by Rye Hart
I stared up at him and finished what I was trying to say, “I'm pregnant, Jude.”
The smile on his face made my heart ache and the feeling of relief flooding my body was powerful. Overwhelming. Jude's smile was the sweetest, most genuine smile I'd ever seen before. The look of love in his eyes melted my heart and gave me the glimmer of hope that everything was going to work out. That everything was going to be okay.
Although, I admit that I wasn't entirely sure yet, that it would be.
“You've just made me the happiest man in the world,” he said.
“But –” I started to point out that it might not be his.
“I've always wanted to have a family, Ember,” he said, a genuine excitement in his voice. “I know it's early, but I will be there for you and our child. I love you more than you'll ever know and I'm going to do right by you both.”
Our child.
He was already calling it our child.
My heart broke even more. He was a smart man, he had to realize the odds, right? Was he just not thinking?
I couldn't break it to him. Not then, not in that moment when he was bursting with joy and covering my face in kisses. I knew I'd have to broach the subject eventually, and we'd have to figure out the next steps. For now, however, I got caught up in his joy. I smiled and kissed him back, feeling the excitement rush through me. There was a child inside of me, and as soon as I knew it existed, I already loved it.
The idea of raising a family with Jude, the man I loved, was head. Intoxicating. It made my heart stutter and my breath catch in my throat. I was so caught up in the sensations of having his body pressed to mine, the very idea that it might not be his child slipped from my brain entirely as we embraced.
“I love you so much, Ember,” he said.
“I love you too, Jude.”
“We're going to have a baby,” he said.
“Yes,” I said, wiping away the years. “Yes, we are.”
Chapter Thirteen
Jude
“I was thinking we could turn the office into a nursery, since it's connected to the master bedroom,” he said. “And your old room can become the new office. Just switch them around.”
“That sounds amazing,” I said.
My smile wavered a bit when Dominic and Zane came into the dining room, interrupting us. All the guys knew I was expecting – it was no big secret or anything. But, no one had said anything about the possibility of it being their child. Nobody even really addressed it with me at all. They just sort of carried on like everything was normal. even though nothing was going to be normal ever again.
Dominic stopped by where I was sitting and kissed me. It wasn't all that uncommon these days to have his lips pressed against mine, but after the announcement that I was with child, I almost expected the sharing to die out a bit.
Then again, I could be carrying Dominic's child for all we knew.
“Good morning, sunshine,” Dom said, joining us at the table.
“Good morning,” I said.
My cheeks were bright pink, and I couldn't believe how embarrassed I felt in that moment. Deep down, I felt ashamed. Like I should be wearing a giant scarlet A on my chest. After all, I was pregnant with one of these men's child – and I didn't have the first idea whose child it might be.
“So what were you talking about?” he asked. “Thought I heard something about a nursery?”
Jude discussed his plans for the office and the nursery with his friends, and I just sat there listening. Feeling dumbfounded, not to mention more than a little terrified, among the mix of emotions swirling around within me.
I studied each man in turn, trying to figure out who might have impregnated me. Looking at them all, trying to figure out whose sperm had hit my egg. You'd think there'd be a gut feeling, some sense of intuition, or something – but no. Nothing came to mind. No whisper in the back of my mind, primal attraction, or some mental and emotional compass pointing to the father. There was just nothing.
I'd fucked all of them, multiple times – and without condoms since I thought I thought I was protected because of my IUD.
“How you feeling?” Nathaniel asked me.
I stared at him for a few moments, blinking at him, unsure if he was truly talking to me.
“As good as can be expected, I guess,” I said softly. “All things considered.”
Nathaniel reached across the table and squeezed my hand gently, shooting me one of his famous, charming boyish smiles.
“You're not alone, you know,” he said. “You're not going to have to do this by yourself. Just know that.”
“Thank you, Nathaniel,” I said.
The look we shared between us helped me relax, for a moment. But, the talking and planning continued around us. The normalcy of the whole situation was grinding on me. I know how ridiculous it sounded, but they were all carrying on like there was nothing amiss. Like there was nothing wrong and today was just like any other day.
Except it wasn't.
What color should we paint the nursery? Maybe Jude should look at a bigger house? The voice in the back of my head was urgent. Insistent. Nothing about this whole situation was even in the same universe as normal.
“A bigger house than this?” I asked. “It's plenty big enough for us.”
“All of us?” Dominic asked with a sly wink.
“What do you mean all of us?”
I looked at Jude. He put his coffee cup down and cleared his throat. He exchanged a funny look with his friends and then turned back to me.
“We've been talking for a while about going in on a place together,” he said. “It makes sense, since we're all like a family anyway.”
I looked around the table again and the guys were all nodding. It was already feeling unreal to me and that was just making it all that much more surreal.
“Would you be okay with that, Ember?” Jude asked. “All of us living together?”
I stared at him for a long, anxious moment. It had never occurred to me before that very second that we could all live under the same roof. Each of these men meant something to me now, but compared to what I had with Jude, what I felt for them paled slightly. The idea of all of us living together under one roof wasn't even something that had occurred to me – and with a baby on the way, it only meant things would be more crowded.
Except, of course, if one of them was the father...
“Is this because of the baby?” I asked, finally swallowing my pride just enough to choke those words out.
“It's true we could use all the help we can get,” Jude said.
“I didn't mean it like that,” I said. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “What I mean is – because we don't know who the father is?”
The room went silent for a long few minutes. You could have heard the proverbial pin drop. I opened my eyes again and all four men were staring back at me. Dominic was grinning, even Zane had a slight smile touching the corners of his mouth. Nathaniel had his boyish grin and Jude – well, Jude – looked amused as hell.
“Ember, I'm the father,” he said matter-of-factly.
“You don't know that, Jude,” I whispered, as I clenched my hands in my lap, trying to avert my gaze. “There's no way we could know that.”
“Yes, there is,” Jude said. “Because you're mine, Ember. You're mine and this is our baby, to raise together.”
I shook my head, the heat rising my cheeks. My eyes were stinging. He just wasn't getting it. There's no way he could definitively know that it's his child. Yes, I'm his. But, this baby very well may not be.
“I've slept with every man in here,” I said.
My words became slurred. I realized, in that moment, that I'd felt some guilt for enjoying it. Guilt for being with these different men, and now I felt dirty. I didn't even know who the father of my child was, what kind of woman was I?
“It could belong to any one of you, for all we know,” I said, my voice barely more than a whisper.
Nathaniel slid over to sit beside m
e, placing an arm over my shoulder, a gentle smile upon his lips. Jude was on the other side of me, holding my hand. It all felt so good, to be comforted by these men, whom I cared for a great deal. But, that also only exacerbated the situation – any one of them could be the father of this child and none of us, not even Jude, knew whose it was.
“Ember, let me tell you something important,” Jude said, leaning down to whisper in my ear. “I can't have kids of my own.”
He lifted my chin and made me look at him. His eyes glistened and sparkled, filled with unshed tears. Happy tears, as evidenced by the smile on his face. He rested his forehead against mine and kissed the tip of my nose, that smile playing upon his lips never faltering. His expression giving me no indication that he was being anything but genuine. Sincere.
He knew. Of course he knew. All along he knew that he couldn't have actually fathered this child. He wasn't stupid.
“It wasn't my brother that had Leukemia, Ember. It was me,” he said softly. “I'm infertile thanks to the chemo treatments I had to endure as a child. So, I already know it's not mine, biologically speaking. And honestly, I don't care who impregnated you, Ember. The child is ours.”
He kissed my lips, and I fell into him. Even Nathaniel let me go, letting Jude take me into his arms completely. It was like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. A physical, palpable weight had been lifted off of me.
When I finally pulled back from our kiss, I looked around at the men at the table and smiled. All of my men, there to support and take care of me. Jude was mine – one hundred percent mine. In that moment, I knew I would never be without a family again. My mother may have disowned me, but in the process, I gained a tribe.
Before long, I'd have a child of my own. One that would never doubt his or her mother's love. My baby would also have something I never had. Not just one dad, but four men willing to step up and care for it. Four dads that loved and cherished it. Four men who would all look after it like the child was one of their own.
Life couldn't get much better than that.
EPILOGUE
Ember
I called my mother when I was about three months pregnant. I didn't know why – it wasn't like I owed her a damn thing. For some reason though, I wanted to let her know she would be a grandmother. At first, the conversation was tough. Halting. Awkward.
She believed that I'd planned it all along. That I'd schemed and contrived a way for me to end up with Jude. I feared the worst – I feared I might have lost my mother completely. Feared I might have lost her just as I was starting my own journey as a mom-to-be. I needed her more than anything in the world.
I knew that balancing school and a newborn was not going to be easy. But, I never doubted that I could do it. I wasn't alone, after all. There were four men willing to step up and do what needed to be done to make sure that child was well taken care of. That I was well taken care of.
I was about eight months pregnant when there was a knock on the door. We were just about moved into our new home – an even larger estate for all of us – when the most unexpected of visitors arrived at our doorstep.
“Mom?” I couldn't believe my eyes when I opened the door.
I quickly steeled myself, prepared for what I assumed would be an onslaught of insults. That's all I'd gotten up until that point. But standing there on my doorstep, I could see that something had changed. I saw the difference in her eyes. In her face. Rather than scorn and derision, she stared at me with something close to awe.
She looked down, saw my pregnant belly, and something seemed to hit her all at once. If I had to guess, I would have said it was the realization that she was going to be a grandmother – and that she was that close to losing me. Not just me, but her grandchild as well.
“Ember, I'm so sorry,” she said.
She stepped forward and embraced me, tears streaming down her cheeks along with the remnants of her mascara. I wanted to accept her hugs, to believe she was sincere, but I was hesitant. Her visit had come out of the blue, without any sort of advance warning, and I couldn't help but feel like she was playing an angle. What that angle was, I hadn't the first clue.
I just didn't trust her and remained stiff in her arms. She pulled away, hurt and confusion on her face.
I looked her in the eye and asked her point blank, “Why are you here?”
“I wanted to see you,” she said. “Can't I just want to see you?”
I crossed my arms in front of my chest and stared at her. She knew I wasn't buying it and sighed.
“Fine,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I just wanted to let you know that I'm getting married again, and –”
“And here, I thought maybe you'd changed,” I muttered. “Which billionaire's bed have you weaseled your way into this time?”
She looked down at the ground, color creeping into her cheeks. “I suppose I deserve that.”
“Damn right you did,” I replied.
She let out a long breath and looked back up at me. “No one,” she said, her cheeks still flushed. “I mean, not a billionaire at least. It's – Marlon.”
“Marlon?” I asked, disbelief washing through me. “Really? I thought –”
“I'd never marry him because he's not loaded enough?” she chuckled. “Yeah, me too. But if this experience with you and Jude – and losing you for so long – has taught me anything, it's that money isn't everything. That money is the very least of things, actually.”
I cocked an eyebrow at her, waiting for the catch. Waiting for her to deliver the punchline and reveal herself to be the greedy, gold-digging woman I knew her to be.
“That and his company was just bought out by Time Warner,” she said. “He may not be a billionaire, but we'll be pretty comfortable.”
That was more like it. Closer to the mom I knew. Still, I couldn't help but crack a smile. All these years, mom had fooled around with Marlon, loving him and only him, and finally, she'd get to have him. Maybe my mom could have a happily ever after too.
Hell, if she could, I certainly could too.
“Well, I'm happy for you,” I said. “You'll have to send me an invite.”
Mom's eyes drifted back down to my belly. “Do you know the sex yet?”
I nodded. “We're having a girl.”
Mom's eyes filled with tears again as a shaky smile creased her lips. “A daughter.”
“Yes, I'm going to have a daughter,” I snapped. “And trust me, she's never going to go without. Nor is she going to learn to be a taker. She will never learn the fine art of swindling rich, old, lonely men.”
Mom's eyes fell. She looked honestly sorry and ashamed, but it wouldn't be that easy to forgive. Maybe, in time, we could move past it, but she'd be the one having to make the effort. Not me.
“I want to know my grandchild, Ember,” she said. “And I'd like to have my daughter back too, if that's all even remotely possible.”
I hesitated for a moment, searching her eyes. Searching her face. I searched for the barest flash of insincerity. I found nothing of the sort. In fact, all I found was sincerity and hope in her eyes. She'd changed. I didn't know what had precipitated it, but she'd changed. For the better. Which was a rarity in people, it seemed.
“I'd like that, mom.”
“I know it'll take time –”
“That's the understatement of the year.”
Mom flinched. My words hurt her. I even felt a little bad for it.
“Come inside,” I groaned. “Let's talk. The movers will be here soon.”
“You're moving?” she asked.
“Yes, to a bigger house,” I said.
“A bigger house than this?”
I laughed. I'd said the same thing, but now that it was happening, it made sense. Not that I wanted to explain to my mom about how I had four different baby daddies and they were all moving in with us. Nah, I'd let her figure it out on her own. Because God, if she hated me before when I'd taken one billionaire away from her, what would she think if she discovered I
had four now?
I'll admit, it was a nice thought. Four handsome, sexy billionaires. What more could a girl ask for?
The End
CHRISTMAS WITH THE MCCORMICK BROTHERS
CHAPTER ONE - HAILEY
The late fall sun was setting on the horizon. The sky was growing dark in the east, but the western horizon was a riot of colors – red, orange, and gold. It was stunning and reminded me of the leaves on the trees that time of year.
Darkness was coming, but the fun was only getting started. Black Oak's Annual Community Bonfire was an event I'd attended as a child more times than I could count, but being there again as an adult felt entirely different. The leaves had fallen from most of the trees, coating the ground in those brilliant shades of red and orange that reflected the sky above. It was a beautiful side of nature I'd missed during my time in California.
Pulling my hoodie tightly around my body, I tucked my hand into the pocket and walked into Black Oak Park, looking around at the familiar – yet older – faces that made up the crowd. There were so many I recognized, but there was one face in particular I was looking for.
My parents were, of course, working their booth as they always did at these community events. They'd tried to convince me to join them in the booth and help them out, but I'd politely declined. I had no interest in peddling essential oils to old high school acquaintances of mine, many of who had made my life an utter nightmare growing up.
I'd had half a mind to skip the bonfire altogether, wanting to avoid the awful memories that would inevitably come flooding back when put into a social setting with some of these people. After all, everyone in Black Oak attended the bonfire – and very few people ever left the small South Carolina town we'd grown up in. I was one of few, and I was not entirely excited to be back. However, there was one person I wasn't trying to avoid – and I knew she was going to be there. When I saw Jenn's face in the middle of a crowd of people, the smiled that curled the corners of my lips was instant.
As if a psychic connection existed between us, Jenn looked over, saw me staring at her, and waved me over to her booth with a big smile on her face. When I walked over, her blonde bob bounced all around her face as she excitedly rushed from behind a table filled with cupcakes.
