Endless Love

Chapter 15

It was a really quiet evening. Tension was high. Blythe knew it was going to come to a breaking point. She was coming to a breaking point.

She didn't want to be the cause of Denver losing his relationship with his mom. She didn't want to be the cause of Josiah and Paxton and Denver potentially losing business when people found out about their relationship.

Was it even worth it? Was she even worth it?

She loved them. She did, but realistically, how was this even going to work? They couldn't go about their lives pretending that the rest of the world didn't exist.

Josiah was on Paxton's couch. His head was leaned back, and his eyes closed.

"I'll just buy you a car, Paxton," Josiah said. "It was my fault we got into an accident in the first place."

"You're not buying me a car," Paxton said firmly. He was sitting next to Josiah on the couch. "How the hell is someone running a red light your fault?"

Denver handed Blythe a mug of tea, kissing her face. "Did your headache go away, sweetheart?"

She nodded even though it was a lie.

"I have multiple trucks at the farm," Denver said, taking the other chair. This was the first time he had spoken all evening. Blythe was beginning to think his frown was going to be permanent. "You can ride up with me tomorrow and take one 'til you get your insurance taken care of."

"That actually would be great," Paxton said. "Thanks."

It was quiet. Blythe pulled the blanket to her chin, trying to focus on the TV and not her racing thoughts.

"Blythe," Josiah said sternly, his deep voice captivating her attention immediately. He rarely called her by her name. "You shouldn't lie to us about your headaches. You could be seriously hurt."

"I'm okay," she insisted. "I'm just tired. That's all."

"Come on now," Denver said, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "It's me, isn't it?"

She considered not answering, but thought better of it.

"I don't want to be the cause of you not talking to your mom," Blythe finally said, and it felt so good to get it off of her chest.

"Fuck," Denver groaned, scrubbing his face. "Bee, she's never approved of a single thing I've done. I didn't expect this to be any different."

"You told her?" Paxton asked. "About all of us being together?"

"Yes," Denver said, his tone sharp. "Isn't that what you wanted?"

Paxton was visibly taken aback. "What I wanted?" he repeated quietly. "This isn't what you want?"

"A few weeks ago the both of you were upset that I wasn't comfortable out in a public, and now you want to be a secret. I'm confused." Denver shook his head.

"I don't want to be a secret," Blythe spoke up."But I don't want to be the cause of you all losing out because of me."

"It wouldn't be because of you," Josiah said. "No one's going to think twice about you being with one of us."

"That's not true," Blythe frowned, feeling the thumping in her temple grow. "I feel like Denver's mom looked at me like I was some hooker you guy's picked up."

"She didn't think you were a hooker," Denver said. "I think she was more upset that I was with two men more than anything else."

"I didn't realize we were on such different pages," Paxton admitted after a minute.

"It doesn't have to be a secret," Josiah said. "But it's also not anybody's business but our own, and we should be careful who we tell to protect ourselves."

"It's too late for that," Denver said. "My business has already taken a hit. Most of my customers and clients are conservative. They want nothing to do with a gay man."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Blythe whispered.

"Because it doesn't matter. That's my whole point. I'd rather be broke then lose out on what we've got here. I don't give a fuck about what people think of me. For the first time in a long time, I'm happy."

"You're not going to go broke with Mr. Buy-Me-A-Car over here," Paxton said, finally smiling. Josiah smiled too.

"I still wanted her to like me though," Blythe pouted. "I'm really sorry that we caused a mess for you, Denver."

"It's okay. If I had a problem, I promise I would let you all know. I'm glad some folks left. If you all are moving in with me, I'd never want you to be around any kind of animosity."

Blythe stood. She wobbled a bit, but she went over to Denver, taking the blanket with her. She sat in his lap, resting her face on his chest.

"I never meant to imply that you had it easier, Bee," Josiah said after a moment.

"I know, Jo," she whispered, giving him a smile. "I'm glad we cleared the air."

"We'll be careful who we tell," Paxton said, repeating what Jo said moments before. "But it doesn't mean we're ashamed in anyway, it's just a way to protect ourselves and our livelihoods."

"Right," Jo agreed.

Blythe nodded. Denver rubbed her back.

"I'm really glad all of you are okay," she said quietly after a moment. "Especially you, Josiah. When I saw you laying there with your head down-" She choked down a sob.

"Come here," Josiah demanded.

She moved from Denver's lap to Josiah's.

"I never want to lose any of you," she said, feeling hot tears slip down her cheeks.

Josiah wiped them away, giving her a soft kiss.

"We're not going anywhere, honey."

Blythe settled against him, finally relaxing all evening. Their relationship was worth it. It was worth fighting for, worth the hassle of dealing with any negativity they were bound to face.

She loved them unconditionally.