Chapter 36 I'd spent an entire week mourning the loss of Stephen, Roberto, and Matthew. A whole week and all I had to show for it was a garbage bag full of teary tissues and nights filled with regret. Mom hadn't hesitated when I showed up at her front door. She'd taken me in, told me to shower, and then we'd sat down and discussed the entire situation. While she admitted she was surprised by the polyamory, she had no problems with it, or with my pregnancy. Like Delilah, she asked if I wanted to keep the baby, and as soon as I said yes, she was on board. I loved that about Mom. She'd worked her ass off for me through all my growing up years, and she loved me unconditionally. I wanted that for my baby. A car drove down the road, the blue exterior visible from my spot on the couch where a bench-seat window looked out over the postage-stamp-sized front yard and the narrow road. The small, two-bedroom house would be cramped with a baby, but Mom had insisted she didn't mind and we'd figure everything out. The one time she'd asked about the father and I broke down in tears, admitting none of them knew, she'd soothed me without any kind of reprimand. I brought my knees up, tucking my feet into the crack in the cushions and rested my chin on my knees. A sigh built. It turned into a shriek when a knock thudded on the front door. I grabbed the nearest object-which happened to be Mom's thrift store candlestick lamp-and held it over my shoulder like a baseball bat as I stepped backward toward the kitchen where I'd left my cell phone to charge. A shadow appeared in the window, followed by a familiar face. Matthew cupped his hands around his eyes and wiggled his fingers. "Harmony, it's us. Can we come in?" Us? As in ... I dropped the candlestick lamp, leaping back when it nearly landed on my feet, and bolted toward the door. There was no part of me that had the strength to deny them when they stood on my front stoop. I wrenched open the deadbolt and flung the door open so hard it banged against the wall. Tears blurred my vision. "You're here." I took a step back as reality crashed down in a thick wave. "Why are you here?" I tried to cross my arms, but I'd lost the ability to move as shock took over. Matthew cupped my face between his hands. "Can we come in?" The double meaning brought out a tiny smile. I shook my head and moved out of his grasp. He still had the power to convince me of anything, but I didn't dare deny them the seclusion of the house. Mom's neighbor-the one she called the neighborhood watch-had already walked from her front door to her single flowerpot. She stood there watering the dead plant, her attention riveted on me and my professors. I moved deeper into the house. "Lock the door behind you." Matthew entered first, followed by Roberto and then Stephen, who closed the door and turned the deadbolt without breaking eye contact. "Why are you here?" I barely managed to give them a second to look around. Having them in Mom's house put a tight sensation in my chest. They made it look smaller than ever. The tattered couch and worn carpet told a story of struggle that I tried to ignore. Stephen eased between Roberto and Matthew, so that the three of them presented a united front. A nudge from Matthew to Stephen announced Stephen as the spokesperson. "We're here to ask for a second chance." Why passed my lips in a whisper. "We love you." Matthew held out his hands like he might take mine and hold onto me. I shoved them into my back pockets despite the chill that swept through me and begged me to lean into the comfort they offered. Roberto spoke next, his delicious accent on full display. "We know about the baby." The world as I knew it turned upside down. I sank onto the couch before my legs gave out and held my head in my hands. My vision blurred, and I realized I'd been holding my breath. The deep inhale put the world right again. "How?" There were a multitude of questions in that single word. How had they found out? How had they found me? Matthew sat on the low wooden coffee table and stretched out his legs on one side of mine. A sliver of space separated us, but he honored my silent request to have space. "We will do anything to protect you. Both of you. We did a shit job before, and while we can't make that up to you, we'd like to try." "Please, Harmony." The pleading in Stephen's face when I raised my head wrecked me. I'd imagined every kind of scenario since I left, but not this. "I nearly ruined your careers." I stood so I wouldn't give in to Matthew's proximity and lean on him. "No one wants us together. Then, there's Leighona." I shook my head. "No. As much as I want us to be together, I won't put you at risk again." "You want us to be together?" Stephen had moved to the window, and he stood with his back to the glass, his broad shoulders blocking the view. "That's reason enough to fight for what we want." "Not with people like Leighona sending threatening messages." I had to make them understand. I was a poor kid from nowhere. I wasn't worth all this. "I don't have any proof she's the one who did it, but if she found out, others will too. That means none of us are safe." Stephen held out both hands, palms facing me. "Hold on. You need to know something." The earlier pleading turned hard in the harsh lighting. "When we say we'll do anything to protect you and the baby, we mean that. You are worth more to us than a job. You are worth everything." He stopped my instant rebuttal with a touch of his fingers on my lips. "You, Harmony Vogel, are the single most important thing in our lives. We love you. Do you understand what that means?" He slid his fingers away, leaving a trail of fire in their wake. "I don't give a shit what anyone thinks. Love is too important, and too rare, to pass up." Love. Such a strange and tiny word for the enormous feeling that turned my entire body into a living inferno. "There's something else." He took my hand. "You might want to sit down for this part." He led the way to the couch and sat beside me. "Leighona wasn't the one sending those messages." "How do you know?" And who was responsible? "Delilah came to my classroom a few days ago. She confessed that she sent the messages, and that you were pregnant." His fingers twitched around mine. "Is that why you came? Because I'm pregnant?" Was that the only reason they loved me? I hated the doubt that crept in. I was better than a petty question like that, and it paled in comparison to the truth of Delilah's betrayal. "She's the one who told me I should keep it a secret." "I wondered." Stephen scooted closer, and when I didn't object, he skated his thumb across my cheek in a soothing gesture. "We won't let anything happen to you. If we lose our jobs, so be it." "I can't let you do that." "Yes, you can." Matthew tapped his foot against mine where they rested on the floor. "We're not going to let your future be destroyed over something we all chose willingly." "And we'll fight like hell to make sure everything works out," Roberto added. "We want you to come back with us." "We want a real relationship, Harmony." Matthew leaned forward so our faces nearly touched. "And there's one other thing." His smile eased the sudden tension that gripped my shoulders. "I want you to come back and play Cosette. You're the only one who can, and the dean has already agreed to let you." Roberto stood behind me, one hand on the back of the couch, close enough for my cheek to brush his knuckles if I shifted just right. "And we can discuss how to fix things. And what life looks like for all five of us." He gestured toward her belly. "We promised to stop when you said stop. But I'm amending that statement because it was made under false pretenses." "I made everyone agree to no strings or feelings attached, and none of us could follow it. That changed how we all reacted to situations." Stephen's eyes were deep wells of remorse that captivated me. "Let us make it up to you. No more secrets. No more pretending we don't have feelings. I love you, Harmony. We all do." "I love you too." It was imperative they understand that. "I left because I love you, and I was trying to protect you." "And we're asking you to come back for the same reasons," Matthew said. The decision came easily. Knowing they loved me changed everything. "I'll come back." Three sets of arms came around me in a rigorous hug. I laughed and returned the embrace the best I could. "If you want to be part of the baby's life, I wouldn't dream of depriving him or her of their father-let alone three who will be wonderful dads." A lump welled in my throat, but I managed to push it down with a hard swallow. "As for the musical, I would love to play Cosette." It had been my dream all year, and the opportunity had dropped into my lap. I'd be a fool to pass that up. Leighona had said some terrible things, but that shouldn't deter me from taking on the role of a lifetime. And Delilah ... I almost couldn't believe she would betray me to this level. Pettiness was to be expected in some aspects, but full-on deviousness and threats? "Harmony, I need to make sure you understand something." Matthew raised his head, our eyes meeting in a look that sent desire spinning out of control. "Dean Carpenter agreed to let you return to play as Cosette. But he's holding firm on not letting you resume your classes." I shrugged. "That's okay. I was only going to BAI because your theater program was my best shot at being discovered by Broadway. I can go to a different school." If I figured out funding. "But I don't need a degree to become a performer." I slid a hand into his hair. "I'm anxious about our relationship though. I thought Delilah was my friend. What if things don't blow over? I don't want to be the reason you lose your careers. You could be banned from ever teaching again." They shared a look. This time, I understood it more than I expected. A mutual decision passed in silent agreement. Stephen took the lead. "We're not compromising. We'll find a way to make it work. Delilah has no proof." I flattened a hand over my stomach. "In a few months, there won't be any hiding the proof." "True, but you won't be our student anymore." Matthew's crooked grin brought a much-needed sense of levity. "Are you trying to find an out?" "No." My emphatic headshake caused all of them to chuckle. "I guess we're all trying to protect each other in our own way. I never really cared about college, so it's easy for me to let that go." "You're not giving up on your career. That's nonnegotiable." Roberto remained behind me, the heat of his body pressing close and comforting. "We're not giving up on anything." Stephen placed a finger under my chin and raised my head. "There are no limits to what we would do to protect you and our baby." It meant so much coming from the man who'd lost his wife and child that I nearly burst into tears. He was willing to set aside his pain and fear and accept a relationship with me. They were all willing to accept my pregnancy and take on the responsibility of fatherhood. We'd figure out the semantics later. All that mattered in this moment was that they loved me and I loved them. We had a chance at a beautiful future. I leaned into Roberto's hand on the back of the couch and tipped my lips toward Stephen. "I love all of you so much. I don't know what I'd do without you." I'd been prepared to move ahead without them, but it was like they said, I made that decision based on false assumptions and Delilah's influence. "We love you too." Stephen's lips met mine in a searing kiss. Matthew and Roberto stayed close but allowed Stephen to have this moment all to himself. I ran my hand along his face and around to the back of his neck. He broke off the kiss and rested his forehead against mine. "Will you come back with us?" "Yes." I kissed his cheek and stood. "But first, I want something from you." "What's that?" Roberto wiggled his eyebrows. "We're happy to give you anything you want." I held out my hands. "Good, because my mom is at work and won't be home until late evening. And what I really need right now is you. All three of you." They were on their feet in a simultaneous motion, and Roberto bent at the waist, ushering me forward with a wave. "Lead the way, sweetheart. Your wish is our command." "Oh, really?" I started toward the short hallway that ended with my bedroom on the left and Mom's on the right. "My bed isn't big enough for what I really want, but I'm sure we'll make do." "Ah, a challenge." Roberto rubbed his palms together. "I love when you push our limits." "You do it to me. I figure fair is fair." I paused at the closed door, my hand on the knob. "It means the world to me that you came to find me. I'm sorry I bolted without telling you the truth." "We forgive you." Matthew braced his hands on either side of my head and leaned down to capture my lips. The kiss was all things sweet and enticing, just like Matthew. They each had their own flavor, their own style, that when combined brought me to heights I had never thought possible. They loved me. That alone was so unfathomable, I gripped Matthew's shirt with both hands as though to hold onto the dream a little longer. His lips softened against mine, and he set his hands on my hips. Roberto opened the door, and Matthew walked me through. Like before, Stephen was the last into the room, and he closed the door with a decisive snick that caused an instant heat in my belly. It didn't matter how many times we had sex, it was always incredible. But this was the first time we'd make love with all four of us letting our emotions free. A single mother returns to the city she left seven years ago after breaking up with her ex to seek treatment for her son’s leukemia. Upon learning of her return, the ex immediately searches for the lo...