Only You (A MFM Ménage Romance)

by Vivian Ward

  A half an hour later, Penny struts into my dad’s room like she owns the place. She looks incredible wearing a white floral dress with her hair flowing around her shoulders.

  “Hey, Bill,” she says as she approaches his bed. “I came to see you!”

  Dad opens his eyes and looks right at her, then smiles. Using his good hand, he puts his hand on hers. “My p-pretty P-p-penny. I m-m-missed you.”

  Smiling down at him, she pats his hand. “I’ve missed you, too.” Turning to me, she asks, “What did the doctor say when he was in here?”

  “Let’s go out in the hall,” I say.

  Following me out to the hall, I tell her how dad didn’t know anything and stared out the window. “That’s okay,” she says. “It’s common. I know I’m not an expert, but I’ve been here for a little while now, and a lot of these people don’t know what happened to them or why they’re here when they first wake up.”

  “I feel so bad for him, Penny. He kept insisting on going home. There’s no way I can take him in, and I know he doesn’t want to go back to the nursing place.”

  “What if he didn’t have to?” she asks.

  “No, he has to, because what else am I going to do with him? I can’t quit my job.”

  “Maybe we can work something out,” she suggest.

  “Like what?”

  “What if I helped? If you quit working construction with Lucas and found work to do during the evenings, we could take turns.”

  “How, Penny? You work and go to school, and I can’t just quit my job with Lucas. We’ve already got enough to sort out as it is. He’ll kill me if I say I’m not going to work with him either. He’s counting on me.”

  “Mason, I think you need to give Lucas a little more credit, because I’ve already talked to him.”

  “You did what?”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Penny

  Brandy called me as soon as Bill woke up and I knew that he wouldn’t want to go back to the nursing home. He probably doesn’t have much time left as it is because he’s had so many strokes and each one gets progressively worse.

  “I made a few phone calls,” I say to Mason. “I talked to the ADON who runs the nursing program at my school, and we were able to work out part of my schedule so I can do some of my daytime classes in the evenings—at home, on the computer. I also called Lucas.”

  He runs his hands through his hair and wraps his fingers around his jaw. “This ought to be good. What did you say?”

  “I told him about your dad and how I could help take care of him if you were to bring him home. We talked about your job, and how he might be able to wing it without you.”

  “Wing it without me? How the hell is he going to do that?”

  “It’s not easy,” I say. “I called him last night after I got home, and he said that he has a friend of the family who lives by the job you guys are doing in Hayti. He said that the guy’s out of work and has a baby on the way so he could use the extra cash. Lucas was going to see if the guy could take your place to finish out this job.”

  “And what am I supposed to do for money? I’m not taking a job working at a burger joint for minimum wage in the evenings,” he says, defensive.

  “No, not at all. You’re good at construction, right? What if you opened your own business and became your own boss?”

  He twists his fingers through his hair in frustration. “What are you saying? I don’t know where you’re going with this,” he groans.

  “Your house is in dire need of repairs and updates, right? Take some time off work, fix up the house; make it more suitable for us. Your dad can have the second bedroom, so work on that first. While you’re renovating your house, we’ll figure something out. Anyone can start a business these days. Maybe you could get a small business loan and open your own construction company. You could do bids in the evenings when I’m at home with your dad, and check up on the job sites after I get home from work or school.”

  “That’s a lot to ask, Penny. I don’t know about it.”

  Looking him dead in the eye, I say something that I know will resonate with him, something he’ll understand. “I do know one thing, Mason. If you send your dad back to that nursing home, you’re going to cut what little time he has in half. If you want to keep him around as long as possible, you’ll bring him home, and we’ll take care of him together. We’ll find a way to make it work.”

  My words ring all too true to him because I can see it in his eyes. He knows what I’m saying is true. “Let me make sure that Lucas can get that guy to cover for me down in Hayti. Okay? I have to talk to him before I do anything.”

  “Okay, but you’ll see. Let’s go back in there with your dad.”

  The two of us pull up a chair next to his dad’s bedside and pretend to watch the tiny television in the room. I couldn’t be less interested in what’s on TV because the last couple of days have been a whirlwind for me; an emotional roller coaster.

  “Wait a minute,” Mason says, keeping his voice low, so he doesn’t wake his dad. “How’d you get Lucas’s phone number? I thought you said that you two never talked or texted?”

  I smile. “There’s this thing called Google, and I know the name of his construction company, so I looked up the number.”

  He nods and laughs, “Oh, yeah, I guess you’re right.” A few more seconds of silence pass. “Wait, if you talked to him, does he know that we’re a….couple?”

  “Mhm,” I nod. “And he’s perfectly fine with it. He was happy for us, actually. You’re not exactly stealthy when it comes to hiding your feelings, Mason. I think we all knew from the get-go that you and I were going to end up together; otherwise, why would Lucas have come to my apartment to invite me to your house that night it snowed? He knew how much you missed me, and I think you knew it, too.”

  A loud sigh escapes his lips. “So, you and him both knew the whole time? How much I liked you? And that I was falling in love with you?”

  I nod, “Yep, I think we were waiting on you to make the decision for yourself.”

  “You two are a bunch of fuckers, you know that?” he bursts into laughter.

  “Yeah, but we’re two fuckers who love you and always look out for you.”

  Bringing his dad home was the best thing we could have ever done. He’s doing much better than he was in the nursing home, and it wasn’t for lack of care. The place where he was treated him well, but it’s his will to live. He wants to thrive, and he’s doing just that from the comfort of his own home.

  “P-penny,” he says, “when is my s-son coming home? I want t-to talk to him.”

  “He’ll be home after he runs to the bank. Do you need anything, or is there something I can do?” I ask.

  He motions his finger for me to come closer, so, of course, I oblige. “I w-want grandkids.”

  My eyes about fall out of my head, and I have to close my mouth. “Yeah, I think you’re going to have to talk to Mason about that. It might be a while before we get to that point.”

  His dad smiles at me and lies back in the bed, so I let him rest while I tidy up the house. Mason’s really taken what I said to heart and started remodeling parts of the house. He did his dad’s room first, of course, and now he’s working on the kitchen, which needed an update like yesterday.

  He started with ripping out all of the cabinets, which created a ton of dust, and a lot of mess. Dishes have been piled up all over the kitchen for almost two weeks now, but the new cabinets will be delivered by this weekend. I tried to get him to wait, but he wanted to repaint the kitchen before he installed the new cabinets, and the new countertop will go in as soon as he gets everything else finished. Once he does the cabinets and counter, he’ll start tearing up the kitchen floor, and I can’t wait for that.

  “Hey, babe,” he says, walking in with a manila folder, grinning like a goon.

  “What’s that?” I ask.

  “This? It’s our future, babe. I did a lot of thinking about what you told me, and I de
cided something.”

  “Tell me more,” I say, smiling along with him. Whatever he’s got in mind has to be good, and I’ll support him one hundred percent in whatever he does.

  “I’ve really enjoyed remodeling our house. It’s nice to see this old, run down house turn into something beautiful.”

  “With my help!” I butt in.

  “Yes, with your help,” he kisses me on top of the head. “So, I’ve decided to do what you told me to do: open my own business.”

  “Doing what? Remodeling houses?” I ask.

  “Better,” his grin spreads ear to ear. “Flipping houses. When you’re at school or work during the day, dad and I sit around watching TV. There was a show on about flipping houses, and I thought I could do it, too.”

  “How does that work?” I ask.

  “We buy a house on the cheap, I get the supplies on a loan, do the work myself—minus electrical because I hate electrical work—and then sell it for profit.”

  I frown, “And how are we going to pay for all of this? What if the house doesn’t sell? Then what?”

  “It’ll be fine, babe. I’ve done my homework. Sometimes, I think about things and research them before I bring them up to you, and I put a lot of research into this.” I roll my eyes because I don’t see how any of this could be profitable. A lot of the houses in the area are only selling for fifty-thousand or less, sometimes only half of that. “Listen, babe, you know how a lot of the houses are selling really cheap around here? Well, do you know that a similar house in a similar neighborhood is selling for over two-hundred grand?”

  “Yeah, but how much time and money are they putting into those houses?”

  “It doesn’t matter,” he says. “Even if it takes me eight to ten months to redo one house, and it sells, I’ll have made a hundred and fifty grand profit. In one year, on one house. If I can get some helpers and do two a year, that’s over three hundred grand a year, babe. Over a quarter mill per year!”

  His idea sounds fantastic, I just hope he can make it work.

  “Oh, hey, your dad wants to talk to you, by the way.”

  “About what?” he says, taking a bottle of water from the fridge.

  “Um, he wants us to start having kids.”

  Water sprays from his mouth all over the kitchen. “He what?”

  I laugh and point toward his room. “Yeah, you might want to go set him straight on that.”

  Epilogue

  I knew I was onto something with flipping houses. I’ve made enough money in the last few years that Penny doesn’t have to work, but she wants to. She said she didn’t go to school to sit at home and do nothing. I can’t blame her, I’d go nuts if I sat at home all day long.

  We had a small courthouse wedding about a year after we started living together, and just like her old apartment, Penny hung our pictures up all over the house. My favorite is the one of her showing off her wedding ring. She’s standing beside me, holding the back of her hand toward the camera, pointing to her ring. I can’t help but smile every time I walk past that picture.

  Dad passed away a few days ago, and even though he’s no longer with us, I’m grateful for the time that he spent in our home. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without Penny. She’s changed my life in so many ways, and I don’t know what I’d do without her.

  “Babe? Can you take Olivia while I get dressed? Make sure she doesn’t crawl on the floor and get her dress dirty. I want her to look nice at your dad’s wake.”

  Olivia just turned eleven months old. It makes me sad that her grandpa won’t get to watch her grow up, but at least he got to meet her and spend his final days with her. I’ll never forget the first time he saw her.

  His mind started to rapidly deteriorate during Penny’s pregnancy. Some days were good, some were bad, but as soon as we brought Olivia home from the hospital, his eyes lit up, and he knew exactly who she was.

  He laid in his bed with his arms completely outstretched, eager to hold her. I was so scared to let him take her, but Penny assured me that it would be okay, and it was. He looked so proud, and I was happy to give him a grandchild.

  Taking Olivia out of Penny’s arms, I take her into the living room and call Lucas.

  “Hey, I’m on my way,” he answers the phone.

  “No problem, I was just calling to make sure. Thanks for being one of the pallbearers for my dad,” I say.

  “I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I’ll meet you at the funeral home.”

  I play a game of peek-a-boo with Olivia while we wait for Penny to get ready. It doesn’t take her long to come out fully dressed, and she looks stunning.

  “You look gorgeous, babe.”

  “Thanks,” she says. “Can you tell I’ve been crying? I put on my waterproof mascara, but I started crying while I was putting it on.”

  Burying her head in my chest, she begins sobbing. She and my dad grew so close, and she’s taking it harder than I expected.

  “Hey,” I tilt her face toward mine. “Nobody cares if you’ve been crying. It’s to be expected. I know dad wouldn’t mind,” I try to make her laugh.

  She cracks a grin, which is close enough, and takes Olivia from me. “Come on, we should get going so we can greet the rest of the family.”

  Lucas gets to the funeral home just minutes after us. While I’m busy talking to the funeral director, Lucas walks in, and Penny leaves my side to go greet him. I watch them hug and then kiss each other on the cheek, but there’s no jealousy because I know she’s all mine.

  Leaving the front office, I step into the hallway to join Penny and Lucas, and I see a woman standing next to him.

  “Hey, brother,” he hugs me. “How are you holding up?”

  I shrug, “Good, I guess.” I nod toward the woman, “Who’s this?”

  Lucas smiles at me and puts his hand against the small of her back. “Mason, this is my girlfriend, Nikki.”

  “Hi, Nikki, it’s nice to meet you.”

  “Likewise,” she shakes my hand. “Lucas has told me so much about you. He said you two are best friends, and just introduced me to your gorgeous wife.”

  I smile at Penny, “Yes, that would be her. Our pretty Penny.”

  A tear rolls down Penny’s cheek as I call her by the nickname my dad called her. Nikki looks at Penny and smiles.

  “You should try not to get so upset in your condition,” Nikki says, pointing to Penny’s stomach.

  I can’t believe that she’s insinuating that Penny’s fat enough to look pregnant. She’s practically the same size she was before she ever had Olivia. Glancing over at Penny, I try to gauge her reaction because with the emotional roller coaster she’s been on, she’s liable to punch this girl right in the face.

  Penny’s jaw is hanging open as she stares at Nikki. “Why would you say that?” She asks her.

  “Because you’re pregnant,” Nikki says, rubbing Penny’s stomach as she grins. “It’s so obvious.”

  Penny pulls away from her and wraps her arms around her waist. Tucking Penny against my side, I say, “Come on, babe. We’ve got other stuff to do,” and walk her away from Lucas and his girlfriend as he asks her what her problem is.

  We’re almost to the viewing room when Penny stops and looks up at me. “She’s not wrong, Mason.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. You don’t look pregnant; that woman’s just a bitch. You look wonderful.”

  “No, I am pregnant, Mason.”

  “What?” I ask. I can’t believe my own ears. How would I not know if my wife was pregnant?

  “I was waiting until your dad started feeling better before I announced it to the family, but he never got better. Instead, he took a turn for the worse, and I didn’t know how or when to tell you.”

  “Penny,” I say, pulling her into my arms. “You should’ve told me right away. Any time is a good time. Are you okay? How far along are you? How did that lady know?”

  She smiles up at me. “Women just have a way of knowing, I guess. I’m about two a
nd a half months along.”

  “What? How long have you known?”

  “A few weeks; I was definitely going to tell you before my first doctor appointment.”

  “When is that?”

  “Monday?” she laughs.

  “Penny Rogers, if you weren’t pregnant, I’d spank your little round ass.”

  “I love you, Mason.”

  “I love you, too. Now let’s go make sure dad’s all situated so we can say our goodbyes.”

  Walking toward his casket, Penny whispers, “He knew, Mason.”

  I look at her, horrified. “He knew he was dying? I thought he was on all those meds so he would be out of it?”

  “No, he knew that I was pregnant, and he was so happy, Mason.”

  A tear wells up in my eye as I think about how excited he must’ve been. “But how did you tell him? He was barely awake.”

  “Before most people die, they have a moment of clarity, where they’re alert and alive. I knew it was coming, that it was the end, and I wanted him to know before he left us.”

  “What did he say?” I ask. God, I wish I could’ve been there for it, but I understand why she kept it to herself. She knew. She always knows everything. I don’t know how, but she does.

  “He was sitting up in bed, I was feeding him Jello, and he was so with it, you know?” I nod. “So, I told him that I had big news, that we were having another baby. He promised he wouldn’t tell anyone—and he didn’t, until he saw Olivia. He was gloating, Mason. Your dad was telling her how she would be a big sister, and that she’d have to look after her little brother or sister, and that she’d be my big helper.”

  I feel like I’m about to lose it. I’ve never heard anything more precious than the words she’s speaking right now. Wiping a tear from my cheek, I try to compose myself before anyone sees me.

  “I’m sorry, babe. I didn’t mean to make you cry,” she says. “I just wanted you to know that he knew, before we buried him. I want you to remember how happy he was when he was alive, and he was so happy that day.”