“We can’t help it, we like trying to be the best and outnumber everybody,” Holland said.
“Well, it’s super easy when you already have one more person than every couple in there. I don’t know how you ended up with two men while I have none.”
Holland started walking up with Bristol, both of them talking about who Bristol needed to start dating and the fact that her love life was completely boring.
“Is Holland going to start setting Bristol up with people?” Lincoln asked as he and Ethan made their way into the house.
“I don’t know, man. I always thought she’d fall for her best friend like I did.”
Lincoln leaned down and pressed a kiss to Ethan’s lips before looking up to watch Marcus scowling at Bristol.
She scowled right back and stomped on his foot as she passed. Lincoln’s brows rose.
Okay, that was interesting.
“Happy Birthday, Mom,” Ethan said, leaning down to kiss his mother on the cheek.
“Happy Birthday, Francine.”
“You need to start calling me Mom. So does Holland. I like being called Mom.”
“But I bet you want to be called Grandma more,” Aaron said, lifting his mother up from behind and twirling her around the room.
“Aaron Montgomery, you put me down right now,” she said, laughing.
Aaron smacked a kiss to his mother’s lips and then shot off before his dad hit him with his newspaper.
“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Francine said, fixing her dress. “That boy, though.”
“He loves you, just like we do. And you’ve always been Mrs. Montgomery to me. It took the past what? Two years for me to start calling you Francine without cringing?”
“You’ll get used to Mom.” She paused. “And if you’re ready, Grandma. I’d love to be called Grandma.” Her eyes twinkled, and everyone laughed. “I can’t help it. Of course, I call myself Grandmother to Jasper, the cutest dog ever.” She leaned down and kissed the top of the white Siberian Husky’s head. “Who’s my favorite grandpuppy? Who’s my favorite grandpuppy?” she sing-songed, and Lincoln snorted.
“Maybe we should get a cat,” he told Ethan.
“There’s that foster sale coming up. The one where all the foster parents bring their cats in and try to get them adopted out. We could look.”
“What are we doing?” Holland asked, coming up to them and taking the last package from Ethan’s hands.
Aaron ran by, stealing the present from her and running, and they all just rolled their eyes.
Aaron was insane, but they loved him.
“We were thinking about getting a cat,” Ethan said.
“Well, which house would he or she stay at?” Holland asked, her brows raised. “That’s a lot of cat hair, and even though I really, really want one, it wouldn’t be fair for him or her to keep moving from house to house.”
Everybody got really quiet, and Lincoln cleared his throat.
“Okay, we’ll talk about that when we get home.” A pause. “Let me figure out what that home is first.”
Francine started clapping her hands, as Holland blushed, and Ethan coughed into his fist. To disperse the awkwardness of the moment because he was pretty sure they were about to all move in together finally, he turned to Francine and handed over the very large, rectangular package. “This is for you.”
Her eyes widened, and she looked down at it. “What on Earth?”
“I know it’s not present time, but you should open it,” Ethan said, and Holland nodded.
“Please, Mrs. Montgomery.”
“I am Francine, Franny, or Mom. You decide.” She said the words, but she was looking down at the package, shaking her head.
“If this is what I think it is, young man, I’m going to hurt you.”
“Don’t hurt me, just open it.”
Timothy came and took the package from her, and they opened it together. Lincoln sucked in a breath as Francine started weeping over it.
It was their home. The place filled with love, heart, and all of the Montgomerys. He had painted it over time, with it all coming out in a whoosh at the end, with the shadows of the trees where they had all played, and individual long shadows for each of the Montgomery clan.
There were toys on the grass, actual replicas of what they had played with as children.
It was everything that Ethan, and later Lincoln, would come to call home.
The Montgomery home.
“It’s wonderful,” she whispered. “You did this for me?” she asked, looking over her shoulder.
“Of course. I wanted you to have a little bit of home.”
“And a Lincoln McClard original,” Aaron said.
“Pricey,” Bristol said. “Way to show us up.”
Francine waved them off and turned so she could reach up and pat his cheek.
“I love you, my son.”
“And I love you too, Mom.” She started crying, and he held her close as Ethan wrapped his arm around Holland. When Timothy took his wife, Lincoln went over to Holland’s side and gripped her hand while she leaned into Ethan.
He looked over at the people that were his family and smiled. He’d have to bring Madison over soon. He knew she needed this, too. She was working today, so she hadn’t been able to make it, but he’d force it the next time.
Because of the Montgomerys, Lincoln had found his home, and he’d found the love of his life.
The loves of his life.
Ethan had always been his rock, his compass, but Holland…she was their lighthouse, the one who illuminated where they needed to go. And he knew that, no matter what happened, he’d be between them, loving every single moment of it.
* * *
THE END
Next in the Montgomery Ink: Boulder series?
It’s Bristol’s turn in EMBRACED IN INK.
* * *
Want to read a special BONUS EPILOGUE featuring Ethan, Lincoln, & Holland? CLICK HERE!
A Note from Carrie Ann Ryan
Thank you so much for reading SATED IN INK. I do hope if you liked this story, that you would please leave a review! Reviews help authors and readers.
It’s been a couple years since I wrote a menage romance, and I knew I needed to go back to it in the Montgomery world. Writing so many relationships within a single relationship is complicated and SO worth it. I loved this book and this triad. Ethan, Lincoln, and Holland had their issues and I adored figuring them out and fixing it.
As for who is next? Bristol is finally getting what she deserves. Maybe. Possibly. Okay, hopefully. Just ask her best friend.
And if you’re new to my books, you can start anywhere within the my interconnected series and catch up! Each book is a stand alone, so jump around!
Don’t miss out on the Montgomery Ink World!
Montgomery Ink (The Denver Montgomerys)
Montgomery Ink: Colorado Springs (The Colorado Springs Montgomery Cousins)
Montgomery Ink: Boulder (The Boulder Montgomery Cousins)
Gallagher Brothers (Jake’s Brothers from Ink Enduring)
Whiskey and Lies (Tabby’s Brothers from Ink Exposed)
Fractured Connections (Mace’s sisters from Fallen Ink)
Less Than (Dimitri’s siblings from Restless Ink)
Promise Me (Arden’s siblings from Wrapped in Ink)
If you want to make sure you know what’s coming next from me, you can sign up for my newsletter at www.CarrieAnnRyan.com; follow me on twitter at @CarrieAnnRyan, or like my Facebook page. I also have a Facebook Fan Club where we have trivia, chats, and other goodies. You guys are the reason I get to do what I do and I thank you.
Make sure you’re signed up for my MAILING LIST so you can know when the next releases are available as well as find giveaways and FREE READS.
Happy Reading!
* * *
The Montgomery Ink: Boulder Series:
Book 1: Wrapped in Ink
Book 2: Sated in Ink
Book 3: Embraced in Ink
Book 4: Seduced in Ink
Book 4.5: Captured in Ink
* * *
Want to read a special BONUS EPILOGUE featuring Ethan, Lincoln, & Holland? CLICK HERE!
* * *
Want to keep up to date with the next Carrie Ann Ryan Release? Receive Text Alerts easily!
Text CARRIE to 210-741-8720
About the Author
Carrie Ann Ryan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary, paranormal, and young adult romance. Her works include the Montgomery Ink, Redwood Pack, Fractured Connections, and Elements of Five series, which have sold over 3.0 million books worldwide. She started writing while in graduate school for her advanced degree in chemistry and hasn’t stopped since. Carrie Ann has written over seventy-five novels and novellas with more in the works. When she’s not losing herself in her emotional and action-packed worlds, she’s reading as much as she can while wrangling her clowder of cats who have more followers than she does.
www.CarrieAnnRyan.com
Also from Carrie Ann Ryan
The Montgomery Ink: Boulder Series:
Book 1: Wrapped in Ink
Book 2: Sated in Ink
Book 3: Embraced in Ink
Book 4: Seduced in Ink
Book 4.5: Captured in Ink
* * *
The Montgomery Ink: Fort Collins Series:
Book 1: Inked Persuasion
* * *
The Less Than Series:
Book 1: Breathless With Her
Book 2: Reckless With You
Book 3: Shameless With Him
* * *
The Elements of Five Series:
Book 1: From Breath and Ruin
Book 2: From Flame and Ash
Book 3: From Spirit and Binding
* * *
The Promise Me Series:
Book 1: Forever Only Once
Book 2: From That Moment
Book 3: Far From Destined
Book 4: From Our First
* * *
The Fractured Connections Series:
Book 1: Breaking Without You
Book 2: Shouldn’t Have You
Book 3: Falling With You
Book 4: Taken With You
* * *
Montgomery Ink: Colorado Springs
Book 1: Fallen Ink
Book 2: Restless Ink
Book 2.5: Ashes to Ink
Book 3: Jagged Ink
Book 3.5: Ink by Numbers
* * *
Montgomery Ink:
Book 0.5: Ink Inspired
Book 0.6: Ink Reunited
Book 1: Delicate Ink
Book 1.5: Forever Ink
Book 2: Tempting Boundaries
Book 3: Harder than Words
Book 4: Written in Ink
Book 4.5: Hidden Ink
Book 5: Ink Enduring
Book 6: Ink Exposed
Book 6.5: Adoring Ink
Book 6.6: Love, Honor, & Ink
Book 7: Inked Expressions
Book 7.3: Dropout
Book 7.5: Executive Ink
Book 8: Inked Memories
Book 8.5: Inked Nights
Book 8.7: Second Chance Ink
* * *
The Gallagher Brothers Series:
Book 1: Love Restored
Book 2: Passion Restored
Book 3: Hope Restored
* * *
The Whiskey and Lies Series:
Book 1: Whiskey Secrets
Book 2: Whiskey Reveals
Book 3: Whiskey Undone
* * *
The Talon Pack:
Book 1: Tattered Loyalties
Book 2: An Alpha’s Choice
Book 3: Mated in Mist
Book 4: Wolf Betrayed
Book 5: Fractured Silence
Book 6: Destiny Disgraced
Book 7: Eternal Mourning
Book 8: Strength Enduring
Book 9: Forever Broken
* * *
Redwood Pack Series:
Book 1: An Alpha’s Path
Book 2: A Taste for a Mate
Book 3: Trinity Bound
Book 3.5: A Night Away
Book 4: Enforcer’s Redemption
Book 4.5: Blurred Expectations
Book 4.7: Forgiveness
Book 5: Shattered Emotions
Book 6: Hidden Destiny
Book 6.5: A Beta’s Haven
Book 7: Fighting Fate
Book 7.5: Loving the Omega
Book 7.7: The Hunted Heart
Book 8: Wicked Wolf
* * *
The Branded Pack Series:
(Written with Alexandra Ivy)
Book 1: Stolen and Forgiven
Book 2: Abandoned and Unseen
Book 3: Buried and Shadowed
* * *
Dante’s Circle Series:
Book 1: Dust of My Wings
Book 2: Her Warriors’ Three Wishes
Book 3: An Unlucky Moon
Book 3.5: His Choice
Book 4: Tangled Innocence
Book 5: Fierce Enchantment
Book 6: An Immortal’s Song
Book 7: Prowled Darkness
Book 8: Dante’s Circle Reborn
* * *
Holiday, Montana Series:
Book 1: Charmed Spirits
Book 2: Santa’s Executive
Book 3: Finding Abigail
Book 4: Her Lucky Love
Book 5: Dreams of Ivory
* * *
The Happy Ever After Series:
Flame and Ink
Ink Ever After
* * *
Single Title:
Finally Found You
Sated in Ink Page 24
