“Mommy, too tight!” She pouts when I latch on to her so I ease off and let Ryker lead us to a room backstage that was set up by security as a safe room. I only breathe again when the door is closed and locked behind us and two guards take up a position on either side. I want to keep Chloe in my arms but she wiggles to be let down so I set her on her feet and let her explore the mishmash of props in one corner.
Ryker’s eyes stay steady on mine but he knows there’s nothing he could say right now to calm me down so he just lets me pace back and forth as every minute drags by. A small cry slips out of me when one of the guard’s walkie-talkies chirps at the same time Ryker’s cell goes off.
Chloe comes racing over to me and finally picking up on the thick tension reaches to be picked up. I’m happy to have her in my arms again with her head tucked in against my neck and her baby soft shampoo filling my nose.
Her little chest hitches against mine and she whispers, “Is it Daddy? Is Daddy here? Is he mad-mad?”
My throat seizes with the scream of rage I trap in it but it’s Ryker that answers her with a big hand on her back and his icy blues meeting mine.
“No. He’s gone and he will never come near you again, little bear. He’s not your daddy anymore.”
She twists in my arms and throws herself at him. Ry easily catches her and holds her close as she pats his cheeks with her tiny hands.
“Promise? I want you to be my daddy. I don’t like him!”
His growling rumble is loud and filled with approval but he looks my way before answering her. Hot tears burn at the back of my eyes as I nod at him.
“Promise. Me, Zack, and Easton, we’re your daddies…if you want that, little bear.”
Chloe makes an oversized nod. “Good!” and then snuggles into his neck.
His huge hand cups the back of her head and his eyes are brimming with love as he meets my stare again.
“It’s over, Avery. You’re free.”
My knees go weak as all the hard tension in my body lets go. It just flows right out of me and I know that can only mean one thing. He’s dead. He’s dead and we are finally safe. Safe and free.
Avery
Isip at my eggnog and laugh as Chloe and Kanga bounce through the massive mound of crumpled wrapping paper making an even bigger mess than the living room already is. There are boxes and toys everywhere making the room look like a looted toy store. I laugh again as three confused males watch Chloe playing with the paper and empty boxes instead of any of the toys they bought for her. Being a parent is a learning curve but they all are so far around it just by how much they love her already.
All three of them crash down next to me on the couch looking completely exhausted and I take another sip of my drink to cover the grin I can’t hold back. We were all up late last night as they insisted on assembling as many of the toys they were giving her today as possible, from a pink bike to a princess castle fort. No matter how many times I told them it was all too much they insisted and pushed through until every last toy was assembled and every gift was wrapped.
I had to pull them away from the overflowing tree with the promise that she would love every single thing they got her…eventually. With Christmas finally ready, they started arguing about who would get me for the night on our first Christmas and that led to an experience I will never forget. Three hard, hot bodies pressed, touched, and handled me until I was begging them to stop. I’ve never felt such passion or such love as they worshipped me together. They worked as a team to bring me to orgasm over and over again until I was as limp as a wet noodle. I’m a little sore from all their attention but just thinking about it has heat building and a pulse throbbing between my legs.
“One last gift, sweetness.”
Cass tells me as he runs a hand up my thigh. His eyes gleam and he smirks, knowing exactly what I’m thinking about. I groan.
“No, no more! You guys already gave us too much.”
He looks past me at Zack and Ryker and nods so Ryker swoops over and plucks Chloe out from the paper and box mountain and then brings her over to sit on my lap. Cass hands her a thin, long box but keeps his hand on hers so she doesn’t pop it open.
“We have a really big question to ask you and your mommy, Chloe. We need you to think hard about your answer before you say it, okay?”
Chloe wiggles in my lap but gives him a nod. He keeps his eyes on her and blows out a big breath.
“Okay, here goes. Would it be alright with you if Zack, Ryker, and I married your mommy and adopted you so we would be your dads?”
It’s a heavy question that stills my heart but for a five-year-old, not so much. She chirps out a high-pitched, “Sure!” and then wiggles off my lap, drops the box, and dashes away to play with Kanga again. My hands reach out to capture his let-down face.
“Oh, Cass, it’s okay! She’ll get it in a few years. She’s just too young to understand right now.”
I pick up the box and flip the lid open and my mouth drops. Inside are six rings. Each ring is a different type of gold. There’s rose gold, white gold, and gold gold. Three of them are adult sized and three of them are child sized. My eyes well up at how beautiful they are. Not the rings, but the men who gave them to us.
Cass takes the box from me and pulls out one of the rings and takes my hand.
“Will you marry me, Avery? Be my wife and mother to our children?”
