6 Mountain Brothers for Christmas

by Rye Hart

  “Remember what you deserve and remember we’ll love you no matter what.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO - OWEN

  Harper was making dinner while the rest of us sat at the table. I was dazed from the wonderful encounter that had just taken place and I knew Harper felt the same way. He was cooking up some chicken, but all I could think about was how Kyra gave herself over to us willingly again, despite all the shit she was currently going through.

  Rowan and Blake came back in from the other room and sat down. They took it upon themselves to clean up the fucking mess we all made in there while Chance and Ethan talked about the modifications they could make to Kyra’s house. Mark would need help after he came home from the hospital and I was just glad to see those two fuckheads doing something else besides punching each other’s dicks in.

  Rowan and Blake sat down, joining the conversation on what we could all build and install and all that shit and, suddenly, I felt a little stifled. My head was still swirling with all the shit that had just taken place, so I slipped out onto the porch to get some fresh air.

  Kyra had been asleep for about three hours now and I wondered how she was doing. I wondered if it was best for her to wake up alone after something like this. I debated on whether or not to go lay down with her. To just curl up next to her so she wouldn’t have to wake up alone with her thoughts. But as I stepped onto the porch and drew in a deep breath of air, I heard a familiar voice come from around the corner.

  “Fancy seeing you out here.”

  I turned around and saw Kyra, her body bundled up in a blanket. She was in clothes that were obviously not hers and her little nose was cherry red from the cold. She was shivering, even with the blanket around her, and her hair was mussed and whipping around in the wind.

  I immediately walked over to her and wrapped my arms around her to warm her up.

  “What are you doing out here?” I asked.

  “I woke up and just… needed some air, I guess.”

  “I know how you feel,” I said.

  She pulled away from me pretty quickly despite being cold, so I shoved my hands into my pockets and looked out onto the beautiful mountain landscape.

  “How you feeling?” I asked.

  “Overwhelmed,” she said, sighing. “My father’s in the hospital. Landon’s blowing up my phone. And I’ve complicated things so much between all of us that I just don’t know what my next move should be.”

  I smiled at her use of the word “complicated.” Things had always been fucking complicated in this family. Raising six boys just about drove our mother up the wall. Out of all of us, Harper was the only one that got our father’s loner tendencies. So, she had five wild children and one that would never talk to her.

  Complicated was a concept we’d already fucking mastered before she came along.

  “You going back to Landon?” I asked.

  And, to my delight, she shook her head no.

  “I don’t think I could. I just don’t think I could be happy with him. What he’s offering my father is… incredible. And maybe not going back to Landon will cost my father what he needs. But my dad wouldn’t want me to sacrifice my happiness for his well-being. He’d find a way to kill me, even if he couldn’t move.”

  I chuckled at her response but I could tell her mind was still very preoccupied.

  “If it makes you feel any better, I think you’re doing the right thing,” I said.

  I watched Kyra turn her head to me, her red nose glaringly obvious against the white background of winter as a smile crossed her face.

  “You might be a bit biased,” she said.

  “Maybe so,” I said, grinning. “Doesn’t mean I’m less right, though.”

  “But even still,” she said. “That brings me to another roadblock.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’m torn between you guys. Isn’t that obvious?’

  Her question stopped me in my tracks and I studied the way her body tensed up again.

  “Owen… I love being with all of you. The sex is… holy hell. It’s nothing like I’ve ever experienced. Sometimes, I wonder in the moment how I’ll ever survive it.”

  I grinned with pride at her statement as I watched her cheeks flush with the memory of our activities only a few hours before.

  “But would this be a sustainable thing? I mean, for the long term?”

  I stood there in silence, not really knowing how to answer her. The truth was, I didn’t know. I didn’t know if we could keep this up for another month, much less the rest of our lives. It was so odd and so different and then there was Mark and how he would react. Surely, a mountain man like him would never approve of his daughter being with six men, much less six men that were her neighbors.

  I could see him unloading all his shotgun shells into us in our sleep.

  “There’s no way I could choose just one of you,” she said, sniffling. “It wouldn’t be good for me and it wouldn’t be good for any of you guys.”

  “Please don’t cry,” I said as I stepped closer toward her. “It kills my heart when you do.”

  I saw a tear leak down her face and I reached out to catch it with my finger. She leaned into my touch, my skin warming her cold cheek, and I took a chance and pressed a kiss to her forehead. She sighed, her body giving way as she leaned her cheek into my chest and I wrapped my arms around her shivering body.

  She was freezing out here. She needed to get inside before she got sick.

  “You don’t need to think about those things right now,” I said. “Today, all you need to do is get some rest. Your father needs you.”

  I felt her nod into me before I took her hand and led her around the porch.

  We walked up the outside steps to the second-story balcony. I opened the door to the room Ethan had laid her down in and led her back to her bed. Her body stopped shivering and, as I peeled the covers back for her, she scurried underneath the covers. Her body seemed so small compared to mine. So delicate underneath my fingertips. I tucked her in gently and kissed her forehead, watching her smile before she hunkered down into the pillows.

  The way her honey-blonde hair spread along the white pillowcase caused me to hold my breath.

  I sat on the edge of the bed and ran my fingers through her hair until she fell asleep. Her breathing evened out, her eyes fluttered closed, and every single part of me wanted to lay down next to her. I wanted her to know that she was safe here. That no matter what, she would always have me. I leaned over and kissed her cheek, smiling at its warmth before I went downstairs and gathered up the brothers.

  It was time we had another serious talk.

  “What’s up?” Blake asked.

  “Yeah, it’s not like you to talk much,” Ethan said, grinning.

  “Shut up,” Chance said. “Let the man talk.”

  “Kyra was on the porch when I walked outside,” I said.

  “Wait, and you didn’t tell us?” Harper asked.

  “She didn’t really look like she wanted to be bothered,” I said.

  “Or you just wanted her all to yourself,” Rowan said.

  “And this is the issue,” I said. “We have to come to some kind of compromise. All of us. Together. Kyra is hurting… more than we could ever imagine. And this dick-measuring competition and these accusations of who’s trying to get more time with her stops now. We can’t let Kyra keep going like this. She’s not gonna make it with the stress that’s on her shoulders now. We’re not important. Right now, Mark’s the only one who’s important.”

  I heard all my brothers sigh while Harper started stacking everyone’s plates with food.

  “I’ll make her a plate and keep it in the microwave,” Harper said.

  “That’s a good idea,” Chance said.

  “Should we leave her a note on the fridge saying it’s in there?” Ethan asked.

  “I’ll write her one real quick,” Blake said.

  “Gonna leave one of your fun book quotes on it?” Rowan asked, grinning.r />
  “So, what if I do?” Blake asked. “The fuck’s your problem?”

  “Cut it out,” I said. “Something’s gotta give and it gives now. I talked with Kyra a bit and she gave me the impression that she wasn’t going back to Landon.”

  “Wait, seriously?” Harper asked.

  “Yes, but that doesn't mean she’s running back to us. She made it clear she can’t choose just one of us and she doesn’t know if this… thing… we’re doing is sustainable in the long run. She’s made one very important decision that impacts the rest of her life. That’s enough for now. At least, until we can all get Mark home.”

  “So, she still knows we’re here for her, right?” Ethan asked.

  “Yes, I made sure she understood that,” I said.

  “Good,” Chance said. “Because Ethan and I are gonna go over to their house later and start putting some things in place like we’ve been talking about.”

  “And I’m getting a head start on freezer meals that’ll be easy for him to eat tomorrow morning,” Harper said.

  “Good,” I said. “If there’s anything I can build or help with, let me know. Just as long as we’re on the same page with Kyra.”

  “We hear you,” Blake said.

  “Loud and clear,” Rowan said.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE - HARPER

  I woke up early on Christmas Eve with plans already zooming through my mind. The encounter I had with Kyra the other day was lodged in my mind, but Blake’s speech was still echoing off the corners of my brain. One word, in particular, should’ve bothered me to my core. But it didn’t.

  Share.

  Blake had mentioned sharing Kyra and I hadn’t flinched one bit. In fact, while her hands were digging into my chest and my brothers were all making their mark on her, it didn’t bother me a bit. I got to look into her eyes and feel the wetness of her body dripping onto me. I got to feel her come around my cock while her breaths panted against my neck. The idea of sharing her with my brothers didn’t freak me out as much as it should have and it had my mind whirling all through the night.

  I stumbled into the kitchen and made a pot of coffee. This morning, all of us were going to have a breakfast casserole. Eggs and cheese and ham and sausage, all thrown together with fresh vegetables, salt, and pepper. Some of my best thinking came while I was cooking with a mug of coffee in my hand and today was no different. Since that first night we all shared with Kyra, her body bouncing between our laps while we fucked our fill of her, a plan had slowly been unfolding in my mind.

  A plan I didn’t think would work at all until Blake used that one word that no one ended up flinching at.

  That meant that today I needed to act. I needed to ride the coattails of Blake and Owen’s speech if this was all going to work. If I could get all of them to work together with me to bring this plan to fruition, there was a chance we could all spend the rest of our lives with the one woman all six of us wanted.

  But I had to play my cards right this morning. I couldn’t act on an empty stomach and I didn’t plan to.

  I chopped up all the vegetables while my mind began to whirl. I sucked down two mugs of overly-sweetened coffee while I tossed everything into two massive casserole dishes. I took out the milk and the juice, just in case someone didn’t want coffee, and, just as I was setting the table, her beautiful presence graced my eyes.

  Kyra came pushing through into the kitchen and I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

  “Tink, why don’t you go wake up all the Lost Boys?” I said.

  “No one else is up yet?” she asked.

  “Nope, and breakfast is ready,” I said, grinning.

  I winked at her and she blushed before she marched back up the stairs. One by one, I heard my brothers stumble down the stairs, tripping over themselves from exhaustion. I knew I wasn’t the only one who had been up during the night thinking and the way they all slinked into the kitchen only confirmed this.

  Their minds were going just as much as mine was.

  Soon, we were all gathered around the table eating breakfast. The Lost Boys and our Tinkerbell. Her hair was mussed, her cheeks were flushed, and the way she wrapped her lips around her fork was nothing short of lewd. I swallowed my groans and tried to concentrate on what I was eating but I could see Kyra fidgeting in her chair.

  “You okay?” Owen asked.

  “Just ready to get to the hospital,” she said.

  “Well, why don’t you finish your coffee and let Chance drive you to the hospital?” I asked. “I know he’s been wanting to see Mark, too.”

  The truth of the matter was, Chance would be the easiest to get on board. I knew the only thing he wanted was for Kyra to be happy, no matter what that entailed. He was rough to his core, especially with the things he carried around from his military days, but he loved Kyra. We all did. And he only wanted what was best for her.

  I just needed to make sure the other brothers were on board as well.

  Ethan shot me a nasty look, with daggers flowing from his eyes. I connected my eyes with him as Kyra started sliding out of her seat and, in an instant, he shook the jealousy away. That was exactly what we needed right now and I was proud of him. Owen got through to us last night when he laid down the law. No more jealousy, no more competitions, and no more stressing out Kyra. As far as she was concerned, we had to present a united front.

  And that united front Owen talked about meant I was already one step closer to my plan coming to fruition.

  Kyra slipped out of the kitchen and made her way upstairs. For a few minutes, the shower ran, giving all of us some time to think. Chance finished his breakfast in silence before he grabbed himself a travel mug of coffee. Then, he ventured upstairs himself. It didn’t take long for Kyra and Chance to both come back downstairs and she came into the kitchen to wave goodbye before Chance put his hand around her waist.

  “Let us know how he’s doing, okay?” Rowan asked.

  “Yeah, shoot us a message or something,” Ethan said.

  “I will, guys. I promise. And thank you. For everything you’ve done for me.”

  We all looked at her with smiles on our faces before Chance led her out of the house. I could tell there was still a part of Ethan that wanted to go after them and assert himself but the fact that he was staying in his seat was a testament to him trying to be better.

  And that was exactly what I needed.

  “Okay, guys,” I said. “I have a favor to ask.”

  “I knew it,” Blake said, grinning. “You’ve always got a plan up your sleeve when you get declarative like that.”

  “What’s up?” Owen asked.

  “I have a massive Christmas gift for Kyra but it requires all of us to pull ourselves together in a timely fashion,” I said.

  “What’s going on?” Ethan asked. “You okay?”

  “Yeah. I’m good. Look, since Blake’s speech last night, I’ve come to a conclusion. Especially with the conversation Owen said he had with Kyra yesterday.”

  “Okay, hit us with it,” Rowan said.

  “No one brother is ever gonna have Kyra.”

  My statement silenced the table and I could see all my brothers looking around at one another.

  “I mean, we don’t really know that’s true,” Ethan said, grumbling. “She could just be under a lot of stress. And she did make the decision not to be with Landon. That’s a start.”

  “Ethan, cut the shit,” I said.

  “Harper’s right,” Rowan said. “We’ve hashed all this out already.”

  “So, there’s only one logical explanation that gets all of us what we want,” I said.

  “Which is?” Owen asked.

  “We don’t make her pick just one of us.”

  I watched all of my brothers widen their eyes while Owen automatically began shaking his head. Ethan was looking at me like my eyeball just popped out onto the table but I could tell by the look on Rowan and Blake’s faces that they had already considered that option.

  Because th
ey didn’t seem to be shocked by my statement at all.

  “Look, aren’t six Trent brothers better than just one?” I asked. “Look at what we could give her. When you’re with someone, they might fill some of you. Or most of you. But not all of you. Kyra’s that rare person that can fill each part of someone but the problem with someone as complex and caring as Kyra is the fact that one man just isn’t gonna give her all she needs.”

  “He’s right,” Rowan said. “I’ve been tossing the issue around for a few days now.”

  “Same here,” Blake said. “It’s why I said what I said yesterday about sharing her.”

  “Wait, you mean you were serious about that shit?” Ethan asked.

  Owen continued to shake his head.

  “Owen, you know I’m right,” I said. “Kyra will never choose. Ever. And if she’s forced to, she’ll end up disappointing all of us by not choosing any of us. She’ll disappoint several brothers before she’ll ever put herself in a situation to be less than fulfilled and she cares too much about us.”

  “I mean, we technically started this thing together,” Rowan said. “If you think about it, she’ll never be able to be with one of us without being reminded of another brother.”

  “Then maybe she needs to choose the brother that’s more of a man than any of us put together,” Ethan said.

  “Which we all know is Chance, so get over it,” I said.

  The look Ethan gave me was nothing short of a death glare. Everyone else laughed.

  “Look,” I said. “We all care about Kyra. More than anything else in this world, right?”

  “Yeah,” my brothers said.

  “So, why not work together to win her over?” I asked. “She’s already said no to Landon. Supposedly, at least. If we win her over, we could all spend the rest of our lives together. Loving her and sharing her.”

  “But what if we don’t want to share her all the time?” Ethan asked.

  “Seriously?” Owen asked.

  “No,” I said. “It’s a fair question. And he’s right. We wouldn’t share her all the time. She’s gonna want personal time with all of us, just like we do with her. We just have to work that out. Like all couples work things out.”