Once Linda got to know Tray, she liked him. You couldn't be around Tray very much and not like him. He was always the life of the party and even accompanied us on some of our dates. Somehow the three of us out together never was odd but fun. She asked me once if I had to get Tray's permission before I proposed to her. I laughed and told her no but if she and Tray hadn't gotten along it would have been a tough choice. She knew the story about Tray and I and understood we were like twin brothers and almost inseparable. Tray took to her pretty quickly once he saw how much I was in love with her and she was the same with Tray. Of course, Tray was my best man at my wedding and asked if he could go on our honeymoon with us. Linda said no way but they were both smiling when they said it. He didn't.
Tray went to work for a large advertising agency in town and I went to work for a large accounting firm. Linda mostly worked from home and did book keeping and taxes for several small businesses. We purchased a small three bedroom and two bath house in a nice neighborhood and Tray rented a nice apartment nearby.
It wasn't unusual for Tray to come by and have dinner with us some evenings and on Saturday Tray and I, and sometimes Linda, would watch college sports, and then on Sunday watch professional sports together at our house. Linda would often set on the couch next to me and cuddle up to me and watch sports with Tray and I. It was almost like he lived there. Tray would usually accompany us on our vacations, Linda didn't mind. I remember one time he suggested we just rent one room with twin beds and save some money. Linda nixed the idea, she said she loved Tray and really enjoyed being around him but she needed "special" time with her husband. Of course, Tray said that wouldn't be a problem but Linda said they might keep him up too late at night since she would sometimes get noisy when making love with me. They both laughed.
Tray was a part of the family and would hang out at our house a lot. He would sometimes show up early in the morning for breakfast with me and Linda would come downstairs half dressed, not thinking anything about it, and Tray would make some comment about what a great ass she had and he sure would like to tap that ass. Linda would look at him and tell him he couldn't handle it. Tray would even sleep in our guest bedroom overnight sometimes if we watched a late-night game together and it wasn't unusual for Linda to come down stairs in her PJ's or sometimes a short nighty and sit down beside me. Tray would check her out and maybe comment on how sexy she looked but none of us thought much about it, it was just Tray. So, you can see Tray was just a part of our family.
Tray married his first wife a couple of years after I married Linda and they partied a lot and the marriage lasted almost two years before she divorced him. I think she felt like she was always somewhere behind Linda and I in his priorities. Less than a year later Tray, too quickly, found his soul mate and they married a few months after his divorce was final. Tray told us she was just like Linda, well almost as good as Linda, and he was now happily married.
Well, when Tray got married it didn't change his routine much and he would still show up and hang out at our house a lot just like with his first wife. His wife came over a few times but soon grew tired hanging out with us and wanted Tray to hang out with just her. Eventually this caused friction in the marriage but Tray would either ignore her complaints or explain to her we were family and he wanted to and would continue to hang out with us. His wife eventually got tired of it and told Tray it was her or us, he had to choose. She lost and left him.
Tray was crushed and couldn't understand why she was so upset and why she didn't enjoy being with us as much as he did. Tray went into a funk and got really depressed. He would still come over a lot but was always drinking and sometimes pretty drunk by the time he arrived. He never was rude or dis-respectful but almost always in a depressed mood. He spent quite a bit of time talking with Linda asking her what had he done wrong and why women were so cruel. Linda tried to explain that most people, when they get married, want to spend most of their free time with their spouse. Tray said he understood and tried to get his wife to accompany him when he came over. Linda tried to explain that most women want to spend a lot of time with only their husband and not with friends. Tray told Linda he had explained his relationship with her and I before he proposed and she seemed to be OK with it. Tray just couldn't see how our relationship was a lot different than most others. Tray said, "well it's a package deal, if they can't accept the two of you along with me then fuck-um."
We tried to get Tray to start dating again but he said he swore off women. He did make one exception. He asked me to start driving to work without my seatbelt on so in case I was in an accident and died he would then be able to marry Linda. Linda explained to him she loved me and he had better take very good care of her husband and besides she was way too hot for him and he probably couldn't take care of her properly in the bedroom like I do. That got a big laugh out of Tray and he told Linda that was one of the many reasons he loved her, she was the only one who could make him laugh since his divorce.
Tray continued to spend a lot of his free time at our house and I would sometimes notice Tray glancing at Linda when she would get dressed for bed and wearing her short nighty and come down to watch some game with us before retiring to bed. I could tell he had huge hard on. I mentioned to Linda that maybe she shouldn't wear some things when Tray was around. She asked why not, it's just Tray, but when I explained she said she would try to be more aware of her clothing when Tray was around but she felt odd being careful around Tray, it had never been an issue before. I told her he is going thru a rough time right now and we needed to be sensitive and supportive. She agreed and started watching her appearance and behavior around Tray.
Tray noticed the change and asked what was going on in front of Linda and I. I explained I had noticed him staring at Linda when she was wearing something sexy and thought it may have bothered him and had asked her to be careful about what she wore when you were around and maybe back off the hugs a little. It looked like you hadn't had any female companionship in a while. Tray, always being direct, said you mean you noticed I had a hard-on when Linda was around. I laughed and said yes. Tray looked right at Linda and said "Darlin, I have always had a hard-on when I am around you. You are one sexy and beautiful woman and any red bloodied American male would be just like me if they were around you." Linda laughed and said "thank you, I think." He then looked at me and told me he loved both of us and although he would probably always admire my wife I didn't have to worry about him doing anything inappropriate.
I told Tray I was sorry if we offended him but just didn't want to make it worse for him since he wasn't dating or seeing any ladies lately. He said he appreciated the gesture and yeah, he did have to adjust himself sometimes when Linda was around but that was OK. He said please don't change anything, that it was the companionship and acceptance that he enjoyed. He said "I feel like I'm part of a family when I am around you two. I can speak freely and be myself and not be judged. I love both of you and you allowing me to be a part of your lives is one of the few things that brings joy to my heart." Linda walked over and gave him a big hug and said she was going upstairs and change into her short nighty if he didn't mind. Tray said "OMG hun you would make my day." We all had a good laugh and after Linda changed watched a game on TV together.
Tray gradually got worse and we could see him sinking deeper into depression and nothing we did seemed to help. One evening when he came over to eat dinner with us, he told us about an article he had read in an outdoor magazine about recruiting men for an overseas adventure. After he explained it to us I told him it sounded like a recruiting article for a mercenary organization. Tray said that was what he thought and he had an interview set up with them for the following week.
