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“Seb.” Three men say it at once, and I giggle. We chat for another few minutes, their jokes and calmness helping soothe me.
“I’m good now.” My words are timid, but they can feel the confidence in my chest.
“Are you sure, princess? We can stay on the line until we’re there.”
“No, I’m okay, honest. I’ll get Phoebe sorted and meet you outside the front.”
“Okay, little butterfly. We’ll see you soon,” Alex says. “Love you.”
The phone goes dead, and I grin down at my happy little baby. She’s been full of smiles all morning, even during her second bath of the day. “What do you say, my love? Shall we go and see our daddies?”
She doesn’t react, even when I wish she would, and I sigh as I head through to start locking up the house. After the whole pie incident, I thought I’d feel weird being here, even though I knew it was Julie, but I didn’t.
Realising that the unknown I was so afraid of was just my murderous mother-in-law really made it so much easier for me to be here.
Everything has been the exact same each time I’ve visited, and it was no different yesterday. The only true panic was about being alone when I’m so used to having my men there.
I lock the back door, double check the windows in the kitchen are locked properly, and then start getting Phoebe into her car seat. She’s very content and doesn’t whine as I do the fastenings up.
I’ve got no idea where the guys are going to take us for lunch, but she’s due a nap—as always—so hopefully, she’ll sleep throughout the meal so I can eat. My guys have been even more amazing than usual since my dinner with Topher as we each rotate through who entertains her during meals.
I take the brunt of it, since I’ve got the boobs, but she’s often very entertained by her daddies.
Every day, it becomes more and more normal for the guys to just step in and do what she needs or what I need. They’re acting like my partners, like her daddies, and I know that’s because I’ve been allowing it.
The early days were hard. The first month was even harder because, whilst we made progress, I still kept them at a distance.
But this last month… it’s been perfect, even with the outward problems. Sure, we’ve had our moments where we’ve bickered, and we’ve got multiple big weights hanging over our heads… but our life can be so good.
There’s not even a single whine as I tighten her straps, and I grin down at my daughter. “You’re such a good girl. Your daddies should be here soon, and we’ll go get mummy some food.”
She gurgles, and I grin, before lifting her up from the floor. I carry her out, along with the bag, stumbling ever so slightly. The guys should be here in a few minutes, and it’s a nice enough day that we can wait. I lock the front door, bending down to put the keys in the bag, and freeze. There’s a shift, so subtle I don’t know what alerts me to it, but I just feel it.
The hair on the back of my neck rises up, and there’s a warning feeling in my chest.
“Hi, Maia.” A familiar voice accounts for my panic, and my stomach seems to fill with lead.
“Why are you here?” I whisper. I can feel the palpations, my legs tremble with the way I’m half balancing, and I quickly rise to my full height before spinning around to face him. My height is nothing compared to his size, but it makes me feel better to be at a smaller advantage. I take a few steps forward, hoping to keep his attention on me and not Phoebe.
The guys are on their way.
It’ll be okay.
I just need to stall.
I hope they can feel my panic and get here faster but without risking themselves.
He’s standing at the edge of my street, a good three or four metres away, with a pair of shorts on that are a washed out black. His blond hair is windswept, and there’s a few specs of mud across his white T-shirt. There’s no difference in this man than there is in Ryan.
It’s how he fooled me for so long.
How he took advantage of me.
But just because Ethan thinks he’s entitled to see me, it doesn’t make it true.
“You told me that you’d come if I needed you,” I say, ignoring his look of confusion. My tone doesn’t waver, I’m confident and firm. “I never called for you, Ethan.”
“Where did you hear that name?” he asks, and I roll my eyes.
