There’s a cat kneading my thigh. I pet his sleek black head, and am rewarded with his rumbling purr. “I fed you already, Sable,” I remind him.
He head butts me, purring louder, like a compact engine with paws – which are still making biscuits on my leg. “Where’s your brother?” I ask him.
The answer is a plaintive meow. “I haven’t seen him,” I say. We talk to the cats all the time, which seems only appropriate since they’re always talking to us. “Is he upstairs?”
There are cat trees in several rooms, upstairs and down, but our pets also feel that every other surface in the house is theirs to lie on if they choose. They’re especially fond of our bed, so we have to usher them out before we start our private playtime. As Thorn put it, “I do not want to be in the middle of something and feel a cat’s claws in my naked ass.”
I smile, my usual response when thinking about my men. I can’t believe it’s been a year since they brought me back to Las Vegas, and almost a year since we all moved in together. So much has happened, and sometimes I still think I’m going to wake up and find out it’s all been a wonderful dream.
Until one of them touches me, or kisses me, and I know my living daydream is very real.
As if on cue, my phone rings. I look at the screen and answer with, “Hey, babe.”
“How’s my girl?” Kai says, and I can hear the answering smile in his voice. He’s really mellowed in the past year, in a way I hadn’t thought possible. He still gets impatient sometimes, but he also has a lot of moments when he’s almost serene.
He told me it’s because of me – that he spent a lot of years angry and hurting because I wasn’t with him, and now that we’re in a secure, committed relationship, a lot of his pain has just ebbed away. Which was very moving … but later, when I was alone, I cried for those lost years, and wished I could have come back sooner.
I think things happened when they were supposed to, but sometimes I can’t help wishing that “supposed to” would have arrived earlier than it did.
“When are you going to be home?” I ask him. I’ve only been at the house a few minutes myself. Normally, I’d be at work, but my birthday is in a couple of weeks, and my men have been turning the whole month into a celebration, making every day special with treats and surprises and little gifts.
They took me on a weeklong trip to New Zealand, and thanks to some scheduling issues with our flight home, they dropped me at work this morning straight from the airport. Then Thorn informed me that I was under strict orders to come home early, so I did.
Despite my compliance, it’s just me and the cats here. I can’t help wondering what my guys are up to. Maybe they have something planned for tonight, and wanted me to rest up.
But Kai says, “We’ll be home in a few minutes, babe. Just relax, put your feet up, whatever.”
“I’m reading your latest book and petting Sable,” I inform him.
He laughs. “Perfect. Do that. See you soon.”
I put the phone down and lie back on the sofa, which Sable takes as his cue to stretch out on my chest, still purring. The first person who figures out how to bottle the health benefits of cat purrs will make a fortune.
I find my place in the book and get back into the story. Gage and Kai decided to return to one of their first loves and start creating graphic novels again. They plotted out the first six volumes, based on our childhood adventures, and their years of friendship and collaboration enabled them to work at lightning speed.
The first four volumes have been published, and several movie studios and tv networks are interested in acquiring the rights. The men have promised me they won’t sign a deal unless they’re confident that the adaptation will honor the spirit of their work.
They asked me and Thorn about our memories, and all of us filled in details about things that happened. It’s very strange seeing myself depicted on the page—a mix of touching, gratifying, and surreal.
A few moments later, I hear the front door open, and Kai’s with me. He bends down to kiss me, then pets Sable, who arches and mews in approval. I expect him to join me on the couch, but instead, he tugs me to my feet.
“Come on out in the back yard.”
“The back yard? Why?” Kai doesn’t answer, just takes my hand and leads me to the sliding glass doors to the patio. “What are you three up to?” I demand, but my only answer is the smile playing around his lips.
I try to imagine what kind of surprise they could have back there. Besides the patio, the rest of the yard is xeriscaped for ease of care and low water usage. We sometimes hang out there in the evenings if the weather’s mild enough, and occasionally have a barbecue.
“Close your eyes,” Kai says, and I do, immediately. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my men, and I trust them absolutely. He opens the sliding doors and takes both my hands to lead me carefully out onto the patio, then escorts me to what I know is the very edge of it. “Okay, open.”
I do, and suck in a shocked breath.
The back yard has been transformed into an oasis. Water runs down an incline to a pool, big enough to swim in, then out the other end, winding among the native plants.
“This is incredible,” I whisper.
“It’s all designed to be eco friendly,” Gage says, and I turn to see him standing there with Thorn. They must have been back here already, waiting for me. “It incorporates all the latest technology and techniques to keep the water clean without a lot of chemicals, reduce evaporation and energy usage, all that.”
“It’s amazing.” I peer at the central section, which is deeper and tiled, like a normal pool. “Can we really swim in it?”
“We can,” Thorn says, as proudly as if he installed it himself. I’m sure all three of them had a hand in planning it. They must have scheduled all the work ages ago, so it could be done while we were on our vacation.
“I’ll want to be out here every day.”
“You can be,” Kai assures me. “There are solar covers that will help keep the water warm when it’s cool, and also cooler when it gets really hot.”
“I love it. Thank you so much.” I throw my arms wide, and they all come in for a group hug before I give them each a kiss.
“Ready to eat?” Thorn asks.
“I’m starving. But first, I have something for all of you.”
“The birthday girl isn’t supposed to give out presents,” Gage protests as the men follow me back inside.
“The birthday girl gets to do what she wants,” I retort, then wave them to the couch. “Wait there.”
I scurry into my craft room. I used to knit, and decided to take it up again this past year, so my men obligingly made space for all my skeins of yarn and other supplies. I dig around in a basket and pull out what I’ve hidden there.
The men are waiting with mixtures of puzzlement, curiosity, and anticipation on their faces. Domino has come out from wherever he was, and both cats are sitting there expectantly as well. It’s so cute that I have to stop and grab my phone off a side table so I can take a picture of them all.
Then I step forward and hand each of my men a small package. They tear them open without preamble, then stare blankly at the results.
“A tiny spoon,” Thorn says slowly. “To make tiny meals?”
“Sort of,” I say, butterflies dancing every which way inside me.
It’s Gage whose head rockets up, his eyes snapping to mine. He doesn’t say a word, but the smile spreading across my face answers his unspoken question.
It still takes him a moment, and a cleared throat, before he can voice the words. “You’re pregnant?”
Now Kai and Thorn are staring at me with big eyes. I beam at them. “About six weeks along.”
There’s another split second of shock before they all leap up off the sofa and wrap me in their arms. “Careful, don’t jostle her,” Kai says.
I laugh. “I’m fine. The baby’s about the size of a pea.”
The joy on their faces is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
One year later
I’m sitting on the patio out back, reading a book, with the baby next to me in a bassinet. The sliding door opens, and Thorn emerges. “How’s our princess?” he asks.
“Sound asleep.” I hold out a hand, and he takes a seat beside me.
Life has gone from wonderful to glorious. I took the first three months off after Lily was born, and now I’m working a flexible schedule. Thorn has also reduced his hours. He wrote his first cookbook while I was pregnant, and has several more planned.
Kai has a manager for his art gallery, but plays an active role in searching out artists to feature. Kai and Gage still do some tattoo work along with their graphic novels, and provide judging for one or two tattoo shows a year. We were watching one of them a couple of weeks ago, and one of the contestants got very emotional after their design was found wanting.
“Do you get a bonus if you make them cry?” I teased Kai.
“It wasn’t me!” he protested. “That’s just creative editing.”
He’s practically a teddy bear these days. All three of my men absolutely adore their daughter, and I know she is going to be the most cherished little girl in the world as she grows up. We already know we want more children, though we’ll give Lily a bit of time as the only child before we present her with a sibling.
The sliding door opens again, and Gage and Kai practically tiptoe out to join us, gazing down at Lily with beatific expressions before they ease onto the sectional where Thorn and I are lounging.
My phone rings, and I check the screen. “It’s my dad.”
Thanks to my stepmother, Belinda, my father has come a long way in his attitudes since I first came back to Vegas. She encouraged him to mend fences with me even before I told them about the baby, and he’s besotted with Lily.
All the grandparents are. The Sanchezes have made it clear that they’re available to babysit at a moment’s notice, my mom has been out to visit twice already, and Gage’s family came out from California to meet her. My little girl will never lack for family to love her and be there for her.
After I’m done talking to my dad, I look over at Thorn, who’s got what I call his invisible chef’s hat on while he gazes at our daughter. “You’re going to start your own line of baby food, aren’t you?” I tease.
He smiles. “Plenty of people are doing that already, but once she can eat solid food, I might whip up a few special meals for her.”
“‘Might,’” Gage repeats with a snort.
“‘A few,’” Kai says, and the two of them dissolve in laughter.
Thorn just grins. He’s not the least bit embarrassed about food being his love language.
As for me, I am one hundred percent the luckiest woman alive.
***
© Stephanie Brother 2023
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READ AVA’S STORY IN SINFUL BEASTS
Being wrong has never felt so right. But my journey from innocence to ecstasy comes at a price …
Growing up, I spent a lot of time in church learning how to be a good girl.
But now I’m an adult, and lately, it seems all my thoughts are sinful. Especially my thoughts about three gorgeous, huge, forbidden men.
