Chapter 21
“Happy Birthday! Happy Thanksgiving!” My mom busted into my room shouting and waking me up. I didn’t sleep well with all the craziness and because I was alone. I doubted I would ever be able to sleep alone again. “My baby girl is nineteen!” She came over to the bed and I sat up. She sat beside me and gave me a huge hug. She handed me a little gold box with a white bow. “Happy Birthday, Bre. I love you.”
“Thank you, mom. I love you, too.” I opened the box to find a silver ring with four stones, a green one, a blue one, a clear one, and an orange one. “Mom, this is beautiful!”
“It was my mother’s and now I want you to have it. I am not sure where she got it, but I have had it since she died. Now, it’s yours.”
I hugged her and stared at the ring. I absolutely loved it. “Thank you! I will wear it every day!”
“Happy Birthday, sweetheart. The guys should be here in about thirty minutes, so you should get up and moving.” She went back downstairs and I looked at my hand with the ring. I couldn’t wait to show the guys!
After I showered and got dressed, I bustled downstairs. The guys were here and already helping Mom, so I stood in the doorway to watch. Bryce was peeling potatoes, Carter was chopping onions, Mason and Chase were adding a leaf to the dining room table, and Harrison was basting the turkey that was already in the oven. A wave of contentment washed over me at the sight of all of them here in my childhood home. “Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to help?” my mom teased.
Each of the guys turned to look at me, “Happy Birthday, Bre!” Carter, who was closest to me said. He walked over and gave me a big hug. The others quickly followed suit. I saw my mom watching us with a curiosity that made me nervous.
“So, how come none of you are dating my daughter?” she asked.
Mortified, I covered my face and shook my head. “Mom!!”
The guys burst out laughing at her boldness, but it was Bryce who responded first, “Well, you see Mrs. Hunter, each of us is in love with her, but we don’t think it’s fair for her to have to choose. So we all spoil her and take care of her together.” Bryce’s explanation was so close to the truth that I stared wide-eyed at him, shocked that he would answer her so truthfully.
“Well, that is interesting. I am not really sure how to respond to that. Do any of you have other girlfriends?” she inquired.
“No, just Bre,” Bryce said matter-of-factly, like it was normal for five guys to be with one girl. I was horrified at what my mom would think. I looked at her and she had a small grin on her face.
“Well, Bre is a special girl. I guess she needs more than one guy to care for her. If nothing else, it will be interesting to see how this works out. I just hope it doesn’t break up your friendship.”
“No worries with that, because we’re all in this together. Bre’s happiness is our primary concern,” Harrison said.
My mom beamed at his words and looked at me with a questioning look in her eyes. I smiled and nodded. She nodded back and turned back around to work on the stuffing. “Well, let’s just keep this between us. I am not sure her father would be as open to this as I am.”
Everyone chuckled at the truth in that statement and got back to work. I couldn’t believe he told her, but it was such a relief for her to know at least part of the truth. I had wanted to talk to someone about my strange relationship with them and now I could. I looked to Bryce and smiled. He smiled back.
Mom kicked everyone out of the kitchen except Harrison and we went out to the backyard to get some air. With all of that cooking, it was getting hot in the house. The cool November air was just what I needed. I took a deep breath and lifted my face to the sun. Just then, I heard my dad pull up. His dealership wasn’t open today, but he still liked to go in and do paperwork. “Hi, Deda! How is the dealership?” I asked.
“Everything is good, very busy. Mom kick you out already?”
“Yes, Harrison is in there with her, but the rest of us were booted. It’s probably for the best, I am sure I would have burnt something if I was in there too much longer. My mere presence around cooking food tends to ruin it.” I didn’t know what it was, but I really could not cook. I doubted it had anything to do with being an Elemental; I think it’s just me.
As my dad walks over to me and kisses me on the forehead, he said, “I’m going to go change and see if she needs me.”
After he was inside, I walked over to Chase and asked, “Did you get a chance to do any research last night?”
“I was up all night trying to figure it out, but I didn’t find anything about your mother. I am changing my focus to the headaches she gets. There is something to that, but I need to speak with a witch I know first. There has to be something magical at work here. As soon as we get back, I plan to meet with her and see what she knows.”
“Okay, thank you,” I said as I wrapped my arm around his. I had been away from them all night and I needed the contact. He placed his other hand on mine and took my hand to look closer at it.
“Where did you get this?” Chase asked about the ring my mom gave me for my birthday.
“Oh, I almost forgot to show you guys. My mom gave this to me for my birthday. She said it was her mother’s. Isn’t it beautiful?”
Each of the guys walked over to examine the ring when Chase said, “Bre, it’s a royal Elemental ring. The emerald is for earth, the blue topaz is water, the diamond is air, and the citrine is fire. She said it was her mom’s?”
“Yes. She said she didn’t know where her mom got it, but knows it was hers. Why are there only four stones and what do you mean ‘royal’?”
“Old fashioned, backwards-thinking men, that’s why there are only four stones.” Carter said gruffly. I saw him give the others a sideways glance, but decided not to call him out on it. I had too much on my mind to worry about it.
“Well, when we get back, I want to add another stone right in the middle. Since a panther is my spirit animal, I want a black diamond dead center!” I all but yelled. I swore, those heads-up-their-asses council members needed to either step down or change their way of thinking. I was sick of hearing how Animal Elementals were treated differently. One of these days, I was going to tell them exactly what I thought about their outdated way of thinking.
“Only the royal family has rings like this. Each member of the royal family has a ring made for them once they reach the age of 20. How in the world did your grandmother get this ring?” Chase asked.
“Who knows, maybe I am a long lost princess and that is why everyone is trying to either kidnap or kill me!” I said jokingly. Everyone except Chase laughed; he looked deep in thought. I laughed it off, knowing that the ring on my finger was not royal. It must look similar, but there was no way it was a royal Elemental ring.
The rest of the morning passed with Mom and Harrison cooking, and my dad, the guys, and me talking in the family room. Deda even pulled out old photobooks of me as a child. The guys loved it and I was mortified. Around one o’clock, Mom and Harrison came in and asked a couple of us to set the table. When everything was ready to go, we served ourselves buffet-style and sat at the table. My plate was completely filled with a little of everything. I loved my mom’s and Harrison’s cooking.
Before we dug in, my dad stood up with his glass and said, “A toast to good friends and family, may each of your days be filled with love, laughter, and hope. Salud.”
A chorus of “salud” could be heard from everyone before we started to eat. Everything was wonderful and I was again so happy to have the most important people in my life with me, healthy and happy. After everyone was done eating, my mom and Harrison disappeared into the kitchen and came out with a cake, singing “Happy Birthday.” Everyone else joined in and I blushed and laughed at some of their terrible voices. Mom and Harrison placed the lit birthday cake in front of me and told me to make a wish. I knew exactly what I wanted to wish for. My birthday wish is for everyone in this room to have a long and happy life. I blew the candles out and everyone clapped. Mom cut everyone a slice and we sat down to enjoy it. My dad left the room for a few minutes and returned with a wrapped gift. I already knew what it would be, but I got excited every year.
Each year since I was six, Deda had given me a model car kit for my birthday. We always built it together and I displayed the finished car in my room on the shelving he made specifically for them. I unwrapped the kit and laughed out loud. Everyone looked at me in confusion. As I held the present up for everyone to see, I said, “It’s a model of a Shelby Cobra.” I looked directly at Chase and smiled.
After we all pitched in to clean up, we moved into the family room and watched football. I wasn’t a huge football fan, but my dad loved it. He was a diehard Arizona Cardinals fan. Every year, I sat and watched football on Thanksgiving with him. I never really paid much attention, but I thought I would this year since I would be going to a game with Carter. The guys were rooting for Arizona since my dad was and they were all getting loud. Apparently, a ref made a bad call and they were not happy about it. I gathered this from their yelling at the TV that the ref was blind and an idiot. Needing a break, I headed into the kitchen for some hot tea and saw my mom was there tidying up.
“Getting too loud in there for you, Bre?”
“Yeah, I needed a break from all of the testosterone. Guys really take football seriously, huh? I am glad that Deda is getting along with the guys so well, though. It really means a lot to me that you both like them.”
“I can tell they mean a lot to you and you to them. I am just worried about this different type of relationship you have with them. Don’t get me wrong, I can tell they each care about you a great deal, but it is really unusual for people to be okay with others showing their significant other affection. I just don’t want them to get upset with each other and in turn, you.”
“I was worried about the exact same thing, but they don’t think anything about it. They don’t see it as weird. They have been friends since childhood and are closer than most families I know.”
“Just be careful. I don’t want to see you hurt. This is your first relationship with a man and it is with five. It won’t be easy.”
I walked over to her and whispered, “I know, it’s crazy, isn’t it? I worried I would never even have a boyfriend, much less five at once. But mom, I love them all. They are all completely different and I can’t imagine my life without them in it. They are family to me.”
“Bre, you have always been smart and levelheaded. I trust you know what you are doing. And as strange as the relationship is, I feel comforted knowing you have so many people that care about you looking out for you.” She leaned in and gave me a hug. “I just want you to have a happy life in whatever form that takes. That is more important to me than anything.”
I hugged her back, “Thanks for understanding, Mom. They are the best thing that has ever happened to me.” I walked over to the kettle and filled it with water for my tea before placing it on the stove to heat up. “So Mom, do you get those headaches a lot? I was really worried about you.”
“I used to get them all the time when you were really young, but throughout the years, they stopped. That was the first one I have gotten in years. I think I was just excited about you being home, the dinner, Thanksgiving, meeting your friends, and your birthday. It was just a little too much at one time and I became overwhelmed. After I laid down and relaxed, it immediately went away. I hope I didn’t ruin dinner.”
“No, we were just worried about you. After we finished, we all walked down Main Street and looked in shops. I saw a couple of puppies and the guys said I could get one. They all share a really large house and have a lot of land. The dog would have plenty of room to run.”
“Well, better them than me. I do not like pets. All that hair everywhere and the poop, yuck!”
“We also ran into Tyler and Raven while we were walking.”
“Really? How did that go? I know you can’t stand her.”
“It went great! Bryce said he was my boyfriend and Chase ran her off by being his gruff self. They were left dumbfounded. I loved every second of it. Too bad they weren’t in high school with me. I would have had a much better time.” I paused and thought back to high school and Callie. God, I still missed her terribly. In a softer voice, I said, “I think Callie would have loved them.”
“I know she would have! She would have loved anyone who cares for you like they do. Now, don’t get me wrong, I think she would have put them through the ringer first, but then once she was convinced they were honorable, she would have embraced them. Are you going to go see her gravesite?”
“Yes. I think I will probably go tomorrow. I think I am finally ready. How are her parents? Have you seen them recently?”
“Yes, we had dinner with them a couple of weeks ago. They miss you, too. You should go by and see them while you’re here. They are very proud of you and how well you are doing in college.”
“I don’t think I am ready to see them yet. It would be too hard. I will either give them a call or write them a letter. I feel terrible about not visiting them, but it is too difficult to see them, because I see her in them. Mom, I miss her so much. It is not fair that she doesn’t get to grow up and experience life. She was only eighteen. She had barely lived.” I started to cry. “It’s just not fair!” My mom came over and hugged me while I cried. I looked up and saw Carter and Bryce standing in the doorway, looking worried.
“Bre, are you okay?” Carter asked.
I pulled away from Mom and walked over to them; they both hugged me at the same time. “I’m fine. I was thinking about Callie and how I need to go to her gravesite tomorrow.” I relaxed into them a little. “I still miss her so much.”
Bryce rubbed circles on my back, “I know, sweet girl. I am so sorry you had to go through that. We will all go with you tomorrow and you can introduce us to her. Would you like that?”
“Yes, I would. Thank you.” They each gave me a kiss on the cheek before walking back into the family room.
I turned to look at my mom and saw her eyes were glassy with unshed tears. “They really love you, Bre. You are very lucky to have them in your life. It was like they knew you were upset and had to come to you. I have never seen anything like it.”
I smiled a little at that, knowing she was exactly right. They knew I was upset, because they could feel it. I knew this, because I could feel all of their love and strength flowing into me right now. Our bonds were getting stronger.
Mom and I made our way back into the family room a little while later. The afternoon turned into evening and we all ate leftovers for dinner and called it a night. I walked the guys to their cars. “Thank you for coming to Thanksgiving and helping so much!”
Harrison picked me up off my feet in a big hug, “Bre, we wouldn’t have missed it for the world. Happy Birthday!” He kissed me on the cheek and stepped away.
Chase walked up to me next, “Bre, Happy Birthday. I will continue to work on things, so don’t worry.”
“Chase, I almost forgot, I asked my mom about her headaches today. She said she used to get them a lot when I was little, but hadn’t for years until last night. I’m not sure if that will help at all, but wanted to tell you,” I said.
“That does help, thank you.” Chase leaned in, kissed me on the cheek, and whispered in my ear, “I miss holding you at night. When we get back home, you, me, and The Notebook in your bed. How does that sound?”
I looked at him, astonished. “Really? I would love that. You really must miss me if you are willing to watch The Notebook!”
“You have no idea! Sleep well and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Bryce, Carter, and Mason also gave me a kiss on the cheek and wished me a happy birthday before they all left to return to their hotel. I sighed and went back into the house. I loved being with my parents, but I was ready to be back home with my guys.
I talked with my parents about school, my classes, and North Carolina for a couple of hours until it got late and we headed off to bed. As I laid in bed reliving the day and thinking about how perfect it was, I thought about how they knew I was upset and came to comfort me so quickly. I needed to ask them more about bonding. All I knew was that when you were fully bonded with someone, you took on their gift permanently. They never said anything about being able to sense the others’ feelings. I wondered what else would happen once we were fully bonded. I started getting nervous thinking about being fully bonded to all of them. That meant I would need to have sex with each of them. Don’t get me wrong, once I was ready for sex, I would have no problem being with any of them, but growing up human made me a little uncomfortable about sleeping with five different people. Sleeping with one of them made me anxious. Most of them were a little older than I was and I was sure vastly more experienced. What if I sucked at it and they were stuck with me for the rest of their lives? What if the others knew when I’d had sex with one of them? I imagined walking down to breakfast one morning and having to face the other four. I shivered when an uncomfortable dread filled me. What if two of them wanted to have sex with me at the same time? How would that even work? All these questions were making my heart race and my forehead was sweating. My mind was bouncing all over the place when my phone rang. I answered it without looking to see who it was.
“Bre, are you okay? What’s happening?” Bryce asked.
“I’m fine, just lying in bed thinking about things.”
“Oh, okay. We were all hanging out in my room when all of us suddenly felt anxious and jittery. Our hearts were racing and we started feeling nauseous. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine, I promise. I was just thinking about some things that were making me a little nervous.”
“Give me the phone. Bre, this is Chase. We are coming over now. Just stay where you are and we will be there in fifteen minutes.”
“Chase, no, I’m fine. I was just worried a little about some things.”
“What things, baby? I’m going to put you on speaker so we can all talk to you.”
Great, now they wanted to know my fears about having sex with them. Could this get any worse? I couldn’t talk to them about this. Then, I thought back to something my mom said to me once, “If you can’t talk about sex, then you shouldn’t be having it.” I giggled a little at that, knowing she was exactly right. So I pulled my big girl panties up and told them. “I was thinking about how I will have sex with each of you to fully complete the bond and how I was nervous about it.” There. They asked, I answered.
There was complete silence for a few seconds before Bryce spoke up, “Bre, we sometimes forget that you didn’t grow up in an Elemental environment and think differently about things like that. Plus, the fact that you are inexperienced probably adds to your nervousness. Sweetheart, don’t worry at all. Things will progress with each of us as it should. None of us will pressure you to do anything you are not ready for. We have a very long lifetime to be together and we are in no rush. We will take all of this at your pace.”
“Thank you, Bryce. That really does make me feel better, but I worry about being with one of you and how the others will feel about it. My worst fear is that you will fight or argue with each other. I will not allow anything, including myself, to break this family up. I would rather be alone than have that happen.” It was easier to talk to them about this when I didn’t have to look at them. I would be so embarrassed to have this conversation in person. I was very glad they called me.
“Bre, we would never have a problem with you being with one of us. We are a family and one day, we will be fully bonded to each other. You have to understand that we grew up understanding we would be in a multiple-person relationship. We never thought it would be with five others, but we always knew we would either share a woman with another man or would have two women share us. The only thing we worried about was if we would be able to get along with the other man if that was how it worked out. We are extremely lucky to have our entire family bond to the same girl. I am sure the others feel the same way I do when I say, I could not in my wildest dreams have imagined it working out better. I will have my family of brothers with me for my entire life while we work together to make our bonded the happiest Elemental in the world,” Chase said.
A small tear slid down my face at his sweet and sincere words. Chase may be the grumpiest of the guys, but he was also the most feeling. He felt his emotions deeper than anyone. “Thank you, Chase,” I said softly. “You guys are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I can’t imagine my life without you.”
“I’m glad you feel better. Now, get some sleep and we will see you tomorrow,” Chase replied.
I heard the others in the background.
“Goodnight.”
“Sleep well.”
“See you tomorrow.”
“Miss you, sweetie.”
My guys were the best. I felt so much better after talking with them. I still couldn’t believe I said what I said. I blushed just thinking about it. I guess I would do what Bryce said and take it as it goes with each of them. I did need to make sure I spent alone time with each of them, though. Sleeping together was one way, but I needed to start spending time with them outside of the bedroom. Wow, never thought I would think that statement about five men! Oh, how my life had changed.