“You do?” Aaron asked in surprise, sitting up abruptly.
“I do. I didn’t think it was possible to love two people at the same time, but I do.”
Grant went up on one elbow and looked down at her. Cupping her face with one hand he said, “I love you, too, sweetheart.”
“I love you, too, Sam,” Aaron said as he lifted her hand and kissed it.
Her heart swelled at the emotion in their eyes. Aaron’s and Grant’s eyes were bright and happy, as if she’d just given them the greatest gift in the world.
“This calls for a celebration,” Aaron declared, after devouring her in a kiss that made her toes curl.
“What did you have in mind?” she asked with a laugh as Grant threw back the covers and pounced on top of her.
“Pleasure. Lots and lots of pleasure,” Grant growled, nibbling across her jaw and nipping kisses down her neck.
“That sounds perfect,” she promised, smoothing one hand up Aaron’s thigh and reaching for his cock.
Aaron groaned as she wrapped her hand around his cock. “
You’re
perfect, love,” he growled.
They made love again, their cries of pleasure ringing out in the bedroom as they came together once more. She felt as if they grew even closer that night, as if they’d really joined together in some primal way. When she came down from the heavens, she snuggled into Grant’s arms while Aaron slipped from the bed and dressed. Aaron had an early shift, but Grant was going to stay overnight.
“I’ll miss you,” she promised with a yawn when Aaron bent to kiss her goodbye.
“Not as much as I’ll miss you,” he said.
She drifted off to sleep, tucked safe and warm in Grant’s arms.
Sunday evening, she helped her mom wash the dishes from dinner, something she’d been doing since she was old enough to reach the cabinets. Her father walked into the kitchen with a platter that held half of a roast surrounded by potatoes, pearl onions, and carrots. “This is the last one,” he said, turning to go into the family room to sit down and relax.
“Dad, wait,” she said, drying her hands on the towel. “I need to tell you guys something.”
Clenching her hands together, she took a deep breath and told them everything that had happened between her, Aaron, and Grant. The story tumbled from her mouth without stopping, until she finished by saying that she loved them.
The kitchen went quiet, and she looked between her parents as fear knotted in her stomach. What if they rejected her for her decision? What if they kicked her out and told her never to come back? Tears threatened, blurring her vision, and her dad cleared his throat.
“Well, I’m not surprised,” he said.
Sam blinked in confusion. “You’re not?”
“Well, no. My dad was half wolf, and they have truemates.”
“Grandpa Frank was a werewolf?” She had fond memories of the balding man who used to give her piggy-back rides and sneak her cookies before dinner, who passed away when she was eight.
Her mother came to stand by her dad as he said, “Grandpa Frank was my step-dad. My father, Griffin, was the child of a full-blooded werewolf and a human. He died when I was three. Frank married my mom and gave me his last name. So you’re one-eighth werewolf.”
Her mother smiled gently. “You said you felt drawn to both men, that they smelled good to you?”
Sam’s cheeks burned with a blush. She’d never been more uncomfortable in her life. “Yes.”
“Well, my friend Paula is a wolf and said that when she met her husband, who is also a wolf, she was drawn to him by his scent. Clearly there’s something in your DNA that is wolf enough to know when you’ve found your mate. Or mates.” Her mom paused for a moment and then said, “We hated that you were so sad about Mark. He was such a jerk and not worthy of the wonderful young woman you’ve become. I think you’ll have some hardships dealing with two mates, not only in the relationship but also in the public eye, but you’re strong and courageous. They’re very lucky.”
Happy, relieved tears fell down her face, and she crossed the hardwood floor to her parents and hugged them tightly. “Thank you so much,” she said.
“For what, honey?” her mom asked, smoothing back her hair.
“For loving me and supporting me.” She sniffled.
“We will always stand with you, honey,” her dad said. “Now, I want to meet them, and I expect them to ask me for your hand and start things out right.”
“Dad, they haven’t asked me to marry them yet.”
“They will,” he said as he winked at her.
“Bring them next Sunday,” her mom said. “And the kids, too. We’d love to meet them all.”
Sam promised, happiness filling her. Instead of driving home, she drove to the boarding house. Snow started to fall, and a light dusting was on the steps of the front porch when she walked up and knocked on the door. Running steps raced to the door, and she laughed when three kids opened it.
“Sam!” Ben, Brian, and Owen yelled with big grins.
“Hi, guys!” They opened the door for her, giving her a chance to step inside before they hugged her.
Aaron and Grant walked quickly into the foyer. “Is everything okay?” Aaron asked, helping extract her from the arms and legs as Nathan and Kevin joined the fray.
“Yeah. Can we talk?” she asked.
“Sure. Help us get the kids to bed?” Grant asked, ushering the kids, already in their pajamas, towards the stairs.
“I’d love to,” she promised. Kevin and Owen grabbed her hands and walked with her upstairs. It only took a half hour to get the kids into bed, and that was mostly because Aaron refused to let them coax her into reading a lot of stories.
Aaron closed the door to the bedroom and joined her and Grant on the bed.
“I talked to my parents tonight,” she said.
Silence stretched between them for several moments, and then Aaron cleared his throat. “You did?”
She slipped off the bed and stood to face them. She smiled when she saw their identically worried looks. “Yes, I did. I’ve told you how close I am to my parents, and it was important to me that I told them about you, especially after the amazing weekend we had and how close we’ve grown. I was nervous because even though I’m an adult, there’s still this part of me that feels like a little girl desperate for her parents’ approval.” She laughed lightly at the picture in her head of herself as a child with pigtails and wearing a sundress. “I’d already decided that no matter what, I wasn’t walking away from either of you. When I said I love you, I meant I want to love you forever. If you want me forever.”
They lunged at her at the same time, and she squealed in surprise. She laughed when they tossed her to the bed and trapped her between them. “Mates
are
forever, Sam. We won’t ever let you go, no matter what happens,” Grant said.
She pulled Grant down to her mouth, slipping her tongue past his lush lips and sliding her tongue against his. He groaned, and it sounded like a growl, shivering down her spine in a delicious vibration.
“Wait, love,” Aaron said, “what did your parents say?”
She laughed into Grant’s mouth, and he nipped at her lip with a smile, easing away to give her a moment to speak. “They said they want to meet you, and the kids, too. And get this, I’m one-eighth werewolf. My dad’s real father was a full-blooded werewolf.”
Aaron hummed in his throat. “So that’s why you were so drawn to us so quickly.”
“That’s what my dad said. It makes sense to me. I love how you guys smell.”
Grant grinned. “We like how you smell, too, especially when you’re turned on.”
“Oh?” She laughed as he lifted her top and nuzzled her stomach.
“You smell incredible when you’re turned on,” he said as he lifted his head slightly and gazed at her with hunger-filled green eyes. As she watched him lick across her navel, his eyes flickered from green to gold.
Aaron pushed her shirt up and over her head and flicked open the front closure of her bra as Grant unzipped her slacks and drew them down her legs. “We’re so glad your family wants to meet us, baby. We’d love to meet them and thank them for raising such an amazing, loving woman.”
Her eyes fluttered shut as Grant kissed up the inside of her thigh as he settled between them and Aaron nuzzled her breasts before capturing one nipple between his lips. Pleasure rolled over her as she made love to her mates, reveling in their love for her and her love for them.
Sam woke up with a soft groan, cursing inwardly for falling asleep. It had just been so warm and comfortable in their arms, and she’d promised herself she was only going to close her eyes for just a minute before she told them she had to get home. Now, it was well after midnight.
She slipped from between Aaron and Grant and located her clothes. Exhaustion plucked at her, and the chill in the room made her want to climb back between the two sleeping men, but she needed to get home.
She dressed and quietly headed out into the hallway. Not only did she have school in the morning, but she wasn’t comfortable with the kids knowing she’d spent the night. She knew how kids could be, and they would jump to conclusions about her and their fathers. She knew that she, Aaron, and Grant had made some pretty serious promises, but they hadn’t talked about making things permanent, or their living arrangements, and she didn’t want to rush things if they weren’t ready.
Aaron startled her when he jerked her jacket from her hands. “Where are you going?” he asked with a harsh whisper.
“I should get home,” she said, reaching for her jacket. He moved it out of her reach and she huffed. “Give me my coat, please.”
“Why do you want to leave?” Aaron demanded.
“It’s a school night,” she said lamely.
“You’re not going anywhere,” Grant said, looking out one of the front windows.
“What?” She walked over to where he stood and gaped at the sight. At least two feet of snow had fallen since she’d been there. “Oh, crap.”
Aaron hung up her coat and came to stand next to her. After a quiet moment, he turned her away from the window and looked into her eyes. “Why did you try to sneak out?”
“Because of your kids. I didn’t think I should be here when they woke up.”
He frowned, his mouth pulling down at the corners, his brow furrowing. “I don’t understand. They know we’re mates, Sam. It’s the way of our kind.”
“I guess I’m just not ready for them to know what’s going on with us.”
His eyes narrowed. “Are you ashamed of our relationship?”
She blinked. “What? No, of course not. I don’t want to get their hopes up.”
Her heart squeezed, knowing he would ask her what she meant. She wasn’t disappointed.
“What do you mean ‘get their hopes up’?” Aaron said suspiciously.
“I mean, what if you decide you don’t want me?” The words popped out before she could stop them. She’d just voiced her deepest fear.
Grant startled her, his voice rumbling in her ear. “Why on earth would you think we’d ever not want you?”
“My ex-husband —” she started, and Aaron cut her off with a snarl.
“Was a fucking asshole, baby. He made a commitment, vowed to be with you, and he lied. If you would let me, I’d beat him on principle.” Aaron framed her face with his hands. She gripped his wrists, staring into the sincere depths of his dark blue eyes.
Grant squeezed her shoulder gently. “If you wanted to go home because you weren’t ready to face the kids like this, that’s fine. But don’t for a minute think that we don’t want you here, all the time, because we do.”
She felt tears prick her eyes. She wanted to believe them, but she was afraid. She took in a slow breath, and Aaron kissed her forehead and pulled her into his arms. “I’m sorry that you can’t have children of your own, Sam. If we could have kids together, I would be happy to share that with you. But it’s not an all or nothing situation for me. You’re perfect the way you are, and I wouldn’t change a thing about you.”
She felt Grant press behind her, his hands on her hips as he rested his forehead against her shoulder. “Did you ever think that maybe you were meant for us, sweetheart? We believe in fate and truemates. The one person who is meant for both of us is you.”
She turned her head to look at him. Grant brushed a tear from her cheek. “You’re one hundred percent perfect in our eyes.”
She swallowed hard. Closing her eyes, she said softly, “I’m afraid to get hurt again. I feel so connected to you both that if something happened between us and I got left behind, I think it would destroy me.”
A soft sound of displeasure came from Grant, and he slipped his arms around her and hugged her close. “We’re not going anywhere, Sam. Aaron and I are your mates, and mates are for life.”
Aaron said, “There’s no going back for us. We’re yours and you’re ours. We want you to move in with us; live here and let us take care of you.”
“You have to meet my parents first,” she said, tears of relief slid down her cheeks.
Aaron pulled her into his arms, bent her backwards, and kissed her hard. When he set her right, he lifted her left hand and kissed her ring finger. “Something’s missing on this finger, though.”