Loving Lacey

***All persons depicted in sexual activity are over 18***

Late December

Year 2 of Us

Christmas

I was sitting in my chair as Lacey moved around on the bed.

"Wyatt?" she called softly.

"Right here," I answered as I stood up, putting my book on the side table. I walked over to her and smiled as she pulled her night cap off, sitting up and looking at me. I sat beside her, putting my arm around her as she leaned into me, while I leaned against the headboard.

"What time is it?" she asked as she yawned.

"It's a little after six," I answered before kissing the top of her head. "And" I added, "before you ask, the babies are sleeping fine. I checked on them about ten minutes ago."

"That's good." She snuggled into me, trying to get closer to me. "Who's on duty?"

"Cathy. I think. She's like a deer, you know?"

"Like a deer?" She moved her head so that she could see my face.

I nodded, then I smiled. "She's fine around you and the ladies. Even when Erica and Travis come to visit, she's lively and laughs. When she's around me, it's like she tries to hide behind... well, anybody else she can find." I looked at Lacey. "Last night, she nearly ran out of the kitchen when I came in to get some tea."

Lacey giggled. "She didn't!"

"She did! I thought Tina was going to have a stroke, the way she was giggling."

"At least Tina and you have reached friendship."

"Friendship?"

Lacey nodded before settling her head against my chest, her right arm over me. "Yep. She told me so the other night. She really feels horrible about the way things started last month."

I shrugged a bit. "I'm glad that she's changed her mind about me. This whole thing might have collapsed if we hadn't worked things out."

Lacey sighed and patted my stomach. "We had some long talks."

"When?"

"Various times over the past six weeks." I could feel her smile. "You probably don't remember, but last weekend you fell asleep in here. Tina came in and we talked some, and while we were talking, you cuddled up to her."

"To Tina?!"

"Yeah. She was slightly surprised, but she got your head on her lap while we talked. You slept for a long time before you finally rolled away from her." Lacey giggled. "She had several expressions on her face the entire time. I think she's starting to feel a little protective of you."

"Why?"

"She loves the babies, and you're their dad, so that gets you in." Lacey started to caress me. "Besides, she's gotten to know you, and you're not that bad, you know."

"Not that bad?" I asked, fake indignation in my voice.

Lacey started to giggle and then she sat up a bit. "Well, *I* think you're fantastic!" She looked at me. "I'm not the only one who feels that way, you know. Duncan, Samantha, Sherlock, LB..." she started to laugh, and I joined in.

"You're pretty fantastic, too, Lacey," I said as I pulled her close. I started to kiss her when there was a light tap at the door.

"Are you guys awake?" Cathy asked softly.

"No, we're still asleep!" Lacey replied with a snicker.

Cathy stuck her head in and looked at us. "Very funny," she said sarcastically, but she was smiling when she spoke. "Roni just told me that there were a lot more presents around the tree this morning than when we went to bed last night."

She didn't look at me but concentrated on Lacey instead. Lacey kept her face straight as she shrugged and shook her head. "I have no idea what happened," she replied.

I tried my best to look puzzled. "Tell you what, Cathy. Right after the babies get their breakfast, we'll go down and try to figure out what's happened."

Cathy glanced at me quickly, then looked back at Lacey. I could tell, because even though Lacey and I were right beside each other, I couldn't really see Cathy's eyes. "Okay. I have the duty today, although all of us are ready to help. Whoever's closest will be in."

I nodded, noting that she used the phrase "the duty," and then I reached for my phone. "That means that you're up," I lifted my phone and we all could hear the noises coming from the babies' room. "That's Duncan starting his day. Cathy, I'll meet you in there." I patted Lacey's thigh. "You get ready, love." Lacey nodded and started to get up. "Nah. Stay here and be really comfortable."

She kissed me before I got up and followed Cathy. "You're not limping, Wyatt," she said.

"I know," I grinned at her over my shoulder. I got a smile back, so I felt better and awake.

Once with the babies, they both were awake, so Cathy cleaned up Duncan while I took care of my daughter. "Cathy?"

"Yes?" Her voice was calm, and she picked Duncan up, holding him tenderly.

"Thank you for all the help you've given Lacey." I said as I lifted Samantha up and turned to the changing table.

"You're very welcome, Wyatt." Cathy headed back into the bedroom but paused at the door. "She's my dearest friend," and then was gone.

I put Samantha down, changed her diaper, and smiled as she gurgled up at me. "I know, littlest princess. You're hungry and you know that I can't really help you."

Picking her up, I held her against my shoulder as I walked into the bedroom.

I started to hum our song as I wandered through the room while Lacey fed Duncan.

Cathy was sitting next to her, and both of the women had smiles on their faces. Cathy was looking at Duncan, and her smile was tender. Lacey's smile, though, was of pure contentment as she cradled our son to her.

Cathy glanced up at me, then looked away quickly. I was going to have to find out what all that was about. Later, though, later. My primary concern now was the babies. And their mother. My anchor in the world, holder of my heart.

As I moved around, softly singing to Samantha, Lacey said, "You're moving really well, Wyatt."

Cathy added, "He's been working hard down in the exercise room, Lacey." She gave me a shy smile. "Tina's been good for him -- she stays with him when he's down there."

I nodded. "She called the P.T. folks and got them to send *her* a program for me to follow. She'd be a good therapist if she ever wants to do that."

"Oh?" Lacey asked with a gentle smile.

"Yeah." I answered softly, feeling Samantha resting on my shoulder. "She's got enough toughness to make me to follow what's she's saying, but enough empathy, too, to be aware when I'm getting too tired or hurting too much." I smiled at both of them and was aware of the soft breathing of my daughter at my neck.

I knew that Cathy was watching me closely, but I made sure to not look directly at her. Duncan pulled off and Lacey smiled down at him, saying, "I think he's done." She placed him on her shoulder and patted him gently, getting a burp from him.

"Yep, he's full," I said, as I moved over to her side of the bed as Cathy carefully took Duncan into her arms.

"Should I put him into bed?" Lacey shook her head. "No, wait until she's finished. They sleep better then."

"Wait," I said, and they both looked at me. "Once Sam finishes, let's go downstairs and have Christmas morning." I leaned over and gently placed our daughter into her mother's arms. Once Lacey had Sam in position and suckling, I kissed Lacey on the cheek and looked around.

"I'll go let the others know, and we can decide if breakfast is before, or after, presents."

Lacey looked at me and then replied, "I think that I can tell you my choice right now!"

"Oh?" I smiled at her. "Let me guess -- you vote for presents first."

She grinned at me. "You are correct, my beloved cowboy."

So, while Lacey fed Sam, and Cathy cuddled Duncan, I put on one of my Christmas shirts over lounge pants before going out into the hall. Each of the women had a room on this side of the second floor, and I walked down it. I tapped on Tina's door and got a muffled response, so I opened it slightly and stuck my head in.

"Tina, we're going to go down for presents and breakfast, if you're willing." Her head lifted from the blankets, and she blinked her eyes as she looked at me. "There's been one vote for presents first."

Tina yawned, then stretched her arms out of the blankets. "I vote for presents first, too." Roni's head came out of the blankets, and she smiled at me. "I vote for presents first, too! Or three? Whatever." She giggled and then I started to close the door when I heard Tina call, "We'll be down shortly!"

I moved past Roni's room, and the same for Cathy's room. I tapped on Miriam's door, just before it was opened from inside, and Miriam smiled at me. "I just got a text from Roni. I vote for presents first. Who's going to make breakfast?"

I smiled. "I will." I started to turn around when she took me by the arm. She surprised me by stepping close to me and quickly giving me a kiss. "What was that for?" I said, surprised.

She smiled. "Just following the instructions on your shirt. I'll meet you guys downstairs," then she closed the door.

I walked back to our room, shaking my head. When I got there, Lacey was up and dressing while Sam dozed in the center of the bed under LB's watchful gaze. She looked up at me, wagged her tail, then went back to watching her little person. I patted her on the back and ruffled Sherlock's ears as he lay next to the bed.

Cathy had sat in the Nursing Chair while Duncan continued to sleep. "What are we going to do with the babies while we're downstairs?"

Lacey finished pulling her shirt over her head before answering. "We'll make that nest in the living room?"

"Nest?" I asked.

"You'll see," Lacey said, and I noticed that Cathy nodded her agreement. "It's something we figured out last week."

I shrugged. "I just got a kiss from Miriam. She said that she was following the instructions on my shirt?"

Lacey turned and looked at me, then started to laugh softly.

"What's so funny, love?"

She walked to me and turned me slightly so that I could see the front of the shirt that I was wearing in the mirror. She read it to me. "If a big girl wants special presents from Santa, he needs kissed." She lifted up and gave me a quick but deep kiss. "Santa knows what kind of special presents that *I* want." She kissed me again. "Actually, I think that I *need* those presents."

There was a tapping on the door frame before Tina stuck her head in. "I thought that we were going downstairs?"

"We are," Lacey replied lightly as she bent over to pick up Sam, who made a little cooing noise before snuggling her head into her mommy's shoulder.

"Should I change shirts?" I asked. "I don't want to make anybody uncomfortable."

"Show us the shirt, Wyatt," said Tina. "We'll let you know if you need to change it."

Cathy moved to stand beside Tina as Roni and Miriam came into the room. I could see all four of them reading it, then all four of them grinned.

"I like that shirt!" exclaimed Roni.

"So do I!" added Tina. Cathy nodded.

"You already know how I feel about it," said Miriam with a smile, which I returned.

"My Santa knows how *I* feel about that shirt. I gave it to him last year," Lacey giggled.

"Did you get special presents after you kissed him?" Miriam asked.

"Oh, lots of special presents that day. That night. And... the next day." Lacey gave all of them that wicked smile of hers, and when they all looked at me, I just smiled.

"Santa always delivers on his promises," she added.

"Does he really, Lacey?" Roni sounded intrigued.

Lacey smiled at her. "Oh, yes, he really does."

"And on that note, let's go downstairs and open presents." I put my arm around

Lacey and led the way to the great room. LB and Sherlock somehow got past us and rushed down the stairs. There was no barking, but all four ears were perked up and both tails were wagging with excitement as they reached the ground floor.

They were dancing around us as Lacey carried the sleeping Samantha to the area near the tree. I went over and turned on the lights, as Tina and Roni disappeared into the ground floor guest room. I was puzzled when they came out carrying the mattress from the twin bed, followed by Miriam, who had four or five pillows in her arms. Tina and Roni looked at Lacey, who pointed to a spot just beyond one of the armchairs. They set the mattress down and Miriam proceeded to build a couple of walls from the pillows.

Lacey smiled broadly as she and Cathy deposited the sleeping babies on the mattress. "LB. Sherlock. Watch," commanded Lacey and LB settled in the open area on end of the mattress, while Sherlock did the same at the other end.

"How long?" I asked Lacey.

She grinned. "About fifteen minutes and a dozen treats each."

I smiled at her. "That's impressive, as always, my love."

"Thank you, Santa!" I leaned over and gave her a kiss.

"Okay, ladies, in amongst that stuff," I pointed to several dozen presents arranged around the tree, "are five presents for each of you."

"Five!" Tina looked surprised.

"Yes, five. There is a sexy present, a naughty present, a sweet one, a nice one, and a funny one."

"But," Tina protested, "we didn't get *you* anything!"

"Tina's right, Wyatt," added Miriam, "there aren't any presents in there from any of us to you."

"Are you sure about that, Miriam?" asked Lacey.

"Well, no. Not really."

"Okay, then." I looked around at them. "As the Santa of this home, I appoint Miriam and Roni as temporary gifting elves." I clapped my hands. "Get to it, ladies!"

Lacey had settled onto the couch. I leaned over, gave her a kiss, and asked, "Do you want some milk?"

"Please?"

"Of course, my princess. Save my seat." I headed into the kitchen as gifts were examined, then handed off to be piled by the recipient. I poured her milk, grabbed a handful of nuts, and headed back into the great room. I handed Lacey her milk and stepped around her small pile of presents. I grinned when her pile continued to grow, ending with about two dozen boxes.

As they all sat down, on the couch, in the chairs or on the floor, presents arranged around them, I spoke. "Ladies, you said that you hadn't gotten me a present of any kind." All four heads nodded. I leaned over to Lacey and put my arm around her. "You're wrong. You've given me a most wonderful gift. My love is resting and is able to devote most of her energy to those two." I indicated the twins with a head movement. "That's probably one of the best gifts anyone has ever given me."

All eyes were on me, so I smiled. "Open 'em up, ladies."

They did.

It was hilarious, with lots of giggling and soft laughter. We were having fun, but we were also aware of the two babies sleeping close by. I helped Lacey if she needed it, but I mostly kept my eyes on the other four. I was aware that they had all gotten gifts for each other, and for Lacey. As the presents were opened, they discovered that each of them had gotten some lingerie, in their favorite color; an adult toy; a box of their favorite candy, from mixed chocolates to a box of candy bars; Cathy and Miriam got books, while Tina and Roni got stuffed unicorns; and they each got a gag gift, from a fake nose and glasses to a coloring book with crayons.

Lacey was pleasantly surprised with her gifts, which included clothing and some books. When all the excitement had died down, and all the wrapping paper, bows, and ribbons had been gathered and put away, Lacey leaned against me and gave me a kiss. "Wyatt, I know that you were serious about not wanting any gifts this year, but I did get you something anyways." Her voice was almost timid.

"Oh?" I was curious.

"Yes." She lifted her head. "Cathy, will you get that gift box from the end table by you, please?"

Cathy nodded and opened the drawer. She reached in and pulled out a small, neatly wrapped box. She passed it to Roni, who reached over and handed it to Lacey. She smiled at me and handed me the box. "Merry Christmas, Wyatt."

"Thank you, love." I looked at it, then opened it. Inside the box was another gold dog tag. On one side were our names, intertwined, while on the other were Duncan and Samantha, along with their birth date. I gently held it, slowly turning it over in my hand as I looked at it.

"Wyatt?"

I started a bit, I was so engrossed in the simple beauty of it. "Yes, Lacey?"

"Is it okay?"

"Okay? No." I looked up to see her expression starting to fall. "It's not okay. It's wonderful!" I pulled her close and gave her a deep kiss, our tongues touching and playing. She pulled away, gasping a bit, and I could see tears along her eyes. I wiped them away. "There's no need to cry."

"I'm so glad. I was worried."

"Worried? Why?"

"Well, to be honest, there have been times lately when your temper has had a short fuse." She looked into my eyes. "You've not gotten mad, but you've been pushing yourself so hard." She moved onto her knees, facing me. "I'm so glad that we've got help, because I've been so worried about you."

I could see the tears starting to form again, so I wiped them away with my fingers. "I'm sorry, love. I really am. I'm bull-headed at times, and if I wasn't for you and Erica beating me up over this..."

She grabbed my beard and gently pulled me to her. "You did your best, Wyatt, and it was wonderful, but you just didn't have enough hours in the day. I love you, mister, and those babies love you, too. We need you functional." She kissed me then, her tongue pressing deeply into my mouth. I felt her hands slip behind my head and she held me close to her.

I was surprised to feel another pair of hands start to caress my back, then still another doing the same thing. Lacey saw my eyes open wide and she broke the kiss, giving me her wicked smile. I looked up and saw Cathy standing behind Lacey, a big smile on her face. Tina and Miriam were the ones with their hands on my back, and Roni was caressing Lacey's hair.

Roni spoke up. "Wyatt, I think that all four of us have come to love you in the past months." The other three nodded and smiled.

Suddenly Miriam started to giggle.

"What's so funny, Mir?" Lacey asked, still keeping a hand on my cheek.

"I think Tina's hungry!"

Tina giggles, too. "Well, I *am* hungry." She bumped Miriam with her shoulder.

"Who's making breakfast?"

"*I* am," I answered.

"Are you sure?" Cathy asked, before covering her mouth with a hand.

"Yep." I kissed Lacey, then Miriam, and Tina surprised me by giving me a peck on the check. I stood up as Roni moved closer, her face upturned. I kissed her gently as Cathy backed away quickly. "Cathy." She stopped moving, her eyes wide. "I will never try to kiss you, unless *you* want it." My voice was soft as I smiled at her. She nodded as Roni took her hand and led her back.

I still wondered just what was going on there, but it wasn't vital that I knew. I walked into the kitchen after announcing, "Pancakes, eggs, bacon. Anything else?"

"Juice!" Lacey called.

I turned and winked at her. "Of course, my love."

I heard them all talking with each other, but I mostly tuned it out as I prepared the pancake batter, started the bacon and eggs, and set out the plates. A few minutes later, Miriam came into the kitchen and asked, "What can I do to help?"

I smiled at her. "We're going to do it buffet style, so if you would, please set the dining room table with silverware. I'm going to make a big batch of scrambled eggs." She nodded as she opened the drawer and pulled out enough for all six of us.

I put the cooked bacon into a pan, set that pan on one of the warmers on the back of the stove, did the same thing with the eggs, then stepped around the wall. "Okay, bacon and eggs are ready for serving buffet style. Who wants pancakes and how many?"

Everybody wanted at least two, so as I started cooking, Miriam came in, opened the refrigerator and pulled butter and maple syrup from it. She grinned at me. "Save some for yourself, Wyatt."

I nodded as the others came in. I had placed trivets on the island counter, so I quickly placed the bacon and eggs on them. The first pancakes came off the griddle and I gave them to Lacey, who blew me a kiss. Then it was Roni, Tina, Cathy. They all smiled at me, too, as Miriam grabbed her food. I turned the range off, slid my pancakes onto my plate before taking the last of the eggs and bacon.