Melanie’s apprehension at being left alone with the babies was very clear to all four of them, and after numerous discussions, the men had made a tough decision. Their lover had to face her fear. And as much as the four men wanted to, they couldn’t fight this battle for her. The only solution they could come up with was to force her to face the demon within head on. Van knew Mel’s fear was completely psychological. Never in his life had he ever come across another woman who loved her children as much as their Melanie. During her pregnancy, and every day for the past four months following the birth of their twins, Melanie’s life revolved around their babies.
When they brought their twins home, both his and Calen’s, and Jake and Philip’s rooms were equipped with baby monitors. Two additional receivers had been placed in the kitchen and living room. Despite the fact that one of the four men usually beat her to the midnight feedings, Melanie always got up, whether to help out or just to sit and watch.
The four friends had decided this was the only way to help their Melanie realize her fears were truly unfounded where her inability to care for their children was concerned. For a brief moment, Van’s thoughts went to the discussion they’d had with Marge and Helen one afternoon a couple of weeks earlier. As politely as they could, Jake, Calen, Van, and Philip asked the women to “butt out” and allow them to help Melanie face her fear in their own way. Both women were furious and refused to speak with any of the men for several days. Given a little time, both moms realized it wasn’t fair to Melanie, the four men, and most importantly to their babies, to allow her to hide behind her fear.
Although quite reluctant, all parents backed down to permit Jake, Calen, Philip, and Van to handle their family’s business as they saw fit.
He loved Melanie with all of his heart, and it tore at his insides to think of how stressed and upset she had been that morning. But he’d had no choice. They had been left no choice. This had to be done. The temptation to walk back in the house after he’d closed the door behind him that morning was great. And he’d almost given in a half dozen times before he’d even reached his car.
Pushing the front door open, Van was greeted with silence. Cocking his head, he heard nothing. Kicking off his shoes after setting his briefcase beside the door, he loosened his tie and stepped into the living room.
From the corner of his eye, he spotted Melanie coming down the hallway from the bedrooms. When her eyes met his, she quickened her pace, and when she was a foot from him, she jumped, wrapping her legs around his waist. Throwing her arms around his neck, she began kissing him with fervor.
“Mmm,” Van groaned, kissing her back. “Now this is quite a welcome.”
Pulling back, her smile lit up the entire room.
“What?” He chuckled.
“We had a great day!”
“Yeah? How’s Em’s diarrhea?” he queried.
“She’s just fine, only had that one loose movement,” she told him. “Morgan stopped by on his way to the clinic, looked her over, and gave her two thumbs up.”
“Great. Eron?”
“Our poor boy, his tooth gave him a lot of grief today, but I pulled out one of the teething rings from the freezer and voila! I’ve developed Calen’s magic touch!” She beamed proudly.
He kissed her again. “Hmm, keep going, I want to hear all about your day, baby,” he said walking them toward the sofa.
Mel shook her head. “First, I want to make love.”
“Your wish is my command, lover,” he told her, and with her still in his arms, he carried her down the hall to their room.
Inside, they wasted no time in ridding each other of their clothing. All day, Van ached to touch her and now he intended to quench his carnal thirst. With eager strokes, his hands caressed her luscious curves, savoring every inch of her delectable skin.
Lowering his head, his lips found hers and unabashed he drank from her. The tightening of her fingers in his hair and the musky scent of her arousal filling his nostrils had his cock throbbing painfully.
Van gripped Mel’s hips and backed her up until her leg hit the mattress of their bed. With ease and grace, Van lowered her and positioned himself over her. With his knee between her thighs, Van encouraged her legs to part to allow him to nestle against the warmth of her center.
With his mouth feasting upon hers and Mel’s arms wrapped tightly around his neck, Van slid his cock into her welcoming wet heat. Arching her back and pressing her breasts against his chest, Melanie cried out as he seated himself deep inside her. Although they both seemed to struggle for breath, Mel refused to loosen her grip on him. Hungrily, she fought to dominate their oral embrace and loosing the last thread of constraint, Van allowed her the control.
Her sex rubbed against his groin, and the seductive aroma of their lovemaking filled the air surrounding them.
“Van,” she moaned into his mouth, as he felt her muscles tighten around his thrusting flesh. “I, mmm, I love you.”
Van stroked inside her faster, needing to come with her. With a firm thrust and a roar, he emptied himself inside Melanie’s body. “Jesus,” he murmured against the pulse of her throat. “I’ve thought of making love with you all day.”
“Hello,” Jake’s voice called softly from the hallway. “Oh, uh, hey…sorry,” he said as Mel and Van looked at the door.
“Jake,” she called as he turned away. Reaching toward him, she pleaded her need. “Join us. Please.”
Entering the room, Jake slowly peeled off his clothes and climbed onto the bed with Mel and Van. His lips found hers as his hand cupped her breasts, plucking at the tight peaks of her nipples.
Van pulled himself from her depths and rolled onto his side, leveling himself on his left elbow. Leaning over, he flicked his tongue over the crest of her right breast and closed his lips around it.
With his lips still caressing Melanie’s, Jake moved over her, settling his hips between her legs.
“Please,” she whispered as Jake slowly pushed himself inside her. “Yes.”
“I’ve thought of you all day, baby,” Jake groaned brushing his lips along hers again.
With urgent controlled strokes, Jake pumped himself into Mel, his fingers fisting through her hair as his lips crashed with hers.
“Right there, Jake.” She moaned with need. “Please don’t stop.”
Van’s fingers continued to pluck her puckered nipples, watching his friend make love with their shared female lover.
“He won’t stop, baby,” Van whispered in her ear. “Faster, Jake. Fuck our girl harder. She needs you.”
Melanie’s body shuddered beneath Jake’s weight as an explosive climax coursed through her. The tips of her fingers dug in the muscles of his back.
As Mel peaked, the pulsing of her channel drove Jake to completion. Whimpering his release, he collapsed atop her heaving bosom.
Several moments passed before any of the three of them moved. The air in the bedroom reeked of sex, and gasps of their breath were the only sound.
Slipping from her body, Jake rolled off his lover and lay by her left side.
Van gathered Mel in his arms and held her tight.
“So, baby,” Van said just above a whisper, flicking his tongue across her stiff nipple. “Tell us about your day?”
Mel moaned in sexual gratification. “It was fantastic. We started with a bath. And then it was so beautiful outside, we read a story under the maple tree in the backyard. The kids took a nap, and I did some laundry and dusting. After lunch, we went for a walk to the park. When we came home, we stretched out on the living room floor and did our exercises, and then we had a snack. And I must have wore them out, because Eron and Emily insisted on taking another nap,” she giggled, and pulled Jake and Van closer.
“See,” Jake said and gave her right nipple a gentle tug. “You were made for this life, babe.”
Mel arched into his touch. “Today was only one day,” she said. “But I did it, guys. Despite Eron’s teething tantrums and oh, by eleven, I’d lost count of the number of
diapers I changed, but I did it.”
“Yes, baby, you did.” Van praised her. “And I’m so proud of you.”
“Yeah, me too, sweetheart.” Jake kissed her.
“I’m pretty proud of myself. I’m sorry, guys,” she whispered. “It’s really sad, huh? A woman my age, terrified to be left alone with her own babies.”
“Hey, none of us has said that,” Van chastised her gently, placing a kiss on her temple. “Honey, you just needed to know that you could do it.”
“And you are not expected to parent our children alone, Mel. We are in this together,” Jake reiterated.
Philip appeared in the doorway of Van and Calen’s room, holding Emily in his arms. When Melanie spotted him, she sat up like a shot.
“Oh, God,” she gasped. “How selfish of me, she was crying, wasn’t she? And I didn’t even hear her!” Scooting the edge of the bed, she lashed out. “See! What have I been telling you guys? I can’t take care of our babies. here I am screwing away my time when our baby girl needed me…”
“Relax, sweetheart,” Philip held his hand up. “She wasn’t making a sound.”
Stopping in mid-scoot, Mel stared at him and her jaw dropped. “But…”
“I came in quietly and heard the three of you talking, so I poked my head into the nursery to check on the babies. Emily was awake, talking to her teddy bear, so I changed her and brought her out of the room, so she didn’t wake her brother. I figured with Eron teething, he could use a little extra sleep.”
With a light laugh, Mel settled her backside on the bed and drew her knees to her chest. “Thank you,” she grinned.
Philip shrugged and adjusted their daughter in his arms. “That’s what daddies are for, baby.”
“You guys are just too damn good to me.” Mel laughed and got up off the bed. After placing a kiss on her daughter’s head, she pressed her lips to Philip’s. “God, I love you guys, more than you’ll ever know. Now” -- she turned to ogle Van and Jake, who were still lying naked on either side of Calen and Van’s king-sized bed -- “I’m going to jump in the shower. And the pot roast in the slow cooker is finished, so as soon as Calen comes home, we can eat.”
Chapter Fourteen
Walking toward the back door, Van gave Jake a shove. “I am never playing opposite you again.”
“I said I was sorry, Van,” Jake apologized. “Jesus, I tripped. It’s not like I tackled you on purpose.”
Philip chuckled as he unlocked the door. “You’ve got to come up with a new line, babe. Even I don’t believe that one anymore.”
As the four men entered their home, the sound of sobbing filled the house. Without even taking the time to kick off their muddy sneakers and clothing, they tore off through the house toward the living room. When they each passed the doorway, they stopped cold.
“Am I the only one feeling a little déjà vu-ish?” Van asked wide-eyed.
“No,” the other three replied.
In the middle of the living room, Mel sat on a blanket. Her legs were open with her hands resting on the tops of her thighs and she was crying. Between her legs, their twenty-eight-month-old twins were facing her and wailing right along with their mother. Surrounding them were stuffed animals and storybooks. A small bowl of Cheerios sat tipped over beside their woman.
Realizing none of the three appeared to be suffering from anything life-threatening, the men exchanged a look of confusion and hastily approached. Once surrounding their family, they knelt.
“No one’s bleeding,” Calen commented after they looked the three over thoroughly. Picking up Eron, he looked him over again.
“Baby?” Philip tucked a curl behind Mel’s ear and gathered their daughter in his arms. “Shhh,” he cooed to Emily. “Daddy’s here, princess.”
“What are you guys doing, honey?” Jake asked, pulling Mel close.
“We’re crying, Jake,” Mel replied simply through tears and used the hem of her T-shirt to wipe her nose.
“We see that.” His voice was full of confusion. “How come?”
Mel shrugged and rested her head on his shoulder.
“Um, who or what, brought it on, baby?” Van asked wiping away the tears streaming down her cheeks.
“I did,” she sniffled.
“Because of the Cheerios?” Jake teased. “We’ll get you guys another bowl of cereal, baby.”
Mel snickered around her sobs. “You are such a boob, Jake.”
“Yeah, but I’m your boob, baby,” he said pressing his lips to her forehead.
Once the babies had settled and Mel gained her composure, Van held her in his arms on the sofa.
“All right, love of our lives,” he muttered in her hair. “What’s with the tears?”
Mel shrugged and tipped her head so she was looking into his eyes. “I don’t know, Van, it came on all of a sudden. I just couldn’t stop them.”
Four sets of brows creased with confusion. It took a fraction of a second for the men to process her words. Then, four mouths gaped open and all eight of their eyes nearly bulged from their sockets.
Epilogue
Eight Months Later on Eron and Emily’s Third Birthday
At the foot of the bed, Varian stood with a stupid look on his face. Melanie wanted so badly to reach up and slap it off. Exhaustion threatened to take over and she wanted to rest. However, she wasn’t about to pass up a single second of spending time with her family and attempted to tamp her discomfort.
“Just so you know, Varian,” Mel said tight lipped. “I have this incredible urge to slap that smug grin off your face,” she confessed.
“Yeah, I’ll just bet.” He chuckled. Taking a seat on the edge of the mattress, his eyes met hers. “You, lady, are a medical phenomenon.”
“Yup, that’s me, a regular freak. Can we go home now?” she asked.
Across the room, Jake cuddled one of the newest additions to their family against his chest. A baby boy they had chosen to name Nathan. Beside Jake, Philip held their three-year-old son, Eron, in his lap. Seated in the chair beside the bed, Calen cooed to the baby boy in his arms they had named Niklaus.
Varian shook his head. “Tomorrow. Morgan wants Nathan kept one more night. Just to make sure he’s maintained that six pounds, or better yet, gains an ounce or two. Tomorrow, I promise.”
Melanie nodded.
“Dem ow babies, Daddy?” Emily Rose asked in Van’s arms where he stood beside Calen.
With a kiss on her tiny cheek, Van answered. “Yes, princess, they’re our babies.”
Melanie smiled at her daughter in her lover’s arms and swallowed a sob. The little girl was the spitting image of the man who held her, as red-haired Eron was of Philip, who bounced him on his knee.
“We take dem home, Mommy?” Emily said, reaching for Mel.
Van sat on the bed and set their daughter in Melanie’s lap.
“Yup, Uncle Varian said we get to take them home tomorrow,” Mel told her. “Would you like that, sweetheart?”
“Dem ow mo boys doh, Mommy.”
“Yes, they are, sweetheart,” Mel giggled. “You’ll have to take your complaint up with your fathers.”
“You know what that means, Em?” Jake called over to her.
“What, Daddy?” She asked him, her bright green eyes dancing.
“Well, it means you and mommy are daddy’s special girls,” he told her.
Somehow sensing the perfect time to strike, Emily turned toward Calen. “Daddy?” she said in a tone of voice saved only for him. Tipping her head and batting her long dark eyelashes, she asked, “We get a puppy, Daddy? Peese?”
Mel snickered, finding it hilarious that at three years of age, their daughter knew exactly how to work her fathers.
“Well, of course we can, princess,” Calen answered in a voice he used only with their children.
“Can we get two, Daddy?” With his green eyes wide, Eron ginned mischievously at Calen.
Calen nodded his head. “You bet, son. We’ll get one for each of you.” A
s the other adults in the room rolled their eyes, he shrugged his shoulders. “What?” He grinned.
“You are so whipped,” Philip teased Calen and tousled the red curls on Eron’s head. “By three-year-olds.”
“Oh, come on, it’s not like the yard at the new house isn’t big enough for a couple of dogs, along with four kids,” he said. “It’ll be great.
“Man, is it ever going to be funny once these two start talking.” Varian didn’t even try to control his laughter. “The four kids calling the four of you, ‘Daddy’. I’m so glad I get to be a part of it.”
“I’m glad there’s only one of me.” Mel’s laughter joined his.
“All right, Varian,” Philip said. “What’d you want to tell us?”
“First, congratulations on the newest additions to your family. I want you all to know any baby born into your family is fortunate to have five loving parents to guide them and love them.” Varian’s words carried his sincerity. “I admire all of you and I’m honored to call you friends.”
“We’re proud to call you and your family friends, too, pal,” Calen said.
“Second, there are a number of documented cases of a woman releasing two eggs during ovulation and two different sperm fertilizing said eggs, and those two right there are proof of that,” he said, gesturing to Eron and Emily Rose. “Now, I’ve got to tell you, I don’t have any idea what the odds are of it happening to the same woman twice -- but I’m going to look into it.”
“Stop pissing around, Varian,” Jake growled. “Get to the point, please.”
“Okay, okay.” Varian chuckled. “Say, have you guys thought of taking a holiday?” He held his hand up in defense as his four friends glared at him. “As I said I don’t know what the odds are, but Reanne ran the DNA tests, as we did when Eron and Emily were born and, Calen, you are Nathan’s biological father and Jake, you are Niklaus’.”
“Congratulations, guys.” After placing a kiss on Melanie’s lips, Van rose up off the bed and shared one with Calen.
Pulling away from his lip-lock with Jake, Philip nodded his agreement. “Yes, congrats, guys. That’s incredible news.”
Jennifer Cole - A Delicious Taboo Two. Page 14
