Gretchen nodded.
“So maybe he does that long weekend to see mom every other month. Fair? You can’t change men, but you can negotiate with them. But you have to be firm about what is a deal breaker. Then not whine if they’re sticking to the deal.” Tiff handed Gretchen her summer dress. “They aren’t mind readers. You need to make it very simple and clear for them.”
“She needs to teach a class,” Bethany said.
“Please, I got a pity date to the prom. Just because I understand them doesn’t mean they want me,” Tiff said.
“You need to show them what they’re missing. You’re a challenge, but you have to tempt them. That’s my department,” Bethany said.
Gretchen stepped into her sandals and quickly checked herself in the mirror. “I don’t want to keep my guys waiting too long. Thanks! And, Tiff, listen to Bethany. She’s had more men chasing her at once than I’ve dated ever.”
“I’m a real challenge.” Bethany nodded and grinned.
* * * *
Matt looked down at the crowd mingling along Main Street. The Taste of Sterling was on and he had a surprise for Gretchen.
“Sure you don’t want to call them. Tell them we’re flying over?” asked the other Matt.
“They’ll see it. Not much else is going on in Sterling and Ross is the mayor.” Matt still couldn’t believe his luck. The other Matt was eager to move south and settle down with a business.
“That banner wasn’t cheap,” said the other Matt.
“One side is for the dress shop, the other for our air tours. If both sides said the same thing, it’d be a waste. Fly low enough and buzz up one side and down the other so they see it all.” Matt wanted to land and go talk to them right away.
Visiting his mother had been a wake-up call.
“Never thought you’d settle down. Not really,” the other Matt said.
“When you tell your mother you’re considering a ménage with two men and a woman, all sorts of conversations start happening.” Matt smiled.
“I’ll bet. Sterling is unique. Your mom is okay with it?” he asked.
“Sure. She’s worried I’ll die young like my dad. I learned a lot about what she didn’t know, but I don’t want to repeat his mistakes. All Mom wanted was more time with my father. Which is all I wanted.” Matt shrugged.
“And you were going down the same road. Life is tougher up here.” The pilot shrugged.
“True, but living for money instead of being happy made him drink and smoke heavily—all of that probably helped him die younger. I’d like to avoid that.” Matt glanced at the crowd. “I think we should go ahead and land.”
“You’re the boss.” The pilot adjusted his instruments.
“No, we’re partners. 2 Matts Aerial Tours.” He nodded. Not a fancy name, but they weren’t fancy guys. His mom was okay with a group relationship if it meant more visits and grandkids. Deep down, he knew she didn’t want to bury her son. He didn’t want to let anyone down by following too closely in his dad’s footsteps.
* * * *
Tony couldn’t believe his eyes. The plane wasn’t Matt’s but the banner clearly had to be his idea. Gretchen’s smile said things were good.
“I hope he doesn’t go away again,” Tony said.
“You sound hopeful this time.” She smiled. “Let’s go see.”
They walked toward the landing strip when the plane began to descend.
“What’s this other shoot for the calendar?” he asked.
She shrugged. “You in nothing but a pair of tuxedo boxers.”
“What?” He stopped walking.
“Come on.” She grabbed his hand and pulled.
He shook his head. “You want me to be nearly naked on a calendar you’re shipping all over the state?”
“Don’t be shy. Firefighters in other cities do it all the time to raise money. And it’s only one of the three pictures. The big one will be of the couple dressed formally. Then the beefcake and then the real life picture. You’ve got the body for it.” She smiled.
“That’s not the point.” He didn’t know what the point was, but his body wasn’t it.
“Enjoy it. Women will be fawning over you all year. But you’re all mine,” she said.
“Absolutely,” he replied with a slight grin.
Ross met them on the walk. “What is Matt doing? Two Matts?”
“I think he’s taking my advice. Moving here and going into a real business.” She grinned.
Tony wrapped an arm around Gretchen. “Boy did we need you.”
“Damn right,” Ross said.
“No matter what happens with Matt, it’s not going to stop this. Us being a family,” Tony said.
She nodded. “I agree. I want kids, a career, and to enjoy life. We just need to sort out the details. Make some compromises. I think Matt will negotiate.”
“Negotiate?” Ross asked.
“I don’t have a better word for it. Come on.” She walked faster.
“We like strong women,” Ross said to Tony.
“She’s on a mission. I hope Matt’s ready for her,” Tony said.
“We better stick with her so she doesn’t scare him back into the plane,” Ross said.
The men jogged to catch up with her.
Matt met them and hugged Gretchen.
“Didn’t expect you back so soon,” Tony said. He hadn’t been totally sure Matt would come back but kept that to himself.
He got a kiss. “Sorry. I had to fix a few things.”
“You’ve got some explaining to do.” Ross hugged Matt.
“I will. This is Matt Bradford. Another pilot who wants to move south. We’re going to focus on the tourism circuit. Did you like the banner?” he asked.
“I loved it. Mel will love it even more. That is a bit of advertising you could sell.” Gretchen grinned.
“You didn’t get a banner for the town?” Ross asked.
“We’re going to be flying over Sterling and we should advertise Sterling?” Bradford asked.
“Fine. Hi, I’m Ross,” he said.
“Tony.” He shook Bradford’s hand.
“Hello, I’m Gretchen.” She nodded to the new guy. “I think we need to go home and sort this all out.”
Bradford nodded. “I’m going to grab some food from the stalls and get a room at the inn. Call me when you want to sort out schedules or go get your motorcycle.”
“Thanks.” Matt shook his hand. “We’ll ask around for a room to rent with friends. It’ll be cheaper than long-term at the inn.”
“You might be able to have my room,” Gretchen said with a smile. “At Mel’s. If they want to keep renting it out.”
“Don’t worry, I always find a place to sleep,” Bradford said with a wink.
“This group is closed.” Matt playfully shoved the other pilot but there was a hint of seriousness in his tone.
“Let’s go home. We need to talk,” she said.
Chapter Ten
Matt wasn’t sure what to do when he was back home. “I’m sorry I bolted. I wasn’t sure. I wanted to take care of you guys, but I didn’t want to hurt you.”
Tony caught Matt from behind him a bear hug. “You think this was about money?”
“Not for you. For me the problem was about money.” Matt wrestled Tony until they fell back on the big leather couch and kissed. “My dad was the only male role model I really had growing up. He worked himself to death and left us with a nest egg.”
“Wouldn’t you rather have had time with him?” Gretchen sat between them on the sofa.
“Of course, especially when I was a kid. When I got married, I was bringing home good money, but she didn’t like the traveling. Accused me of cheating. Luckily my dad hung in there until after I divorced her, or she’d have taken half of what I inherited. I learned that my dad had saved as much as he could for someday. For retirement.” Matt patted the couch and Ross sat down next to him.
“But he died too soon. We get why you work like craz
y, but you need to enjoy life too,” Ross said.
“Yep, but I met you guys. Saving for retirement for one person is rough. But for three and now four. That’s different,” Matt said.
“Just so you know, none of you are allowed to die until you’re at least eighty-five,” Gretchen said.
“Then you have to make it to ninety,” Matt said.
“Does this mean you’re sticking around?” Ross asked.
Matt looked at Ross, Gretchen, then at Tony. “I don’t want to wear out my welcome. Growing up I couldn’t wait to see my dad. I wanted someone who longed to see me like that.”
“You’ve got three,” Tony said.
“Damn right. We need to have some ground rules. We’re all adults. We can make this work. We just need to negotiate, but we have to stick to our agreements. Emergencies excluded, of course,” she said.
“When did she become the boss?” Matt asked.
Ross laughed. “Since the first date. Without her, I don’t know if we’d make it long-term.”
“Not without fighting and sniping.” Tony nodded. “Sorry, Matt. We should’ve talked about it.”
“Men don’t like to talk enough. Some things need to be negotiated and worked out. If it doesn’t work, we renegotiate. We don’t give up.” She got up and grabbed her tablet. “Now. Are you staying?”
Matt nodded. “Bradford and I will be doing tours here and in Homer, if the tourism numbers aren’t high here yet. We can fly hunters to their locations too. I won’t promise never to take a lucrative job up north, but it’ll be the exception.”
“We’ve heard that before,” Ross said.
“We can put a number on it. Not more than one week of travel every two months or six weeks total for the year, not counting personal visits to family.” Gretchen made notes.
“Sounds fair,” Tony said.
Ross nodded and looked at Matt.
“Fine with me. Now about the mortgage,” Matt said.
“I need to chip in too if I’m living here permanently,” she said.
“Try to leave,” Tony teased.
She stuck her tongue out at him. “What’s the damage? Splitting it four ways will be easier.”
“No, I think Tony and I should handle that and insurance. The big fixed expenses covered by the regular income is best. Matt has been putting money away for us in these accounts like a group retirement. I think that’s great. Save when the money is coming in, but it’s not a regular payment like the mortgage. Starting up a new business takes some cash. If Matt cooks, helps with chores, plus keeps up the saving—we’re good. Right?” Ross asked Tony.
“Yeah, definitely. And we can go on a hunt before winter. Fill the three big chest freezers. I saw that you made stew.” Tony rested his head on Matt’s shoulder.
“What about me? I’m the girl so I get a free ride?” she asked.
“We’ll never charge to ride you,” Matt said with a wink.
She blushed. “I need to reestablish my authority here. I’m not getting a regular salary but I can clean and learn how to cook.”
“You don’t know how?” Ross asked.
“I know normal food. Moose, caribou, fresh fish, and all of that is newer to me. I can learn. I want to try fishing one day too. Hunting is you guys. Self-defense is different, but I’m not shooting animals.”
“Even a wolf?” Tony asked.
She brought her tablet over and sat between Tony and Ross. “Damn right, not a wolf. Unless it’s going to hurt me or someone else.”
“Deal,” Ross said.
“I can help with groceries and smaller bills,” she offered.
“We all take care of one another. Don’t stress,” Matt said.
“Seriously, a change of tune.” She nudged him with the toe of her sandal.
“My mother and I had a long talk about how she felt about life when I was young. She’s set for money now, but she’d rather have had my dad around and alive to enjoy some fun once the kids were gone. I don’t want regrets or to fly my life away and miss out on the people.” Matt slid his hand along the couch and pinched her ass.
She smacked his arm. “Good. I hope she wants grandkids too.”
“Oh, our woman is serious,” Tony said with a grin.
“If we’re negotiating living together, then you should know that will be happening at some point.” She shrugged.
“Do we get to vote when we’re ready?” Ross asked.
“Of course. I’m not pushing for a proposal or anything crazy too soon. But if you don’t want kids, tell me now.” She poked each guy in the chest.
Matt kissed her. “I won’t spend six weeks a year away from my kids.”
“Good answer,” she said.
“Don’t tell me you’re like Mel and don’t want anything traditional,” Ross said.
Her cheeks pinked up. “I don’t have her aversion to marriage. True, it’d only be a legal marriage to one man, and there are some benefits we’d need to assess to see what helps us from a legal standpoint. But a wedding really is just a party to celebrate love and share the commitment with the community. That event, at the right time, would mean a lot to me. It’s all or nothing for our group’s commitment.”
She waited for a response. It’d all happened fast and oddly, but she couldn’t deny she loved these guys, and they’d negotiated the quirks. Tony’s ego seemed soothed, and since he had family locally, she expected he’d be a natural dad.
Tony smiled. “I think Sterling needs a first lady. Legally speaking. Plus the benefits and perks that go with it. Really it’s the best move.”
“I think the first lady thing would be more ceremonial. You’ve got the best job security, Tony. I could be voted out next year, but with crazy Alaska weather and the dangers we’ll always need paramedics,” Ross said.
“This is the worst proposal ever,” Matt said.
Gretchen smiled despite it. “Well, I don’t think this is official. You guys can sort out the legal crap as to what’s the best move for the family since you’re more knowledgeable about Alaska quirks.”
“Well, either way, my cousins are sending you some of their seal as a gift to welcome you to the family,” Ross said.
“Seal? Like seal? That’s nice but what’s wrong with some Alaskan king crab?” she asked.
The men laughed.
“You’ll get used to the rarer food Ross’s family sends,” Tony said.
“I think we should break out the bison ribs in the freezer and give her a barbeque tomorrow,” Matt said.
“Sounds good, but right now I think we should go upstairs and celebrate Matt’s homecoming properly. FYI, the clock starts ticking now. Six weeks for the next twelve months. No sneaking in trips,” Tony said playfully.
“Does that go for all of us? None of us can travel for work more than six weeks?” Matt asked.
“Absolutely,” Ross said.
“Duh. I have to go for training, but that’s only a few weeks,” Tony replied.
“Of course,” she agreed.
Matt stood up and tugged Gretchen to her feet. “Good. And you’ll come and meet my mother? She’s already met those two guys and likes them.”
Gretchen nodded. “I’d love to. I want to meet everyone. Including these cousins of Ross’s. But right now we need more fun.”
Matt stood up and led the way. The group piled on the bed and undressed each other playfully.
“You better be here in the morning,” Tony said to Matt with a wink and a teasing tone.
That sentence could’ve been delivered with a nasty undertone, but the picking and sniping was gone. Gretchen pinched Matt’s ass then Tony’s. “Everyone better be here.”
Matt, already naked, tugged off the rest of her clothing, then pinned Gretchen to the bed on her back. With Ross and Tony on either side of her, Matt eased down between her legs and licked her pussy. Spreading her thighs farther, she tilted her hips up for optimal contact. Ross and Tony took turns kissing her and her breasts. Hands were everywher
e, including hers on their strong chests.
“Tony definitely needs to be in my calendar,” she said.
“Damn right.” Ross leaned over and kissed Tony’s chest, biting at his nipples.
Gretchen felt a stab of desire and her breasts ached. The men together turned her on and made it all so much better.
“Is it strictly print or digital?” Matt asked. He went right back to tonguing her clit.
Gasping, she nodded. “That’s fucking brilliant!”
She grabbed Tony’s cock and pulled him to her mouth. “Every computer, tablet, and smartphone in Alaska will have my calendar on it.”
“I think she’s enjoying this,” Tony said.
“We aren’t?” Ross asked.
“I’ll get the supplies,” Tony said.
She pulled Ross down for a kiss. “Think we can put the digital calendar download on the town’s website?”
He laughed. “You can have anything you want if you stop thinking about work.”
“I’m going to have to work harder.” Matt thrust two fingers inside of her.
“No more multitasking. I promise.” She pulled Ross’s erection in and sucked his dick possessively.
Matt’s fingers teased her insides until she moaned, then were gone. A different tongue worked her pussy and she looked down. Tony was eating her and Matt was behind him.
“Just like it should be,” Ross said.
She nodded with her mouth full of his balls. Squeezing his ass, she teased him with her tongue as Tony made her so wet she ground herself to his mouth. Finally he kissed up her body and slid his cock into her. Tony helped her suck Ross’s erection, then pushed himself up on his hands.
Watching Tony and Ross kiss made the pleasure triple. She felt like she was floating as he thrust in and out of her slowly. Sucking Ross in time with Tony’s fucking, she looked down and saw Matt push into Tony’s body. She felt Tony react and his groan made her pussy tighten.
Matt winked at her. “Like it?”
“God, I want this forever. All of us together. Harder.” She pinched Tony’s nipple.
Men of Alaska 2: Sterling Sunshine Page 10
