Rough Stock, the Novel
Page 20
I started to head upstairs when I heard Charlie from the kitchen. “Where you going, darlin’?”
“Just…I have to do something,” I replied nonchalantly. I wasn’t sure how I would tell him about the tests, let alone the other three. I wasn’t even sure how they would react. Of course they all had indicated they would be elated with a baby, but what would the reality of the situation actually look like? Would they still be happy if I really was knocked up?
And what about the baby, how would we explain to our child why our family was so different? What kind of message would that send?
I made it to the top of the stairs before Clive’s voice came wafting up from the bottom of the stairs. “Are you all right?”
I stopped in my tracks, turned around slowly and found all four men at the bottom of the stairs looking up at me expectantly.
“Oh dear,” I laughed, “is something going on?”
“You’re not a good liar, darlin’,” Ty chuckled, “what are you doing up there?”
“Nothing,” I replied, fighting an urge to grin. They were onto me, they might not exactly know what I wanted to do, but they definitely knew something was up.
“Come on,” Harley drawled, winking at me. “What’s in the bag? Sex toys? Lube? You wanna skip dinner and get right to dessert?”
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I opened them again and looked at each of them one by one. “Okay, I do need you guys to come up here with me.”
Their grins and the way they practically knocked each other over trying to rush up the stairs made me giggle, knowing they had one thing on their minds.
Baby making, not the actual baby part.
I was about to crush their naughty dreams.
“I love it when we say fuck it to dinner,” Charlie chuckled and kissed my neck as he made it to my side. “We can order pizza later.”
“Yeah, after we devour you,” Clive added, kissing the other side of my neck.
I squirmed and sighed, but couldn’t let lust drag me under the wave that was about to wash over me.
The bag dropped out from under my shoulder and fell, Harley’s hand snaked out and he caught it before it hit the floor.
“Well, well, well,” he said slowly and began to open the bag, “what do we have here?”
“Guys,” I started to say, but three sets of hands were on me, touching me and threatening to drag me into that whirlpool of bliss. “Guys—“
Before I could tell them exactly what was going on, Harley cut me off with his own interruption. “Guys, what’s this?”
He had the bag wide open and was holding a couple of the tests in his hand. The three other cowboys stopped, stared, and went completely silent.
“Uh yeah, about that,” I said and then I started to laugh. “Surprise!”
“Are you?” Charlie asked carefully, looking down at my stomach.
“I have no idea, that’s why I bought the tests,” I replied.
“Well let’s get on this!” Ty demanded.
“Pee on them, let’s find out!” Clive commanded.
“Here you go,” Harley said, handing the tests and the bag to me.
I took them and the four men trailed behind me all the way to the bathroom. Before I did what I had to do, I turned around, raised my eyebrow and said, “Please, a little privacy.”
They hung back and I closed the door.
The tests were all pretty much the same, and luckily the tea I’d had at Selena’s left me with more than enough to cover each of the four.
Four tests, four cowboys, four possible dads.
I guess it could be worse, at least I’d never be a single mother, and like Selena had pointed out, children did well with love and support no matter how different the family might be.
I set the tests on the countertop and opened the door to find four nervous cowboys waiting eagerly. I looked up at each one of them and wondered who could be the father if I was pregnant. Who was the lucky man who had impregnated me?
It struck me once again how lucky I was, looking at four tall, well built, handsome men…so tall too, like a hot cowboy mountain range…and all mine.
That part was clear, in spite of me giving them the okay to stray or branch off to find women of their own, none of them had ever expressed even a slight interest in somebody else.
It was flattering as hell, I had to admit, knowing that little old me could command the attention and love of not one, but four incredible hotties. Yeah, it was good for the ego.
“So?” Clive blurted. “What’s the verdict?”
“Are you knocked up?” Ty asked.
“Easy there, fellas,” I laughed. “We have to wait a minute or two for the results to come in.”
Charlie glanced over my shoulder at the counter, saw the tests and raised his brows. “Are those them? All of them?”
“Yup, I wasn’t sure which one would work so I used them all.”
They crowded into the bathroom, sweeping me with them, and we all stared at the tests as if watching them would make the time pass quicker.
“So what are we going to do if it’s positive?” I asked quietly, “I mean, what’s going to happen?”
“We’ll spoil you rotten and do the same with the baby when it comes,” Harley said enthusiastically.
“Sounds about right,” Ty agreed.
“Is it that simple though? How are we going to figure out what to put on the birth certificate? I can’t have all four of you down as the father.”
“You’re worrying yourself for nothing, darlin’,” Charlie replied and put his arm around me to comfort me. “We’ll figure that all out in due time. We can take a DNA test and find out who’s the daddy if that will make you feel better, otherwise we’ll take turns with each child.”
“Each child? You guys want more?” I asked, shocked. We’d never talked about how many babies we wanted, let alone this one.
“At least four I’m assuming,” Clive said, “we could do the DNA test and give each of us a chance to father a child with you. You know we love you more than anything in this world, and we’re all willing to do whatever it takes to make you happy.”
“You guys are beyond amazing,” I smiled and took a deep breath. I was about to wax poetic about my love for them being as deep as the ocean and as tall as the mountains and all that sentimental stuff, but the timer on my phone dinged and I jumped. “That’s it. They’re ready.”
Immediately each one of them picked up a test slowly and turned them over. “Be careful,” I said, “I had to…you know.”
“We know,” Charlie chuckled, “none of us grabbed the wet end.”
Ty hesitated and looked at his test, visibly relaxed and said, “Nope, not the wet end.”
“What do they say?” I asked nervously, desperate to know the answer.
Each cowboy held the test up, looked at the little results screen on the end and turned to me one by one with matching triumphant grins on their faces.
“We’re having a baby,” they exclaimed almost in unison.
“Holy shit, you’re pregnant!” Charlie added, picked me up and whirled me around in his arms while the other three men clapped their hands and congratulated each other boisterously.
“Wait,” Ty said all of a sudden, “is that okay for the baby?”
“I’m sure it is,” I laughed, my nervous tension being released with each turn in Charlie’s arms. “I’m sure all of this is just fine.”
“It’s more than fine,” Charlie said, stopping suddenly, holding me in his arms, kissing me deeply. “It’s better than fine, it’s incredible, darlin’.”
I relaxed back into the waiting arms of Harley and turned to kiss him too…then moved to Ty and Clive.
I kissed them each over again as we celebrated our newfound joy.
I still had my misgivings about how everything would play out, but the one thing I did know, this baby would be loved and supported and have an amazing life here on the ranch.
And with all the ug
liness in the world, that was truly the most beautiful gift of all: a family that would love the little person that had taken up residence in my body and would offer them the moon if they wanted it.
My stomach growled loudly, ending the celebration as we made our ways downstairs so my cowboys could begin spoiling me rotten by cooking dinner.
I watched each of them working in the kitchen and felt a sense of calm wash over me as my heart filled with love.
Everything would be fine, more than fine.
Everything was going to be perfect.
And that was more than I ever imagined my life would be.
Also by Alexandria Hunt
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