31. Chapter 31

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God."

"Are you going to be like this the entire time?" I ask Kipp, grinning as he does a little shimmy.

"Yes, I am, Teddy. Because it's Bring Your Kipp To Work day. My favorite fucking day."

"Try to behave," I tell him, opening the door to the studio.

He snorts.

Well, that bodes well.

"Kipster!"

Aaand, here we go.

"Alex, my man!" Kipp replies.

As my husband and coworker embrace like long-lost lovers, I head toward Studio 1.

"You've sure been visiting a lot," Alex says, the pair following after me. "Thinking about expanding into the porn industry?"

Kipp snorts. "Nah. I'll stick to voyeurism, thanks. Besides, Teddy wouldn't like it. He doesn't share his doll."

There's a beat of silence before Alex goes, "Daaamn. Teddy Bear. Teddy. Hey, hey. Daddy."

I keep my amusement firmly hidden. "Yes?"

"That's hot as fuck," Alex says. Kipp blushes but looks pleased. "You can thank me now." Alex waves his hand in a gimme gesture.

"Thank you?" I ask. "For what?"

"For setting you two up," he says proudly.

"Um, I think that was Niko," Kipp says.

Alex squawks, the three of us passing through the doorway into Studio 1. "What? No, it wasn't. I was constantly pushing you two together. Right, Teddy? Back me up."

I shake my head as Kipp says, "Yeah, but Niko is the one who invited me to the party bus that night. Sooo, sorry. I think he gets credit."

Alex stutters for a moment before spinning away. "Adonis!" he yells, storming toward the folding chairs where our coworkers are congregated.

Niko's head whips away from his conversation with Dixon, eyes flaring wide. "What did I do?"

As Alex lays into Niko, I grab Kipp's arm to keep him from veering toward the table of bagels. "Not until after," I tell him.

He pouts. "But…"

"You want Jerome to yell at you?" I ask, leading him to a couple empty chairs.

He shudders as he takes a seat. "God, no. That man makes me feel like a schoolboy, and not in a good way."

I snort as Nathaniel walks into the room, followed by Jerome. "All right," the latter shouts. "Seats."

Everyone scrambles, performers and crew alike, except for Nathaniel, who stays at Jerome's side, a clipboard of notes in hand. Jerome's eyes sweep the room before pausing on Kipp. He raises a brow but doesn't say a word about him being here.

When Nathaniel hands Jerome the clipboard, our boss starts the meeting. "Let's get right to it. I'll be hiring some new talent soon."

Ears perk at that.

"With a few of our colleagues having left recently, including Malibu and Himbo, and with Dix informing me he'll be wrapping up in a year or so—"

Jerome doesn't get another word out before Alex shouts, "What?"

"Oh Lord," Dixon mumbles.

Alex makes an unintelligible sound.

"As I was saying," Jerome says loudly, giving Alex a pointed look to hold it for now, "I'll be scouring for new talent and opening up auditions. Expect some new faces around here soon."

Kipp raises a hand, and Jerome eyes him dubiously.

"Yes?" our boss asks slowly.

"How do auditions work? Not asking for myself, but I'm curious. Is it like"—Kipp mimes jacking off, ending with what I assume is an explosion of cum—"or do you have them read Shakespeare or something?"

Jerome simply blinks as Nathaniel fields the question, Alex snickering behind us. "It's essentially a combination of the two," the assistant producer says. "We assess comfort when it comes to nudity and performance, as well as gauge acting talent with a scene partner. No Shakespeare, though. Anything else?"

Kipp shakes his head. "Nope. Cool, cool. Thanks."

Nathaniel nods, and Jerome gets back into our meeting points. He covers which recent videos were the biggest hits on our site, and what that means moving forward. He mentions an awards ceremony coming up, and he congratulates Bill on his anniversary. The cameraman fields well wishes as the meeting comes to a close, and Alex beelines right for Dixon.

"Let me explain," Dixon says evenly.

"Explain what?" Alex counters, hands on his hips, his tiny body practically vibrating with anger and what I suspect might be a good dose of sadness. "Explain why you didn't tell us first?"

"I only told Jerome earlier today. I was getting there," Dixon replies.

Alex doesn't look pleased, but he does deflate a little. "You're seriously leaving us, Grumpy Bear?"

"I'm leaving the studio, not you," Dixon says as Niko squeezes his leg in support. "It's time for me, small fry. It won't be for at least another year, but I'm looking into other job options. I'm ready to be done."

Alex huffs before wiping at his face. "Damn it," he mutters, unceremoniously climbing onto Dixon's lap and wrapping the bigger man in his arms. "I'm going to miss you."

"Is it going to be like this for the next year?" Dixon asks, sounding resigned. He pats Alex on the back twice.

"You bet your ass," Alex replies. "Expect hugs, random showerings of affection, and plenty of we love yous. I'll be shoving so much happiness down your throat, you'll choke."

"Joy," Dixon deadpans. Niko smacks a kiss on his cheek, not even hiding his amusement. Dixon looks about as excited as one might expect from an upcoming enema patient.

Kipp gives me a small nudge, pointing over to the bagel table. "Now?" he whispers.

I snort, giving his hand a tug as I stand. Kipp looks extremely excited as we reach the breakfast buffet. He slathers cream cheese on a salt bagel, promptly falling into discussion with Marco about how heavy the booms are, if he can test holding one, and how Marco keeps up concentration if he gets a boner while filming is underway. Emil steps up on my other side, debating his choices before choosing a poppy seed bagel.

"Hey," I greet. "How's the new place treating you?"

Emil flushes, adjusting his glasses. "Good. Yeah, it's great."

"Something going on there?" I ask, curious why he looks either guilty or excited or both. "Meet a cute neighbor, maybe?"

"Um." He blinks before huffing a short laugh. "Something like that."

I don't have time to prod further before I hear Chase, a guy who works here part-time, ask Kipp, "So you guys open? I'd love to take you out."

"Oh," Kipp says, a gentle smile on his face. "No, totally committed to this guy. Thanks, though. I appreciate it. You're super hot. I'm just a love-one-man kinda dude."

Chase nods, accepting that easily, but I see Alex freeze out of the corner of my eye. My lips twitch as he comes over.

"Kipp," Alex says calmly. Much too calmly. "Did I just hear you say you love Teddy?"

Alex's eyes swing between the two of us as Kipp smiles.

"Well, yeah," Kipp says. "I wouldn't have asked him to marry me a second time if I didn't."

Unable to help myself, I tug Kipp to my side and kiss his temple.

Alex gawks before throwing his hands in the air. "Why does no one tell me anything anymore?"

"It just happened," I assure Alex, chuckling at his put-out expression.

"Wait," Alex says, tone shifting into excitement. "Does this mean we're having another wedding?"

"At some point, yeah," I say, checking in with Kipp.

"Definitely yes," he says, nodding.

"Dibs on flower girl," Alex shouts. "Motherfucking dibs." He points a finger around at the others gathered nearby, as if anyone would dare fight him for it.

"All yours," I tell him, snorting.

"Well, shit, you know what this means?" Alex says.

I'm almost afraid to ask, but Kipp beats me to it. "What?"

"Engagement party!" Alex declares.

Oh boy.

"Everyone," Alex yells. "Listen the fuck up. Engagement party this Friday for Teddy and Kipperoo. Mark your calendars. I'll bring the dicks."

Kipp perks up at that. "Oh, could you get me another dildo crown? I lost my last one."

"You bet, sweets," Alex says, a mischievous glint in his eye I don't much care for. "I'll get you the most glorious crown of penises you've ever seen. And Teddy Bear." Those eyes swing my way. "I'll bring something extra special just for you."

I have a feeling I'm going to pay for not giving Alex the news about Kipp and me the moment we shared our I love yous.

Ah well. So long as Kipp keeps smiling at me the way he is now, the price will be well worth it.

When I step into the coffee shop where I told Cameron and Antoni to meet me, they're already waiting. They have matching looks of unease on their faces, and I could head right over, be nice, and set their worries to rest. But I walk up to the counter first, ordering myself a drink.

Kipp gave me a huge hug this morning when I told him what I was planning to do. I think it helped, hearing what he had to say about my past. It let me gain some much-needed perspective. Because Kipp was right.

I was hanging onto the pain of what they did to me. I'm done with that.

Coffee in hand, I head to the table. Cameron and Antoni stop talking the moment I near, and they wait, silent, as I take a seat across from them.

"Thanks for coming," I say.

Neither quite knows what to make of that. They exchange a brief look before Cameron says, "Of course. Are you finally willing to sell your shares?"

"Yes," I say, knowing by their mutual wide-eyed shock I've managed to surprise them.

"What's the catch?" Antoni asks.

"There is none," I say. "I'm going to sell them to you for market value, not a penny under, and you're never going to contact me again. Not me. Not Kipp. You're going to leave us alone."

Antoni and Cameron exchange another glance, the both of them unusually quiet.

"Did you have me followed?" I ask, unable to let my curiosity rest. I told myself I wasn't going to engage—that I was going to get in, lay out my terms, and get out—but I have to know. "Is that how you knew where I lived?"

"Theo," Antoni says, using his soothing voice.

"No, don't you dare act like I'm being irrational. I didn't tell either of you where I moved to. But you knew. And you knew exactly when to catch Kipp alone. You had someone watching me?"

"Yes," Antoni admits, voice quiet but not ashamed.

I shake my head. Unbelievable. "I never did anything to either of you," I hiss. "I was a good brother. A good boyfriend."

Antoni makes a sound in the back of his throat. "You kept me at arm's length, Theo. You wouldn't let me into your life."

"You mean I wouldn't give you access to my money," I counter. He doesn't deny it. "And that gave you the right to fuck me over?"

Antoni looks away, blinking at the window.

"And you?" I ask my brother.

He shrugs. "It wasn't personal, Theo. It was business."

"That—" I have to take a breath so I don't explode. I'm not an angry person—I'm not. But these two bring it out in me.

I think of Kipp sitting at home, waiting to hear how this meeting went. I think of him telling me how proud of me he is for letting these two men across from me go. I think of his lips as he kissed me a temporary goodbye. And I think of the way he told me he'll be there for me the moment I get home.

My heartbeat is calmer when I speak. "You made it personal in the worst way. I'll sell my shares. Lavoie Lavoie will belong to you. But make no mistake—I'm not doing it for you. This is it. As soon as it's done, no more contact. You leave me and mine alone, or I will come for you. I'll tell everyone at the company the truth, whether or not they choose to believe it. And I will make you regret reneging on your word. Got me?"

The both of them nod, and Cameron says, "Deal."

With that one word, it's done. My brother doesn't care about losing me. He just wants the business to be his. He always did. And Antoni? He's just happy to have someone around to fund his life. He found that someone in Cameron.

I hope they're happy together.

I call Scott when I leave the coffee shop, a good heaping millions richer yet lighter than I've felt in a long time. He picks up as I'm walking to my car.

"Hey, Teddy. What's up?"

"So, I have this idea," I tell him. "What would you think about expanding the center?"

Scott makes a curious sound. "I'm listening."

As I give Scott a shortened rundown of events on the drive home, there's a feeling of rightness in my gut. No, I never cared about the money, not the way Antoni did. I didn't care about the prestige, like Cam. But there's a whole lot of good I can do with the curveball I was thrown. And I'm glad Kipp helped me see that.

When I get home, I find my husband in the kitchen, looking as if he's getting ready to make something for lunch. I don't hesitate to head his way, wrapping my arms around him as Kipp makes a garbled sound against my neck.

"Okay?" he asks, squeezing me tight.

I nod, finding his cheek and kissing it. And then his nose. And then his smiling lips. I drag my hand to the back of his neck, squeezing. "I really love you," I tell him.

The way his face softens is better than anything money has ever bought me. "Yeah?"

"Mm. I love your optimism. Your generosity of spirit."

Kipp sighs, smiling. "I love your kind heart. And the way you feel when we're like this. You really are a teddy bear."

I huff a laugh, kissing his neck. "I love the way you blush sometimes. And how you're never afraid to let me know what you're thinking or feeling."

His fingers tighten on my back. "I love how sure you are. You make me feel grounded. Like I belong."

"You do," I say, easing back and cupping his face. "You belong here with me."

He nods, eyes glassy. "I love you, Teddy. And I promise I'll do whatever I can to make you happy."

I huff the smallest of laughs, tilting his head back. "That'll be an easy promise to keep."

"Yeah?" he asks, eyelashes fluttering.

"Mm," I answer, kissing him ever so gently. "All you have to do is be yourself, Kipp, and I'll be happy."

His hands slip to my lower back, tugging me in as close as possible. "Then I guess we're stuck, huh?"

"Stuck?" I ask.

His lips quirk before brushing against mine. "Yeah. We're stuck being happy for the rest of our lives. Oh nooo," he whispers.

I shake my head, a grin on my face. "You're such a little shit, aren't you?"

"Maybe," he says, grinding against me. "What are you going to do about it?

"I can think of a few things, doll."

Kipp laughs as I hoist him over my shoulder. It's a sound I'll never get tired of.

Not for the rest of our lives.