by Lynn Stark
“Mama, Brant smacked me with a rib,” Emily complained, ending a fantasy before it got a fair chance to start.
Okay, so they weren’t perfect.
Maggie came out of her musings in time to see Emily try to go across the table for Brant. Reaching out, she caught her daughter by the arm and guided her back to her chair, shaking her head as she did so.
“Brant, you shouldn’t be smacking your sister with anything, let alone food. Now, sit there and finish eating.”
“But it has a hair on it!”
“It wouldn’t have, if you hadn’t used it as a weapon. Pick it off and finish your rib. Emily, we don’t act like heathens in public.”
“Brant was a heathen first,” Emily informed her needlessly.
“Yes, he was. That’s no reason for you to be a heathen, too. Now, finish your supper so we can head home. Samuel, stop picking your nose.” She took one of the wipes off the table and tore the foil packet. She wiped the tip of Samuel’s fingers before returning her attention to her food. “Let’s finish up. We have a lot of things to do when we get home.”
As luck would have it, Sean, Max, and Ethan were on their way into the restaurant as Maggie was leaving with her children. The younger trio squealed with excitement and ran full tilt toward the men. Strong hands scooped them up. She didn’t have to wonder if her children liked the men. It was obvious that they did so. She was torn between letting their feelings develop, and protecting their tender hearts, if it didn’t work out between Maggie and the men. She didn’t want to see them hurt. On the other hand, if she didn’t take the risk, then she wouldn’t know if the men were willing to love her children and be fathers to them.
It sucked that she had to do this trial-testing thing, but saw the necessity. Maggie smiled at the three men, even as she realized that she was growing more than a little fond of them. It would probably hurt like hell, if it didn’t work out. The sex was fantastic. She had scratched the itch and was beyond that. She could see other things without wondering how making love with them would be. It was hot, wild, and often crazy. She didn’t mind in the least that they were creative, enthusiastic, and had the stamina of young bulls. Nope, none of those things hurt at all.
“Hi, guys. I wasn’t expecting to see you.”
“We got done a little early on the ranch. We just came here to check on everything,” Ethan told her, his brown eyes looking at her warmly. Pleasure shivered over her skin. Maggie felt her nipples puckering up, as if they remembered how it felt to have Ethan suckling them until she came. The man had a magic mouth. “Then we were heading out to your place, just to hang out.”
Max laughed. “We were going to bring ribs, but I guess that’s not necessary now.”
“We had ribs,” Samuel told him. “They were good. Brant hit Emily with his rib.”
A tiny finger pointed to the spot. “Right here,” Emily told them, her eyes huge in her small face. Maggie grimaced as her daughter began working it. “It still hurts a little.”
“Does it really?” She nodded, her curls bouncing. Max lowered his head to kiss the spot. “Better?”
Emily smiled and patted Max’s cheek. “Yes. Thank you, Max.”
“You’re welcome, pretty lady.” He bent, setting her gently on her feet. “Now, why don’t you guys head on home and we’ll be there in a little while with ice cream?”
Okay, that was too easy, Maggie thought. As her children jumped up and down, cheering, she still had to give them points. “That’s a very nice treat. Thank you.”
“We’ll be out shortly. Any allergies we need to know about?” Sean asked. Max and Ethan nodded in agreement with their lover’s question and waited for the answer with serious expressions on their handsome faces.
Points rose significantly in their favor. They were really giving this some thought. They weren’t just after her body and keeping her happy by being nice to her kids. She had seen the ploy in other men over the years. It hadn’t happened to her personally, but to a couple of friends and acquaintances.
Maggie got her kids to the van after hugs and kisses. They chattered away, all the way home. She had to admit that she was as excited as they were. It hadn’t taken her long to realize that she was beginning to miss the three men more and more. She even experienced anxious moments that she attributed to getting closer to being in love. Still, she didn’t want to jump into anything. Laughing at herself, she shook her head. She was overthinking everything. Though she knew the guys were serious about finding a wife, no one had popped a certain question, or even hinted that such an event would take place anytime soon. With the way her mind was working these days, it was just as well. She wasn’t ready to give an answer yet. She had to think of her children. They always came first. She had to do the best for them.
Nothing was ever simple. As soon as Maggie parked the van, Brant got out of his car seat, opened the side door even as she told him to wait, only to tumble out. The sounds he was making told her nothing good had happened. Kneeling on the ground, she examined his arm and suspected he had broken it.
“Did he break it, Mama?”
“I don’t know yet. Please sit still, Brant,” she told him gently as she got to her feet. “Emily, Samuel, please stay in the van. Don’t touch anything. I’ll be right back.” It only took a moment to run into the house for two of the small dowels she used for propping open the older windows and a roll of tape. Once she was back outside she put the splints on his arm and taped them in place. “It’s to the clinic for you, baby.”
Brant sniffled and rubbed his nose. “I didn’t want to break my arm, Mama.”
She lifted him up into her arms and gave him a cuddle, avoiding the streak of snot on his cheek. “I know, baby. We’ll let a doctor look at it. They know more about these things than your mama does.” She snapped the harness into place then went for a wipe to clean up his tear-stained face.
Maggie was about to get into the van when the huge pick-up truck pulled into the driveway and parked beside the van. Sean got out from the driver’s seat. “What’s going on?” Ethan and Max were out of the truck a moment later, the two men holding hands as they came around to see what was happening. “Did Brant get hurt?”
She was amazed that they could tell the boys apart. It took a good eye to see the tiny difference in their appearances. “He may have broken his arm. I’m going to take him to the clinic.”
“But, Mama, I want ice cream,” Brant told her, his voice more than a little whiny. “I think my arm’s okay now.”
Maggie bit her lip so she didn’t laugh. “You can have ice cream when we come back home.”
“I’ll go with you,” Sean told her. “E and Max can stay with Emily and Samuel. Do they have chores they need to take care of?”
Okay, this was one of those moments when Maggie had to decide if she trusted these men. She didn’t have to give it more than a second of thought, if that long. She nodded in agreement. “That would be great, thanks. Emily and Samuel can show you where the chore list is. I appreciate you guys staying with them. Hopefully, we will be able to get right in at the clinic.”
She walked around to get the house keys from her bag. She gave them to Max, and then kissed Emily and Samuel before heading back to the van. Sean was standing there talking to him, as they waited. Emily and Brant waved to their brother, both appearing as though they might begin crying at any moment.
“Take your time,” Ethan said, reaching down to take Emily’s small hand. Tears were suddenly forgotten. Her daughter practically glowed as she looked up at him.
Samuel puffed up and walked beside Max as they headed for the house. Maggie nodded to herself as she climbed into the van and started it. Sean closed the side door and got in the passenger seat. He didn’t seem to mind that he wasn’t driving. Good thing, because she wasn’t going to deal with any macho shit. Sean spent the ride talking to Brant, keeping his mind busy with the conversation and off the pain in his arm.
Brant’s arm was fractured. It was a simple
break and efficiently dealt with. Her son was very curious about everything around him, distracting him from fussing. It was all they could do to get him to be still, his eyes bouncing from one shiny object to another. When the doctor was finished, he told the man, “I want to be a doctor. You did a good job.” He wiggled his little fingers and admired the neon green tape wound around to protect the cast.
“Thank you, Brant. You’re an excellent patient.” The doctor went to a cabinet and brought out a small brown bag. “You can open this when you get home.” He ruffled Brant’s hair then lifted him down.
Maggie was relieved that her son hadn’t been seriously hurt. She knew things happened. She also knew that it wasn’t likely to be the last broken bone she would have to deal with. As a kid, she had broken both her arms twice each and her right leg once. It came with the territory. She had grown up on a ranch, working with cows and horses. She had climbed trees and did her version of a tightrope walker, balancing on the edge of the corral fence. Yeah, kids did things, and kids damaged body parts. She would do her best to protect them from danger, teaching them the risks, but she couldn’t wrap them up in cotton, nor could she make them afraid to try new things.
Thanking the doctor, she went to deal with the paperwork while Sean and Brant headed for the gift shop, which was located between the clinic side of the hospital and the hospital itself. There was no charge for medical treatment for the residents of Silver, which was one of many marvelous things about living in or near the town. By the time she was finished, they were joining her.
“What do you have there?” she asked curiously, looking at the huge bag Sean was carrying.
Brant looked up at her and grinned. Her heart melted. “Sean got me cool stuff. And we got stuff for Emily and Samuel, too. Can we go home and eat ice cream now?”
“Sure we can, baby. Let’s go.”
When Brant raced ahead, running faster than the automatic doors could slide back and out of his way, he ran face first into the heavy glass panel. He bounced off like a rubber ball and fell back on his butt.
He reached up and rubbed his face. “That’ll leave a mark,” she heard him mutter.
While Maggie did her best to suppress her laugh, Sean didn’t even try. He laughed as he went to pick Brant up off the floor. He dusted his backside off before patting it. “You need to slow down, buddy. Are you okay?”
Brant nodded. “Yep.” He changed subjects with the ease of a boy of an almost four-year-old. “Ice cream will make my arm feel better.”
Sean guided Brant safely through the doors, Maggie following behind. She realized that she was enjoying seeing Sean with her son. They looked good together. All three men seemed to have a gift with children, but it wasn’t really surprising since they came from large families and each had a multitude of nieces and nephews.
There were oohs and ahhs when they arrived home. Emily and Samuel were very impressed with the cast. Then they wanted to see what was in the bag. Brant reached in and searched through it, until he brought out a package with a model horse in it. Emily squealed and reached for it, hugging her brother once it was in her possession. The next was a black jeep with fat tires on it. Samuel and Brant fist bumped, which was cute as hell.
As Sean, Ethan, and Max interacted with the three children, Maggie got out the bowls and ice cream and proceeded to make sundaes, size appropriate. She placed them on a tray and lifted it. “Why don’t we eat these out on the patio?” She could hose melted ice cream and syrup off the stone floor, unlike her living room.
Three little bodies zoomed past her, laughing and giggling as they went. The men waited, following her outside. Maggie had the sensation of someone staring at her ass. She gave it a little extra sway and grinned as she heard a low groan.
The next two hours were filled with laughter and frustration. Emily, Brant, and Samuel ran off their sugar rush in the backyard, chasing one another, and not showing any signs of slowing down until the last of the sun’s rays disappeared behind the mountains. Maggie was sitting between Max and Ethan. Sean was close, holding hands with Max, while Max held hands with her, while Maggie held Ethan’s hand.
Her children didn’t seem to give the hand holding any special attention, though Maggie knew they saw it.
Being so close to the men wasn’t an easy thing. It had been several weeks since she had made love with them. There was an ache between her legs that had her pressing her thighs together. Sean saw her fidgeting more than once. A smirk was on his handsome face. The devil knew Maggie wasn’t immune to their closeness and that it was making her horny as hell. It didn’t seem quite fair that they were able to go home and make love to one another and she was left out of the fun and games.
Since they didn’t seem in a hurry to leave, Maggie gave her children baths and put their sleepy little butts to bed. Emily had placed her new model horse in a place of importance on her bedside table. Maggie kissed her and turned out the light. Emily was asleep before she left the room. Brant was already asleep when she went into brothers’ room. Samuel was drowsy, rubbing at his eyes with chubby fists.
“Goodnight, baby,” she said, leaning over to press a kiss to his cheek.
“’Nite, Mama,” Samuel murmured with a smile. “See you tomorrow?”
“You betcha.” She poked his belly with a finger, making him laugh and squirm. She kissed him again before she went to sit with Brant for a moment. She brushed his bangs off his forehead before she leaned and kissed him. “Sleep well, baby.”
“Okay, Mama.” She had thought he was asleep. Guess not.
Butterflies swirled around in her belly as Maggie returned outside. While she wanted to really enjoy this time in a very passionate way with her lovers, she knew she had to be careful. She didn’t want her children to see anything, if they should wake and come looking for her. She wasn’t at liberty to ask the men inside. It was frustrating, but it was the way it had to be. Her children weren’t going to wake up to three men in their mother’s bed. Though they wouldn’t know what was taking place inside the room, she didn’t need or want the questions that would be raised by curious minds.
All three men stood when Maggie came through the back door. The soft glow from the lights around the patio meant she could see their faces. There was no mistaking the expressions on them. They wanted her as much as she wanted them. Ethan stepped forward, his hands going to her waist as he leaned down to nibble on the side of her neck. Maggie moaned softly.
When he pulled back, he gave her a smile that had the potential to set her pussy on fire. Ethan was so damn sexy. “Want to go for a walk with Max and me?”
Maggie smiled back at him as she toyed with the button on his shirt. “Where would we be walking to?”
“Well, there’s a nice path up behind the barn. We could probably see Silver from up there.”
The town could be seen from the top of the hill. It was a pretty, charming sight. At night the town’s lights sparkled like a jewel. Somehow, Maggie didn’t believe they would spend much time admiring the view.
“Okay. But I don’t want to be gone long. Brant might wake up and want me.”
“Sean will be here. There’s a baseball game on.” Ethan chuckled. “He’ll call us if Brant wakes up.”
With guilt fading away, Maggie walked between Max and Ethan, but not until after Sean had pulled her close and kissed her until her toes curled. Normally it would only take a few minutes to reach the top of the hill. Getting there took longer, only because Max and Ethan would stop every hundred feet or so, take her into strong arms, and then kiss her. Well, one would kiss her. The other would press close against her back, hands exploring her curves, a hard ridge pressing against her flesh. By the time they were on the hill and looking over the miles to where Silver was glittering in the night, Maggie was hot and panting, and not from any exertion from climbing the slope.
Even in the low light being reflected by the moon, she noticed a blanket spread out on the ground. She chuckled as she walked toward it. “Wow, I c
an’t believe there’s a blanket. I wonder who put it here.”
Ethan laughed as he pulled her down onto the large rectangle of fabric. “That would be me.” Max lowered himself on her other side, his hand sliding over her thigh. “You don’t mind, do you?” he asked against her throat. Maggie shook her head as she lifted her hand to run her fingers through his hair. “Good, because it’s one of my better plans. I would’ve hated to see it shot down.”
“He doesn’t come up with many good plans,” Max agreed, nuzzling her hair as his hand cupped her breast, lifting and testing its weight in his palm. His thumb stroked over her nipple, causing her to shiver. “We try to give him all the encouragement we can.”
Maggie wasn’t given a chance to respond. Ethan lowered his head, claiming her mouth and stealing away the smile that had been curving her lips. Moaning, she wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him close as their tongues stroked and danced together. She shivered with pleasure as he deepened the kiss, their mouths locked together.
Clothes were peeled away, tossed aside, and completely forgotten as their hands, bodies, and mouths began exploring. Maggie could feel the pulsing of her pussy, the creamy juices flowing as her arousal grew. How it could increase, she didn’t know. She was already so primed, she felt as if she was about to explode. Just the right touch in the right place would set her off like a barrel full of fireworks.
Hot kisses were spread out over her body, particularly her breasts, her stomach, and her thighs. All three were areas she had, at one time or another, been particularly aware of. Her breasts were too large, her stomach no longer relatively flat, and her hips and ass were too wide. Becoming pregnant, and nine months of carrying triplets, had done both wondrous and strange things to her body. She had never been a stick figure, but she hadn’t been voluptuous, either. Her friends had given her the gift of a tummy tuck. With the excess loose skin gone, she had been more accepting of her larger boobs and curvier ass. A good diet had helped lose excess weight. Still, like many women, she would never have her pre-baby body back.