them. “Do you two also have sex with each other?”
Kester looked at Tarin and then back toward her. “Not likely in our case. We don’t have that kind of connection. I can only speak for myself, but I’ve never been interested in men. That being said, I’m not bothered by the idea of sharing a woman with someone else at the same time. I don’t need some sort of barrier between us,” he teased.
“Have you shared a woman before?” Ariel asked, suddenly realizing there were more like ten thousand questions she needed answered.