Take Me, Tom Pt. 103-105

Years ago, when her mothers and I went to Paris for our honeymoon, we bought her a little beret, which she wore daily. I used to tease her in French 'til she finally picked up a little from her mothers. She'd start the mornings with a sweet, 'Bonjour, papa!' and a 'Bonne Nuit, papa' after I had read her a story, and tucked her in. She had begun to take French lessons at school, so I was the designated tutor at home. I loved it, as much as she did.

One night at dinner, all of twelve years old, she asked, "Daddy? Are you still taking me to Paris like you did my mommies?"

We all looked at her, and laughed.

"Je vais t'emmener à Paris, mais je ne dois parler que français, d'accord?" I answered, and she laughed.

"Huh?" she giggled, picking up a few of the words.

"I said, 'I'll take you to Paris, but we must only speak French, okay?' When you're ready, we'll go, d'accord?" I chuckled. "How about I take you on your twenty-first birthday, hmm? You should be pretty good by then, okay?"

She drove everyone mad practising her verbs with me.

Chloe was more than fluent by her nineteenth birthday, but we made her wait for her special treat. Her French was actually better than mine now! Chrissie and Ems picked up quite a bit over the years, too. For a few years, it seemed Chloe, and I had a not-so-secret language between us, her little giggles heartwarming.

We take our family holidays together, be it in the Lake District, The Scottish Isles, or travelling around Europe. It's the height of our year, actually. We must have done something right in raising them, as they still want to hang out with us.

And yeah, we finally did have The Talk with them. Chrissie, Emily and I had thought, long and hard, about divulging our relationship, always unsure how they would react. We all felt that they did deserve the truth, though. Our family was built around honesty, sometimes brutally so, and love. We waited 'til Chloe was eighteen, and David had turned twenty-one. We had pretty much prepared ourselves, but a modicum of dread was hovering over us. All the 'what ifs' would be sorted, one way or another.

David was back from Cambridge for the weekend, alone, and Chloe had to cancel a date, but we put up with her pouting. Chrissie and Ems prepared a wonderful dinner, and we all relaxed into another evening together. The soft, ambient music was on in the background, as we finished dessert. Chrissie suggested we go to the front room. Nothing unusual there, but there was a definite pall hanging over the evening. I poured us all a drink, and we sat, and waited.

Chrissie broke the initial ice.

"David, Chloe..there's something that we, uh, need to discuss with you," she began.

"No one's sick, are they?" Chloe interrupted, scared, and took a long sip of her wine.

"No, Chloe, everyone's fine, okay? We've waited to talk with you about this, and now seems a good time. You're older... and pretty mature," she chuckled, "and there's something we feel you should know now. We've always been open, and honest, haven't we? Well, I hope what we're going to tell you doesn't destroy that. We hope you'll understand, okay?"

They both nodded their heads, and asked her to get on with it! I chuckled at their sass.

"We want to talk with you about your father, and my, uh, relationship. There's no other way to say it, all right? David, I know that you, and your dad have had a talk about our, uh, unusual family, so this should fill in some blanks," she began.

David had grasped Chloe's hand, and they looked at each other with small smiles.

"Chloe? What?" Chrissie asked, put off by her lax attitude. "What's...what's so funny?"

She was laughing, which took us by surprise, and said, "Uh, duh! Do you really think we don't know? Mums, dad, we've known for years! Tom...dad, is this about you being mum's brother?" Chloe said, completely taking us aback.

David still held her hand, and said, "Mums, when dad, uh, Tom, came over, you introduced him as 'Uncle Tom', didn't you? You had seemed to forget that we knew him already. How many times did we see Uncle Tom at birthdays and Christmas, hmm? He's our uncle, for God's sake! Sure, we were young, but we weren't stupid! We've been waiting for you to tell us!" he smiled.

"You mean...you've known all along? Why didn't you say something, hmm?" Chrissie asked. Emily sat there, and chuckled at this whole scene being played out.

"Good question. I guess we didn't want to embarrass you. It's a bit uncomfortable to ask your mother why she's sleeping with her brother!" she giggled. "Yeah, maybe we should have, but it's never bothered us. You two are made for each other, mum," Chloe said. "We see him as our dad, as much as we see Emily, as our mother. It's pretty simple for us!" Chloe smiled, rose and hugged everyone.

"Tom? You're the best dad anyone could ever ask for, okay?" she smiled, and kissed me on the lips. "We love you, dad. We always have, and always will," she sighed, and put her head on my shoulder, holding me. "Tu es notre père. Oui?" she whispered."Et je t'aime, papa. Je fais vraiment," she said, our eyes locked together.

I smiled, and kissed her head, whispering, "Et je t'aime, mon tout petit."

Chrissie was dabbing her eyes by now, as I held her hand. "So...we're okay?" Chrissie asked, unaware of the words Chloe and I had shared.

"When have we never been? I love your relationship. I'm jealous, actually! We love having two mums, and a dad like Tom. Who wouldn't?" Chloe smiled.

David was still holding Chloe's hand, and turned to her, asking, "Should we, uh...?"

Chloe shook her head excitedly, and murmured, "Yes."

Oh, fuck! What's up? I thought.

"Moms, dad, well, Chloe and I have always known about you and dad...for years, right? Chloe and I have always been close, and uh, well, we've always looked out for each other and...we do love each other, you know..." he said, his words slow, and for once, uncertain.

Oh, fuck, I thought. Here we go.

Chrissie and Emily's mouths were wide open, their eyes glazing over, and their hands clenched together.

"But...we are...NOT in love, okay?" and they both broke into raucous laughter, our faces expecting something wholly different

"We love each other, of course, but we're...not in love. We've talked about this before, all right? She's just not my type, if I'm honest," David smiled, and laughed, as Chloe swatted him whilst still chuckling.

"Yeah! He likes women with breasts!" she laughed, holding her hands to her small chest. "Humph!" she pouted, in mock indignation. "Seriously though, we get why you didn't say anything. You know, planting seeds in our adolescent heads, and all. Kids are very impressionable, you know. Who knows what we'd do with THAT information, so good call on leaving that out, okay? We knew, and dealt with it between us, okay? We never felt it was too much pressure on us, but thanks for finally coming clean!" she laughed, unwilling to give up on the gentle harassment.

"You're pretty good, Little One," I chuckled at Chloe.

"I am, aren't I?" she laughed, and went to re-hug her moms, thanking them both for being who they were, and then came to me, hugging, kissing and thanking me for being there for her mother.

"We've been waiting YEARS to do that!" Chloe laughed even harder, enjoying our blushes too much!

We headed to the kitchen, and Emily and Chloe dug out some leftovers. The soft, low music was still playing, so Chrissie grabbed David, and gently danced around the room; David's youthful reticence had gone years ago. Emily motioned to Chloe to join me. I took her in my arms, smiled at her and whispered, "Thank you, Little One," I whispered, her smile, and blush enlivening me.

Chloe looked up at me as we swayed around the room, her lithe body resembling her mother's in so many ways. "And thank you, daddy. We are who we are because of everyone in this room. I do love you," she sighed, her head back on my chest. I held her firmly by her hair, holding her tender body against me. We slowly danced to the soft melody, as I twirled her into Emily's arms. I watched, enthralled, at the family, we had made. The only two missing were our Maggie and Lily, fast asleep upstairs. They'd be dancing in here with us, sooner than imagined.

And us? Chrissie and Emily?

Never better. We still have our Sunday night meetings, keeping us all focused on our needs. We smile when we look at other marriages, and our past ones. Again, we think the trust, honesty, and openness have made us last over ten years.

Emily is the beautiful housewife she always yearned to be, dutifully taking care of us all, and us her. She has changed considerably over the last ten or eleven years, but she is always with us. We have realised that, together, we are perfect. That intangible connection we have fostered has blossomed. We've 'allowed' each other to grow independently, and together. We look at the family we have raised together, and feel proud.

She finally left the V&A when her mothering instinct kicked in strong. Ems was so in her element. She was so stressed about raising it with us, fearful that we would feel she wasn't 'pulling her weight'. As if. We were, and are, in the enviable position that we could afford it. We had to explain more than once that it wasn't about money, but what would make her happy. Period. It took her a while to accept that, but when she did, she flourished.

Ems's other outlet is her photography. After some gentle prodding from Chrissie and me, we went to a few galleries, and showed her work. Whereas we had to pay for her initial showings, she has now signed with an agent who regularly displays her work. She does okay...not spectacular, but she sells her work. I would shoot a lot with her in the early days, but Chloe seems to have taken over my role. They work so well together; the older and more experienced Chloe gets, the better their collaboration. I still get out with the two of them, but not as often as I'd like.

The walls of our home are plastered with Chrissie's, Emily's, Chloe's and my photos were taken over the years. If I'd have to choose one, my favourite is the one of Chloe sleeping on Emily's pregnant stomach, her little hands wrapped around an unborn Maggie, still one of Emily's bestsellers. I have a near identical one of Chloe sleeping on Chrissie's full, baby-laden stomach, embracing the unborn Lily.

We all became UK citizens years ago, our feet firmly planted here. That, in itself, relieved a lot of stress from our lives. We belong now. David and Chloe both speak with distinct British accents, slipping back to our American accent just to give us a hard time. Maggie and Lily take after their siblings, ignoring our mid-Atlantic 'twang' now.

Because of our, well, lifestyle, Chrissie and Emily get hit on, people mistaking polyamorous for promiscuity. The most common come-on is, "Well, you must be open to new experiences, so why deny yourself this one?" Their reply nowadays is simple, "You don't get it, do you?" or Chrissie will just stare at them and say, "Really?" and just keep staring, no matter what they come back with. Believe me, Chrissie and Emily can pull off intimidation! We have also been subtly approached to join a neighbourhood 'club', people thinking that because we're poly, we'd be interested. They were always taken aback when we politely declined, subtly 'thanking' them for the kind offer, and told them we were monogamous. They usually walked away shaking their heads, which always made us smile.

Our friends know, and accept us, but it has taken time to get to that point. Work functions were the most stressful when we 'came out'. Jeremy and my co-workers were fantastic. Their acceptance was immediate, and heartfelt. Martin, still Chrissie's boss, was similarly supportive, especially when Emily gave birth to our Maggie. Sure, there are stares from people who knew, but we didn't know, but our friends have always accepted our relationship. They now just assume that the three of us will attend any function or party.

There has always been an interest in 'how-we-do-it'. I doubt that, as liberating and fun a poly relationship sounds, most people would be unable to put in the time it takes to make it work. We think that our different personalities make it work for us. Chrissie and Emily have always been so giving of themselves and others. Me? Who knows? From someone who was adamant that it wasn't what I wanted, or needed, it turns out this is precisely what we all needed. And no, it's just not the sex. It's always been more about the connection for us, the closeness, and the trust.

Chrissie has reverted to wearing glasses, as her contacts were a hassle. She has this 'Librarian' look down to a 'T'. Ems and I both love it; yet another fantasy quirk explored.

Whilst they may say I have been the guiding force in this relationship, we all know it's Chrissie. Her compersion runs deep. Apart from her little wobble when Emily was pregnant, there have been no jealousy issues. Again, I believe that's because Emily is wired the same way regarding compersion, and we work.

The five of us have had numerous conversations over the years about the kids' upbringing, and why they are so focused, and driven. We have beaten to death the old nature versus nurture adage, and concluded, rightly so, that it's a little bit of both. I've often said, that even if Emily and I weren't in the picture, the kids would be doing well. Chrissie tends to disagree, never failing to give us credit for their directions. I think she's being too generous, but I can see what we all have brought to them. And them to us.

And our Maggie, she's such a joy, her temperament more like Emily's, but her attention, and focus are indeed mine. Of course, she has picked up Chrissie's disposition, too. As she sleeps on the same floor as us, she crept into our room at an earlier age, something we never discouraged. We think she was following her big sister. Chloe still hops in bed with us, but is now more aware of her nightwear! We all felt that because we had this lazy attitude where David and Chloe could creep into our bed, it helped our connection with each other. We now have yet another infectious laugh to wake us. She has had Chloe as a role model, which isn't bad. Chloe has been teaching her French since age eight, so I'm confident she'll be asking for her own trip to Paris in the not-too-distant future!

For better or for worse, Lily follows Maggie into our room, too, not wanting to be left out of any attention. We couldn't think of a better way to start the morning. Well, most of the time.

Nothing thrills me more than when I walk into the house after a long day at work, and Maggie and Lily run gleefully to me, shrieking, "Daddy!" and jumping into my arms. If she was home from work or college, Chloe would pour me a whisky, kiss me somewhat chastely, help me with my suit jacket, and hang it up. Usually, she'd slowly, and somewhat disconcertingly, undo my tie, her eyes smiling and boring into mine. She'd hand me the tumbler, wrap her arms around me, her almost seductively smile, beaming at me, and whisper, "Good memories, Dad?"

"Some of my best," I'd smile back at her, both of us knowing what she was intimating.

I'd spend time with them both, best of friends...pretty much. I'd pick them both up and head to the kitchen, the smells always pulling me in. As always, I'd kiss whoever was at the stove, run my hands across them, and pull them to me, their warmth reinvigorating my body. Now it's Maggie and Lily who raise their eyes and murmur, "Ewww, Daddy!" whilst Chloe raises her eyes in faux disgust, but smiles. Homework is still done at the kitchen table, all of us putting our two pence in, probably confusing them, but we try.

Being the youngest, Lily and Maggie are spoiled with love, and affection, revelling in the attention they receive from us all. They're both charming, beautiful girls whom we couldn't love more. They have picked up on their mothers, and Chloe's pouting, my laughing at them, as and when, not helping. Both cherishing the role, Chrissie is as much Maggie's mother as Emily is as much Lily's.

We began to have 'games nights' as they grew older, a wonderful way to relax, interact, and teach these two teenagers about life. I taught Chloe chess, and David backgammon, both routing me regularly. Chrissie had an old Trivial Pursuit board game, which gave us older adults an advantage, which we took. The most fun was Charades, a game that Maggie and Lily love. Their squeals of joy when they got one right were so endearing.

So, intimacy.

God, these two women! With age, for us all, came this innate knowledge of each other. Sure, domestic life did take over sometimes, as it should, but we had kept up on our date nights, probably a bit more regularly than before. Like any 'marriage', it's too easy to get carried away with the everyday, and forget about the other side of us. Whenever it was the three of us, we, at times, hooked up with Ben and Elaine, or other friends for a relaxed dinner, and then an evening dancing.

Chrissie and Emily were still the most sensuous, beautiful, and intelligent women I had ever known. Our seduction, and lovemaking had not wavered over these ten, eleven years. I was still as enthralled with them, as I'd ever been. It still excited me to pull their hair back from their necks, lean in, and gently kiss them. I never tired of their soft, low moans. They indulged me, as much as I spoiled them.

And we still danced...

Ten Years Later

Just a quick update to close out this story.

Tom, 54. Chrissie, 56. Emily, 55. David, 33. Chloe, 29. Maggie, 20. Lily, 18.

Time had been generous to us. Chrissie's once-coloured hair was now a delightful silver, tinged with hints of ash. Emily looked equally stunning, her long grey hair accented with gentle hints of lavender. They both looked incredible. They embraced their age, not bothering to cover their hair with more youthful colours. I have more than a few hints of grey, my hair cut to suit it.

Chrissie and Emily have taken an early retirement recently, their time taken up caring for, and inspiring Maggie and Lily. All of our kids are what some people call 'high-achievers'. We would never taint them with those words. Instead, just people who have found their niche, and had the drive to achieve what they had envisioned for themselves. What more could a parent ask for? I'm looking to leave Holloway and Geary next year. I was asked to join the board, which had its ups and downs, but after reviewing what they needed, I decided to accept. My role as a risk analyst, indeed came in handy, although most decisions were 'group-think', but every so often...

David and Leila finally married two years ago. We had met her family a year after they started dating, and got on well, surprising because of the nature of our relationship. Still, Chrissie and Emily were charming, and won them over. Their wedding was too-lavish, both cultures present, and blended well. Chrissie and Ems were warmly invited to help with the plans.

I saw David approach Emily, and smile.

"Where are the trainers, mum?" he chuckled.

Emily smiled, laughed, and told him this was a special occasion, but not for him to get too used to heels on her. They hugged, and kissed warmly.

David gave his groom's speech, leaving Chrissie, Emily, and I stunned.

Part of it, we'll never forget. 'I'd like to acknowledge three people here who, quite frankly, guided our family in life. Without them, I wouldn't be the man I am today, for better or for worse," he laughed. "They made me appreciate and value time. For as long as I can remember, we'd all be in the kitchen, my sisters, and I finishing homework while my moms would be cooking. There was always music in our home, and we'd dance for no reason at all, if only because we could. Dinner would be late, but they taught me the value of time and family. There was always time to stop, breathe, and dance. I can only hope that one day, I will be half the parents they were, and are to us," he said.