tell you eventually. He wants to be open with you.”
“This other guy though…was it like…bisexual experimentation or something?”
Sheri snorted with laughter. “Oh, no, nothing like that. Phil is just very comfortable with his sexuality. It’s only ever been about women with him. But I don’t know if I should mention who this other guy is. I only know that he introduced Phil to some hardcore sex shit, and it didn’t help the darkness in him. So, I guess just consider this a heads-up.”
“Other Guy is a famous person, isn’t he?”
“You could say that.”
I nodded. “Yeah…”
“I love all of them, Kenna. They’re my family, my boys. I don’t want you to think badly about any of them. What I did with them, what I did for them…I don’t regret it. But I do wish I had taken into consideration what the future would hold for all of us. Jason and I are together now. We really have been from the get-go—not necessarily monogamous, but always together.”
“Are you monogamous now?”
“Yes—at least, I think so. I guess that’s another thing we’ll have to talk about. I think he wants that. And I’m going to see a shrink and talk about my own issues with that. I have my first session tonight.”
“That’s fantastic!” I told her.
She smiled. “I think so, too. I need it. I think our relationship could use all the help it can get.”
“I think you guys will be just fine,” I told her honestly. “I get the feeling he’d walk on water for you, if you told him to.”
“I’d do the same for him. But I also know my head isn’t always the healthiest environment. With therapy, I’ll know what to do when it’s not.”
“Good for you. You seem to be in a much better place, more comfortable with yourself.”
“I am. And I want to keep it that way.”
Her phone beeped next to her plate, and she checked the text message. “Oh! They’ve decided on a warehouse to buy!”
“Is it Jason?”
“Yeah. They went over there to check it out after Phil came back this morning. It’s about a mile from the clinic.” She raised her eyes to me and smirked. “Phil just wants to be as close to you as he can. He was all grumpy after you left today. He had to do an hour workout to get it out of his system.”
“Dork,” I huffed.
“You do funny things to that man, Kenna. He wants to be the best of everything—the best lead singer, the best-looking body, the best whatever—so that you can be proud of him.”
“I am proud of him, but he should be doing it for himself, not me.”
“But if he’s doing it for you and it makes you happy, then he is happy, so he’s doing it for himself anyway.”
“Whatever,” I retorted, but I was grinning from ear to ear.
Before I headed home after work, I dropped by the hardware store. I hadn’t told Phil or my roommates, but I wanted him to have his own key to my house. Given a selection of designs— who knew? —I chose a black metal tone that had a small skull-and-crossbones pattern on it. It seemed appropriate.
Back home, I dug around in my closet and found an old gift box and a bow to place on top of it. The things I’d said to him, about sometimes feeling overwhelmed and needing to take a step back, I knew that had hurt him. This small cheap gift of my house key was to reassure him that, though sometimes I might feel that way, it didn’t mean I’d do anything about it. I wasn’t going to run or back out of this. I was in this with him the whole way, and giving him unlimited access to me and my home was a way of letting him know that.
I heard the front door open, and Alys’s voice came up the stairs. “Sweet Pea? Are you home?”
“Yeah! Up here!”
Placing the key in the box, I put it on the nightstand just as Alys walked in.
“What’s that?” she asked, eyeing it with interest.
“A present for Phil, if you and Lili are cool with it.”
“Huh?”
“It’s a key to the house. I thought he’d like that. You don’t mind, do
“This other guy though…was it like…bisexual experimentation or something?”
Sheri snorted with laughter. “Oh, no, nothing like that. Phil is just very comfortable with his sexuality. It’s only ever been about women with him. But I don’t know if I should mention who this other guy is. I only know that he introduced Phil to some hardcore sex shit, and it didn’t help the darkness in him. So, I guess just consider this a heads-up.”
“Other Guy is a famous person, isn’t he?”
“You could say that.”
I nodded. “Yeah…”
“I love all of them, Kenna. They’re my family, my boys. I don’t want you to think badly about any of them. What I did with them, what I did for them…I don’t regret it. But I do wish I had taken into consideration what the future would hold for all of us. Jason and I are together now. We really have been from the get-go—not necessarily monogamous, but always together.”
“Are you monogamous now?”
“Yes—at least, I think so. I guess that’s another thing we’ll have to talk about. I think he wants that. And I’m going to see a shrink and talk about my own issues with that. I have my first session tonight.”
“That’s fantastic!” I told her.
She smiled. “I think so, too. I need it. I think our relationship could use all the help it can get.”
“I think you guys will be just fine,” I told her honestly. “I get the feeling he’d walk on water for you, if you told him to.”
“I’d do the same for him. But I also know my head isn’t always the healthiest environment. With therapy, I’ll know what to do when it’s not.”
“Good for you. You seem to be in a much better place, more comfortable with yourself.”
“I am. And I want to keep it that way.”
Her phone beeped next to her plate, and she checked the text message. “Oh! They’ve decided on a warehouse to buy!”
“Is it Jason?”
“Yeah. They went over there to check it out after Phil came back this morning. It’s about a mile from the clinic.” She raised her eyes to me and smirked. “Phil just wants to be as close to you as he can. He was all grumpy after you left today. He had to do an hour workout to get it out of his system.”
“Dork,” I huffed.
“You do funny things to that man, Kenna. He wants to be the best of everything—the best lead singer, the best-looking body, the best whatever—so that you can be proud of him.”
“I am proud of him, but he should be doing it for himself, not me.”
“But if he’s doing it for you and it makes you happy, then he is happy, so he’s doing it for himself anyway.”
“Whatever,” I retorted, but I was grinning from ear to ear.
Before I headed home after work, I dropped by the hardware store. I hadn’t told Phil or my roommates, but I wanted him to have his own key to my house. Given a selection of designs— who knew? —I chose a black metal tone that had a small skull-and-crossbones pattern on it. It seemed appropriate.
Back home, I dug around in my closet and found an old gift box and a bow to place on top of it. The things I’d said to him, about sometimes feeling overwhelmed and needing to take a step back, I knew that had hurt him. This small cheap gift of my house key was to reassure him that, though sometimes I might feel that way, it didn’t mean I’d do anything about it. I wasn’t going to run or back out of this. I was in this with him the whole way, and giving him unlimited access to me and my home was a way of letting him know that.
I heard the front door open, and Alys’s voice came up the stairs. “Sweet Pea? Are you home?”
“Yeah! Up here!”
Placing the key in the box, I put it on the nightstand just as Alys walked in.
“What’s that?” she asked, eyeing it with interest.
“A present for Phil, if you and Lili are cool with it.”
“Huh?”
“It’s a key to the house. I thought he’d like that. You don’t mind, do
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