Alex held their one-year-old baby girl against his massive chest as he pat her back lightly, rocking slowly from side to side as he stood next to her crib. She looked so tiny in his arms, and he held her so gently. She was gripping her Daddy’s long hair in her little fist as if claiming him. Nikki nearly cried at the sight.
Butler was walking slowly around the room, patting their son’s bottom as he lulled him to sleep with his soft growls. The baby boy moved slightly within Butler’s careful embrace, rubbing his face against his Poppa’s chest and opening his arms wide as if to hold him in a tender hug, leaning into the purring sound that Nikki knew so well and enjoyed so much.
She waited until Butler stood beside Alex then walked toward them and reached out to gently touch the heads of their two children. Tenderly stroking their soft hair as she leaned in to kiss their tiny hands as they rested against their fathers’ chests, she whispered words of love against their soft cheeks.
“I think our babies are the most beautiful babies I have ever seen,” she said finally. “They’re sweetness and goodness all rolled into one. They’re the most precious gifts their fathers have ever given me. I love them with every little piece of my heart.”
Alex moved against Nikki, holding her tightly against him as she lay on her back between them. Butler did the same, his eyes filling with happiness at the vision they had just shared.
“Nikki,” Butler whispered against the side of her face, kissing her temple lightly. “That was a beautiful vision, sweetness.”
Nikki sighed softly, holding both men’s hands and bringing them to rest against her chest. Neither man spoke, too overwhelmed to dare say a word. They knew Nikki was telling them without words that everything would be as it should be in their future. They wanted to wake her so she could confirm her acceptance of their deepest desires, but they wouldn’t. She needed her rest. They knew she would tell them in her own time. Once she had come to accept what she wanted, she would tell them that what she wanted was a future and a family with them.
They were determined to fight for the right to keep her. She was a stubborn woman, but they were both stubborn men, and she would find that they were formidable when they joined forces. She was going to accept the fact that they loved her, they desired her, and they wanted a future with her that included children. She could fight them all she wanted, but she would come to understand that there was no fighting what the Fates had destined for them.
They closed their eyes and settled against her, smiling contentedly as they relaxed for the first time in twenty hours. The quiet in the small apartment was comforting, and they knew that even though they weren’t in their triad bed, they were sleeping as a triad. They were going to remedy the actual claiming once they got Nikki back home. Nikki sighed contentedly between them, making them smile in the darkness of the bedroom.
“The cubs were beautiful,” Alex whispered against the softness of Nikki’s hair.
“I could actually feel the warmth of our son’s body as he cuddled against my chest,” Butler answered, his voice filled with awe.
“Our daughter was so soft against me. She’s already wrapped me around her little finger.”
“By the Fates, I can’t wait to hold them for real.”
Alex leaned up and faced Butler, breathing in deeply as Nikki’s intoxicating scent filled them both. “I would estimate that we’ll be holding our cubs in about nine months and two days,” he told him, his eyes dilating as his wolf fought for release.
Butler inhaled deeply and smiled with satisfaction. “I think you may be right, Alex,” he answered softly, reaching down to pull the blankets over the three of them. “If we’re lucky, she’ll conceive the night we claim her.”
“And if not that night, very soon after.” Alex whispered. “I just want her to be sure she wants us and the children we’ll have with her.”
Butler nodded and moved closer to their mate. Both men held their breath as Nikki pulled both of their hands up to her mouth to kiss each of their palms gently. She murmured something softly as she slept, but neither man could make it out.
“What, baby?” Alex asked her gently.
She sighed contentedly as she leaned into them.
“I’m sure.”
The late afternoon sun peeked through the decorative maroon blinds of Nikki’s bedroom. She stretched tiredly, feeling well rested and warm. Her mind fought through the haze of sleep as she tried to gain her bearings.
Feeling the solid bodies of Alex and Butler as they cuddled her between them made her smile with contentment. She remembered the events of the night before and thought through them carefully.
She remembered Hunter and Clay’s arrival at the ER with the injured woman. Watching them and the way they were so protective and possessive of her made her believe that they were another triad mating in the making. It was interesting to see the two men who, according to Laurie, were definite flirts cave under the unwavering destiny of the Fates.
She remembered her conversation with her mother, finally accepting that no matter what she did in her life, she would never measure up to what her mother considered good enough. She remembered coming home to her apartment and seeking asylum in her closet so that she could fall apart and lick her wounds. All of those memories were jumbled together with feelings of panic and sadness.
Then she remembered strong arms reaching in and pulling her into the safety and security of a loving embrace. She remembered the words of concern, anger, and determination. What she remembered most, though, was the honesty of Alex’s and Butler’s feelings for her and the promise of the life that they wanted to share with her.
She also remembered a vivid dream of the two men holding their sleeping children so lovingly, and knew that what she had dreamed was another gifted vision of their future together. The happiness that filled her was overwhelming, and she could feel her heart racing. She couldn’t help but smile as she thought about the men caring for their babies. It made her hopeful. It made her happy. It made her afraid.
“You’re thinking too hard, Nikki,” Alex whispered against the top of her head.
Nikki turned her head so she could look up at him. He lay contentedly beside her, his eyes still closed with a soft smile on his lips. Before she could stop herself, she reached up and kissed his neck softly before biting his jaw lightly. She smiled at his growl and released his jaw, kissing it tenderly before leaning back to look at him.
“You look sexy lying there all sleepy,” she told him honestly. She reached up and ran the back of her index finger against the dark growth of whiskers on his cheek.
Alex opened his eyes slowly, the silver gray of them sparkling with happiness as he looked at their mate. “I missed you,” he whispered, his expression turning serious as he focused on her.
“I missed you, too,” she whispered, leaning back carefully as she eased her body out of both men’s embrace until she was kneeling between them.
“Good morning, Butler,” she told him softly as he opened his eyes to smile up at her. Both men held her hands lazily in theirs. She felt comfortable. She felt happy.
“Did you sleep enough?” Butler asked her gently. “You were pretty exhausted last night.”
Nikki nodded silently. Reaching out, she threaded her fingers through the soft length of Butler’s hair, brushing it away from his face so she could see him without anything hampering the sight of his absolute perfection.
“When I’m with you both, I sleep the best I’ve ever slept,” she told them honestly.
“Me, too,” Butler answered immediately. “It’s because we’re fulfilling our destiny. The three of us are meant to form this triad, Nikki.” He pulled her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles tenderly. “I’ll even put up with Alex’s snoring to sleep this way every night.”
A pillow connected with Butler’s face immediately, startling Nikki as an
oomph
escaped Butler.
“Alex!” Nikki couldn’t contain the laughter that burst from her.
“He deserved it,” Alex grumbled.
Butler peeled the pillow from his face, laughter bursting from him as he winked at Nikki before turning toward Alex. “Sorry, buddy,” he apologized quickly, not one ounce of sincerity in his voice.
Alex growled at him, no real malice in the sound. “You can always sleep in another bedroom,” he offered with warning. “We’ll have plenty of rooms in our house once it’s built.
Butler laughed, settling back against his pillow and throwing Alex’s pillow back at him with perfect aim so that it hit him square in the face.
“I’ll pass,” he said immediately. “I’m going to be sleeping beside our mate every night for the rest of our lives. Those extra bedrooms will just have to wait to be filled with our cubs.”
Both men turned to smile at Nikki but sobered immediately when they saw the expression of seriousness on her face. As one, they sat up and reached out to hold her hands gently.
“Nikki, what’s wrong?” Alex asked her quietly, reaching out with his free hand to brush her hair away from her face.
“I had a dream last night,” she told them softly.
They remained silent, waiting for her to continue. They knew her next words would either make them deliriously happy or totally devastate them.
“I saw you holding our daughter, Alex,” she told him, her eyes soft at the memory. “And I saw you holding our son, Butler.”
Both men nodded, unsure what to say, if anything.
She sat back and looked down at their joined hands briefly before looking back up at the men. “I’ve always wanted children, but seeing how you both held our babies with such gentleness and love, I realize now that I only want them with you two.”
The immediate possessive growls that escaped both men surprised her and made her jump. She saw the flash of gold in their eyes and knew that she had also made their wolves happy.
“Guess you want that, too,” she told them, laughing as both men reached forward and pulled her into their arms until she was settled between them.
Before she could say another word, she was lovingly and totally claimed by both men as they alternated kissing her face, her lips, and her neck. She was breathless from their assault, but she wouldn’t change a thing. She wanted them both and she wanted them now.
Butler pulled away and looked down at her with raw desire on his face. “Will you let us make love to you together, Nikki?” he asked her quietly.
Alex pulled away from her and waited as she looked from Butler to him, and back to Butler. He saw the fear in her eyes and reached forward to touch her face gently.
“Together how?” she barely whispered. “Laurie told me how you have to make love to me during the mating. Is that what you mean?”
“When we get back to the ranch, we’ll love you that way when we claim you. We won’t do that now. We don’t have any of the items to ease your discomfort afterward. We would never cause you one moment of pain.” Alex’s voice was comforting, his care for her obvious.
“Except when I’m in labor,” Nikki told them, laughing softly as she reminded them that in order to have the family they seemed to want with her, pain was inevitable.
Alex smiled slowly, his face taking on a softness that stole Nikki’s heart. “Yes, Mate, giving birth to our cubs will cause you pain,” he agreed. “Butler and I will be with you every moment. If we could take your pain, we would in a heartbeat.”
“You women amaze me, Nikki,” Butler told her honestly. “You all go through unimaginable pain to bring new life into the world and still welcome that cub with open love and tenderness.” He leaned forward to kiss her lips lightly. “Your strength and courage humbles us, sweetness.”
“We’ll see how understanding and helpful you are during delivery,” Nikki told him, laughing.
Butler smiled down at her as tenderness came across his features. “I’m looking forward to it,” he whispered.
Nikki leaned into Butler’s arms and hugged him tightly, unable to speak. When he tipped her head back so she could accept his kiss, she gave of herself willingly. There was no more fighting the love she felt for both men. She couldn’t deny it, nor did she want to. It was there. It had been for a while. She wanted them in her future. She wanted their children. She wanted their love.
“I love you, Nikki,” she heard Alex whisper against the back of her neck before he kissed her gently, nipping at her shoulder lightly.
Nikki leaned back, feeling Alex’s arms immediately support her as she arched her back so she could see him. “I love you, Alex,” she whispered. “So damn much, it scares me.”
The instant joy that encompassed Alex’s face made her know that she would do everything that she could to make sure this strong man would know every day that he was loved, tenderly and passionately. She turned to look at Butler and saw the happiness that filled him.
“Why do I love you so much, Butler?” she asked in wonder.
“I’ll never understand why, sweetness. I just thank the Fates that you do because I love you more than my life,” he told her honestly, his voice hoarse with emotion.
Nikki smiled, laughing softly before she reached up to touch both men’s cheeks gently. “Enough of this mushy stuff,” she told them firmly. “Let’s get down to some serious lovemaking.”