My eyes rounded to see what they were doing and I sat silently, waiting to see what they had up their sleeve.
Alex reached into his pocket after the twins positioned themselves on the floor at my feet.
Holding out a black velvet box, Alex said, “We told you years ago that we would replace that emerald ring on your finger with the real thing.”
My hands flew up to cover my mouth. Tears welled in my eyes as I stared down at them and heard everything they had to say.
With a steady voice, Asher said, “Kelly, you have been everything to us since we met you when we were children. Sure, we didn’t know back then how to tell you we liked you, but we still felt something for you every single day of our lives. You drove us crazy for so many years and the night you agreed to be ours was the best night of our lives. None of us ever knew how strong the bond would grow between us, but it has. We both love you. We both need you in our lives each and every day because you make us better people. You are the love of our life, our strength, our beauty, our everything.”
I was happily sobbing as Asher spoke, my body shaking as he explained exactly how he and Alex felt about me.
Opening the box so that I could see the beautiful diamond, solitaire ring inside, Alex asked, “Kelly, will you marry us?”
My head nodded yes before I could force myself to say the word. Tears streamed down my face as Alex removed the ring and placed it on my finger.
Holding it up, I smiled at how the light from the candles flickered in the diamond. It was absolutely beautiful.
I leaned over to kiss both of them, pulling back and smiling wide when I said, “Well, there’s only one thing left to do now.”
Alex laughed and asked, “What’s that?”
I sniffled and smiled again. I was so happy that I could barely get out my words.
With a huge grin on my face, I said, “It’s time to plan our wedding.”
The End
DOUBLE TROUBLE: AFTER COLLEGE – BOOK 4
Chapter One
Wedding planning sucks.
Especially a wedding like mine where tradition has been thrown to the wind and instead of it being a joyous day of two people becoming one – mine is a pain in the ass day where three people become one in front of a crowd of people that have no idea if what we’re doing is even legal.
As it turns out, no, it’s not legal at all – but we’re doing it anyway.
“We need to go find your dress because it might take a few weeks to get it altered. Oh! And then we need to go by the florist’s and pick out the bouquet and the other flowers for the tables and then we need to go by the baker’s and figure out which cake…”
“Mom!” I screamed, raising my voice to be heard over the endless list of tasks we needed to complete before the wedding.
She finally shut up long enough for me to get a word in. “I know we have a million things to accomplish, but we have a month to get it all done. I don’t see why we have to do it all today.”
My mom breathed out in exasperation. “Kelly. I love you, baby, but it’s obvious you’ve never planned a wedding. A month is barely enough time just to get the basics ready. We also have to find someone who will officiate, which won’t be easy considering the…” she paused, “…odd circumstances.”
I rolled my eyes, but had to agree with her – silently - so she wouldn’t know I thought she was right.
“Well, the twins won’t be any help. Both of them have been working long hours hoping to save enough to take me on a honeymoon. Neither of them will fess up where they’re taking me and it’s driving me nuts.”
Oddly silent, my mom didn’t respond to my grumbling and it made me think she knew more than she was letting on.
“Why are you suddenly quiet? What do you know?”
“Nothing,” she answered with a sheepish voice. “Tell you what…I’m going to jump in a quick shower and then head over to get you. I’ll see you in a bit.”
The line went dead and I pulled the phone away from my ear to stare at it. I knew the answer to what my mom knew wouldn’t magically appear on the screen, but her behavior told me all I needed to know. She was never one to hang up quickly, so I decided to harass her about the details as soon as she knocked on my front door.
Regretting that I had to finally climb out of bed, I went to the bathroom and then into the kitchen to make myself a bowl of cereal. As I leaned against the counter munching on cereal full of sugary goodness, my eyes scanned the room and I scowled. As usual, Asher and Alex had left a mess behind and I couldn’t understand how their clothes, papers, and other odds and ends kept ending up scattered around the living room instead of being put away in the places where their stuff belonged. Was this what my life was going to be like? Cleaning up after two men who, although successful in business, would never outgrow their teenage tendencies.
Deciding to leave the mess and have a long talk with them about space sharing when they got home that night, I got dressed and waited patiently for my mother to arrive at the apartment.
My fingers rapidly tapped on the surface of the dining room table, my eyes glued to the door as I waited for my mom to arrive. Fifteen minutes later and a soft knock sounded, my body jumping out of the chair as I hauled butt across the living room to pull the door open.
“What do you know?” I asked as I reached out and grabbed her shirt to pull her inside the apartment. She tried to wriggle away, but I wasn’t having it. The woman was going to spill whether she liked it or not.
“I know nothing! Let me go!” Slapping at my hands, she soon realized it was useless to struggle. Huffing out a heavy breath, she said, “Kelly. I’m your mother and you’re not going to demand information out of me. Now have some respect.”
I cocked a suspicious brow. “So, what you’re saying is that you have information to give?”
She finally broke free of my grasp and brushed down her shirt with her hands. Looking back up at me she said, “Even if I have information – which I don’t – I wouldn’t give it to you. If the twins are planning a surprise for you, then let it be a surprise.”
My eyes narrowed when I contemplated whether I would continue pressing the issue or admit defeat. Her expression was one of willful determination and I let the subject go.
“Fine. Let me grab my purse and we’ll go get the wedding planning done.”
A relieved smile creased her lips. “Thank you. The twins would never trust me again if I spilled all their secrets.”
“All?” My hand was on my purse, but my head shot around to look at her. “How many secrets do they have?”
Cocking her hip out to the side, she planted her hand on it and looked me up and down. “Kelly, no. I’m not doing this. They don’t have tons of secrets that they’ve told me. It was just a figure of speech.”
“Uh huh. Sure.” I droned. “Let’s just get the planning over with. As you can see from the state of my living room, I have something to discuss with Alex and Asher tonight. Namely, how to pick up after themselves.”
I sighed heavily and my mom broke out into a belly laugh, hugging her abdomen as she bent over. I didn’t appreciate the reaction, but when she stood back upright and her face was bright red, I chuckled to see it.
“Oh, Kelly. Good luck with that. I had that talk with those two at least twice a week for years. They’ll never get it. And even if you get mad, they’ll double team you with those adorable smiles of theirs and you’ll give in every time. My advice? Just learn to love them for the good…and for the bad.”
Images of the adorable smiles she was talking about flashed in my thoughts and I grinned because I knew she was right. There was nothing in this world more adorable than the twins when they were in trouble.
“Okay mom. I’ll let it go for now.”
She laughed again. “No you won’t. I know you better than that. But why don’t you save that battle for tonight when the boys get home? For now, let’s go finish the wedding planning battle and hope we can get everything ordered
and ready in time for the big day. Okay?”
A smile brightened my face. “Okay mom. Let’s go.”
Chapter Two
“Wedding planning sucks.”
I plopped down on the couch, kicking my feet up and laying my head in Asher’s lap. Asher chuckled almost immediately after hearing what I had to say.
“That’s the fifth time I’ve heard you say that this week. Are you sure Alex and I can’t help?”
I breathed out a heavy breath, my eyes watching my bangs blow up and away from my face from the dramatic exhalation. “No. I know you two have been busy with work and since I can’t contribute financially due to my lack of job, I’ll handle the wedding details on my own. But seriously? Why couldn’t mom and I get it all done in five hours? It seemed like every place we went to was some weird time warp that felt like it only took five minutes, but in reality took two hours.”
His hands began massaging my shoulders, and the tension from the day that I was still carrying began to melt away beneath the warmth of his skilled and strong fingers.
“I appreciate that you’re dealing with it, and I’m sorry that it’s sucking so bad. But isn’t this something girls look forward to all their lives? I think I remember you marrying off your dolls at some point, and then you planned a wedding for the dog and cat, and then the turtles…”
“I was five! I didn’t know better back then. Plus, there was no way for you to know that since you weren’t living with me until high school.” I angled my head to look at him from over my shoulder. “Did mom tell you that?”
He laughed, but didn’t respond.
Annoyed that my mom had given up that embarrassing information, I said, “No, I’m not one of those women that plan their wedding for their entire lives. I’m perfectly happy with some little, romantic and intimate event that doesn’t cost a fortune and doesn’t take weeks to put together.”
Asher laughed again, his entire body shaking with the sound. “Did you find someone who could officiate?”
Groaning to remember the countless people who turned us down today, I said, “No. People are jerks. Just because the wedding is unusual, doesn’t mean they can’t help us. I guess since we’re not getting legally married, anybody could perform the ceremony, but I can’t find someone who is willing to do it. Every person mom or I have approached has been nice enough about it, but as soon as they find out I’m marrying two men, they suddenly have something on their calendars for that day.”
Giving my shoulders one last squeeze, he leaned over me to kiss me softly on the cheek. With a soft voice, he asked, “You know what?”
“What?” I answered.
“I wouldn’t care if we had to hire a singing clown telegram guy to marry us. As long as you say I do, none of the other details matter.”
It was damn hard to ignore the way my heart warmed in response to his words. Knowing that I was loved so deeply by not one but two men made me the luckiest girl in the world. However, it still didn’t fix the problem I was facing.
I had to plan a wedding that would most likely shock and appall every person in attendance except for my mother. I’d asked her several times during the day how our extended family had reacted to the news and each time she changed the subject. It amazed me that my mother would be the only person to accept our relationship when, weeks ago, I would have sworn she would have been the only one to refuse to acknowledge it.
“Well, we might have no other choice but to hire the clown. In fact, I’ll give him a call tomorrow.” I finally breathed out.
Asher chuckled and his entire body shook with his laughter. “Whatever works. So listen, Alex isn’t going to be getting home until really late tonight, so why don’t we have some fun with our night alone? I can cook you some dinner and later, you can thank me by taking a long, hot bubble bath and allowing me to pamper you until you’re so sated you can no longer think. Sound good?”
“That sounds damn good, actually. I’ll just relax here on the couch while you get to work.”
He chuckled again, and I groaned when he moved to get off the couch. Resettling myself on the pillows, I watched him walk into the kitchen and start the process of cooking dinner.
His cheeks were shadowed with stubble, his hair a messy frame around his head. It looked like he’d either just rolled out of bed or had been running his hands through it all day, but I loved it when he was slightly disheveled. Asher was the more rugged of the twins. His job didn’t require him to be as polished and put together as Alex.
Although, I couldn’t deny I loved the polished look either. On most days, Alex looked like he just walked off the cover of some fashion magazine, his bright green eyes contrasting beautifully against his tan skin and warm, brown hair. In his power suits, Alex was the epitome of masculine beauty, which was a nice contrast to Asher’s casual, rugged style.
It was a definite benefit to being with both men. I got the best of both worlds and could pick and choose the type of man I wanted to be with on any given day.
“How does spaghetti sound?” Asher asked as he banged around pots and pans before heading towards the pantry.
“Sounds perfect. I think I’m going to light a fire in the fireplace.”
Chuckling, he said, “Try not to strain yourself on that task.”
I laughed and pushed up from the couch, padding barefoot across the wood floors to flip on the switch that lit the gas fireplace. I loved that a romantic mood could be set so easily. “While you’re cooking, I’m going to go slip into something more comfortable.”
Asher’s eyes shot to where I was standing and he grinned. “Naked would probably be the most comfortable. Don’t you think?”
I smiled. “Well, if I’m naked, then you have to be naked too.”
The corners of his lips curled up into a devious grin. “Deal. But…you’re not allowed to touch me.”
My mouth fell open in shock. “What? Are you allowed to touch me?”
“Yes,” he said with triumph in his voice. “The deal for tonight is that I get to do whatever I want to you – whenever I want to do it – but you’re not allowed to do what you want to do. I tease and torment, and you deal with it.”
My eyebrow cocked over my eye. “I’m not exactly sure I like the terms of this game.”
He placed the ingredients for dinner on the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. “No game. No food and bubble bath. It’s your call.”
The little bastard.
Crossing my arms over my chest to mirror him, I finally said, “Fine. We’ll play this your way.”
He smiled and I huffed out an indignant breath before walking into the bedroom. I stripped out of my clothes and threw them in the hamper before turning around and walking back out into the living room. My breasts tightened in reaction to the cool air in the room and I stood unashamed – and completely naked – in front of him.
“Ahem,” I made the noise with my throat before saying, “You appear to still be dressed.”
His eyes slowly trailed up my body, stopping at his favorite part – my breasts – before finally reaching my face and locking to my eyes. Clearing his throat, he asked, “You really want me naked too?”
“Yep,” I said, “Or I go put clothes back on.”
A sly grin pulled at his beautiful lips. Without saying another word, he peeled the t-shirt off his body, the muscles in his chest and arms flexing with his movement. I licked my lips watching him, the stirring of desire already weakening my knees.
His fingers slid down the ridges of his washboard abs until they reached the button of his pants. Undoing the button, he slipped off the pants and underwear, kicking them from his feet as soon as they slid down his legs and puddled around his ankles. There was no shame in his expression and he grinned arrogantly because he knew just the sight of his perfect physique was enough to make me melt right where I was standing.
He turned around to continue cooking, but I cleared my throat to regain his attention. As soon as he turned back, I smiled.<
br />
“You need to pick up your clothes and put them in the hamper where they belong. I’m tired of cleaning up after you and Alex.”
A grin tilted his lips. “Yes, ma’am.”
Chapter Three
Dinner was amazing, but I learned the hard lesson of eating spaghetti while naked. Slurping noodles only managed to get the sauce all over my chest, but thankfully Asher was there to volunteer to lick it off.
By the end of the meal I was a quivering mess, completely needy for the man who I’d just watched cooked and eat a meal entirely naked.
“You ready for your bath?” Asher looked down at the bits of sauce that were still on my body. “Because, you’re going to need one or you’re not allowed to sleep in my bed like that.” He winked and I smirked in response.
“Ready as I’ll ever be.” Giving him a bright smile, I watched him rise from his chair and head towards the bedroom. I had a nice view of his ass by the time he reached the door and turned around to say, “Wait right there. I need to get everything ready first.”
Another wink and he disappeared through the door, leaving me anxious to be touched and desperate to be loved. My heart beat slowly, my thoughts filled with love for the two men who I’d be marrying in less than a month. I didn’t feel the normal jitters people who are about to get married talk about feeling, but I couldn’t deny that I was worried one or both of the twins would reconsider what we were about to do.
In high school, our relationship had been nothing but naughty fun. A little bit of taboo that brought us together because we had to keep it secret.
In college, we’d fallen in love with one another, pledging ourselves to an unusual relationship that, while still secret, had more meaning to us than a chance to explore our sexual boundaries and desires.
Now we’d moved into the territory of being serious about one another – about marrying one another – something I was more than willing to go through, but wasn’t sure about how the twins truly felt.
Dearest Stepbrother: Double Trouble - Ultimate Bundle Page 16
