"Don't get mad," Ron said one afternoon. We were home together for a rare lazy day.
"What is it?" I hated when he said that. It always meant he was about to say something he knew I wouldn't like.
"I think Dylan should get his own place."
"Oh." While I wasn't happy to hear him say that, I had known it was bound to come up. Dylan had been with us for about a year now and his lawn business was doing very well. Even though we were in the middle of December, he still had plenty of work to do because of the climate in Florida. Not having to pay rent or any other substantial bills, he had been able to save a nice bit of money. As much as I wanted him to stay, I couldn't justify an argument to keep him. "You're right. But how about we give him until the end of January? That way he can get through the holidays and have enough time to find a decent place he can afford."
Ron nodded his agreement. "Sounds good."
"Okay. I'll talk to him."
The next evening, I took Dylan outside to talk while Ron watched TV.
"I figured it was coming," Dylan said. "I'm surprised it took this long."
"I wish I could come up with a good reason to keep you here but this is probably for the best."
Dylan began to play with his cup on the table in front of him. Though his eyes were not looking in my direction, I could see the sadness in them.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
He said softly, "I'm going to miss this, being with you."
"We'll still see each other."
"But it won't be the same."
"You're right." I took a deep breath about to say the one thing that I had been hesitant to voice. "But when you love someone, you make the time for them. We'll find a way to make this work."
Dylan looked back at me with anger in his eyes. His voice was low and harsh. "Don't use that against me. Don't you dare. I know you don't feel the same and I can accept that as long as you --"
"I do, Dylan," I said cutting him off. "I love you."
He narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips giving me a wary look. "You're just saying that."
"If I didn't, I wouldn't have taken the chances that I did to be with you. We've always been open and honest with each other, why would I start lying now and jeopardize that?"
"What about Ron and Luke?"
I took a moment to gather my thoughts. It was a valid question that had been nagging at me for some time and I was now being forced to acknowledge the consequences of what we were doing. "After being with you, I realize it's been over between me and Ron since before whatever this is started. We're friends and there is love there, but we're not in love. We haven't been for a while. As for Luke, I know eventually it's going to hurt him but I want to protect him for as long as I can. Ron and I might be heading for a divorce but it can't be because of us. Luke would be devastated by our break up and this would just be salt in his wounds."
Dylan nodded. "You're right. It just really sucks," he said with some force.
"I know." More than anything, I wanted to take Dylan into my arms. Full of emotion, I wanted to hug and kiss him, tell him we would be fine but couldn't. Instead, I gave him a thin smile and patted his leg as we let the silence of the darkening night take over.
Dylan found a place and moved out shortly after the New Year. His apartment was not too far from my house, located close to the route I took to get to my salon. He told everyone that it was so he could be close to the lawns he worked but I knew otherwise. Even though he now had his own place, when Ron was out of town, Dylan essentially lived with me.
A month to the day after Dylan moved out, Ron asked me for a divorce. Though I was calm as we talked, inside I was beyond pissed. The divorce itself didn't upset me because I knew it was coming. Even when Ron admitted that he had met someone, it didn't bother me. As I told Dylan, I had made peace with the end of my marriage long ago. What angered me was the fact that Dylan had just moved out. I had just kicked out my lover in order to make my husband happy who then turned around and said he was moving out himself.
I learned Ron felt much the same way I did, that essentially we had simply grown apart and had separate lives. With no animosity, our divorce would be quick and simple. I got to keep the house, though I insisted on paying him for half its value. I didn't want that to be an issue in the future.
Luke, on the other hand, was devastated. Though he understood when we explained it to him, it felt like it would have been easier for him if Ron and I fought and hated each other. Even months later when the three of us had dinner with Ron's girlfriend, Nancy, Luke was uncomfortable. I did everything I could to assure him I was okay with Ron and Nancy -- I really did like her -- but Luke, understandably, needed more time to get adjusted to things.
The day after I had my talk with Ron, I took the day off from the salon and drove over to Dylan's place.
"What's so important that I needed to take the day off?" He asked as I entered. Because of my request, he hadn't dressed yet and was still wearing only the boxers he had slept in.
"I'm getting a divorce," I said happily.
Dylan didn't hide his shock. "What?"
We sat on his sofa as I recounted my conversation with Ron. I knew my happiness looked odd in conjunction with my words but I didn't care. I was about to be free. Though there was still the issue of being in love with my nephew to face, at the moment it seemed like a minor inconvenience.
"So what does this mean for us?" He asked after I finished.
I moved to straddle him and hooked my arms around his neck. Between peppering his face and neck with kisses I continued our conversation. "It means you are no longer going to be seeing a married woman."
"I know that. I mean 'us,'" he said with emphasis. His hands had moved to my ass and were massaging it. Beneath me, I could feel his dick slowly growing. "It's not like we can get married as soon as you're divorced."
"No," I acknowledged. "But in the short term, I think it means you move back in. We'll see about getting you out of your lease or maybe subletting. I don't want you to feel like we're a secret, something to be ashamed of, but I thought we'd just tell everyone I didn't want to live alone. Or maybe I need a man around. Some bull shit like that. I love you but you're still my nephew."
He nodded as one of his hands moved under my shirt to release the clasp on my bra. After moving it to knead by freed breasts, he said, "There is that, 'Aunt' Jane. Dad would flip."
"Jake's always been a bit high-strung. He'll get over it. If not, oh well. And not that this isn't an important conversation to have," I said as I raised myself slightly and helped Dylan remove his boxers. "Let's finish it another time. Thinking about my brother right now is not helping."
As he lined up his dick and slid into me, Dylan agreed.