Chasing Emily [Duoterra 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) (11 page)

The two bridegrooms appeared so stunned with the speed with which events were taking that neither answered him. If she hadn’t been so despondent, she would have smiled.

“Come on, guys, I need your names for the record.” Morgan was clearly getting very annoyed.

Robin looked at Finn and then hurriedly stated his name. Emily made a face. She might have guessed he’d try to get in before Finn.

Finn looked at her for a few long seconds before stating his name, too, somewhat reluctantly, she thought.

Morgan continued, “Do you, Robin McPherson and Finn Taylor, take this woman to be your wife?” He chuckled. “I am not going to ask if you will love, comfort, honor, and protect her. You’ve already done the loving bit. I suspect you two will need the comforting with
her
as your wife. I think you’ll be too busy keeping her under control to be dishonorable to her, and I don’t think in a million years she needs protecting. So answer my question. Will you take Emily as your wife?”

“Y–yes. I will,” Robin was the first to answer, stumbling over his words, but he still got them out.

Finn was less forthcoming. Emily could see he was weighing up the options of a life spent travelling all over the continent, no ties or commitments, against being stuck with a hard-to-control wife, a cohusband he loathed, and a child he might not even be the father to. She wondered if he would take this opportunity to back out. If he did, she’d be stuck with Robin. Not that that was so bad. He was a sweet boy, but given the choice, she wouldn’t have been able to say which man she preferred. She liked them both for different reasons.

Robin started to smile. Emily knew him well and guessed he was thinking that Finn had got cold feet, meaning he’d have Emily to himself. That was enough to get Finn moving. Straightening up from a slouched position, he replied, almost belligerently, “I will, too.”

“Then by the powers invested in me, I declare the three of you duly married.” Morgan finished off in double-quick time, signing off the contract with a victorious flourish and handing the paper to Finn as he was the nearest. The look on Morgan’s face told her how pleased he was to get it completed. Ushering the crowd out, he closed the door firmly behind him, leaving Emily alone with her new husbands.

That must have been the quickest marriage ceremony on record, and possibly the most bizarre one, she thought, only ranking in quality next to her last aborted marriage.

Well, just because I am now officially married to them doesn’t mean I can’t still do what I want. Does it?

Finn followed the other two up the stairs to Emily’s rooms, Morgan having departed the building leaving them to start their marriage. Finn was shocked by the turn of events and lagged behind as the realization of what had just happened began to sink in.

Pausing at the top of the stairs, he ran a nervous hand through his hair.
What on Duo have I done?
Yes, he had pursued Emily in Frontier to have sex with her, and then he had followed Robin to Eden and had tried to track Emily down before his adversary. But he didn’t really have a clear idea in his mind why he had done that, other than he didn’t want Robin to find her before him. But were lust, competition, and pride the only reasons? Hadn’t he missed Emily after she had left him at the courtroom? Hadn’t he wanted to enjoy running the bar with her, not alone as had happened after her flight?

He walked into the lounge where the other two had gone and hovered in the doorway, glancing over at the other man. Robin appeared absolutely stunned. Finn wondered if he looked the same and tried to affect a neutral expression so to appear more relaxed about the whole business.

“So how exactly is this marriage going to work?” he asked casually. Actually what he really wanted to know was if he was expected to give up his entertaining? That was his main worry.
No, that’s not true.
He was more concerned about whether he would be expected to hold his temper around Robin when he pawed Emily.

“Good question,” stated Emily. “You two have been compelled into this as much as I have. What do you want to know?”

Deciding to stick with the less contentious issue, he continued, “Well, between the three of us, we have different occupations. For starters, while I travel, you two stay put. So where are we thinking of basing ourselves?”

That startled Robin enough to join in the conversation. The expression on his face was one of bewilderment. “I kind of thought we’d go back to Frontier. I mean, that’s where my work is and Emily’s bar. You can work out of there, can’t you?”

Robin had directed his comment to Finn, but it was Emily who emphatically answered, “No.” She was adamant.

Finn looked astonished at Robin, and they both turned to look at Emily. She had crossed her arms and seemed very determined.

“I like it here,” she stated firmly. “I’ve had enough of Frontier. Derek can have my old bar with my love.”

“You’ll jolly well do as we say,” declared Finn tensely, not really meaning to deny Emily’s wishes but annoyed by her tone.

“Oh, and you’ll do what?”

Her amused response irritated him. He sort of thought if he ever got married he would be the stronger one in the relationship. He brushed his hair off his face. Yes, they could bundle her in a wagon back to Frontier, but knowing her, she’d probably run away again. Anyhow, he was much happier in Eden.

“Look, as it happens, it suits me better to stay here, anyway. Most of my route is in these parts. There’s plenty of work around here that you could do,” he tried to persuade Robin.

But the third in this marriage wasn’t happy. “That’s as maybe, but I’ve got family back in Frontier. And Emily has her son.”

“A son who spends all his time drinking and getting into trouble. Please don’t bring him into this.” She held up the palms of her hands in dismissal.

Finn was getting exasperated. “Look, I’ve got family on The Coast, but they are irrelevant. What is important is the need to start afresh if this is going to work.
We
are family now whether we like it or not. Don’t forget about the child in all this.”

Robin still seemed uncertain but conceded after a few tense, silent moments. “Okay. So we stay here in this place,” he iterated gesturing around him. “Emily can run it, and I’ll find a place to run my business. I’ll look after her while you are away.”

That got Finn’s back up—and Emily’s, too.

“I don’t need
anyone
to protect me. I’ve been fine for years. Since you two were babes in arms at any rate,” she declared angrily, her hands on her hips.

Finn wasn’t worried about Emily’s pride. He was more concerned about the idea of Robin having Emily to himself while he was away. That clearly needed more thought. An idea came to him as he fingered his jaw, tapping a thumb against his cheek. Actually it was a plan he’d considered in the past, but it had never been the right time before now.

“What if I don’t go away?” he queried

“I don’t understand. Why would you stay?” Robin was clearly irritated with Finn’s answer.

“Well, I can do my work here in Eden. I’ve thought in the past of opening a venue where people would come to me rather than me go to them. This place would be ideal.”

“Hey, now wait a minute. This place belongs to
me
. I bought it with the last of my savings,” yelled Emily, her ire rising strongly as she thumped a hand against her chest.

Finn frowned. He wasn’t used to women owning their own homes, let alone a bar. “Okay, but surely we can come to some sort of arrangement. I mean, the business I bring in when people come to listen to me play or sing will boost your sales.”

That didn’t help one iota. “I don’t need
you
to boost my income. I did very nicely before you, thank you very much.”

“Yes, why should she share her profits with you?” Robin clearly decided he wanted to get in on the argument.

“Oh, for God’s sake. All right. I’ll find another place to open as a place of entertainment. But the point is I will be here to take care of her as well.”

“Are you suggesting we
share
her? You and me?”

Robin’s flabbergasted comment raised Finn’s fears to the surface again. He’d forgotten about this issue.

“Yeah. We’ll take turns,” he offered.

That was the final straw for Emily. “Oh, and I don’t have any say in this! I’m absolutely fed up. Some marriage this is, and it is barely minutes old. If you think you can hold me to it, you’ve got another think coming.”

Emily stormed out. Finn could hear her footsteps as she stalked into her bedroom, her anger palpable. He could hear her getting changed, pulling cupboard doors open, and slamming them closed again. Even the swish of her wet dress as she pulled it off could be clearly heard.

Both he and Robin were silent as they listened. Looking over, he could tell the other man was as startled by their wife as he was and wondered if Robin had been having any thoughts of regret, too. Probably not since Robin had wanted Emily so badly.

Finn had a moment of shame whether he should have stepped back and let Robin have Emily to himself, but it was too late now.

When the sound of Emily leaving her room and stomping down the stairs receded, Finn decided to tackle the issue. “Um, look. We need to set some ground rules or something. We’ve both ended up married to her, even if it wasn’t something we wanted to happen, and now we’re stuck with it—for life. So let’s work things out. It’s probably better if we do it before Emily comes back. We need to present a united front with her.”

Robin nodded his head. “Oh yeah. Otherwise she’ll walk all over us.”

“Too right!”

They shared a laugh for the first time and suddenly a barrier dropped as the need to work together became more important than their enmity. He smiled at the younger man. In any other circumstances he might not have gotten to know such a serious person, but he had to make an effort now.

Sitting down on a chair, Robin leaned forward with his elbows over his thighs, hands clasped between his legs. “So you’re going to stay here?”

Finn lifted a leg to rest it on a chair, one hand on his knee. “Yeah, sure. You okay with that? I mean it’s not like we’ll share a bed. We’ll all have our own rooms.”

Robin cocked his head as he considered his answer. “Yup. I can work with that. So we’ll share Em’s bed on alternate nights?”

“I suppose. Something like that.” Actually he wasn’t that worried about being with Emily after another man had been with her, he had just not wanted Robin to have her. But now they were a three-way marriage. He had to rethink this, although he wasn’t sure if Robin was that easy with the idea. Tough, he’d have to get used to it.

Instead he returned to the previous point of debate. “I’ll find a place to entertain, and you find a workshop. I might even need you to make some furniture for me.”

He hoped that would appease the other man, but he saw Robin was frowning.
What now?

“And if we argue about something—which we probably will—how will we resolve it?”

Finn chuckled. “I have no doubt we will have disagreements. Let’s start off with one agreement—that we won’t fight in front of Emily, or she might storm out again.”

Robin sat up, clearly liking that suggestion. “That’s a good idea. Anything to do with Emily we have to be in accord.”

“Oh, yes. And you realize we have to be firm with her. If she is aware of any weaknesses, she’ll be impossible. Well, more unmanageable than she already is.”

The other man stood, his face looking like he was about to have a heart attack. Finn frowned, wondering what the problem was now. “I’ve had a horrible thought—that while we have been talking she has fled again.”

Finn’s heart dropped to his stomach. “Oh shit!”

Leading the way downstairs, Finn took two steps at a time and came to a sudden halt at the bottom. Unfortunately Robin, who was close behind him, collided with him, and he staggered forward. It took Robin’s strong arms around his waist to keep them both upright.

“Why did you stop so suddenly?”

“Look,” Finn stated tersely, gesturing to something in front of them.

Emily was still there. She had obviously opened the doors to the public and she was on the lap of someone Finn had never met before, plastered against him, practically eating him as they kissed passionately.

Dammit.
He wasn’t going through all this only to have her fawning over someone else.

When the newcomer’s hand started pushing under her skirt, he and Robin stepped forward in tandem, determined to bring their wife to account. Both knew exactly what needed to be done.

As Robin strode forward, making a beeline for Emily, Finn cried, “That does it. Everyone out! I mean it.” Robin turned to watch Finn run to the front door angrily jerking it open. It slammed it against the wall.

No one moved for a moment until Finn grabbed the person sitting nearest to him, pulling him out of his chair. The man fell to the floor but stumbled to his feet before Finn got a chance to get hold of him again and ran out of the door. The fierce look on Finn’s face then caused a trickle of others to leave.