Loving Lacey

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

Early April

Year 3 of Us

Saturday

I didn't know what time it was, but I heard voices calling. "Da-da! Da-da!"

I opened my eyes and tried to locate the source just as I heard Lovey Bear making her boofing sound from my right. I blinked my eyes and felt her resting her chin in my outstretched hand. "Okay, girl. I hear them. Hang on a second."

I wasn't sure how I was going to do this. Cathy was snuggled up to me and her head was on my right arm. I started to move, trying to get up, when Lacey pressed down on my chest with one hand.

"I'll get them, love." She leaned over my face and gave me that wicked grin of hers. "You're going to need all the rest you can get, the next few days." She dipped her head towards mine and gave me a deep kiss. "You stay here and snuggle your Kitty-cat."

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. They're easier to handle, these days." Lacey was already out of bed and pulling her robe over her naked body. I watched as she swayed her hips back and forth before she got to the bedroom door. "Like looking at that, don't you?" She grinned and then she was out the door.

"What's going on?" Cathy yawned and caressed my chest as she moved her head to it.

"Saturday morning wake up. Lacey's gone to get the kids up, and I'm supposed to be getting more rest. Something about needing to rest up for the next few days."

Cathy giggled. "She told you that, huh?"

"Yes, she did. Were you two talking after I feel asleep last night?"

"Oh, yes, we were, my love." Cathy ran her leg over mine, and it felt nice. "How long do we have?"

"Not enough to do more than kiss and fondle. Maybe."

"What's she going to do?"

"Oh, you haven't been through that part of the morning yet, have you?"

"No. You've been out of bed much earlier than me. Do you usually get them up?"

"Sometimes." I gave her a gentle kiss. "To start, there're diapers to change. Then, they get brought in here, to cuddle and giggle with whoever's still in bed."

I turned my head and saw her smile. "Those have been fun."

"They usually are, unless someone is sick."

"That's bad?"

"Oh, yeah. The last time was a couple of months ago, though, and they seemed fine last night when they went down."

I heard laughter coming from the hall, and some gentle barking, too. It sounded like Sherlock was having fun. Lacey swung through the door, Duncan on her left hip, Samantha on her right. "See, there's Daddy! And Mama Cathy!"

Duncan reached his arms out towards the bed, making gurgling laughs. Samantha, though, smiled and let out a yell, and Lacey rocked back.

"Sam! No yelling in the house."

She bobbed her head before patting Lacey's arm. "Sam no yell, Mommy."

Lacey turned to look at Sam with a surprised expression on her face.

"Dunc no yell, Mommy."

Lacey looked at him, as surprised as she had been before. Lacey made it to the bed as Cathy and I both sat up. "Did you hear that?"

"What, that they called you Mommy?"

"Yes, that was nice. Those were sentences." Lacey kissed each of them before they clambered out of your arms and crawled onto the bed. "Short ones, but sentences." Lacey had the biggest smile on her face as she looked at me.

"I knew they were going to be smart, Lacey."

"How do you know that?"

"Look who their parents are!" I grinned at Lacey as Duncan crawled to me and pulled himself to look into my eyes.

"Da-da!"

"Duncan!" We smiled at each other and then he started to giggle as I tickled his sides. I leaned my head down and kissed the top of his head. "How are you doing this morning, Duncan?" He kept giggling and then Lacey started to gently scratch his back.

Cathy had been holding Samantha, who looked up at her and said, "Mama Catty," very firmly before putting her arms around Cathy's neck. Cathy gave her a kiss on her cheek and Sam nestled into Cathy's arms.

Lacey smiled at both of them before looking at me. "If you'll get dressed, we can fix breakfast."

"Sounds good to me. You wanna take him while I get some clothes on?"

"Sure. Cathy, had him his glasses, please." Lacey reached around, found them, and handed them to me.

Lacey got Duncan's attention while I took my glasses. I got up, pulled on some pants and a shirt, and then looked for my slippers. "Sherlock." The dog looked at me. "Get off my slippers." He stood and moved closer to Cathy. "Thank you, puppy boy!" I gave his ears scratches and then I stretched.

I held out my arms. "Sam?"

"Dada!" Sam turned away from Cathy and held out her arms. I picked her up and stepped away from the bed. Cathy reached to the nightstand and took a robe that had been laid there. She flipped it around her, putting her arms into the sleeves as she stood. She gave Sam and I quick kisses before heading to the bathroom.

"Hey!" Lacey called to her. Cathy kept going, with just a wave of her hand. We turned to each other. "I guess she really had to go," Lacey snickered.

"Must be."

The dogs were looking up at us, and I smiled. "Give Cathy a minute or two, puppers." Just as I finished saying that, Cathy came out with a smile on her face. "Feeling better, Cathy?"

"Why, yes, I am!" Cathy smiled, stepped closer to me, and gave Sam a nice kiss on her cheek -- causing Sam to giggle. Cathy turned to me, and gave me a nice deep, quick kiss. Moving around me, Cathy gave Duncan a kiss similar to Sam's, which caused him to giggle, too. Lacey's kiss was similar to mine. "Now, everybody's been kissed. Let's make some breakfast and talk about today."

As we headed down the stairs, Lacey said, "Well, after breakfast, it's a walk for everybody, Wyatt and I work out, then showers before we head to town and do shopping. Anything else?"

"Can I work out, too?" Cathy looked at Lacey.

"Sure. I never even thought to ask if you wanted to. Wyatt?"

"Sure. We've got a big playpen down there with stuff to keep them busy."

"Love, I think she knows about that, she's been here a few days."

"Oh."

Lacey laughed, and Duncan laughed with her, which made me smile. "I meant, anything else for the day?"

"Ah. Where do we want to go for dinner?"

"Wait, you go out for dinner?" Cathy asked, surprised.

"Sure. Every Saturday is date night." Lacey turned into the kitchen and sat Duncan in his chair before I did the thing with Sam. I hooked her belt closed, and looked at her, before giving her a kiss, making her giggle.

"Every Saturday night?" She looks from Lacey to me.

"Sure. We might go out to dinner and come home, we might go over to Erica's and play games. Just depends."

"Oh." Cathy's voice was very small.

Lacey grabbed her by the waist. "You will always be welcome, Cathy. You're family, now."

Cathy smiled. "Will Erica welcome me?"

"Welcome you? Honey-child, Erica welcomes everybody, mostly 'cause she's the sweetest woman that I'm not married to!" I answered.

"What about the kids?"

"Well, Erica has her three, and when we go out, there are only very rare times when the twins stay home with a sitter." Lacey said.

Cathy's smile got bigger, and she kissed Lacey after wrapping her arms around her.

I stepped over to the cooking area. "Okay, what's for breakfast?"

Lacey turned to look at me. "Hungry?"

"Of course. What're you hungry for.? I looked at both of them. "Besides that, you naughty girls." They both laughed and walked over to help me. We looked through the refrigerator and the cabinets, trying to decide.

"Wyatt, if you'll make waffles, I'll get some bacon and scrambled eggs going."

"Okay, Lacey." I grabbed the stuff to make the waffles, pulled the waffle maker out and got it set up. Amazingly, the three of us worked well in our kitchen -- no collisions, but with the occasional fanny pat, breast rub, or kiss as we moved.

The twins were talking to each other in their own language, with some laughing or giggling thrown in. Cathy grabbed the plates and headed for the table.

"No, love. Leave the plates here, but you can put the silverware and napkins on the table." Lacey said.

"Why not the plates?" Cathy was curious.

"Because a certain little girl likes to knock them off the table."

Cathy turned to look at our daughter. "Sam, do you like knocking the plates off?"

Sam giggled and shook her head.

"Don't let that cute look fool you, Cathy. She's a sneaky one, when she wants to be." I warned.

Lacey bumped me with her butt. "But she's still Daddy's little girl."

I sighed. "True." I took the waffles off the warming platter and put them on the plates. "Ready for the rest?"

"Yes."

I handed each of them a plate, Lacey put bacon and eggs on them, and Cathy set them on the table. Lacey and I each took a final plate, with a half waffle on it, to the table. We ate breakfast, talking about various things while Lacey and I helped the twins eat.

After breakfast, Cathy gathered the used dishes, and Lacey got a pair of wet washcloths from the sink area. Wiping the twins' faces, she and I grinned at each other. They knew that the walk was next, and they loved being out with us and the dogs. This was going to be only the third day that we had gone out for our walk since we got back, and I could see that Cathy is excited, too.

"I think we need to change for this, though, beloved."

Lacey looked down at herself and smiled. "It is a little too cold for this robe, isn't it?"

"Well, I *love* how you look in it, but you might get very cold, all things considered." I grinned. "I reckon Cathy needs walking clothes, too."

She laughed from the sink. "While Lacey may be willing to go out in public in just her robe, I'm not!"

Lacey laughed. "Well, I am a slut at times."

"We know, my princess, we know." Lacey leaned over Duncan, and I gave her a quick kiss. She gave the twins a quick kiss, too. "Okay, let's get this party started."

I got Sam out of her chair, and Lacey got Duncan. We headed upstairs, Cathy following behind me. I felt her hand on my butt, then she caressed me. I smiled and Lacey saw it out of the corner of your eye. "Is she getting handsy, love?"

"Should I stop?"

"No, it's okay, Cathy. He's still not used to *me* being handsy. It surprises him when Erica does it, too."

"She does it?"

"Yes. Not often, but she likes caressing the people she cares for."

"She does, Cathy. I know we get strange looks at times. People expect a guy to pat or gently fondle his girl's behind. They don't expect the girl to do it to her guy." I laughed. "We've been here long enough that most of our neighbors don't even think about it."

Lacey led us into the bedroom and set Duncan on the bed. I put Sam next to him, and they both started to "talk" with each other. "You two get ready. I'll wrangle these two, as best as I can," I said, watching them.

I watched as Lacey and Cathy got walking clothes on, and then went into the bathroom to finish a few things. I was sitting on the bed, playing with the kids. We were playing the monster game, where my hands grabbed one of them and the other attacked my arms. It was amazing -- the hero always won, and the monster always fell. Only to come back -- the return was what made this game exciting for them.

"Okay, you three. Time for the twins and their Daddy to get dressed for our walk."

Lacey took Sam and Cathy grabbed Duncan who giggled like crazy. I grinned at him as he waved at me.

I dressed quickly and realized that the dogs were watching me. "And what do you two want?" Both of them stood and walked over to me, tails wagging. "Oh, you think sometime is happening?" LB just looked at me, and Sherlock gave a soft bark. Lacey stuck her head into the bedroom.

"They figure it out?"

"They've been ready since we finished breakfast," I laughed. "Okay, pups, let's go."

At the foot of the stairs, I stopped at the closet. Lacey and Cathy put coats on the kids while I reached in, handed out coats, and then grabbed my gear. I used the palm reader on the safe, opened it, and took out my walking pistol. I slid it into the holster, pulled on the rig, and then my coat.

I stopped still when I realized that Cathy was staring at me. "I had forgotten about you wearing a gun."

I nodded. "I always do when we take a walk."

"But, why?"

"Are you afraid of it?"

"No, not really. I guess I'm more curious than anything else." She did sound more curious than anything else.

"Well, we're in the woods. We've seen bears and a couple of mountain lions. They almost always avoid people, but this pistol is my last resort. Plus, there's always the possibility of two-legged predators. I will use it, if I have to, to defend my family." I looked at her closely. "That family is Lacey, you, the kids and the dogs. I don't want to, but I will."

Cathy looked at me with her eyes wide. "I've never seen you look so fierce."

"When it comes to them, I am fierce." I didn't realize that my voice had gone cold.

Her eyes wide, she stepped close to me. "Thank you," she whispered.

"For what?"

"For being fierce for them. For us." She tilted her face towards me, but she stopped and looked at Lacey.

"Go ahead. Kiss him," she urged.

Cathy did, softly and gently, but with so much promise. I looked past her at Lacey, and she was smiling at us. Cathy backed away and turned to the twins. "Are we ready to go?"

"Not yet," Lacey said. She stepped to the side of the front door and pulled out the double stroller. "Okay, kids, time to go for a ride." Duncan was already trying to climb in, and Sam got to it right after he did.

"Wait, whose turn is it to push?" I asked.

"Yours." Lacey said with a smile.

"Mine? I thought I did it yesterday!"

"Nope, that was Cathy, cowboy."

I made a big, really fake sigh, and helped Duncan get settled into his seat. "Very well. I was hoping to hold Kitty-cat's hand while we walked."

Lacey grinned at me. "Sorry. *I* get to hold her hand. You can watch our asses as we walk, though."

"Hey! That's a bonus I hadn't considered!" I laughed.

Each of them took a dog's leash and went out the door. I pushed the stroller out after them, and closed the door, making sure that it was locked.

"How far are we going today, Lacey?"

"A mile out and a mile back?" She responded.

"Sounds good to me. Cathy, does it sound okay to you?"

"Yes," was her answer.

The walk went well, and I loved hearing the twins' chatter, and watching as Lacey and Cathy walked ahead of me. As we neared the house on our return, I noticed that there weren't any sounds coming from the stroller. I made a little whistle, loud enough for Lacey to turn and look at me. When I nodded my head toward the stroller, she bent over a bit and looked in. When Lacey straightened up, she gave me a smile and put her hands next to her face.

I smiled back at Lacey, then handed the house keys to her. I eased the stroller onto the patio as she unlocked the door. Off the leash, the dogs rushed inside, while Lacey and Cathy followed them.

"Bathe them later?" I asked softly.

Lacey nodded. "I think so, but we'll have to do it before we head out." With gentle moves, she lifted Duncan out and handed him to Cathy, then she handed Sam to me.

We got them into their cribs, and Lacey made sure the monitor was on. "I think we should take our showers before they wake up. It won't be long, so we'll have to be quick," Lacey looked at both of us.

"Thankfully, the shower is big enough for all of us," I said.

Cathy giggled and nodded. The shower was, as usual, fun and sexy. Lots of suds, lots of kisses, but it went quicker than I wanted.

"I love these showers already," Cathy said.

"Good," Lacey said. "We don't like solo showers, do we?" She leaned against my side.

"Nope. Solo showers aren't fun at all, my loves. I'm just glad we have that built-in bench in the shower." We dried off and got dressed before we heard the kids start to make their waking up noises. "Aha. They're up. Time for their baths, then we can head for the store."

Cathy stopped and looked at me. "Why are you glad for that bench?"

"After he got hurt before the twins were born, I sat him on that bench and gave him showers." Lacey smiled at me and caressed my chest. "I'll finish the list after we're done with them." I got another smile. "Let's get them clean."

"Well, cleaner, at least." I chuckled as we walked into their room. "Okay, you two, time to take your baths!"

This, too, was splashy and fun, but in a different way than our time getting clean.

After we got our shopping done and had lunch, we were on the way home when I looked at Cathy in the rear-view mirror, as she was sitting between the car seats in the back. "Lacey, we're going to need a bigger car for us, at least for the times when we all go out."

Lacey turned around and looked into the back seat. "You're right." She sigh. "I guess we'll need a family van, like Erica's."

"Big enough for six people."

"And two dogs," Cathy added.

"And whatever stuff we're taking with us," Lacey added. "What do we trade in? Mine, this one, your truck?"

"My car can go into the mix!" Cathy said.

"No." I looked at her and then over to Lacey before smiling. "I reckon we can get something new, without trading in anyone's current vehicle. It'll be a family vehicle." I hit the controller and the garage door rolled up as the lights came on inside.

Lacey smiled at me. "I guess it'll be okay."

I patted her leg. "It will be, beloved, it will be." I parked the car, and while Lacey and Cathy carried the kids inside, I started getting the grocery bags.

Once I got inside, I set the bags on the counter before Lacey wrapped her arms around me from behind. Her head pressed into me. "Go take care of the kids. We'll get the rest of the stuff inside and put them away."

"You sure?"

"Yes, baby, I'm sure." I turned around while she kept her arms on me. Lacey looked up at me and smiled. She kissed me softly and deeply. "I love you, cowboy."

"I love you, too, my princess. How do you know I need to sit?"

Lacey tilted her head and gave me that look. "Really? Your face is a little pale, and your eyes are dim." She hugged me tightly. "Please, love, go sit with the kids. Play with them. Get recharged. Maybe wear them out enough for their nap."

"Are you sure, beloved?"

"Yes." Lacey kissed me again. "Go!" She let go of me and called out, "Cathy, we're going to get the rest of the stuff."

I walked into the living room and saw that Cathy had the kids playing with their blocks. They started laughing as they knocked a short tower over.

"Wow, guys, I didn't know you were so destructive," I said, and they toddled over to me, as fast as they could, and each grabbed a leg. They looked up at me and smiled. "I'm going to play with you now, okay? Mama Cathy is going to help Mommy with the groceries."

Cathy got up, leaned past Sam and gave me a kiss, while patting my back. I shuffled over to where the blocks were, a kid holding to each leg. They liked riding this way, and they had good grips on my pants.

At the toy area of the living room, all three of us got on the floor. We started playing, and I watched as Lacey and Cathy brought the bags inside. We started setting up the blocks in walls, then I watched as Sam started to stack others, inside the walls. Duncan watched for a moment, then began handing her blocks. I was fascinated, so I just sat.

"Sam, are you building a castle, like in the story Mommy read to you yesterday?"

She nodded, and then looked at me from under her eyebrows. "For hero."

"Wow. That's pretty good."

"Tank, Daddy," she smiled, and my God, I could see Lacey as a little girl right now. I smiled at her. She looked directly at me. "Read more?"

"Sure, little love. Go get a book."

Sam got up and went to the shelf where their books were, looked at one, then another, before finally pulling one free and coming back over to me. I slid over to the couch, resting my back against it. I was aware that Lacey and Cathy were done bringing things in, because the garage door was closed, but I paid attention to what Sam and her brother were doing.