Cody, who didn’t do well with illness, did what he could, leaving the heavier things to Trevor and Michael. They didn’t necessarily enjoy the tasks but didn’t pass out either. Cody had done his part by remembering her favorite foods and finding the warmest, softest socks she’d ever owned at ten o’clock at night after she said her feet were cold.
The time was also passed with long talks. She listened to each of them as they tried together and individually to convince her to come to the ranch. For now it was a visit, a couple weeks to get to know them better. The babies deserved to know their father’s home, didn’t they? Michael had driven in that point.
Cody was quick to point out that he and his brothers were the reason behind her fatigue and injury, though she refused to lay blame on anyone but the shooter himself. The pregnancy was something she was happy to endure but when he brought up backrubs, long baths, and chocolate chip cookies, he’d snagged her attention.
Of course, Trevor’s promise to fuck like bunnies had some sway of its own.
Only two other passengers were flying first-class, both of them sleeping toward the front, so it was quiet, and Poppy needed quiet to think. Three men. How was she supposed to pick one? The past four months hadn’t diminished the way she felt about them. They were good men, wonderful men, and she loved being around them. There was no doubt in her mind she would love one if she chose, but what about the other two?
She’d never felt she inspired jealousy but between these specific brothers, she thought it could happen. They might be fine sharing her, but it would stop, of course, after she chose one, and she knew she had to choose one. How else could they make anything work, especially with kids? Kids needed a mom and a dad ideally. More than one of either in the same house didn’t seem like it could work, and she wasn’t going to subjugate her kids to a socially objectionable lifestyle just because she liked sex with three men. If all three never found their way to her bed again, she would be just fine.
One. She could choose one.
Then the other two would go on and be happy with other women. The thought of whoever she didn’t choose in the arms of someone else made her grit her teeth. She didn’t even know the women yet, and she already hated them. Worse, she hated herself for the jealousy she felt toward the fictitious hussies.
They’d only been reunited for days, but the familiarity had roared back from where they left off months before. They felt like what family was supposed to be, and even if it seemed wrong, at least it was nothing like her father’s family. She wanted to keep them. Every single one. Being accepted and loved by each individually and mutually was the only thing that made sense.
“Hey, what’s wrong, baby?” Back from the bathroom powwow they’d left for ten minutes earlier, Trevor sat beside her. “Feeling okay?”
“No.” She wasn’t surprised when tears started to fall.
“Excuse me, ma’am? Can you get my wife some ginger ale or something to settle her stomach?” Trevor asked the flight attendant while Cody got out several little white bags.
“It’s not that.” Though Lord knew it could be at any moment. The title he used didn’t help her predicament either.
“We can have you to the hospital in Missoula in about an hour, beautiful,” Michael said, alarm in his eyes though his tone was calm as usual.
“How the heck am I going to pick one of you?” she muttered to herself and covered her face, rubbing the heels of her hands to her eyes.
“Did she say one of us?” Cody said. “Did one of you tell her she had to choose?”
“Fuck no,” was Trevor’s reply, Michael shaking his head when she peeked through her hands. “Baby, you don’t have to choose.”
“Yeah, Poppy,” Cody continued where Trevor left off, quiet and reassuring while he said the craziest damn thing she’d ever heard. “All three of us want you. Just you. It’s a thing I think we’ve always known. We work better as a team, hell you know that from four months ago.”
“But…”Accepting the pop and blanket from the flight attendant, she tried to hide her unease until the woman left. The question pounding at her mind had been one she’d considered even before their night together. It wasn’t an easy thought to entertain, let alone voice, but she had to ask. “Where else does this go? Do the three of you, um…is it because you have sexual feelings for each other?”
Dead silence met her question, and she sank deeper into her seat as she waited for some kind of response.
“Whoa, did she just ask if we like fucking each other?” The toneless whisper from Trevor put into words the question she’d been too afraid to ask.
“This doesn’t go anywhere near what you are worried about,” Michael answered, ignoring Trevor, as she’d found was the best answer to most of his more outrageous comments. “I love my brothers but not in a sexual way, and that won’t ever be an issue. For us, a relationship like this is another version of family. It’s a completely personal decision the three of us have made, and has absolutely no base in us wanting each other. Individually, we need the woman we love as protected and happy as possible. We know that means all three of us working together.”
“The guy who had the most determined sperm doesn’t care if those babies are his biologically, just like the others don’t care if they’re actually uncles,” Cody added. “We want you to be our family, Poppy. No other woman. Today, you’re very important to us, and I think we matter to you too. Tomorrow, it’s going to be more and the next day and the next until someday, real soon I’m thinking, there’s going to be a hell of a lot of love in our home.”
She settled her head on Trevor’s shoulder as she thought. It was an improbable sort of idea, but it sounded tempting. A family. Even when her sisters tried not to be bitter there wasn’t a connection between them like she’d seen between other siblings. Her father was…unbending. If he’d ever known joy it was long gone, replaced by structure, rules, and his stringent set of proprieties.
What they proposed wasn’t something she was familiar with, but what did she know about family? Really. What made one better than the other or more right than another?
“I want a home and a family.” The whispered admission was from her heart, but not an easy one to make.
“You’ve got one now, pretty baby,” Trevor promised, squeezing her close. “No more worries about this thing, okay? I swear to God, Cody doesn’t do anything for me. You’ve probably heard I like blondes, and that’s what is confusing you. Michael may be blond but ug, old guys don’t count.”
“Yeah, right, and you’re horrible, you know,” she said with a weak laugh.
“I’m always right. It’s good you’ve figured that out so soon.” Trevor chuckled.
Silence stretched between them for a long minute while she processed not only their proposition but what it could mean. Three men, one woman, her as that woman. It could be wonderful, she already knew that, but there had to be a down side. Something too good to be true in the equation.
“Would there be other men? Other women?” she asked in a little voice. There were so many questions she had to ask but wasn’t ready for the answers. An idea was growing of what she wanted, but she couldn’t allow herself to be shocked if they were picturing something else.
“Would you want that?” Michael raised his hand as Cody and Trevor immediately protested.
It was rare when she couldn’t tell what people wanted to hear, and looking into Michael’s eyes, she didn’t know what he expected her to say. The past few days had been eye opening, especially where Michael was concerned. She knew he genuinely wanted her opinion free of pressure, which was why he’d shut the other two up.
“I wouldn’t want others.” The bottom lip between her teeth was sore from her nervous habit, but if they were going to embark on this fantastic plan, she needed them to be honest, which meant she had to do the same.
“Thank fucking God,” Trevor blurted. “I might have tried for like a second to deal with it, but the thought of another dick in bed with
us? No way. And another woman is just begging for trouble. Remember how those two chicks started fighting in Phoenix? Everything was nice and then, bam, crazy.”
“I think we’ve got the right number,” Cody agreed, and she was relieved Trevor was once again ignored, because she didn’t want to hear anything more about their past conquests, crazy or not. “The three of us have spent the last few years looking for a woman to love for the rest of our lives, together, individually, and not just for sex. We want this visit to turn into you staying with us. We’re willing to help you find a job you like and a place close by if you don’t want to stay with us. We’re going to support you whether it’s helping with a new career or making sure you can stay at home with the babies.”
“I vote for the last one,” Trevor added. She could not imagine what would prompt his preference, and it must have showed in her expression because he continued. “Hell yeah, if you stay home with the twins then you’ll probably breastfeed, and I’ll get to watch. No other assholes in the mix though, babe, please. I can share you with my brothers because they are my brothers and we’re doing this for the right reasons. Any other jack off and I’ll end up kicking ass and taking names.”
“That’s…that’s almost sweet,” she replied, and laughed at the pure outrageousness of his words. “Okay, we’ll do this. The four of us will find a way to make this trip work, and if it does we’ll see what happens.”
“That’s all we can ask,” Cody allowed, but she could see how pleased he was with her tentative agreement. “If you’re willing, darlin’, we’ll make you the happiest woman in the country.”
With every promise she felt herself being pulled deeper and deeper into whatever it was she was feeling for the men around her. It wasn’t love, Cody was right when he said they weren’t there yet, but it was something. Affection, not so subtle, was definitely there. Respect, growing every day, was also present. When she leaned in to Trevor’s side again it was where she wanted to be and there was no doubt in her mind she was welcome.
The seatbelt light turned red. “Buckle up, beautiful,” Michael said. “We’ll be in Missoula in a few minutes. My truck is waiting in long-term parking, so we should be on the road soon. Cody, you’re driving this time and shut it, Trevor. I call backseat with Poppy. You two assholes are hogging her.”
Chapter 6
Between flirting and getting to know each other, Cody had mentioned the ranch was in Montana, but once the plane landed Poppy realized she hadn’t known exactly what that meant. She’d seen mountain ranges on TV and in books, but they didn’t do reality justice. Located in the western part of the state, surrounded by the Garnett Mountain Range, the area was nearly enclosed by mountains shooting up on all sides.
Everything was supposed to be bigger in Texas, but Montana did big well too. The greatness in size wasn’t the only thing that caught her attention. The trees were equally astounding, like a giant Christmas tree farm all around. The cool November air smelled amazingly different from Texas, where for months at a time, dust was the main fragrance.
Like at any airport, security was a pain but thanks to their small flight size they passed through much more quickly than in San Antonio. Michael and Trevor kept her occupied in the gift shop for twenty minutes while Cody got the truck ready. She’d never had to wait for a vehicle to be warm enough to drive.
She thought it was silly and indulgent, at least until she stepped outside and got her first feel of Montana. Mentally she took back all her eye rolls and scoffs as she hurried to the truck where the heater was blowing. When Michael sat beside her, she buckled in and did her best to crawl beneath his skin even though the cab was warm.
The landscape changed as they drove out of the city. The trees and mountains, unfettered by manmade buildings and highways, offered a whole new definition of beauty. Texas didn’t come close to the grandness of the Paraby’s home state.
Cody was especially prideful as he explained his Montana and how he and Paul focused on cattle ranching and conservation. She realized they had more in common than she thought when he talked about leaving the ranch to go to agriculture management school. He hadn’t enjoyed school, she could tell from the way he talked, but he’d used it as a means to an end, and the end was the land.
She loved that he was so animated and in tune with what he did and envied him his passion. He spoke of the land with such affection she couldn’t help but be excited to see it. Trevor and Michael didn’t have the same love for ranching but they added to Cody’s monologue as they rode. She’d never been hunting, fishing, or even hiking much but she had a feeling she would be trying it all before long.
Driving up the goat trail leading to their home, Poppy envied Cody’s ease behind the wheel of Michael’s huge truck. The graveled grade was steep and though it was wide, at times it became impossibly windy. The hairpin turns had her grabbing Michael and holding tight, even as Cody drove with expert care.
The snow was bright white, reflecting the sun in a lit path between the trees. Growing up and spending almost her entire life in southern Texas, she was overwhelmed by the sheer size of the mountains and trees, the snow, by almost every single thing. While the cold air felt foreign and frigid, she still found herself intrigued by the differences from the world she knew.
“We’ll cut a Christmas tree off that hill,” Michael said, and she turned to where he pointed to rows of huge pines. “That’s only eight weeks away. Can you take pregnant women on snowmobiles?”
“Poppy?” Cody asked.
“Hmm?” Turning her attention back to the conversation after watching a brilliant red cardinal fly into a wall of evergreens was one of the hardest things she’d ever done.
“Can pregnant women ride snowmobiles, darlin’?” Cody repeated, his half grin adorable in the rearview mirror.
“I don’t know. I’ve never ridden one before, pregnant or not.”
“We’ll ask Duane,” Trevor said as they turned onto a precision cleared driveway with a charming, cabin shaped mailbox and little shed at the end. “Looks like he let Paul off full bed rest. About damn time.”
“Who are Duane and Paul?” Comfortable under her jacket and Michael’s truck coat with the heat blowing steady, she was ready for a few more answers. “Wait, Paul’s your dad, right? He had a heart attack.”
“It was a minor one. He calls it an ‘episode’ to downplay it sometimes, but Duane never forgets to remind him how close he was to a code blue,” Cody answered. “And they are both our dads, Thomas too.”
“Our mother’s name is Mary,” Trevor added. “And snowmobiles are just about the only way to get around here sometimes.”
“Oh, so that’s why you think this can work,” she said, forgetting about the snowmobiles as relief flooded her. She wished the men had mentioned they had more than theory to back their relationship aspirations. “Your parents have a plural marriage.”
“Yep. Polyandry, it’s called with multiple husbands. They’ve been together thirty-seven years. When we were in our teens Paul figured out that we’d go this route too. He always said to be patient and we’d know the right woman when we found her,” Michael told her. He helped her adjust more snuggly between his legs, stretched over the back bench seat as the ride pushed past the hour mark. “He was right.”
“And Mom is going to be thrilled, another hen in the house and two baby girl chicks on the way,” Trevor added.
“Oh, my goodness, that’s your house?” Poppy asked, ignoring Trevor’s words because the sudden presence of multiple father figures in their lives was an unexpected turn she couldn’t think about. The trees had parted, and the sight before her was enough to make anyone go off topic. “It’s beautiful.”
“Yeah. Thanks. We built it three years ago with our own twelve hands. There would have been fourteen, but Mom decided to supervise after the dads almost came to blows over grout colors,” Trevor explained. “I broke my damn thumb putting in the kitchen cabinets and couldn’t work for days.”
“It�
�s that hard to play video games with a sore thumb?” she asked.
He wiggled them both theatrically. “It’s a little hard to work the controls in a thumb cast. And it was my space bar hitting thumb too, so programming was a pain.”
“Mom might have helped after the great grout fiasco,” Michael added, “but Trevor dropped a box of nails on her foot and Paul almost ran her over with the skid loader.” Poppy laughed because the affection in his tone assured her they’d laughed too. “It was for the best in the end really, things got real ugly for a while when Duane tried to drive it.”
A huge log structure with a high awning covering part of the circle drive stood proudly at the end of the road, imposing in its size but in a hospitable style. There looked to be two wings on either side of a tall A-frame axis, each with its own three car garage, all well lit and welcoming. Log facades were popular in Texas. Some even paid to have the real things trucked in to build homes with, but Poppy had never seen one with such character.
Lights blinked to life as the truck approached. Through the uncovered windows Poppy could see figures moving around, the isolated spot offering more privacy than any curtains.
Several buildings surrounded the house. She recognized a machine shed, chicken coop, and barn down a split of the driveway a bit further up the road. They were all bright red, just like she thought farm buildings should be, and covered in fresh white snow. It was like something off a cocoa advertisement or a Currier and Ives painting, and nothing at all like the farms and ranches she was used to in Texas.
There was a sort of pretty, rustic perfection she found charming as she tried to take it all in. She felt things moving into place inside of her, a warming acceptance only encouraged when Michael kissed her ear softly.
She snuggled closer and sighed when he took a breath and said, “Welcome home.”
Chapter 7
Time was not on their side as they pulled into the garage. Michael knew Cody and Trevor were also aware that their mother would descend upon them any moment. They hustled Poppy through their wing to her bedroom, promising the full tour after she’d freshened up from the trip. Cody brought in her luggage and steered her to the bathtub Trevor had filled, closing the door so she could have some privacy.
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