by Jess Bentley
“What’s wrong with Trey?” I ask, voice soft.
“Has Trey ever mentioned Claire to you?” Clay asks.
Lump building in my throat again, I nod.
“I’m surprised he mentioned her,” he says. “I don’t think I’ve heard him talk to anyone about her since she passed.”
I just shake my head. I’m not sure what to say to that.
“This hit Trey hard because... Well, Claire died of an ectopic pregnancy.”
The world spins, and I sit up and take a few deep breaths to keep from throwing up. Oh, my God. No wonder Trey had acted like he did. I’m not dumb enough to think that he’s in love with me—that any of these men are in love with me—but I know he cares for me. To lose the love of his life that way and then to have to watch me like this... God, I can’t imagine.
“I need to talk to him,” I choke out. Can you find him? Please?”
Clay nods. “You’ll be okay on your own for a minute?”
I nod, still not completely trusting myself to speak. I’m sick of crying. Doing much more of it today can’t be good for the baby, or me.
The older doctor comes back while the boys are gone. And I swear that he peeks into the room before entering to make sure I’m alone.
“I’m happy to let you know that everything seems perfectly fine. You can resume all normal activities, but no more horseback riding, young lady,” he says, tone both stern and kind.
The reassurance that my baby is just fine makes me want to leap out of bed to hug the man, but he’s probably just ready for me to get out of his ER at this point. The idea of the baby has been so overwhelming, and I’ve been so concerned about how having a child will affect my life, but I didn’t realize until the horse threw me how very much I want this baby. “No more horseback riding. Promise.”
I get dressed quickly, eager to leave the hospital gown behind. I’m just slipping on my shoes when the men return. I want to talk to Trey right then and there, but it feels weird inside of the hospital. Awkward. So I wait until we get down to the truck and I grab Trey’s upper arm when we approach.
“Can you guys give us a minute?” I ask the other Hollisters. Only Clay hesitates, but the three of them get in the truck, so I can have a private moment with Trey.
“I’m sorry I asked you to back off in there.” It’s not what I really want to say. What I really want to say is I’m so sorry that your wife died. I’m so sorry that someone you loved passed away so young. I’m sorry you had to go through two tragedies before you even turned thirty.
I can’t say that, so I apologize for what I can.
He leans down and presses a kiss to my cheek. And then he pulls me into a tight hug. “You did nothing wrong, sweetheart. Nothing at all.” And after a long moment, he steps back, and we head home.
Chapter 18
Clay
My whole world is spinning, and for the life of me, I don’t know how to get it to slow down. A baby. A fucking baby.
My baby.
I would’ve said that our situation with Jessa couldn’t get any more complicated but damn, I would have been I been dead wrong.
The ride home is mostly silent. Which fucking sucks because it leaves me with only my own thoughts to concentrate on. But thank God Trey is driving, because I don’t think I could. Joshua and Tyler seem troubled as well, but like the rest of us, they have no fucking clue what to say about all this either. And Jessa—the poor girl—is dozing off and on. It’s no wonder given the stress she was under at the hospital. Hell, the stress she’s still under. This isn’t a secret she should have had to carry.
Trey parks in front of the house and we all unload from the truck. My brain is so out of whack that I don’t even think to help Jessa out of the truck. Thankfully, Joshua does.
We all step into the house, and Trey turns to us and says, “Let’s all talk.” He focuses his gaze on Jessa. “If you’re feeling up to it, of course.”
“I’m okay,” she says. “Other than a sore shoulder, my doctor says I’m just fine.”
Trey nods, his whole body still tense. And then he heads for the billiards room.
It makes the most sense. The billiard room is big enough to hold all five of us easily, but it also has a shutting, locking door for privacy. We settle in, Trey giving beers to everyone but Jessa. But she takes a bottled water from him with a smile.
“I think,” Trey begins, his voice strained, “that it’s only fair for Tyler, Joshua and I to step aside.”
Tyler crosses his arms and glares, but he doesn’t argue. Joshua looks troubled, like he wants to argue. But he doesn’t.
And I don’t know what the fuck to say.
“What if that’s not what I want?” Jessa, her voice soft. Her eyes are locked on the bottled water in her hand, as she picks at the label. “What if I don’t want to give any of you up quite yet?”
I feel like I’m being torn in two. On the one hand, having Jessa all to myself—Jessa and our baby—sounds wonderful. But on the other hand... This has been the most heavenly few days of my life. That Jessa wants all of us equally makes me even more torn.
“I know that this relationship is different,” I say, clarity finally striking through my emotional bullshit. “But I don’t see anything wrong with it if it’s what Jessa wants. And if she’s the one we all want.”
Jessa is watching me with wary eyes, even though I’ve basically agreed with her. And she continues to peel at the water bottle label. I can feel it—if I push her too hard right now, ask for too much, she’ll get scared. She’ll run. And no matter what, I can’t let that happen. I might be confused—hell, I never thought I’d be anybody’s daddy. But I’m not confused about wanting her to stay.
“Stay with us, Jessa. Stay with us at least for a while so we can see how this all works. Give us a chance,” I say.
Her gaze starts back and forth between the four of us. And something—hope, maybe—lights up her eyes. “Is that what you want? Is that what you all really want?”
A chorus of “Fuck, yeah”s makes her laugh. “Okay, then. So… where am I sleeping tonight?”
Good-hearted arguing starts that is swiftly interrupted by the dinner bell.
“We’ll figure this out later,” Trey says, waving to quiet us down. “We need to get some dinner. Especially you, Jessa.”
“BethAnn was making lasagna tonight,” Joshua adds. “You haven’t lived until you’ve tried that, Jessa.”
“Oh! BethAnn’s lasagna. I haven’t had that in ages,” Tyler says, practically drooling as he speaks.
“You’ll love it,” I say to Jessa, following the rest of them out of the billiard room toward the delicious smell of food wafting from the kitchen. “And you’re eating for two.”
Jessa grins at us and rubs her tummy. Obviously she and the baby are excited about the prospect of lasagna.
I’m just getting to know Jessa, but I’m certain she can handle loving all four of us.
Chapter 19
Jessa
Dinner is truly phenomenal, and after I’m finished eating, it becomes obvious to me why Tyler was so excited. Not that anything BethAnn makes isn’t delicious. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if I put on ten pounds this week—and I doubt I can blame much of that on the baby.
Thank God I won’t be here much longer. And the thought makes something inside of my heart ache, even though I know it’s for the best—and not just for the sake of my waistline.
“Did you get enough to eat?” BethAnn asks, giving me a concerned look as she picks up some of the napkins left behind by the ranch hands.
I wonder if one of the men has taken her aside to tell her about my pregnancy. “Honestly, I’ll probably explode if I eat more.”
BethAnn laughs. “Well, there’s some peach pie in there for later if you find a spot for it.”
Oh, my God. Peach pie. That almost sounds worth making myself sick over. I stand up and grab my plate and glass, but before I can take them to the kitchen, Tyler plucks them from
my hands, gives me a wink, and heads to the sink with them.
I open my mouth to object, then close it and settle back into my chair. A girl could get used to this level of pampering.
“So, what do you feel like doing?” Joshua asks me from across the table.
“Honestly, not to sound like a lazy bum... But all I feel like doing this second is watching television and being a lump on the couch.” I grin. “Until this food settles, then I want to add some peach pie to the equation.”
Clay chuckles and Trey gives me a warm smile. “Television, it is.”
The five of us settle on and around the couch, with me in the middle, Trey and Joshua on the couch on either side of me, with Clay behind me so I can sit on his lap, and Tyler settles between my legs on the floor in front of the couch. Somehow our positioning manages to be insanely comfortable for me. So much so, that find myself snoozing halfway through the Pixar movie that Tyler picked out for us to watch.
Agreement unspoken, the men follow me to my room. But once we get there, the problem is apparent.
There’s no way the five of us are going to be able to sleep on the queen-sized bed comfortably. Even if they were average sized men, it would be quite difficult, and none of these men are average sized anything.
“We need to build a new bed, that’s what we need to do.” Tyler studies my queen bed critically. “But we either have to get a specially made mattress or figure something else out.”
“A California king might do,” Trey says. “But it would be better if we could make something a little bigger.”
I try not to read too much into what they’re saying. Does the idea of sticking around the Hollister’s long enough to need a custom-made bed sound amazing to me? Of course, it does. But I dare not get my hopes up. Besides, we’ve been trying this very nonstandard relationship for such a short time, who knows if they’ll still want this week from now? Who knows if I’ll still want them?
Okay, it’s pretty unlikely my mind will change. But I still shouldn’t let myself get too attached to the idea of being here, with them, for the long term.
“Nice as the thought is, boys, none of these design ideas are going to help us tonight,” I point out when Trey starts looking for graph paper or notebook to start drawing up plans.
“She’s right,” Joshua says. “But I have an idea for tonight.”
“Of course you do, brainiac,” Clay says elbowing his brother in the side.
“Somebody here has to use his brain.” Joshua steps away from him, glaring. “I say we go with rock, paper, scissors.”
Clay snorts. “Perfect SAT score, and rock, paper, scissors is your brilliant idea?
“That’s as fair way to decide as any,” Trey counters. “No way more than three people are going to fit in this bed comfortably.”
“Do I get a free pass?” I ask dryly. “Or do I have to play for my spot, too?”
The four of them, as one, shoot me a look that is half amused, half annoyed that I’d even suggest such a thing.
“Everybody ready?” Joshua holds up his hand in a fist.
A countless number of rock, paper, scissors games later and it’s finally decided that Joshua and Tyler get to spend the night with me. One game turns into best out of three, which turns into best out of five and so on. Finally, it’s clear that Clay and Trey are not catching the other two brothers, no matter how many excuses they fabricate to keep the game going.
Grumbling, Clay comes up to me and presses a soft kiss against my lips. “Sleep well, sweetheart.”
Trey gives me a swift kiss as well, but his words are all for his brothers. “You guys take care of her.”
After Clay and Trey leave, I excuse myself to the bathroom to freshen up a bit. I brush my teeth, and then I take a long look at myself in the mirror. Strange. I don’t look much different than I did a month ago. But so much has changed, both inside of me and around me. It feels weird that my body doesn’t reveal any of it. Of course, that will change, too. And soon—even sooner if I keep eating BethAnn’s cooking the way I have been. I brush my fingers over my lower belly and take a deep breath.
I could have lost everything today.
It’s frightening to think about. But I’m okay. More importantly, my baby’s okay. And that makes me want to celebrate.
I leave the bathroom and find the men getting comfortable on the bed. They’ve both settled on a side, so at least I don’t have to listen to them squabble over that—although even watching them argue is pretty amusing. I stop in the doorframe and frown. It takes a second for me to realize what’s bothering me.
They both look ready for bed. As in, ready to go to sleep.
They’ve both taken off their jeans, but are still wearing T-shirts and boxers.
Tyler looks up at me when I step away from the bathroom door. “Hey, do you know where the remote is? Thought we might watch some TV before we go to sleep.”
I cross my arms, and tease, “Go to sleep? What makes you guys think we’ll be sleeping anytime soon?”
Both of the men just blink at me.
“You guys do remember that the doctor said I was just fine for physical activity, right? Just no horseback riding?” I ask. When neither of them says anything, I waggle my eyebrows ridiculously.
Tyler laughs, but Joshua remains stoic. “Maybe that’s not a great idea, considering. We don’t want to hurt you, or the baby.”
Tyler pipes in, too, “We’re perfectly happy just to sleep by you. You need your rest.”
Feeling bold, I walk to Tyler and take his hand in mine. I tug his arm until he comes to his feet. And then I go to my tiptoes and kiss him.
It only takes a couple of seconds before he’s kissing me back. I slip my tongue between his lips and deepen our kiss, and I rub my body against his. Finally, I break the kiss and glance at Joshua. His eyes are locked on us, and with only boxers on it’s painfully obvious that watching us make out has turned him on, so I wriggle a finger at him to show him I want him, too.
Worry creasing his brow, he walks around the bed until he’s close to us. I reach for him, one hand still resting against Tyler’s chest. Joshua moves in even closer, and again I go to my tiptoes. I press a kiss against his neck. Then another and another. Tyler still has one arm around me, and both of them touching me turns me on so much that I’m ready to rip their clothes off in two seconds flat.
But when I pull back, it’s apparent they still need convincing. Especially Joshua.
Tyler chokes out, “Are you sure?”
“Definitely,” I purr.
Joshua is silent, and I can see indecision weighing in his gaze. But they’re both turned on, and so am I. The thought excites me even more, so I turn to Joshua and then drop carefully to my knees.
They both still, eyes locked on me. For half a second, I get nervous, and I’m tempted to stand back up and go hide in the bathroom. But I want this too much. I want them too much.
It’s time to convince the holdout.
Carefully, I pull Joshua’s cock out of his shorts, not even bothering to push them down any farther. He’s already hard, steel sheathed in silk. I look at him and lick my lips. And then, keeping one arm on Tyler’s thigh to balance, I meet Joshua’s gaze and then take him into my mouth.
Joshua curses, and Tyler hisses under his breath. But Tyler doesn’t move away, and with his dick in my mouth, Joshua seems incapable of trying to move.
I tease Joshua with my tongue at first, before taking him deeper. Tyler watches, brushing my hair out of my eyes as I work his brother’s cock.
The intimacy of the situation is almost overwhelming. I can feel myself grow wet as a slight sweat breaks out on Joshua’s temple. He watches me pleasure him, and next to us, Tyler pulls out his cock and begins to rub it slowly.
Joshua is close, I can feel it. So with one last, long suck, I release him from my mouth. “Still need convincing?” I ask, somewhat breathless.
Joshua is breathing hard, too. And his whole body is tense with his effor
t to keep from coming in my mouth. “I’ve come around to your way of thinking.”
“Good,” I say, more than just a little proud of myself.
But the feeling of control snaps when Tyler plucks me up from the ground and he and Joshua strip me down completely. Together, they kiss and nibble and touch my body. But they do so quickly, as they carry me over to the bed. I start to climb on top of the mattress when Joshua holds me firm. With my knees against the mattress, they bend me over the bed.
A sharp slapping noise and the shock of pain come from my ass. And it takes a full second, and a second smack, before I realize that I’m being spanked. Before I can complain, Tyler’s rubbing the sore spot softly with his hand.
“Someone’s been a bad girl,” he says, voice rough with desire. “Needs a little spanking.”
He smacks me again, and I gasp. Again he rubs the pain away. Then he slides his hand between my legs and slips a finger inside me.
Again, I jump. But two sets of hands hold me firm.
“I think she likes being spanked,” Tyler says to Joshua. And Joshua murmurs an agreement.
Then Tyler’s gripping my hips, and I feel him probe my center with his hardness. And then he slides into me in one smooth, quick motion.
I moan at the sudden fullness and writhe against him immediately.
His hands dig into my hips, and he murmurs, “Good girl.”
Tyler starts to fuck me slowly, and then I feel someone touch my chin. I blink, opening my eyes, finally finding focus. It’s Joshua. On the bed. With his own long, thick cock in his hand. A cock I need to satisfy as well. And apparently, he’s decided to finish where he started—in my mouth.
Obediently, I open my lips. And he slides himself inside with a grunt.
Together, they take me, moving together perfectly. And as our movements grow faster, and we all come close to the climax we all so desperately need, it feels like we're one being, moving together. Writhing together. Coming together.
And as one, we find our release. Over and over again.