by Marla Monroe
“I say we tell her tonight and ask her to marry us again, Devin.”
“What if she says no?” Devin asked.
“I don’t know, but I need to tell her that I love her and want forever with her.”
“Let’s see how things go later. If she’s more relaxed and rested, then I agree. If she isn’t, we need to wait until she feels better,” Devin said.
“I guess you’re right. What are we going to fix tonight?”
“Thought spaghetti with baked meatballs. That way if she doesn’t want the meatball, she’ll still get some meat in the sauce,” Devin said.
“Sounds good. I’m worried that she hasn’t been eating enough. It seems like all she wants is fruit and cheese.”
“She eats a pretty good breakfast, but I agree she isn’t eating much during the day. I think it’s time that one of us stays with her all day while the other works. We can take turns,” Devin suggested.
“That sounds good to me. She’s only a month away from her due date. I don’t like leaving her alone in case the baby comes early,” Levi agreed.
“She’s not going to be happy,” Devin mused.
“I’m just surprised you haven’t already put your foot down and decreed it,” Levi said.
He watched his brother’s face slide down into a scowl. He liked teasing Devin, but really, he had expected him to have already planned it.
“I was going to tell her at dinner tonight. It would sound better coming from you, though. If I suggest it, she’ll balk, but if you do, she might agree easier,” Devin said.
“Asshole. You just don’t want her to be mad at you and let her take out her anger on me. Okay, I can handle it. I’ll take one for the team.” Levi sighed.
Yeah, telling her one of them would be with her at home from now on probably wasn’t going to go over very well. He just hoped she wouldn’t stay mad at him for very long.
“Let’s tell her we love her and ask her to marry us again before I say anything about one of us staying home with her from now on,” he suggested.
“I agree,” Devin said. “She might be okay with it if she’s agreed to marry us.”
“I sure hope so. I don’t like it when she’s mad at us,” Levi said.
He pulled out the hamburger meat from the fridge while Devin grabbed a bell pepper and onion to chop up. They’d have dinner ready about the time Libby woke from her nap. They’d feed her, rub her back and feet, then tell her how much they loved her. Maybe after the nice meal and some attention, she’d agree to be their wife. Maybe.
Chapter Fifteen
All through dinner Libby had the feeling the guys wanted to say something, but each time they opened their mouths, they closed them just as quickly. They exchanged stares frequently but remained quiet other than the normal talk about the job they were working on and how it was coming along.
Several times they asked her if she was okay and if she needed more lemonade. Ever since they’d read that caffeine in tea wasn’t good for her, she’d been relegated to lemonade and water. She didn’t mind the lemonade but missed the soft drinks she’d already given up at their insistence.
“What’s going on with you two? You’re acting like you want to say something then chicken out. Spit it out already,” she finally said, putting her fork down.
Levi looked at Devin then back at Libby. He sighed and finally spoke up.
“You’re nearly at your due date now, and we don’t like leaving you here alone. One of us is going to stay with you from now on. We’ll take turns,” he said.
“I don’t need a babysitter. I still have at least four weeks left. You can go with me to my doctor’s visits. I’m going every two weeks now,” she said, folding her napkin and staring at each of them with the sternest look she could muster.
“Not going to happen, babe. If you go into labor or have trouble, we’d be at least thirty minutes away then have to get you to the hospital. That’s too long to leave you if you’re in labor or something happens,” Devin said.
“I’ll go crazy with you hovering around me like a drone all day,” she said, huffing out a breath.
“We won’t hover. We have plenty of work we can do during the day here at home. Plus, we’ll be planning the next job we have on the back burner,” Levi told her.
“I don’t care. I’m fine on my own. You don’t have to worry. At least wait until the last week of my pregnancy,” she said.
“Just because your dates say you have four weeks doesn’t mean that little Kimmy will wait that long. She just may put in an early appearance,” Devin pointed out.
“Guys, please,” she begged.
“It’s settled. We’re staying with you until the baby’s born and probably a week or two afterwards to bond with the baby,” Devin said.
Libby liked that they wanted to bond with the baby but didn’t like the idea of one of them always being there to drive her up the wall asking her how she was feeling and was she sure the back ache wasn’t contractions. She sighed. She knew she wasn’t going to win this battle.
“Fine. But I don’t have to like it,” she finally told them.
The two men seemed to breathe out in a whoosh at the same time. They looked at each other and grinned. She wasn’t sure what that was about, but she wasn’t happy with them at that moment.
“I’m finished. I’m going to sit on the couch and read,” she said, getting to her feet.
“I’ll help you get your feet up, hon.” Levi jumped up and followed her into the living room. She rolled her eyes as he lifted her feet to the couch then arranged the pillows behind her.
“Your feet are swollen today. You need to keep them up more,” he said and added a pillow under her feet.
“They’re going to swell now that I’m so close to time. Even keeping them up all the time isn’t going to prevent that. Haven’t you read that in your baby book you and Devin spend so much time reading?” Libby knew she was being bitchy, but they were driving her insane with their constant attention.
She shook her head. Most women would bask in all the attention because they didn’t get it from their men, but she’d had nothing but attention ever since she’d moved in with them. She rubbed her chest where the scar was from her attack. She’d been lucky that it hadn’t been her heart or a lung, and she was lucky she had a safe place now. She needed to lighten up with the men. They were only trying to take care of her and make her happy.
“Thanks, Levi. I really do appreciate it,” she said after he’d arranged her pillows for the second time.
He handed her the e-reader and smiled down at her. “I know, hon. It’s hard to give up some of your independence when you’ve been that way for a long time. Don’t worry about it. We understand,” he said.
She smiled up at him and kissed him back when he bent and brushed a light kiss over her lips then on her forehead.
“Rest and read while we clean up the kitchen. I swear Devin messes up more than it takes to cook one simple meal.”
Libby watched as he walked back into the kitchen leaving her alone with her book and her thoughts. She needed to tell them that she loved them but hadn’t found the right time. Just after sex wasn’t right. They’d see it as a result of the emotion from how they’d made her feel.
Nearly an hour later the two men joined her in the living room, turning on the TV to a sports channel. Devin sat at the end of the couch and propped her feet on his lap while Levi relaxed in one of the recliners. Libby sighed and enjoyed the simple time they had together when the pressures of the day weren’t riding on them.
Several hours later, Devin yawned. “I’m ready for bed. What about you guys?”
“I’m all for it,” Levi said, switching off the TV with the remote. He tossed it on the coffee table before standing with a stretch.
“What about you, babe?” Devin asked.
She yawned and giggled. “I’d say that about sums it up.”
The two men chuckled as they helped her to her feet. She was to the point that sh
* * * *
“I thought we were going to tell her we loved her before we talked about one of us staying with her,” Levi said with a soft growl.
“It didn’t seem like the best time. I don’t know. I want it to mean something to her besides buttering her up,” Devin said in a hushed voice.
Libby was in the bathroom getting ready for bed, leaving them to talk in low whispers without being overheard.
“She deserves to know how we feel, man,” Levi said.
“I know, I know.” Devin ran his hand through his hair and sighed. “We’ll tell her tomorrow night after supper while we’re relaxing in the living room. Now that we’ve got the issue of one of us staying with her out of the way, it should be a good time.”
“I just know that I can’t hold it in much longer. I want her to know how I feel. I want to know that she is loved and not just because of the baby,” Levi said.
“Do you think she thinks that?” Devin asked with a frown drawing his brows together.
“I don’t know, but she might. I mean we’ve pushed her to live with us because of the baby and take care of her, always pointing out what was best for the baby. She might think all we’re interested in is making sure the baby is safe and not really focusing on her.”
“Fuck. I hadn’t thought about that. I love her for who she is just as much as I already love little Kimmy,” Devin said.
“Man, I love how she responds to us in bed, too. She’s always wet and can’t seem to get enough of us,” Levi said.
“Yeah. I like how she twirls her hair when she’s nervous and the way she looks up at me from under her lashes. She’s super sexy when she does that.”
“We’re so fucked,” Levi said with a huge grin stretching his face.
“Yeah, and I don’t even care,” Devin said.
Devin undressed and sat on the edge of the bed waiting on their woman. He wanted to be in there with her, making sure she was okay and nothing would happen to her if she lost her balance or something. Her center of gravity was off with the baby. He’d read that in the baby book. It took everything inside of him not to pressure her to let one of them stay with her while she was getting ready. He knew on one level that she needed her privacy and didn’t like them hovering, but on the other hand, he needed to know she was safe. Having read about all the things that could happen, he worried like an old mother hen.
Finally she emerged from the bathroom, her face rosy from her washing it. She glowed from the pregnancy, and his dick sprang to life at the sight of her in her sleep shirt. She often wore it to bed, but they usually had her out of it by the time she fell asleep.
He and Levi had agreed that it was too close to her due date to have sex any longer. It had taken some convincing with Libby that it wasn’t that they didn’t want to with how big she’d grown but because of the baby. She’d finally relented and admitted they were right. Still, they made sure to massage her back and shoulders and smooth lotion all over her body each night to let her know they still cared and wanted her.
Hell, his throbbing cock poking out in front of his body should have made that clear. If he hadn’t already taken a shower, he would have rubbed one off just to make it more comfortable to go to sleep.
“Climb up, hon. We’ll rub you down with lotion. You’ll rest better after a massage.” Levi poured a generous amount of lotion in his hands then passed the bottle to Devin.
They smoothed it over her back, shoulders, ass, and legs, paying extra attention to her low back where she often ached from the strain of her pregnant belly. Devin massaged her shoulders and the back of her neck. Then after she’d dried some, they turned her over and applied it all over her chest, breasts, belly, and legs. Levi even massaged her feet.
By the time they’d finished, she was moaning and half asleep. Devin smiled. He loved seeing her this way. It was similar to how she was after they’d made love to her. All soft, relaxed, and smiling. He could die a happy man seeing that look on her face and the way her body flushed with pleasure.
In that moment he wanted to tell her he loved her and wondered if it would bother his brother if he did. Deciding that it was the perfect moment he leaned down and said the words.
“I love you, babe. More than you could ever know,” he said.
Her eyes flew open. “What?”
Levi leaned next to her. “We love you, hon. You make us happy. We’ve wanted to tell you that for weeks now, but it never seemed like the right time until now.”
Devin watched his brother’s face for any hint he was annoyed with him, but he just looked happy. He smiled. This was the perfect timing. She was relaxed and happy. Telling her now after a nice evening and the gentle massage would let her know that they were serious and not just saying the words.
“You really love me? All of me, not just my baby?” she asked with wide eyes.
“All of you. We love little Kimmy, too, but that’s separate from how we feel about you, babe,” Devin told her.
She reached up to both of them with her hands, cupping the sides of their cheeks. “I love you guys, too. I have for a long time now. You’re so good to me. I can tell you care. I’ve just been so afraid it’s only because I’m carrying your child.”
“Libby, honey,” Levi began, “we were looking for you when you showed up at the house. We’d already called all the hospitals trying to find out if you worked at any of them, but they wouldn’t give out information on their employees.”
“I even started going down the phone book trying to find any Libby or Elizabeth I could find and called them,” Devin admitted.
She smiled up at them with tears in her eyes.
“That’s the sweetest thing anyone has ever told me,” she said.
“Aw, don’t cry. I hate it when you cry,” Devin said, brushing the tears away.
“They’re happy tears. I can’t help it. You guys are perfect,” Libby said.
“Except when Devin is bossing you around,” Levi quipped.
“Or you’re trying to make me eat every few minutes,” she teased.
The two men grinned and kissed her, both brushing light kisses across her lips then her cheeks. Devin loved seeing her so happy, minus the tears of course. Why women had to cry all the time he didn’t know, but she was happy, and that was all he cared about.
“Get some rest, babe.” Devin pulled covers up over them as she turned and wrapped her arm and one leg over Levy.
She felt better on her left side, so Levi was usually the one who got her wrapped around his body, but Devin wasn’t too jealous. He got to scoot up next to her back and hug her under her breast and over the baby. He liked being close to her that way just as much as having her wrapped around him. Whatever felt best to her was all that mattered.
Before he fell asleep all the worries of the upcoming weeks flowed over him once more. There were just too many things that could go wrong in a pregnancy. He felt much better that one of them would be with her all the time now. It took some of the pressure off him, but the worry remained.
Chapter Sixteen
Libby stretched as much as she could. Her back was aching, and her feet hurt. She’d been having little tingles all around her belly all day, but mostly her back hurt. She was so ready for little Kimmy to be born she didn’t know what to do. She was tired of hurting and feeling like a manatee flopping around when she tried to stand or get out of the bed or put on her clothes.
She was just plain tired.
“What’s up, babe? You look like you want to shoot someone,” Devin said when he walked into the living room where she’d been trying to get comfortable and read.
“I’m just tired of not being able to get comfortable. My back hurts no matter how I sit or lie down,” she grumbled.
“I’ll rub your back for you. I know you’re achy all over. It won’t be long before it will all be over and you’ll have little Kimmy in your arms,” he said.
“Don’t try and baby me. You don’t have a clue how hard this is,” she snapped.
Libby immediately felt sorry for what she’d said. “I’m sorry I’m so bitchy lately. I’m just so tired of feeling like a whale in a swimming pool.
“It’s fine, babe. We know you don’t feel well. The book says you’re going to be snappish the last few weeks of the pregnancy.”
“I’m tired of that stupid book, too,” she grumbled.
Devin smothered a laugh. She glared up at him but didn’t say what she wanted to. He could take that damn book and burn it as far as she was concerned. A sudden cramp hit her back, and she moaned, trying reach around and rub at it.
“Here, let’s get you on your side, and I’ll sit here and massage your back for you,” Devin said.
She rolled over the best she could and drew in a deep breath. The pain this time wrapped around her sides. Was she in labor? She’d wait before saying anything to Devin to be sure. He’d freak out and have her in the car in seconds if he thought for one minute she was in labor. She wanted to be sure she really was before she brought on the panic he was sure to have.
His hands really did help relax her back muscles, but she continued to have the twinges that circled around to her belly. She dozed off and on after Devin had worked on her back and shoulders, but every fifteen or twenty minutes, another cramp would hit her. She rolled over on her back and rubbed her belly.
Kimmy, I know you’re ready to be born as much as I’m ready for you to get here, but don’t tease me if you’re just playing there.
The pains died down after awhile, and she fell asleep. Sometime later she woke to a much stronger pain that had her groaning out loud. She looked around. Devin must have been in the office since he hadn’t run to see what was the matter. She breathed in and out then waited to see if it would happen again. Sure enough, about fifteen minutes later, the pain hit again, taking her breath as it centered on her belly this time. She rubbed it frantically and breathed like they’d told her in the class they’d all three taken.
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