Chapter 30: Chapter 30

VADA

“Garrett!”

“Stay back, Vada!”

“I have to help you get out!”

“It’s too dangerous.”

“Throw me your phone, so I can call for help,” I said.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket, his feet sinking further into the sand. “There’s no service,” he said, tossing it to me. “Be careful, Vada.”

I wandered around the clearing, holding the phone above my head. “There’s no signal,” I announced. “Nothing.”

“Go get help.”

“I can’t leave you alone, Garrett.”

“I’ll be fine,” he said with a dry laugh. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“What if you keep sinking?”

“Then I guess I will die.”

“You’re not going to die, Garrett.”

“I’ll eventually suffocate.”

“Stop talking like that!” I cried.

“I’m in quicksand, Vada. Nobody knows where we are. And even if somebody finds us, how are they going to get me out?”

“I don’t know,” I said, glancing up at the trees. “What if I find a long branch, and you grab onto it, and I pull you out?”

“You won’t be able to do that by yourself,” he said. “You’ll just end up hurting yourself or falling in with me. Then we’ll really be screwed.”

“I can’t just sit here and do nothing,” I sighed. “If nobody comes in the next few minutes, I’ll go get help.”

“Do you know how to make a fire?”

“Are you cold?”

“Kind of,” he said. “But I was thinking more of starting a fire to get someone’s attention.”

“I don’t have any matches.”

“You don’t need matches to start a fire, Vada.”

“If you think I can start a fire by rubbing two sticks together, think again.”

“It’s not that hard.”

“You’re really giving me far too much credit.”

“I think you can do anything you set your mind to, sweetheart.”

“I’m sorry, Garrett.”

“For what?”

“For overstepping about your mother.”

“You didn’t.”

“Yes, I did,” I said. “Nobody has the right to tell you how to feel about your mother’s death.”

“I’m sorry for pressuring you.”

“You’re not.”

“Yes, I am. We all are.”

I sat on a tree stump, glancing back the way we came. Would Jake and Evan come looking for us?

“It’s kind of flattering to have three men begging you to marry them,” I said with a fake accent, fanning my face.

“We’re all crazy about you, baby.”

“I’m kind of fond of you guys too,” I teased.

“Fond enough to marry us?” he asked with a sly grin.

“Are you sinking more?” I gasped.

“Nah,” he scoffed.

“You are so! I can’t see your knees anymore!”

“Relax.”

“How am I supposed to relax when someone I love is sinking in quicksand?!” I cried.

“What did you say?”

“I love you, Garrett Mitchell,” I sobbed.

“You do?” he choked out, his voice raspy with emotion.

“I love all three of you.”

A giddy grin spread across his face.

“But,” I whispered.

“No, baby,” he begged. “No buts.”

“~But~ I’m just not ready to be a mother.”

“We can wait a year.”

“That’s not fair to you guys,” I said sadly. “And what if I’m not ready in a year? What if I’m never ready?”

“You can’t live your life worrying about the what-ifs.”

“I need more time.”

“Take it! We still have two weeks left. The trip is only half over.”

“There’s so many things to consider. It’s a huge decision.”

“What’s holding you back? Besides the baby thing?”

“Well,” I sighed, picking at a hangnail. “There’s Mandy.”

“Do you want to spend the rest of your life with her?”

“I don’t want to lose my best friend.”

“It sounds like Mandy wants a committed relationship.”

“She doesn’t have any family, Garrett,” I sighed. “I’m her family.”

“Okay,” he said slowly, rolling his shoulders as he sank a little further. “But why do you have to be her lover? Why can’t you just be her best friend?”

“Mandy isn’t really emotionally stable,” I explained. “She sees me as the one constant in her life. And she feels threatened by you guys.”

“I can understand that. But if she truly cared about you, she would want you to be happy.”

“You’d think so.”

“What do ~you~ want, Vada?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I’m twenty-four. I never expected to be faced with such grown-up decisions at my age.”

“What else is holding you back?”

“I worry that I’m not good enough for you guys. Or that you’ll get bored with me.”

“Never gonna happen, beautiful.”

“You just know all the right things to say,” I laughed. “You’re quite the charmer, Garrett Mitchell.”

“It is one of my ~many~ talents.”

“Garrett?”

“Yeah, babe?”

“Are you sinking deeper into that muck?”

“Yeah,” he said sadly.

“I should’ve gone for help earlier.”

“Go now, Vada,” he said quietly. “There’s nothing you can do for me.”

“I’ll run as fast as I can.”

“Don’t do that,” he pleaded. “If you fall and break your leg, you won’t be able to get help.”

I glanced into the trees, the fading daylight casting long shadows across the trail. Relief washed over me when I heard the crunching of footsteps. Evan and Jake emerged from the trees.

“What the hell?” Jake barked.

“Garrett stepped in quicksand,” I explained.

“Why didn’t you call for help, Vada?” Evan snapped.

“There’s no cell service, ~Evan~.”

“You’ve got two feet and a heartbeat! Why didn’t you come and get us?”

“I was afraid to leave him.”

“How the fuck are we gonna get him out?” Jake asked.

“I just texted the guys,” Evan announced. “Help is on its way.”

“How do you have a signal?” I asked.

“Better phone,” he bragged.

“Why’d you guys take off into the woods?” Jake asked.

“I needed to clear my head,” Garrett said.

“What got you so upset?”

“My mother passed away. Gavin called to tell me while I was in the bedroom with Vada.”

“Oh, Garrett,” Evan said. “I’m really sorry.”

“Are you okay?” Jake asked.

“Never better, Jake,” he chuckled. “I’m gonna die. But other than that, I’m just swell.”

“You’re not gonna die,” Evan said.

“Do you have to go home for the funeral?” Jake asked.

“I’m not going,” he said. “And I have a pretty good excuse now. Since I’m going to be dead by morning.”

“Enough of that negative talk,” Evan ordered. “Let’s find a sturdy branch and get you out of there.”

The sun slipped behind the trees, darkness approaching while I stood by helplessly and watched my men devise a rescue plan. I should’ve gone for help immediately. What was I thinking?

I glanced into the woods at the sound of a herd of elephants approaching.

Every man and teenage boy from the reunion burst into the clearing, their arms laden with flashlights and a variety of tools and other odds and ends.

A first aid kit, blankets, water. They’d thought of everything. One even had a rifle.

“How are you doing, sweetie?” Glory asked, settling next to me on my tree stump.

“You don’t look like you own a penis,” I said with a dry chuckle. “What are you doing here?”

“I came for you.”

“Oh. Uh, thanks.”

“No thanks needed, Vada,” she said, rubbing my back. “We’re all family here. This is what families do. We help each other out.”

“Do you think they’ll be able to get him out?”

“Yep. They won’t stop trying until they do.”

“I’m so stupid. I sat here and did nothing, instead of going for help.”

“You kept him calm until help arrived.”

“How do you know?”

“He’s alert and oriented. And he’s not in shock or panicking. If he was, he’d be in a lot deeper from thrashing around.”

“How do you know so much about quicksand?”

“I grew up on the west coast of Tasmania. The area where we lived was riddled with quicksand.

“We had a quicksand rescue team in the town I lived in. There was always some bogged fool to rescue. Usually tourists.”

“Um, where is Tasmania?” I asked. “I’m not great with geography.”

“Australia,” she chuckled. “You couldn’t tell I was Australian by my accent?”

“No. I thought you were British.”

She threw her head back, a deep roar erupting from her chest. “You’re a funny gal, Vada.”

“I don’t know about that, but I’m not well-educated or worldly.”

“I’ve been in the states since I was eighteen,” she explained. “The accent and lingo tends to fade the longer you’re away.”

“Why did you come here?”

“I was a wee bit wild and foolish as a gal. Thought I had all the answers. My mum tried to warn me. Told me to stay away from young fellas or I’d end up preggo.

“I was waitressing in a pub at eighteen. This sexy American bloke came in. Charmed me right out of my knickers and knocked me up. He married me and brought me home.”

“How did you end up with three husbands?”

“Jim was a young firefighter. He lived with two mates from the firehouse. I was pregnant and horny.

“One night Jim decided he needed help to put me out of my misery. He couldn’t keep me satisfied. I had to have something in my twat or my arse constantly. His mates took care of me.”

“You’re lucky,” I said.

“Very,” she agreed. “My life could’ve turned out much differently.”

“How many kids do you have?”

“Six.”

“That’s crazy.”

“Crazy and wonderful,” she sighed, her eyes drifting to the rescue scene developing at the edge of the creek.

We huddled together under one of the blankets. The guys cut a large branch down, the whirring of the chainsaw carrying through the forest while they shouted back and forth.

Garrett looked exhausted. But he didn’t seem to be sinking any further into the quicksand. Someone tossed him a bottle of water. He managed to lift his arms long enough to take a drink.

“You need to drink the entire bottle!”

“Landon is a doctor,” Glory explained, referring to the older man instructing Garrett. “Dehydration is a concern if you’re in the sand too long.”

“How long do you think it’ll take to get him out?”

“He’ll be out soon,” she said, patting my hand.

They formed a line, lifting the heavy tree limb like it weighed nothing before edging slowly toward Garrett.

“Grab on, Garrett!”

“Hang on tight!”

I watched in amazement as they slowly lifted his body out of the quicksand.

“What if he lets go?” I whispered.

“He won’t,” Glory assured me. “He’s got too much to live for.”

***

I never slept with the window open at home. Especially in the middle of July. The air conditioning ran twenty-four-seven. And all I would hear was traffic anyway.

There was no traffic in the Rockies of Colorado.

The curtains danced back and forth, the cool breeze blowing across the bedroom. I reached for the comforter and pulled it up to my chin while I questioned the foolishness of sleeping naked.

An arm snaked around my waist and pulled me back against a firm wall of muscle. I smiled when I felt one of my pythons nuzzled between my butt cheeks.

A girl could get used to waking up this way. And I only had one of my men in bed with me that morning.

The birds launched into their predawn chorus, their volume rising when the first rays of light appeared, welcoming the new day. Nature was truly amazing. I’d never paid much attention before.

If I told one of my friends I enjoyed waking up early to listen to the birds and watch the sunrise, they would’ve assumed I was high.

My dad was right. I had no direction. No goals. I was just existing from day to day, partying and wasting my life. He knew exactly what he was doing when he sent me on this trip.

It wasn’t just about learning the business. He wanted me to find myself. Experience all the wonderful things life had to offer. And he knew his best friends would make sure that happened.

I was in love with the guys. There was no use denying it. I didn’t think it was possible to love three men. And it had happened so fast.

It wasn’t about the sex.

~Bullshit.~

Fine.

The sex was amazing.

But my relationship with my men was so much more. It was like being with my dad.

~No. No. No.~

~Totally wrong analogy, girlfriend.~

Scratch that.

What I meant to say was, I experienced the safety and unconditional love that I could always count on from my dad.

I knew, without a doubt, they had my back. And I could be myself with them. They knew who I was. I didn’t have to hide anything. No subject was off-limits.

The guys were totally committed to me. They renovated their guest room so I would have a comfortable space that was just mine.

I thought it was creepy at first. But it wasn’t like that at all. They wanted me to feel welcome in their home.

If that was all there was, I might have thought my love for them was more of a father-daughter type thing.

If it was just the hot sex that differentiated my relationship with them from a platonic acquaintance, I would not even consider marrying them.

The source of my turmoil was the ache in my chest. The love that kept growing, causing my heart to swell while my brain grappled with an onslaught of unfamiliar emotions.

“Relax,” Garrett whispered, one of his hands cupping my breast while he dropped light kisses across my bare shoulder. “I’m fine.”

“I know,” I said.

“Then why are you so tense?”

“I’m not tense.”

He reached between my legs, his finger probing my folds. “You’re drier than a dusty chalkboard, babe.”

“That’s a really ~bad~ metaphor.”

“I believe that’s the first time I’ve ever found your pussy dry since I became acquainted with the delicious pearl between your thighs.”

“I’m not wet all the time,” I snorted. “Do you think I walk around with a soaker in my thong day and night?”

“No. But I was playing with your breast and pressing my cock against your ass. You should be leaking like a sieve by now.”

“Enough with the metaphors,” I laughed.

“Roll on your back,” he murmured, nibbling on my earlobe. “Let me correct the situation down there.”

“You’re supposed to be resting, Garrett.”

“I rested all night.” He rolled me on my back and crawled between my legs, licking his lips when he nudged my thighs apart. “Time to have a snack.”

“You’re a goof.”

“I’m ~your~ goof, love.”

“I guess you are.”

“There’s no guessing about it.”

He dove between my splayed legs, going at my pussy like a starving beast, his rough stubble rubbing against my tender flesh.

I squirmed against him, letting out a tiny cry when he nibbled on my clit. He threw my legs over his shoulders and lifted my hips right off the mattress before his tongue plunged inside me.

My whimpers filled the room, the line between pleasure and pain blurring as I approached my climax.

He was eating me out like some kind of wild animal, sucking and biting while he held me firmly by my ass. I exploded in his face, my orgasm covering him in my juices.

“I’m not even close to being finished with you,” he growled, grabbing a pillow and sliding it under my hips. “Time for me to explore that ass.”

He rimmed my asshole before his tongue breached my sphincter. My hips bucked, my moans getting louder while he thrust in and out of my ass.

He shoved two fingers in my pussy, coating them in my natural lubricant.

I grabbed the back of his head, my fingers digging into his scalp when he pushed his index finger in my ass, thrusting gently in and out.

I heard the door open, but I was too close to another orgasm to care.

“Oh gross!” Evan cried.

“Try knocking next time,” Garrett suggested as he continued to finger my asshole.

The door slammed shut.

“Landon is here,” he called through the door. “He came to check on you, Garrett.”

“Fuck,” Garrett muttered. “We’ll finish this later. And I’ll be more prepared next time, with some toys and lube.”

“You should probably wash your face and brush your teeth before you see the doctor,” I laughed.

“Oh yeah,” he chuckled. “You don’t think he’d enjoy pussy-ass breath?”

“Probably not.”

“You want a kiss?” he teased, leaning in toward my mouth.

“No!” I cried, pushing him away as I scrambled off the bed.

“It’s your own ass!”

“Why don’t you announce it to the entire world, fool.”

“Nobody else is up at this hour,” he said a second before children’s laughter spilled through the open window.

“Oops.”

“I just hope Tilly isn’t lurking around.”

“Me too, babe.” He pulled on his boxers, glancing over his shoulder before he opened the door. “I love you, Vada.”

“I love you too, Garrett.”