CARL
It’s not like me to be nervous about a party, but as we prepare our house for the arrival of over a hundred people, my chest fills with a strange ache, and my jaw grits with tension.
Today is a big day for all of us, and I can tell that Kyla is nervous too. She’s fluttering around the house like a butterfly who can’t find the right flower, never settling for more than a couple of seconds before flitting off again. She has her hair in curlers and is wearing a white satin robe that hugs all her curves, and not for the first time, I wish we’d just gone with my idea of a weekend away to celebrate our engagement rather than inviting all our friends and family here.
I know it sounds strange to want privacy for a relationship when it already includes eight people. Privacy is something that I only get in the bathroom these days, but I’m cool with that. Since we moved in together, I’ve become accustomed to being surrounded by my best friends and our beautiful woman.
But this is different. This is exposing our relationship and way of life to a load of people who were mostly shocked and occasionally horrified about our love lives and living arrangements. We might be living in so-called modern times, but reverse harem relationships aren’t exactly common. It’s taken a lot of explaining and the passing of some time to prove that we haven’t been dragged into a sinister cult or brainwashed into a deviant relationship.
When I told my brother, he asked me if Kyla was the only one I was in a relationship with. He just didn’t seem to understand why I’d want to live with my friends and share one girl. He thought there must be more to it.
There isn’t, but if there was, it’d be none of anyone else’s business. FFS! I don’t go asking people in my family about their sex lives! They could be into dungeons and dildos, for all I know. When I turned the tables, there were red faces and absolutely no disclosure. I don’t want to know what my parents and sibling get up to in their private moments
My dad still hasn’t accepted it, but he knows that I don’t mess around when it comes to life. I’m decisive, and I stick to my decisions. Becoming strong was the only way I could survive his domineering ways.
From the moment I accepted Nash’s idea, I knew that Kyla was the girl for us. That was it. Through thick and thin, we’re walking the path of our lives together. No deviation and no interference. Anyone who gets in our way will be swiftly pushed out of it.
That’s what this is partly about today. We’re delivering the message that we’re together, and I’ll be watching who’s happy for us and who isn’t.
Maybe Kyla’s right. Maybe gathering everyone here today will finally put to bed all of the whisperings and doubting. Maybe, seeing us all pledge our commitment to each other will help our nearest and dearest take us seriously.
I hope it will because I’m not prepared to keep answering the same intrusive questions for the rest of my life.
“Hey,” Kyla says, resting her hand on my arm. “You okay?” She blinks her warm brown eyes, and her concern wraps around my restless heart like a soft blanket.
“I love you,” I whisper, reaching out to cup her round cheeks in my giant palms. Pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead, I breathe in the unique scent of her skin that always trips a switch in my brain. Mine, it says.
And she is, even though I share her.
“It’ll be over soon,” she says. “Just don’t wear your molars before tonight.”
I snort, rubbing the tight muscle at the side of my face, and shake my head. “Why does family always end feeling like it’s sucking the life out of you?”
“Have you met my mother?” Kyla asks, glancing over her shoulder to make sure no one is listening. “I swear she’s going to make this day all about her.”
“Not if I have anything to do with it?” I tell her. “I’ve arranged for my Uncle Rick to mom-sit her. He knows to keep her as far away from you as possible until later in the day. He has strict instructions to do whatever it takes.”
Kyla grins, tipping her head to one side and shaking it. “If I didn’t already love you more than life itself, you would have just earned a level-up in my affections.”
I dip my head so that my mouth is almost touching the sweet shell of her ear. “Did I earn a blow job at least?”
“You don’t need to earn those,” she says. “They’re my pleasure.”
Shit. Kyla licks her lips like the hungry, perfect woman she is, and my dick is rock hard in a second. “Keep talking like that, and I’m going to have to take you over my knee,” I growl.
“Promises, promises,” she says, resting her hand over my heart. “Anyway, I need to get myself ready before anyone arrives. I’ll see you later, okay.”
I kiss her lips quickly and gently swat her perfect juicy ass as she makes her retreat. The squeak of shock she gives in response finishes me off. If I didn’t have fifty more chairs to set out in the yard, I’d go jerk off just to rid myself of the heat between my legs.
My girl better be ready for a serious fucking later. I’m going to have a whole load of tension to work out on her.
In the yard, Noah and Niall are talking to the florist who’s setting up some floral displays. It’s starting to feel more like a wedding, but if that’s what Kyla wants, then that’s what Kyla gets.
“Where’s the DJ?” I ask. “Isn’t he here yet?”
Noah shakes his head. “He called to say he’s on his way, though.”
“And the caterer?”
“It’s all under control. Just deal with the chairs, and you can go and shower. You look like you need it.” Noah grins and raises his eyebrows at the sweat currently slicking my shirt in a line down the center of my chest.
“Says the man I saw wiping his face on his shirt earlier.”
“We all stink,” Noah says. “Thank goodness this place has so many bathrooms.”
Right on cue, Dex appears on the deck, freshly showered, wearing a blue button-down shirt, open at the collar, and some navy tailored pants. He unbuttons the shirt’s cuffs and begins to roll up the sleeves in response to the heat. “I’m ready,” he says. “I thought at least one of us should be prepared to greet the guests. You know that someone’s going to be early.”
Right on cue, a woman’s voice calls ‘hello,’ and Kyla’s mom appears through the gate at the side of the house. “There you are,” she says, beaming.
Shit, she’s early, and Uncle Rick isn’t here yet.
“You’re on mom duty,” I hiss at Dex. “Whatever you do, don’t let her go up to Kyla’s room. I promised our girl she’d have some alone time before everyone arrives.”
“I’ve got it,” Dex says, heading into Cathy’s perfumed embrace.
It’s not that Kyla’s mom is a bad person as such. She obviously loves her daughter, and she’s welcomed all eight of us like the sons she never had. It’s just that she always seems to find the exact thing to say to make Kyla feel insecure. Whether it’s on purpose or not, I haven’t been able to work out. I just hate to see Kyla lower her eyes and sag her shoulders because her mom cuts her off mid-sentence or asks her if her hairdresser has been on vacation.
“Help me with the chairs,” I tell Noah. “I want to get this done so I can keep an eye on Kyla.”
Noah nods, watching as Dex shepherds Cathy into the kitchen under the guise of needing her help with something.
We place ten chairs around each table, and when we’re done, we both head upstairs.
A little later, when most of the guests have arrived and the caterer has almost finished setting up the buffet table, I rest my hand on the shoulder of the DJ and ask him to lower the music. Taking a glass, I tap it gently with a knife, wanting to draw the attention of the crowd. I scan the yar to find Kyla talking to Dawn, glowing in her gorgeous pink cocktail dress. When her eyes meet mine, her expression is questioning.
“I know that speeches aren’t a thing at engagement parties, and I haven’t prepared anything formal. But today is a big day for us all, and there are a few things I want to say.”
Pausing, I find a sea of smiling faces and the odd surprised expression from Lex and Nash. I didn’t tell them my plan to speak, so they must be curious about what’s coming.
“Have you ever met someone and felt the world shift on its axis?” I ask. “Because that’s how I felt when Kyla walked in the door of our tattoo shop. At that moment, I didn’t know I was going to fall in love with her. I didn’t know that the girl in the fluffy blue sweater with the messy ponytail and a slouchy brown purse was going to change my life and the lives of every man at Ink Factor. I just had a feeling that she was going to change things for the better, and she has.
“I know that the love we share isn’t the standard. I know that some of you have thought that we’re crazy to even embark on a relationship this big, but I want you to know that we’re not. Kyla is everything we need. We might not all be able to marry her like we’d want to, but today, we’re all pledging our lives to her. Whatever she needs, we’ll be around to give to her.
Someone in the gathering starts clapping, and I find Luna, who’s at a table surrounded by her harem, smiling and encouraging. Dawn joins her, and then the rest of our family and friends join in. Noah reaches Kyla through the crowd and takes her hand, leading her closer to where the rest of the boys are gathering next to me. As the clapping quietens, I continue.
“Kyla, you’re our world. Without you, we’d be like pictures without a story.”
She places her hand over the tattoo I marked onto her skin, recalling the inky representation of our relationship. It’s a mark she treasures.
“To Kyla,” I raise my drink high, and everybody joins in making the toast.
The blush on her cheeks is so adorable, and she wraps her arms around me, resting her cheek against my heart. I hold her close, knowing that she’ll release me to hug the rest of them, knowing my time with her is always going to be shared, and feeling happy for it.
When Kyla came to Ink Factor to get a job, she wasn’t sure of herself. Not only has she proven that she is an invaluable part of our business, but she’s also become a central part of our lives. More importantly, in the process, she’s grown into her own skin.
There are whoops, and cheers from everyone, and then the DJ instructs two tables to head to the buffet, and the moment is over.
But I know that I’ll remember it for the rest of my life.
Later, when everyone has left except Dawn, we slump on the couches in our den, exhausted from a great day.
“Your Uncle Rick was a machine today,” Dawn laughs. “I swear, Cathy kept opening her mouth to drop her usual bomb comments, and he dived in to divert them every time.”
“He was well briefed,” I say, throwing an arm around Kyla’s shoulder as she rests her feet on the low pale wood table.
“He deserves a medal,” she laughs. “Or maybe two cases of beer and a pack of steaks.”
“I know which he’d prefer,” Noah says.
“So, we did it.” Nash gazes around the room as though he’s observing something totally new. We’ve been kicking back in this space for months, but there is definitely a difference about today. Before, we were building toward something. Now it feels as though we might have arrived, at least on the ladder’s first rung.
“You did it,” Dawn says happily. “And while we’re talking about doing things…” She trails off with a teasing grin, and Kyla springs forward in her seat like a released jack-in-a-box.
“What?”
“I’ve decided to go traveling.”
“Traveling?” Kyla’s voice has the high-pitched tone she gets when she’s panicking about things changing. I rest my hand on her knee, hoping it will keep her grounded.
“After Brent, I just need some time to get my head together. It’s been a while since I did anything crazy. I have a whole list of crazy things I want to do.”
Dawn broke up with her boyfriend a couple of weeks ago, and Kyla has been worrying about her ever since.
“Like what,” Dex asks, staring at her with wide eyes. We’re all aware that Dawn was instrumental in pushing Kyla out of her comfort zone and into our bed and arms. If Dawn is talking about crazy, no one can doubt her intentions.
“Bungee jumping, sky diving, maybe gathering my own harem of men.”
“Why the fuck not,” Noah says. “Why should Kyla be the only one having the fun.”
“Exactly,” Dawn says. “I’m starting in Australia. I’m sure there’ll be more than a few gorgeous surfer-dudes I can tempt into my lair.”
“Australia!” Kyla squeaks. “But that’s so far.”
“The world is my oyster, babe,” Dawn smiles, but as she gazes at her friend, her eyes soften in concern. “I promise I’ll call every day so you don’t miss out on a thing.”
“I want photos, too,” Kyla says.
“That I can do, and maybe you can come and join me for a week?” Dawn’s eyes scan the room for a reaction, maybe expecting us to be discouraging of Kyla’s freedom. There are many men in the world who don’t want to let their girl out of their sight, but we aren’t like that.
“You should definitely do that,” Lex says.
“I’m jealous,” Niall says. “I’ve always wanted to go to Australia.”
“Well, why not?” Dawn asks.
“The business,” Kole reminds.
“The business can take a short temporary closure,” I say, garnering shocked expressions from the room. “What?” I shrug. “What the hell are we working for if we can’t take some time out to enjoy ourselves.”
“Whoop whoop,” Dawn shouts, leaping into the air and clapping her hands with frantic exuberance. “I can’t believe it. Are you serious?”
“Deadly,” I say, with all the accompanying seriousness the moment requires.
“How many men do you want in your harem?” Kase asks, reaching out to lift his coffee mug from the table.
“They say three’s a charm,” Lex says.
“Eight looks pretty damn charming to me,” Dawn says. “But I’m not going to run before I can walk.”
“What are you talking about,” Kyla says. “You’re the one who pushed me to sprint from a standing position.”
“You won’t be happy unless it’s nine, will you?” Dawn snorts.
“You’ll be on cloud 9,” Noah says, and we all groan.
Knowing Dawn, she’ll end up going one better than Kyla. She has YOLO tattooed on her ass, after all.
The future is yet to be written, but I know for sure it’s going to be fun, so long as we’re together.
(c) Stephanie Brother 2022
