Love of Steel [The Callens 7] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (17 page)

Parker had braved the world of Spencer Callen and asked where her favorite place was to visit. While he wasn’t much of a camper, he’d purchased a really nice tent for their one-night stay. No two men could have treated her better.

She peeled off her sweaty clothes and stepped into the shower. As much as she loved getting clean, no amount of water could wash away the sick feeling in her stomach.

Parker had hinted that she was more comfortable with steel than people. Maybe he did know her well. She could hear Dakota in her head asking if she wanted to be sleeping with a hunk of steel for the rest of her life instead of her two hot-blooded men.

The answer was
no
. Logan and Parker were more important than her job. She did want a family. It was just that she had something to prove to herself for a few more years.
Aargh. Men.

Once she cleaned up, she needed food. Her first thought was eating one of her mom’s breakfasts. She always cooked scrambled eggs, bacon, and pancakes. Her folks’ espresso machine made the best coffee.

Jade hurried out and drove over to the family ranch. She bet her mom would be quite surprised at the visit. Just as she knocked and walked in, the fourteen-year old came down the stairs.

“Hey. What are you doing here?”

She loved Sarah, but sometimes her curious mind got the best of her. All Sarah wanted to talk about was boys, which was the last thing Jade could speak about. “I’m hungry.”

“Mo-om! Guess what the cat dragged in?”

“Yikes, you don’t need to yell.”

From inside the kitchen came the familiar cheerful response. “In here.”

They trudged inside. “Jaden!”

It’s Jade.
“Mind if I mooch some food?”

“You’re always welcome, dear. You know that.”

The rest of the family filtered in and managed to eat most of the food her mom had probably been up since five preparing. When the horde left for school or their various activities, she stayed around to help clean up.

“Something bothering you, dear?”

She never expected to hide her feelings. “In fact, yes.” She told her about Logan and Parker’s proposition.

Her mom put down the sponge and gave her a hug. “I think that’s wonderful.”

“They act like they just need me to cook, clean, and have kids.”

Her eyes sparkled. “I get it. You’re afraid you’ll turn into someone like me.”

Ouch
.
Yes
. “I don’t think I’m in the same position as you were.”

“No. You have a career.”

Thank goodness someone around here appreciated all her hard work. She pulled out the stool at the counter and sat. “I’m not ready to be a mom. That’s a big responsibility.”

Her mother smiled. “Yes, it is, but when it comes along, you’ll deal with it just fine.”

“Do you ever regret having had so many kids when you were young?”

Her mouth opened. “No. Being is mom is who I am. I love all of you so much. I can’t tell you how much joy you’ve all brought to my life.”

She figured her mom truly believed that, and it was nice to hear her voice it. “Listen, I’ve got to get a project to a client.” She stepped over and kissed her mom on the cheek. “I’ll stop by another time.”

“Love to see you.”

Jade left the house a bit more confused than when she’d stopped in. She wasn’t sure why she was so against having kids. “Because I want to decide how many and when.”

She quickly glanced around, hoping no one had her talk to herself. In the car, she pulled out her cell and called Dustin.

“What’s up?”

“Do you think some of your men could stop by my workshop and pick up the railing for Logan’s model home?”

“It’s done?” She didn’t appreciate the relief in his tone.

“Yes.”

“We’ll be right over.”

“I’m on my way back from Mom’s now. Give me fifteen minutes.”

She debated calling Logan and telling him the job was finally complete, but tonight at rehearsal would be soon enough. Being with both men held little appeal, but if she called in sick again, it might disrupt the flow of the show.

Colby and three other men were waiting for her at the back door when she arrived.

She smiled and gave him a hug. “How’s it going being a father?”

“Ugh. I’m tired but thrilled at the same time. I never believed I’d like it, but now that my son is here, I never want to leave him.”

“And Tracey. How is she doing?”

“Wonderfully. She insisted on going to back to work already. It’s crazy, but the schedule seems to work. She brings little David to work, so I get to visit a few times a day. When she needs to care for him, she does.”

That gave her a new perspective on being a working mother. “Well, come on in. The staircase is inside.”

The three men had no problem getting it loaded in the truck. “This is going to look fantastic in the model. I bet a ton of buyers will want one.”

She laughed. “I’ll have to locate a clone.” Colby slipped into the driver’s side. “Give my love to Tracey.”

“Will do.”

Once they drove away, she went back into the workroom. For the first time in longer than she could remember, she only had small projects to work on. Despite the need to get them out of the way, she didn’t feel like creating something. Her arms were tired from working all night on the staircase, and her heart was too heavy.

The only thing big left to do was her monthly finances. She trudged up the stairs to her office and got to work. The numbers seemed to blur together. Taking a nap might be smart, but she wanted to give the budget one more try.

A lot of people wanted her work. That wasn’t an issue. Once wealthy clients saw her ironwork, she bet she’d get even more jobs. The problem was that she needed help with the mundane items. That would require a larger space, something she didn’t have.

She dropped her head on the desk for a ten-minute snooze and awoke with a start when someone tapped her on the shoulder.

“You okay?”

Leave it to Dakota to come find her. “Yes. Shouldn’t you be manning the store?”

“Parker called then Logan. They said you weren’t answering their calls.”

She patted her hip and extracted her cell. “Damn. I must have turned it off. I’ll call them back in a minute. How’s it going?”

“Don’t
how’s it going
with me. You look like shit. What’s up?”

Jade dreaded having to live through her pain again. “It’s a long story.”

“How about we sit in the store and you can tell me. If someone comes in, you can scram.”

Maybe having another ear would be a good thing. “Let me make a pot of coffee. I’ll be right down.”

Dakota pinched her brows. “You better.”

Moving slower than usual, Jade made the coffee and added an extra heaping of sugar. Today would be rough to get through. She exited through her workshop. Dakota was sitting on the bench, her foot tapping out an unrecognizable rhythm.

“Spill.”

That got a chuckle out of her. “You always do cut to the chase.”

She began with the flight to see the Grand Teton. Dakota’s eyes went all dreamy on her.

“I’ve always wanted to hike in them.”

“Well, we didn’t do much hiking, if you know what I mean.”

Her friend laughed. “That sounds wonderful. What’s the problem then?”

She told her about the conversation at Logan’s. “They acted like I’m just a way to get kids.”

Dakota didn’t act indignant like she thought she would. “Tell me exactly what they said.”

“I can’t remember word for word, but they asked how many kids I wanted.”

“That sounds reasonable. Couples need to have that conversation. Do you remember Donna and Tim from school?”

“Yeah. They got married a few years ago and then got divorced not long thereafter.”

“Right. Because Donna
assumed
Tim wanted kids like she did. Only he didn’t and they’d never discussed it.”

She wracked her brain for the exact words Logan and Parker had said, but everything was too fuzzy.

Dakota grabbed her hands. “Did they demand that you get pregnant tomorrow?”

“No, silly.”

“Then what gave you the idea that they only wanted you as a baby factory?”

Because I’ve been brainwashed by my dad to believe that’s what men want
. “I don’t know.”

Her friend smiled. “There ya go. Problem solved.”

“That’s not all. They want me to move into Logan’s house.”

Dakota bit down on her bottom lip. “That’s not going to work. Not with the hours you keep.”

“That’s what I told them.”

“Well, I wouldn’t give up on them yet. They might come up with an alternate solution.”

“I hope so.”

* * * *

Jade pulled herself together enough to make it to play rehearsal, but her heart wasn’t in it. They were rehearsing in the back since the other play was finishing up tonight. Tomorrow, the set would replace the current one and they’d rehearse on the main stage. Parker’s schedule was a bit crazy, but who was she to criticize people who took on too many jobs at once?

When it got close to her time to go on, she moved to the side. She didn’t want to kiss him, but she had no desire to tell the crew why she couldn’t play the part. Holding her head high, she strode on stage and waited. The door opened, and Logan appeared. Damn him for looking so good. His step seemed to have more spring in it than usual. She rushed up to him and threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.

She hadn’t meant to do a good job. It was going to be more of a peck than a heartfelt kiss, but when her chest pressed against him, all thoughts disappeared. She opened her mouth, forgetting they were in a play.

Instead of standing there with his arms by his side, Logan returned the kiss and ground his hard cock into her. She leaned back to deliver her lines when Logan interrupted her. “I love you. You can work all you want. You don’t have to have kids, and you certainly don’t have to live in my house.”

Had Logan not been holding her up, she would have stumbled backwards. Reality sunk in. She expected Parker to yell cut or, if nothing else, for Marlene to rush in and demand what the hell was going on.

His words sunk in. “Really?”

“Really.”

Parker finally stepped in. “Everyone take a break.”

Her gaze never left Logan’s face. “I don’t understand.”

He smiled. “Since we really do need to practice, how about if after the rehearsal you come back to my place and I’ll explain everything.”

All she could do was nod. Her pussy, however, was in a completely different frame of mind. She wanted to continue kissing him right now.

The rehearsal continued as usual. Jade was glad she could sit on the sidelines thinking about Logan’s little speech. His words stunned her. Had he really understood her concerns? Before she could really grasp things, it was her turn to do the walk on at the end of the show. Parker had let her slide by before, but now that the show was about to go live, she had to walk across the stage, look up at his house and walk by. From behind her, Logan would come racing across the steps, calling her name.

She still didn’t like that the audience would never know exactly how the play ended, but right now, the show was the last thing on her mind.

The rest of the cast clapped when Logan trotted off the stage and followed her. He wrapped his arms around her and swung her around. “I’ve been so miserable thinking we’d said something to upset you.”

She didn’t get a chance to respond, for Parker stepped on stage and motioned everyone to gather around him. “Let’s step close for final notes.”

He went through scene by scene, complimenting some actors’ parts and correcting others. When he was done, he dismissed the group. As soon as everyone left, Parker pulled her into his arms and kissed her.

“To think we almost lost you.”

The kiss was his usual warm and tender one. “Don’t get me started.”

He laughed. “Come on.”

Since they’d arrived at different times, they had driven separately. The men insisted that she drive behind Logan but in front of Parker. The irony wasn’t lost on her. When they got to Logan’s place, he got out of his car first and had her door opened before she could collect her purse.

He held out his hand. “May I?”

She nearly laughed but decided this was his way of apologizing. “Most certainly.”

He escorted her inside. Instead of him asking if she wanted a drink, he led her down the hallway. “Where are we going?”

“Where I’ve been dreaming of taking you for hours.”

Parker followed behind. Even before either one had kissed her or taken off one stitch of clothing, her body thrummed in anticipation. While she’d been in bed with both of them, she prayed they’d initiate her tonight into to the wonders of having sex with both of them at the same time.