Just the Three of Us

Chapter 1-2

Lane was an architect, and when Remy’s urban planning firm had contracted with the City of Richmond to revitalize their downtown image, Anders and Associates was the low bidder on the design work.

The first time they met, Remy had looked into Lane’s pale eyes as they shook hands, and he could’ve sworn he felt something arc between them, something electric. It ran from the tips of his fingers straight down to his c**k. It was two years ago, and he was newly divorced, and just beginning to revel in his newfound freedom. He had always known he liked men, but in his twenties he played on both sides of the fence, and when his girlfriend learned she was pregnant, he did the right thing. They married. And were miserable. Braden came along and they pretended things were fine, but they weren’t. Kate wanted out, and Remy couldn’t agree more.

But it was hard finding his groove again after six long years, and Remy doubted himself. He had been on the bar scene a time or two, but found that it wasn’t as fun as it had been when he was younger. He was no longer interested in drinking or getting drunk, in hanging out all night long, in shouting over loud music or hooking up with anonymous men in the back seat of his car. He wanted something more permanent. Something real.

Enter Lane.

Throughout their first meeting, Remy sat on one side of the table, Lane across from him. There were other associates present, and Remy spent most of the time gazing at the man who had elicited such a physical response from him. Lane had a long face, long hands, and long legs that stretched underneath the table. Remy had accidentally kicked one when he sat down. He couldn’t seem to look away from the architect, but all he got in return were darting glances and half-smiles. Talk focused on the contract, and after they had outlined what was expected from both firms, the meeting adjourned. Remy’s firm, JDM Planners, would take the lead role and deal directly with the city; Anders and Associates would work with them. As Remy followed the rest of his team, Lane walked them out. He held the door for the others, then stepped in front of Remy before the planner could follow.

“Nice meeting you today,” Lane said softly.

Remy glanced around. They were alone. The other associates had either gone back to their desks or were out in the hallway with Remy’s planners. “I know we’ll work well together.”

The words were out before he could stop them. Not I hope but I know. Inwardly he groaned. Slick one, Rem.

Lane’s smile lit up his face. “Hey, listen, how about we meet up for drinks tonight, or something? If you’re free.”

Remy nodded. “I’m sure the guys will be up for—”

“Just us,” Lane interrupted.

Suddenly the space between the two men seemed close, too intimate. When had that happened?

“You and me?” Remy asked, clarifying the obvious.

Lane stared at him openly, almost hungrily. A hint of a smile teased the corners of his mouth. “You can say no.”

“No, I would—I mean, yes, that’s…” Remy sighed. Had dating been this hard before his marriage? He honestly couldn’t remember. Taking a deep breath, he said simply, “Yes. I’d like that.”

* * * *

That first date turned into another, and two years flew by almost without Remy realizing it. He was always upfront and honest about his past—Lane knew of Braden, and Kate, Remy’s ex-wife. But he had never met the two, mostly because Remy didn’t want Kate to feel as if he were trying to steal his son away from her. She had as much difficulty as he did when it came to dating; more so, really, because she was a single mother and many men shied away from that sort of commitment. When Remy told her about Lane, she had said she was happy for them, but he knew her well enough to know she was more than a little jealous, too.

At first, though, she hadn’t wanted Braden to meet Lane. Not because he was the boy’s father’s male lover—she was much too open-minded for that. Part of her attraction to Remy in the first place was because he’d been with men as well as women. But she was hesitant to introduce their son to anyone who might prove to be only passing through, a casual relationship not meant to go any farther than a few dates. A young boy like Braden could possibly misunderstand if things didn’t work out between Remy and Lane.

Remy agreed. As things heated up between he and Lane, though, he had to think about how to introduce the two. Lane knew Remy was a planner, in work as well as play, and every detail of the first meeting had to be hammered out until it was perfect. Lane was willing to wait until Remy felt the time was right to merge together the two most important aspects of his life.

First, though, Christmas.

Much of Remy’s workload sent him all over the state, and on a business trip to a small town at the base of the Appalachian Mountains, he diverted from his return route home to stop and see the cabin himself. It was, in a word, perfect. In the summer, the place had been bustling with tourists; the lake was abuzz with motorboats and jet skis, families picnicked on the shore, kids tossed rocks into the water off the end of the pier where men were trying to fish. The sun dappled through the trees, casting the world in a peaceful green glow. The people renting the cabin at the time let him in to take a look around and he fell in love with it. Before heading back to Richmond, he stopped at the rental office to make sure they had him down for the last two weeks of the year. He had given his credit card number online, but he signed the rental agreement then, eager for his turn in the cabin. He could only imagine what it would be like in winter.