Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20

JESSE

I t was Chris who opened the door. Josie still stood there, her arms crossed over her chest and eyebrows arched. “Well, gentlemen?”

“We sorted out the basics,” he said, glancing back at Jesse. “It was a huge misunderstanding. She’ll come home with me so we can talk more.”

Josie met her gaze. “Is that what you want, honey?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“I don’t have to ask your father to make them disappear?” Josie asked.

But from her smirk Jesse knew she was kidding.

Mostly.

“No, please don’t. I want to fix this.”

“We won’t expect you for dinner,” Josie said. “If you’re not coming back tonight, please text me and I’ll run interference. And send me their address, okay?”

“Yeah.”

Chris pulled out his cellphone and Josie whipped hers out of her back pocket and they quickly exchanged digits and info. Meanwhile, Jesse remained in Mark’s embrace, his arms firmly holding her pressed against him. She didn’t like that he wore a bulletproof vest because it meant she couldn’t feel the firm planes of his muscles against her, but at least he was…here.

They both were.

And that was something she’d convinced herself would never happen again.

Josie nodded, smiling. “I’ll tell your father we’re extending our time here by two weeks. He was overdue for a vacation anyway.”

“Thanks.”

Josie waggled her fingers at them in a wave and turned. The security guy looked conflicted, but Josie motioned for him to follow. “One of them’s packing a gun and has a badge, if you didn’t notice. And they kept her alive for nearly two weeks in the wilderness. I’m reasonably certain she’s safe with them.”

Once they were alone, Chris closed the door and rejoined their embrace. “See? Scary.”

For the first time since leaving Yellowstone months earlier, she felt like laughing. “She’s a good mom.”

“Do we have a plan, then?” Chris asked. “You come home with me, Mark comes home at the end of his shift, and we talk.”

She nodded. “Yeah.” She gasped when the baby kicked again. She grabbed their hands and held them over her belly. “I felt them kick for the first time earlier today.”

“Them?” the men asked in unison.

“No, they’re not twins. But I’m not calling them ‘it’.”

When the baby kicked again, both men looked awestruck, and it was so adorable she smiled.

“We have a lot to talk about,” Mark said, meeting her gaze.

“We do.” She finally realized they wore matching rings. “You got married?”

“Yeah,” Chris quietly said. “A couple of weeks later. Right before season opened.”

She ran her thumbs over their wedding bands. “Sorry I missed it,” she said. “I wish I’d been there.”

“So do we, sweetie,” Chris said.

When they finally emerged from the office, Chris carried her computer backpack and Mark carried her hiking pack as they flanked her for the walk to Christopher’s truck.

She climbed into the passenger seat and Mark leaned in, kissing her. “I love you, sweetie. I’m sorry we lost that time between us. I’m sorry we weren’t there for you before now, but we want to be here however you’ll let us.”

Jesse blinked back more tears. “I love you, too. And I’m sorry, too. We’ll figure it out.”

“Yeah, we will,” Chris said, leaning in for a kiss of his own once Mark stepped back. “And I love you, too.”

She smiled. “Love you.”

Chris and Mark kissed good-bye and Mark headed for his truck while Chris climbed behind the wheel and cranked it, sitting there for a moment. “We’re not rich. You know that. But we want to?—”

“I’m not worried about financial support,” she said. “We’ll figure the rest out.”

CHRISTOPHER

He couldn’t believe this was happening.

Not only were they getting Jesse back…they were going to be dads.

When held her hand during the drive back, his heart felt lighter than it had in months.

“We have a lot to talk about,” he said, carefully modulating his tone. “We need to make plans.”

She squeezed his hand. “I know.” A soft laugh, the one he’d missed so damned much. “At least money is no object.”

“We’re not looking to be leeches,” he said. “We enjoy what we do for a living.”

Another squeeze. “That was a joke.”

He glanced over to find her smiling. “But, yeah,” she added, “it’s not a joke. Our discussions need to start with the fact that you guys don’t need to worry about money. We’ll make this work.”

“Might have to put a radio tracking collar on you,” he said, earning him another laugh.

“That sounds kinky,” she teased.

He rubbed his thumb against her hand. “Missed you, baby,” he said, surprised at how his eyes pricked with tears, accompanied by a tightness in his throat he hadn’t felt in years. “I worried we’d never see you again.”

She heavily sighed. “Yeah, well, I was worried about that, too. And then…this.” Her other hand rested on her tummy. “I’m sorry I ran and didn’t confront you guys then.”

“We need to move forward, not back.” He had to stop due to a bear jam in traffic and looked at her. “I get it, now that I know what happened. But just like I had to learn with Mark in the early days, you have to learn with us—trust us. Don’t trust the RSD. Don’t retreat from us. Stop, breathe, and tell us you’re triggered so we can figure it out then . We’ll always catch you, but we can’t if we don’t know you’re falling. Right?”

She sniffled. “Right,” she quietly said. “I guess I’ve been so used to catching myself over the years I just…reacted.”

“What about your dad? Seems like he loves you.”

“Oh, he does. This isn’t on him. I put myself into that position. I’m the one who asked to go to boarding schools.”

“Why?”

“It was too empty at home without Mom. I thought Dad might be able to get through things easier if he didn’t have to worry about me every minute of the day. He was smothering me and I couldn’t take it. And I knew I wouldn’t hurt as much if I had other things to think about besides her not being alive. It was pain I couldn’t do anything about. I couldn’t… fix it. That’s why when I decided to become an engineer I knew I wanted to make a difference. Maybe stop people from going through tragedy.”

“Don’t mask around us,” he said. “Please? As you saw, I don’t mask with Mark. I know we joked about him being a clueless neurotypical guy, but he tries. He tries really hard. Like you, he’s a fixer of things. Of what he loves. He loves me, he loves Yellowstone.” He squeezed her hand again. “And he loves you. We both do.”

They started moving again. When he reached their house, he rounded the truck to open her door and help her out. They both turned at the sound of a vehicle approaching.

Chris thought it would be Mark, somehow managing to cut loose early, but it was a large, black SUV.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Jessie muttered, storming that way.

He followed. “What’s going on?”

She stalked over to the driver’s door, where the man rolled the window down. “He in there?” she barked.

The back driver’s side window rolled down and as Chris walked up he realized it was her father, wearing a sheepish grin. “Hi, honey.”

“Daddy. You did not just follow us!”

“He obviously did,” Chris snarked before he could stop himself.

“I wanted to make sure you’re okay!” her father said. “Can you blame me?”

“Didn’t Josie tell you I was with them?”

“She did.” He looked even more sheepish. “And she’ll chew me a new one when I get back to the hotel, I’m sure.”

JESSE

You have got to be fucking kidding me.

To be honest, she’d hoped to coax Chris into bed, both to reassure herself this was really happening and to soothe the sudden need she’d felt now that she realized this had all been a horrible misunderstanding.

“Then why did you follow us?” Jesse asked. “You have their address.”

“I know.” He looked at Chris. “But I wanted to make sure.”

“Would you like to come in, Mr. Klevenson?” Christopher asked.

“No!” she said. “He needs to go back to his hotel.”

But her dad beamed and opened the door. “Thank you! I’d love to!”

Chris at least had the decency to shrug. “Sorry, but he’s here. I’d rather have him come in than know he’s sitting out here waiting.”

Jesse turned at the sound of another SUV rolling in, and she didn’t have to guess who it was. The back window rolled down and Josie leaned out. “Brand! Get over here right now! I told you to leave them alone for today!” She waved and smiled at Christopher. “Hi, Chris!”

“Hi!” he called back. “Want to come in?”

Jesse groaned and covered her face with her hand. This cannot be happening.

“Come on, Josie,” her dad said. “He’s being a good host!”

She opened the door and stalked over, still glaring at Jesse’s dad. “I told you they need this time together. And if they kept her alive before, I seriously doubt they’ll let anything happen to her now.”

“Doesn’t hurt to be sociable,” her father said with a playful grin. Then he clapped Chris on the shoulder and started walking with him.

Josie blew out an aggravated breath and turned to Jesse. “Honey, I’m really sorry about this. He left before I could stop him, and then he kept sending my calls to voice mail.”

Jesse didn’t know why she started laughing, but it turned into tears at some point and she was hugging Josie tighter than she’d ever hugged her before.

“Hey, you okay, sweetie?” Josie asked.

“Yeah. I’m okay, Mom.”

Josie froze, but then hugged her tighter. “I’m okay with that, but don’t feel you have to if you don’t want to.”

“I want to. Mom would want me to. You’ve been a mom to me.”

“Everything okay?” her dad called out.

Josie waved him off. “Just go inside, Brand. We’ll be there in a minute. We’re having girl time.”

Jesse laughed and finally released her. “I’m really glad he met you. I’m sorry if you thought I was standoffish in the beginning.”

“It’s okay. He explained it to me, and I won’t lie that it took me a while to stop stressing over it. But I love you like a daughter. I know I’m only fourteen years older than you, and I didn’t want you to think I was trying to shove you out or take over your mom’s place.”

“I know. And I appreciate it.”

Josie draped an arm around her shoulders. “Want to help me with the tater tot? I think one of his brothers-in-law-to-be should meet him.”

Jesse laughed. “Sure.”

MARK

By the time Mark finally ended his shift and raced home, he found two black SUVs parked outside, and two of the private security men standing on their front porch.

They didn’t move or react except to nod when he walked up. “Sir,” they both said.

He warily pulled up short. “Is everything okay?”

“We have guests, Mark,” Chris called from inside. “Get in here.”

Oh, boy.

The only thing that had been on his mind was getting home and getting Jesse in his arms again.

And never letting her go.

But in their living room sat Jesse’s dad and mom. Her dad held the baby.

“We’re in the kitchen,” Chris called out.

“Um, hi,” Mark said to them.

Her dad stood, looking stern. “We weren’t properly introduced.” He shifted the baby to his left shoulder and extended his right hand. “Gudbrand Klevenson. Jesse’s father .”

Mark shook with him. “Mark Powell, sir.”

“Daddy, don’t you dare tease him!” Jesse called from the kitchen.

At that the man’s expression broke into a smile. “You’re no fun, kiddo.” He sighed. “You can call me Brand,” he said to Mark.

“Thanks.”

Josie smiled as she stood and hugged Mark. “Don’t worry, we’ll bail after dinner.”

“After…dinner?”

“Lasagna,” Chris called from the kitchen.

Come to think of it, the house smelled great.

He honestly didn’t process much of what they talked about during dinner. He was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that Jesse was back and everything he’d written off as a hopeless fantasy was not only real, but better.

What he wanted to do was crawl into bed with Jesse, lay his head on her tummy, and talk to their baby.

Even before he’d met Chris he decided he wasn’t inclined to have kids. After his willing estrangement from his family he felt relief to know the dysfunction would end with him.

But now…

A new future lay ahead of them.

The security men had been invited in to eat, but they opted to take theirs out to the porch to keep watch.

Just for what, Mark wasn’t sure considering this was Yellowstone, but he didn’t argue.

They finished eating and the conversation hit a natural lull when her father clasped his hands together, elbows on the table, and eyed the men. “So. What are your intentions with my daughter?”

Jesse choked on the drink of water she’d been taking. “ Daddy ! Stop it!”

He grinned. “Sorry, guys. Just screwing with you. But, in all seriousness, what’s the next step?”

“We do a lot of talking and fix this so we don’t have another misunderstanding,” Mark said before Chris could answer. “Because we love Jesse, and we’re the baby’s fathers, and like hell will we let her get away from us again.”

Brand nodded. “Excellent answer. You and Chris seem to be on the same page.”

“I told him we both have vacation time coming,” Chris told Mark. “We can go home with Jesse for a week and figure things out from there.”

Mark’s stomach rolled. “I don’t want to quit my job,” he said.

“You don’t have to,” Brand answered. “Neither of you do. Not asking you to. And sorry I invited myself over.” He looked at Jesse, and the man’s expression, every worry line, every bit of him spoke of his fatherly love. “I almost lost her once. And what happened was a misunderstanding. The ‘sparkly vampire unicorn’ club has also been explained to me.”

He even used jazz hands when he said it.

Dammit, Chris.

But that was thought with love, not aggravation.

“Believe me,” the man continued, “I understand neurospiciness adds another level of complexity to the dynamic. And I wish you gentlemen the best of luck. With her, you’ll need it.”

“Hey!” Jesse protested.

“That was directed more at Mark, honey.” Brand smiled. “I think Chris here already has a leg up on him.”

Mark and Chris politely refused Josie and Brand’s offers to help with dishes before they left. Twenty minutes later the three of them were working together to finish washing them.

When that was completed, the men wrapped their arms around Jesse, Mark facing her and Chris behind her.

“I’m guessing the make-up sex portion of the festivities didn’t start without me?” Mark teased.

She groaned. “Sorry about that, guys. My dad is a helicopter parent.”

“What happens now?” Mark asked.

“What I want to happen,” she said, “is we go to bed and talk during post-orgasmic cuddles.”

Mark scooped her into his arms, her laughter as he did making his heart sing. “Then let’s give the lady what she wants, Chris.”

“By all means,” he said, heading toward the bedroom.

JESSE

The men quickly stripped her and themselves and as they stretched out in bed between them her heart finally felt like it truly would heal.

Their warm hands roamed her body, making her squirm as they took turns kissing her. Her four-month dry spell evaporated as waves of need slammed into her.

“Please don’t tease me, guys,” she gasped at one point. “I haven’t come since I left here.”

The men sat up. “Really?” they asked in unison.

“Really, so can we get to it? Please?”

“Your wish is our command,” Mark said, shouldering her thighs apart and setting there, his hot tongue doing delicious things to her as he laved her clit. Chris snuggled her in the crook of his arm and kissed her, playing with her nipples, tugging and rolling the sensitive nubs between his fingers.

All that quickly drove her over the edge, pleasure slamming into her and making Mark happily growl as he hooked his hands around her thighs and refused to stop. He slowed down, giving her a chance to breathe, tracing feather-light trails over and around her clit until he went to town again and made her come again, even harder, taking her breath away.

“Stop hogging her,” Chris groused. “I want a turn.”

“Be my guest,” Mark said, sitting up. She watched as they kissed, her heart racing at the sexiness, the love, before they swapped places, this time with Mark on her other side and Chris using his talented tongue on her.

She’d wasted four months they could have had together, and like hell was she going to waste a single minute of time with them now.

Once Chris made her come, leaving her limp and spent, she reached down and found Mark’s erection. “Now for you two.”

“Lady’s choice,” they said in unison.

She would always giggle over that.

Mark and Chris helped her straddle Mark and she moaned with pleasure while taking her time impaling herself on his erection. Chris knelt behind her and let her lean back against him while he cupped her breasts, playing with her nipples.

“Now that’s a beautiful sight,” Mark said. He grabbed her hips slowly thrust. “My god, we’ve missed you so damned much, baby.”

She hooked an arm behind her, around Christopher’s head so she could kiss him. Like this every thrust felt amazing, perfect.

Yeah, these men had set the bar in the stratosphere. She gave thanks to deities she didn’t believe in for a second chance with them.

“Come for us like this, baby,” Chris whispered in her ear. “This is all we want to do, to make you happy and keep you smiling.” She felt his erection rubbing against her lower back and briefly wondered what it’d feel like having both of them like this at the same time.

Then Mark started playing with her clit and the slow burn of her pleasure flamed over into a white-hot explosion.

“Yeah!” Mark happily groaned as he thrusted up into her faster, deeper. “That’s what I wanted to feel.”

When they’d both finished she leaned in, kissing him. “Guess we don’t need to worry about birth control for now.”

Chris laughed. “That ship sailed a loooong time ago.”

Chris rolled her onto her back, slung her legs over his shoulders, and took an evilly long time feeding his cock into her. “Think I can get one more out of you, baby?”

“I know we can,” Mark said before she could answer. He sat up and bent his head to her clit, flicking it with his tongue.

Got to love an overachiever whose word is good.

That was the last coherent thought she had for several minutes.

As they lay in a sated jumble, splayed across each other with Jesse more or less in the middle, she said, “I think rebooting is good. Let’s hope this is the last reboot we ever have to do.”

Mark chuckled. “I’m all for that, baby.”

Another thought hit her. “Hey, where’d the unicorn part of the ‘sparkly vampire unicorn’ label come from?”

Mark groaned as Chris snickered. “It involved copious alcohol, a six-pack of cupcakes with multi-colored rainbow frosting, and a blow job.”

“I thought we swore to never again talk about that night ,” Mark groaned.

“Uh, you swore,” Chris said. “I wasn’t the one hungover. I warned you not to mix Malort and tequila, but you got cocky.” He winked at Jesse. “In more ways than one.”