Divine Grace (49 page)

* * * *

After lunch, Grace ordered her laptop computer. Ethan helped her build one that would meet or exceed her future needs. She told him someday she might like to take up writing, and he made sure she had the word processing program that would meet that need. The option to order her computer in a color came up.

There was a time when she would’ve shrunk from ordering anything that might draw attention to her own sense of style, fearing negative input.

She looked at the array of colors, and spotted a swirling flourish design in a pink that brought out the naughty girl in her. She bit her lip and pointed at it, then glanced at him, wondering what he would think.

He chuckled at her choice color and encouraged her. “Go for it, Grace, you know you
want
to. This is your time, your computer, and your money.

Nowadays everyone expresses themselves with their laptop design and color scheme. Look, there’s even a matching carrying case and all sorts of accessories in that color. Jack, Adam, come look at what we found. Gracie’s trying to decide. It’s just right, isn’t it, Jack?” Ethan asked as Jack and Adam came up behind them at the dining table.

“Looks pretty close to me. What do you think, Jack?” Adam said, chuckling at her color choice.

“It looks about right to me, too,” Jack agreed.

“You’re right. I should go for it,” Grace said.

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“No one but the four of us would even know the significance of that color, and you know you’d enjoy using it.” Ethan said, stroking her shoulder. “We’d enjoy seeing you use it. It would be our inside joke. Maybe it even might inspire you to write trashy novels someday. When you’re old and gray and a famous author, someone will interview you, and you can tell them about the laptop you wrote your first novel on and how it was pink.

But not just
any
pink. You can tell them it was your husbands’ favorite color because it reminded them of your—”

Click.
“Okay, I did it!” She grinned, laughing as they tickled her and kissed her. “And they’re
not
‘trashy novels,’ they’re erotic romances!” She shrieked then giggled as they tickled her.

“I don’t know, Ethan,” Adam said playfully, nipping at her neck and making her chortle. “We checked the flower, but maybe we should check the main source of that particular shade of pink. It might be more of a rose or mauve color. It pays to be
accurate
.”

“Now see?” Ethan slid a hand over her hip. Her body literally sang with joy at the way they played and teased with her. “Aren’t you glad you did that? You love pink, and you’ve never indulged yourself in buying something in an impractical color before. Now you can afford to. I’ll throw in all the accessories in the same shade
and
that fancy frickin’ pink crocodile carrying case that has
Gracie
written all over it! Let’s finish this order up.” Ethan wrapped an arm around her as they placed the order. It was a big deal to her that he’d helped her. She wasn’t sure she could have waded through all the techno lingo on her own.

After they finished placing the order, she went into her bedroom to tidy things up. She stripped the sheets from the bed, and Adam and Jack put fresh ones on for her.

“I’m spoiled.”

“Uh-huh,” Adam put a fresh case on one of her pillows, “just like we want you to be.”

She tidied and threw out the used up candles. “I should go check on the house. I need to pack all my stuff and figure out what to do with it.”

“I checked the house early Monday morning,” Jack said as Ethan joined them, having heard her comment. “The workmen were finished. The blue tarp is still on because we need to have a few shingles replaced. The only thing left to do is decide if you want to replace the tub, since it has that big

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dent in it now. The workmen even cleaned up after themselves. I’ve arranged to have the roof taken care of and whatever you want to do about the tub.”

Ethan picked up a pillowcase and began putting it on a pillow. “If you’d like, I can get boxes for you one day and we can all help you pack up next week. If we all help, it shouldn’t take long.”

“I feel like I’ve taken up a lot of time that you would normally devote to your businesses. I hate to keep imposing upon you.”

“You know, there really is no hurry,” Ethan reminded her. “It’s not like you’re vacating on a deadline. Why don’t I help you one day this week if you can find the time? We’ll go over there and pack up all your clothes and shoes and other necessities and empty out your refrigerator. When things have settled down some and you’ve had a chance to decide whether you want to sell it or rent it out, then you can pack up and clean it out. No need to get in a rush.”

Grace thanked him for being the voice of reason. They finished making the bed for her and then went into the living room.

“Jack? Have you thought about when you’d like to get married? Do you have a date in mind?” She sat with him on the couch. He lifted her feet onto his lap, slipped her sandals off, and began gently rubbing her feet.

“How much time do you need to plan a wedding?”

“Do you want to go to the courthouse or get married in a church?”

“Darlin’, the courthouse would be the easiest and quickest way, but it’s not really what any of us want for you. You’re only getting married once, and we want it to be special and romantic for you. If you want to keep it small, that’s fine, but we’d like it to be in a church or outside, maybe, and as soon as you can comfortably pull it together.”

“I know you are worried about all the details, Gracie.” Ethan brought his laptop and sat down in the overstuffed chair across from her. “But Charity already said she’d help, and I think if we all sat down together, we could come up with a plan that will include all the things you want for your wedding, and as few of the hassles as possible. And you have all of us to fall back on.”

“I wish I could be legally married to all three of you.”

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“We do, too, baby,” Adam replied, sitting down and letting her rest her head in his lap. He spread her hair out over his legs, running his fingers through it and massaging her scalp.

“That feels good.”

“You and I will be legally married,” Jack explained, “and then a good friend of ours will perform a binding ceremony, just like the traditional marriage ceremony, that includes the three of us as your husbands. We’ll do it in private right after, when everyone thinks we’re taking pictures before the reception.”

“When you picture me walking down the aisle, what do you imagine my dress looking like?”

Ethan replied first. “Simple and classic, but not informal, definitely a long dress.”

Adam added, “Not a lot of petticoats and fluffy stuff, something with pretty trim around the bust. You know us, babe, we love your breasts.” He grinned down at her.

Jack said, “Something you could feel comfortable and beautiful in. I’m with Adam. No big poofy skirt with too much material, and Ethan is right, too, not an informal dress. We can afford to get you anything you want, within reason.”

“You know we can always look online,” Grace said. “I’ll bet I have better luck finding a good selection of plus-size gowns online than I will shopping in stores. A lot easier on the feet, too.”

Ethan laughed as he typed on the laptop. “Good luck getting away from Charity. You know she’s going to drag you to every bridal shop in a one hundred mile radius of here. Come here, sweet thing. I Googled some plus-size wedding dresses.” He patted his lap.

They found a couple of the big online superstores that carried plus-size wedding gowns. He scrolled through a few. “It’s too bad they advertise plus-size gowns and then show it on a model that is built like a stick. Not a good way to sell gowns, I would think.”

They both said “Ooooh!” at the same time, pointing to the same gown, then laughed. Adam and Jack grinned and came and stood behind the chair and took a look. It was a strapless A-line organza with pale pink beaded embroidery at the bust, scattered around the skirt, and then at the back.

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“You’d look beautiful in something like this in a softer, more flowing fabric.

Soft and silky with some movement to it,” Ethan said pointing at the screen.

“I think you’re right. Do you want to help me pick it out, or do you want to be surprised?”

“I want to help,” Ethan said, grinning.

“I want to help, too,” Adam said.

“I want you to surprise me, darlin’,” Jack said. “I want to see it for the first time when you’re coming down the aisle.”

“Ooooh! This is going to be so much fun!” Grace squealed, rubbing her hands together. “It’s going to be perfect! But we’re not fooling around in any dressing rooms, boys, got it?”

In unison, Ethan and Adam said glumly, “Yes, ma’am.”

“This was how I was hoping it would be for you, to have fun putting it all together.” Jack kissed the top of her head.

“I’ll have y’all to help me keep it together. It’s when a bride takes on every little detail that she loses her ever-lovin’ marbles.”

“We’ll sit down soon and make some plans, set a budget, and
most
importantly
, set a date.” Jack knelt in front of her, and she leaned forward to kiss him.

She turned to look back at Ethan as she sat in his lap, then at Jack and over to Adam. “There is something about you guys that makes all this so much easier for me, and I want you to know I appreciate it. Earlier, I was with you on the couch when you were rubbing my feet. Then Adam came and laid my head in his lap and ran his fingers through my hair. You released me to go to Ethan, without any reservation or jealousy. You didn’t mind.”

She placed a palm on Adam’s cheek as he came and knelt in front of her, too. “If I had even an inkling that you minded, it would make me feel guilty. Because you release me to each other like that, I don’t hold back at all from showing you affection. I think that if I felt guilty for leaving one to pay attention to the other that I might not go to you to kiss you and love on you as often. You make it easy for me to be with all of you. Loving all three of you is freeing for me.” She lay back in Ethan’s arms and breathed out, “I live in heaven.”

“Gracie, we work at loving you as a group and not only as individuals.

We feel like if we keep you satisfied and happy with us, we make it easier
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for you to love us.” Ethan clasped his fingers in hers. “Guilt could throw a relationship like ours out of balance, with you constantly trying to make it up to us. If we make time to be alone with each other, whatever needs we have that are individual needs are met, and everyone is happy. We feel like
we
live in heaven.”

“We do, baby. You make us so happy.” Adam stroked her leg.

“It’s true, darlin’. You bless us so much,” Jack added, squeezing her knee before rising. He and Adam went into the kitchen and she heard the refrigerator open.

“What time are we supposed to go over to Wesley’s?” Grace asked.

Looking into Ethan’s bright blue eyes, she felt a tingle of desire for him.

“He said –5:30 p.m. or six o’clock.”

“Were we supposed to bring steak or beer or anything?” Grace asked him. “I think we’ll need to stop at the store if we do.”

“It’s three o’clock right now. If you’d like to bring steaks over, they won’t complain, I’m sure. We can go ahead and pick up some beer, too.

Don’t worry, honey. They’ll like you just fine,” Ethan assured her, and she hugged him.

“How do you do that?” She rested her head against his chest, under his jaw.

“What?” he asked, settling back deeper into the chair with her.

“Read my mind like that.” She stroked her fingers through his chest hair showing through the open placate of his shirt.

“When I look in your eyes and watch your face when you talk to us, I understand you. I sort of…feel what you’re saying. I don’t know how to explain it better than that without being too girly.” He shrugged.

She slid her hand up his tanned forearm to his warm and thickly muscled bicep. “Ethan, trust me when I tell you there’s nothing
girly
about you, honey. You are
all man
.” She snuggled to him, feeling another soft wave of desire flow over her. It ought to be against the law for a man to smell and feel that good.

“Jack and I can run to the store for whatever you need, Grace, if you want time alone with Ethan,” Adam suggested, watching them from the kitchen.

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Grace looked up at Adam and then at Ethan, “I would love that, if y’all wouldn’t mind.” She turned to look at Ethan, “Would you like that?” she whispered. He grinned at her and rolled his eyes.

“No, I wouldn’t mind a bit.”

Jack got a pad and made a short list. “We don’t mind, darlin’.”

After Jack and Adam left for the store, Ethan and Grace went to his bedroom. He put on some soft music, and she lay down with him on the bed.

She allowed him to slowly undress her and love her. Finally, when they were both naked, he positioned her so she could see in the mirror and made slow, searing-hot love to her, bringing her to a blissful, sweet climax before finding his own release. They lay in each other’s arms afterward and talked quietly, their conversation intermingled with tender, loving kisses. Her heart felt again like it was being stretched, she felt so much love for them, for him.