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Red got down on his hands and knees, lifted me up from the ground below the front of the raised stage, and soon I was in a warm embrace with all three men.
My men.
Their arms held me tight. Their scent mingled and filled my nostrils with a heady mix of home, of love, of belonging. Their chests heaved in relief and excitement, syncing with my own breathlessness and exhilaration at finally being reunited.
The crowd buzzed with chatter and whispers. Within moments, the emcee cleared his throat, signaling that we’d better get a move on. Dylan managed to usher us off the bandstand and down the steps to the side of the stage and around back, right as the band started to play a brisk march.
“How—what—” I couldn’t form a full sentence.
“Julia, sweetheart,” Red smiled, cupping my face. Dylan held a palm to the small of my back. Cash threaded his fingers with mine and gave my hand a gentle squeeze.
“We’ve missed you so much, baby,” said Cash.
“I’ve missed you too,” I said through teary eyes. “You have no idea… How did you know, how did you find…” My head was a scramble of questions, the reporter in me now unable to organize my thoughts. “Wait, I—I have something to tell you. All of you. And I should have told you long ago.” I took a deep breath. “I’m p—”
“You’re pregnant.” Dylan said, his hand sliding to my hip.
How does he know?
Red and Cash were both smiling. Dylan had a sly smirk on his face. “I have an internet pen pal,” he said. “You may have heard of her… Ink Pens and Swords?”
My jaw dropped. “You’re Mountain Full of Pines?” I asked, stunned. “But—”
“Yeah,” Dylan nodded, “it came as a shock to me, too, once I realized it was you. But I was overjoyed more than anything.”
“We all are,” said Red.
Cash murmured against my ear, using his sultriest voice, “Happier than a seagull with a french fry.”
I let out a great guffaw. How had I survived these past three months without Cash making me laugh?
“What did that troublemaker say to you?” Dylan joked.
“Hey,” Cash said, pointing a warning finger in the air, “that’s between me, Julia, and junior, here.” He winked at me.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you all about the baby,” I said. “I’ve already caused so much turmoil, and when I found out I was pregnant, it was overwhelming. Suddenly everything seemed so complicated. For me, for the four of us. I didn’t know what to do, so I ran from the problem.”
Cash stroked his thumb gently over the backs of my fingers. “Please don’t blame yourself, baby. It’s Bob Falco and the tabloids and the rest of the world that’s to blame.”
“I thought I was doing the right thing by creating distance,” I admitted. “You had every right to be upset with me for leaving. It was cowardly of me.”
“It was only because we cared for you so much,” Dylan explained.
“We love you, Julia,” Red said softly. His voice was low and quiet against the raucous backdrop of music and a chattering audience.
“We understand that you were afraid,” said Dylan. “But you don’t have to be afraid anymore.”
I nibbled on my lower lip, unsure of how to say what I needed to tell them. “Guys, I don’t actually know which one of you is the—”
“It changes nothing,” Red interrupted, his tone adamant. “Not one thing. Regardless of who the father is, I think I speak for everyone when I say we want to be there for both of you.”
Dylan and Cash nodded their agreement.
“You don’t have to shoulder everything by yourself,” Cash told me. “We’re a team.”
“A team…” I couldn’t help the sappy smile growing on my face. “A baby with three dads? The four of us… What will people think?”
“They’re not important,” Dylan said immediately. “What matters is what we want. Together, all of us. The last few months without you have been torture.”
