Tia

After surviving brutal Alaskan winters, I feel as if I'm prepared for any elements. But as I leave the hotel in downtown Stockholm, in early December, the cold is a shock to my system.

"It's freezing here," I say as Fallon wraps his arm around me, leading me to the limousine where my other husbands are waiting.

"I'll keep you warm," he tells me, a sly smile on his lips. He is in military dress and looking quite the soldier in his uniform.

I look up at him, feeling like a queen.

In my beautiful red satin gown, with my hair piled up on my head, and a white fur draped around my shoulders, there is no way I couldn’t feel regal.

"You plan to keep me warm tonight?" I ask a smile playing on my lips.

"You know I will. We've all been looking forward to tonight," he tells me.

"Looking forward to what exactly?" I ask feigning innocence. " You mean the ceremony for the Nobel peace prize? That's what you're so excited about?"

Fallon rests his hand on my butt as he leads me to the limousine waiting for us.

"Yes,” he says dryly. “I was looking forward to a long drawn out ceremony for an award we already know Banks will be given. That is exactly what I’m desperate for."

I laugh as I climb in, my other husbands are already in their seats waiting for us. A driver closes the door, and I lean back in the luxurious leather seat of the limousine.

It pulls away from the hotel and takes us toward the ceremony. Huxley hands me a glass of champagne and we all raise our flutes as we make a toast.

"To our first night without the babies," Salinger says.

My face falls. "I can't believe we left them."

"We didn’t leave anyone, there are six babies in a hotel room with half a dozen nannies. I'm pretty sure they’re going to be okay," Emerson says reassuringly. "Besides, my mother is there. I promise, everyone's going to be fine. This night is about us, okay?"

"I know, I just get so nervous."

And with reason. Even though all six babies are happy and healthy, and already almost a year old, I still get anxious every time I leave the room. They are my heart and soul.

But balance is important. And tonight is something we have been looking forward to. It’s something my husbands need as much as I. An evening to celebrate Banks and then a night to celebrate us.

My recovery from the C-section took longer than I thought. Then there were the sleepless nights, and nursing that was literally around the clock.

Truth is, all seven of us, together, haven't made love in a year.

We've all found moments to be intimate, and our schedule has helped all of us get undivided attention. So, yes, I can manage one-on-one rendezvous, but all of us in the same room, without an infant? That hasn’t happened once.

With a household the size of ours, there are not very many opportunities for uninterrupted quiet.

That was before the babies started crawling. And Blair, our littlest, is already walking. I told Banks it shouldn't be possible, but he assured me it's physically plausible. And the proof is before our very eyes. She toddles all around, keeping everyone on their toes.

And as Miriam and Grace tell me constantly, they grow up so fast. I can't think about that right now though, because I’m already blinking back tears.

"Are you nervous?" I ask Banks as I nestle beside him. He adjusts his tie and shakes his head. He looks impeccable tonight, his suit polished and tailored to perfection.

"I'm just honored," he says so nonchalantly. He keeps a cool and confident exterior, but I know in his heart, how much this honor means to him. He’s been through so much, and yet here he is -- the man who saved the world.

"I just can't believe we are all actually in Sweden," Emerson says. "Never thought I’d travel the world like this."

"Really?" Giles asks. "But you're a Navy man, you're meant to be on the sea."

"I guess I never expected to be traveling like this with my family,” he says with his eyes on mine. “It kind of exceeds my wildest dreams."

Emerson never ceases to amaze me with his gratitude for life. He has so many reasons to be bitter, but instead, he continues to look to the sky, to the heavens. He has faith that everything will be okay and it makes us all stronger.

"Neither did I,” I say looking over Salinger, "But if things continue as they seem to be, I suppose we might have a lot more traveling in the future."

"Don't get ahead of yourself,” he says. “I’m just a nominee."

Salinger’s name has been pushed forward as a potential candidate for the presidency of the United States of America.

"First things first,” Sal says. “Tonight, we are here to celebrate Banks.” He lifts his champagne flute. “We love you man.”

"We certainly do," I tell my husband, kissing Banks on the lips, savoring the moment.

When I pull back, I sigh as the limo begins to circle the entrance to the ceremony. There are hundreds of guests entering the pavilion.

"There are going to be so many people here," I say taking a deep breath. It's my first public appearance since the interviews the week after the babies were born.

I know pictures of my husbands and me will be plastered all over magazines and newspapers across the globe.

We are not only a polyandrous family, but we’ve set wheels in motion for new laws across the world regarding marriage and family. Beyond that, Banks found a cure. Salinger is the Director of Alaska. Giles, Emerson, and Fallon were recently awarded medals of bravery after they entered a war-torn region and delivered medical supplies, including the cure to pregnant women. Working alongside Miriam, Huxley has created a database and emergency alert system that has allowed all women in the United States, protection from men like Lawson and my father who would use the vulnerable for their own gain. Because of his work, there are centers all across the lower forty-eight states for women in crisis to go to.

To say we are high-profile is an understatement.

"You have nothing to be worried about," Fallon tells me. "You look ravishing."

"Yes, she does," Banks adds, then nuzzles my neck he whispers, "And I plan on ravishing you the moment we get out of the ceremony."

Hours later, we’re back at the hotel, alone, with no babies in the penthouse suite that Huxley purchased for the evening. The ceremony was as monumental and beautiful as we all imagined. I was honored to stand beside my husband as he accepted his Nobel Peace Prize. He gave a moving speech detailing his dramatic discovery in medicine that has saved humanity from the population crisis that swept the globe.

But right now, he doesn't want to talk about that or hear anymore about how amazing I think he is. Right now he wants one thing and one thing only. To get me out of this dress.

"Why did you have to pick such a massive gown?" He asks as the hotel room door closes.

There is a cart filled with desserts and champagne on ice waiting for us. In the background, there is romantic, classical music. Candles are lit. And, per my request, three king-size beds have been pushed together to create one enormous one.

We plan on making love all night long.

"I needed this dress since it’s forgiving. I still have the baby weight."

"Shush," Emerson says standing in front of me and cupping my face with his hands. “You look fucking gorgeous.”

"He's right,” Salinger says. “You’re a MILF."

Sal thinks he's hilarious, but I lower my head blushing. "Did the Director literally just call me a MILF?" I shake my head as my husbands look me up and down.

I may not be back to my pre-baby shape, but this corset is holding me in quite nicely, pulling my breasts together, making my waist narrow, and giving me the curves I remembered having before growing six babies.

I have on thigh highs held up by garters, and stiletto heels.

"You look amazing," Giles says coming up to me, his fingertips running over my arms. "But you don't need this corset on, in fact, you don't need any of this on. I want you naked, Tia. And I want to help you get that way."

I swallow. "It's been so long, I hope I don't disappoint you," I tell him as he unhooks the corset and tosses it aside. I watch as Huxley kneels down, rolling off my stockings, slipping my feet from the heels.

"And those panties have got to go," Fallon adds, stepping up behind me pushing them down. His hands wrap around my waist, his hard cock already pressing against my back.

"I've missed this," I tell him, turning around so my body faces his.

I’ve been stripped to nothing and my body warms up watching my husbands remove their clothes. Their thick cocks at attention, ready for me.

“I hope I remember how to do this,” I say laughing, but there is truth in my words.

I'm a mother now and they are fathers and over the last year, we’ve watched one another change before our very eyes.

We are parents. There’s a different weight to every choice we make now, every decision doesn't just affect us, it affects our six babies, our two nieces, and Mason.

That's a lot of family, and that's a lot of love.

"Change is a good thing," Emerson says. "If you don't change, how can you grow?"

It's true. I feel myself growing every day. Stronger and wiser and more capable.

Salinger lifts me up, carrying me to bed, and I exhale as my husbands begin to explore my body. I reach for them, the space between my thighs is slick and ready.

"I love you," I tell Giles as he leans down, his mouth on mine. His tongue presses inside me, exploring me all over again.

His kisses peel open my heart, and at the same time Banks spreads my knees dipping his head low, and licking my pussy.

"Yes, Sir," I moan as he sucks my clit, then running his tongue up and down my slit.

My husband smile, by now everyone knows the games Banks and I play. The same way they all know that Fallon likes it from behind, that Huxley often cries when he comes. The fact that Giles was a virgin when we wed. That Salinger and I still fantasize about the brothel. The truth that Emerson can go down on me with that beard of his for hours on end.

You can't hide anything when you're married into a family like this.

And that's good. Actually, it's everything

I'm done with secrets, and I'm done with running, with hiding behind a fake name and letting fear rule my heart.

Now I’m just Tia.

The wife of Fallon, Giles, Salinger, Banks, Emerson, and Huxley.

Mother of Mason, Caroline, Beth, Maja, Charlotte, Finley, Aiden, Blair, and Devin.

The daughter of a man I killed and a woman I’ll never know.

And my family will continue to grow where we are planted. This family tree is growing with deep roots and strong branches.

We met because of the lottery, a game of chance.

And with those odds, we formed a family and created a legacy.