“Oh my god, I’m so nervous. My stomach is in knots!” Hannah looks away from the football field, covering her face with her hands. A second later she’s peeking through the cracks between her long fingernails.
I can’t exactly blame her. Watching the final most important football game of the season is challenging enough, even for someone like me who’s always cheered on the other team, but knowing how much the game means to Dane and Drew? That only makes it ten times crazier.
Drew’s arm snaps back as he throws the football an insane number of yards, the wide receiver at the other end of the field just barely catching it before winding his way around the other team’s hulking defense.
Down near the starting bench, Dylan’s bouncing back in forth on his heels, his eyes following the football. Even though he’s not part of the football team, no one would dare say anything against him being down there cheering on both of his brothers. My heart stutters watching him watching the game. That kind of support and love is unlike anything else I’ve ever seen, and I’m lucky enough to be a part of it.
It took a little while to finesse everything out, especially with Mom and Richard always around. It’s not that I don’t want to be out and proud of my relationship with the guys, it’s just that it’s easier to keep it to ourselves when it comes to our parents. And to be honest, I’m not quite ready to face that kind of disapproval head-on, even with the triplets constantly telling me how they’re more than willing, to be honest. I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.
The crowd roars as the wide receiver makes it within ten yards of the end zone before being tackled by the other team. Me and Hannah both rise to our feet, screaming and cheering for our guys.
Ever since she stuck up for me in the cafeteria months ago, Hannah and I have become good friends. It just makes things easier when she gets the situation without me having to blush and fumble to explain things. Hannah, herself has had some rough times in the past and tries to be the best mother she can be for her kid. She’s so strong that it would be difficult not to admire her and want to be friends with her in fact. But she’s also hilarious, just like her boyfriend Dominic, who plays on the team.
“Ah! We’re only one touchdown away, can you believe it? Oh my god, if we win, the guys are going to go nuts!” she laughs before downing the rest of her beer.
“I can only imagine. It’s going to be all they talk about for the next month!”
She playfully smacks me, her breath blowing out in a hazy white puff. “One thing I won’t miss about football season is sitting outside on these metal bleachers and freezing my ass off.”
I nod. “At least you’re done for the year. Dylan starts his last season of basketball next month. Although at least it’ll be inside,” I add, smiling down at him as he talks to some of the players on the bench.
Even now, months later, it’s still unreal to think that the triplets are all mine. And to think…if I hadn’t stepped up and taken what I wanted, I wouldn’t be in the position I’m in now.
The idea wasn’t even mine to begin with, and when Falon brought up the idea of renting an apartment with her, I nearly cried in relief. My own place to do as I please with my stepbrothers without anyone saying a word? I had squeezed her so hard she was out of breath when she pulled away laughing. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
Ever since we moved into our apartment things have been able to flourish even more between me and the guys and we’ve had plenty of alone time. Of course, I miss living with them, having access to them whenever I want to see them, but this way our relationship has had a chance to develop without all the sneaking around and lying. No one bats an eye at the house because the guys are gone all the time between practices, games, and hanging out with friends anyway. Adding stops to my apartment doesn’t even warrant an eyebrow raise from our parents anymore.
The whistle blows and Drew snaps the ball again, this time throwing it to their other receiver, who makes a mad dash and dive into the end zone right as the timer for the fourth quarter blares across the stadium. The six points that put our team in the lead blink under the scoreboard and just as we predicted, the crowd goes insane.
The whole stadium seems to be vibrating, our side cheering loud and hoarse as confetti from somewhere above rains down. Down by the bench, I see Dylan screaming, clapping some team members of his brothers’ on the backs.
Dane, at the opposite end of the bench with the rest of the defense line, finds me in the crowd, our eyes meeting as he gives me a huge grin and thumbs up.
And on the field, a whole bunch of the guys piles onto the grass, throwing the receive and Drew up onto shoulders, screaming their victory.
It’s the perfect end to the perfect game.
—
“Nah, I was thinking we could order some pizza from that place you girls like, right around the corner?” Dane says, whipping out his phone as the four of us make our way up the steps to my apartment.
“How about Chinese food? I could totally go for some orange chicken right about now,” Drew adds.
I fumble for my keys in my pocket, my gloves making it damn near impossible for me to feel them in the cold. “Ugh. Remind me to bring a radiator with me next season,” I mutter to them, finally getting the door unlocked.
I give Falon a wave as we pile inside, the guys already taking up a bunch of space.
“Hey,” she says, shoveling leftovers into her mouth on the couch. “How was the game?”
“Killed ‘em,” Drew brags, shrugging his broad shoulders. “We won, of course.”
Falon snorts.
“You should’ve come,” I add, peeling my heavy coat from my arms. “And helped cheer everyone on. It was actually fun.”
She squints down at the scraps of food left in the Tupperware container, giving her head a shake. “Rah-rahing and school spirit aren’t really my cuppa. But hey, at least we won. Woohoo! I suppose I’m going to need my headphones now.”
“Headphones?”
Dylan laughs behind me.
“Yeah,” she says slowly. “I can only imagine what they uh, celebrating will be like. Paper thin walls, remember?” She pokes at the wall behind her as if to prove her point.
My cheeks go scarlet even though Falon is my best friend and knows me better than anyone. “Falon!”
“I guess it’ll be another long night of not getting any sleep…” she continues in a sing-song voice, all three of the guys chuckling now.
“We can’t help it that we like to…take care of our girl,” Dylan replies, throwing an arm around me for good measure as he waggles his eyebrows. I slap my hand to my forehead, already giving up.
“We were planning on getting food delivered and watching a movie, Falon.”
She arches a brow at me. “Ah, is that what the kids are calling it these days?”
I roll my eyes at her and head back to my room, the guys in tow as she calls out a quick “Make sure to wrap it up!”
I know it’s all a joke to Falon, but I honestly don’t care. She knows the story behind us and even if she didn’t I wouldn’t let her remarks, funny or not, get to me. Not when I have the triplets to tell me otherwise.
I flop on the bed, glad to finally be in from the cold and ready to curl up with my three men.
Drew locks the door behind us, that same mischievous look in his gorgeous eyes.
“I mean we were coming back here to watch a movie, but why not give Falon a little show anyway?” he says, shrugging as he steps in front of me.
Dane gets behind me, pushing my hair away from my neck, his tongue finding my earlobe. “I like that idea.”
Dylan turns on the flat screen with a wink, before finding a radio station to listen to. “A little mood music never hurt anyone.”
And it begins again.
Drew unbuttoning my jeans and pushing them down to my feet.
Dane pulling my shirt up and over my head, kissing my shoulders from behind.
Dylan helping peel my panties away from my already wet pussy, his tongue slipping between my folds as I moan loudly, no longer caring if anyone hears.
They each take their turn with me, as they always do, giving me pleasure and taking theirs. There is a harmony about us together, as though it was meant to be.
One day, there will come a time when I’m ready to be open with the world, but until that day comes, I’m going to relish the love that my stepbrothers give me. I’m going to relax into this relationship, finally understanding that it’s possible to love without betrayal.
My stepbrothers have shown me that there doesn’t have to be any fear in love and I’m going to do my best to show them the uniting love that they deserve.
