by Marla Monroe
“If you say so.” She didn’t look entirely convinced, but she did appear to be a little more relaxed and less tense.
Jet settled back on the couch but continued to fiddle with Lacy’s hair. He loved her hair and the way it fell across her face when she was sitting on his cock while they were in bed. Hell, he loved everything about her. He just plain loved her, and that scared him a little since she wasn’t secure in their relationship yet. All he could do was hope and pray that meeting the others and spending time with them would calm some of her fear about the three of them making it work.
* * * *
Lacy checked the table one last time to be sure it was set and ready. The others would be there soon enough. They’d had to put the leaves in the table to have enough room. They guys had brought in chairs from the storage room to give them enough seating. She knew she was getting all worked up for nothing, but couldn’t help it. These were Jet and Tanner’s friends who meant something to them. She wanted everything to be perfect for them.
“Settle down, babe. You’re going to wear a hole in the floor pacing back and forth between the table and the kitchen.”
“I want to be sure everything is ready,” she fussed.
“It’s been ready for hours. I don’t think you’ve sat down since six this morning. Here.” Tanner pushed her down on a chair. “Take a load off and relax for a few minutes.”
She concentrated on breathing to calm her racing heart. Less than five minutes later the doorbell rang, and she jumped to her feet once more.
“They’re here,” she called out to no one in particular.
“Come meet them, babe,” Tanner said, holding out his hand.
Jet opened the door just as she and Tanner walked into the entrance hall.
“Hey, guys. Lacy, this is Selena and her husbands, Austin and Caleb. They helped us build this place,” Jet said.
“It’s great meeting you guys.” Lacy realized that both men were just as tall and good-looking as Jet and Tanner. Where all the men on the mountain that good-looking?
“You’ve already met Tammy, Gabriel, and Baldwin. And behind them are Caro and her husbands, Jasper and Phillip. Come in, guys.” Jet held the door as everyone piled in removing their coats, boots, scarves, and gloves.
“It’s great to meet everyone,” Lacy said, her face feeling as if it would crack from smiling so much. “I wasn’t sure what everyone wanted to drink, so we have a variety of things. Iced tea, lemonade, and cola. There’s coffee to go with dessert.”
Tanner leaned in and whispered in her ear. “Calm down. It’s all good, babe. Just relax and let’s have fun visiting.”
Lacy took a deep breath and tried to calm her nerves. Tanner was right. They needed to just relax and enjoy the company. Lord knew they’d been cooped up together for weeks. It would be good to have someone different to talk to for a change.
“So, you met the guys when they hired you to cook for them? I wish I could cook that good,” Caro said.
“That’s what I said when I met her last month. She’s promised to share some of her recipes with me. I bet she’ll share with all of us,” Tammy said.
“I’d be happy to. I love to cook. I’ve been cooking and cleaning for the guys since before the snow storms trapped me up here. I really enjoy it.”
“You do realize that they don’t think of you as their cook and maid anymore, right?” Selena asked.
“Well. I guess.” Lacy winced. She wasn’t exactly comfortable talking about all of that yet.
“The way those two look at you would burn a hole in lead. Talk about hot,” Caro said.
“You can’t talk.” Lacy smirked. Your guys look at you the same way.”
“Yeah, I know. Makes for some great sex when they get all uptight and all. I plan to tease them all night so that when we get home, they don’t make it up to the bedroom before they jump me,” Caro admitted.
Lacy felt her cheeks burn. They didn’t hold back. She liked them, but it was going to take some getting used to.
They slowly made their way to the dining room table and sat, with the guys helping her to hand out the chicken spaghetti, rolls, and green beans. Everyone commented on how good it was, and of course, she had to promise to share her recipe with all the women. Once they’d finished eating, they all agreed they needed to digest before they had dessert. As they gathered in the living room, Gabriel pulled Tammy down on his lap and grinned.
“Tammy is pregnant,” Baldwin announced.
“Baldwin! You don’t just shout that out like that,” Tammy said.
“Can’t help it. I’m excited as crap about it,” he said.
Everyone congratulated them when Jasper jumped up and pulled Caro up next to him.
“That goes for us, too. Caro is nine weeks,” Jasper said.
“Wow, babies all around,” Lacy said. “That’s wonderful.”
Everyone gathered around the two women, laughing and teasing them about how they’d spent the winter snow time. Lacy realized she was having a great time and really liked the guys’ friends. She was sure she’d get to be fast friends with the women. Just the thought of babies had her smiling. It would be fun to play with them once they were born.
That made her wonder how they felt about children and if they wanted them. They hadn’t talked about that, but then they were still trying to figure out if their relationship was going to work out. Okay, she was trying to figure out about it, not them. They were convinced it would work out just fine. Maybe she was worrying over nothing after all. The threesomes all seemed to be doing fine.
The evening ended with making plans for a cookout as soon as the snow cleared up enough they could grill out, even if they still had to eat inside. The women all made her promise to come visit and do a cooking demonstration for them as soon as she could. She and Selena agreed to talk more about setting up a baby shower for the other two women. They’d pretend that it was for one so the other one wouldn’t realize it was for both of them at the same time. She felt like it would be a hoot.
Once everyone was gone, Lacy sighed. It had been a good night. She’d thoroughly enjoyed the evening and felt as if she had three new friends.
“So, what do you think?” Jet asked as he helped her load the dishwasher while Tanner put the extra chairs back in the storage room.
“They all seem completely in love with each other. The women are happy, that’s for certain.”
“I told you this would work, darling. Each family is secure in their relationship. That’s even more obvious since Caro and Tammy are pregnant. Can’t wait to see those four guys with a baby. I bet it won’t be long before Selena is knocked up, as well,” he said.
“They certainly seem excited about it. It was funny how they just shouted it out like they did,” Lacy said.
“Proud as peacocks,” Tanner said, walking into the kitchen.
Lacy could feel the cold coming off him from being outside. She ran her hands up and down his arms. “You should have put on your coat to do that. Now you’re cold.”
“Won’t be for long. You’re going to warm me right up, hot stuff.” Tanner leaned in and kissed her, sweeping his tongue into her mouth and adding a little heat to her body, as well.
“Mmm. You taste delicious, babe,” Tanner said.
“You taste pretty good yourself, but you’re still cold. Go stand in front of the fireplace and warm up. You’re not getting into bed with me with cold hands and feet,” she said.
Jet chuckled. “I was the smart one and helped with dishes. My hands are nice and warm.”
“Fuck you. At least I don’t have dishwater hands.”
“Boys, be nice.” Lacy couldn’t help but laugh at their antics.
“So, are we going to get lucky tonight?” Tanner asked.
“Don’t you always?” she asked.
“What I want to know is if you’re ready to make our relationship more permanent,” Jet asked.
Chapter Seventeen
“More permanent?” Lacy
asked.
Her throat grew tight even as her chest seemed to close up. What did he mean? Was he talking about marriage? She knew that the other women considered both men to be their husbands, but how did that actually work? She hadn’t gotten into that part of it with them.
“We want you to agree to moving in with us once spring gets here. We don’t want you to work for us anymore. We want you to live with us as our woman,” Tanner said.
“Are you sure? I mean we’ve only known each other for about five months now,” she said.
“We’re sure, darling. We’re trying to take it slow, but we don’t want you driving up and down the mountain anymore. We want you here with us.” Jet pulled her into his arms, and Tanner crowded her from behind. “Will you move in with us?”
“I—I need to think about it. This seems so fast. It’s still a few months before spring. Do I need to give you my answer right now?” she asked as she gripped Jet’s shirt.
“I wish you didn’t have to think about it, but yeah. You can. It will be Christmas in a couple of weeks. Maybe you could give us that for our Christmas present, okay?” Jet said.
“Maybe. I guess I forgot all about Christmas. With us being up here, I haven’t noticed the decorations in the stores. We really need to go back down the mountain before it gets here,” she said.
“We will in a couple of days,” Jet said. “If Tanner can’t then I’ll take you.”
“That’s a good idea. I’m not sure I’ll be able to get free for a mid-week run,” Tanner said.
“I hate to go down without you with us,” Lacy said, looking up at him.
Tanner nuzzled her neck from behind her. “It’s fine, babe. He doesn’t mind.”
“I don’t. Yeah, I’d like to go with you, but Jet can take you this time. I’ll come along next time,” Tanner said.
“All right. If you’re sure. I’m so scared I’m going to do something wrong,” Lacy said, leaning back against Tanner’s chest.
“We’ve told you. You aren’t responsible for keeping the relationship equal. We don’t keep score about who has the most Lacy time. It doesn’t work that way, love. Try to relax and just take things as they come. Okay?” Jet asked.
“I’ll try,” she said.
Actually, this was a good time to see how things could be between them if she agreed to move in with them. She’d go to town with Jet, then see how Tanner reacted to it. He said he was fine with it, but would he really be once they got back?
Several days later, Jet helped her into the truck and buckled her in before guiding them down the mountain to head into town. She had a short grocery list and wanted to get a few things for the guys for Christmas. To her surprise, Jet wanted to get a Christmas tree and decorations.
“Are you serious?” she asked when he revealed what he wanted to do.
“Seriously serious,” he quipped. “We should have already done it, but I honestly forgot it was that time of year.”
Lacy tagged along as he scoured the live trees outside the feed and seed store. Finally, he settled on a six foot one that appeared symmetrical and appropriately filled out. He loaded it in the back of the truck, then dragged her to the department store to load up on lights, tinsel, and other decorations to hang on the tree.
“I need to get a couple of things. Can I meet you at the grocery store?” she asked.
“Honey, you don’t have to hide your personal items from me. It doesn’t bother me,” Jet said with a chuckle.
“Damn you, Jet. It’s not that. I want to get something for you and Jet for Christmas. Can you at least give me that?” she demanded with a scowl.
“Babe, you don’t have to get us anything. We don’t need anything.”
“It’s not always about needing something. Sometimes it’s just about getting something that means something to you. Now go on and leave me alone for twenty minutes. I’ll meet you at the truck okay?” she asked.
“Okay. I’ll give you some space,” he said with a frown.
Lacy could see that living with the two men would put a strain on her to some extent. She was used to being alone most of the time, and there was very little alone time with the two men around. Sure, when they were both working, she was pretty much on her own, but the rest of the time they were all over her. Did that bother her enough to not want to move in with them?
Not really. She mostly enjoyed when they were around her. She’d have to learn to stand up for herself was all. When she wanted some alone time, she’d have to tell them. They had said that communication was key in the relationship. She needed to remember that.
Once she’d explained to Jet what she wanted, he’d been fine with it. Sort of. She smiled. Actually, he’d almost pouted.
Thirty minutes later she walked out to the truck, carrying her packages. Jet was standing next to the truck when she arrived.
“Thanks for letting me do that, Jet. I know you didn’t want to let me leave your sight, but I was fine. I’ve been shopping on my own for quite a few years now.”
“Smart-ass.” He took her packages and set them in the back of the truck, then helped her into the cab.
They drove over to the grocery store and finished the shopping for the day. By the time they returned to the house, it was late afternoon. Though they’d grabbed lunch at the diner, she found that she was really hungry. She wondered how the guys would feel about grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup.
“Hey, guys? Would soup and sandwiches be okay for tonight?” she called out.
“Fine with me,” Jet said.
“What about you, Tanner?” she asked, walking into their office.
“Huh?” He looked up. “Sure. That’s fine.”
Lacy shook her head. She doubted he had any idea what he’d agreed to. She’d have to remember that when she really wanted her way about something.
“Dinner will be ready about six then.”
“We’ll decorate the tree after dinner,” Jet said.
“Tree? What tree?” Tanner asked, looking over at Jet.
“I got a Christmas tree for the house. Thought we could decorate one this evening. It’s nearly Christmas Eve now,” Jet said.
“Good idea. I hadn’t thought about getting a tree. I should have thought about that before now.”
“We’ve all had a lot on our minds, and with the snow keeping us confined to the house so much, we haven’t been in town to see the decorations going up,” Jet said.
“Yeah, but this is Lacy’s first Christmas with us. I feel bad,” Tanner said.
“Don’t worry about it, Tanner. Even if I’d been able to go back to my apartment each night, I wouldn’t have bothered with a tree anyway,” Lacy told him. “I’ll call when the soup’s ready,” she said and strode out of the room to work on dinner.
* * * *
“What do you think?” Tanner asked as they stood back admiring the tree.
“It looks beautiful,” Lacy said.
Jet pulled her back against him and enfolded her in his arms. “You did a great job, Lacy.”
“Hey, you guys helped. I couldn’t have reached the top without you.”
“You told us where to put stuff. I wouldn’t know how to decorate a tree if my life depended on it,” Jet said.
“I think the lights turned out pretty awesome if I say so myself,” Tanner bragged.
“You did a great job on the lights, Tanner,” Lacy said with a smile.
Tanner had put the lights on by himself while she and Jet had unpacked all the other decorations, so she could see what they had. Though they were a bit heavy on one side, they looked pretty good.
“Thanks for the tree, guys. I love it.” Lacy began to gather up the boxes to put them away for when they took the tree back down.
“I’ll put these out in the storage room so they’ll be out of the way,” Tanner said.
“Thanks.” Lacy walked upstairs, leaving Jet and Tanner to deal with the boxes. She’d managed to slip away and wrap their gifts. Now she carried them down
stairs to put under the tree while the guys were outside. She scooted them as far under as she could so that maybe they wouldn’t notice them right away.
By the time they’d returned, she was sitting on the couch watching TV. They were fussing about something but stopped arguing when they walked into the room.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“Asshole over there doesn’t agree with me about something. Nothing for you to worry about,” Tanner said.
“It makes me nervous when you guys stop talking when you get around me. Makes me think it has something to do with me. That’s no way to make me feel good about moving in with you,” she said.
“Lacy, sometimes we’re going to disagree about things. It doesn’t have anything to do with you, so we don’t want to involve you. We’re all about making your life easier, not adding more stress to it. You wouldn’t want us getting in between you and a friend when you were disagreeing would you?” Jet asked.
“No, I guess not,” she said.
“That’s all there is to it. This particular argument has to do with your Christmas present. See?” Jet said. “Nothing for you to worry about.”
“You guys don’t have to get me a Christmas present,” she said.
“Of course, we have to get you one. Now stop worrying so much. It’s time for bed anyway.”
“I’m more than ready. I’m beat,” she admitted. The trip down the mountain, then decorating the tree had pretty much wiped her out.
“Why don’t you go on upstairs and get ready. We’ll check to see that everything is locked down for the night and be right up,” Jet said.
Lacy climbed the stairs with a smile. The men had been amusing to watch as they’d decorated the tree. Once they’d gotten into it, they’d been like kids with their first tree. She’d enjoyed watching them fuss about where to put an ornament.
It didn’t take her long to shower and pull on her sleep shirt. She was just getting into bed when the guys walked into the bedroom. They looked smug about something, but Lacy let it go. If they had gotten her something, she had little doubt they wouldn’t tell her what they’d been up to. And they’d obviously been up to something by the looks on their faces.
