Family Matters Read online

  “But you’re not due for three weeks!”

  “Tell him that!”

  “Oh, Christ! Right. Rinse off, love, let’s get you to hospital—”

  “THE hospital.”

  “Christ. Thomas!” He disappeared and she quickly finished, fear taking over. Adam had come two days before her delivery date. Was three weeks okay?

  * * * *

  Tyler sat in the bed behind her, supporting her, rubbing her back and coaching her through her breathing while Thomas held her hand and tried to help her focus. Over twenty hours and she hadn’t progressed. Both men were worried. Another three hours later, the doctor walked in, looking concerned.

  “We need to talk about doing a C-section. The baby is starting to get weak, and so is she.”

  Nevvie closed her eyes and cried while both men grabbed her hands.

  “Love,” Tyler soothed, “if it’s what has to happen, let’s do it and get it over with.”

  “I don’t want a C-section.”

  “Nev,” Thomas said, “we’ll be right there.”

  She looked at the doctor. “They can both be there,” he assured her.

  “Okay,” she said.

  The men had to step out while they prepped her. They were given gowns to wear and had to scrub in. They rejoined her in the delivery room and each man took a side and focused on her face.

  “You’re okay, love,” Tyler said. “We’re here.”

  Thomas squeezed her hand. “Sweetie, we’re right here, you’ll be okay.”

  Ten minutes later, all three cried at the sound of their son crying.

  “Who wants to cut the cord?” the doctor asked.

  Tyler looked at Thomas. “You do the honors, love.”

  Thomas blinked away tears as he did.

  A shrill alarm startled the men. The tone of medical staff’s voices changed immediately.

  “What’s wrong?” Tyler asked.

  He watched the doctor glance at his nurse and shake his head. She stepped toward the men. “Why don’t you two come with your son while we take care of him and get him cleaned up?”

  Nevvie looked at Tyler, then her eyes rolled back in her head and she lost consciousness.

  In a blur of activity the men were hustled out the door as the doctor barked orders.

  “What’s going on?” Thomas asked.

  The nurse herded them along. “She’s hemorrhaging, going into shock. He needs to stop the bleeding.”

  Stunned, the men followed the nurse and watched as the staff checked their son. They brought a chair for Thomas, and the men cried when a nurse placed the baby in Thomas’ arms. Tyler rested his head on Tom’s shoulder, tried to stay calm. Thomas nuzzled his head against Tyler’s.

  “She’ll be okay, sugar,” Thomas reassured him. “Look how tough she is. She’ll be fine.” He stroked the baby’s cheek. When their son opened his eyes, Thomas sobbed when he saw the baby did indeed have his brown eyes to match the shock of dark brown hair on his head.

  Tyler’s arm tightened around his shoulder. He pressed his lips to Tom’s cheek. “He’s beautiful. Just like you.”

  An hour later, Nevvie was still in surgery and the men barely spoke. United in their worry and grief, they cradled their son and drew strength and support from each other. When the doctor walked in two hours later, they froze.

  He smiled. “She’ll be okay. I’ll admit she scared me there for a few minutes. One of her old scars opened up from her prior surgery. We’ll need to keep her in the hospital longer, but I think she’ll be fine. She shouldn’t try having a vaginal birth again if you have more kids. Plan on a C-section. There’s no reason to risk her ripping open another old scar putting her through labor.”

  The men hugged each other, crying. “When can we see her?” Tyler asked.

  “They’ll come get you shortly.”

  * * * *

  Nevvie looked groggy from the anesthesia, her skin pale. Still, she smiled when the men appeared in the doorway with their son.

  Tyler carefully stayed beside Thomas in case he needed extra support, nervously hovering until he’d gently placed the baby on her chest.

  “He’s beautiful,” she said, stroking his hand.

  “Our handsome little brown eyed boy,” Tyler said.

  A tired smile teased her lips. “Yeah?”

  Thomas stroked her forehead. “Yeah. I’m sorry they made us leave.”

  “Shh.” She cradled the baby to her. “It’s okay.” Nevvie stared into the baby’s face. “Did you name him?”

  Tyler looked shocked. “Of course not! Not without you.”

  “I thought we discussed this already.”

  “Love, we waited.”

  Nevvie was quiet for a few minutes. “Michael.” When she next spoke, her voice sounded choked with emotion. “For my dad.” He was her adopted father, but he died before she knew that fact. He would always be her daddy in her mind and heart.

  Thomas reached over and stroked the baby’s hand. “I was thinking Michael Tyler.” He looked at his lover.

  Nevvie blinked. “What?”

  Tyler looked as surprised as Nevvie. “What?”

  Thomas shrugged. “I think Michael Tyler would be a good name.”

  Nevvie let out an amused snort. “Great, they’ll be calling him ‘Mi-Ty’ in school.”

  Thomas laughed. “I didn’t think of that.” He fell quiet for a moment, staring at their son. “I’d still like to name him that,” he softly said. “I mean, Adam’s name is Adam Ryan. Ryan’s my middle name. It’s only right.”

  Nevvie looked at Tyler, who now had tears in his eyes. He nodded.

  She stroked the baby’s cheek. “Welcome to the world, Michael Tyler Kinsey-Paulson.”

  * * * *

  Tyler left to pick up Adam from Eddie and Pete’s, to bring him to the hospital to visit. Thomas stayed with Nevvie. Remembering her agony with Adam, she elected to go straight to bottle feeding. Thomas took the first round as her pain meds kicked in and she drifted. She watched him take care of their son, feeling content and satisfied.

  “You’re a good dad, Tommy,” she said.

  He wistfully smiled. “You want to know what’s stupid?” he softly asked. “I feel exactly like I felt with Adam. After all the bullshit I put the two of you through, I wasn’t sure if I’d feel different this time knowing…” He regrouped. “I worried maybe I’d feel differently about this little guy than I did about Adam. But I don’t. They’re both my sons.”

  He met her eyes. “I feel like Tyler’s his dad as much as I am. Now I understand why he could be like that. A few times I thought it was bullshit, like maybe he just humored me, you know?”

  “Don’t go back there, Tommy. We’re a family. You were dealing with a lot and not in the best possible way. I don’t want to think about the Dark Ages. That’s all done and gone and over with. We’ve got a perfect life.”

  “I know, babe.”

  The nurse came in to check on them. When she left, Thomas carefully burped the baby and tucked him into Nevvie’s arms. After a few minutes she dozed and he took the baby back, putting him into his basinet and pulling it close to his chair. Tyler walked in a few minutes later, carrying Adam.

  The little boy pointed to Thomas and stretched toward him, trying to reach him. “Poppa!”

  Thomas grinned and blinked back his tears.

  Their sons.

  * * * *

  Because of Nevvie’s complications, her doctor wanted her to take it easier longer than a normal C-section recovery. She chafed to return to her normal routine.

  Normal.

  Whatever that meant in their house.

  Sometimes Thomas still walked with a cane, on days when his leg felt weak or he was in a lot of pain. As Nevvie healed and was cleared to return to her normal activities, it marked a return to their new slave game as well.

  The evening after Nevvie had her final OB/Gyn visit, Tyler gently closed the door to the nursery and walked out to the kitchen where she wa
s wiping down the counters after cleaning up from dinner. He slipped his arms around her waist and nuzzled the back of her neck.

  “How do you feel tonight?”

  She relaxed against him. “What’s the context of the question?”

  He chuckled and gently nipped her earlobe. “Feel like putting our little slave boy through his paces?”

  She shivered. “I hope you’re prepared.”

  “Oh, I certainly am, love. I made sure to stock up on condoms this time.”

  Nevvie turned to face him and draped her arms around his neck. “Then let’s find our little slave boy and put him to good use.”

  They found Thomas in his study, hunched over his computer and working on a set of plans. He looked up as they walked in. “What’s up?”

  Nevvie snickered and exchanged a glance with Tyler. “He makes it too easy, doesn’t he?”

  Tyler grinned. “He certainly does.”

  Thomas looked puzzled for a moment, then sat back and smiled. He reached over, saved his project and shut down his computer. “I’m guessing I’m done working for the evening.”

  “You guessed right, love,” Tyler agreed. He walked over to Thomas and ran his hand through his hair. “You’re all ours for the rest of the night.”

  Thomas caught Tyler’s hand and brought it to his lips, then sucked his thumb into his mouth.

  Tyler softly gasped. “You know what I love, don’t you?”

  He sat forward in his chair and pulled Tyler to him, resting his face against Tyler’s stomach. “You’d better believe it.”

  Watching the two of them together did what it always did to Nevvie, left her breathless and aching between her legs.

  “Come on, boys. You don’t get to play alone tonight. Let’s go.” The men laughed and followed her to the bedroom. They sandwiched her between them, Tyler standing in front. She felt their hard bulges through their clothes.

  Tyler kissed her, melting her the way he always did. Tommy slipped one hand inside her shorts, found her clit, and started rubbing it. This was yet another thing she’d desperately missed after his accident. While his handwriting was still iffy sometimes, his fingers had regained their skillful touch when it came to her flesh.

  She moaned. “That’s so good!”

  His lips brushed against her neck, behind her ear. “I would hope so.”

  They undressed and moved to the bed. Nevvie pushed Tommy back and knelt between his legs. She lightly trailed a finger across his bare sac. “I love this look on you.”

  He crossed his arms behind his head and smiled. “Anything to make Mistress happy.”

  Tyler arched an eyebrow at him. “Ahem.”

  Tommy grinned. “And Master. Duh.”

  “That’s more like it, love.”

  She dipped her mouth to the juncture between his legs while Tyler kissed him. She reached out and stroked Tyler’s leg, drawing a soft moan from him. He looked down Tom’s body at her.

  “What do you think we should do to our boy tonight?” he asked with a wicked grin.

  She raised her head, releasing Tom’s cock from her mouth with a pop. “I’m sort of playing it by ear, Master Tyler.”

  Both men sucked in a sharp breath. Tom’s cock throbbed in her hand.

  “Goddamn!” he muttered. “I don’t care how many times I hear you say it, that never gets old, sugar.”

  She smiled.

  Tyler handed her a foil pouch. “Why don’t you have some fun with him first? I’ll keep myself busy.”

  She quickly rolled the condom on Thomas and impaled herself, sighing with pleasure at the sensation of him filling her. She sat there and enjoyed it for a while.

  Thomas turned to Tyler and wrapped his lips around his cock. Tyler stroked Tom’s head, fisting his fingers in his hair. “That’s it, love,” he encouraged. “Take your time.”

  Nevvie watched them together, her movements stilled by the sight. Damn they were sexy! When Tommy’s thumb found and stroked her clit, Nevvie remembered she had another reason for sitting there and slowly started fucking him again.

  Tyler’s eyes dropped shut. “Don’t make me come, Thomas. I want to finish inside our angel.”

  Nevvie ground her hips against Thomas. She could sit there fucking him all night, especially after the last couple of months of not feeling like doing much because of her pregnancy. Then he played dirty and gently pinched her clit, rolling it between his fingers and making her cry out as she climaxed. He released Tyler’s cock and grabbed her hips, plunging into her from underneath, pounding into her until he finally came.

  She collapsed on top of him and was enjoying the post-orgasmic bliss when Tyler nudged her. “Off, love. Condom.”

  “Shit.” She rolled off Thomas, nestled in the crook of his arm while Tyler took care of things before settling in bed on Tom’s other side.

  Thomas feathered his lips across her forehead, gentle, tender kisses that always melted her. “You okay, baby girl?”

  “Mmm hmm. You?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. Little achy. I’ll live.”

  Tyler propped himself up on one elbow. “I’ll fetch your medicine as soon as I’ve had my turn.”

  She crooked her finger at Tyler. “Get yourself over here.”

  He grinned and grabbed another foil pouch. When he lifted her legs to his shoulders, Nevvie stroked his arms. “Bet Tommy’s ass will be glad to get a rest.” Tyler had been unusually frisky the past couple of weeks, even for him.

  Thomas rolled to his side and kissed Nevvie. “Couldn’t even bend over in front of him, he was jumping me.”

  “You loved it, and you know it,” Tyler said.

  “I never said I didn’t love it. Loved the hell out of it.” He kissed Nevvie again. “Damn, that means I’ve got to share him again,” he teased.

  “Yeah, but you’ve got me back, so it works out.” Nevvie laced her fingers through his hand, stroked Tyler’s arm with her other.

  “True. It’s good to have you back.”

  Tyler’s eyes closed as his strokes increased in speed and force. “Very good,” he whispered. “Too good for words.”

  Thomas caressed Tyler’s other arm with his free hand. “Show us how good, buddy.”

  Tyler gasped, shuddered, then cried out as he came. He lowered her legs and started to cuddle with Nevvie when he swore and pulled out. “I hate these blasted things.” He went to the bathroom to clean up.

  Nevvie snuggled against Thomas. “We won’t need them in a few weeks.”

  “Don’t rush things on our account. We’ll survive.”

  “Yeah, but he’s right. I hate them.” She ran her fingers across his chest, tracing his scars. “I want it all back the way it was. Life back to normal.”

  He captured her hand and brought it to his lips, kissed it. “Sugar, it is what it is.”

  She looked into his sweet brown eyes. Over the years she’d seen him passionate, enraged on her behalf, angry, loving, and now…

  He was still sad in some ways.

  “We can get another bike,” she suggested.

  Hesitation crossed his face. He was about to reply when Tyler walked out of the bathroom. “I’ll go get your medicine for you since I’m up.”

  “Thanks,” Thomas said. When Tyler was gone, Thomas looked at Nevvie. “I’m not saying I don’t miss it. Between my leg still being fucked up, and it would damn near kill Tyler if we did, maybe it’s not a good idea.”

  “Please? I want another bike.”

  He traced her jaw with his fingers. “I couldn’t stand it if you got hurt.”

  “It was an accident. I want another bike, like what we had. I want to ride again. With you.”

  “We don’t need to talk about this now.”

  “Please?”

  He sighed. “Later, baby girl. Yes, one day we will. Let’s let life settle down a little first, okay? Not to mention we’d probably have to dope Tyler to get him to agree to let us do it. It’ll scare him to death.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two


  Nevvie had other ideas. She didn’t want to wait, and her eyes betrayed her intentions to Tyler as surely as if she’d told him whatever it was she had up her sleeve. No sooner had they pulled out of the driveway when he confronted her.

  “What are you up to, love?”

  “What?”

  “Don’t you give me that wide-eyed innocence,” he playfully scolded. “I know you far too well for that. You can pull things over on Thomas, but not with me.”

  “We have plans today.”

  “I figured as much, leaving our little slave boy alone at home with the kids. What’s on your mind?”

  “You’ll see.”

  He was surprised when they pulled into the parking lot of the Harley dealership. “Love—”

  “Master promised me anything I wanted.”

  A cold thread of anxiety ran through Tyler’s gut. “Nevvie, darling, please tell me you aren’t contemplating what I think you’re contemplating.”

  She was already out of the car. “Come on. I don’t want to keep them waiting.”

  He reluctantly unbuckled his seat belt. Now he understood her insistence on wearing jeans and sneakers.

  Apparently she’d already made a scouting run or two. She led the way inside and shook hands with one of the salesmen before introducing Tyler to him as her husband.

  The man didn’t bat an eye, but Tyler recognized him from when Thomas had bought the first bike. “We’ve met, I think,” Tyler said.

  Nevvie’s plan soon became clear. Tyler fought his rising panic. He would do anything for her, even die or kill for her. The last thing he wanted to do, even before Tom’s accident, was climb on a motorcycle.

  No, correction, the second to last thing he wanted to do. The absolute last thing he wanted to do was drive one. And apparently, that was Nevvie’s plan.

  “I had to wait until after I had the baby to do this. I don’t think I can carry Tommy as my passenger. So I need you to learn how to do this.”

  Cold sweat bathed his body. He dropped his voice and pulled her a few steps from the salesman. “Darling, please, let’s discuss this.”