X Marks the Spot

by Opal Carew

  She was sitting on the couch and as soon as she gazed his way, he realized her eyes were red and swollen. He plunked the bags on the floor and strode to the couch. As he sat down beside her, he noticed the flowers and an open gift box with tissue and wide fabric ribbon trailing from it.

  “A gift from Liam?” he guessed. He couldn’t believe they hadn’t heard from him in two days.

  She nodded.

  He stroked her hair back from her face. “So what’s happened? Why are you upset?”

  She handed him a document she was clinging to. He opened it to the marked page and saw Liam’s signature.

  “It looks like he’s granting you the divorce,” Del said.

  A chaotic whirl of emotions coiled through him. This would mean he would have Abi all to himself. It was what they’d both been hoping for.

  But he knew how much Abi loved Liam and a part of him wondered if this was the worst thing that could happen to Abi. She loved her husband and he was sure that deep inside, she wanted to raise her child with Liam. Even though she loved Del, too.

  Abi nodded. “And he’s also included an addendum that guarantees he won’t take custody of the baby.”

  “But this isn’t good news, is it? It’s not what you want anymore.”

  She stared at him, her gaze laced with guilt.

  “It’s okay, Abi. We need to be honest with each other.”

  She drew in a deep, shaky breath.

  “I love him,” she said. “And I want to be with him.” She rested her hand on her stomach. “I want him to be with his baby … helping to raise it. Being a father to his child.”

  Her eyes shimmered.

  “But I also want to be with you. I love you, too.”

  Del sat down beside her and drew her into his arms. She rested her head against his chest.

  “Abi, I love you, too. And I want you to be happy. That’s the most important thing in the world to me.” He stroked her hair. “And I think I know how to fix this.”

  * * *

  The knock on the door surprised Liam. Usually, no one bothered him at the quiet country house. He’d come here after sending the papers to Abi several days ago. He needed to ground himself. To think about what his future would be without the woman he loved.

  Hopefully, she would still let him be a part of their child’s life, but he wouldn’t force her to. He definitely wouldn’t pursue a custody claim, and he’d put that in writing.

  He would do anything to protect Abi, and if that meant stepping out of her life entirely, then that’s what he’d do.

  He walked to the door and pulled it open. He was shocked to see Abi standing on the other side.

  “Abi, what are you doing here?”

  “May I come in?” she asked.

  “Of course.”

  He didn’t know how she’d gotten here. There wasn’t a car in the driveway and he didn’t see any sign of Del.

  “How did you know I was here?” he asked as he led her to the living room.

  “I called your secretary and told her I’m your wife and that I needed to meet with you.”

  “You could have just called me.”

  She shook her head. “I needed to talk to you in person.”

  He gestured to the couch and then moved to the chair, but she grasped his hand. The shock of the contact sent tingles shivering through his entire body.

  “No, please. Sit next to me,” she said.

  He sat down beside her, trying to ignore the urge to pull her into his arms and hold her.

  “I want to thank you for your gift,” she said.

  He nodded. “I want you to be happy.”

  She squeezed his hand. “I know you do. But I’ve come here to return it to you.”

  “The flowers?” he said in surprise, a little confused. “Surely they’re dead by now.”

  “Actually, they’re holding up quite well. But, no, I mean the other gift.”

  She turned to her bag, which she’d set on the floor, and pulled out the flat box he’d wrapped and sent to her. She handed it to him and he opened it, not sure what she was doing.

  Inside were the papers, neatly torn in two.

  “It was a very thoughtful gift,” she said softly, “but it’s not what I want anymore.”

  His heart stuttered. “Abi, what are you saying? Exactly?”

  He didn’t want to assume anything.

  She leaned a little closer, her luminous eyes locked on him.

  “I’m saying that I don’t want to divorce you.”

  She raised her hand and glided it along his cheek. The tenderness of her touch moved him deeply.

  “I believe that you love me,” she said. “And I believe we can work out any emotional issues still between us. Because I know now that we both want this marriage to work more than anything.” She drew his face to hers and kissed him lightly, the brush of her soft lips igniting the need in his soul. “And I want you and me to raise our child together.”

  Disbelief quickly turned to joy surging through him. He pulled her into his arms, holding her tight to him, and captured her mouth in a tender, heartrending kiss.

  “Oh, God, Abi. I love you so much.”

  But he hadn’t forgotten the love he’d seen in her eyes when she’d looked at Del. When the two of them had made love.

  “What about Del?” he asked.

  She leaned back, anxiety washing through her eyes. “Yes, about Del. You know how I feel about him.”

  His joyful mood waned a little. “You’re in love with him.”

  God, was she only saying this because she felt she owed Liam? Or because she felt stronger about her baby being raised by his real father than being with the man she truly loved?

  “Yes, I love him.” She took his hand. “And I love you.”

  “So on some level, you’re going to be unhappy no matter which of us you choose.”

  “I’ve chosen you, Liam. You’re the baby’s father. And my husband.”

  “Fuck. So it’s not really that you love me. At least, not more than Del.”

  “Liam, I love you with all my heart. I always have. And when you signed the divorce papers … and promised you wouldn’t take the baby from me … I knew that you would never emotionally abandon me again. So you are my first choice. Always.”

  She sighed.

  “But in a perfect world, I wouldn’t have to choose between you and Del. Because what the three of us have together is very special. You love him just as much as I do. He loves both of us. And I know he’ll love the baby, too.”

  “What are you getting at, Abi?”

  He stared into her big, blue eyes, so filled with hope.

  “I’m wondering why we can’t make ours a perfect world.” She squeezed his hand. “Del and I talked about this, and we both agreed. I want to know if all three of us can be together. All of us live together and raise the baby together.”

  Liam frowned. The three of them certainly had a spectacular sexual relationship. But could it be more than that?

  “Why would he possibly agree to that? Won’t he resent that he can’t marry you? And what about having a child of his own? He’ll surely want that at some point.”

  She gazed at him uncertainly. “If we do this, then I could have another child by him, too.”

  She stroked his cheek. “Liam, I know you have a certain idea of what a family is. I know you’ve craved that your whole life. But this could be even better. What child wouldn’t love to have three parents to love them?”

  She patted her stomach. “I know this child will be dearly loved by all three of us. Wouldn’t you still love a child I carried by Del?”

  Liam frowned as he stared at her stomach. Thinking of another baby inside her later. Del’s child.

  Thinking of Del making love to her.

  “Where is Del? He drove you here, didn’t he?”

  “Yes, he’s in the park down the street. He didn’t want to interfere with us talking, so he’s waiting for me to text him.”

>   “Tell him to come in.”

  Abi grabbed her phone and tapped in a message, glancing at Liam uncertainly.

  A few moments later, Del knocked on the door. Liam strode to the entrance and let him in. Del followed Liam into the living room.

  “Abi tells me you want to move in with us,” Liam said. “That you think we can make it work with you being her second husband.”

  “You’d be her husband,” Del said. “I wouldn’t have a legal status like that.”

  “But you do agree that you’d essentially be her husband?”

  Del shrugged. “Yes.”

  “And you want to have children with her, too?”

  “Is that a deal breaker?” Del asked, staring at Liam’s stony expression.

  Liam frowned, but then his mouth turned up in a slow smile.

  “I think it’s the best solution possible and I kick myself for not suggesting it. I know how much you love Abi, and together I believe the three of us will build a very strong foundation for our growing family.”

  “So you’re okay with Abi having children with me, too?”

  “I wasn’t sure at first, but I realize that any child Abi has, or that you have, I’ll love as my own, so of course I’m okay with it.”

  He tugged Del into a big hug. When he released him, he patted his back.

  “We’re going to have a house full of love, and that’s all I’ve ever really wanted.”

  Abi surged into his arms and kissed him.

  His heart soared. He knew he’d found heaven on earth. He would spend the rest of his life with the woman he loved. And with his best friend. Together they would create a most unusual family, but one raised with love, caring, and mutual respect.

  EPILOGUE

  Abi blinked at the sunshine then her eyelids fluttered open. Panic surged through her.

  “The baby!” Her hand slid to her stomach.

  Liam wasn’t in bed, but Del opened his eyes.

  “It’s okay, sweetheart,” he said in a sleep-roughed voice, sitting up and sliding his arm around her. “Jenny’s with your sister. Remember, you wanted this weekend with just the three of us?”

  She glanced around, her breathing slowly returning to normal. They were at the summer house. She had suggested this weekend away because Liam had been traveling a lot lately and she really wanted the three of them to have some romantic time together.

  But also, she had something important to discuss with both of them. Something she wasn’t sure Liam was going to be happy about.

  “Oh, that’s right. It’s just she always cries—”

  “By eight. I know.” He kissed her forehead. “And even when Liam or I get up to feed her, you still wake up.”

  She laughed. “Well, all those mornings breast-feeding when you guys couldn’t take her have me well trained. Thank heavens my breasts have stopped producing milk now so I don’t wake up leaking.”

  He laughed as his hand slid to her breast and cupped it.

  “Ah, good times. Believe me, Liam and I enjoyed those days of mommy breasts.”

  She turned and snuggled against him, making sure to push her breasts tight against his big, hard chest.

  “Am I too small for you now?”

  “Hmm, let me check,” he said with a laugh as he leaned her back on the bed then cupped both her breasts.

  “Good morning. You two look as if you’re having fun.” Liam set a tray down on the table by the window.

  “I’m checking to see if Abi’s breasts are too small now that she’s no longer breast-feeding.”

  Liam’s eyebrow arched up as he walked to the bed and sat down beside her.

  “Good question. Let’s check that out a little more closely.” Liam grasped the hem of her nightshirt and drew it up, baring her thighs, then Del drew her forward while Liam pulled the shirt over her head and tossed it aside.

  Both men now stared at her naked breasts hungrily.

  “Mmm.” Liam’s gaze circled each breast, then lingered on the tips, her nipples rising to tight buds. “I think that at any size…” His warm, brown eyes turned to her face. “They’re perfect.”

  They both leaned in and she sucked in a breath as their warm mouths covered her nipples, then she moaned as they suckled.

  “Ohhh, as nice as this is, I’d like to have some of that breakfast Liam brought in here before it’s cold.”

  Liam nipped her hard nub, then swirled his tongue over it.

  “I can make you a new breakfast,” he said hoarsely.

  It would be so delightful to go with the flow right now, but she had promised herself she would tell them first thing this morning. If she let sex distract her, she’d never have the conversation this weekend.

  She laughed and pressed against their shoulders. “I’m hungry now. And those eggs smell delicious.”

  The guys drew back and when Liam stood up, she saw that his swollen cock was barely contained in his pajamas. She grabbed her nightshirt and pulled it on again, then scampered to the table.

  “The idea was that I was bringing you breakfast in bed,” Liam said as she sat down at the round table, a fabulous view of the lake outside the window.

  “And I appreciate that, but I feel like sitting.”

  Del joined them and Liam poured them each a cup of coffee. Abi stared at the steaming cup, longing for a sip, but picked up her fork instead and took a bite of the omelet Liam had made. Mushrooms, onions, peppers, and a delightful combination of herbs. Liam really was a good cook.

  Her cell phone chimed and she picked it up and checked her messages. Claire had texted a picture of Kurt holding Jenny while she waved at the camera. A laugh bubbled up in Abi at the sight of her baby girl’s adorable face and her brother’s huge grin.

  “Kurt really enjoys being an uncle,” she said as she showed Liam and Del the photo.

  Seeing Kurt holding Jenny warmed her heart.

  Her family had been taken aback at her announcement that she was going to be with Liam and Del. Kurt had been the most resistant, falling into his usual role of protective older brother. But he was slowly coming around.

  Her sisters’ attitudes had been harder to gauge. Jaime had half-kiddingly said she didn’t understand how Abi could want to take care of two men. Claire had jumped to her defense saying it was clear their baby sister had these men trained right because they would do anything for her. Either way, they had both been supportive all the way.

  Abi had been most surprised at her dad, who’d simply asked if she was happy.

  She smiled and put her phone down, then continued eating.

  “You’ve been traveling so much lately, Liam,” she said. “Do you know how long you’ll have to keep doing that?”

  He’d been gone more than two weeks at a time each month for the past three months.

  Liam glanced at her. “I’m not sure.”

  “Okay. I mean, I know you have to do it for your business, and I’m not complaining, but we all miss you.”

  The gaze she sent him was intended to let him know how much she missed him when he was gone.

  He smiled and took her hand. “Don’t worry, kitten. I don’t think it’ll be too much longer.”

  She sent him a small smile, then ate some more eggs, buoying up her courage to make the announcement.

  “What’s on your mind, Abi?” Del asked.

  She glanced his way. “What do you mean?”

  “You’ve been distracted for days, and now you have this tense aura about you.”

  Liam raised an eyebrow. “And it’s not because of coffee, since you haven’t had any yet. And we all know how much you love your morning coffee. Do you have something you want to tell us, Abi?”

  She bit her lip. Then she nodded.

  “I do. It seems I’m pregnant again.”

  She watched as both men’s eyes lit up, then they whooped in joy. Liam stood up and dragged her into his arms and twirled her around, then Del took her and squeezed her tight.

  Finally, she sat back on h
er chair, her head spinning.

  “Why the hell were you so nervous telling us?” Liam asked. “You know we all want more children.”

  She reached out and took his hand, then took Del’s, too. She drew in a deep breath, then glanced from Liam’s chocolate-brown eyes to Del’s warm, olive-green ones.

  “I know, it’s just…” Her stomach quaked. “It’s Del’s baby.”

  Del’s face lit up and he surged to his feet and pulled her into his arms again. She was so glad to give Del this.

  She loved that she was carrying Del’s baby. It made her so happy. But it also stressed her because Liam was her husband, and as much as he’d said he’d be okay with her having Del’s baby, she wasn’t sure how he’d handle it when faced with the reality.

  “Well, it’s about fucking time,” Liam said. He patted Del on the back, then pulled Abi into a tight embrace.

  Her eyes widened. “What do you mean?”

  He chuckled, a rumbling from deep in his chest. “Now I don’t have to keep going away for weeks on end.”

  She frowned. “I don’t understand.”

  Del laughed. “Really, man? You did that for me?”

  Liam squeezed Del’s shoulder. “Of course.”

  Abi glanced from one to the other. “You guys want to explain it to me?”

  “Liam was giving us time alone together,” Del said, “while you were most fertile so my sperm wouldn’t have any competition.”

  Abi’s jaw dropped as she stared at Liam.

  “You wanted me to get pregnant by Del?”

  Liam smiled. “I wanted our second child to be fathered by Del, yes. I wanted him to know the joy I’ve had at seeing my first child born. To know I was responsible for that life being created.”

  Liam drew her into his arms and kissed her tenderly, then he drew back and stroked her hair from her face.

  “Now you can expect me to be home all the time. I’m not leaving the three of you again.” His hand slid to her stomach. “Or should I say four?” He laughed. “Especially remembering how horny you were during your last pregnancy.”

  “Well, considering how much you’ve been away from us … and how considerate you were to Del…” Suddenly, the sweetness of his gesture tugged at her heart and tears welled in her eyes despite her light tone.

  “Oh, there are the hormones in action,” Del observed with a chuckle.