Merry watched Steve pace back and forth, rubbing his head as he tried to make sense of her decision or something.
Much to her surprise, Steve grabbed her and kissed her deeply. “I need to think. I’ll be back. I just need time to process.”
Merry nodded as she filled her glass with wine. It could be a long night.
Chapter 6
Steve grabbed his coat and went outside.
“Damn, damn, damn!” This was so messed up. He needed to tell the guys but he also didn’t want to tell the guys. What was Merry thinking?
He rubbed his head. He knew what Merry was thinking. She didn’t want the deaths of her best friends, the men she loved, to be meaningless. Her heart was in the right place. Damn.
Walking toward the concealed entrance to the safe house, he knew what he had to do. It was only right. To hell with concealing the information from Merry. Well, he would let the three men housed in the safe house decide what to do.
“Hey,” he shouted as he entered the hallway leading to the underground complex where soldiers who “died” in service to their country came to rest.
John, Rob, and Ted were watching ESPN.
“How’s Merry?” Ted asked. “She looks fucking amazing. I really wish you weren’t screwing her, bro. Well, I actually wish we were all screwing her.”
Steve stared at the three men standing at the pool table in the center of rec room. Three men who the world believed were dead. Three men who had children they knew of but did not know were theirs.
“Sit,” Steve commanded. “I have some news that is gonna freak you out.”
Looking at the ceiling, Steve wondered where he should begin. He should probably begin at the night Merry implemented her plan.
“I need you guys to think really hard about the last night we were with Merry. Did anything strike you as odd about that night or her behavior?”
The men sat quietly as they each recalled the last night they made love with Merry. “Think, brothers, think.” Steve repeated as he, too, tried to remember anything about that night that would have clued them in to Merry’s intention.
“She was more demanding than usual,” Ted said as he recalled Merry telling him to fuck her. “She even used the ‘f’ word. Not like Merry.”
“I thought her demands were more about not having sex in six months and the knowledge we might not make it back to have sex again. I don’t think she ever thought of sex with anyone but us,” Robby added.
John didn’t speak. “Okay, what struck me as odd was the use of the condom. Did she have all of you guys use a condom?”
Steve thought for a moment and nodded his head. “What color was your condom?” Steve asked.
The men said their color simultaneously. Each condom was a different color. Damn, Merry was plenty smart and plenty clever.
“You know what I thought was kind of odd was what she did afterwards. She removed my condom, tied it off, and tossed it in the trash can. At the time I was so full of lust I didn’t think much about it. Afterwards I thought maybe she felt like she was doing us one more service or something.”
“Well, she actually was doing us a service, but not like you would imagine.” Steve paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts. “Merry was afraid we might die and we would not have a living legacy. She collected our sperm in the condoms and had it frozen at a sperm bank to be used upon our deaths.”
“Wait,” Rob said. “You’re telling me that our sweet little Merry intentionally collected our sperm so she could make babies for us if we died? No fucking way.”
“That’s what I’m telling you.”
“I guess she didn’t go through with her plan. I mean she thinks we’re dead and she didn’t have our babies.”
“Actually she did,” Steve said quietly. “Her girls are your girls. Rob your daughter is Laurel.” Rob sat in stunned disbelief as Steve continued.
“Ivy. Well, John, she’s your daughter.” John put his head in his hands and started to cry. As far as Steve knew, John never cried.
“Holly,” Ted said. “Holly is my daughter. Holly, jeez, my baby was in the hospital battling leukemia and I was here or fighting an invisible war. Pissed at Merry because I thought she should honor my death, not screw some nameless ass and get knocked up.”
Steve stared at his three best friends. An emotion he hadn’t experienced before crushed his chest. He was jealous. He was friggin’ jealous that his friends had a child with Merry and he did not. What a friggin’ jerk. He took a deep breath and forced the feeling out of his system. Though he did not have a child with Merry, he had the pleasure of helping her raise her children. These guys, his best friends, were pronounced dead by the government so they could work for the government in a covert manner. They had dedicated over twenty years to this service and it was petty of him to be even remotely jealous.
“Damn,” John muttered. “She went through hell when she had our daughters. The media had a heyday. Remember the stuff about her in the tabloids. ‘Cosmetic heiress kisses but won’t tell.’ ‘Fairweather is Fair Game.’”
“I remember,” Rob agreed. “I remember thinking she deserved everything she got. I am such a douche.”
“Now what?” John asked. “I was okay with Steve and Merry getting together because I didn’t want Merry to go it alone. I want back in her life and I want to know my daughter.”
“I agree, bro.” Ted said. “I think we deserve happiness and I think we deserve to get to know the girls even if they never know we’re their dads.”
Steve was thinking. It was complicated but they could make this work. He made them new identities all the time. This time the identities would be for keeps. “I can make you new identities. You can still keep doing the covert work to keep Uncle Sam happy, but you could have new identities so we can be with Merry and the girls.”
“Why in the hell didn’t you come up with this idea twenty years ago?” John asked.
“Damn,” Steve replied. “Think of the technology. I didn’t have the right equipment till now. Now we can make this work.”
“Right. Sorry, it just would have been great to be part of the living for the last couple of decades.”
Rob seemed pretty oblivious of the rising tension between John and Steve. “Do you think Merry will forgive us?” Rob asked. “Do you think she will be able to forgive you?”
“Fuck,” Steve exclaimed. “I’ve lied to her for almost twenty-five years. Hell. She may never be able to forgive me.” Steve sighed as he looked at his friends. Regardless of Merry’s ability to forgive him, his friends deserved to meet their daughters. “It doesn’t matter. If you guys want to be part of the land of the living I will make that happen.”
Chapter 7
Merry picked up her glass of wine and headed toward the den. Instead of going to the den she decided to explore the rest of the house. She really wanted to locate the safe house. She assumed it was underground but couldn’t figure out where it was hidden.
Maybe the passageway from inside the house to the safe house was in Steve’s office. She walked down the hall and turned the handle. The door opened. Well, if it’s not locked it must be okay for me to enter.
Steve’s office was more like a control tower than an office. Blank monitors hung from the ceiling. There were several computers and a variety of printers and other equipment. Merry flipped on the light switch. Rather than the lights coming on all of the monitors lit up.
Wow, some system! The pictures projected on the monitors must be the outside of the house. Merry didn’t remember arriving so she wasn’t sure what the outside looked like, but this was probably it.
The monitors switched to interior views. One captured Steve in a room with three men. Those are probably the men he was outside with today. Merry studied the image carefully. One of the men rubbed his neck with both hands. It reminded Merry of Ted. Stop! Ted is dead. No amount of wishing can bring back the dead.
Merry continued to watch the monitor. She was fascinated by the t
hree men. They all seemed vaguely familiar. Each of them had mannerisms reminding her of her friends. The three men who fathered her children. Maybe DeMarco’s drugs hadn’t totally worn off, or maybe she was just tired. Steve didn’t appear like he was going to forgive her anytime soon. He was probably telling his three friends what an incredibly horrible person she was. She didn’t feel like a terrible person. Her daughters were living legacies to three incredible men.
Merry examined the panel of switches located between two of the monitors on the ceiling closely. If Steve was going to disparage her character, she wanted to hear it. Twelve switches loomed in front of her. He flipped on one of the switches, and nothing happened. She flipped on another switch, and nothing happened. Another switch…Damn, a red light came on. Hopefully it wasn’t an alarm in the safe house.
The men continued to be engaged in a deep discussion. Okay, nothing happened in the room.
One more switch. If this doesn’t work I won’t try anymore. Merry flipped another switch, still nothing. Just one more…
“I think we should tell her now,” the man whose gestures reminded her of Ted said to the group.
“Ted, we can’t tell her now she’ll freak.” Her heart raced. His name was Ted. The man who reminded her of Ted was called Ted.
“Come on, John,” Ted said. “Why wait? Whether we tell her now or wait for a week or a month or a year…she will either forgive us or she won’t.”
Merry gripped the counter under the monitors. What was happening here? Ted and John. If the other man’s name was Rob she was going to faint. What the hell was happening here?
“Rob, my brother, pull yourself together.” John reached over and clasped Rob’s shoulder. She watched as Rob reached up and clasped the arm on his shoulder. “We’re dads. We are friggin’ fathers. We have three beautiful, successful daughters.”
“And one woman who is going to be totally pissed off,” Steve added.
Rob, Ted, and John. Rob, Ted, and John. Rob, Ted, and John with Steve. No way, no friggin’ way. Merry’s head began to feel light. She clutched a touch pad on the counter, trying not to fall. Her knees began to crumple as she watched the floor come to meet her head. Merry grasped the counter tightly and took in a deep breath. She was too pissed to pass out. Taking a deep breath, she stood up. They are going to wish they were dead.
Red lights flashed in the safe house.
“Shit,” Steve exclaimed. “Someone’s in the monitoring room.”
“Merry!” the four men exclaimed in unison. They ran down the hall, up the stairs, and to the hidden door leading to the monitoring room.
The monitors were all on but no one was in the room.
“Shit,” Steve said again.
“Where are you, you lousy, lying sons of bitches,” Merry’s voice echoed down the hall, though it sounded like she was shouting from the outside.
“Well, I guess we won’t have to tell her,” Ted said as they ran after the sound of the voice.
“Oh, you may not be dead, but you will be. Assholes! Assholes! Assholes!”
John, Ted, Rob, and Steve circled Merry. “You aren’t wearing any shoes, babe,” Steve said softly.
She looked at Steve, trying not to hate him. Big fucking liar. On its own accord, her hand flew up and slapped Steve across the face. “Liar, liar, liar. How could you lie to me for twenty-five years?”
“And you!” She turned her wrath toward Rob, Ted, and John. “They told me you were dead. You let them, him”—she pointed at Steve—“make me believe you were dead.”
Merry clenched her hands in fists and punched Ted, then John, then Rob in the chest. She was so angry, so confused, so damn mad. Tears poured down her cheeks as she continued to pummel the three men on their chests. Her fists hurt, and she knew she wasn’t hurting them. It just made her feel better.
“Please, babe,” Steve said, grabbing Merry by the arms. “Let me take you into the house. Please.”
Merry sobbed, collapsing to the ground. Merry was the strongest woman Steve had ever met. Seeing her crumpled on the ground broke his heart. Steve lifted her into his arms and strode toward the house. John walked in front of him to open the door to the house. Rob and Ted bolted ahead of them to go to the family room and light a fire.
Steve laid Merry on the couch close to the fire and covered her with a warm blanket. John sat down and started to rub Merry’s feet.
She looked up at him. Her green eyes were glinting with anger. John gave her a sideways smile. Merry didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when she looked at a smile she knew so well and hadn’t seen for twenty-five years. Tears trickled down her cheeks. Her men were all here. She must be having a drug-induced dream. Ted, Rob, and John were dead. They were killed in the line of duty. She’d attended their funerals with Steve.
Steve stood by the fireplace, staring into the flames. Her best friend. He’d lied to her for twenty-five years. He let her believe her friends were dead.
Merry shook her head. Who was she to judge someone for lying? She’d lied to Steve for twenty-five years. She never told him who fathered her children. She let him believe she’d screwed random guys and got pregnant as a way to resolve her grief. Steve loved her girls. He loved her girls regardless of who their father was and how he believed they were conceived. She held out her hand to Steve.
Steve walked to the couch and clutched her hand. She looked up at Steve and continued to cry. His heart felt like it might break. His beautiful, strong, brilliant Merry was in such pain and he was responsible.
“I am so sorry. Please believe me, babe, I am so sorry,” Steve repeated.
John was holding Merry’s feet. Rob and Ted were seated next to her on the floor by the couch. Steve sat by her head.
Merry studied her three men. She would not have recognized her men if she saw them on the street. They were incredibly handsome men, but they were no longer the young men she remembered. These men were warriors who were not likely to be manipulated like they’d been twenty-five years ago. Yet, like twenty-five years ago, they sat at her feet waiting for her to determine their fate.
“Twenty-six years ago I made a decision to have your babies if you died. I prayed none of you would die. And then you did. First Rob, then John, and finally Ted. I know Steve told you what I did. It seemed the perfect plan. But nothing is ever perfect. Your girls, however, are pretty close to perfection. Of course, I’m their mother and I might be a bit biased.”
“Laurel is the eldest. When I was notified of Rob’s death I was devastated. In my original plan I was going to introduce the baby to your mom and dad.” Merry gestured toward Rob. “It was too complicated. I didn’t know how to explain how I got pregnant.”
Ted snickered.
“Ted, seriously.” Merry smiled through her tears. Same Ted, different decade.
“I was going to tell Steve, but he was mad and so mean. I think he called me a slut. Or maybe it was a two-bit whore. Anyway, it wasn’t the right time to tell him. It never was the right time to tell him.”
“Then John died and nine months later Ivy was born. Ted passed away and then Holly was born. It was a pleasure raising them, knowing they were a part of each of you. It was also incredibly hard knowing they would never know their fathers.”
“Merry,” Steve said. “You can introduce the girls to their fathers. I’m going to give them new identifies so they can live their covert life for the government and live as a member of society.”
Merry took a deep breath. “I would love for you to meet your daughters. I’m just trying to make sense of this in my head. I can’t believe you are here and alive. Should I be mad or elated? Confused…mostly I feel confused.”
“Actually, this feels like part of the drug-induced haze courtesy of DeMarco. Maybe this is just another drug-induced fantasy.” Shaking her head, she tried to clear her crazy.
Chapter 8
“Merry,” Rob said, taking her hand in his. “Come with me.”
She looked at her hand clasped in his
hand. Then she looked into his face. He was so incredibly handsome. Probably more handsome now than twenty-five years ago. Rob’s face was etched with lines of experience and stress. Merry’s heart ached for the fun-loving young man who went to war. Yet she was interested in this new incredibly confident man who was Laurel’s father.
Rob clasped her hand and tugged her down the hallway toward her room. “We were so worried when Steve brought you here. DeMarco could have killed you.”
“Sit,” he said, gesturing to her bed.
Merry sat down on the bed and waited for Rob to proceed. “First, I owe you a huge apology. I’m not apologizing for my fake death. You need to understand that my country needed me and I would do anything for my country.”
“Well, that’s pretty obvious. You let them say you were dead.”
“Right, pretty damn obvious. What I need to apologize for are my actions when I found out you were pregnant. I was happy when the tabloids dragged your name through the mud. I wanted you to feel bad for fucking some stranger at the same time as my death. It was so petty and I am so sorry. I hope you will forgive me.”
Sitting in silence, she had no idea how to respond. “The tabloids. I was used to the tabloids. I didn’t care what they said about me because I was having your baby. It hurts me to know you thought I deserved the trash talk.” Merry took a deep breath, “I’m so glad you’re alive I don’t care what you thought.”
Merry reached up and pulled Rob down for a kiss.
Rob’s lips touched hers and the years seemed to fade away. The feeling she had the night they went to war returned in a rush of pent-up emotions.
“Oh God,” Rob moaned into her mouth. “It’s as good as I remember.”
Rob’s tongue touched Merry’s and she nearly flew off the bed. He ran his hands over her breasts. Merry moaned in delight as Rob stimulated her nipples through the material of her top. “I love how your tits are so responsive.” He lightly twisted the nipples. Merry moaned again.
Merry's Men [The Men from Nowhere, North Dakota 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 5
