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We knew Cole and Declan, both a few years older than us, but Callie was new to us. She would have been close to Lily’s age when we left for the army so that was no surprise.
“Ivy, welcome back to town,” Cole said. Yes, he’d have remembered her as well.
“Are you here to stay?” Declan asked. While he was the head of police, he didn’t wear a uniform, but I’d spotted his county-issued SUV when we pulled in the lot.
Ivy glanced in our direction before answering. I saw the uncertainty in her eyes. “I’m not sure yet.”
Yet again, Hannah stepped in with the save. “Don’t mind my nosy men, Ivy. They think anyone who leaves this town is crazy.”
Ivy grinned. “I can understand why. It’s a great place to live.”
“It is, isn’t it?” Hannah’s smile was wide and friendly and it was clear that she and Ivy had taken a liking to each other.
Hannah turned her smile to include Jessie. “I might never have stayed here if it wasn’t for this wonderful woman. She gave me my first job in town, and then introduced me to the old doctor so I could take over his practice.”
Jessie was blushing—something I never thought I’d see.
“Don’t forget the best part,” Declan said.
Hannah laughed and rolled her eyes. It was obvious she was in love with her men. The happiness, the light in her eyes when she looked at either Dec or Cole made it obvious. “Oh yeah. She also nagged the heck out of me until I finally agreed to a date with these two.” The two in question gave her a smug grin and she leaned over to give them both a peck on the cheek.
Rory shot me a look and I knew what he was thinking. That right there—that was exactly what we wanted. An open relationship with our woman. To be able to kiss her and love her in public, like any other loving couple. We weren’t afraid to show our love openly for Ivy, but if we lived in Seattle, we’d have to be careful about it. It wasn’t just the three of us we had to worry about, but Lily. Little kids could be little shits. And their parents could be worse. Here, in Bridgewater, everyone was comfortable with a ménage relationship. Even kids. It was an everyday thing, seeing two husbands showing affection for their bride. No matter where we lived, no matter what Ivy ultimately wanted, we’d make it work.
But Ivy had just arrived back in Bridgewater and was still warming up to the idea of having Lily’s fathers back in the picture. Hell, she hadn’t been to town since her grandmother’s funeral. Much as I wanted Ivy to embrace the idea of being our woman, we had to let her get there on her own. Seattle, Bridgewater, Bermuda. We didn’t care. We’d show her how good it could be, but the rest was up to her. Even with some town meddling.
“And who’s this?” Cole asked, his gaze fixed on Lily who was grinning up at them.
“This is my little girl—” Ivy hesitated then looked over at me and Rory. Blushed. “Our little girl, Lily.”
I caught the look of surprise on Cole and Declan’s faces—clearly the news hadn’t reached them yet. With Jessie having official confirmation, the rest of the town should be well aware of our new father status by dinnertime.
“What do you think of Montana so far, Lily?” Jessie asked.
“I love it.” Her childish enthusiasm had everyone smiling.
“What do you like best?” Declan asked. He had a sister, Cara, but as far as I knew, she didn’t have a child with her husbands. No kids in that family yet.
“The animals. Rory said there were horses. Cows. Even moose.” Her response was so quick, Rory, Ivy, and I shared a laugh. Our daughter had spent the entire plane ride asking questions about what animals she’d see on the ranches in Bridgewater and she’d been waiting not-so-patiently for us to show her some.
“I don’t have any moose, but I have horses and cows at my ranch,” Cole said. “You’re welcome to come out and see them.”
Lily squealed with happiness, then hopped out of the booth and pranced like a horse around in a circle. “Can we? Can we?”
I looked to Ivy, who was smiling at Lily’s exuberance. When a man wanted to pass, she hooked an arm around the little filly and pulled her out of the aisle.
“Are you guys up for it?” I asked, knowing if Lily had her way we wouldn’t even wait until we had our breakfast.
Ivy nodded toward Lily. “Are you kidding? It would be a dream come true for this one. Let’s do it.”
Rory grimaced. “Sorry, but I’m going to have to skip this trip.” Turning to me he added, “I’ve got to meet with the parts supplier over in Bozeman this afternoon. I already put him off last week while we were in Seattle.”
I nodded, remembering we’d postponed the meeting. “I can take them to Cole’s ranch and we’ll meet up with you for dinner.”
He looked to Ivy, then nodded. Running a finger down Lily’s nose, he added, “I’ll join you next time, squirt.”
Lily didn’t seem to care that Rory wouldn’t be joining us. I imagined she wouldn’t know who was with her when she got in front of the horses.
CHAPTER TEN
