I went back to being everything I’d always wanted to be. A housewife. Well, not wife yet but I ran the house. Well, I had to admit the staff did most of everything, but I got to choose meals and go swimming and spend time with my friends.
Exactly all I’d ever wanted, and when the baby came I knew my free time would come to a screeching halt…not that I would mind that at all.
I was out on the back patio overlooking the pool and doing my morning yoga routine. I was waiting for Jake to join me; he and I were going to go pick out some baby things today.
I stretched and looked down, smiling at the tiniest swelling of my stomach. I wasn’t far along at all, but I noticed it. I placed my hands on my abdomen and closed my eyes, feeling the warmth of the sun on my skin and trying to imagine what it would be like to hold my baby in my arms.
I lifted one foot and hooked it onto my leg exhaled and let my happiness flow through me.
I was usually not very receptive to my own happiness; I’d grown up always waiting for the next bad thing to happen to me. It wasn’t like I had a terrible life, but I’d always been a bit of a pessimist at heart.
Not anymore. With my life like this, how could I possibly not enjoy every second of it?
“Oh hello there,” I heard Jake laughing behind me. “If I weren’t so into guys I might have to steal you away from your two hotties.”
I snapped open my eyes and saw him standing there watching me. He had a huge grin on his face and I was completely excited to see him.
“Oh my god, I haven’t seen you in way too long!” I exclaimed and threw my hands around his neck. He hugged me back but didn’t pick me up and spin me like he usually did. “Why aren’t you picking me up?”
“Don’t pout,” he said, “I don’t want to squeeze the baby out or something.”
“That’s not how it works,” I laughed and pretended to punch his arm. “Just for that you can buy me lunch.”
“I thought we were eating here,” he said, looking crestfallen.
“Psych,” I giggled, “we are. And I know you’re broke, trying to support your shoe habit on the meager wages Mel doles out at the Hen House.”
“Oh Margot, you know me so well,” he replied with a cheeky grin.
We decided to take a swim before lunch; we stripped down and claimed a couple lounge chairs near the pool.
“I’ll get towels from the pool house,” I told Jake.
“No way, tell me where they are and I’ll get them. You’re in a delicate condition,” he said and I happily obliged.
It wasn’t so much that I was lazy; it was just that already early on in this pregnancy I was more tired than usual.
And let’s face it, I was kinda getting used to being pampered like a princess. I’m not gonna lie, it felt nice to be taken care of.
Jake and I soaked up the sun while we gossiped about people we knew. One of the strippers had gotten pregnant with some politician’s baby and was holed up in a secret apartment downtown. Tawny had left town after Hell’s Warrior had been taken down. My little apartment was apparently empty and last Jake had heard Tawny was trying to get an acting career going down in LA.
We made our way in for lunch a little after one; the cook had prepared a huge spread of sandwiches and fresh fruit and veggies. I was starving and ignored Jake’s stare as I gulped down strawberries and a turkey club.
“What are you looking at?” I asked him as my hunger was satiated.
“I was just being careful with my hand,” he laughed. “I thought you were going to bite it off.”
“I’m eating for two, remember?” I replied and popped another strawberry in my mouth.
We joked back and forth until the time Jake had to head back to the city. I walked him to the door, hugged him and watched him leave. It had been a nice distraction to have a friend pop in.
I was heading upstairs when I heard a knock on the door. I turned and walked back, the activities of the day making my step slower and my body ache.
“You forget something?” I asked as I opened the door. I was struck silent at the people standing there.
“Not at all, dear,” my mother said with a huge smile. “We thought we’d give you a big surprise.”
“How did you find us? Um, I mean me?” I asked as she gave me a stiff hug.
“Your boyfriend gave us the address,” my dad replied and hugged me when my mom was done. “He called when you were in the hospital but we couldn’t get away until now.”
“It seems we have a lot of catching up to do,” my mom said and stepped inside, her gaze taking in every detail of the lavish mansion. “Tell us everything, sweetie. Start from the beginning.”
I gulped and tried to figure out how I was going to explain everything to my straight-laced parents.
Chapter Twenty Nine
“This place is very impressive,” my dad said after I gave them a small tour and got us settled into the formal living room.
“Thanks,” I replied. “I’m redecorating a little bit here and there. I think the person who set it up for the twins was a little too heavy handed on the gold and brocade.”
“Twins?” mom asked, raising her eyebrows in query.
“Brothers, yes,” I replied with a direct gaze. I wanted her to ask, to prod me for information so I could blurt out the truth.
That I had fallen in love with two incredible men, that I was carrying their baby and I couldn’t have been happier.
But she didn’t ask anything; she just politely sipped her lemonade and made small talk with me.
It wasn’t long before Ryker came strolling through the front door and I rushed to greet him and give him a little warning that my parents had showed up unexpectedly.
“You weren’t expecting them at all?” he asked and kissed me on the forehead.
“No, did you tell them our address? They said my boyfriend called them when I was in the hospital.”
“Wasn’t me, kitten,” Ryker replied. “Have you told them what’s going on yet?”
“No, I’ve been too chicken. I was hoping mom would clue in, freak out, and then get over it like she usually does.”
“We’ve got to tell them,” he said and hugged me quickly. “We’ll wait for Quinn though, there’s no reason he can’t be here to help take some of the heat, right?”
“Yeah, he can handle my parents flipping out just as well as we can,” I smiled.
We walked back into the living room and sat down with mom and dad. Ryker made small talk and avoided the elephant in the room…whether or not Ryker was my boyfriend.
I hadn’t introduced him as such; we wanted to wait for Quinn to get home before we tackled that particular issue.
As if on cue I heard the front door and I leapt up to greet Quinn.
“Hey sweetheart,” he said and kissed me deeply. “How was your day?”
“It was great…until my parents showed up,” I whispered, looking up into his eyes looking for support.
“Oh shit, they showed up? No warning?” he replied.
“Nope, no warning,” I said, “did you give them our address.”
“Shit,” he said, “I got their number from your phone when you were sick, I thought they’d like to know. It was me, dammit, I’m sorry. What are we going to do?”
“I have to tell them,” I said. “I don’t want to keep them in the dark for too long.”
“Yeah, we don’t want to surprise invite them to the baby’s high school graduation, right?” he chuckled.
I laughed, “No, it might be good if they meet their grandchild before then.”
I wrapped my hand in his and we joined Ryker and my parents in the living room.
“Mom, dad, this is Quinn,” I said. They noticed my hand in his, stood up and smiled excited at us.
“This must be your boyfriend,” Mom exclaimed. “I’m so happy to meet you.”
“Me too,” Dad added and shook Quinn’s hand.
“There’s something I need to tell you guys,” I said with a
wave of anxiety frazzling his nerves.
“What is it?” Mom asked.
Ryker stood up and walked to my other side, took my other hand and squeezed it supportively.
“I’m dating both of them,” I said. “Well, I guess it’s more than that though, I’m living with both of them.”
Mom’s face didn’t change; she kept the same smile frozen on her lips and a glassy look in her eyes.
Dad’s face changed though, he frowned and screwed up his lips in anger. “Both of them? My little girl?”
“Mister Wellington,” Ryker said, “I understand your anger.”
“Sir,” Quinn joined in, “we never planned for this to happen, but we both love your daughter.”
“I’m sorry Mom and Dad, I know it’s weird but we couldn’t help it,” I pleaded with them as Mom’s mouth opened and closed wordlessly.
“You can’t be with two…it’s wrong…Margot Elaine Wellington what the hell is wrong with you?” Dad exclaimed.
“Margot, what got into you? Is this how we raised you?” Mom said finally, the pain and confusion evident in her voice.
“You raised me to know what I want,” I told her in an even tone. “You raised me to be strong headed, but it just so happens that my idea of happiness is different than your idea. You’ll have to get used to the idea. Both of you.”
I glared at them, my love for the twins getting me all fired up and ready to defend our lives. I didn’t want to tell them about the baby yet though, I wanted to wait until they’d gotten used to the idea before I shared such happy news.
“We’re going to the hotel,” Mom said, her chin thrust out stubbornly. “We might talk to you tomorrow or we might fly back. I need time to think about this.”
“We both need time,” Dad glowered at us as they stormed past.
I didn’t bother to run after them or try to convince them otherwise. My relationship hadn’t been great with my parents since my life’s choices had gone so against what they’d always planned for me.
In their world I would get a nursing degree and meet a nice boy from our church and settle down and have a bunch of babies while working our butts off just to stay afloat.
The problem was that I’d never wanted that life. I’d always chafed at the restrictive ideas the church had for women and I’d always hated the idea of continuing school longer than I absolutely had to.
“Well that went horribly,” Quinn said and stroked my hair. “I’m sorry, babe.”
“I hope our parents handle things a little better than that,” Ryker said and put his arm around me.
“Oh god,” I groaned, “your parents! What are we going to do?”
I’d completely forgotten about their parents, and I prayed they handled things better than mine had. I didn’t think I could deal with another blow up any time soon.
***
I didn’t hear from my parents the entire next day and it hurt me deeply. I’d always felt like a black sheep, so removed from their values and goals that I never really fit in. But I’d always assumed they’d stand behind me no matter what.
Now I knew differently.
It was Friday and the twins were going to cut off work early so we could go out on the town for a nice dinner. They figured I needed the distraction, and they also thought we could sneak in an action movie afterwards. I wasn’t sure if they wanted to see it, or just liked the thought of fooling around in the darkened theater.
Either way, I was totally down for it. I craved buttered movie popcorn all day right from the moment they’d suggested it.
They arrived in the late afternoon, just enough time for us to fool around before our drive to the city.
I was right on the edge of orgasm as Quinn and Ryker took turns going town on me and bringing me wave after wave of pleasure when we heard the front doorbell.
“Ignore it,” I gasped and writhed around beneath their combined touches. “They’ll wait or go away.”
“Demanding kitten,” Ryker growled and slipped his fingers along my clit, playing me like an instrument.
“Oh god,” I moaned, “I’m so close.”
Quinn moved lower and began to lick me until I finally reached the peak of my orgasm and screamed as I wrapped my fingers in the sheets and bucked up against the two of them.
“I needed that,” I exhaled as I relaxed and allowed my body to fully melt back against the sheets.
“Good girl,” Quinn said and kissed his way up my body. They cradled me on either side and I almost felt like I was slipping into sleep.
A hard rap at the door jerked me out of my drifting bliss and I looked at the twins.
“Who’s that?”
“I don’t know,” Ryker said and jumped up. He adjusted his jeans and tucked his shirt in.
He strode to the door, opened it and found our housekeeper Regina standing there looking embarrassed. “I’m sorry to bother you folks,” she said, wringing her hands, “Your parents are downstairs.”
“My parents?” Ryker asked in shock.
“Yes, and hers,” Regina said, nodding at me.
“Both sets of parents?” I squeaked and sat up in bed holding the blankets in front of me.
“Yes,” Regina laughed, “you folks are in for an interesting evening.”
“Thanks,” I replied and stuck my tongue out at her.
She laughed even louder and walked away. She was hilarious and generally one of my best friends around the place, but today she knew I was on my own.
Ryker shut the door and I grudgingly pulled my clothes on and hoped my parents wouldn’t notice that I’d just been having sex.
Or Ryker and Quinn’s parents, what if they caught on?
And it hit me; I was meeting them for the first time.
“Oh my god,” I screamed and whirled around to face them.
“What’s wrong?” Quinn exclaimed.
“I’m meeting your parents!”
“Oh yeah,” he replied with a smile. “This is kind of big.”
“It’s huge,” Ryker laughed.
“I’m dead,” I moaned and rolled my eyes dramatically.
They hugged me tight and we prepared ourselves for the inevitable.
Both sets of parents, our love and baby being brought to light.
At least we had each other.
Chapter Thirty
“Jesus Christ, mom and dad,” Quinn said as we made our way down the stairs. “Why did you think it was even remotely okay to drop in like this?”
A tall and elegant couple stood uncomfortably next to my own parents near the front door. They looked monied and well dressed, their clothes were clearly expensive and they were obviously well matched.
My parents looked corn fed and healthy but frumpy compared to them and I felt mildly sheepish about my upbringing. We were so dull compared to the Montgomery family.
“What’s going on here?” I asked my mom, desperate for her to answer me and alleviate my confusion.
“We called them to tell them about this sick thing that’s happening here,” Mom said, her back stiff with indignation.
“Called them?” I shrieked. “How did you even get their number?”
“It wasn’t difficult,” Dad said, “I contacted their company and we were put in touch.”
“We needed to come over immediately,” their mother said with her hand trembling against her chest.
“Sons, is this true? Both of you with one girl?” their dad asked dramatically.
And there it was, the four of them shocked and horrified over our love and lives together. I hated it, I hated that I felt ashamed of something that was so absolutely normal and beautiful to me every day in and out.
“Yes,” I said, reaching for Quinn and Ryker’s hands. “It’s true, we’re in love and we are all together.”
“She’s right,” Ryker told them and squeezed my hand.
“We are in love and that’s all that matters to us,” Quinn added.
“This is preposterous,” their father b
ellowed and their mom began to whimper.
“I agree, utterly preposterous,” my father joined in and my mom began to comfort their mother.
I was overwhelmed with shame and awkward sensations of confusion and distress. Maybe they were right, maybe what we were doing was awful.
I felt like I was collapsing from the inside out, like my world was starting to fold in on itself and my mind felt foggy like when I had my memory loss.
I felt my knees go weak as everyone began to argue. The twins yelled at both sets of parents, trying desperately to get them to see our side. Our parents yelled at us, trying to get us to turn our backs on our love.
I couldn’t take it. I wanted to sink to my knees on the cool marble floor and curl up in a tight ball, ignoring everyone as they argued.
Instead I slipped my hands from theirs and backed away without anyone noticing. I padded through the house to the patio at the back so I could enjoy the cool air and perhaps catch the sun going down.
I curled up on one big cozy chaise lounger and listened to the birds chatter in the trees and the family fighting in the house.
It didn’t take them too long to notice I was gone and I heard them calling my name inside.
“Margot!” Quinn’s voice was edged with fear when he called out.
“Kitten!” Ryker’s voice was more authoritative but I could sense the tension underneath.
“Out here!” I called back, not wanting to make a big scene. I’d just wanted to get away from the stifling fight inside.
“What are you doing out here?” Mom asked as she approached. She seemed concerned but still tense.
“I needed to get away from…that,” I replied without looking up at her directly. I was too angry to deal with her.
“Are you feeling okay?” Quinn asked and sat in the chair next to me. “Do you need anything?”
“I need peace and quiet I replied and smiled at him. “This is just a bit too much.”
“I’m sorry,” Ryker said and stood protectively next to the chaise. “I agree it’s too much, I think everyone might need to leave so we can get back to normal.”
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