Page 36 of Single Mom’s Mountain Men (Mountain Men Reverse Harem #1)

Patty

I hear the men’s conversation around me with my eyes shut, but I’m in too deep a state of bliss to pay much attention.

Wes is arguing with Mitch about something while Charlie is smoothly running his hands over my stomach.

I know it’s Charlie's hand, I can tell even from the size, just like I can recognize Mitch’s calluses and Wes’s scar on his pinkie. I know them, as sure as I know myself.

And I love them.

My eyes flutter open to meet Charlie’s. His eyes are a mix of soft protectiveness and hot desire. We stare at each other for a second and then he leans down to capture my lips in his, in a sweet kiss that erases all the doubt from my mind.

I love him.

And Wes.

And even Mitch. I love these men so much. They’ve become my home, my safe haven and I want to stay with them forever. But I know I can’t. Eventually whatever this is will have to end and I already want to cry just from the thought of it .

"Patty?" Wes is suddenly beside me, clearly done with the argument with Mitch. A sheen of sweat stains his naked chest, which tells me that he's been hard at work all morning. He touches my cheek and with his thumb, he wipes off moisture. That’s when I realize that I let a tear escape.

"What’s wrong? Are you in pain? Did Mitch hurt you?’

"Did I hurt you?" Mitch comes out behind Charlie and just like that I’m surrounded by all three men. And with all their attention on me, I can barely take it. I love them so much it hurts. I love that they’re so protective of me and so careful.

They treat me like something precious and delicate.

Never have I had someone who treated me so well, like I'm special.

Not even Keegan.

Now that I'm older, I see the beginning of his courtship for the farce that it was.

At the time, I thought his buying me extravagant gifts and taking me on expensive dates, meant that he cared about me.

I fell for it hook, line, and sinker, but now I know he was simply love-bombing me to manipulate me.

None of these brothers have taken me on a helicopter around the city or to a five-star restaurant.

None of them have bought me an expensive dress.

But they’ve shown their care in deeper ways.

Like Charlie fixing up my car without even mentioning it and treating it like it was nothing.

They took turns driving me around simply because they were concerned that I wasn't familiar with the roads.

They argued that they should pay my daughter's school fees, as though that were the most rational thing in the world.

Wes got enraged on my behalf when he found out about my abuse, but he didn't make it about him, comforting me and agreeing to keep my secret.

And then when we have sex they prioritize my pleasure.

And they don't do any of it like they expect to be praised for it. They do it because it's simply who they are. The kindest, sweetest men I've ever met.

I'm not sure how they feel about me. But in such a short time, they have completely won my trust and my love.

And now I don’t know what to do about it.

"I’m fine,’" I tell them and then focus on Mitch. "You didn’t hurt me."

"That’s good," he says and sighs. "Charlie bought you some soup. I'll go warm it up."

"I’ll stay here in case you need me," Charlie says and Wes grumbles, "I guess I'll take my ass back to work then."

I giggle and once again, I send a silent thanks to Jamie from the gas station. If not for her I never would have met these wonderful men, and I'm glad I took a chance on the Montana mountains.

I feel much better by late afternoon, good enough to get out of bed and get started on dinner.

Of course, Mitch isn’t happy about it when he sees me.

While I'm cutting up potatoes, he walks in with Katie on one hip and Maddie on the other and then frowns when he sees me standing in front of the stove.

"Mommy!" my girls say and wiggle to be let down. Then they run to me and hug me tightly around the legs. "Mitch and Charlie said you were sick."

"I was." I bend so I can hug them too, breathing in their innocent light smell.

"So why didn’t you let us come see you?" Maddie pouts. "I would have kissed your booboos."

"Aw, sorry hon. I didn’t want you to catch what I had." I kiss her on the top of her head and then do the same to Katie. "But I feel much better now. A doctor came to see me and gave me some medicine that made all the pain go away. Did you guys have a good day at school?’

They both nod frantically and Maddie announces, "Katie has a boyfriend."

Katie frowns at her sister. "He’s not my boyfriend."

"Yes, he is. He was following you around all day and let you get a turn on the swing whenever you wanted it."

"Yeah because he’s nice. He’s my friend. I don’t have a boyfriend. Uncle Wes says boyfriends have cooties and so we're not allowed to have those."

"But Uncle Wes is Momma’s boyfriend, and he doesn’t have cooties." And then Maddie lets out a dramatic gasp. "Wait, Mommy is that why you were sick? Did Uncle Wes give you cooties?"

"No," I giggle. "Uncle Wes did not give me cooties."

"Uncle Wes isn’t momma’s boyfriend," Katie says in her patient older sister's voice. "Uncle Charlie is."

"No, he’s not. It’s Uncle Wes."

"No. Uncle Charlie tucks us in sometimes. And he kissed momma on the head. And he makes googly eyes at her all the time."

"So does Uncle Wes. And Uncle Mitch makes sure we eat all our veggies, so is he momma’s boyfriend too?"

Oh, Lord. As my kids bicker I look over their heads to snag Mitch’s gaze.

There’s a smile tucked into the corner of his lips but I’m not sure if it’s because he finds the situation amusing or simply ridiculous.

I’m conflicted. I didn’t think my kids caught on to the dynamic in the house but apparently, they have.

We need to be more careful. I don’t want to confuse them so early with all our shenanigans.

I have to set things straight sooner.

"Girls," I announce, stopping their bickering instantly. " Neither Uncle Charlie, nor Uncle Wes is my boyfriend. Nor Uncle Mitch for that matter. They’re just mommy’s very special friends. Okay?"

The girls cock their heads in consideration for a few seconds. And then they nod.

"Told you," Katie says, happy to have the last word.

"Now the two of you go wash up, while I make us something for lunch. And then you can go play with Wiley. I think he’s in the shed with Charlie."

"Okay, Mommy." And then they run off as Mitch finally closes the gap between us.

"You shouldn’t be up," he says and it’s hard to breathe in his presence with the intense look in his eye.

"I couldn’t sleep," I admit. "I had to do something active. I feel fine now."

"Are you sure?

"For the thousandth time, yes," I smile. "You guys have asked me that question so many times today and the answer is the same. I just had a bad fall, that's all. Technically, I only hit my head a little. There was no concussion and there’s no need for too much concern according to the doctor."

Mitch still eyes me doubtfully. "If you’re sure,"

"I am." I say, and then the silence follows.

"What did you and Wes argue about when he came into the room?" I ask. "I was kind of out of it at the end."

His self-satisfied smirk has a smile mirroring on my face.

"The usual. Just making sure he was completing the quota as agreed without slacking off."

"Oh." I try to remain quiet but the words are bursting inside me and I can’t keep them held back anymore. I would be doing a disservice to the family if I did.

"Have you ever thought that maybe you don’t have to try so hard to push against the tide? "

Mitch cocks his head like my daughters did. "What do you mean?"

I shrug. "It's just something I learned from my foster mother. She used to sometimes say that life is a series of tides. Sometimes it’s necessary to fight against the tides. And sometimes it’s a useless act of defiance as a way to seek control in an uncontrollable world.

In those cases, you need to stop fighting and just go with it. "

He stares at me for a long time and then says, "You’re so sexy when you spout those smart little proverbs."

I roll my eyes. "Mitch..."

"I know. You’re trying to tell me that I should let Wes go do what he wants and not be so insistent on him working here."

"Not just Wes. Charlie too."

"Charlie?" he frowns.

Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed that he would rather be doing something else than working lumber?" I raise an eyebrow. "He loves cars, if you haven't noticed."

He sighs. "I thought that was a hobby."

"It is. Because he's not letting himself think about it as a real career because he doesn't want to have to hurt you."

Mitch's face tenses and he looks like he wants to argue but I just stand there waiting patiently as he runs his hand over his scalp.

"It's their legacy," he says, a tad weakly.

"Yes. And it can still be. I’m not saying it’s not important, but I think your parents would be happier seeing you all pursuing something that makes you happy, rather than just doing things you think they want. Or am I wrong?"

He shakes his head. "You're not wrong." Although I still see the struggle on his face.

I stand there waiting patiently as he expels a breath of air .

"So, what do I do now?"

"You can start by talking to them. Not at them. To them."

"Yeah, talking... has never been my strong suit."

I shrug. "It's like your PO said. ‘You don’t gotta like it, but you gotta do it anyway.’"