I tremble as I draw back. Nick kisses the top of my head gently and looks out over the city with me. “Is that better?”
“I’m serious, I need kisses around the clock or I’ll start feeling neglected.”
He strokes down my back. “So I should be expecting cheesy pickup lines on the regular? Whenever Roman isn’t chasing you?”
“Him chasing me won’t change my attempts to flirt with you – cheesy or not.”
Nick ends up going inside with me and explaining to the kids that all their daddies are going to be home more regularly. They will have more time for games, be at every dinner, say goodbye in the morning, all of it.
Link beams and hugs Nick then looks at Holden and Roman as they confirm. Cora tugs on Holden’s shirt. “Zoo?”
“We will go to the zoo more,” He promises her.
“And the park!” Link starts listing other destinations and Roman takes it as seriously as can be. He starts working on a list with Link.
Nick returns to me and strokes down my back until he grabs my ass. I pinch his, making him jump and give me a look, but shrug in reply. “Aren’t I supposed to show appreciation for my husbands?”
“You keep that up, and I’m going to steal you for me, myself, and I for an hour,” He says in my ear, gently nipping my neck. “maybe two hours.”
“Where are my children!” Gunner demands as he finally gets home.
Link raises his hand and Cora does too, bouncing. Gunner points at his feet. “I need my two favorite kids right here, right now.”
Confused at his serious tone, but eager to see Gunner, our kids run right where he’s pointing. Gunner drops to his knees and hugs them both. “You two ... you make today so much better.”
I glance at Nick and Holden, but they don’t have a clue either. Once Gunner lets go of our kids, he asks them about their day, diving into every detail of their lives until Roman calls everyone for dinner.
Pulling Gunner to the side, I try to get a word in, but he sweeps me off my feet and kisses me hard. I push against his chest, determined to talk, but then his tongue does that crazy roll thing in my mouth, and I turn to goo. I moan and slide my fingers through his hair, massaging and tugging gently.
He pants as we part and rests his forehead against mine. “It’s good to see you, sweets.”
“What happened today?” I ask seriously.
He leads me to the balcony and sits down. “So, Matthew came in with Bella.”
“Was Bella a problem? A problem that I’m going to have to solve again?” I growl.
Gunner eyes me and motions to my body with his finger. “You will get to watch me fight this battle. I can handle Bella just fine. Maybe not as well as Roman did on our wedding day, but I’m not confused about what I want.”
“I don’t want her all over you again, Gun, not when it upset you so much last time. I care about how you feel.” I insist, rubbing his shoulders. “I protect my husbands, even if it’s from exes.”
Gunner pats his lap and I sit with him. He kisses the back of my shoulder. “Matthew and Bella are trying therapy, but I think Matthew’s the one with cold feet now. Now that he can’t avoid all the problems, he has to face them.”
“That can’t be easy” I run my fingers through Gunner’s hair.
“Exactly. I just ...” He rubs my thigh. “I’ve never heard him raise his voice like that.”
“He yelled?”
“Yeah,” Gunner’s face screws into a perplexed expression. “I just don’t know what to expect from them at the Christmas party and with alcohol ... I want to make sure you’re comfortable.” He finally meets my eyes.
I cup his face in my hands, then kiss him softly. “I love you and I trust you, Holden, Nick, and Roman. As long as we’re together nothing can hurt us, right?”
Gunner turns me and lays his head on my chest. “Since when are you all logical and calm?”
“It’s hit or miss.” I lift his chin to kiss him. “Now, if we don’t get inside, all that will be left are veggies.”
We make it through dinner and Gunner brings up Matthew and how he was at work. Roman rubs the back of his neck. “He may have been losing it, but Bella apologized to me. She says that the five of us are clearly good for each other and that we should hold on to what we have.”