Christmas with my Three Best Friends (Lucky Lady Reverse Harems)

Chapter 32

32

Richard

A s soon as the four of us return to Seattle, we are prepared for the next stage of this relationship on every single level. Intimately, we’re tighter than ever. After fulfilling Shay’s ultimate, naughty desire, it’s as if we became one, somehow. We’re individuals with wants and needs of our own, yet when we are together, it’s as if we’re a hive mind clustered in a composite body. It just works, it’s intense and strange and beautiful, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Business-wise, we are attuned to one another. With the same goals in mind and with Shay’s marketing plan ready to implement, we’ve all got that much needed energy to push the gym forward and high above our local competitors. They don’t have Shay’s brilliant mind nor her personal experience, so having her speak on behalf of West Key, of urging potential clients to follow in her footsteps, was an excellent idea.

On a more personal level, our friendship has flourished. We were always close and warm with one another, but having found a surprising balance and synergy in Chappaqua and then again in Canada… I don’t know, everything feels different. I love every second of it. I love the calmness, the security, the laughter. it’s as if we were all made from the same soul, just broken down into four smaller pieces wedged into different bodies. We simply belong together, there’s no point in denying it anymore.

“I cannot believe it,” Shay says as she steps out of her office.

We’ve made a new habit of having coffee in the lounge area on a daily basis so our staff and clients can see us together—the four of us, leading the gym and the business on a united front. Nobody except Cassandra knows about our relationship, and we intend to keep it that way. Some things are safer and easier to protect when they’re out of the world’s sight and mind.

I’m seated on one of the gray velvet love seats, waiting with a fresh coffee for Shay while Jax and Marius are busy brewing theirs.

“What happened?” I ask.

She takes one of the armchairs closest to me, smoky-blue eyes twinkling as she spots the coffee. She knows it’s for her, so she just gives me a soft nod and a wink, placing the cup on the table. Her phone is on the coffee table between us, constantly buzzing.

“I’ve got ten new clients,” Shay says. “Not that I regret coming up with the new marketing plan, but holy hell, did I underestimate its appeal or what?”

“Having you as the face of a glow-up campaign pretty much sealed the deal,” I chuckle softly.

“How’d you rope me into that? I forget.”

“I ate you whole for two hours straight,” I whisper, fully aware her panties are about to get soaking wet upon hearing my words and remembering that particular night. “It’s not like you mind. Is it?”

Shay blushes bright pink and holds back a smile. “Not at all. It’s just that my phone keeps ringing and pinging. Everybody wants a nutritionist who can prepare them for the gym, for personal trainers and that kind of jazz. I didn’t expect this kind of success. Don’t get me wrong, I love it, but holy smokes…”

“You’re an inspiration,” Marius says, smiling as he and Jax join us. “People feed on true stories. They’re inspired and motivated to do the same for themselves. Jax and Richard and I could spend our whole lives setting healthy lifestyle examples, sure, but we’ve never been through the wringer like you, Shay. People relate better to you, which is why the campaign is so successful.”

“Our membership has gone up and then some,” Jax adds with a cool grin. “I’m pretty sure we’re covering six months’ worth of rent just from this month’s sales.”

Marius nods his agreement. “It’s a veritable boom. We may need to hire a second nutritionist, though. Someone who can work with Shay on the regular food programs so she can focus on the glow-up clients who come in via this marketing campaign.”

“Wow, I didn’t think we’d do that so soon,” Shay exclaims, genuinely delighted.

I love this look on her, this sheer joy glistening in her eyes, shimmering all over her skin. It’s as if she is breathing and living happiness. I love seeing her happy and successful. It brings out the best parts of her. I love every part of her, anyway. The good, the complicated, the wonderful, the darker side… All of it. I love her. And I’m glad I wasn’t dumb enough to actually go through with my original escape plan. I would’ve missed out on this.

“Hey, it’s the boon we’ve prayed for,” I chime in. “The hurdle we needed to cross in order for West Key to thrive and no longer require any financial assistance from yours truly. It’s what we deserve.”

“How many clients can you even take on?” Jax asks Shay.

She goes through her phone, where I assume she has a list, a calendar, and a plethora of other related documents she needs to keep track of everything. I love the subtle frown of her light-brown brows as she checks something, full and glossy lips slightly moving.

“I’ve got about thirty so far, but I think I can cram up to about fifty. I’ll be doing group consultations, though,” Shay says. “I wouldn’t be able to hold space for anything more, so Marius may be right about hiring another nutritionist.”

“I’ll put the word out,” I say. “The sooner we have your regular clients switched over to the new guy or gal, the easier it’ll be for you to keep implementing the whole program.” I smile brightly at her. “I’m proud of you, Shay, have I told you that lately?”

Shay’s lips twist into the sweetest smile. “Not since last night.”

“I’ll say it again tonight, then, on top of this one, right now. I’m proud of you,” I reply.

It’s been like this for a few days. Since we came back from Canada. Warm eyes, warm souls, warm smiles. This constant sense of knowing everything is going to be okay, one way or another. It is going to be okay. That’s not just wishful thinking anymore—each of us is actively working toward that result, toward peace and bliss, the sweetness of waking up and simply loving the idea of a new day that’s about to unravel, a day we’re going to spend growing and living together, one way or another.

We almost didn’t make it.

Looking back now, I’m ashamed to admit I was ready to give up on something so real and so wonderful. But I’m emboldened by my desire to do better. Shay is opening up to us like a flower in bloom. Every petal is a joy to discover, soft and silky and sprinkled with magic. I was so used to being myself, a solitary wolf in otherwise good company, I almost missed Shay gliding past me like the goddess she truly is.

It’s time for me to step up and bring this union to yet another level. “I need to show you guys something,” I say, grabbing my car keys. “We’ll take my car.”

“What about the gym?” Shay blurts out, understandably confused.

“Meh, Lyle can cover for an hour. Don’t worry about it,” I reply.

“I’ve got clients,” she insists.

I nod at her phone. “Text them and tell them you’re gonna be late. We’ll be done quickly, I promise.”

“Jeez, Richard,” she grumbles but her thumbs are already tapping away on her phone screen as I escort her out of the building.

Jax and Marius are right behind us. They know what this is about, but they’re not doing a good job of holding back their ecstatic grins, so I make a point of keeping Shay’s eyes off them for as long as I can. “You get to ride shotgun,” I say, opening the passenger door of my silver Lexus for her.

“At least it’s a nice car,” she giggles.

I motion for Jax and Marius to get in the backseat, half-smiling as I climb behind the wheel and give Shay a loving smile. “Buckle up, princess.”

“Where are we going?” she asks.

“Home.”

I bought a new place—a generously-sized townhouse with five bedrooms, three bathrooms, a sprawling kitchen and dining room, a modest den, and one hell of a living room space that can be easily broken into a lounge area and a home office to fit all of our needs. Shay stands in the middle of the living room, staring at the empty white walls as she struggles to take everything in.

“You can style this place however you like,” I tell Shay after having already presented her with the main specs of the house. “Of course, the guys and I will do our own rooms as we wish. Home office, home gym, whatever works. We’ve got space for everything here… but the common areas, the bathrooms, the kitchen, the dining room… all of it is yours to handle as you see fit.”

“Richard, what is this?” Shay finally speaks, her voice barely a breath.

“Home, like I said. You can stay at your place, or you can live here with us. I wanted us to have a home, a house where the four of us can live together as many days in the year as we’d like, and no one could ever bother us here,” I tell her. “A safe haven of sorts. Our little corner of paradise.”

“Oh, wow,” she manages, unable to take her eyes off me. “You bought us a house.”

“The three of us pitched in,” Marius says. “You deserve a home, Shay. You deserve a good life and three reliable men by your side. We had to prove it to you, somehow, that we were ready and serious about this.”

“I can’t… Wow, I’m sorry, I’m just at a loss for words,” she says, blinking rapidly.

Jax frowns slightly. “Don’t you like it?”

“Oh, I love it, God, I love it!” she exclaims, but we can all see the tears gathering in her eyes. She quivers underneath her loose, navy-blue linen dress. “It’s beautiful and big and I just can’t believe you did this.”

“You don’t have to live here,” I reply, though I’m not sure why I’m angling for a defense at this point.

“No, no, but I do. I’m totally on board with the four of us living together,” Shay says, and happily so.

“So… Why are you crying?” I ask.

“Because I’m happy. And also terrified,” she chuckles nervously.

Marius takes a step forward. “Terrified?”

Shay thinks about it for a moment, then heaves a sigh and caves in, shoulders dropping in utter defeat as she looks at us.

“I’m pregnant.”

Three simple words, yet the impact is undeniable. The floor vanishes from under my feet. The air gets knocked out of my lungs. My heart’s thudding a million miles a minute as I try to register the words, to comprehend the message, to adjust to a sudden, new reality. I’m not the only one who’s in shock, either. Both Marius and Jax are speechless, their eyes wide and filled with wonder while their jaws are in a tight race for the floor.

“You’re what now?” I mumble.

“I wasn’t sure how to tell you, but since you want us moving in together, I figured this is the reasonable moment. I’m pregnant,” Shay says.

I can almost sense the fear in her voice. She must be terrified. We’ve only been together for what, a few months—Chappaqua included. We’re barely getting a sense of one another. It’s way too early to start a family.

“I can handle it on my own if—”

“No!” Marius cuts in. “No, we’re in this together.”

“I wasn’t planning on being a father anytime soon, but hey,” Jax adds, still stunned but quickly adjusting to the new situation.

Where am I? What does my heart tell me? It doesn’t take long for the answer to find its way to the surface, for my resolve to bubble upward until the words reach my lips. I walk over to Shay and take her in my arms, kissing her lips softly.

“None of us planned for any of it, but Marius is right. We’re in this together. The four of us,” I tell her. “You’ll never be alone again. I… We won’t leave you. Why would we, Shay? You’re the woman of our dreams. And we’re gonna be dads. I doubt there’s a greater reward.”

“I obviously don’t know who the father is,” Shay replies, giving me a worried look.

Marius leans in and plants a kiss on her cheek. “It doesn’t matter,” he says. “This kid is the luckiest in the world to have you as a mother. And he or she will have three dads who will love them with everything we have.”

“Are you serious?” she asks, hope in her eyes.

“I am,” Marius replies.

“Me too,” Jax adds.

“Me three,” I put in.

We laugh wholeheartedly, arms stretched out as we hold each other, as we kiss Shay and Shay kisses us. I can feel the love flowing through my veins. I can feel the strength of an entire sun energizing me and making me believe I can do absolutely anything. For Shay, for my friends, for our child. For our family. I will move mountains.

It doesn’t matter who the father is. It’s our child. That’s what family is about. That’s what home is about. And home is right here, with Shay. Whatever the future decides to toss our way, I know we’ve got the chops to crack it and sail smoothly through any kind of weather.

Epilogue: Shay

One year can go by in the blink of an eye when you’re experiencing true happiness. When every day is loaded with the kind of energy that makes you feel like you can do anything. That’s the thing with true love. It comes up unexpectedly, and it comes in ways I never even thought possible. It’s an honest feeling that lives in the company of tranquility, of peace, of harmony and the simplest of ideas: anything is possible with the right people beside you.

And I got lucky. Oh, so lucky.

I didn’t fall in love with one great man, but three. Each of them serves a purpose in my life, yet all three complete me to perfection. Marius is the kindness I’ve always needed, the laughter and hopefulness, the ambition and the drive I thrive on. Jax is the protector, the strongman with an ironclad determination and just enough darkness to make me feel safe at any given moment. Richard is the provider, the stability and the comfort I require in order to build myself and my family from the ground up. With them, I’ve blossomed. I’ve become a better woman in every possible sense.

And while the pregnancy was a surprise and one hell of a thrill ride, it concluded with the birth of a healthy baby boy. We named him Logan. His hair is black and curly. His eyes are brown and sweet. We know Marius had a role in his creation, but Logan has three loving dads who dote upon him and make sure he has everything he needs. They take turns looking after him, too, thus giving me the time I need to rest and replenish, to keep my career on track and to never lose sight of myself. I’d worried that three men in my life would be a crowd, but it turns out it was the best decision I ever made.

Nobody except Cassandra knows we live together. To everyone else, it’s just me and Marius as the official couple, with Richard and Jax as our closest friends and Godfathers to our son. The world doesn’t need to know. I doubt people would understand. Besides, I’m way too happy to worry about this kind of stuff.

Logan sleeps soundly in his carrier as I carry him into the gym. West Key has grown beautifully since we implemented my pre-coaching marketing plan. Our clientele is incredibly diverse. Cassandra has joined our team as a psychologist, so she and I work together to offer a psychological and nutritional approach to customers who would otherwise be too wary of even setting foot inside a gym. We’re doing really well and walking into this place every morning is literally one of my favorite reasons to wake up —aside from my three handsome guys and our gorgeous son.

“Good morning, Sarah,” I say to the receptionist as I set Logan’s carrier onto one of the sofas. “How are we doing today?”

“Good morning, Shay!” the perky brunette says as she stands up behind the reception desk.

A couple of clients come in for locker room keys. She quickly scans their passes and welcomes them into the gym, while a flock of college girls flutter past us, rushing into the weights room for their morning training. It’s more crowded these days—not that I mind.

“We’re great,” Sarah adds with a broad smile. “Everything is running smoothly, and the new coffee machine was definitely worth its pretty penny.”

“Let me guess, Marius hogs it at the break of dawn,” I chuckle softly.

“Yeah, pretty much. It’s strong stuff, too. I don’t know how his heart doesn’t give out from all those espressos,” Sarah replies.

Marius overhears the conversation as he steps out of the weights room, lighting up like the sun when he sees Logan and me. “Hey, my heart is strong! It’s accustomed to this kind of abuse,” he says, then comes over and kisses me deeply. “Morning, my love.”

“Mhm, morning,” I mumble against his lips. “You left early.”

“Had a couple of clients who are going away for the week,” he says. “They wanted to get one last session in before their holiday. How’s our little man?”

Marius sits next to Logan’s carrier, careful not to wake him. At only six months, the kid still sleeps soundly through pretty much anything. I dare hope he’ll be like this until he grows up, because I’ve heard horror stories about sleepless nights and all that jazz—but Logan’s been a wonderful baby thus far. Maybe we got lucky, I don’t know. I do know that I love how the purest love shines from Marius’s eyes when he glances down at his son. Our son.

“He’s great,” I reply, unable to stop myself from smiling as I watch them both. “Slept through most of the night. Had a quick breakfast, and now… well, you can see for yourself.”

“This boy will sleep through his entire childhood,” Marius snorts a dry laugh.

Richard comes out of his office, accompanied by Jax. They both smile as they say good morning. We do make one hell of a team, I’ll admit. West Key wouldn’t have made it this far without each and every one of us.

“Sorry we left so early in the morning,” Richard whispers. “I had something I needed to take care of. I hope you don’t mind.”

“It was worth it, though,” Jax adds.

I shake my head slowly. “It’s okay. Logan let me sleep until seven, if you can believe that.”

“Who, Sleeping Beau over there? I can’t believe it!” Richard exclaims in faux shock.

“Is everything okay?” I ask, eyeing them both.

Richard nods enthusiastically. “And then some. I’m glad you’re here, actually. Why don’t we step into your office for a hot minute? Sarah can keep an eye on Logan in the meantime.”

“Can you?” I ask Sarah, who’s already stepping away from the reception desk to take charge of my baby’s carrier. “Thanks, babe.”

“Oh, it’s my pleasure. He’s such a good little boy! Just like his dad.” She gives Marius a friendly wink. “Though his dad talks a little too much too early in the morning. His dad could take a page out of his book on this one.”

We laugh as Marius, Richard, and Jax join me in my office. Sarah’s a good sitter, though she’s only had Logan for an hour or two, tops, while I’m at the gym and without a babysitter available at home. I do insist on paying her a little something extra, out of my own pocket, when she does babysit. I’m never worried, thank the stars.

The guys remain standing close to my desk as I go over to the large window and pull the shades back to let some sun in. Seattle’s late springs are as capricious as ever, with a blue sky occasionally cluttered with passing rain clouds. It’s unseasonably warm, too, though I don’t mind the heat as long as it’s the dry kind.

“Is there something you wanted to talk to me about?” I ask as I turn around to face my guys.

Only, they’re each holding something and smiling broadly as they give me a moment to understand what’s going on. Richard shows me a small, pale blue velvet box—upon opening it, I recognize a splendid sapphire and diamond bracelet I’d seen not that long ago. Marius’s red velvet box reveals a stunning white gold and diamond ring. The kind a guy proposes with. And Jax opens his dark blue box to offer me a sapphire and diamond necklace that matches Richard’s bracelet.

“Whoa…” I manage, barely whispering. “What is this?”

“What does it look like?” Marius asks. His voice trembles slightly, and I know he’s struggling to keep his emotions under control. “It’s not like we could get you three engagement rings. They would’ve looked tacky as hell on your finger.”

I burst into laughter and tears at the same time, having lost my words entirely. My heart is thumping as I process this moment and realize this is it. The next step of my evolution, of our evolution as a family. It’s crazy, yes. It’s unprecedented, yes. But it’s also a natural progression. It makes sense. It’s been working out so beautifully between us, why not make it somewhat official?

“Marry us,” Richard says. “Legally, sure, you’d be marrying Marius alone, but Shay… Marry us. We’re ready. We want to be your husbands, we want you to be our wife. We’ve got a son. We’ll probably make a couple more. I know I’d love a red-haired little girl to keep Logan busy growing up.”

“And we’re already doing everything a married couple does, anyway,” Jax adds. “I love you, Shay.”

“I love you,” Marius says. “We love you. We want to spend the rest of our days with you, baby.”

“What do you say?” Richard asks, his eyebrows arched with anticipation.

I stare at them, my eyes filled with tears and my chest filled with thousands of breaths and dollops of sheer happiness. How could I say no? Why would I say no?

“I’m not gonna wear the necklace, the bracelet, and the ring all the time,” I say. “I’ll settle for the ring and keep the other two for our wedding day.”

Marius gasps. “So, that’s a yes?”

“That’s a hell yes!” I exclaim and rush over to them.

They welcome me with arms wide open, and we shower each other with ardent kisses, pouring all the love in our souls into every single touch. These fellas are determined to make an honest woman out of me, so I can only be grateful to the universe and respond in kind. I’ll be the happiest wife that ever lived. I’m already the happiest woman, mother, and business entrepreneur. We might as well add “happiest wife” to my list of earned titles.