The Gallery_A Reverse Harem Romance Page 16
She nodded for me to go ahead.
“One, we all care about you very much. You know that. And our top priority is ensuring you are happy and living the best life you can. We want that for you whether we see you every day for the rest of our lives, or never see you again.”
She nodded, too emotional to form words.
“The next thing is that you don’t have to choose one of us. And we mean that. We are committed to sharing you. We love you and all want to share our lives with you.”
She brought my hand up to her lips and pressed hard.
My heart nearly stopped while I waited for her response. I wasn’t hopeful. She was a strong woman and would never be persuaded to do something she didn’t want to.
“Okay.”
“What was that, cara?”
“I say okay.”
Well, English was my second language and I occasionally had trouble understanding people. So I asked again. “I’m sorry, but what do you mean by okay?”
She pushed her hair back, behind her shoulders and straightened up. With her dark eyes gazing defiantly at me, she explained. “Gio, I will be with you. I will be with all you guys. I want to make a go of it. Okay?”
“Okay!” I said.
I couldn’t wait to tell the guys. But I had a woman to kiss, first.
Chapter 31
AVRIL
The gallery’s doorbell rang, and I ran to answer it as fast as my stiletto heels would let me.
“Hello, Avril.”
I closed the door and re-locked it, turning to face my ex, Devon.
“Hi,” I said, softly.
“Thank you for agreeing to see me.”
It seemed he’d aged years in the few weeks since he’d been out of my life. His previously smooth skin was marred by red blotches, made all the more obvious by an ashen complexion that in the past had always in the past been tanned and healthy.
“Let’s go to my office.”
He lowered himself into the chair opposite mine with the sort of stiffness reserved for men thirty or forty years his senior. What the hell had happened to him?
I turned to pour us both some coffee.
“You look well, Avril,” he said.
I was surprised to hear that. I’d given up my regular Pilates classes when I realized I was a pariah amongst my ‘friends.’ But Blu’s shopping sprees had added a new, elegantly sexy component to my dressing style—one I never would have believed I’d have embraced.
There were a lot of new things in my life that I’d never anticipated.
“Thank you, Devon. How’s…how’s Dagney?” It still made me sick to say that name, but I couldn’t bother with hating her. It was a waste of my energy.
“Oh, um, Dagney.” He looked down at his hands. “She’s gone…”
My hand shook, and I set my coffee down. “What do you mean, gone?”
“She left me. When the legal troubles heated up, she took off,” he said with a bitter laugh.
The man was worse off than I’d even imagined. “Oh. Sorry to hear that.”
He cleared his throat, just like he always had when he was getting to the point. “Avril, you may have heard I am probably going to prison.”
He looked at me with his sad, old eyes, and I really felt for him.
“I have heard a couple things like that,” I said.
He clasped and unclasped his hands, shame pouring off him. “I’m sorry, Avril. I’m sorry for everything. I was awful to you, and I deserve everything coming to me.”
Shit. What does one say to that? Should I have told him I sort of agreed, despite my pity for him? “I wish you well, Devon.”
“Thank you. That’s more generous than I deserve.” He stood to go. “Expect to hear from my attorneys.”
Was he really going there? “What? Why?” I asked.
“Whatever assets I have left after I’m charged, will go into a trust. For you.”
For a moment, I couldn’t say a thing because of the lump growing in my throat.
“Walk me to the door?” he asked.
I nodded and followed him stiffly.
Leaning forward, he placed a soft kiss on my cheek. “Good-bye, Avril.”
He looked at me, waiting for me to say something. When my words wouldn’t come, he smiled sadly, and left. The door shut behind him, literally and figuratively closing a chapter of my life.
After seeing the day’s clients, I headed home. I was fairly useless after my meeting with Devon, torn between an intense sadness for what was lost and a sick satisfaction that he was getting what he deserved. But I couldn’t be happy for anyone’s downfall even if they were responsible for mine. That would leave me no better than they, and I just didn’t need that shit.
My cell phone’s screen flashed Sumner.
“Hi there,” I said.
“Hello, beautiful.” Music was playing the background, and I heard male voices. Very familiar male voices.
“Are you with all the guys?” I asked.
“Yup. Just driving back.”
“How did it go?” I asked.
“It was sad,” he said.
Okay then. He didn’t want to talk about it, and I got that. I’d get the story of the guys scattering Smith’s ashes out in the Hamptons another time.
“Are you all coming over?”
“Yeah. We should be there in fifteen.”
I called in our order to the corner Chinese restaurant. None of us felt like cooking, and I thought it would be fun to sit around and eat out of white cartons with chopsticks. I’d had a couple six packs of Tsingtao beer delivered earlier in the day. My stomach growled in anticipation of some delicious, greasy dumplings and stir fry.
Devon never would have eaten takeout Chinese food, but I’d practically grown up on it. Funny how things came full circle.
Speaking of full circle, I’d filled two garbage bags with those ugly Hermès purses I detested so much, along with a couple Judith Leiber evening bags, and a several pair of Jimmy Choos that I’d never gotten around to wearing more than once or twice. My darling Blu had offered to take them by the fundraising meeting that my old charity friends were holding. Those bitches were welcome to my cast-offs. I only wished I could have seen their faces when they saw all the crap I was getting rid of. I threw in a couple Burberry cashmeres to really give them the middle finger.
A half hour later, the five of us were casually sitting around my living room, eating our delicious takeout, and listening to Pearl Jam on the stereo Devon had left behind.
Where he was going, he wouldn’t be needing it.
I cleared my throat to get everyone’s attention. “Hey guys. I have something to say.”
They paused their eating and looked up at me. Gio raised his beer and smiled encouragingly, Chase winked at me, and Ash blew me a kiss.
Good grief, those guys.
“Okay. You might know that I had a talk with Gio earlier. He expressed that maybe I didn’t need to pressure myself to choose only one of you.”
The looked at each other, then back at me.
“It’s true, Avril,” Chase said. “You don’t have to choose.”
“Gio said we could all stay together,” I said.
Heads bobbed in agreement.
I could hardly breathe, but I forced the words, “I wanted you to know that…that I accept.”
A smile slowly spread across Chase’s face, quickly followed by the same for Ash, Sumner, and Gio.
“I’d like to be with you. All of you. That is, if you’ll have me.” My pulse pounded in my ears.
What if, after my wavering, they were no longer sure about me? Well, I’d just deal with it.
But as it turned out, I didn’t have to worry.
They raced over to me and there were kisses and hugs all around. I could have sworn Sumner had tears in his eyes. Chase and Ash high-fived each other, and Gio grinned.
I high-fived them back, tears in my eyes, and fell into luscious kisses with the most amazing men I’d ever known.
> Chapter 32
AVRIL
Not long after I’d committed to the guys, the DA arrested Devon. He was only in jail, his trial a long way off, but they’d made it hard for him to get out on bail. And once he did get out, they took his passport so he couldn’t flee the country. My heart broke for him, not because of what he and I could have had, but rather for how he wasted his life—everything he’d achieved and had yet to achieve. He didn’t need the extra money he got from his illegal activities. He was rich before all that. But he lost his way. Nothing was ever going to be enough. And now, he had less than nothing. He’d lost it all—friends, family, self-respect. Such a waste.
Using the trust he’d set up for me, I was able to fund the art school I was establishing. I knew it would make him feel good, knowing his life had not been a complete waste, by ensuring special kids had access to regular art classes.
My new life was just insane, and I was insanely in love with it. Business at the gallery was booming since I’d signed a couple of the hottest artists in the city, and the Kink Lab folks had turned out to be great patrons of the arts, too. In fact, when the gallery had shows, we were packed to the rafters, often selling out of an artist’s work in one or two days. It was unheard of. Blu had come to work for me, running the gallery and the Kink Lab parties so I could focus on the school.
But the best part was my new family—the four guys, and little Ruby. In fact, I’d started taking Chase’s little one to work with me on occasion. She was a huge hit and great practice for what was to come.
Yep, I was pregnant.
And no, I didn’t know who the father was.
Try telling that to your ob-gyn, or bringing four gorgeous men to your first ultrasound. We caused quite the sensation when we did that, but hey, we were in New York. Pretty much anything went there, anyway.
The happiest day of my life—so far, anyway—was when I sprang the news on the guys. No one was more surprised than me to see the results of peeing on that little stick, but, boy, did I shock the shit out of the guys. In a good way.
We’d been over at Chase’s for a family dinner. He’d cooked a mean pot roast and we were all complaining about our stuffed bellies while hanging out in the living room with after dinner drinks. I was holding Ruby because, well, I couldn’t resist the little angel. The guys loved holding her too, but I usually got first dibs. She was so squeezable-y delicious and chubby. I never wanted to put her down. I didn’t even mind changing her diapers, something I never thought I’d say.
“Cara, you are so beautiful with that baby. I love watching you,” Gio said, sitting back on the sofa with his ankle crossed over his knee, a drink in one hand, and a big smile on his face.
Chase nodded. “You are great with her, Avril. And she’s really taken to you.”
As if on cue, Ruby turned and grabbed a fistful of my hair.
Chase came rushing over. “Hey, hey, Rubes, don’t torment our friends.” He attempted to pry her pudgy little fingers open and off my hair, but I pushed his hand away.
“I don’t mind, darling. I need to get used to it, anyway.”
Ash frowned. “You need to get used to having your hair pulled? By a baby?”
“She likes having her hair pulled. At least she did last night—” Sumner said.
“Okay! Let’s not talk naughty in front of little Ruby. What I was trying to say…”
I looked around the room at my four loves—Chase with his blond good looks, Ash with his exotic features and coloring, Gio with his thick black hair and Roman profile, and Sumner with his dimples that made my panties wet every time he flashed them—and took a deep breath.
“I wanted to tell you guys that our little family is going to grow.”
“Huh?”
“What does that mean?”
“Whatcha talkin’ about, sweetheart?”
Sumner was the only one who didn’t say anything.
At first, he frowned at me, like he was thinking hard. Then he tilted his head.
“Um, guys. I think I know what Avril’s getting at.”
“Then enlighten us, oh wise one,” Chase said with a snort.
“You idiots. I think our girl is with child.”
I beamed. I couldn’t help it.
Gio, my emotive Italian, jumped up from the sofa and ran to me with an embrace. When he pulled away, his face was wet with tears.
Sumner sat there, nodding, and laughing.
Chase and Ash were a little slower to see the light. The looked at each other like someone had told them the earth was flat.
And then something washed over their faces.
“HOLY SHIT,” Chase hollered, running to embrace both Ruby and me. He continued, “I’m gonna be a dad AGAIN. We’re all going to be dads, guys.”
“I don’t suppose you know who the father is, do you?” Ash asked.
“Nope, and it doesn’t matter. As far as I’m concerned, this child is a gift from all of you.”
The room was filled with hoots and hollers so loud they must have heard us down on the street.
Chase broke out a very special bottle of scotch. Of course, I declined, content with my seltzer water.
“You’re gonna be an awesome mother, my love,” Sumner said, kissing my hand.
“I hope so,” I said. The sky was the limit when people believed in you like that. I only wished my sister Lisette was around to share in the good news.
Perhaps someday, the ghosts of all our pasts would slip away into distant memories. But until then, we’d hold each other up and keep learning.
We had each other, and we had love. What more could anyone need?
THE END
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Writing has been a passion of Mika’s since a young age (her first book was "The Day I Ate the Milkyway"), but erotic romance is now what gives purpose to her days and nights. She lives in magical Northern California with her own handsome alpha dude, sometimes known as Mr. Mika Lane, and an evil cat named Bill. A lover of shiny things, she’s a devoted traveler, observer, and book worm. She has been known to drink cheap champagne and has way too many shoes.
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