by Chloe Lang
Once again, the doorbell rang.
“Coming,” she yelled, grabbing her robe. “Hold on.”
She peered through her peephole and saw Phoebe. She remembered Phoebe had said she was coming over.
She opened the door.
“I see you got some much-needed sleep, Ash.” Phoebe walked in, carrying a couple of bags. “I brought dinner from Phong’s Wok—sesame chicken, crispy beef, sweet and sour shrimp, egg rolls, crab puffs, and fried rice.”
“I have the perfect wine to go with this meal, but that sounds like a lot of food for just the two of us.” She grinned, glancing down at Phoebe’s belly. “It’s the four of us, isn’t it? Oh no. You can’t have wine.”
“Don’t remind me, Ash. But you can, and I will enjoy watching you drink it. This may sound strange, but do you have chocolate milk? It’s just one of the crazy cravings I’ve been having. I just can’t get enough chocolate.”
“I don’t have chocolate milk.” She looked in her refrigerator. “I do have some chocolate syrup to mix with the milk.”
Phoebe smiled. “Could I just have the syrup?”
They laughed.
They sat down at the kitchen table and began enjoying their meal.
“I’m really glad you came over because I’m so nervous about Nic’s intervention.”
“Trust me, Ash. You know the men of Destiny. They’ll be able to help Nic understand that this life will work for him, that being with you and Sylas will give him the perfect life. I just know it.”
“Hopefully you’re right. I love him so very much. And I love Sylas.”
Phoebe’s eyebrows rose. “Ashley Vaughn, you’re glowing. Did you see Sylas after you left the office?”
She grinned. “Yes.”
Phoebe leaned forward. “Well?”
“He came over and we talked.”
“I can tell you did much more than talk.” Phoebe never settled for vague answers, just one of the reasons she was such a great attorney.
“I’ll tell you this much. His first time as a Dom was absolutely fabulous. Not trying to change the subject, but what is going on with Anna?”
“Very subtle, Ash. You definitely are trying to change the subject, but here’s what I know so far. Jason went to her apartment. Ethel gave him a search warrant. Anna wasn’t there. She wasn’t at TBK either. No one has seen her.”
“Since Trollinger had access to my computer when me, you, and Jena were talking at the office, I’m sure she tipped Anna off about what we’d discovered. I bet Anna has left Colorado.”
“Jason put an APB out on her. I don’t think she can get far.”
* * * *
Talking with his travel agent on his cell, Nic continued his trek around the park in the center of Destiny. He’d hoped the walk might clear his head and help him put things in perspective. It hadn’t. “Anything?”
“All the seats are taken. Let me check another airline,” the agent said.
He had been trying to get an earlier flight back to Chicago all day without any luck. After leaving Ashley the way he had, all he wanted to do was be as far away from Destiny as possible. How the hell am I going to live without her? He wasn’t sure but knew it was best for Ashley that he left. For Ashley and Sylas. They could get on with their lives with him out of the picture.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Walker, but there is nothing available.”
“Damn.” His ticket was for a seat on the last flight tomorrow night.
“Sometimes seats open up at the last minute. When will you be at the Denver airport?”
“It’s a four and a half hour drive from here. I will be leaving shortly.” He should have left hours ago, but hadn’t been able to bring himself to go. His bag was packed, sitting on his hotel bed. What had held him back? He knew once he left Destiny there would be no chance of ever seeing Ashley again.
“The earliest flights after midnight aren’t until five in the morning, Mr. Walker. Would you like me to arrange a hotel for you near the airport?”
“That won’t be necessary. Just get me on one of those morning flights.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll do my best.”
He clicked off his phone and looked up at the dragon statue ahead. It reminded him of the books Pop Jim and Mama Gayle had given him his first Christmas in their house. Definitely happier times then. But those days were long gone.
Tolkien’s incredible dragons and mighty heroes in The Hobbit had delighted Nic when he was a boy. Despite the struggles and hardship, the good guys in his books always won in the end. But now Nic knew that wasn’t always the case.
“No more stalling. It’s best I get out of here.” He walked directly to the hotel.
When he entered the lobby, the man at the front desk waved him over.
“Yes?”
“I have a message for you, Mr. Walker.” The young man behind the counter nodded. “You are supposed to go to the Rocky Mountain Room. It’s down that hall, the last door on the left.”
“Do you know why?”
“No, sir, I don’t. I just started my shift.”
As he walked down the hall, Nic wondered who might be waiting for him in the Rocky Mountain Room. The only people he knew in Destiny were Ashley, Phoebe, and Phoebe’s husbands.
Once he opened the door, Jason, one of Phoebe’s husbands, greeted him. Behind Jason were several men sitting at a conference table. He spotted Sylas first.
“Hi, Nic.” Jason was in his uniform, with a gun holstered to his belt.
“Hey, Jason.” He recognized Mitchell and Lucas, Phoebe’s other husbands, who he’d also met at the rental house. Phoebe’s plan had been for him and Sylas to share the place. Share? That seemed to be the main word for Destiny’s citizens. Living with Sylas wasn’t going to happen.
It was a good thing he hadn’t given notice to Braxton, since he had no intention of taking the job with Phoebe.
The only other men he recognized at the table were the O’Learys, Patrick and Sam, who had been with Sylas at the diner this morning.
Jason led him to a seat at the long conference table.
“What’s this about, Jason?”
“First, let me introduce you to everyone.”
“I know you and your brothers. And I’ve already met the O’Learys.”
“This is Matt Dixon and Sean MacCabe, who work at TBK. And this is Eric and Scott Knight, who own TBK.”
“It’s very nice meeting each of you, but I still am wondering what this is all about.”
Sam rose from his chair. “Nic, I am the one who organized this meeting. As you probably know, we had an appointment with Sylas. He had come to us with many concerns about Destiny’s lifestyle.”
Nic stood. “I don’t mean to interrupt, but I’m planning on leaving here.”
“Hold on, Nic,” Sylas said. “Please, just hear us out.”
“I guess since Sam has gone to all this trouble, I don’t want to be an ass.” He sat back down.
“Thank you, Nic,” Sam said. “I appreciate it. As I was saying, when Sylas came to us his biggest concern was you. I understand that you two are like brothers.”
“We were, once.”
“Just like I told Sylas. Once brothers, always brothers. Sylas cares very deeply for you. And if I’m not mistaken, you care very deeply for Sylas. Brothers can disagree, but they don’t lose their love and respect for each other.”
“Thank you, Sam. But this isn’t going to change what I’m going to do. I am leaving as soon as this meeting is over. It’s for the best.”
“The best for who, Nic?”
“For Sylas and Ashley, of course.”
“Can you really say what’s best for Sylas and Ashley? My understanding is that they want to make a life together with you.”
“I don’t mean to be disrespectful, sir, but I could never share a woman with anyone. Brother or no brother.”
“Which brings me to the main reason I set up this meeting. Sylas has told me how you feel. All of these men in this ro
om would like to tell you how happy their lives are—sharing one woman. All I ask is that you hear them out. If you still want to go after that, no one will try to stop you.”
Nic still couldn’t understand how families like these men had worked, how it was even possible. Curious to find out, he said, “Fine. That’s fair enough.”
Sam turned to Patrick. “Since you’re the oldest here, you’re up first, brother.”
“Sam, do you always have to bring up my age?”
All the men laughed.
Patrick grinned. “I’m not that much older than he is, Nic. But with age does come some wisdom. Sam, it’s your story to tell, too.”
“But you tell it so much better.”
Patrick grinned and then turned to Nic. “ When Sam was sixteen and I was seventeen, we immigrated to the United States. We had no reason to stay in Ireland. Our father had died in World War II and our mother had passed away with a broken heart a year later. We needed a new beginning.”
“I can relate,” Nic said, thinking about Pop Jim and Mama Gayle. “My parents died when I was young.”
“So you understand why we wanted new surroundings, a whole new place to start over.”
Nic nodded.
“Sam and I settled in Springfield, Missouri. We went to work for the local newspaper.” Patrick brought out his pipe, and though he didn’t light it, brought it up to his lips. It was obvious this man was a wonderful storyteller. “On our very first day at the paper we saw the most beautiful girl we’d ever laid eyes on. She was the editor’s daughter, Ethel Mae Young. She had deep blue eyes, like the sparkling Irish Sea, and long blonde hair, like golden flax. I knew immediately that I wanted to get to know her better, despite our difference in class. Sam felt the same way, and told me so. At first, we thought going after the same girl would be a lark. One of us would end up with her. The other would step aside. That had been the plan. Or so we thought.
“But Sam and I fell hard for our sweet Ethel. We both wanted her. Like you and Sylas, we each dated her separately. She was the light of our life. As the weeks turned to months, my brother and I began to resent each other. I felt like the time Sam spent with her was time I should be with her. He felt the same way. On Sam’s twentieth birthday, he told me that he was going to ask Ethel to marry him. I informed him that I had already bought her a ring and was going to propose as well. Sam smugly told me, ‘May the best man win.’ I was so arrogant at that age that I laughed. ‘I am the best man and I will win.’ At that point, we knew what we had to do. We had to ask her together. Then the loser would know the truth and back away.
“We hadn’t realized that Ethel wanted both of us, but we each learned she did when we popped the question. You should have seen Sam and me. There we were on our knees before the love of our life demanding she choose between us. With tears streaming down her face, she refused. ‘I can’t choose. It’s an impossible choice. Please. You’re breaking my heart. I love you both. That may be wrong, but it’s true. I can’t see either of you anymore. It’s just too hard.’ The three of us were devastated. Ethel ran upstairs to her bedroom. Sam and I left and went to a pub. We were heartbroken. We didn’t know what to do. After several pints and letting go of the jealousy that had torn us apart, we came to the same conclusion. It wasn’t fair to ask her to choose. The very next morning we joined the army.
“After basic, we were sent to Korea, where the war had broken out. I was captured by the enemy. The entire time I was their prisoner—seven long months—the only two people I could think about were Ethel and Sam. That’s when I met my first dragon.”
“Dragon?” Nic smiled.
“Stay on track, brother. That story is for another time.”
“True. I still had no clue how Sam and I could work things out with Ethel. I woke up in a military hospital, next to Colonel Franklin McDavish. Sam was there, too, and came to visit me every day.
“McDavish had taken a bullet and had a high fever. He rambled on and on about needing to get back to his brother and their wife. He was constantly saying ‘their wife.’ I believed his words were brought on by his fever but it did get me to wondering what it might be like if Sam and I could marry Ethel together. I didn’t believe it was possible, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it, especially with McDavish next to me. When Frank’s fever broke, I asked him about what he’d said. At first, he held back. You have to realize that was 1952, Nic. But when I told him about our story—mine, Sam, and Ethel’s—he brightened up and told me about his hometown, Destiny, Colorado.
“When Sam arrived that night, I told him that everything Frank had been saying during his fever was true. Frank and Sam shook hands. We asked so many questions. Every answer Frank gave filled us with hope.
“Once I was back on my feet, Sam and I returned to Missouri to find Ethel, the woman of our dreams. Having heard about my capture, she greeted us with tears.”
Sam snorted. “She was crying for me, too, brother. You might mention I took a couple of bullets in Korea.”
Patrick laughed. “Anyway, Nic. Ethel was happy to see us both alive. When we told her about what we’d learned from Frank, she was elated. Sam and I had bought a ring for her together. Once again, we knelt in front of her, but that time, unlike before, we didn’t ask her to choose between us. She said ‘yes,’ and the rest is history. We’ve been happily married ever since.”
“Thanks, Patrick,” Sam said, turning back to Nic. “So you see, son, if it hadn’t been for Frank, God rest his soul, my brother and I wouldn’t have the wonderful life we have with our beautiful bride. That’s why I set up this meeting for you. I wanted to give you the same chance to hear what life can be like here that Patrick and I heard from Frank.”
Nic stood and clapped. The other men joined him. His cell rang. He looked at the screen. It was his travel agent. “Excuse me, fellas. I need to take this.”
He stepped out into the hallway. The agent told him about a seat that opened up on an earlier flight, but he declined. No way was he leaving early. He needed to hear everything these men had to say. “I’m still in Destiny. I’ve decided to take the original flight I was booked on. Thank you for your help.”
When he returned to the Rocky Mountain Room, he said, “Thank you for sharing your story with me, but Sylas and I aren’t related. We may call each other brother but we don’t share the same blood.”
“Which brings us to our next speakers, Nic.” Sam smiled. “Matt Dixon and Sean MacCabe.”
Matt spoke first. “Our wife, Jena, and Ashley are good friends.”
He and Sean told the story about how they’d met and fallen in love with Jena. “So you see, we’re not blood brothers either, Nic. But in every other way we are.”
The rest of the men told Nic their stories until late in the night.
At the very end, Sylas stood. “Nic, you’re my brother. Even though we had a bump in the road, you’ve never stopped being my brother. I know you love Ashley, and you know I love her, too. Just like Patrick and Sam, we just didn’t know what to do about it. Now we do. Sam’s intervention was about you, but hearing all these men’s stories also helped me. This is new for us, but I believe that you and I can make Ashley happy. You only had a loving family for a short time. This is our chance for the three of us to be a family for the rest of our lives. I love you, bro. So what do you say?”
Wracked with emotion, Nic stood and walked up to Sylas. He pulled him in for a hug. “I’m sorry, bro. For everything. I do love you. And you’re right—I do love her.” He turned to the other men in the room. “Thank you, but I still don’t understand how the sex works. I assume you are all heterosexuals.”
They all laughed.
“You assume right,” Patrick said, smiling.
“Not that we have anything against gays or bisexuals,” Sam added. “In fact, we have gay families and bisexual families in Destiny. This town respects everyone’s right to love any way that they want.”
“You should see our gay pride parade, Nic,” Mit
chell chimed in. “It’s over the top and everyone participates—gay, straight, whatever.”
Nic couldn’t get over how accepting these men were. “So…do you take turns?”
Sam laughed. “Now you sound just like Sylas. That was exactly what he asked us. I’ll give you the same answer that my wife gave him. Sometimes it’s separate. Sometimes it’s together. Take it from me, a man who’s been married for over five decades. Sexuality is a journey that is discovered day by day.”
“And night by night,” Patrick teased. “You can teach old dogs new tricks, Nic. The fun is learning with the woman you love.”
Imagining what making love to Ashley for the rest of his life would be like, Nic smiled. “Sylas, you and I need to talk to Ashley.”
“Yes, we do.” Sylas looked him in the eyes. “So you’re convinced? You want this? You believe that you and I can make it work with Ashley?”
Nic laughed. “Now who sounds like they need convincing? Yes. I do. I love her. You love her. She loves us. She wants us both. I know it’s late, but I have to see her. I’ve put her through hell. I can’t go another second without letting her know how much she means to me and that I want us to be a family. Are you with me, Sylas?”
“For the rest of my life, bro.”
Chapter Thirteen
Sitting in her comfy PJs and slippers, Ashley stared at the page of the law book in her lap. She’d read the same sentence at least a dozen times. She just couldn’t concentrate, even though she needed to be studying. Phoebe had left at eleven-thirty, which was over an hour ago.
Surely the intervention is over by now. Why haven’t I heard anything?
She decided to put on a fresh pot of coffee. She was thankful for the little bit of sleep she’d gotten after making love to Sylas. But there would be no more sleep tonight. She was too wound up.
Please let Nic see that we belong together. This can work. He has to believe it.
Sylas had made it clear to her that he wanted the three of them to be a family. That’s all she wanted, too. She’d dreamed about it back in Chicago. Was Phoebe right? Was everything going to turn out right?
