Loving In Silver: Hot, Wild And Crazy Part 11

"Where are we going? Mommy says it's a surprise." Emily was looking at him with great expectation. He loved her little girl voice. It was sweet.

Ethan chuckled. "I can't tell you. That would ruin the surprise." She pouted and gave him puppy dog eyes. Laughing, he tipped his head forward so he could rub noses with her. "It's a good surprise, but it's a secret."

"I won't tell. Promise." She held up her little hand, as if swearing an oath, and nodded her head.

"You won't, huh?" Emily shook her head, her bright red curls bouncing around her head. "Sorry, I still can't tell you. I don't want to ruin the surprise."

Emily frowned. "But it will still be a surprise." Smart girl.

She was good. Ethan could see a lot of this adorable cajoling in his future. He turned to look at Maggie, who was grinning. She could probably see the word sucker stamped on his forehead.

"Come on, kiddo. Let's get going, so you and your brothers can find out what the surprise is."

"I hope it's a really, really, really good one," Samuel said as Max put him down on the ground.

"Me, too. I love surprises. I hope it's a snake," Brant said, horrifying every adult there. His siblings seemed to think it was a great idea.

Emily clapped her small hands together. "A snake would be fun."

No one over the age of four commented on that. They simply exchanged glances. Ethan just hoped their surprise was enough to sidetrack the idea of a pet snake.

Knowing they would want to ride in the truck, Ethan carried Emily to the truck and set her down beside it. She bounced in place, along with her brothers, until they had the car seats transferred. Then tiny people were trying to scramble up into a truck that was set high off the ground.

A sing-a-long seemed to be required, so he and Max did their best to sing the children's songs as they headed for the ranch. Sean was riding with Maggie. The bed of the truck was filled with the last of the boxes that wouldn't be stored. Ethan was looking forward to the kids' expressions when they saw that their bedroom furniture and toys were already set up in their new, if temporary, rooms.

Ethan's excitement grew as he drove along the long lane, toward the large white farm house perched on a small rise, where Max's parents lived with his younger brothers and sisters. There were large trees flanking it and flower beds in front. He continued along the lane until he reached their house, which was one of four built on the property. It wasn't large, only having three bedrooms, but there was a sprawling yard where the kids could play. Since there were plenty of kids always around, there were swings, a slide, and other things for them to ride. Ethan saw it all as a way of keeping Brant, Samuel, and Emily from becoming bored, which was a good thing. There were also several new board games in the house, as well as books appropriate for their age. Since building blocks were one of his personal favorites, he had purchased several containers of them. The way he figured it, he had enough to build a castle, a s.p.a.ceship, or a really cool race car.

"Are we going to a picnic?" Brant asked, craning his neck so he could look through the window.

"No. No picnic today," Max told him, regret in his deep voice. "But maybe we could make our own little picnic later. How would that be? We'll have to talk to your mom first."

"Mommy likes to have picnics. Can we see our snake now?" Emily asked, with excitement in her sweet voice.

"I wanna name him Mr. Jelly Bean."

Ethan jumped out of the truck without answering. He needed a moment. Maybe he would just tell Maggie the problem and hoped that their real surprise wouldn't be a total let down for the kids.

Maggie dealt with the snake issue like a pro, telling them they couldn't have a pet snake until they were older. There was disappointment, and a little pouting, but in the end it was all good. They shifted gears quickly as they walked along the paved path to the front door, the triplets hopping up each step until they reached the porch.

"Is our surprise in the house?"

Maggie squatted down until she was on their level. "Well, yes and no. How would you like to live here until our house is ready to move back into?"

Ethan winced as the squealing and yelling began.

"Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!" they chanted enthusiastically.

He shook his head and grinned at Sean and Max. By the sounds the kids were making, they approved of moving in.

Max stepped forward to open the front door. "Come on in." Maggie had helped them childproof the place. Things they shouldn't touch were put away or out of reach.

Samuel, Brant, and Emily ran into the house, eager to explore. Once their curiosity about the downstairs had been satisfied, Maggie led the way upstairs. "Brant, Samuel, you'll have to share a room." The boys ran into the room and bounced onto the twin beds, obviously happy to see familiar things. "Emily, your room is right here." Ethan opened the door and pushed it back to the wall.

After they had looked around their rooms, they came back out into the hallway with the adults. Emily looked at the two other doors. "This is the bathroom," Sean said, opening the door.

Small heads nodded as they looked inside. "Mama, where are you sleeping?"

Maggie walked to the last door and opened it. "Right in here." Of course the triplets had to look inside.

"Where are they sleeping?" Brant asked, pointing at Ethan, Sean, and Max.

"They'll be sharing the bedroom with me."

Brant peered inside the room again. "That's a big bed."

"Are you going to make a baby?"

Ethan stifled the laugh. Max made a choking sound. Sean looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Maggie didn't even blink. "Do you want to go downstairs? We have another surprise for you."

There was more cheering and more bouncing. The triplets ran to the stairs, their feet thumping loudly on the hardwood floor and steps, questions about babies temporarily forgotten.

"That was smooth," Sean told Maggie, pulling her close to kiss her softly on the lips. "I couldn't think of one answer that would have been suitable."

Maggie laughed. "You'll get the hang of it. Just remember to pause before you answer. But, on the other hand, don't wait too long. They can twist just about anything to suit them."

The announcement of their impending marriage was a huge surprise for the triplets. They stared, they giggled, and then there was more of the whooping and hollering. Maggie let it go on for a minute or two, before quieting them down. Ethan's favorite reactions were the way Emily's green eyes widened and she covered her open mouth with her hands. Brant and Samuel kept with the basic, manly fist pumps.

"Yay!" Brant yelled. "We get to go to a party."

Maggie laughed and shook her head. She loved her kids. Like most small children, they were very simple in their wants and needs. Though they hadn't yet gone to a wedding, they had attended a lot of receptions. It was a common occurrence in Silver, since so many people were being married or taking part in commitment ceremonies. It seemed as if they attended a reception a week, which wasn't true. It just felt that way, at times.

Leaving her fiances to entertain their children-to-be, Maggie went into the kitchen. She had given the guys a list of groceries they would need. Opening the cupboards and the refrigerator, she was pleased to see that everything seemed to be there. As she began getting things down and setting them on the counter, Sean walked in.

"I thought I'd help," he told her, giving Maggie a warm smile. "What pans do you need?"

The next twenty minutes were very enjoyable. Maggie had always liked having someone to prepare a meal with. Sean was great at chopping up the vegetables to be steamed. She laughed and asked him if he had OCD because every piece was nearly the same size. When he put the fish she had stuffed with herbs and wrapped with foil on the pan according to size, largest to smallest, her teasing began all over again. She finished the salad once the fish was in the oven, putting it in the refrigerator to chill.

The next wave into the kitchen was Ethan, followed by Emily and Brant. She and Sean watched as they set the table, chuckling when Emily would carefully straighten the silverware after Max placed it beside the plates.

"It'll be okay, Em," she told her daughter. "They don't have to be perfect."

Emily giggled and went to get the plastic tumblers from Max. Brant was carrying a jug of juice, groaning when he lifted it to the tabletop.

"Oh, we need napkins!" Emily all but shouted in her excitement. She began looking around the kitchen, smiling and running across the room when Max opened a drawer. "Thank you, Daddy."

Everyone in the room became still. Ethan had come in with Samuel. They stood in the wide archway, looking from Emily to Max. Emily was grinning from ear to ear. Max looked as if he might start crying. Maggie was in no way surprised when he scooped Emily up and hugged her tight. The pair looked at one another, both smiling, Emily sliding her little arms around Max's neck so she could give him a good squeeze.

"Can you be our daddy, too?" Samuel asked Max. Max nodded and smiled. Then he looked at Sean and Ethan. "You're all our daddies?" His voice was filled with amazement and awe and a whole lot of hope.

Sean hunkered down in front of Samuel. He brushed his bangs off the boy's forehead. "We'll be your daddies real soon. But you can call us dad or daddy. I know I'd like that. I bet Max and Ethan would like it, too."

Though Maggie wasn't one to cry at the drop of a hat, she was close this time as she heard the happiness and wonder in her son's voice. Emily was running around the living room, her hands gripping her ponytails, yelling "yippee," while Brant was doing some sort of end zone victory dance.

Yeah, she had made the right decision. Max, Sean, and Ethan were good men. They would be good fathers and husbands.

Chapter Twelve.

Taking a deep, calming breath, Maggie examined her reflection critically. So much had happened in the past few months. Once she had given the men her answer to their proposal, she had begun making plans for their wedding. They did help, but there were times when it was easier to do some things on her own, or with the help of her mother or friends.

Now the craziness was over and she was prepared to commit herself to Max, Ethan, and Sean for the rest of her life. Her heart pounded in her chest. Her hands trembled.

"Okay, which of you two talked me into this gown?" Maggie asked her friends, Bambi and Amanda, as she eyed the exposed mounds of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s with some trepidation. One wrong move and they might decide to make an escape attempt. Her dearest friends laughed at her as they helped her finish dressing. She was expected at the church in less than half an hour. "Was I myself at the time?"

Neither woman made any attempt to hide their glee over her predicament. She looked at them. They were beautiful in their short, dark purple bridesmaid's dresses. Maggie knew she couldn't have gotten through the craziness of the past couple months, without her friends' help. They had been almost inseparable since they were toddlers, until Bambi had married the loves of her life, Slade Jessop and Eli James, and Maggie had the triplets. Amanda was still single and sa.s.sy, as she liked to put it. Amanda and Bambi were the right kind of friends. Or the very worst kind. They would do everything within their power to make you happy, and would also be willing to break you out of jail. They had gotten into more than one sc.r.a.pe together, mainly at the Silver Spur Saloon.

"I believe you were perfectly sane," Amanda told her with a grin.

Bambi nodded. "You can't hide the girls. It's better to show them off than to try to hide them."

"I think you're beautiful, Mama," Emily told her. Maggie shifted her gaze until she could see her daughter standing beside her in the full-length mirror. "That's the bestest dress ever!"

Turning slightly, Maggie bent to kiss the top of Emily's head. "Thank you, baby. You look very pretty, too." Emily was going to be the flower girl. Her dress was also purple, but a shade which complimented her red hair and green eyes. Of course there was a lot of lace and she had asked to have a wide ribbon sash, too. "Mama's little princess." Emily glowed at the compliment, her heart in her eyes as she looked up at Maggie. It was something she hoped she still saw in her daughter's eyes, and her sons', in fifty years. They were so precious to her. They were her heart.

Maggie straightened and looked at her reflection again. It was a beautiful gown and she knew she had made the right choice. Ivory, the dress was a strapless, tea-length, with a cap-sleeve shrug. The bodice and A-line skirt were covered in lace. She knew she might regret the length when she went outside. It was December and winter weather had gripped the area with frigid temperatures for the past few weeks. In deference to the cold, she was wearing ivory booties with a medium heel and faux fur around the top. They were cute and Emily's choice. Her daughter did have good taste.

"You are beautiful," Doreen Phillips told Maggie, as she stepped up behind her to place the small pearl and beaded tiara atop her fiery curls. She had decided to leave it down, as that was how the men preferred it. Emily had insisted that she needed a tiara. Truth be told, she had hated the idea of a veil of any length. The tiara finished off her ensemble quite beautifully. Her mother stepped back, smiling broadly. Maggie could see tears. She smiled back. "Perfect."

It gave her heart another boost of joy, when Emily clapped her hands. "Mama's a princess now, too!"

Finally finished, something borrowed and old was her grandmother's cameo necklace. Something new was a thin diamond bracelet given to her by her parents. Something blue was a silk thong her naughty best friends had given her.

Giving herself one last glance in the mirror, Maggie took Emily's little gloved hand and headed to the door. Fifteen minutes later she was walking down the aisle on her father's arm, Emily in front of them, carefully dropping flower petals. She had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. It was probably the slowest trip down the aisle in the history of weddings. It was also being recorded, to possibly use later as a bargaining chip with her daughter or just a good laugh with family.

Maggie looked toward the three men waiting for her, her heart beginning to pound in her chest. Terror warred with ecstasy in her chest. She knew deep in her soul that she was doing the right thing. But just because she knew that didn't mean there wasn't a bit of uncertainty lurking, making her nervous. She supposed every bride went through such emotions, though she truly hadn't experienced extreme highs and lows since agreeing to marry Sean, Ethan, and Max.

When the three men smiled at her, looking at her with such love, Maggie felt that last of her nervousness slip away. She returned their smiles, and then glanced to where Emily had nearly reached the front of the church. She was ready to marry her men and wished her daughter didn't feel the need to place every petal perfectly.

Ron Phillips laughed softly as they neared the end of the rows of pews. Maggie resisted the urge to turn her head to stick her tongue out at her father.

"I'm all done, Mama!" Emily exclaimed proudly, holding the handle of the empty basket in both of her hands.

Bending, Maggie placed a kiss on her daughter's beaming, upturned face. "You did a very good job, baby. Thank you. Now, could you go sit with your grandma?" She watched as Emily headed toward her grandmother. She then looked at her men just in time to see Max go down, hitting the floor with a sickening thud.

Wincing, she hurried forward, feeling a moment of panic. Maggie squashed it mercilessly as she, Sean, and Ethan checked Max over. He was out cold. Then Emily, Brant, and Samuel were there, pushing to the front.

Emily bent to pat Max's cheek before Maggie could stop her daughter. "Wake up, Daddy! You have to marry our mama now!"

"He'll be fine, Emily." Her father picked Emily, hugged her, and then carried her away.

No one carried the boys away, until it was too late.

Samuel bent to pat Max's face as his sister had done. Max's head moved a little and a soft moan escaped his lips. "Wake up, Daddy! You have to marry mama so you can make a baby with her."

Maggie felt her fair skin flush brightly. Obviously one their little friends had been filling in the gaps of their knowledge about families and babies. They would be having a mother-daughter-sons talk, in the very near future. The guests in the church close enough to hear him, erupted into laughter. Those who hadn't heard were soon filled in and their laughter joined that of the others.

She was relieved when Max sat up and rubbed his hands over his face. "Are you okay?" she asked, concern in her voice. She reached out to run her fingers over his dark brown hair. He turned his head to give her a sheepish smile. "Did you get hurt?"

Max shook his head. "Nothing but my dignity and I suppose that'll survive."

Sean and Ethan helped him to his feet and brushed him off. Both men fussed over him to the point where he had to push their hands away. It was one of the things she loved about the three men. They loved one another so deeply, that it was a like a living, breathing ent.i.ty. And she was part of that now, too, as were her children.

"Are you okay, Daddy?" Brant asked, looking up at Max with huge eyes.

Max reached out to ruffle Brant's carefully combed hair. He gave him a bright smile. "I sure am, buddy. Thanks for worrying about me. Now, why don't you go back and get into place so we can finish getting married."

"Okay, but don't forget to make the baby. We want more brothers."

"No! I want a sister! Boys are dumb!" Emily shouted from the pew beside her mother.

Maggie rolled her eyes and shook her head, as laughter once again filled the church. It was certainly going to be a memorable wedding and one that would surely be talked about for years. Turning to her daughter, she gave her best reproving stare. Emily wilted, sitting down beside her grandmother. Then she looked at her sons. They dipped their heads and shuffled back to their place. She certainly hoped no one had given them the ring yet, otherwise they were in trouble.

Taking a deep breath, Maggie smiled and went to stand before the minister. Bambi and Amanda, her best friends, were laughing with everyone else. It took a moment more, but they were soon reciting their vows. No one else pa.s.sed out and the children kept their innocently embarra.s.sing comments to themselves.

"Oh, no! More kissing!" Brant groaned, slapping his forehead.

She peeked from the corner of her eye, her lips pressed to Ethan's, to see him covering his face with his hands. Okay, so she had been wrong. It seemed the day for the triplets to express whatever thought came into her head wasn't over yet.

Ethan lifted his head, grinning at her. "Those kids of ours sure know how to liven up a wedding."

Maggie nodded. "They do. Remind me not to take them to another."

With her husbands gathered around Maggie, they posed for more photos taken by friends and family. Their children wriggled around in front, jostling for position. She chose to ignore their fidgeting. It was part of the moment.

Two hours later they had managed to live through embarra.s.sing toasts and supper, as well as Emily twerking in the center of the dance floor.

The community center was packed. There wasn't any need to invite anyone to the reception. Everyone showed up. It didn't matter who they were. Friends and foes alike made an appearance, to enjoy the food, the music, and the company of fellow citizens of Silver.