With the Boys in the Band by Marie Medina

here if this were something I was ashamed of.”
    Vince smiled at her, and then he looked to Emerson. “And you?”
    “It’s going to raise some eyebrows, but I really don’t care.” He smiled. “I’m not giving either of you up, no matter what anyone says or thinks.”
    Vince stroked Emerson’s cheek. “Good. Because I want to tell the whole fucking world.”
    Emerson and Alicia laughed as he got up and went into the bathroom. “Not sure our new manager will really want to write that press release up,” Emerson called after him.
    “Then maybe I’ll write a song about it,” he called back, ending the conversation when he turned the water in the tub on full blast.
    Emerson kissed Alicia’s forehead. “You look quite content, my lady.”
    “I have two ardent lovers who adore each other. I think our current state goes far beyond contentment.” She beamed at him.
    His face grew serious. “I do love him, more than anything.” He traced her brows, then her nose, finally caressing her chin. “I want this to work because I’m falling for you, too. I’m not just saying this so you’ll keep sleeping with us.”
    She drew him closer and kissed him tenderly. “I know. I’m falling, too. For both of you.” As they kissed she felt strong arms slide beneath her and then drag her away from the kiss.
    Vince hefted her in his arms and stole a kiss for himself. “Glad to hear it. We’ve always shared everything, and now that I’ve finally stopped being a coward we’ll find out how much fun sharing can really be.”
    As he carried her to the tub, she relaxed and let all the glorious possibilities run through her mind. Maybe lots of people wouldn’t understand, but at this moment that simply didn’t matter.
     
     

 
    Chapter Six
     
    Three Months Later
     
    Vince looked up as Garren entered his office and threw a stack of tabloids down. “You guys are overshadowing me. I’m supposed to have the monopoly on being mad, bad, and dangerous to know around here.”
    Grabbing the papers, Vince flipped through them. More photos of him with Emerson and Alicia, more headlines with clichéd innuendoes. “Alicia seen them?”
    “I don’t know. Theobald keeps records of them all in case anything libelous appears. Unless she goes looking, she probably won’t see most of them.”
    Garren had taken the news of their unconventional relationship well, with only a raised eyebrow and a shrug followed by a good-natured laugh. Tom and Mike had both been speechless for a while, but had come around in a short time. All three guys had admitted—eventually—that they had always suspected something might one day happen between Vince and Emerson, and in the end the band as a unit had not been affected adversely. The reactions of everyone else in their entourage had been varied, but luckily no one had reacted too extremely. However, lately the media had been all over them, especially after a photographer had snapped a picture of Emerson and Vince kissing with Alicia standing between them.
    Vince worried about the effect on Alicia because she’d seemed tense for several weeks now. Emerson had confided that he thought she might be pregnant because of little physical complaints she’d had. His concern was that she was afraid to tell them, either because she didn’t want a child or because she was worried about their reactions. They had discussed it, and both of them would view it as a happy thing as long as it pleased her. Yet Vince still feared her recent issues might not have a happy cause at all. She wasn’t used to all the attention she was now getting, so he worried the extra pressure might make her leave them.
    He got up and handed the papers back to Garren. “Have you seen her since lunch?”
    “Nope. Sorry.”
    “Okay, thanks.” He left his office and began searching the halls. He’d learned very well in the past few months that holding back his feelings was never the answer. He wanted to know what was going on before