CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

SEBASTIAN

By the time Mav and Lucy return, we're all half asleep, with Stella draped over Gage, and me by his side, leaving almost half the damn bed for the other two. He nudges Lucy onto the bed first, then wraps himself around her, reaching back to flick the light off before he settles.

"You don't want to snuggle with us, Mav?" Stella asks sleepily, and he chuckles.

"Thanks, but I'm clean, so you can keep your sweaty selves over there."

Lucy giggles, and we fall silent for long enough that I think everyone but me is asleep.

"Mav?" He groans as Gage calls his name.

"Man, if you're about to say ‘if it feels good, do it', I'll shove a strap-on down your throat."

Gage chuckles. "Okay, I won't say it, but… well, it's true, so… can I at least say I told you so?"

"Fuck you."

We sleep until late the next morning, and wake up in almost the same configuration, except Lucy must have got up at some point, because she's on the other side of Mav, and Stella's draped over him and Gage now. I get up and shower, heading down to make breakfast, and about ten minutes later, I hear hurried footsteps upstairs and the bathroom door slamming. Shit. One of the ladies has morning sickness again. I fight the urge to head up there, because I can hear the others moving around, so I know she's being looked after.

I shove everything inside the warmer, and turn to go and get everyone, and see Mav and Stella walking hand in hand toward me. She doesn't look unwell, so it must be Lucy upstairs being ill.

"Gage looking after Lucy?" They both nod and come over to get at the food.

Mav looks well rested and relaxed, and Stella's clearly more interested in food right now, which is fine, because she has to eat for two right now.

I join them, but I'm keeping an ear out for the other two the whole time I eat.

"So about last night," I begin, and Mav groans.

"We don't need to talk about it. We don't need to do it again. My ass is still tender today, for fuck's sake."

"Man up, Mav. We've all been there, and we don't complain about it," Stella says with a giggle, and his response is interrupted by Gage, and a shaky looking Lucy. He's holding her against his side, and walks her to the table, sitting her as far from everyone as possible, and going to the kitchen. He returns with saltines for her, and a glass of ginger ale, then fetches his own food and coffee.

"You okay, baby?" Mav asks her, watching her worriedly.

"No. You're all bastards for getting me pregnant. I can't even enjoy the smell of that breakfast, and I know it'll be amazing. Damn saltines." She glares at her ‘breakfast', but at least she's looking less pale.

"So, about last night," Gage says, and Mav curses.

"Last night is done, and we're not talking about it. Oh, and nobody's fucking my ass again, not you, not Pretty Boy, and neither of these fucking ladies of ours either. Got it?"

"There's no shame in enjoying it, Mav. I'm just saying, you were a brave little soldier."

"Fuck you, Gage." Gage tosses him the ring sizer, and he frowns at it. "What the fuck is that?"

"We need your ring size," Gage says with a smirk, as Mav picks it up and tosses it back at him.

"Fuck you, you sick, fucking-"

"Ring finger, Mav, for a wedding ring," Lucy says quickly, before it gets out of hand between the two of them. Gage tosses it back to him and he sighs.

"You could have just said that."

"Yeah, I know."

GAGE

I take a bite of my pancake Pretty Boy made and moan around the food. Swallowing it down, I ask, "Why do your fucking pancakes always taste so good? Do you put something special in it?"

He winks at me. "I could put something special in it for you, baby."

I chuckle softly. "You could, and fuck, I'd eat it all day long."

"What is he talking about?" Lucy asks Mav while she nibbles on her saltines.

"Cum pancakes," Mav says with a shake of his head.

She immediately complains, "Gross. You're going to make me chuck up again."

I glance at Lucy with a smirk. "Oh, come on, baby. If we fed you a pancake made with all our cum, it'd be delicious. You wouldn't even need syrup."

Stella cracks up laughing, tossing her head back, and fuck, I love it when she does that. "If it tastes good, eat it."

I change the subject after earning a glare from Lucy, because she's not feeling well, so I decide to be nice for once. I just hope she doesn't get used to it.

"I'll call the jeweler with Mav's ring size and arrange for pickup. Is there anything special you ladies want for our wedding day?"

"Roses," Stella says, and Lucy adds, "Freesias."

"Music?" Sebastian asks.

Both women shrug like they don't care, but then Stella blurts out, "Oh, could we have violins? Just a recording, because I know actual musicians would be expensive."

I nod. "Sure, baby."

That's only a half-truth though, because if she wants live musicians she's getting them. All this time together, and our beautiful women still don't realize they get whatever they want. Expense is not even a consideration.

"Anything else?"

Lucy blushes like she's embarrassed to talk about what she wants, like she's asking too much. "I'd really like a first dance with each of you."

Mav kisses her on the forehead. "Done."

"Do you need makeup artists?"

Stella shakes her head as she finishes her bacon. "We'll do each other's makeup. We both prefer to keep it light anyway."

I'm grateful for that, I think all of us guys are, because our women look best with minimal or none of that shit on their faces. I prefer it when they don't cover up their natural beauty. Both of them are fucking stunning without the help of any cosmetics. Stella's light dusting of freckles, and Lucy's fair complexion, are far more beautiful than the runway ready look.

I try to imagine what this wedding will look like, and it hits me. None of us will have family here other than each other. Maybe that's why this works so well, because we are the one thing each of us was lacking. Family. It sounds lame, like I'm quoting the Fast and the Furious franchise, so I nearly chuckle at myself, but it's the truth. As twisted as this entire thing started, it gave us all exactly what we needed. Fuck I'm really turning into a sentimental asshole. I'm going to have to do something deviant to right myself. And I know exactly what it is but it'll have to wait.

MAV

We all move to the pool deck to lounge in the sun, since that's what both ladies want to do. It rains around one hundred forty days a year in London. Yes, I researched that after Lucy said that because it sounded unbelievable. That's a lot of fucking rain. I think that's why she soaks up the sun every chance she can get, but I'm always worried about her pretty fair skin burning, so I normally put sunscreen on her. Like a child, she complains every time, but I don't care. I'll always take care of my family, even if it pisses them off.

Lucy sits on my lap, with Gage beside me, and Sebastian on the other end next to him, and Stella is stretched out across both of them. She takes turns kissing both of them, as I lean my head forward and take Lucy's lips. She parts her lips while running a hand through my hair, pulling my face closer like she needs more. I tilt my head slightly, giving her what she needs, what we both need. She pulls back breathlessly and whispers, "Please, Mav."

I don't know what she's asking for, until she gently places her small hand on my chin and turns me toward Gage. Instantly my heart starts pounding, when the realization of what she wants from me sets in. He raises his hands to my face and speaks in a low gravelly voice, "Get out of your head, Mav. It's just a kiss."

I nod slowly, even though inside I'm panicking. Gage stares into my eyes for what feels like an eternity as he admits, "I spent years wanting to kiss you. It wasn't enough last time, please let me do it again."

When I silently nod again, he turns his body to me slightly, and runs his tongue along my bottom lip. I glance over his shoulder at Sebastian, expecting him to be angry, but instead he seems turned on.

He presses his lips to mine and pushes his tongue into my mouth with a groan, and I do what I never imagined I would. I kiss him back, not because I have to, but I want to. Our tongues glide together at a slow sensual pace, and the scent of Gage envelops me and, as much as I want to hate it, instead it makes me fucking frantic with need I should not be feeling. He pulls back and stares at me, reflecting what I'm going through in this moment. "Fuck, Mav," and slams his lips to mine again. I don't understand what's happening to me when I kiss him back again. And when I run my hands through his hair, pulling, and nearly losing my mind. And when I moan into his mouth. I don't understand any of this, so when he pulls back, I tell him, "That's enough for now. Just give me a minute to fucking breathe."