Our Love Story: An MMFMM Romance

by Love, Frankie

  What started as a bunch of hometown boys wanting to see more than their own backyard has turned into something so much bigger than I ever imagined.

  And so much of my drive right now comes from Chloe. She believes in me in ways I’ve never believed in myself. That gives me the kind of confidence I never knew I was craving. She says that’s crazy talk, that a guy like me, who makes jokes and is everyone’s good old boy, has probably never felt insecure for a day in his whole life.

  But she’s wrong about that. I’ve always been comfortable with attention, but that doesn’t mean I never thought I deserved it. At the end of the day, my greatest fear is that I am nothing more than a joke and a good fuck.

  And now, Chloe needs me to be so much more.

  I don’t know if I can be the man she deserves; the man she needs to be able to depend on. Because now it’s not just us against the world.

  Now there is a child.

  Sitting out here now with her, the blazing fire, the ocean waves in the distance crashing on the salty sand, I can’t help but wonder how a baby fits in.

  What if the baby was born, here, right now? Would one of us be on daddy duty, changing diapers and getting bottles? While everyone else was having fun? I guess so, and maybe it sounds selfish to say I’m not ready to give all that up, but I don’t know if I am.

  Is it selfish to be honest?

  Mason? Shit, right now he’s sitting here talking about by a crib. Strollers. Car seats. Enzo is onboard too, but I can tell Ethan is struggling to process all this too. I wish we were on the same page here … but we are clearly divided.

  With every word Mason says, I see Chloe retreat a little bit more. Finally, I have to ask, as she sits there with a blanket is wrapped around her shoulders and I gaze at her from across the campfire, her eyes dancing with the fire in them.

  “So, you want to talk about what happened at the doctors today?” I ask. The flame between us helps me say what I must, without the pressure of looking someone directly in the eye.

  “Yeah,” she says. “I did. Truth is, I’m not sure I’m ready for this. Feels like we jumped about a hundred steps. Me, a mother? I just ... I don’t know if it’s for me. I never imagined myself...”

  She stops talking, clearly flustered. Enzo, who is always there, always giving, wraps an arm around her shoulder. A hero in this moment of the story. And I’m grateful as fuck that he’s there for her right now. There for her in ways I’m not. I don’t know how to step up and be a father. Hell, I’m just figuring out how to be a man. Chloe needs the best.

  Is that really me? Would she be better off without me at all?

  Dammit, I don’t even want to think about it.

  I love this woman with all that I am. I need her, but does she really need me?

  Chloe tells us more about her conversation with Dr. Brown. About her insecurity that she’s not cut out for this job: motherhood. How she never asked for it and is scared. “More than anything, I’m terrified that I’m going to end up just like my mother. Running from the very thing that makes life worth living. A family.”

  “Chloe, her story doesn’t have to be yours,” Mason says adamantly. “I see where you are coming from, but she isn’t you.”

  “I know, Mason. But that’s what you want to believe. Here’s the truth, I don’t know the first thing about being a mom.

  “Chloe,” Enzo says evenly. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him call Chloe by her first name. “None of us know how to do this. But that’s the beauty of it. We can figure it out together.”

  His words must be some sort of balm to her heart because next thing I know, Chloe has wrapped herself around Enzo, straddling him on that wooden log, and kissing his mouth with pure and utter devotion.

  I adjust myself. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t horny as fuck watching them. As he peels back Chloe’s sweater, he kisses her collarbone and his hand moves under the tank top she wears. I watch as he cups her breasts, a move he’s mastered quite well. I don’t begrudge him this time with her, but damn, this view is making my cock hungry as hell.

  I stand, wanting to give them privacy, knowing Chloe should feel like the goddess she is tonight and knowing my mood is only going to bring the group down. Ethan, though, stands too. His face is withdrawn and a cloud of dark energy surrounds him. I knew he was taking this change hard … but now I see it is even more than that.

  I don’t know if we are going to survive this change, even if we want to. Fuck, my head is a mess, my heart wants one thing, but my mind is saying something else.

  I stand to go, not in a mean way, but in an I-know-that-I-need-to-get-my-head-on-straight way. Hell, my parents are coming in a few days and I’m nothing but a mother fucking roller coaster of emotions.

  Chapter 51

  CHLOE

  The sun is shining when I roll out of bed and internally groan.

  Noah’s parents arrived in the middle of the night last night, and when I walk downstairs, I know I am going to come face to face with them.

  Leo’s visit has been pretty tame. For the most part, he has been going out with Enzo and the guys every day. He says surfing is his newfound passion and I’ve gotta admit, for a man in his late fifties, it’s impressive to see him get out there on a board and just go for it, taking a risk and learning something new.

  But the good thing about Leo is since he is a widower, there are no judging eyes of Enzo’s protective mother looking down on me.

  Leo is just as generous as his son. After getting over the initial shock of the relationship, he’s always helping with dinner, telling jokes, and reminiscing about when the boys were young, growing up, and getting in trouble.

  But Noah does have a mom and it sounds like she was a wonderful homemaker and mother. Always there for her boys when they were young and I can only imagine the heat I am going to get once Noah tells her who I am exactly.

  And if my last experience with a female family member bears any weight, then this week is going to go really badly. Mason’s little sister left LA thinking the worst about me.

  But as I get ready, I think about my day. While Noah’s parents coming are a big deal-- I also have my coffee date with Harlow. Maybe I just need to talk to a woman about all this. I hope she won’t judge me when I open up to her. Putting on a bikini and then cutoffs and a tank top over it, and braiding my hair into a fishtail, I refuse to let what judgment I’ve faced in the past affect me now.

  I have worked too damn hard to get where I am today. And even though I don’t know how I really feel about this pregnancy, I do know I cannot let any negative people around me right now. This baby deserves more than that.

  Besides, I don’t owe anyone, except my men, anything. I owe them honesty, above all else. We have made a commitment to be with each other, and even though I know things might get really messy when we have the big talk about who the father of this child is, I know we are going to get through that when the time comes.

  Or at least I hope we can.

  For now, I am going to make the best of the situation. I am in Oahu for goodness sakes, with four men by my side! I have no reason to stress. As I walk downstairs, I see Noah’s mom, Tammi, in the kitchen; she has a spatula in one hand and looks like Paula Deen. Big smile, big laugh, and a big presence. The guys are on bar stools listening to everything she says. She delivers a punch line and everyone laughs. The man who must be Noah’s father, Tom, claps in approval. Leo is there too, drinking coffee and soaking in the sun that shines through the window.

  “What did I miss?” I ask warmly.

  Tammi sets down the spatula and opens her arms, pulling me into an embrace. “Oh, Chloe, you sweet thing, you are just a doll,” she coos.

  She pulls back and pinches me on the cheeks. Literally.

  “Well, not sure about sweet, but thanks, Tammi.”

  “Oh, now don’t be shy. Noah hasn’t stopped singing your praises, you know that, right?”

  I look over at a red-faced Noah who is eating a plateful of pa
ncakes. And bacon. My eyes go wide as saucers. “Pancakes?”

  He shakes his head sheepishly and I see all the guys have stacks of flapjacks. “She’s a pusher,” he says with a bashful smile.

  “I’m impressed, Tammi,” I tell her. “I can’t get these boys to eat anything besides green smoothies and quinoa. I need your secrets.”

  Tammi hands me a plate and I set it on the island, pouring maple syrup.

  “Thatagirl,” Tom says as I dose my food in sugar coma.

  I shrug. “What can I say? I have a sweet tooth.”

  “And yet you’re with Noah,” Tammi teases.

  “What? You don’t think Noah is sweet?” I ask, realizing our conversation is dominating the room. My guys are pretty damn silent. A pang hits me as I realize Noah’s parents don’t really know what sort of relationship I have with her son. They know I am dating him but it was all spelled out in pretty loose terms. They likely don’t realize I am with all of them. I know Noah laid the groundwork that I was living with them. But they don’t know that we are in love.

  And having a baby.

  But I remember tiptoeing for weeks around Mason’s sister and how that drove a massive wedge between us. I’m not doing that again.

  “A little sweet, sure, but he’s always been a bit prickly,” Tom says.

  I nod, remembering Noah telling me about his privileged childhood. “That’s because things have always come easy for Noah,” I tell them. “He’s one of those people with a charmed life, never realizing how good they have it because things have never been too bad.”

  Noah shoots me a look. A look that tells me he’s annoyed with my commentary.

  “Sorry,” I say, reaching for his hand. “I didn’t mean anything.”

  Noah frowns. “It’s true. Up until recently, at least.”

  His parents exchange a look and I let go of Noah’s hand as he goes to refill his coffee cup.

  “Things been hard?” Tom asks the guys.

  Ethan nods, and when I take a harder look at him it seems like he didn’t sleep all night. He has circles under his eyes and runs a hand through disheveled hair. “We ended the Black Bull contract, which has been a big adjustment and then Mason’s injury. And then...” He looks at me but I shake my head to keep him quiet. I don’t know why, but I’m not ready for Noah’s parents to know about the pregnancy.

  However, Noah seems to miss this silent conversation since his back is to us as he pours coffee.

  “And then there is the big news.” Noah has a grin on his face.

  “News?” Tammi asks.

  I shoot Noah dagger eyes. He must get the message because he back peddles fast. “I mean, uh, the news is that Chloe is working for us full-time.”

  “Oh, that is wonderful,” Tammi says. “Gives you something to do besides lounge on the beach, Chloe.”

  Right, like grow a person inside my belly. You know, there is hardly anything on my mind besides getting a good tan.

  “You can handle all these guys’ schedules, Chloe?” Tom asks. “I bet it’s a big job to make sure they aren’t slacking. You whipping them into shape?”

  I smile, realizing I’m not interested in playing games. I notice that Leo is watching with interest, probably wondering himself how this is all going to go down.

  “You could say I’ve whipped them into shape, but it helps that we’re all in love. That we’re in a relationship, not just playing around. “

  Tammi practically spits out her coffee. “Say what?” she asks when she composes herself.

  I look around the kitchen, Enzo and Mason are beaming at me with big smiles, but Noah’s grin is the biggest. Even Ethan, who’s seemed so withdrawn the last few days, is smiling softly at me.

  In that moment, I realize something. They are proud of me.

  That I am theirs.

  And I am the reason they have held the information back in the past because they are shamelessly and fearlessly ready to tell the world that we are in this together.

  I blink back tears.

  I won’t tell Tammi that I’m pregnant. Not until I have a better idea of how I feel about it, but I won’t tiptoe. This is who I am. I am not ashamed.

  And for the first time in forever, I don’t feel like this admission is me throwing myself into a free fall. Maybe because right now I know there are men who will catch me.

  My men.

  I’m not alone.

  I take a deep breath and look up, seeing Tammi and Tom staring at us with complete shock.

  Good, I think as I reach for Noah’s hand and lace my fingers through his, while at the same time Mason wraps an arm around my waist.

  I don’t owe anyone a damn thing.

  This is my life, my love story. And I won’t let Tammi steal it from me.

  I won’t let anyone.

  And maybe I don’t know how to be a mother, but I didn’t know how to make this relationship work at first either.

  But together, hand in hand, we figured it out.

  And maybe we can figure this next part out too.

  Hand in hand.

  Chapter 52

  ETHAN

  I watch Chloe leave, after her dramatic confession to Noah’s parents. She said her piece and headed outside to breathe, said she was going to take a walk on the beach before meeting her new friend Harlow.

  Her words left Tom and Tammi reeling and maybe I’d say I felt bad that they were blindsided, but I’m not. I’m mostly worried about Chloe.

  Well, her and the baby and us and me and whatever the fuck is going to happen next.

  Not to mention the massive competition being held on this beach tomorrow.

  It’s our first time showing the world who we are without the backing of a sponsor, and I’m anxious for the guys. Ready and prepared, but still I’d be fucking insane to say I wasn’t a little nervous for the event.

  Especially considering what I know I have to do. I won’t be there tomorrow with everyone else.

  Chloe needs us all to end the day in one piece. Hell, she’s having a kid.

  Our kid.

  It’s all too much. More than I am ready for, that is for damn sure.

  I can’t do this anymore.

  “So, all four of you are what? In a polyandrous relationship?” Tammi asks, hands on her hips. She has known us since we were teenagers, but I am not responsible for filling her in on what is happening in Waikiki. I love her like a second mom, but there is only one woman who I am loyal to anymore.

  A woman I know I’m going to let down.

  I run after her.

  “Chloe,” I call out. She turns, her blond hair whipping in the wind, the sun bright behind her. She looks like paradise.

  “Hey,” she says, turning to me. “You decided to leave that shit show I started?”

  “Damn, woman, you didn’t pull any punches did you?” I pull her to me, our bare feet sinking in the sand as white waves curl around our toes.

  “I’m too tired, Ethan,” she says, wrapping her arms around my neck.

  “I know,” I tell her, kissing her ear. Her cheek, her lips.

  She moves against me, her body piqued and needy, I feel her desire as she holds the belt loops on my shorts, as she pulls my groin against her core, feeling my hardness.

  “I need more of you, Ethan,” she whispers.

  “Not now, Chloe,” I tell her, wanting all of her so damn badly but also knowing it wouldn’t be right. Not when I know what I plan on saying.

  “You’re killing me, E,” she says, licking her lips.

  “I know, but we’re on a public beach and there are kids around,” I say, trying to lighten the mood. But Chloe just pulls herself tighter against me, her vulnerability spilling over as she clings to me.

  “Is it always going to be like this?” she asks.

  “You mean waiting for the moment where we all feel comfortable in our own skin?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I think so,” I tell her. “I don’t think there’s a damn soul who has
their shit figured out.”

  “But I’m having a baby, Ethan. I can’t be a mess for it. I need to ... you know, know who I am.”

  “You seemed to know plenty back in the kitchen when you gave Tammi and Tom a piece of your mind.”

  She looks up at me. “You don’t want this, do you?”

  I clench my jaw, my heart pounding in fear. I don’t want to hurt her … but I’m not ready to be the man she needs. I’m not fucking enough.

  I look down at her, and try to let her down gently, so she can fly without me holding her back, “I don’t want to let you down.”

  “I get it, Ethan. If anyone does, I do. I don’t want to let anyone down either, especially this baby. But I just keep thinking ... remembering how alone I felt as a little girl ... and Ethan, what if I mess it all up?”

  “Mason and Enzo and Noah won’t let you mess it all up.”

  “And you?” she asks, her eyes flashing with fear. “Where will you be?”

  I blink back the truth, scared to show her my eyes, knowing she will see too much truth there.

  “Ethan, what aren’t you saying?”

  I step away from her. “I’m saying I can’t do this Chloe. I can’t fucking be the man you need.”

  She shakes her head. “Shut up, Ethan. Don’t say that.” Her chin trembles and I want more than anything to hold her cheek in my palm and steady her but what happens when I lose my balance and we both fall?

  She needs more than me.

  She needs the men who can make promises they know how to keep.

  Me? I don’t know the first fucking thing about forever.

  “I’m sorry, Chloe. You deserve better. You deserve more.”

  She reaches for me, her eyes wild, tears on her cheeks. “No, Ethan. You promised me your heart.”

  “You still have it. You always will. But Chloe, I’m not the man for you.”