by Vanessa Vale
I knew this was the kind of sex people in threesomes had, that it was common in Bridgewater—I might have been a virgin until right before I left for college, but I hadn’t been that naive—but had never tried it myself. I’d only had Rory and Cooper for one night.
Cooper nudged his hips up, rubbing deep inside, breaking me from my thoughts.
“Yes!” I cried, allowing them to do what they wanted. What I wanted.
Rory gently pushed a finger into me deeper and deeper, slick and coated with lube.
“Easy,” I breathed, telling Rory what I liked, what I needed. “Slow.”
I watched Cooper as Rory worked me, adding more and more lube to ease his way. I heard the squirt again, heard as he coated his condom-covered cock.
His large body came up over me, a hand resting beside my head, beside Cooper’s shoulder. I felt the hard lines of his chest against my back.
“That’s right. Nice and slow and easy,” Rory murmured. I felt the broad head press against me, even while Cooper filled my pussy.
“That’s it, sweets. Good girl. Let me in. Let us fuck you together for the first time. You’re what brings us together.”
Rory continued to talk. Dirty things, sweet things, gentling sounds as I opened more and more for him until with a silent pop, he was in. I cried out at the fullness of it.
Cooper stroked my hair, leaned up to kiss me, to swallow the sounds of me finally taking both my men at the same time.
The sensation was new—a little painful and a whole lot overwhelming—but Rory was gentle as he teased my asshole open for his cock. It might have hurt if I hadn’t been so relaxed from them getting me off first. I was wet for Cooper and Rory had made sure I was well lubed for him. Cooper began to slowly move, carefully pulling back just a bit and sliding back in as Rory slid in deeper and deeper. He reached around and with his fingers, teased my clit. Soon they were both fully inside me and holy shit, I had no words.
I was so full, so complete. Open. Exposed. Vulnerable, but they’d protect me. Keep me safe. Make me feel so damn good. They rode me hard, filling me up over and over until I couldn’t hold back the cry of pleasure. I clenched and squeezed them, milked their cocks until they came, too. I silently wished there was no barrier between us, that they’d give me their seed. I wanted to take it deep and until I was marked, body and soul. My head rested on Cooper’s sweaty chest and I listened as his heartbeat slowed. Rory slid from me, went to the bathroom and returned. Only then did Cooper pull out so they could clean me up, then settle me between them. Right where I belonged. I fell asleep wrapped in their arms. Sore, yet satisfied.
CHAPTER NINE
IVY
I awoke at dawn, but they were gone, their spots on either side of me cold. My body felt well used, a lingering soreness that had me smiling. I never imagined I’d take them together. Perhaps sucking on one of their cocks while the other fucked me, but not with both of them deep inside me, pussy and ass.
Okay, maybe I had, but reality? It was more amazing than I’d ever imagined.
I hadn’t heard when they’d left, but I knew they weren’t running away as I’d planned to do the morning before. I knew they’d intentionally left before Aunt Sarah and Lily awoke. They might have been quick to spread the news that they were Lily’s fathers, but none of us was eager to explain what Mommy’s friends were doing having a sleepover in her bedroom. I was thankful for the courtesy and respect.
Breakfast was just me, Lily, and Aunt Sarah again, as it had always been, but if felt different. Funny how after just one day I found this threesome to be entirely lacking. Cooper and Rory had somehow managed to make themselves indispensable and I wasn’t the only one who seemed to feel that way. Usually a chatterbox in the morning, it was all I could do to get Lily to talk about anything else but her newfound fathers.
After breakfast, I sent her off to play in her room while I cleaned up the kitchen. I wasn’t surprised when Aunt Sarah lingered, her knowing gaze fixed on me as I made a show of clearing the table.
“Well?” she asked. While I had on a pair of old pajama pants and a t-shirt, she was dressed in crisp capri pants and a red pullover. Her white hair was neat and tidy.
“Well, what?” I countered, putting the syrup bottle back in the cabinet.
She arched her brows and peered at me over the rim of her glasses. “Don’t play dumb, dear. It doesn’t suit you.”
I let out a snort of amusement. “Sorry I didn’t give you more of a heads up about their coming yesterday. Their reappearance came as a bit of a shock.”
She nodded. “I suspected as much. So, how are you feeling about their new involvement in your life?”
I lingered over scrubbing the frying pan to avoid her penetrating gaze. How did I feel? That was a loaded question. Sore between my thighs, but I wasn’t going to tell her that, and that certainly wasn’t what she meant. It had all happened so quickly, I’d barely had time to process. One minute they were surprising the hell out of me in the school parking lot and the next they were announcing to Lily the fact that they were her fathers. Then I was taking them both at the same time. How was I supposed to feel about that? How was I supposed to explain that to my daughter when none of her little friends had two daddies?
Aunt Sarah laughed softly behind me. “I wasn’t trying to stump you with that question.”
I stopped scrubbing long enough to meet her amused gaze. I managed a small smile in return. “Sorry, I guess I haven’t sorted that out yet.”
“That’s what too much kissing can do.”
I rolled my eyes and couldn’t help the way my cheeks heated.
My aunt crossed her arms. “You’re trying to use your brain to figure out an issue of the heart.”
I flipped the pot over in the drying rack and nodded. Maybe she was right. “Maybe I am overthinking things. But Lily’s involved, and if this doesn’t go well, she could get hurt. I can’t just act on a whim when her happiness is at stake.”
“There you go, overthinking again,” Aunt Sarah pointed out. “What does your heart say?”
I groaned as I dropped the pretense that I was still cleaning and leaned against the counter. What did my heart say? That was easy. My heart wanted to be with them. My heart had said mine the moment I saw them in the parking lot. I’d never felt anything close to the connection I felt with them and I knew I never would.
They might be Bridgewater men, but I was also born and raised in the Bridgewater way and there was no doubt in my mind that those two were mine, just like I was theirs. “My heart says that we should give this a shot,” I started. “But what if it doesn’t work out? What if Lily gets hurt? And how would this even work? I have a home here in Seattle and they’ve started a life for themselves in Bridgewater.”
“One thing at a time, dear,” Aunt Sarah said. Her eyes were lit up with laughter as she studied me. She’d never married, but I didn’t doubt her sage advice. “What did those fine young men say? What do they want?”
My chest tightened at the memory of Rory’s words. All that matters is that we’re in your lives. However you’ll have us.
“They said they’d move to Seattle, if that’s what I wanted,” I replied. I picked up the dishtowel, folded it, then put it on the counter. “Or they invited us to Bridgewater.” I shrugged. “All that matters to them is that they’re in Lily’s life.”
“And yours, I imagine,” Aunt Sarah said.
And in my bed.
“Don’t think I didn’t see the way they were watching you.” She let out a low whistle. “My goodness, girl. I nearly melted on the spot with those looks they were giving.”
I struggled to hold back a laugh. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Mmm-hmm.” Her laugh was downright wicked. “Take it from an old lady—that kind of passion doesn’t last forever. If you ask me, you should take full advantage.”
My face was burning as I grabbed up the folded dishtowel and made a show of wiping down the table so I wouldn
’t have to face her. Aunt Sarah had never been what anyone would call traditional, but there was no way in hell I could talk to her about my current sex life with Rory and Cooper. Especially the way we’d heated up the sheets the night before. I was just glad Lily was a heavy sleeper and Aunt Lily hadn’t been home when they’d taken me together. Cooper’s kisses had barely stifled my sounds of pleasure as I came.
Aunt Sarah seemed to get the hint and she steered the topic away from those hot looks…and more. “I think you should go to Bridgewater.”
I shot up straight and turned to face her. “You do? But Seattle is our home. It’s the only home Lily has ever known, she—”
She held up a hand to stop me. “I’m not saying you’ve got to move there right away. I just think you owe it to yourself to go back to your home town.” She took a step closer to me and gently took the rag from my hand. “Honey, you haven’t been back since your grandma died and, while I understand why, you have no reason to stay away anymore. It’s summer vacation. Go. Have some fun.”
The truth of her statement struck me dumb. It was true, the main reason I never returned was to avoid running into Cooper and Rory or any of their family. I’d always known that if I saw them, I would never have the strength to stay away and there was no way I could have kept Lily a secret. If I’d shown up with a baby in tow, word would have spread so quickly I would’ve gotten whiplash. So I’d stayed away. But now…now there were no more secrets. No reason to avoid Rory and Cooper or anyone else.
Which meant I could go to Bridgewater again. A bittersweet joy filled me at the thought of seeing Grandma’s house—the house I’d grown up in. Was the tire swing still there or had the new owners taken it down? And my friends…I wondered if any of them were still in town. I was sure one or two still were.
Apparently my feelings were clearly etched across my face because Aunt Sarah patted my arm. “I’m glad we got that settled.”
***
COOPER
Once Ivy told us she was open to the idea of visiting Bridgewater again and showing Lily where she came from, Rory and I acted quickly. We booked tickets for all four of us a little later that week, giving Ivy just enough time to make the arrangements on her end and not too much time where she might change her mind. Since school was out for her and Lily, this just meant calling Lily’s summer camp and telling them she’d be taking a vacation. Ivy had a job in Seattle and we knew this was just a visit, but it was a step in the right direction.
We showed up the morning of our flights and found a visibly excited Ivy with a giddy Lily waiting on the porch alongside their luggage. Aunt Sarah had been happy to wave us off on our adventure; I knew she was our secret champion as she wanted to see her niece happy and I was glad to know she thought that was with us.
Our daughter’s eagerness for her first plane flight was infectious and Rory and I took turns sitting beside her on the plane and pointed out the window how small everything was below us. After the short flight to Bozeman and the drive to Bridgewater in the pickup truck we had left in the long-term lot, we took them to the house we’d bought in town and got them settled in. Even after a morning of travel, they were too excited to stay inside and Rory and I were more than happy to play tour guide. I was acting like a whipped man who was in love with the mother of his child…and said child.
For the first time in fuck knew, I felt good. Damn good. Hopeful.
I slept better, didn’t think of my scars in the same way anymore. Lily had done that. With one quick share of her own “booboo,” I’d been…better.
First stop, the western clothing store for a pair of pink cowgirl boots for Lily. She wore them out of the store, her little sneakers tucked into Ivy’s purse. The way she was strutting about in the new boots, I wasn’t so sure we’d get them off her when she went to sleep.
As we walked down Main Street, Ivy couldn’t seem to go more than a block in any direction without someone stopping her, greeting her with a hug and friendly questions about what she’d been up to these past seven years. No doubt news of her return—and of Lily’s existence—would spread across town faster than a wildfire in high wind.
That was why, the next morning when we had breakfast at Jessie’s diner, Ivy was more popular than ever. Jessie nearly dropped her tray when we walked in the door, and when she spotted Lily snuggled up against Ivy’s side, I seriously thought she might faint.
She didn’t, of course. I didn’t think Jessie was the type to swoon, but it was damn close. It was probably the gossip that preceded us that prevented it. Instead, she came rushing over to us and ushered us to an empty booth like we were visiting royalty. Before we’d even settled into our seats, she started quizzing Ivy. Lily seemed to have gotten the hang of all these impromptu Q&A’s her mama was subjected to and she chimed in right away that she was Ivy’s daughter…and ours.
I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen Jessie’s eyes go so wide, even though she’d probably heard about it before now. Hearing it from Lily herself was something else entirely. She recovered quickly. “Well, of course you are, sweetheart. You clearly got the best traits from all of them.”
Lily beamed up at her at that one. “I even have cowgirl boots!”
Jessie was a pro at fawning over the new boots—which Lily had worn to bed with her pink nightgown.
“What else have you been up to?” Jessie asked Ivy when Lily tucked her feet back beneath the booth. “You still in Seattle?”
Ivy nodded. “Yes, ma’am. Still living with my Aunt Sarah. I’m teaching second-grade.”
Another table called out to Jessie and she gave them a nod. “I’ll be right back,” she said. “I want to hear all about it.”
Of course, she did.
After she walked away, Rory turned to Ivy. “I can’t believe you managed to raise a kid and get your degree in education.” He shook his head in disbelief. “And all on your own.”
I knew that still bothered him. He’d gotten over the fact that she’d decided not to tell us about Lily but I figured a little part of him still felt guilty that he hadn’t been there. Like he’d let her and Lily down being on her own, even though there was no way he could have known.
She shrugged, thanking the other waitress who stopped by with mugs and poured the three of us coffee. “I wasn’t alone, not entirely. I had Aunt Sarah. Grandma left me the house in her will and the sale of that covered tuition and most of our expenses until I could get a teaching job.”
That must have been reassuring for her, the nest egg, even if it had come her way because of her grandmother’s death.
I tensed, waiting for him to make another comment about how she could have reached out to us but he surprised me. He reached across the table and took her hand. “I’m proud of you.” He angled his head toward me. “We both are. You raised an amazing little girl—” He winked at Lily. “—and got the career of your dreams. Plus, you did it largely on your own.”
I waggled my eyebrows at Lily who had taken the small jelly packets from the holder and began stacking them. “Your mama is pretty amazing, you know that?”
She nodded earnestly, an orange marmalade packet in her small hand. “I know.”
Jessie returned to our table and she was wearing a smug smile along with her green uniform. “You’re a second-grade teacher, right?” Jessie was not exactly subtle. She was up to something and it soon became clear what. “You know there’s an opening at the Bridgewater Elementary School, don’t you?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. She’d helped us find Ivy and now she was helping us keep her.
Ivy shot us an amused look. She’d been gone for a while but she no doubt remembered Jessie’s busybody ways. “No, I hadn’t heard that.”
“It’s true.” Jessie said goodbye to a couple as they walked toward the door. “Rocky Ashford gave his notice this past winter. He’s retiring to Arizona so they’re looking to hire his replacement.”
“Mr. Ashford was my third grade teacher,” she said, then glanced at me and Rory. “
Yours, too.”
“Everyone in town since 1977,” Jessie replied. “That spot’s open come September.”
A teaching job in Bridgewater. Two men. A new life. Ivy looked a little flustered, and I couldn’t blame her. We’d promised we wouldn’t try to pressure her and Lily to stay in Bridgewater. We’d go wherever they needed us and we meant it. I wanted them wherever I could have them. But Jessie seemed to have an agenda of her own. We might not have been the ones putting pressure on her, but she was surely feeling it.
A woman at the next booth came to Ivy’s rescue when she waved Jessie over. Fortunately, I didn’t have to pipe up and tell Jessie to back off. It wouldn’t be polite, but I’d do it if Ivy was getting upset.
I got a glimpse of the teenager beside the woman, and took notice of the ten or more holes lining up the side of her ear, the one in her eyebrow and corner of her lip. She had more holes in her than Swiss cheese. I glanced at Lily, busy once again with her jam tower. It wouldn’t be long before she, too, wanted to bedazzle her body like that. Would I care?
Fuck, I was just getting used to a six-year-old. I could deal with teenage shit when the time came.
“Jessie, don’t tell me you’re adding headhunter to your list of careers alongside diner owner and matchmaker,” the woman teased as she turned in her seat so she was facing us. The teenager rolled her eyes, obviously well aware, even at her age, that the diner owner was a meddler.
“I found you a job, didn’t I?” Jessie gave a grudging grin. “Have y’all met Hannah yet? She’s the new doctor in town, now that Dr. Roberts retired.”
We all said our hellos to Hannah.
“This is Callie, my summer receptionist and these are my men, Cole and Declan.” Hannah made the introductions.
We knew Cole and Declan, both a few years older than us, but Callie was new to us. She would have been close to Lily’s age when we left for the army so that was no surprise.
