Chapter 28: Chapter 28

VADA

Evan refused to apologize for throwing me in the lake. He had the nerve to accuse ~me~ of being no fun.

I was always fun.

~He~ was the one with the stick up his ass.

Excuse me for being upset that he threw me in the cold lake in my clothes while a bunch of teenage boys looked on. I was wearing a pink tank top and white cotton shorts.

The horny little buggers got an eyeful. Some of them were in their late teens. They weren’t much younger than me. And they all got a nice view of my tits and pussy through my wet clothes.

And the worst part was that annoying little twat, Tilly. She brought me a bowl of steaming Brussels sprouts at dinner and made her kids watch while I choked them back, ~to~ ~set a good example.~

Evan was the one who should’ve had to eat them. But he said he liked Brussels sprouts, and it wouldn’t be a punishment.

What a loser.

I managed to slip away from the bonfire unnoticed while the guys were busy shooting the shit with their buddies. I wandered down to the lake, heading for the gazebo with the swing in it.

When I got there, it was occupied. I turned to walk away when I heard soft crying.

A young girl was rocking back and forth, her soft whimpers carrying across the lake, the moonlight shining on her strawberry-blonde curls.

I recognized her. She was the girl with the long face who read a book all afternoon while the other kids swam.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

She jumped at the sound of my voice. “You scared me,” she gasped, clutching her chest.

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

“Do you need me to get your mother or something?”

“I wish,” she whispered sadly. “She’s dead.”

“I’m so sorry,” I said. “I didn’t know.”

“It’s okay. You’re a newbie around here. I wouldn’t expect you to know something like that.”

“What’s your name?”

“Stephanie.”

“I’m Vada.”

“I know,” she giggled softly. “Everybody knows who you are.”

“They do?”

“Well yeah,” she said. “Especially after the incident this afternoon. My brothers won’t stop talking about it.”

“Let me guess. Your brothers were in the lake?”

“Yeah.”

“Can I sit down?”

“Sure.”

I took a seat at the other end of the swing. “How old are you, Stephanie?”

“Twelve.”

“Twelve is a rough age without a mom.”

“No kidding,” she sighed.

“My mom died when I was ten,” I shared.

“That sucks.”

“It sure did. And I didn’t have any siblings.”

“You must’ve been lonely.”

“At times I was,” I said. “My dad was overwhelmed with grief. He tried, but he never got over my mother’s death. I had Jake, Garrett, and Evan. They were there for me.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. They’re my dad’s best friends.”

“That’s kind of weird, Vada.”

“I thought so too at first,” I laughed. “I was creeped out when three old guys proposed to me.

“But my dad assured me it was his idea and they hadn’t been planning this since I was a kid, or anything weird like that.”

“That’s good.”

“When did you lose your mom?”

“Three months ago.”

“Oh, Stephanie,” I whispered. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea it was that recent.”

“Yeah. She’d been sick for quite a while. Cancer.”

“That’s rough.”

“Yeah. Now I’m alone with three dads and five brothers. I’m kinda outnumbered.”

“I bet you’re spoiled, being the only girl.”

“Not really.”

“Why are you sitting down here all by yourself? Your dads and brothers will be worried about you.”

“They’re smothering me.”

“Did you tell them that?”

“I tried, but they don’t understand.”

“What don’t they understand?”

“What it’s like to be a girl.”

“I suppose not, since they aren’t girls.”

“I got my first period the same day we buried Mom,” she shared. “Can you believe that?”

“That is some shitty luck.”

“Yep.”

“Do you have an aunt or something to help you with that type of thing?”

“Nope.”

“That sucks. I’ve certainly been there.”

“How old were you?”

“I’d just turned eleven. My mom died a couple of months before. I told my dad, and he started crying.

“Then he went to the drug store and bought me a box of those jumbo tampons. The big, thick ones. I was eleven!”

“Dads don’t know.”

“No, they certainly do not,” I chuckled. “One time we rented a beach house. I think that was the only vacation we ever took after my mom died.

“The guys came. I got my period in the middle of the night. They went out to get me some pads and came back with adult diapers.”

“Oh no!” she giggled.

“Oh yes.”

“That must’ve been really embarrassing for you.”

“Nah,” I scoffed. “I’ve never been embarrassed about stuff like that. My dad and I can talk about anything.”

“You’re lucky.”

“Wanna know a funny secret about Evan?”

“Yes!”

“He suffers from period phobia.”

“There’s no such thing!” she cried.

“That’s what I said, but apparently it’s an actual phobia.”

“Why is he afraid of periods?”

“He has a bunch of older sisters, and both his parents were gynecologists. I gather menstruation was a common dinner-table topic. I guess he was traumatized.”

“That’s too funny.”

“I know, right?”

“I’ve gotta go tell Patsy and Lila that,” she gushed, jumping up from the swing. “They love practical jokes. I bet they’ll torment him for the rest of the week.”

“You go, girl! It’s payback for him throwing me in the lake.”

“Thanks, Vada.”

“For what?”

“Cheering me up.”

“No problem.”

“Do you think I could maybe text you sometime, if I need to talk to a woman?”

“Absolutely.”

“I mean, I can talk to any of the moms here. But you understand what it’s like to grow up without a mom.”

“We’ll exchange numbers,” I promised. “I don’t have my phone with me right now. It’s charging.”

“Okay. Talk to you later!”

I smiled as I watched her run up the path. Poor kid. But she was better off than I was at that age. She had siblings. And three dads.

I’d have to ask her what it was like to grow up in a polyandrous family. From what I’d seen so far, the kids seem normal and well-adjusted.

What was it like to be a wife to three men? The guys acted as if this was a done deal. I hadn’t accepted their proposal.

But Evan told the other women we couldn’t go on the cruise because I’d be too pregnant by the following winter.

Even if I decided to marry them—and that was still a very big ~if~—I wasn’t planning to get pregnant right away. They promised to wait until I was ready, but they were in their forties.

And they wanted a family right away. If I married them, the pressure would be on to have a baby.

They might say there was no rush, but the expectation was clear. Babies were part of this arrangement.

I gazed out at the lake, losing myself in the peaceful, picturesque scene in front of me. The moon wasn’t full, but it lit up the sky with a radiant glow, reflecting off the ripples on the water.

Lights from the far shore sparkled in the dark tree line. Who owned those cottages? Normal people, with one father, one mother, and a couple of kids?

Or retired folks, enjoying the summer with their grandkids?

I never had a ~normal~ life after my mom passed away. What was ~normal~ anyway? None of the people at the reunion were living ~normal~ lives.

Polyandry was against the law. They weren’t legally married. What did their families think of their lifestyle? Their coworkers and friends?

Once the babies came, it wasn’t something you could hide. Nobody at Grave to Road Restorations knew that the owners shared women.

Would that change if I moved in with them?

Did I really want this life?

What would happen if I turned them down?

I was going to work at the business. I’d see them every day. It would be super awkward. What if they found another woman to take my place?

The thought of my guys with someone else didn’t sit well with me. Was I falling in love with them? I was growing more attached to them with each passing day.

Even Evan was worming his way into my cold heart.

But being with them came with a hefty price tag. Marriage, commitment, ~babies.~ At least three. And I had to give up my sexual relationship with Mandy.

My barhopping, partying days would be over. I’d have to sell my condo. I could let Mandy stay there, but she couldn’t really afford to live there on her own.

Adulthood kind of sucked. I liked it better when the biggest decision I had to make was what to wear out for a night on the town. But I also liked knowing I had three men looking out for me.

I’d never been in a romantic relationship where I felt connected to my partner before. My time with the guys made me realize that my previous relationships were a joke.

They were all about sex. Nothing else. Most of the guys I dated were barely capable of carrying on a conversation.

I turned around when I heard footsteps approaching. Evan cleared his throat when he reached the edge of the wooden platform, his lips pressed firmly together in a scowl.

“What do you want?” I snapped.

“To talk.”

“I don’t have anything to say to you, Evan. Leave me alone.”

“That’s not how this relationship works, Vada.”

“Stop lecturing me.”

“What did you say to Stephanie?”

“It’s none of your business.”

“True,” he said. “But it’s her dad’s business. And he wants to know what you said, because that little girl hasn’t cracked a smile since her mother died three months ago.

“And she spends ten minutes with you and she’s giggling and smiling and going off with the other girls her age to do whatever twelve-year-olds do.”

“I have no idea,” I said, turning to stare out at the lake again.

“Can I sit down?”

“Are you going to apologize for throwing me in the lake?”

“I’m sorry I threw you in the lake.”

“I don’t think you are,” I huffed. “That apology sounded kind of hollow.”

“I didn’t really think it through,” he admitted.

“And?”

“And I’m very sorry.”

“Fine.”

“So can I sit?”

“I don’t care what you do, Evan.”

“Thank you for talking to Stephanie,” he said softly, capturing my hand in his. “You’re going to be a great mom.”

“I don’t know if I can marry you guys. I’m not sure I’m the right woman.”

“When we left Florida two weeks ago, I had some serious doubts about you, Vada.”

“Exactly my point,” I said. “We don’t get along. Do you really want to spend the rest of your life bickering with me?”

“Yes, I do.”

“You do not!” I laughed, shaking my head.

“I enjoy our banter, sweetheart. Look forward to it, actually. I wouldn’t want it any other way. I don’t want a wife who’s a doormat.

“You challenge me, Vada. And you make me a better man. Less uptight. Hopefully more fun. All the little things about you that used to annoy me are now things that I love about you.”

I blinked rapidly, speechless for probably the first time in my life. And I had to fight back tears. Vada Collins didn’t cry. I was a robot.

Did Evan just tell me he loved me?

“We could have a great life together, Vada,” he continued. “You’ve had a glimpse of what it would be like today. Family is everything to us. You’d never be lonely again.

“Let us love you, honey. Let us give you the amazing life you deserve.”

“What are you saying, Evan?” I choked out.

“I’m falling in love with you,” he rasped.

I opened my mouth, but the words wouldn’t come.

He rubbed his thumb along my jaw, the intensity in his eyes sending me into a tailspin of unfamiliar emotions.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. I didn’t sign up for this. All I wanted was some kinky sex with three older men. I was in over my head.

He slid his hands into my hair, cradling my head before he claimed my lips with a kiss that rocked me to my core. I was shaking when we finally came up for air.

No matter what happened, I knew I’d never forget that moment. His words, the sound of his voice, the look in his eyes, the feel of his mouth on mine.

They were burned into my brain along with the chirp of the crickets and the crisp mountain air, the swing swaying gently beneath us while the water lapped gently against the rocks.

“Do you want to go back to the cottage?” he murmured against my lips.

“Very much,” I agreed, reading the unspoken question in his eyes.

We walked hand in hand up the path in silence, our fingers locked together until we reached our porch. There were no lights on. Jake and Garrett were still at the bonfire.

Evan opened the door, gesturing for me to go ahead of him. He lifted me into his arms, carrying me to the bedroom.

“What are you doing?” I giggled.

“What I should’ve done the first time we were together.”

He laid me gently on the bed, his eyes burning into mine with sizzling heat and a whole slew of emotions I wasn’t ready to dissect.

The bedroom was dark, the moon providing just enough light for me to make out his face.

He looked so serious when he crawled onto the bed, bracing his body over mine as he settled between my legs.

My eyelids fluttered closed, my soft moans of pleasure filling the room while he kissed every inch of my body, slowly removing my clothes until I was naked and quivering beneath him in a postorgasmic haze.

He slid inside me, thrusting gently until he was fully embedded in my welcoming heat. We moved together, our bodies joined as one, his kisses and soft whispers of love warming my heart.

I was falling fast, tumbling toward a future I never envisioned for myself. The husband and two-point-five kids in a two-story house with a white picket fence never appealed to me.

And now I found myself contemplating a marriage to ~three~ men. Older men who were itching to experience fatherhood while they were still young and healthy enough to enjoy it.