3. Chapter Three
Chapter Three
Upstairs, my wives and I did the best we could to block out the world for a while. Which was probably why almost the entire harem managed to show up before we realized we had a full house.
Samantha sat propped up against the same headboard she’d stuck her wrists through a few nights ago while Yukiko tied her up with her own panties, sipping a ginger ale and occasionally passing a q-tip soaked in rubbing alcohol beneath her nose.
Marcie lay curled up against her side, snuggled beneath the blankets, showing her something on her phone.
My babygirl wasn’t all the way better, but she wasn’t crying. She even looked like she’d managed to relax a little bit. I said a silent prayer of thanks for Yui’s therapist skills.
“Hey,” I said, settling in on her other side. “What’s everybody watching?”
“Scanning the #DeltaRho hashtag on social media,” Marcie said, glancing up at me with a smile. “Rush week just ended. Tons of excited new pledges posting videos.”
“I remember those days,” Samantha said, shaking her head with a smile. “God, it was so much fun to rule the roost.”
From the number of views on most of the videos, Delta Rho had gotten even bigger since our wedding video blew up. Which was about the exact opposite of what I would’ve expected to have happened, but I’ve never been good at predicting those things.
“Sisterhood and sovereignty,” Yukiko said, sitting cross-legged at the foot of the bed.
She had to lean back a bit—pretty soon, she’d need one of those big maternity pillows to prop herself up against in order to sleep comfortably at night.
We’d already ordered it. “Mom passed your message along, by the way.”
Samantha stiffened. “Do we need to talk about that right now?”
I was already shaking my head. “No,” I told her. “I just want you to know, babygirl, that whatever you decide to do, I’m with you. So are Kiki and Marcie.”
“There’s no wrong answer,” my princess chimed in. “We just want to understand.”
Samantha was quiet for so long I wondered if she’d decided we weren’t talking about that tonight.
Finally she handed Marcie back her phone.
“You really want to know?” she asked, letting out a mirthless little chuckle.
“You want to hear the utterly rancid shit that keeps running through my head since I found out?”
I took Samantha’s hand. “If you want to tell us.”
“I keep thinking…” Samantha blinked back tears.
“I keep thinking that if I’m not really a Lowry, then maybe everything makes sense.
Them leaving me with the nanny while they ran around Europe, never showing up on birthdays…
I mean, I’m not their kid, so why bother?
” She swallowed hard. “Except they did that to my brothers and my sister, too.” She turned and looked at me, her hand squeezing mine so hard it almost hurt.
“We can’t all be adopted, can we, Daddy?
What, were they into adopting orphans from some fucked-up foundation in Budapest? ”
“Babygirl, nothing makes what your parents did to you right,” I said firmly. "You didn't do anything to deserve this. And it's certainly not because of who you are. Even before Chloe or Jessamyn Fawkes."
Samantha nodded. "I'm just so tired of learning things about my family I didn't want to know," she said, frowning deeply. "I know it sounds insane, Daddy. There's a real mystery sitting here, one with my name on it, and all I want to do is just... kind of not look inside?"
"I can understand that."
She let out a little laugh. "Is that a thing I'm allowed to do?" She looked at me, then at Marcie and Yukiko. "You all won't think I've completely lost my mind, will you?"
"Never," Marcie said fiercely.
"We could never think that," Kiki agreed. "Nobody's going to make you pick up the phone and talk to those people. I support you, boo."
"I need to know if Warren is..." Samantha broke off, biting her bottom lip with a worried expression. “That part I can't get past. But the rest of it?" Her hand squeezed mine. "Daddy's right. I already have a family. Why do I need another one?"
Samantha leaned her head against my shoulder and closed her eyes. From the foot of the bed, Yukiko watched us all, a warm expression on her face and her hand on the swell of her belly.
"Besides," my babygirl murmured. "What if my real parents are even worse?”
They could be better, I thought, but didn't say.
The decision rested with Samantha, and something told me she'd be a long time in making it.
I still hadn't decided if my babygirl was showing an admirable degree of courage or wearing her worries like armor, but either way, I stood ready and willing to support her.
She'd been hurt more than enough over the last week. She deserved a little softness and sweetness in her life.
Finally, Yukiko couldn't take it any more. "Jack, could I...?" She gestured at the spot where I was sitting.
Hmm? "Oh, sure," I said, switching spots with her. When she got next to Samantha, Yukiko rolled onto her side, sliding an arm beneath my babygirl's breasts while her bulging belly pressed gently into her thighs.
"Oh, that's better,” Yukiko whispered, sighing contentedly. "So much better."
"I would've moved if you'd let me know," Marcie teased.
"I'm already wary of how much help I need," Kiki said with a smile. "I'm totally entering my slug era. Pretty soon I'm going to need the cheerleaders to carry me around in a palanquin like I'm Jabba the Hutt."
"Kiki!" Samantha's jaw dropped. "That is a terrible thing to say about yourself! You are beautiful!"
"I'm just teasing," she said. "My husband's still attracted to me, which is all that matters." She arched an eyebrow in my direction. "You are still attracted to me, right?"
In response, I curled up behind her and casually grabbed a handful of Kiki’s tits. She let out a little moan and settled against me with a satisfied smile, doubtless already feeling the bulge in my slacks.
"You're sexy as hell and you know it," I told my princess. "You telling me you were carrying my baby was the proudest moment of my life."
“Careful," Samantha said with a smile. "Some women might be jealous of that, Daddy."
"Not these women," I said. "I know you girls too well."
"I'd be mad if I didn't already know you were just as proud of me and Marcie," my babygirl said, proving my point. "Daddy, are you grinding yourself against Kiki's ass while I'm talking!?"
"More like she's grinding her ass against me,” I said, voice tight.
A knowing smirk curled the corner of my babygirl's mouth. "You must be so pent up and needy, Kiki. You're always watching the rest of us—when's the last time you had our husband all to yourself?"
A little whine escaped Yukiko's lips. "I..."
Someone knocked at the door.
Marcie swore, rising from the bed and crossing the room in four quick strides. Lakshmi stood in the hall, shifting from foot to foot. From the look on her face and the faint sheen of sweat on her forehead, I gathered she'd been listening for at least the last few seconds.
"I am so sorry to interrupt," she said, further confirming what we already knew.
"Everyone except Heather and Eva have arrived, and they just texted me to let me know they'll be here in a few moments.
They brought quite a bit of takeout, apparently.
" She swallowed hard, her gaze traveling to the spot where Kiki's ass met my thighs. "Should I come back, or...?"
We were silent for a second.
Then I and all three of my wives started to laugh uncontrollably.
"Jesus," Samantha said, shaking her head. "Talk about timing..."
"Raincheck?" I asked Kiki.
She nodded, blowing a lock of hair out of her face. "Absolutely. Business first. Then pleasure."
"It'll give Daddy time to think of something kinky," my babygirl murmured. "Maybe this time you’ll be the one all tied up and unable to move, Kiki..."
We followed Lakshmi downstairs. The house hummed with activity—by now, everyone had heard about Caroline's real identity and Samantha's mother, and the women who shared my heart all had thoughts about it.
I was reminded of a crack I made to Daniel once, about how Einstein only thought the speed of light was the fastest thing in the universe because he'd never seen sorority girls spread gossip.
I made a mental note as we entered the living room: Lakshmi had clearly stepped in and assumed hosting duties with my wives and I upstairs. Coats and jackets were neatly hung in the downstairs closet, and everyone who wanted a drink or a cup of coffee had one.
That girl’s good at making herself useful, I thought. With Yukiko's pregnancy increasingly affecting her mobility and Samantha's proceeding apace, maybe it was time to bring her into the house more often. After all, she'd been so patient in waiting for her chance to be with me.
Speaking of patient, Maria was waiting for me in the living room. “Querido,” she purred, throwing her arms around me and giving me a lusty kiss. "You four were upstairs, but I didn't hear the bed rocking?"
My hands strayed straight to Maria's ass. I could never help it with her—it was her best feature by far. And Maria didn't lack for good features.
"We've been a little busy," I confessed. "With this morning—”
The front door swung open.
"What up, bitches!?" Heather and Eva barged into the living room, each of them carrying armfuls of takeout containers. "We've got everything Delta Rho girls could possibly want. Thai, sushi, that weird pastry place Sam likes so much..."
My eyes widened. "Good lord. How many stops did you two make?"
They both snapped to attention when they saw me. "A bunch," Heather said, grinning. "Mona placed the orders. We did the driving."
"They're heavy," Eva said, flexing a bicep. "But God gives his toughest tasks to his sexiest soldiers."
Heather chimed in on beat. "Kate McCleary told us that."
Maria pursed her lips. "She did not."