Rose
“Are you sure you’re up for this?” Zipper asks as he watches me put my earrings on. “I can tell everyone to go home as soon as they get here if you need to rest.”
“I’m fine!” I can’t help but laugh at his overprotectiveness. “This pregnancy is completely different than the first one. I have plenty of energy. I think you saw evidence of that in bed last night.”
His fingers curl around my waist, gripping me gently yet possessively. “Yeah, I guess I did.”
“Besides, what would we do with all of the food Hutch and Christian made?”
Zipper rubs his belly with his free hand. “I can take care of the brownies and the cookies.” Despite this gesture and the amount of sweets he consumes, he is not yet rocking a dad bod. His abs are as lean and firm as they were when I first met him four years ago.
“I think we have plenty for you and all of the guests.” I stretch to give him a kiss, and just as we’re separating, Ryleigh races in.
“Mommy! Daddy Zipp! Grandma and Grandpa Hutch just pulled in!” Our daughter does a happy dance around the room, spinning in circles while holding the hem of her party dress in both hands, before she races back out of the room, nearly bumping into Mace, who was following her. “Daddy Mace, let’s go!”
Mace gives us an amused smile before he turns to trail after her.
“Guess the party’s starting,” Zipper says, not sounding excited in the least.
“Everyone wanted to see the house. Isn’t it better that we get it all over with in one day, rather than having everyone come separately?”
“I guess so, but I’m going to be watching you to make sure you don’t wear yourself out.”
“I’m fine. I promise.” I peck his cheek, take his hand, and lead him out of the bedroom. He’s certainly concerned about me, of course, but he’s also dreading all of the socializing that today’s going to require. I’m sure he’d prefer to play with Ryleigh rather than make small talk, but she’ll be busy playing with the other kids at the party, and all of her grandparents.
The light is still on in her bedroom, so I make a quick detour to turn it off. Next door, there’s an empty room waiting to be turned into a nursery for our next child, who’s due in four months. That gives us plenty of time to paint and decorate, especially when I have four men eager to make themselves useful.
There’ve been a lot of projects to do around the house, though, most of them done by outside installers and overseen by my men. I never knew how much work went into turning a brand new house into a home, but the landscaping is in now, and the rooms are mostly decorated, so we decided it was a good time to hold a big housewarming party.
By the time Zipper and I go outside to greet Hutch’s parents, Mace’s and Christian’s parents are also here. Ryleigh is getting hug after hug, and when I walk up, I’m treated to some of the same loving treatment, especially from the grandmas.
A grandchild goes a long way toward bringing a family together, but even before Ryleigh was born, Hutch’s and Mace’s mothers invited me to call them mom. Christian’s and Zipper’s mothers are less demonstrative, but no less kind. Even though we don’t see the grandparents often due to distance, they make their care and support clear across the miles, and Ryleigh and I couldn’t be luckier to have them.
When I’m released from the last embrace, I turn to find that Zipper’s mom has joined us, and is crouching down to receive a big hug from Ryleigh.
“You look beautiful,” Christian says in a low tone right near my ear as he puts his arm around me.
“And you look very handsome.” I give him a teasing smile as I look pointedly at the chef’s apron he’s wearing, with its silly “Daddio of the Patio” emblem. Ryleigh and I gave one to both him and Hutch on Father’s Day, along with a set of fancy tools for the new barbecue grill.
“Why, thank you.” Christian gives me a quick kiss on the lips before he’s pulled into conversation with Mace and his parents.
“It was such a good idea to have family arrive early,” I tell Hutch, who has appeared at my other side.
“Yeah, I thought Ryleigh might be overwhelmed if everyone came at the same time.”
“Such a clever daddy.” I give his arm a squeeze as I grin up at him, sunlight illuminating the tips of his short hair.
“Such a sexy mommy,” he whispers in my ear before kissing my cheek.
“Patrick’s here,” Mace announces, stepping around the side of our small crowd to meet my brother and his family. Nancy is now his wife, and their two-year-old daughter, Clara, is Ryleigh’s best friend.
Patrick’s carrying a large casserole dish, which Mace takes from him as he greets them. Patrick is friendly with all of my men these days, and the five of them occasionally do things together, but he and Mace have the closest bond, maybe because they’re nearest in age.
Mace recently confided in me that Patrick is considering getting a tattoo, and I laughed for a solid minute at the thought of what lovely and surprising changes life can bring.
As Nancy’s giving me a hug, Hutch speaks up above the multiple conversations. “Who’s ready for a tour?”
Patrick and Nancy have already been over a few times, so they stay outside with me while Hutch and Christian lead the grandparents into the house. Ryleigh is torn between staying with Clara or following her grandparents, and eventually she comes to the perfect solution, taking Clara’s hand. “Let’s follow my Daddy Hutch,” she tells her cousin.
“Don’t go too fast,” I call after Ryleigh. She’s so full of excitement, Clara might not be able to keep up.
“They’re going to love your house,” Nancy says. “It’s so beautiful.”
“Aww, thank you. We’re still getting settled, but I love it.” I never imagined living in such a big house. There are so many bedrooms, and a lot of room to grow. I think the men, who didn’t think they ever wanted children, now want a big family, and I’m all for it. They’re such active dads that they make things easy, and they always make sure I get plenty of sleep.
“And this view,” Nancy says, looking out toward the ocean. “Beautiful!”
It really is stunning. We considered buying a beach house, but ended up choosing a lot on a hill because the view truly was unbeatable. This area also offered the opportunity for a bigger yard, and more room for Ryleigh and her future siblings to play. When we want to take a walk on the beach, we don’t have far to go.
I tour around the yard with Nancy and Patrick for a few minutes, showing them some of the new plants and trees that were recently put in, before I excuse myself to go check on Ryleigh and Clara.
My mother’s intuition must be in effect, because as soon as I go upstairs, my daughter comes running toward me. “Mommy, I need to go potty,” she says in a loud whisper.
“Okay, you know what to do. I’ll stay nearby in case you need help.” I follow her to the bathroom that’s set up for her and hover inside the door as Ryleigh does what she needs to do. She sings a little song Daddy Christian taught her while she washes her hands, and then she’s eager to return to the fun.
The house is quiet, so I assume the tour has finished. When I get a view of the backyard, I see that the crowd of party attendees has tripled or maybe quadrupled. Ryleigh stays by my side as we head back outside, until she spots Clara again, and then she goes running.
As I’m debating who to approach first, Hutch reappears. “You’re missing the Club Red reunion,” he says.
“What’s that?”
He takes my hand and leads me over to the largest gathering in the yard. I spot my former boss Brittany’s vibrant red hair first. She’s closely surrounded by four men who are gazing adoringly at her as she talks to the group. Duke is nearby, his arm draped around the shoulders of a woman named Autumn, who I met once at Club Red, when she stopped by to see him.
I knew Brittany was in a poly relationship, but there are three other men standing next to Autumn, one of them with his hand on her hip, so maybe Duke is, too?
“Rose! How are you?” I’m nearly tackled by Callie, who pulls me into a big hug. “Juliana is great,” she says, reaching out for my replacement, who’s standing nearby, “but I still miss you at the club!”
“I miss you, too. We should get together more often.”
“When you’re not busy being wifed up and making babies,” she teases, glancing down at my rounded belly.
“I’ll always have time for you.”
Juliana steps up to hug me, too, and when we separate, Brittany is there. “Rose, it’s so nice to see you.”
We catch up for a minute, and she reintroduces me to her men, Colin, Owen, Jordan, and Zane, who all used to be dancers at Club Red.
“Thanks for letting me bring my sister, too,” Brittany says, stepping back to make room for another woman. “This is Lorraine.” An attractive older woman with strawberry blonde hair greets me. “Would you believe her partners used to perform at Club Red, too?” Brittany asks.
It’s then that I notice four attractive men standing behind Lorraine, including a gorgeous set of identical twins. “It’s so nice to meet you all,” I say, as I’m introduced to Leo, Troy, Dante, and Darian.
It’s amazing that I never got involved with any of the dancers, since Club Red seems to be responsible for more connections than a dating app, but I never had eyes for anyone after I met the brothers in ink.
Speaking of my gorgeous men, the other three have joined Hutch next to me as I was chatting with Brittany and Lorraine. Christian and Mace are talking with Duke, and Brittany draws Autumn into our conversation. “You two have something in common,” Brittany says, looking between me and the beautiful blonde woman.
“We do? What’s that?” I ask.
“I’m expecting a baby,” Autumn says with a shy smile. “My first.”
“Congratulations! How exciting!” She and I talk for a while about how she’s feeling and when she’s due, and when Ryleigh and Clara run up, followed by Grandma Hutch, I make plans to invite Autumn over again soon to talk about mommy things, since she seems a bit nervous about her pregnancy and what’s to come.
“I’ll be looking forward to it,” Autumn says, as one of the other men she’s here with slides his arm around her waist.
I’ve gotten over feeling odd about being in a relationship with four men. I used to worry that people were looking at us funny when we went out together, but I stopped caring long ago. Still, it’s exciting to be here with these other lucky women who’ve found love with more than one man.
“Is everyone hungry?” I ask the group. “I’d better go check on the food.”
“Everything’s ready,” Christian says. “Come and get something to eat.”
Hutch and Christian have outdone themselves with burgers, chicken, hot dogs, corn on the cob, and numerous side salads. Happy that I’m eating for two, I load my plate full and head to the table where Mace is sitting with Ryleigh, cutting a hot dog into small pieces for her.
“Mommy!” our daughter squeals at the sight of me, and my chest swells with joy. The warm smile Mace gives me makes my heart grow even bigger.
“Have a seat, Mommy,” Mace says, scooting over to make room.
Zipper joins us next, and after a couple of minutes, Hutch and Christian come over, too.
“Everything is so good,” I tell them after I swallow a bite of pasta salad.
“Everything is absolutely perfect,” Hutch says, leaning down to kiss my cheek before he sits on the other side of Ryleigh. He’s not talking about the food, and he’s certainly right.
I’m with the four men I love, we have a wonderful daughter and a baby on the way, and we’re surrounded by our closest friends and family. Everything is absolutely perfect.
©2023 Stephanie Brother
