11. Brooklyn

Chapter 11

Brooklyn

A week had passed since the wedding and our night together. It had been a huge day for us. It was the first time we kissed and the first time it felt like all three of us were comfortable with it being "three of us." It was one thing to feel fate pulling us together, but until our first kisses, there was always a tinge of doubt. At least for me. And Jackson? Being part of a triad was completely foreign to him, although he seemed to be jumping right in.

The morning after the wedding-turned-date night, we'd gone to brunch on the river. It was a great meal, but knowing that it was going to end with us going our separate ways saddened me. I was ready to jump in with both feet. I was sure that Marcelo was too. And honestly, if he let go of his human notions of how relationships should go, Jackson was, too. But going back to our own homes alone was the best of plans—at least for now.

There were so many emotions piling on all at once, and blanketed over all of them was our attraction to each other. It was difficult to process everything that was happening when you had a hard-on, and we had all been sporting one. A little breather was best for everyone. At least that was what I'd told myself as we parted ways.

About a week had passed, and it was time for Jackson and me to have our first solo date since the three of us met. I was excited to be spending some one-on-one time with him.

The three of us had been chatting daily, talking about our jobs, favorite foods, and even things we liked to do as children—anything and everything. We were getting to know each other. And it wasn't always the three of us, sometimes the two of us would chat while the other was finishing up work.

There was never any jealousy, at least not on my side of things. It was the three of us whether we were all together or not, but I did worry that Jackson would sprout some green eyes. This type of relationship was new to him in a way it wasn't for Marcelo and me. For us, we'd been raised around couples and triads, neither being better or worse than the other. For him? This wasn't part of what he had been raised to believe was acceptable. His parents were so conservative, and from the description of them at the wedding, they weren't even too nice.

But that was neither here nor there. Families were as families were. This wasn't about them. It was about us.

It was time for the three of us to move forward… together, and tonight it would start with Jackson going to dinner with me. This time, I was picking him up. I hadn't been sure flowers were appropriate, but I stopped to grab some anyway. To me, they were a nice gesture, if nothing else. I ended up going a different route, picking out a plant instead… one that made me smile because it hinted at who Marcelo and I were… dragons.

I was looking forward to seeing him, and when I walked up to his door, it opened before I could knock.

"You look like a snack." His tongue darted out and moistened his bottom lip.

He was wearing jeans and a button-down, not too nice, not too casual. He was dressed for pretty much any date I had planned.

"Thanks, you do too." Not that I'd ever seen him when he didn't.

"You wore those jeans the first time we met."

"And I'll probably wear them again if they get this reaction." I held out the flowers. "I got this for you."

"What are they?"

"Snapdragons." My beast puffed out his chest as if they had anything to do with actual dragons. "I saw them and thought you might like them."

"I love them. I'll need to do some research and see where best to plant them." He set them on the side table. "Did you want to come in for a while or do you want to head straight to our date?"

If we went inside, there was a strong possibility ordering pizza was as close as we'd get to a gourmet meal. I'd want to stay there snuggling on the couch with him…. or more.

"I got us reservations at Fred's. We can go somewhere else if you prefer." I didn't want him to feel pressured to go someplace "fancy." I'd picked it because they had good steak, and that was about as far as my thought process went.

What I really wanted to do was take him up on his offer to come inside and then get naked. But our first time together was going to all three of us. I wasn't one of those alphas who would only want us coming if all three of us were present, but for our initial joining, it was what I felt was best.

"I could eat steak." He took my offered hand, and I led him to my vehicle and we headed to dinner. It wasn't far, which was good. Being in an enclosed space and completely enveloped by his scent was getting distracting.

Fred's was an old-school steak house. Old school in the ambiance, anyway. The leather chairs and low lighting paired with the wood paneled walls shouted days of old.

"I've heard this is a great place," Jackson said as we walked up to the front door. "Thanks for thinking of it."

"Thanks for being my date."

Once inside, we were seated immediately. Between the server coming with drinks and then specials, the two of us hadn't had much time to talk, but what little conversation we did have was stilted, like he was only half there. I tried to shrug it off. Maybe it was because we were alone for the first time since it became the three of us.

Only it wasn't that, and I soon saw a man get up and walk over to us in the direction that kept catching his attention. He came straight to our table.

"Hey, I thought that was you. Nice to see you." He was speaking to Jackson.

"Yeah, nice to see you, too. This is my date, Brooklyn." Jackson introduced me immediately.

"This isn't who you brought to the wedding." What a rude asshat. Had it been any other situation, he'd have put my mate in a horrible spot, and from the side-eye he gave me, that was the guy's intention.

"No, it wasn't. That was Marcelo, and this is Brooklyn. I understand why you were confused. They are both very hot."

Go, sexy mate, go.

"Brooklyn," he intertwined our fingers under the table. "This is Michael. He was one of the groomsmen at the wedding Marcelo and I attended."

"Nice to meet you. I heard it was a beautiful affair," I said, pretending I didn't think the guy was dirt. "Both Jackson and Marcelo looked amazing that night."

"Yeah, they did… I gotta… I think my dinner's ready." And off he went.

"Sorry about him," Jackson gave my hand a squeeze. "He's kind of a?—"

"Dick?" I offered.

"Yeah, that. I didn't want him to make you feel uncomfortable."

"He tried and failed. What are you thinking about having for dinner?" I didn't need Michael to take any more space up on our date than he already had.

Sure, he was probably going to tell my mate's family, but it wasn't like they weren't going to find out anyway. And regardless, that was a worry for another time. This was our fancy date night, and I planned to make it the best one I could.

"I was thinking of possibly having steak," he teased.

"I think I will too."

We enjoyed the rest of our night. The food was delicious, as was the dessert. And afterward, we drove around aimlessly and enjoyed each other's conversation. I didn't want our date to end, but eventually, it was time. I left him at his door with a searing kiss and went home to be alone with my memories from our wonderful night out.

Only I ended up not having to spend it alone after all. My phone played music, the song I put on it just for them, and when I grabbed it, I saw that not one but both of my mates were there waiting for me to join a video chat.

"This is a pleasant surprise." I climbed into my bed.

"I thought Marcelo might want to hear about our date." Jackson's smile could light up a room.

"Meaning you missed him, too?"

"Yeah, meaning I missed him, too." Jackson was also in his bed, but unlike me, he was under the covers, his chest bare. Marcelo was too.

"That's fair since I missed you both too. Tell me all about Fred's. Was the food as good as I heard?"

"It was almost as good as the company." I set my phone down and took off my shirt. If my mates were going to be in bed, I was too.