Free Another Little Secret by Jade Archer

Chapter One
    Brody toed off his shoes at the door and stepping into the bright, open space—readying himself for just about anything. Picking up Wolf from preschool tended to be a full contact sport most days. He’d become extraordinarily good at protecting the family jewels from enthusiastic tackle hugs.
    Forced to duck his head slightly to avoid a low hanging…something colourful and artistic suspended from the ceiling, Brody glanced around as he made his way into the room. It smelt faintly of paint, craft glue, whatever disinfectant was being used to wipe down the sleeping palettes and…plain old fashioned innocent fun.
    Colour was splashed in random, creative explosions all over the walls where paintings where proudly displayed. Toys were stacked and arranged neatly in nooks ready to entice little hands. And scattered throughout the room, activity centres were set out waiting to stimulate little minds. Wherever he looked there was something to see and do. It was fantastic.
    Brody smiled happily to himself. In truth, he loved coming to collect Wolf from preschool. After a day of playing and creating and being surrounded by kids his own age, Wolf was always so full of life and boundless energy. And usually ready to talk nonstop all the way home—telling Brody at a million miles an hour all about his latest adventures and escapades with his little buddies. If he lived to be a thousand, Brody would never be able to thank Lark—his incredibly connected lover—enough for helping him get Wolf into the programme at the Riversands Community Preschool. It was the best thing Brody had ever been able to do for his brother, who soaked up the experience like a little sponge and was just blossoming under the active programme the centre ran.
    Thinking of Lark, the smile slipped a little from Brody’s lips. He felt the muscles tighten in his shoulders slightly before he forced himself to relax. Something was going on with his lover. With both his lovers actually. It was hard to pinpoint exactly, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that there had been a change in them lately. He couldn’t help but wonder and worry about what was up with Lark and Zak—the third and more stoic member of their little ménage.
    In the last couple of weeks the two had been…elusive. Secretive. Oh! They were still extremely playful and enthusiastic lovers, but something had…just changed. And it was hard not to get nervous about it.
    Over the last six months, he had got used to them being almost painfully honest and open with each other. Ever since the initially bumpy start to their relationship—a time when they had all been keeping little secrets from one another—there had been an unspoken agreement to tell each other everything. But lately, that deal seemed to have been, if not broken then certainly bent.
    At times he would catch Lark and Zak talking quietly, but whenever they spotted him the conversation would abruptly cease, or they would quickly change the subject. It didn’t seem…sinister exactly. Just secretive.
    Brody sighed. Something was definitely going on, he just wasn’t sure what. Which led to his next problem—what was he going to do about it. A secret, insecure little part of himself couldn’t help wondering if Lark and Zak had finally got tired of him and were ready to move on. He wasn’t sure he wanted to actually find out if they had. He felt a bit like when he was a kid and would hide under his bed, hoping the monsters—usually in the shape of his mother's latest boyfriend—wouldn’t find him.
    Lark and Zak had been together far longer than Brody had been around. It was hard not to feel uncomfortable at times when little things reminded him every day that Lark and Zak knew each other like two halves of a whole. While the three of them together were still feeling their way forward tentatively and rather blindly in a lot of respects.
    Shaking off the depressing, and quite possibly completely paranoid direction his