Chapter 16

Chapter

Sixteen

“As you know, I had a meeting with Pa’s lawyer, and to put things as succinctly as possible, I am completely penniless. Apparently, my father had no idea how to manage his finances despite several suggestions from his lawyer. He used up his inheritance by living beyond his means for quite some time, and the reason most of the servants left was because he refused to pay them. A couple of them stayed on for the free lodging for a while, but even that became too difficult for them—no surprise, considering how tough it was to live with my father—and they left to find employment elsewhere.

“When I was cleaning the house a few days ago, I did not go through such things as my mother’s jewelry or the silver—and avoided my father’s study—but now I find that anything of particular value has been either confiscated or traded to creditors. The property itself is to be auctioned off in a few days. I was told to go through the house and retrieve any personal items I saw fit to keep, and the rest would be used to pay off my father’s astronomical debts. I’m sure his lawyer expects his fee to come from that as well.

“So I picked out a couple of framed daguerreotypes of my family—one of all of us and a beautiful one of my mother. And I located an old chess set that my pa taught me to play with before…” He stopped and cleared his throat, looking out the window.

Everyone knew that “before” meant before his father started drinking excessively and behaving like a madman.

“I find it is comforting to have something to help me remember that my family life wasn’t always terrible. Now, if you’ll all excuse me, I’d like to have a moment to myself.”

Suzette stood before Matty could make it to the door, wrapped him in a motherly hug, and said, “Matty, we are all terribly sorry for all that you are dealing with. Please remember always how much we love you in this family.” Matty gave her a sad smile as she said, “Now… would you consider setting the chessboard up in the library where everyone can enjoy it? I have always found them quite beautiful.”

“Would you teach me to play?” Eden asked with a hopeful smile.

“Yes, thank you. I can do that.” Matty forced a smile and nodded to them all before shuffling out of the room with the heavy case in tow.

“This has been a dreadful day for that poor fellow,” Walter observed. “We need to cheer him up.”

Isaac looked kindly at Walter and said, “Let him be for a while. He needs to grieve more than he probably realizes. He’ll come around. At least he knows he’s loved in this house.”

Isaac knew a thing or two about paralyzing grief. Walter put his arm around Isaac’s broad shoulders and squeezed.

With Matty gone, Suzette looked at Eden and asked, “Eden, darling, have you given any more thought to when and how you’d like to be married? And you as well, Nicolo? How will this affect Matty?”

“We haven’t discussed it much yet, Maman, and certainly not with Matty. We’ve just managed to bring him around to accepting us. It’s only been a short time.”

“I do still want to marry soon, though, Nico,” Eden said. “If we could do it tomorrow, it would be fine with me.” She looked at Suzette. “While Marguerite’s dress designs are beautiful and having a fancy wedding might be exciting for some people, I’m actually only interested in the legality of the ceremony—not in having a fancy event. I’m not happy being the center of attention, I suppose. I don’t mean to sound like an ingrate, but the expense would be wasted on me. Remember… I grew up in the sticks on an isolated ranch, and my parents wo uldn’t even want to take the time off to travel anywhere for the ceremony.”

“How about this?” Nico asked. “You and I can take the train tomorrow like we planned. We’ll go as far as Santa Ana, and from there we can hire a buggy to get to their ranch. I can ask your father properly for your hand in marriage. Then we can either marry there or come back to Los Angeles and marry with my family all here to help celebrate. I’d hate to make them miss out on an occasion to entertain, even if it’s after a simple ceremony. So… I guess you know where I’d prefer to get married—if that is acceptable to you.”

Eden’s face glowed with happiness. “I like this plan very much. We’ll do that. But what about Matty? How does he fit into our union? I’m fairly certain I can’t tell my parents about him because they would never accept me being with two men. But he’s so special and I know how much you love him. I don’t want anything to cause more hurt for him with everything that’s happened in his life lately.” She turned to Nico’s parents. “Excuse me for asking, but are you all legally married somehow? Nico told me about the San Francisco judge.”

They all smiled, and Isaac laughed, saying, “Whether it’s perfectly legal or not has never bothered us. We did what we could, and it meant something to us that we made the effort. That was what mattered. If Matty is up for the conversation, talk to him tonight. I like to see that you’re considering his feelings so seriously. If you can’t manage to arrange a marriage for all three of you, Eden, would you consider marrying Matty instead of Nicolo? You’re already having Nicolo’s baby, and that in itself ties you to him irrevocably forever.” He took in their surprised expressions and added, “It’s just a suggestion. Think it over. Another idea would be that Walter and I can look around and see if we could find a similar judge in Los Angeles who could be paid to marry all three of you.”

Nico’s eyes lit up, and he asked, “Do you think that would be possible, Pa?”

Isaac shrugged. “Eh, we know a fair number of people through our building company, so maybe if we all put our heads together, we can come up with someone to ask, but I wouldn’t pin all your hopes on that, son. People in Los Angeles don’t have the same sense of gold fever that was so prevalent back then in San Francisco—not to say there aren’t folks who would do just about anything for some extra money.”

“Would you see if you can find someone for the job while Eden and I are in Capistrano? We won’t be gone for more than a day, I assume.” He looked at Eden and added, “Unless you want to spend more time with your family. I don’t mean to rush you. You haven’t seen them in quite a long time.”

“No, it’s fine. I’d rather get back here and get married. We can visit again when it’s not such a busy time of year for them.”

“What is keeping them especially busy right now?” Walter asked. He always wanted to learn new things, and cattle ranching was outside of his regular reading interests.

“It’s the beginning of calving season, and everyone is helping with that as well as branding. It’s a terribly hectic time. That’s why my parents couldn’t possibly plan a wedding or attend one.” She looked at Nico and laughed softly. “They may even try to get you to help with calving in case one of the cows has a difficult birth.”

Nico made a face. “Hmm. Cows are not exactly my specialty. Maybe I should send Matty with you instead. He can bless the heifers or something.” He gave her a kiss on the cheek to let her know he was joking and announced to his parents, “We’ll be back as soon as possible. I just want to go make a favorable impression and let them know that their daughter is deeply loved and will be well cared for.”

“Walter and I will start asking around and see what we come up with, and your mother can arrange for a dinner party for the family and our closest friends. You just have a safe trip and don’t worry about the logistics. Now, you’d better go find Matty and tell him your plans.”

They wandered through the house and finally found Matty sitting outside in the interior courtyard. Facing away from them, he appeared deep in thought and was startled when they sat down on either side of him on his bench. Nico stretched his arm around Matty’s shoulders and Eden took his hand. No one spoke for a while; they just sat quietly enjoying the flowers.

Finally, Nico explained to Matty that they planned to travel to the Godwin ranch the next day, and they would love to have Matty come if he wished. He also mentioned Isaac’s suggestion that Matty might marry Eden instead of him. It was hard to read Nico’s expression when he said that.

“Absolutely not,” Matty said with finality. “I don’t mean to be insulting to you in any way, Eden. I think you’re a wonderful woman, and I would be honored to be your husband, but to show up at your parents’ place and announce, ‘Here I am asking for your daughter’s hand, but don’t mind that I have no money, no job prospect, and in marrying her, I’m breaking the vows I’m supposed to be taking to become a priest, thereby destroying any chance I have to complete the job I have trained for.’ How do you think they’d receive all of that information? They’d probably laugh… or shoot me.”

Nico smiled gently. “It was just a suggestion for how to include you in our union. If Eden married you, I would still consider myself a full partner in the marriage. This baby is mine, so I’ll always be wed to her in that regard anyway.”

“All the more reason the two of you need to marry. I’ve been thinking that either I need to accept that I’m supposed to be a priest and seek a lot of absolution before I’m ordained, or I need to leave Los Angeles. Maybe it would be better if I made a fresh start somewhere else. ”

Eden gasped his name and squeezed his hand, and Nico nearly shouted, “No! You can’t leave! Don’t you remember how you felt when we were apart? It killed me inside, and I am pretty sure it was just as difficult for you, Matty. Why would you even suggest leaving?”

“You know why, Nico. I’m afraid I’ll ruin what you and Eden have together, and I’ll be a terrible influence around your child. I don’t know how to be a father. I’m not even a good son, according to Father Andrew.”

Eden scooted closer to Matty and took his hand in both of hers. “I can’t believe you’d even worry about that. I see so much capacity for love in you. None of us know yet how to be a parent, and it’s scary to think about. But this baby would be lucky to have two fathers the way Nico and his siblings did. He or she will learn that love is not limiting, it’s infinite. Please don’t leave us, Matty. We need you to be whole.”

“I don’t know what I’m doing! On one hand, I can’t stand the idea of celibacy—especially now that I’ve been with the two of you. But if I don’t become a priest, I have no other prospects for employment, and I can’t keep sponging off of everyone. I’ve done too much of that already.”

“You are not taking advantage of anyone. My family has made it clear that you are always welcome here and we all love you. Besides, we don’t have to figure out everything all at once. You have the luxury now of being able to determine your own life’s path. You don’t have to follow in Father Andrew’s footsteps just because he told you to. Matty, in all the years I’ve known you, you have always been a brilliant, inquisitive scholar, and I know you have deep faith, but I never—not even once —heard you consider the priesthood. It’s not for you.”

Matty’s head dropped, and he studied his hand in Eden’s. “You’re right, of course. But that was when I was younger and unaware of my future inability to support myself any other way.”

“So take some time and consider your options. You’re so smart and well-educated, I’m sure you can find something that fulfills you more than a life of wearing heavy black clothes and listening to the ridiculous confessions of little old ladies in a stuffy booth.”

Matty’s head jerked up, and he looked at Nico flatly. “There is a lot more to being a priest than that, and you know it.”

“Of course I do,” he said softly and tightened his arm around Matty. “I also know that you would make a wonderful husband and father. Your pa had a problem, Matty. You’re not him. And Father Andrew is manipulative. Don’t cave in to his demands. We can figure something out to get him off your back, and you can figure out a great career for yourself. You’re not going to end up on the streets because we refuse to let that happen. And you said yourself that you aren’t cut out for a celibate life. Please don’t worry so much. We love you.” He leaned over and kissed the side of Matty’s head.

Matty sighed and leaned into Nico. “You’re right. I’m just being emotional. I feel terrible that I’m not particularly sad about my pa passing, but in some ways, I guess I am actually sad. But only because we weren’t able to make things right between us. I didn’t try hard enough with him, and I regret that. But losing him also makes me miss my mother, even though she’s been gone since I was quite young. I don’t even know if I’m making any sense. Being around your family is comforting in a lot of ways, but in other ways it makes me feel even worse.”

“Why worse?” Nico asked, confused.

“Just look at everyone. You all love each other so much, and you have so much joy in this house. Sometimes it’s almost too much with the wonderful music and… well… it’s perfect here.”

Nico snorted. “You should have been here after you went away. My fathers were about to send me off to join the army just to get rid of me. I made everyone around me miserable.”

“I seriously doubt that,” Eden interjected.

“Believe it. Or ask them. They’ll tell you I was a monster to live with for a while. It was only when I started working long hours in the clinic that I was finally too tired to bellyache all the time.” Nico paused a second. “But my point is, yes, we love each other in this family, and we’re proud of one another, but we’re not perfect. Look at my brothers. Bay snores like a braying mule and Warren has smelly feet.”

Eden giggled softly while Matty finally cracked a small smile .

“Matty, Eden and I are going to make the trip to the ranch a quick one. If you don’t want to join us tomorrow, then use the time wisely and think about what you want to do. I’d talk to Papa, frankly. You know he’s like a walking library, and he loves to share his opinions. Also, he and his business partners know practically every influential person in Los Angeles. Something wonderful will come up. I just know it. And later tonight, Eden and I can show you some more reasons for why you need to be with us forever.”

“Absolutely,” she agreed. “We just need to figure out how to get married and do it soon.”

“I can marry you if that’s what you’d like. I’m still a deacon, and that’s something I have the authority to do.”

Nico and Eden looked at each other questioningly. Finally, Nico answered, “Matty, we want you to marry us . Not marry us.” He laughed. “Unless there is a Catholic marriage rite that allows a deacon to marry himself to someone. Somehow, I don’t see that as much of a possibility. I doubt even any of the Protestants have that kind of ceremony in their prayerbook. How about the Lutherans, Eden? Are they that forward thinking?”

“Heavens no. But if Matty wants to marry us—as in perform the ceremony, I think it could be lovely. Then as soon as we’re done with the wedding, he can quit. How fitting would that be? But Matty, how are we going to make you an irrevocable member of our union the way Nico’s parents are? What will convince you if it’s not marrying me legally instead of Nico? We need you to be one with us.” She blushed. “I can barely believe I’m saying this, but there you have it. I love Nico so much, and I can see how deeply he loves you. Your connection is not something I want to disrupt. I feel certain that in time you and I can love one another that way as well. Take a chance on us, Matty. Please. Don’t break Nico’s heart all over again. His heart is too beautiful.”

Matty let out a long breath and said, “You’ve given me a lot to think over.”

That night over dinner, the entire family discussed possibilities for Matty’s future. Isaac and Walter agreed that while looking for an amenable judge, they could also ask around for employment opportunities for a brilliant scholar. Walter’s eyes sparkled when he said, “I have some very interesting ideas there, my boy.”

Matty’s heart lurched in his chest when he realized the kind of love this family was able to surround him with. It was sinking in that they weren’t just being kind to the poor young man whose life was a mess right now; they truly loved him like their own and would do about anything for him. He wanted to be worthy of their love, but when he asked, “How can I ever repay you for everything you’ve done for me?” he was told that all they expected was for him to love Nico and Eden to the best of his ability and stop worrying so much.

“You’ll find your way, Matty. You’re a fine young man,” Isaac told him.

Later that night, Eden and Nico surrounded him with a more carnal kind of love.

First, Nico decided it was time to educate Eden as to the finer points of oral pleasure. So he demonstrated on Matty, and when he had Matty moaning and jutting his hips, he stopped and told her to take over. Nico concentrated on Matty’s backside while Eden began her experimentation. Instead of going at him tentatively, Eden gleefully embraced the actions she’d seen Nico use on Matty. She got him so worked up—especially when Nico bumped Matty’s prostate with his long finger—Matty’s chest was heaving when he cried out, “Ohh, that’s perfect. Stop, or I won’t last!”

When Matty once again slipped his rigid cock into Eden’s paradise and heard her tender words, his heart began to warm. Nico again made love to Matty from behind at the same time, kissing his neck and promising him forever. “We’ll make it work, Matty,” he murmured. “Eden and I need you always.”

Eden confirmed, “We do, Matty. Now, both of you, harder, please!” She squirmed and panted, coming apart as a climax raging like a stormy ocean crashed through her with wave after wave of ecstasy. She opened her eyes and stared straight into Matty’s, whispering, “Let it go, dearest man. Fill me with your seed.” That was all it took for Matty to erupt into her with Nico shaking and groaning behind him.

“That was incredible,” Nico panted.

“It was,” Matty agreed.

“Ohh. So good,” Eden whispered. “We can do this—and more—for our whole lives, Matty. Just think of that.”