POV Ivory

Morning light filtered through the curtains in soft golden stripes.

I woke slowly, disoriented by the warmth surrounding me from both sides. Kameron’s arm lay heavy across my stomach, his breath warm against my shoulder. Colt’s chest pressed solid against my back, his hand resting possessive over my hip.

This was real. This was mine.

I lay perfectly still, listening to their breathing. Two different rhythms. Two different men.

Colt stirred first. His hand tightened on my hip, pulling me closer before his eyes even opened. “Morning.” His voice came out rough with sleep.

“Morning.” I turned my head to find Kameron blinking awake, that lazy grin already spreading across his face.

“Best wake-up call I’ve ever had.” He stretched like a satisfied cat. “Though I could use some coffee. Terrible coffee, specifically. The kind only I can make.”

Colt groaned. “Your coffee tastes like burnt regret.”

“It tastes like character.” Kameron swung his legs over the side of the bed. “I’ll prove it.”

We migrated to the kitchen in various states of undress. Colt took command of the stove, cracking eggs with practiced efficiency while bacon sizzled in a cast-iron pan. Kameron wrestled with my ancient coffee maker, producing something that smelled vaguely like motor oil.

I sat at the table and watched them move around each other. No awkwardness. No territorial posturing. Just two men making breakfast like they’d done it a thousand times before.

“We should talk about how this works.” Colt slid a plate in front of me. “The practical parts.”

Kameron poured three cups of his terrible coffee and joined us. “He means rules. Colt loves rules.”

“I mean expectations.” Colt’s voice stayed calm. “So nobody gets hurt down the line.”

I wrapped my hands around the warm mug. “What did you have in mind?”

“Privacy matters.” Colt met my eyes across the table. “The town doesn’t need to know our bedroom configuration. Close friends and family already understand. That’s enough.”

“Agreed.” Kameron nodded. “What happens between us stays between us. Nobody else’s business.”

“The children come first.” I said it firmly. “Always. Whatever this is between the three of us, they’re the priority. If something threatens their stability, we address it immediately.”

Both men nodded without hesitation.

“If jealousy rises, we talk instead of stewing.” Colt’s hazel eyes moved between me and Kameron. “No silent resentment. No passive aggression. We communicate like adults.”

Kameron’s grin turned softer. “And if something isn’t working, we fix it together. No running. No vanishing without a word.” His ice-blue eyes held mine. “I learned that lesson the hard way.”

I reached across the table and took both their hands. “Then we’re agreed. This is how we build something real.”

The morning passed in quiet domesticity. Dishes washed. Beds made. Plans discussed for the week ahead. By early afternoon, I drove to Marisol’s to collect the children.

The triplets tumbled out her front door before I even reached the porch. Three small bodies crashed into my legs, voices overlapping with sleepover stories and demands for attention.

“Mama! We stayed up past midnight!” Lily announced triumphantly.

“We had pancakes for dinner!” Luke added. “With chocolate chips!”

Levi just pressed close against my side, his quiet way of saying he’d missed me.

Marisol appeared in the doorway, her knowing smile bright as ever. “They were angels. Mostly. Luke tried to teach my cat to fetch, which went about as well as you’d expect.”

I thanked her and loaded the children into the truck. The drive home filled with chatter about movies watched and games played and promises extracted from Marisol about future sleepovers.

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