The Sweetest Dish [Sweet Serenity 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Mia Ashlinn

  Sarah made her way down the hallway to the kitchen where she’d stashed the horrifying photos as well as the threatening letter temporarily. She’d stuffed the pictures into the bottom of the basket Leila had sent, burying them underneath the pile of Snickers bars. However, she’d not had enough time to destroy the letter like she’d wished. All she could do before she ran away was cram the envelope and paper in the bag of bagels she’d been toasting when she’d heard a knock at the back door.

  Thinking back, she probably should have been apprehensive when someone politely requested entrance to the house. Only friends, family, and ranch hands ever came through the back entry, and none of them ever asked for permission either. They just came right in during the day like Shannon and the triplets had told them all to do. The only time people couldn’t enter was when the doors were locked. That was the signal to stay the heck out because the owners of the house were otherwise engaged. Oddly, whoever had delivered her and Shannon’s baskets hadn’t even attempted to open the door and check.

  Pickled fuzznuts! Shannon! She’d forgotten all about her. Sarah quickened her pace, racing through the house to get to her basket before Shannon found the pictures and even worse, the letter. As luck would have it, she didn’t make it in time. When she barreled through the door, she spotted a glowering Shannon standing in the middle of the immaculate kitchen.

  Sarah darted her eyes to the table where she found the basket and pictures. But the bagel bag was gone. Mother of the man in the pickle suit.

  “There you are,” Shannon said with a tight smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. Oh crap. “I was starting to get worried about you, my dear, sweet friend.”

  Sarah staggered across the room like a woman who’d consumed far too much alcohol. Actually, she did feel kind of like a drunken monkey. If I knew what overindulgence actually felt like in real life.

  Light-headed, Sarah’s uncoordinated, tingly limbs gave out, and she fell into the nearest chair with an unladylike grunt. As her bottom hit the rigid seat, she said, “I j–just needed to go to the restroom.”

  “To vomit,” Adam added as he stormed into the room, telling more than Sarah wanted to be told. “Someone sent her pictures that apparently upset her.” He glanced around the bright kitchen then narrowed his eyes into slits as he spotted the two baskets side by side on the table. “I want to see them.”

  Sarah crossed her arms with a drawn-out sigh. “Yeah, well, I don’t want you to see them, Adam. Please, let this go. All you’re going to do is get upset. Then you’ll run off and blab to Deke, Wyatt, and Hale. Then they’ll get upset. It’s not worth it. I–I’ll get over it. Really.” One day, after I talk to my therapist, Kylia Katz. If I’m lucky.

  Wyatt Thorpe and Hale Mathis were the two head honchos at The Edge. She teased the insanely handsome men about being the “right hands” of Deke and Adam. Of course, they weren’t amused. The techno-geek, Wyatt, wasn’t nearly as offended as the overseer of all, Hale. If it weren’t for the fact that they were her friends and their two bosses had warned them off her, she would’ve probably gotten her bottom spanked for daring to say something like that to the Doms.

  “No, I will not let this go,” Adam said firmly. His tone let her know that he wouldn’t change his mind. “They need to know, Sarah. Our job is to protect you.”

  When he said their job was to protect her, part of her melted at the sweetness of his statement while the other part of her wanted to scream in frustration. She didn’t want to be some responsibility. No, she wanted Deke and Adam to protect her because they cared, because they loved her. Like they used to before Gavin.

  Sarah snorted silently. “I don’t want more restrictions, darn it. I’m getting tired of hiding away all the time. One day I’m going to have to face the world again.”

  Seeing those pictures had reminded Sarah of that. She could hide her head, but it didn’t change the fact that she’d been attacked and that she’d been humiliated. As much as it hurt to see the pictures after nine months, she knew she had to face it all soon. Or Leila would make her.

  Sarah couldn’t bear to drag her friends any further into this mess than they already were. And she couldn’t continue to force the two men she worshipped to take care of her. Doms or not, they shouldn’t be responsible for the mess she’d become. It wasn’t as though she belonged to them anyway. She wasn’t their sub, their lover, or even their girlfriend. She would cut them and everyone she cared about out of her life before she let this go on. She refused to mess up their lives any longer. If I can just stop being the spineless jellyfish that Gavin accused me of being.

  “Hey, hey, hey,” Shannon interrupted, stepping between them like a referee. Not that they needed one. She’d cave, and he’d pamper her. That was the way of the Adam-and-Sarah world. “There is no reason to snip and snap at each other.”

  Adam’s eyebrows shot up in obvious surprise. “We aren’t snipping and snapping.”

  “Looked that way to me,” Shannon remarked.

  Adam crossed his huge arms. The muscles flexed intimidatingly, and Sarah had to look away. She preferred to not drool right now. The delicious man would totally prey on her. He would give her that cocky smirk that never failed to arouse her, and she’d be lost. “I’m just worried about my girl,” he told Shannon with a charming smile. “You should understand that, Mama Bear.”

  Despite herself, Sarah gave a stilted chuckle. The nickname that Shannon had come up with fit her. She was a Mama Bear. Big time. “Sorry, Shan,” Sarah apologized, only half meaning it.

  Shannon nodded. “It’s fine,” she said, smiling indulgently. Then she refocused her attention on Adam. “I do understand, but I don’t have to agree with it. She’s stressed out. She doesn’t need or want to snipe with you, Adam Stanton.”

  “I can speak for myself, Shannon,” Sarah scolded. At least, she hoped she sounded reproving.

  “Fine,” Shannon acquiesced, but she didn’t look like she was in agreement. Although, Sarah couldn’t tell for sure since she didn’t even glance away from Adam.

  Adam’s smile widened. “I knew you would see it my way.”

  Sarah choked. However, she kept her mouth shut. Shannon did not. “You donkey,” she snapped. “I’m letting it go because I think you need to see the damn photos. Hell, I agree with you. Deke, Wyatt, and Hale need to see these pictures as soon as possible. I won’t risk my friend for her stubborn pride or her embarrassment. She means too damn much to me.” Then she added, “To all of us.”

  Sarah groaned. She’d figured that her nosy friend would have looked in her stuff. But she’d held onto that tiny hope that she’d been wrong, that her friend wouldn’t stick her nose where it didn’t belong. Obviously not.

  Before Sarah could fuss, Shannon pulled the photos out from behind her back and offered them to Adam. He stalked forward, immediately grabbing the pictures from her hand. But Sarah couldn’t take any more. She had to go.

  Unable to watch him or see his reaction, Sarah left the room in a hurry as though someone had set her on fire. Predictably, Shannon followed behind her. But Adam did not and a second later, she heard the back door slam shut. This is bad. Very, very bad.

  Chapter 4

  Shannon chased a visibly upset Sarah out of the kitchen and down the long hallway before ducking into the den behind her. As she darted into the huge room, she couldn’t seem to get the devastated expression Sarah had worn as she fled out of her mind.

  Blaming The Bitch for the destruction she always left in her wake, Shannon cursed the spiteful shrew with every venomous word she could come up with and a few more she created on her own after that.

  Just fifteen minutes ago, Shannon had seen yet another example of why someone needed to take The Bitch down. In total shock, she’d watched Sarah bolt out of the kitchen after she’d apparently discovered Leila’s “presents.”

  Shannon had been in the process of ambling down the stairs from laying down Kane when she spotted Sarah. She would have been back sooner and
more-than-likely prohibited this entire debacle from happening if Kane hadn’t been stubbornly refusing to join his cousins in baby slumber. But of course, life hadn’t worked that way. She’d gotten stuck until too late to help her friend.

  From the moment Shannon had laid eyes on Sarah, she’d known something was seriously wrong. So she’d made a beeline for the kitchen since that was the direction she’d come from. Immediately, she recognized Leila’s handiwork. Only that copycat cunt would pull shit like this.

  Even though she’d wanted to snoop around, Shannon had forced herself to behave. Or so she’d told herself. In reality, she’d dove straight for the bagel bag lying open on the table and peeked inside. And that had been the end of good behavior for her.

  She’d known it wasn’t right to read something so private, but she hadn’t been able to stop herself from opening the note. Once she read the letter, she’d had to find out what the hell was in those pictures. Now she realized she’d made a mistake looking at them.

  Even though she’d seen the note, Sarah would forgive her for that transgression. However, she wouldn’t be so forgiving of her looking at the pictures Gavin had obviously taken immediately after his attack on Sarah.

  Out of the blue, Sarah ground to a halt in the middle of the den. She whirled around quickly, almost losing her footing on the carpet that shifted beneath her. But she caught herself before Shannon could help her. “What did Leila send you?” she asked suddenly, grimacing. “If s–she has that on me, what does she have on you?”

  Shannon saw the struggle in Sarah’s face. She saw the tears she fought, the pain swirling in her eyes, and the pinched expression marring her sweet face. But as her friend’s question connected with her brain, Shannon felt fear twisting inside her body. Sweat popped up on her skin as her stomach flipped over, and she felt as though she would vomit on the floor.

  Shit. Fuck. Damn, damn, damn. Shannon hadn’t made it that far. She’d gone over the note and the pictures then called Katie-Anne. Then she’d dialed Jaycee when Katie-Anne had not answered. Luckily, she’d actually reached Jaycee. Once she told her the bare bones of what was going on, she’d hung up. By then, Sarah had returned, and Shannon had gotten caught up in the moment.

  Realizing the reality that she’d gotten a present of her own, Shannon cursed, “Damn it all to hell, I didn’t even look.”

  “You might want to do that,” Sarah urged with a frown.

  Knowing she was right, Shannon wheeled around and jogged for the kitchen. She immediately went for the wicker basket filled with Baby Ruths. Without opening the envelope, she had a very strong suspicion about what Leila had done, what she’d found. She didn’t know the hows or the whys. She didn’t know what the details were either. But she knew that Leila had found out about her trip to see Dr. Chason Maddock.

  “Fuck a damn duck,” Shannon cursed again as she marched across the room and snatched the envelope up. Ripping it open carelessly, she didn’t waste time using the flap. She merely grabbed one end then split it wide open and jerked out the tiny scrap of paper. The torn remains of the envelope drifted to the floor, but she didn’t give a flying fuck. She was too busy reading the damning piece of paper.

  Revenge is sweet when you have to do nothing at all. Leila’s message was simple and straightforward. She’d only scrawled that one sentence. Surprised that her nemesis had gone so easy on her, she flipped over the paper and found what she’d expected, what she’d been looking for—the results for her infertility tests. They had been printed in big, bold, black-and-white letters on the back.

  Oh, God. Leila knew. That meant her husbands would know—soon. If they don’t already. She’d wanted to break the bad news to them on her own, at the right time. However, the words stuck in her throat every time she’d tried.

  How did she tell the men who wanted kids as badly as her husbands that she would have great difficulty getting pregnant? She didn’t know. So she’d waited. That had obviously been a massive mistake, one that she might not have time to fix before her husbands got pissed at her.

  The noise of soft footsteps alerted Shannon of Sarah’s presence in the kitchen. A moment later, Sarah strolled up behind her and put a gentle, trembling hand on her shoulder blade. Since Shannon hadn’t expected her friend’s touch, she flinched. And in turn, Sarah jerked away instinctively.

  Feeling horrible for more than likely hurting Sarah’s feelings, Shannon swung around and hugged her friend close before she could stop her. As usual, Sarah froze. Since the attack, she’d not been comfortable with anyone’s touch and now was no different.

  “I’m sorry, Sarah,” Shannon apologized. “You just scared me.”

  “O–o–oh,” she stuttered. With a sigh, she relaxed—even if only a little. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. I was just worried. What did Leila say?”

  After snooping into Sarah’s business, Shannon felt obligated to share what Leila had sent her. So she immediately handed the note over to Sarah, who scanned the front page then flipped it over and read the back. Her eyes widened into giant Os, and a gasp escaped her bow-shaped lips. “Oh no! You can’t have…”

  “Oh yes,” Randy said, his deep, sensual voice appearing out of nowhere. “My wife has been keeping some very big secrets.”

  On pure instinct, Shannon’s eyes shifted to her husband standing just inside the back door, and she groaned. The look on the youngest triplets’ face was enough to send her running. But she didn’t. She couldn’t. Her poor brain had short circuited the moment he’d spoken, and running was not an option.

  Watching her husband cautiously, she scrutinized him for any and every sign of his emotional well-being. Surprisingly, he didn’t seem angry, only hurt.

  Well, fuck a damn duck. She’d expected one—or all of—them to be pissed off when they found out she’d gone behind their backs to see Dr. Chason Maddock. Hell, she’d figured they would blow a gasket that she had not even confessed her suspicions to them. But she hadn’t foreseen this reaction. Not the naked, wounded pain.

  As the strained silence stretched on for what felt like forever, she realized she’d hoped for fury rather than agony. Animosity and resentment would be a million times better than this. She hadn’t wanted him or either of her other husbands to suffer like this, not in the same way she had over the past few days.

  Looking at one of the men she’d loved for as long as she could remember, she recognized why she’d felt so strongly about protecting all of them. Randy’s normally tanned skin had taken on an unnatural shade of gray. His shattered blue eyes were stark, the depths rife with the suffering and betrayal she’d caused him. His body was wound tight, so tightly that she feared he would break at any given second.

  Desperate to ease her husband’s anguish, Shannon bit back a groan. The last thing he needed was to deal with how she felt and how she hurt. She had to focus on him, Jared, and Drew. She could worry about herself—later.

  Oh, God. She’d forgotten about Jared and Drew. If Randy was hurt, they’d be enraged. She wasn’t sure if that would be a bad thing or not. After seeing Randy, experiencing his pain, and feeling her own response to it, she knew her earlier thoughts were right on the money. She preferred their anger. She could fight that. She couldn’t fight this.

  “Randy,” Shannon breathed. “I’m sorry.”

  “Whatcha sorry for?” Jaycee asked casually—too casually in Shannon’s opinion—as she strolled right into the kitchen as she’d done so many times before. Hot on her footsteps, Katie-Anne and Ella entered the room behind her. The two women seemed far less sanguine. They appeared to be showing their true colors.

  Shannon couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit relieved that her sister-in-law and two friends had intruded on what was likely to be a volatile, highly emotional situation between herself and Randy. The three women and Sarah had just diverted a disastrous confrontation. Okay, they postponed the inevitable, but I’ll take it.

  “Oh, nothing. It’s nothing at all,” Shannon said with far more nonchalan
ce than she felt. She sauntered around the kitchen, stopping here and there to fiddle with one thing or another. She feigned interest in the empty fruit bowl on the island before turning her overly avid attention to the sunlight beating into the window behind her. After she blinded her eyes from the bright sun, she cleared out the kitchen utensils drying in the dish rack then put them all away. None of it helped.

  Finally needing an excuse to completely escape, she wiped her hands on a dish towel then swept the baskets on the table up and into her hands. She strode away from the group gathering in her kitchen and headed for the pantry where she deposited the wicker containers on a shelf filled with cans. Then with a sigh, she circled around and returned to face her husband and friends.

  As Shannon moved back into the room, she noticed the entire assembly had their eyes fixated on her. But rather than doing the smart thing and defending herself, she dodged the bullet aiming at her and reminded her friends that something far bigger was going on.

  “So,” Shannon drawled. “I know what the heinous bitch did to me and Sarah. But what the fuck did she do to the three of you?” Fisting her hands at her hips, she tapped her toe impatiently.

  “First,” Katie-Anne said. “I need to see my baby.”

  “He’s upstairs,” Sarah told Katie-Anne. “Why don’t we go up and check on him together?” Her friend’s attempt to get away from the intense situation was patently obvious. Although, no one made any sort of comment.

  “Why don’t you all go upstairs and check on the babies?” Randy suggested. Only it was clearly not a suggestion. It was an order. He stalked toward Shannon, pulling her into his side. He held her close. His fingers dug into her skin, and she had to bite her lip to keep from uttering a pained sound. However, she couldn’t hold back a wince.

  Apparently noticing her flinch, Randy loosened his grip on her, but he still didn’t let go. Instead he lowered his head and whispered, “Sorry,” into her ear.