by Opal Carew
“Ash, you’ve got to know she’s lying. You can’t believe I’d do that.”
“I know. Not on purpose, but … You remember that time I left in the middle of the night? She said she heard me go and slipped into your room a little while later, after you’d fallen asleep. She said that you thought it was me coming back in and…”
Horror shot through him as he remembered waking up with a feminine body snuggled against him.
“Oh, fuck. But … how…” He raked his hand through his hair. “When I woke up…” He snarled. “God damn it.”
She’d been so soft and warm, and he’d assumed she was Ash. His body had done what was natural and hardened with need. Something had niggled at his brain that Ash shouldn’t still be there, but his hazy brain had decided she’d come back. Then he’d fallen asleep again. In the morning, when Ash wasn’t in his arms, he’d assumed he’d been dreaming.
“You mean, this could have really happened?” Adam asked.
“Fuck, I didn’t … I mean, there’s no way I could have…”
Ash rested her hand on Dare’s arm. “Can you be absolutely sure? If you thought it was me…”
Could he have done something when she climbed into bed with him? While he was half asleep?
“No, it can’t be true. It can’t.” But doubt spiked through him.
“If you did, it wasn’t your fault,” Adam said, understanding in his warm brown eyes. “She tricked you.”
But even the thought that he could have done that with Helen … his own stepdaughter … made him feel ill.
Ashley got up and sat beside him on the couch. She took his hand and just held it. Adam moved to his other side and took his other hand. The comfort of these two special people beside him was his anchor. With them by his side, he could get through anything.
“Whatever you need to do, we’ll support you,” Adam said.
Dare shook his head, determination spiking through him. “Even if it is true, I won’t leave you.” He squeezed their hands. “Either of you. What the three of us have is special. The love we share is…” His chest compressed. “I can’t lose that.”
But he couldn’t abandon Helen either. Even though what she had done was despicable … if she was carrying his baby …
* * *
Dare watched as Helen sat on the couch, looking properly contrite.
“So Ash told you,” she said.
“Of course she told me.”
“I’m sorry. I know I should have told you myself, but—”
“Told me?" he flared. "You shouldn’t have fucking done what you did? What the fuck were you thinking? ”
Her eyes widened and she stared at her hands folded in her lap.
“I know that I shouldn’t have—”
“Do you?” he glared at her. He could see that her hands were trembling and she wouldn’t look at him.
He let the silence simmer around them. Let it sink in to her exactly how much trouble she was in with him.
“I…” She shifted under his acidic stare. “I’d been drinking and—”
“Do you think that makes it okay?” he demanded.
“No.” Tears rolled down her cheek but he steeled himself to her discomfort. “I just…” She bit her lip, clearly reading from his expression that she was getting nowhere.
He sucked in a calming breath. “At first I tried to convince myself that it hadn’t really happened. That you were just lying to … I don’t know, I guess to trap me into taking care of you forever. But then I really thought about what happened that night. And…” His hand clenched into a fist. “God damn it, the very thought of what you did sickens me. I have been nothing but patient with you, but fuck…” He slammed his fist on the table sending vibrations through the room. “This is too much.”
“I’m so sorry. Just sometimes I feel so alone and scared … and you’re the only one who’s ever cared about me. I’m always so afraid that you’ll walk away and—”
“All you’ve accomplished is to succeed in driving me away. As of now, you’re out of my life.”
She covered her face with her hands, sobbing. “Please, I know I have a problem. I’ll do anything you want. Please, don’t do this.”
He stared at her, considering.
“You’ll go into rehab again.”
“Yes, of course.” She stared at him, her eyes hopeful. “Anything.”
He compressed his lips, letting the silence continue.
“What about the baby?” she finally asked.
He sighed. “The only responsible thing for you to do is put it up for adoption.
* * *
Ashley waited anxiously as Dare opened his front door, then she stepped into the foyer, Dare and Adam behind her. Dare had taken the three of them out to a nice dinner, but had refused to talk about his conversation with Helen until they returned to the house. She walked into the living room and sat on the couch, her stomach fluttering. Dare sat down beside her.
“So how did it go with Helen?” Adam asked as he sat down on the other side of Dare.
Dare sighed. “She’d been drinking and she did it to try and keep me in her life.”
“That girl is truly screwed up,” Adam said.
Dare nodded. “At least she’s agreed to go into rehab again.”
“Thank heavens,” Ashley said.
A heavy silence hung between them, until finally Adam said, “So you’re going to be a father.”
Ashley’s stomach clenched. Since Dare was the father, would he stick by Helen, even after what she’d done? Would he … could he even consider actually moving Helen in with him?
Dare pursed his lips. “Well, not really.”
Ashley rested her hand on Dare’s. “What do you mean?”
“She’s putting the baby up for adoption.” Dare’s expression was strained. “She still has a lot of issues to work out, and especially given her drinking problem, it seemed the best choice.”
Ashley curled her fingers around his hand. “Did she want to keep it?”
Had Dare talked her into it? Ashley couldn’t imagine giving up a baby if she were pregnant. But as Dare said, with Helen’s issues, it probably was for the best. But that didn’t mean she would be happy about it.
“At first. But more because her father walked out on her and her mother and she didn’t want to do the same. I explained that with adoption, the baby would go to a family that really wanted it. In the end, Helen’s main concern is that the baby have a good home. It’ll be hard on her, but it’s for the best.”
“It’ll be hard on you, too, won’t it?” Ashley asked, gazing into his sad blue eyes.
“It’ll be hard to watch her go through the pregnancy, then have to give up the baby. To never see it again. And for the baby to never know her mother.”
“You know, the three of us want to have a baby,” Adam said. “And we would be a great home.”
Dare’s gaze darted to Adam’s. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that maybe the three of us could adopt the baby.”
Ashley’s eyes widened at the suggestion and her heart thumped loudly.
“But you want to have a baby that’s yours,” Dare said.
“I want a baby that’s ours.”
“You did get that I’m not really the father, right?”
“That doesn’t matter. It’s Helen’s and in every way that matters, she’s your daughter.”
Ashley bubbled with joy at the thought that … what they were talking about was them all having a baby together. Tears welled in her eyes and she blinked them back. If this happened then … she was going to be a mother.
She gripped Dare’s arm. “And if we adopt the baby, then Helen will be able to be a part of her life.”
Dare’s gaze turned to her. “You’re on board, too, Ash?”
She smiled broadly. “I think it’s a wonderful idea.”
“What do you think, Dare?” Adam asked, eagerness lacing his words.
“I don’t kno
w, I…” Then Dare smiled broadly. “I think it’s worth asking her.”
* * *
When Dare returned to the room and sat between Ashley and Adam again, Ashley’s stomach clenched at his deadpan expression. None of them had wanted to wait so they’d decided Dare would phone Helen right away and ask her what she thought.
“So?” Adam prompted.
“Well…” Then a smile spread across Dare’s face. “It seems we’re going to be parents.”
Adam laughed, a glorious sound full of joy. “Oh, my God. That’s incredible.”
Ashley gazed from one man to the other, the words and their meaning slowly sinking in.
“We’re really doing this? We’re adopting her baby?” Ashley asked.
“Yes, Ash.” Dare took her in his arms and hugged her. “You’re going to be a mother.” He gazed down at her. “It’s what you want, isn’t it?”
She smiled so broadly, her cheeks hurt. “More than anything.” She rested her hand on Dare’s face. “Except when I have your baby. And Adam’s.”
Adam chuckled. “So we’re going for three?”
She giggled, reaching for Adam’s hand and holding it tight, while Dare still held her in his arms. “Or more.”
Adam wrapped his arms around the two of them and they sat in the warmth of the embrace for several long moments. Ashley felt so much love around her it made her heart swell.
Finally, Dare drew back, then stood up, breaking the embrace.
“There is another matter we need to discuss. It’s especially important now that we’ve made this momentous decision.”
Ashley and Adam stared at him expectantly.
Dare knelt down on the floor in front of the couch and Ashley’s heart beat faster. He took her hand in his. The feel of his big fingers enveloping hers sent warmth through her. He took Adam’s hand, too.
“You both mean so much to me and I love you with all my heart. I can’t imagine my life without the two of you in it. I may not be able to marry both of you, but I want us to spend the rest of our lives together.”
“Oh, Dare.” Tears sprang from Ashley’s eyes and Adam wrapped his fingers tighter around Dare’s hand.
“I’m hoping you’ll both move in here, or we can buy a new place we all choose. I just want us to be together.”
“What about New York?” Adam asked.
“I’m going to move back here. I’ve always loved Autumn’s Ridge. That’s why I moved here in the first place. I hated having to leave, but it was too hard after the divorce. Now … everyone I care about is here. Even Helen will be moving to town so she can be close to the baby.”
Ashley reached for Adam’s hand, searching his dark brown eyes. His eyes sparkled and he gave her a quick nod.
“Yes, Dare. Oh, yes,” she said as she threw her arms around him. His lips found hers and he kissed her deeply.
When he released her, they both turned to Adam.
“Are you fucking kidding me? Of course the answer is yes.”
Dare laughed, then embraced Adam. Their lips met with passion. Tears of joy trickled from Ashley’s eyes and she swiped them away.
Dare stood up, a broad grin on his face, then he walked through the dining room and into the kitchen. He returned with champagne in a bucket of ice in one arm and three tall stemmed glasses in his hand. The bottle was frosty, so clearly he’d had it on ice before they arrived.
He set the bucket on the coffee table, then popped the cork. The frothy liquid bubbled up and he quickly poured it into the glasses.
Dare lifted his glass. “To a lifetime of happiness with the three of us together.”
They all clinked glasses and Ashley sipped the delightfully bubbly wine.
Dare finished his glass, then topped everyone up.
He walked to the desk in the corner, then returned with a folder in his hand and sat on the chair across from them.
“We may not be able to marry legally, but if you both agree, I’d like to make it official.”
He opened the folder and set a document in front of each of them.
“I want us all to be protected, so I had these drawn up.”
Which probably meant he wanted to protect his wealth from any claim she or Adam might make based on a common-law arrangement. But when she glanced through the agreement, it was quite the opposite. It talked more about the commitment they were making to each other than it did financial considerations.
Adam perused the document, then glanced at Dare. “This says that Ashley and I are entitled to an equal share in your assets.”
“That’s right. The three of us will own everything equally.”
Adam flipped through the papers. “You do realize a prenup is supposed to protect you.”
“I don’t need protection. What I need is both of you in my life. And the money isn’t the important thing in this document. It’s the fact that it states our commitment to love and honor each other for the rest of our lives.”
Adam’s eyebrows arched. “Your lawyer must think you’re crazy.”
Dare chuckled. “True. But who gives a shit about that?”
Adam pulled a pen from his suit jacket and signed the three documents. Dare signed them, too, then handed Ash a pen and the three agreements. She signed them then handed them back to Dare, feeling a little empty.
“Ash, you don’t look happy,” Adam observed. “Is there something wrong?”
“No, not at all.” She smiled. “I’m very happy.”
Dare reached out and took her hand. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
“It’s nothing, it’s just … Well, for all intents and purposes, after signing these, the three of us are married now.”
“Isn’t that what you want?” Dare asked.
“Of course, but…” She sighed, worried she’d sound shallow. “I just always dreamed of a wedding, with the long white dress, flowers, music. All of that.” She squeezed Dare’s hand. “But the three of us being together … that’s the important thing.”
“Hell, Ash. There’s no reason we can’t have a wedding,” Dare said with a big smile. “We’ll exchange vows. And rings, too, if you want. We’ll make up our own rules as we go.”
“Really?” She couldn’t believe how ridiculously happy his suggestion made her. Having a wedding would make it feel more real.
“Can we do it soon? Maybe next month?” Ash asked.
“That’s not much time to plan a big wedding,” Adam said.
“I don’t need a big wedding. Just close friends and family. I just want us to stand up and proclaim to those closest to us that we love each other and will always be together.”
Dare smiled. “Then next month it is.”
“Great.” Adam grinned. “Now that we’ve settled the wedding, what about the honeymoon?”
Ashley laughed, then climbed on Adam’s lap facing him, her knees on either side of his thighs. “I think we should start right now.”
Dare moved behind her and knelt on the floor. He cupped her breasts and his lips nuzzled the base of her neck as Adam claimed her lips. Her nipples hardened in Dare’s hands and her insides ached with need.
Adam tugged on the zipper of her dress, then Dare pulled it down the rest of the way. Adam peeled the dress from her shoulders and down to her waist. Her hard nipples pushed against the lacy bra. Adam tugged down the lace and took her nipple in his mouth. She sighed at the warmth around her. The bra loosened and Dare pushed down her straps and tugged the garment away. He slid in beside Adam and took her other nipple in his mouth. Her hands cupped their heads, holding them close to her chest as they suckled. Delightful sensations danced through her.
Adam gripped her waist and stood her up, then drew down her dress and panties. Both male gazes locked on her pussy. Dare leaned forward and licked her. She widened her legs, then Adam licked her, too. They alternated, their warm mouths teasing her with nibbles and licks. Then Adam sat her on the couch and pressed her knees apart. His face fell to her folds and he dug in, licking and suckli
ng her clit until she moaned.
Dare kissed her mouth, his hand cupping her breast, his thumb stroking her hard nub. Dare drew back and watched her, their gazes locked as Adam sent her pleasure skyrocketing. She moaned, still locked onto Dare’s mesmerizing gaze.
“I want to watch you while Adam makes you come,” he murmured.
Adam’s fingers slid into her and she arched. It felt so good.
Adam’s tongue swirling over her … his fingers thrusting into her … Pleasure swelled and joy swept through her. She gasped, then moaned her release, lost in the deep blue of Dare’s eyes.
The orgasm filled her being, expanding through her until she could barely breathe, wailing at the intensity of it.
Finally, she slumped on the couch, sated.
It took a few moments for her to catch her breath, but once she did she sat up and smiled at them. “Now I want to see Adam make you come,” she said to Dare.
Dare stood up and unfastened his pants, then dropped them to the floor. Adam sat on the couch and reached for Dare’s briefs, then pulled them down. Dare stepped out of them.
Adam wrapped his hand around Dare’s long, hard cock and stroked it. Ashley watched, excitement coursing through her. Adam guided the big cock to his mouth and took it inside.
“That’s nice, but I want to watch you make love to Dare.”
“Really?” Dare’s eyebrows arched. “It sounds like you want to be in charge.”
She laughed. “No, just a request.”
Dare leaned in and kissed her. “Are you sure? Because it could be sexy having you command your two men.”
Excitement trilled through her at the thought. “Maybe I will. Maybe I’ll chain you both to the wall and have my way with you. But right now I want to watch you together.”
“Okay.” Dare swept her into his arms and she squealed in surprise.
He carried her to the bedroom and laid her on the bed, Adam behind him. Dare shed his shirt, then prowled over her.
“But I thought—”
Dare interrupted her words with a kiss while Adam stripped off his clothes, then opened the drawer in the bedside table.
“You want to watch Adam make me come.” Dare smiled. “You’re going to get a close-up view.”
Adam climbed on the bed behind Dare. He took her hand and pressed it to his rock-hard cock. She stroked it. Dare pressed his thick cock to her damp folds and glided the length of her.