Pathways to Love

"Hey, kids!" George said getting sight of us, "come join!" Beth led me to an unoccupied love seat, and we were given Arnold Palmer's with vodka, also known as a John Daly.

"Hope you like it," Annie said to me with a smile. "I made them myself."

"It's kinda our signature drink around here," Richard said as I took a sip.

"It's very good," I told everyone, honestly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome!" Annie said with an even wider smile. I looked around at everyone and noticed that everyone was smiling at us.

I started wondering again what had Beth so worried. All these people seemed so friendly and nice. What the hell?

"Well, now that Ted's finally here," Cecilia said, "we finally get a chance to get to know the guy that captured our daughter's heart."

I'd expected a grilling, so this wasn't totally unforeseen.

I talked a bit about my family, upbringing, my major, and all the nitty gritty details. They all seemed very attentive, asking me follow up questions and seeming to show genuine interest. As lunch was served, buffet style with sandwiches and potato salad, George echoed this.

"Well, it certainly seems that Beth was right about you!" he said with a grin.

"Yeah, and he's even cuter than the pics she showed us," Diana said with a grin that made me blush. Cecilia saw that and started giggling.

"But seriously," Cecilia said with a smile, "it's nice to see you're not nervous about us or anything. I know Beth was very concerned about that."

"Well, you've all been so welcoming, it's kinda hard to be nervous," I said with a complementary smile.

"Well, you never know," Cecilia said flippantly. "Beth's the first of the kids that've felt comfortable bringing someone here. No one else has met everyone that they trust enough. Even with the non-disclosures."

"Wow," I said, flashing a smile to Beth, who looked a little nervous.

"So, how did you react when you found out?" Annie asked.

"Honestly, it didn't affect me at all," I replied, noticing everyone looking at me curiously. "I mean it's not really of any consequence to me that Beth comes from money. I'm still a gentleman and pay or offer to pay, whenever."

I noticed Beth still looking nervous and her family looking slightly perplexed.

"Well, that's all well and good," George said, sitting up a bit. "From what Beth told us about you, we kinda figured you weren't after money," he said with a warm smile. "No, I think Cecilia meant when she told you about the family activities."

It was now my turn to look confused. The family all saw it and looked at Beth who turned beet red.

"You didn't tell him?!" Diana said, maybe louder than was probably necessary.

"Tell me what?" I asked.

"Beth!" Cecilia said in a reproaching tone. "How could you not tell him before you brought him here?!"

"There didn't seem to be a good time," Beth said not looking anyone in the eye.

"Tell me what?" I asked again. "Is everything ok?"

The family all looked around at each other with George and Cecilia both seeming to send each other silent signals. They nodded and turned back to me.

"I apologize, Ted," George said, "we assumed our daughter told you everything before you came," he added, staring down Beth who looked ashamed.

"What's going on?" I asked, trying to get anyone to answer me.

"You see," Cecilia said leaning in toward me, "our family has always been exceptionally close. Going back to George's great-grandfather and mine. Our families both came from the same village in the Scottish isles and brought their traditions with them to the states."

"Ok..." I replied, still having no idea where she was going with this. "Why is that a problem?"

"Well, the nature of the closeness we have with each other," she said, hesitating slightly while looking over her family members, "may make outside society squeamish."

Apparently, the look on my face was clear enough that I still had no idea what they were talking about. Beth saw this and decided to stand up.

"Oh for Christ's sake!" she said trembling with what seemed a mix of anger and fear, "we fuck each other!"

"Beth!" George and Cecilia screamed out while I was certain Beth misspoke.

"What? It's true," Beth said almost huffing. "You wanted me to tell Ted the truth, so there you go!" she said sitting back down next to her sisters, not looking even remotely in my general direction.

"What is she talking about?" I said, my brain still not connecting or thinking I misheard.

"Ted," Cecilia said, now sitting where Beth had been next to me, "our family is intimate with each other." My eyes went wide, and I was about to say something, before Cecilia continued. "In both our families," she said indicating George, "once a person in a family is of legal age, they are allowed to "be" with other people in the family."

"Uh...uhh...uhhh..." was all that was coming out of my mouth and George picked up where his wife left off.

"See, Ted," he said leaning over, "our families picked up this practice in the Scottish isles, being isolated from some of the more "mainstream" parts of society. Since it promoted family unity and didn't hurt anyone, they saw no reason to continue the practice here. Secretly, of course," he added, mockingly putting a finger to his lips.

I could feel my pulse racing and my breathing getting heavy. I looked over the faces of their children, all either nodding or in some way acknowledging what their parents said was accurate. The only one not looking directly at me was Beth, her head hanging down.

"So," I said, not looking at anyone, "just so I'm clear and I know I didn't misinterpreted what you said. You're all telling me," I said taking another deep breath, "that you all have sex with each other. Right?"

"Yes, Ted," Diana chirped up, leaning closer to me. "We all engage in sex with each other." The other kids all nodded again while Beth still had her head down.

"Beth?!" I said, maybe louder than I should've to try and get her attention. She looked up quickly and met my eyes. She looked ashamed and teary. "So, when you've been coming home these last two years, you've been having sex with your family?"

Beth said nothing, just slowly nodding her head.

"So, you've been cheating on me for two years?!" I affirmed, my temper starting to get out of hand.

"Ted, we don't really consider it cheating within the family," Cecilia said.

"Really?!" I said looking at no one again. I stood up and went over to Beth, standing right in front of her. "You've lied to me, you've cheated on me, and I don't even know what else. The fact that it was your family just adds icing on the cake!"

"Ted, I swear I was going to tell you. I just didn't know how. I couldn't find the words," Beth said through tears. I breathing hard and was pissed, but my brain was still working.

"So, you decided this was the best solution?" I said, indicating to her parents. "Making them tell me the truth because you were too much of a chicken shit?"

"Now, Ted..." George said, trying to calm the situation down.

"No, it's the truth," I shot back before he could even start. This guy had more money than God, and I just told him off in his own home. I turned back toward Beth. "You've lied to me and humiliated me. You either didn't love me enough to tell me the truth or you didn't respect me enough. God only knows who else..."

"No one!" Beth said now getting to her feet. "Baby, I swear. Since we've been together, I've only been with you and," she paused looking over at her parents and siblings, "them..."

"And just how in the hell am I supposed to believe that?" I said to her. "How can I believe anything you say?!"

I looked her in the eye and could see immediately she knew I was right. I looked over at her family and they all seemed to, at some level, acknowledge my point.

"Love can't exist without trust," I told Beth, "and now I can't trust you."

"Ted..." Beth said with a worried look.

"I need to take a walk," I said, cutting her off. I looked back at her family, "excuse me." I than went down the patio stairs and off into the gardens.

"Ted, please!" Beth almost screamed as I started walking.

"Beth, let him go," I heard from her father, "quite frankly, I don't blame him."

"Dad's right," I heard Richard say, a bit fainter. "Ted's got every right to be mad."

"What the hell were you thinking?" was the last thing I heard from Annie before I was out of earshot.

Hearing that was almost as big a shock to me as anything else. I yelled at their daughter and sister, and her family was backing me! I got it out of my head and just kept walking, cursing aloud and having imaginary shouting sessions with people who weren't there.

In a million years, I wouldn't've thought Beth would be capable of cheating on me. For some reason, and I have no clue why, the fact that it was with her own family didn't even really bother me. It almost seemed like the least important of the issues that I had with Beth right now. She'd lied to me and led me like a lamb to slaughter to her whole family, after years together.

I don't know how long I walked, but I eventually found the family's private beach and shoreline. The water always calmed me, so I stood on the shore and inhaled the sea air for a few minutes. In and out until I could feel the anger start to fade away.

My brain than switched to practical side. How am I gonna get out of here? Will they fly me home? Where am I gonna live since Beth and I were both on the lease. My mind was spinning out all of this when I heard a quiet voice.

"Ted?" Beth said meekly as I turned around and saw her standing about 10 yards from me up the beach.

"How the hell did you find me?" I asked, irritated. "Did you have me followed?!"

"No!" she said defensively. "No, I just..."

"Just what?" I said, trying to get her to go away.

"I just know how much you like the water, so I took the chance you'd be here." I rolled my eyes at her.

"I really don't wanna see you right now," I said turning back toward the water.

"Can I just talk, then?" she asked. "You don't have to look at me, just listen."

"Go ahead," I said, giving up. "Clearly, you're gonna do whatever the fuck you want anyway."

"Ok, I know you're mad," Beth said gingerly.

"No shit!" I said bitterly. "The woman that I thought was going to be my ride or die has been cheating on me for two years. Yeah, I'm a little perturbed."

"Babe, I know I should've told you," Beth said slowly and quietly. "Especially after you signed the NDA, but you gotta know I was scared."

"Oh, you were scared?!" I said with sarcasm dripping. "Be still my heart..."

"Ted, please!" she said in a pleading voice. "I wanted to tell you, but I just didn't know how. It's not like there's a simple way to bring up this topic."

"And how the fuck is that my problem?!" I said turning around, getting angry again. "I'm supposed to care about how you would feel telling me about you spreading your legs to your family and God only knows who else!" I said in a rage, before coming to a realization. "Jesus, I'm gonna have to get tested."

"Ted!" Beth said, almost begging. "Please believe me, only my family. No one else. We all get tested, so you're safe. Please know I would never put you in that kind of danger."

"I'm supposed to believe that how?" I said gesticulating into the air. "What part of me is supposed to now suddenly know you're telling the truth?"

She looked down in shame, tears coming down her face.

"Baby, please!" Beth said coming up and grabbing my hands. "I know I hurt you. I know I should've told you the moment you signed the NDA. But please, don't do anything rash yet!"

"Look," I said, my head swarming, but the anger easing a bit, "I get why you wouldn't tell me before I signed the NDA. It's your family and you have to protect them, I get it," I said while taking a deep breath. "But once I signed it, you should've told me everything."

"Honestly, Ted," she said not really looking me in the eye, "I couldn't think how to. And even if I did, would you have taken it any better than you just did?"

"Yes," I told her emphatically.

"Really?" she said quizzically and skeptically.

"I would've been pissed and confused," I admitted, "but at least I wouldn't've had a meltdown in front of the rest of your family. After years, you finally bring up to meet them and you throw all this shit at me. I just yelled at them in their own fucking house! I can only imagine how pissed they're at with me."

"Oh, they're not," Beth snapped quickly. "They're really pissed at me though. Mom, Dad, even my brother and sisters. They all think I really screwed up with you."

"Gee, I wonder why..." I said bitterly. Than Beth surprised me and got to her knees.

"Ted, please!" she said with tears in her eyes. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me and you've made me so happy. I'll do anything to keep you! Anything to build our trust and love back."

I took a deep breath and looked into her eyes. They looked so sad and innocent, I almost felt sorry for her. Almost...

"Just tell me what your plan was here," I said with frustration as I got her off her knees. "What was your plan? Bring me here, let your family go off and fuck your brains out, while I sat outside with a John Daly and watched the clouds?!"

"No, not at all," she said quickly. "I guess I hoped that they'd be flirty with you. Get you interested first before the landmine was dropped."

"Why would them being flirty with me help?" I asked, completely lost.

"Cause than maybe you'd wanna join in," she said with an almost hopeful tick.

"Wait, what?!" I said completely blown.

"Well, yeah," she said as if it was obvious, "that's part of it. We don't bring anyone to the family until we know we'd want them to join in. You didn't think you would be left out, did you?"

"I...uh..." I now had nothing. She'd done a complete 180 on me. I'd thought she just brought me here and told me she and her family would be having sex while I was here. Not for a single second did it occur to me that they'd want me to join in.

"Baby, that's why we came," Beth said, grasping on to me. "I hated hiding this from you and for that I will do whatever it takes. But I brought you here because you're the one I wanna spend the rest of my life with. Truly. I wanted to show you what it would really be like with all of us."

My head was spinning now. She was now saying that she'd be fine with me fucking her family right along with her. I felt my anger subside and my confusion firmly set in. Would I really be willing to do that? I mean, maybe as getting back at Beth, but even that feeling was leaving me. I looked at my gorgeous goddess of a girlfriend I had. At least, for the moment.

"Babe," Beth asked, trying to get him out of his own head, "what are you thinking?"

"Honestly," I replied with none of the malice of previous in my voice, "I don't even know."

"Ok," Beth said hesitantly, "that's good." I looked at her in disbelief. "No, it's good. That means at least that your mind is open to this. At least a little."

"I uh," said, still searching for words. "I mean... what do you want?"

"I want us to be together forever," Beth said emphatically. "I love you so much! These two years together have made me so happy. You make me happy!" she said hugging me tight. "Look," she said after releasing me, "I get that my family is weird. Trust me, when each of us found out about the family history, it was mind-blowing. But it can also be tender, loving, and well honestly," she said squirming, "fun."

"So, wait?" I said trying to get a hold of my senses, "you're family wants me to," looking for a good word for this, "uh, "join" in?"

"Of course, babe!" she said with confidence. "That's the whole idea. My family was trying to convince me for a while to bring you into it. They know how I feel about you and we want you to be a part of it with us."

"Uhm," I said trying to get my head to reattach to my body. My girlfriend fucking her family and lying about it was one thing, but now she wanted me to join in?! I started thinking would I be doing it for revenge or because I wanted to? All the women in her family were admittedly attractive. Turnabout fair play?

"Threw too much at you?" Beth asked slightly worried. I gave her a look that basically said that was the dumbest questions she could've asked. "Please baby, I have to make this right."

"How?!" I said with general anger.

"Look I know I have to rebuild your trust and I think I have an idea," she said with the hint of a prayer. "You can be with my family and me," she said hesitantly, "but I won't be with Dad or Rich until you say I can."

It almost sounded fair, but it wasn't enough.

"None of them," I countered, with her looking shocked. "I'll go along with this for now, but until I say different, the only person you're having sex with is me. When and if I feel like it." She stood there like a deer in the headlights. I knew she liked girls, but I didn't know it went that deep.

"Um..."

"Take it or leave it," I told her, setting my terms fully. "Cause I'm walking in ten seconds." It may have been harsh, but under the circumstances, I felt it was completely fair.

"Ok!" she said quickly and almost regretfully. "No one but you until you say so. I'm not sure they're gonna be ok with it."

"Let me worry about that," I told her with confidence. "Let's go back."

We walked back to the main house in silence or damn near it. I saw all of her family talking up on the porch. Hannah was the first to spot me and I could hear her tell her family loudly, all of them leaning over to look at us. They could clearly see that while we were walking together, Beth was keeping her distance from me, and my hands were in my pockets. I walked up and saw a mix of concern, anxiety, and intrigue.

"Ted, we're glad you came back," George said warmly. "I was worried you'd run off for good. I even had Kenny get the jet on standby just in case."

"We really didn't mean to scare you off," Cecilia said with equal conviction.

"It wasn't your fault," I told them clearly. I saw Beth hang her head a bit as I turned back to the family.

"It was mine, and I know it," Beth said. "I'm really sorry everyone."

"Well, I'm surprised that you came back, for one," Diana said. "I don't know that I would've if someone had done to me what Beth did to you."

"Di, I get it," Beth said defensively as her mother jumped in-between the two.

"Ok, we all know Beth screwed up," she said matronly. "That's not the issue right now. We're concerned about Ted now and the way forward." She stepped forward toward both of us. "Ted, I know you had the world fall on you. But just know that we're all here for you."

"Yeah, we are," Annie spouted with a smile and wink.

"Look," Cecilia said, looking back reproachingly to her daughter, "we know it's a lot to process and you need time. We can set you up in your own room away from Beth if you need time for yourself. If you wanna leave, you can."

"Mother!" Beth said agitated.

"Beth, it's your fault we're in this mess!" her mother told her scoldingly. "How could you do that to him?! Seriously?! Everything you've ever told us about him was how nice, sweet, and affectionate he is."

"Pretty good in the sack too," Hannah added. I went red and she winked at me.

"I know I fucked up and I'm sorry. Ted and I have already talked about how to make it right."

"And what's that?" Richard asked.

"Babe?" Beth said looking up at me. I took a deep breath.

"First, I wanna apologize to you all for storming off like that and speaking to you all the way I did." I heard a slew of "no's and "not at all's from them all while I continued. "I know, but I still should've handled myself better."

"Son," George said, "you didn't break anything or curse us out. Quite frankly, considering how all this got dumped on you, I think you took it pretty well."