by Chloe Lang
Will’s food was just as good as she thought it would be.
After they finished the meal, Jack poured them all more coffee.
“Honey, Mom told us you were confused about the wedding.” Jack rubbed her back. “Didn’t we make it clear to you in San Francisco?”
“You probably did, Jack, but I was battling a sinus infection. My ears were stopped up. I got a shot before we went out that night, but it didn’t really kick in fully until the next morning. I knew you were asking me to marry you, but after that things got real fuzzy. When I think back, I now realize that Tom and Will were asking me, too.”
He leaned in and kissed her. “I’m sorry, honey. We didn’t know.”
Tom stroked her hair. “Are you okay with being married to me, too?”
“And me?” Will asked, also, taking both her hands in his and squeezing them gently.
“More than okay. I fell in love with all three of you in San Francisco, but I thought I would have to choose. I never knew this kind of family existed. I didn’t know a woman could fall in love with more than one man. Your mom helped me understand a woman’s heart. There is room for more than one love. I’m so glad I didn’t have to choose, but I do have some questions for you.”
“Ask away, doll,” Will said.
“First, what about children?”
Jack answered, “Of course, we want children, honey. We’d love to have a houseful.”
She shook her head. “No. That’s not what I mean. Last night was amazing. I never dreamed it would be like that. But I could be pregnant. How will I know who the father is?”
Tom spoke first. “God, I hope you are, baby. And if you are, that child would have three fathers in all of us.”
Made sense to her, and also took away any worry inside her.
“Of course you wouldn’t have known that, sweetheart. You’re not from Wilde.” Jack kissed her on the cheek.
“How did this all get started? This is so unusual.”
Tom began the tale in his typical serious manner. “Our family came here in the eighteen hundreds and discovered the silver mine. The town grew up around it. Our ancestors had seen so many towns go bust when a local mine was divided between heirs and didn’t want the same thing to happen to our town.”
“So, they didn’t want to split the ownership of the mine up?” Glad to learn more about her new home, she asked, “That’s how the plural marriage thing got started?”
Tom sounded like a professor to her as he continued to recount the history of Wilde. “That and there were few women around. From the beginning, living in plural marriages has been the standard for our family. The citizens supported our practice, since it kept the town and the mine thriving. Though not everyone, more and more, there are other families in Wilde choosing our way.”
She nodded. “I can understand why.”
Jack’s eyebrows shot up. “You can?”
“Oh yes, Jack. I’m one woman who has three wonderful husbands who love me and I love them. Though I was confused about things last night, I’m clear as can be today. I choose all three of you, now and for the rest of my life.”
“Sweetheart, you’ve made us all so very happy,” Jack said.
“One more question.”
Her guys leaned forward, apparently hanging on her every word.
She smiled and said, “I want to teach. There is a high school in Wilde?”
They all nodded.
Together, her husbands lifted her up and took her back into the cabin. Her insides began to tingle, as anticipation for more of their lovemaking filled her with excitement.
* * * *
Wilde, Nevada – 1981
Carol Wilde sat at her kitchen table in her home, the house her three wonderful husbands had built for her nearly thirty years ago, enjoying the company of Mary, her beautiful daughter-in-law. Like her, Mary had come to Wilde with no idea how things worked in the tiny mining town. She’d tried to be there for the young woman just like her own mother-in-law, Ida, had been for her all those years ago.
God, she missed Ida.
Her mother-in-law had outlived Dad Bill and Dad Abe, her two husbands, by a couple of years. There had been sadness in Momma Ida’s eyes that Carol had spotted from time to time after their deaths, but the amazing woman had never let on to anyone, especially her sons. Momma Ida had never failed to tell Carol how fulfilled life had been for her in Wilde.
Last spring, Momma Ida had died peacefully in her sleep with Carol at her bedside. She’d been a friend, a confidant, and a mother to Carol until her very last breath.
Carol’s new grandson began to stir in Mary’s arms.
Anxiously, Mary said, “I think he might be hungry, or dirty. I just don’t know, Mom.”
“Give Austin to me, hun.” Pushing her students’ yet-to-be-graded homework to the side, Carol reached for the bundle of joy that had come into her family just three days ago. “You’ll get the hang of this fast. You still have your training wheels on. I know I had my hands full with Daniel those first few days. By this time next week, you’ll be a pro.”
The baby settled down and closed his eyes, which pleased her very much. In another month, she would say good-bye to her last class at Wilde High School. Teaching biology for all these years had been amazing, but it was time to retire.
“What about Craig and Dillon?” Mary asked. “I bet they were trouble.”
“They’re your husbands, child. You ought to know.”
“Speaking of your sons, I have a problem, Mom. I can’t walk into a room without one or all of them slapping me on my butt. I know they’re only playing but sometimes it really smarts.”
Carol laughed as old memories bubbled up in her. “Hun, there’s something about these Wilde men that a woman has to stay a couple of steps ahead of them. Tom, Will, and Jack did the same thing to me for nearly an entire year after we moved into this house. They’d come in from work and I’d have dinner on the table and they would each slap my ass. This happened every night. I wouldn’t have minded if they would’ve kept that kind of thing for the bedroom instead of the kitchen.”
“Mom, you naughty girl.”
Carol smiled, and said teasingly, “Naughty and nice, child. Just like you.”
Mary blushed, making her face appear even more beautiful. “How did you get them to stop?”
“One night I put on the biggest pair of slacks I owned. Then I took a solid oak board and positioned it just so in my pants.”
“You mean—?”
“One at a time, they each came in and did their usual slap on my butt. Hurt their hands just enough to make my point. You should’ve heard Jack. He actually asked me if I had started working out. It was priceless. They never stopped, but their hard slaps became gentle pats. Well, at least in the kitchen.”
They both fell into a fit of laughter. The baby whined a bit, and they both bit back their chuckles. Austin’s three granddads and three dads came frantically running into the kitchen.
Her eldest son Daniel spoke first, “Is the baby all right? We heard a commotion.”
Carol smiled, gazing down at Austin, who was already drifting back to sleep. “We’re just fine, son.”
Tom, Will, and Jack came up behind her, gazing at their new grandchild. Their pride was easy to see.
Tom kissed her cheek. “Sweetheart, our grandson is something, isn’t he?”
“Yes, he is.”
Jack stroked her hair. “He’s got Daniel’s eyes, darling. Your eyes.”
She grinned. “And Craig’s nose, sweetheart. Your nose.”
They all laughed.
Will rubbed her shoulders. “But he’s a gorgeous baby, just like our daughter-in-law. Don’t you agree, honey?”
“He is beautiful just like Mary.” She nodded, recalling so many memories since her wedding night.
Her three amazing men—Jack, Tom, and Will—had given her so much it was impossible to even measure or put into words. And having her three boys had multiplied her joy
on top of that. In her new role as a grandmother, she would enter the next chapter of her wonderful life in Wilde, Nevada.
THE END
WWW.CHLOELANG.COM
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Born in Missouri, I am happy to call Dallas, Texas home, now. Who doesn't love sunshine?
I began devouring romance novels during summers between college semesters as a respite to the rigors of my studies. Soon, my lifelong addiction was born, and to this day, I typically read three or four books every week.
For years, I tried my hand at writing romance stories, but shared them with no one. Understand, I'm really shy. After many months of prodding by friends, authors Sophie Oak and Kiera West, I finally relented and let them read one. As the prodding turned to gentle shoves, I ultimately did submit something to Siren-BookStrand. The thrill of a life happened for me when I got the word that my book would be published.
I do want to warn the reader that my books are not for the faint of heart, and are strictly for adults. That said, I love erotic romances. Blending the sexual chemistry with the emotional energy between the characters in my books is why I love being a writer.
For all titles by Chloe Lang, please visit
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Siren Publishing, Inc.
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