“Exactly.” Mr. Arman spoke for the rest of his partners when he said, “I hope you don’t mind if we tell you that we’re actually quite jealous of you.”
“What?” Cooper tipped his head.
“You see, the three of us have been looking for someone like your Andi. We just haven’t found her yet.” Mr. Westbrook shook his head, grim then.
“It hasn’t been for lack of trying, though,” Mr. King chimed in. He reminded Cooper of Simon with his fast smile and the flash of his eyes that implied they’d made a lot of women’s fantasies come true while they’d been on the hunt for their center. The person who’d belong to them forever.
“Wow, seriously?” Cooper released the table, pressing his palms to the polished wood, finally feeling like maybe—just maybe—someone might understand him and what he was going through. Not only as a law student, but also as a person in a polyamorous relationship.
Mr. Arman shook his head. “You’re not about to ask him if Andi has a sister, are you?”
Westbrook laughed, then shrugged. “Hey, whatever works.”
“Anyway, we decided it was best to tell you, because we want you to feel at home here. Absolutely certain that this disaster doesn’t reflect badly on you or your work in any way. It’s only been a year since you came onboard, but we’d already decided that we’d like you to stay after you pass the bar, if you’re interested.” Mr. Westbrook folded his hands, reminding Cooper that he was powerful and far more skilled in negotiations than he was.
Honestly, he didn’t really care. He’d been working toward this for years. A spot in a prestigious firm? One where his bosses were onboard with how he chose to live his life? How could he say no to that?
“That’s…incredible. Thank you for the vote of confidence.”
Mr. Arman said, “You earned it, Cooper. Don’t for a minute think we’d make you an offer solely because you’re like us. Because you understand what we’ve learned about how enjoyable it can be to share someone. The two things are completely independent. Both are reasons we think you’re a hell of a man, though. And it seems like there will be an office opening up here in the very near future, so you should probably gather up your stuff in your cubicle and settle in more permanently when it’s free.”
“Wow. I…that’s…” Cooper blinked a few times, wondering if he was dreaming. “Incredible. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. With that said, we’d love to get to know you better outside of work. We’re going on a weekend cruise on our yacht in a few weeks. It’s Ford’s thirtieth birthday bash. You’re invited.” Mr. King threw it out there like it was no big deal to hang out with three high-powered lawyers on their massive boat. Cooper had drooled over the photos of the vessel in the lobby.
“I would love to. I just need some time to process all this and talk to Andi and the guys about our schedules.” Could this seriously be happening? His roommates would be so happy for him. He couldn’t wait to share how the day had gone with them.
Hell, they’d been nearly as wrecked as he was when he’d left this morning. Maybe more.
“Please do. Hopefully they’ll also be available. We’d love it if you’d bring Andi and your other roommates with you. We would very much like to meet them.” Mr. Arman smiled.
“I’ll try to keep Ford from pestering them with too many questions about how you found each other and how things work between you, but you know what he’s like.” Mr. King rolled his eyes.
“Are you kidding? We haven’t gotten to share much about this part of our lives. You’re not likely to get us to shut up once we start gushing about Andi and how amazing things have been over the past year.” Cooper couldn’t wait to rave about it.
“Yep. Jealous, kid. With a capital J.” Mr. Arman shook his head and stared out at the city.
“She’s out there, Brady,” said Mr. King softly. “We’ll find her.”
“We’re not getting any younger,” he responded.
“No, but we are getting richer,” Josh laughed. “So at least we’ll be able to spoil her when she shows up.”
“She’s going to be one lucky woman,” Kari beamed at her bosses.
Ford sighed, then stepped forward, extending his hand. “Thanks again for helping us get the proof we needed to lock down Marty’s exit from the firm and cover our asses. We really are looking forward to getting to know you and your significant others better.”
Cooper loved the way that sounded. Not just the networking and hanging out with people he admired part. But the significant others part. He’d never said that aloud to anyone, and he couldn’t wait to start.
But first, he thought he should go home and make sure Andi, Reed, and Simon understood that this fire had been lit inside him. Now that it had been, it would never go out.