The Triplets Mate Zoe (3 page)

But what would that be?

* * * *

Montague had spent the longest six hours of his life in the kitchen at the parsonage. He’d been left there when Vallen went to get the bread and never came back. He was still there when Diego was sent to help him and then was in and out like a Mexican jumping bean for the rest of the morning.

He’d scarcely seen Zoe. At first she was off organizing the bread. Then she and Leah supervised the women’s showers so their mom could deal with the food.

Actually, that was a damn revelation to Monty. The food was all kinds of odds and ends. Things the café owner needed but not stuff that would normally be combined to make a single meal. Or, in this case, a meal for one hundred plus homeless people. Yet Naomi took a handful of this and a packet of that, and had Bram, Leah’s husband, searching through the pantry for spices and condiments and odd-sounding things, and by the time the meal was completed, it tasted amazing.

It was just that Monty’s shoulders ached from dicing, peeling, and chopping. His ass was sore from six hours of sitting on a hard wooden chair, and he’d hardly even seen Zoe, let alone touched her or even spoken to her much.

He eyed the enormous pile of dirty pots and pans and stared at Bram.

“You can wash. I’ll dry.”

“Wimp,” said Bram.

When that was over, he made them each a cup of coffee and then leaned against the wall. “I’m surprised we did it. Most of that food was either saved or eaten. The same with the bread. Naomi is some kind of a genius at food preparation.”

Bram nodded. “I agree. But now I’ve got dishpan hands.”

Monty laughed. There had been three left-hand rubber gloves and no right-hand ones. Bram had tried using a left-hand glove on his right hand but given up after a while. “Time to write a shopping list,” he suggested.

And the first thing on his shopping list wasn’t going to be latex for his hands. Latex for his dick was a distinct possibility. He couldn’t go on like this, not getting any closer to Zoe. It had been over a month. The time had come for the three brothers to make a serious attempt at dating her. Something her family would approve of. That if she tried not to accept, they’d encourage her to do it. But what the fuck would that be?

“It’s Maia’s wedding on Saturday. I guess you’ll be back here for that,” said Bram.

“We’ll be here as well on Wednesday and Friday. We’ve been coming on each of the women’s shower days while Leah was away.”

“But she’s back now,” said Bram. Which was pretty obvious because he was there as well.

A light bulb went off in Monty’s head as a brilliant idea came to him. “You and your brothers will be here on Wednesday, won’t you?”

“Yes. The Alpha’s given us another week to get everything settled in the apartment before we’ll be given our new desk jobs.”

“Zoe’s been working really hard these past few weeks. Vallen, Diego, and I would like to take her out for a day. Somewhere nice so she can relax and have fun. You’d be able to help here if we took her out on Wednesday, wouldn’t you?”

“Sure.” Bram gave him a wicked grin. “As Zoe always said to Leah, ‘Have fuuun.’”

“Hell yes. That’s the plan. Or it will be the plan when we work one out. I need to talk to Vallen and Diego first.”

“And Zoe.”

Fuck yes. They had to think of something she couldn’t possibly refuse. Not that he knew what that might look like.

Zoe was pleased that Tuesday was much less dramatic than Monday. Of course she was really grateful for the extra donations of food. That had been wonderful. She hated the weeks when meal after meal was rice or pasta with some vegetables and maybe a piece of fresh fruit or, even worse, just soup and bread. So to have a full nutritious meal, plus a dessert, was amazing. And the people were so grateful. A number of them walked around to the café to thank George and Dorrie.

But they’d all worked damn hard to get everything saved in time. Tuesday went smoothly. It was the male shower day, and as usual, Maia and her men were there for that. There was no sign Maia was pregnant yet, except maybe her breasts were a little fuller. But since she and Zoe planned to wear the dresses they’d worn for Leah’s wedding, it was just as well Maia’s body shape hadn’t changed much.

One of the parishioners from the church had paid for their dresses as a wedding gift to Leah, and she’d bought a matching one in blue for Leah to wear to Maia’s wedding, which was beyond generous of her.

That was to be Saturday evening, so Zoe was hoping for some peaceful days between then and now.

On Wednesday, Maia and Leah both arrived to help, with Leah’s men, but when Vallen, Montague, and Diego arrived, they were wearing shined boots, tidy jeans, and business shirts, instead of old jeans and boots and T-shirts.

“Zoe, since Leah and Maia are back, and Bram, Saxon, and Hardy are available to help, we were hoping you’d come with us to the national museum. There’s a brand new exhibit by a new artist who’s very good. We thought you might enjoy seeing it,” said Vallen.

“But it’s a work day,” she answered, surprised that they’d try to take her away during a morning when they knew every morning she helped cook.

“It’s a male shower day, and there are plenty of helpers,” coaxed Monty.

“You’ve been working so hard lately. You deserve a day off,” added Diego.

“They’re right, Zoe. We’ve both had time off, and you’re the one whose kept working. Go and get changed and then enjoy a day out,” said Leah.

Zoe stared at her sisters and her mom, but they were all nodding at her.

She looked back at the men. Vallen looked as if he were trying to will her to say yes. Montague was smiling at her, and Diego was wearing what she could only describe as a pleading puppy dog face.

“Go on,” urged Maia.

“Yes. We’ve been remiss in not telling you to take a break,” said her mother.

“I don’t mind working. I believe in what we’re doing,” Zoe said.

“Even the good Lord himself took a day off. Go and look at the paintings,” said her father.

It seemed to be unanimous. She was going to the museum instead of peeling vegetables.

Zoe hurried upstairs and dressed to match the men in her best jeans, a silk shirt, and a thin woolen sweater for if she was cool.

As she walked through the kitchen her sisters chorused, “Have fuuun,” the way the three of them always had done. She wondered if either of them thought she might kiss these men. Well, clearly Maia had done more than kiss, but Zoe wasn’t going to repeat that mistake. However, kissing did seem a possibility. They were incredibly handsome and— No. Of course she wouldn’t kiss them. The museum would be packed with school children and their teachers, as well as people on vacation and retired people. Kissing wasn’t likely at all.

A moment of disappointment ran through Zoe’s veins, and she had to take a deep breath and center herself. She was not her sisters. She was an individual. Just because they’d both married—well, almost married in Maia’s case—panther shape-shifter triplets, that didn’t mean she was going to get friendly with panther triplets. Besides, a few months ago, she hadn’t even realized there were three sets of triplets in the town, let alone, in her wildest imaginings, thought she’d see them in her house.

How did a woman even fuck three men? One after another seemed grossly unfair, and the logistics of having three men at once seemed impossible to choreograph.

Leah and Maia know how!

Wow! I’m so not going there.

But she couldn’t help picturing the Reed triplets holding her, kissing her, enveloping her in their strong arms, and pressing her against their hard bodies.

Once again Zoe shook herself and climbed into their car, determined to focus on the paintings, not the men escorting her.

* * * *

Vallen, Monty, and Diego had spent hours deciding on where to take Zoe and then working out how the day would go. They needed to move around the museum so that, by lunchtime, they were reasonably close to the cafe there. That also placed them not far from the exit, which was Vallen’s next hope—that they could talk her into wanting to see the dungeon at the panther warehouse. He’d booked it for the entire afternoon and evening in the hope that she’d visit it with them. It wasn’t a strong hope. He wasn’t even certain she’d agree to come with them at all, despite Diego and Monty insisting she would simply because the rest of her family would encourage her to accept their invitation.

That had indeed happened, so they were moving along okay with the program so far.

However, their planning hadn’t allowed for Zoe’s input, which Vallen found out almost immediately was a mistake. She collected a brochure with a floor plan of the museum from a smiling greeter and then went and sat on a nearby bench. Vallen just stood and stared as she pulled a highlighter pen out of her purse and began reading the brochure.

She circled several exhibits, and he assumed those were the ones she wanted to see. That was reasonable he supposed.

“Are you ready? Which ones do you want to go to first?” he asked.

She just shook her head, put the pink highlighter pen away, and took out a blue one. “What was the exhibit you wanted to show me?” she asked.

Fortunately, Diego was on the ball. “He calls himself No-Hoper Artist, but he’s actually very good. His paintings are in the Thomson Galleria.”

Zoe nodded and circled that one in blue. “What else would you like to see?”

“Whatever you want to,” replied Diego.

Vallen nodded. He couldn’t care less. He just wanted to be alone with Zoe for a few hours.

“Monty?” she asked.

He leaned over her shoulder looking at the brochure. “What about the jewelry display? Old crowns and tiaras and jeweled daggers and swords. That sounds interesting.”

“Right.” Zoe put the blue pen away and took out a green one.

“How many of those pens do you have in your purse? An entire rainbow’s worth of them?” Vallen asked.

She looked a bit embarrassed. “Oh, we use them on the craft afternoons at the women’s shelter. I have scissors and glue as well if you need them. And Band-Aids.”

She bent over the brochure again, and without uncapping the pen, she ran it over the various rooms and then nodded decisively. Only then did she draw a route for them to follow in green. There was one small section where they had to backtrack to see something they’d missed, but she managed to loop around and include everything very well. Vallen’s only worry was that it’d take them all day, and lunch was an important part of his plans. Well, too bad. They’d break off and return to wherever they were up to at one, if not before.

For much of the morning, Vallen found himself following behind Zoe and to one side. It was a position he tended to occupy when he and his brothers were on a job following someone or robbing a place. It meant he could see ahead without his brother blocking his view, but still protect him if need be. In this case, he wasn’t anticipating bullets or a fight, but the position allowed Zoe to set the pace and the direction of their travel while he could still see her face.

He loved watching her. She was very alert and attentive to her surroundings, almost as if she was on a job with them. Not that he’d ever permit her to endanger herself in that way. But her gaze was everywhere, and she noticed everything. She’d stop and look at the name plates under paintings or patterns on the tiled floor, as well as the displays themselves. When they got to No-Hoper Artist’s exhibition, Vallen was relieved to see the man was genuinely talented. His pictures were beautifully painted, but also they were slightly quirky. Vallen really appreciated the artist’s unique approach to his subject matter, and it was clear Zoe did as well. She stood in front of some of the paintings for a very long time. And when she commented, her words were both perceptive and intelligent.

They completed looking at everything in the Thomson Galleria and since it was ten to one, he said, “Let’s go and have lunch now.”

Immediately Zoe lifted her brochure to find the way to the restaurant, but Vallen took her elbow. “I’ve got this,” he said, leading the way.

One advantage panthers had over many humans was their ability to remember where they’d been and follow that pathway back the way they’d come. Only without all the side trips into the various displays, he hoped. He’d been deliberately paying attention because he knew getting her to the restaurant was a priority.

Monty chose a table and pulled out a chair for Zoe facing the serving counter so she could read the menu board. Diego hastened to sit beside her, so Vallen sat opposite with Monty.

“What would you like to eat and drink?” he asked.

He had to hide his grin as she scanned the menu items. He could almost picture her getting out one of her pens to circle the ones she considered potential options. Her hands were clasped in front of her, but her fingers were moving up and down. Yes, she was numbering her choices. That was something he’d learned about her today. The way she liked to prioritize everything before she made a decision. She was a thoughtful person and wouldn’t be rushed.

“The pumpkin ravioli and salad, thank you.”

“And to drink?” asked Monty, jumping to his feet.

“Juice please.”

Vallen remained sitting opposite her as Diego went up to the counter with Monty to order.

“Aren’t you eating?” she asked him, concern on her face.

“Monty and Diego will choose something I’ll like. I wouldn’t want to leave you here alone.”

She shook her head. “I’m not two years old. I’ve been able to look after myself adequately for a very long time.”

“I know that, but I’d like the opportunity to take care of you. We all would.”

He’d hoped she might open up to him a little when he said that, but instead, she returned to his earlier comment. “Do you three often know the other’s likes and dislikes? Is it a triplet thing?”

He was glad she hadn’t mentioned shape-shifters. Even her soft voice might be overheard, and the shape-shifter community worked hard to remain inconspicuous. There were people who were terrified of anyone and anything a little different. Shape-shifters were most definitely different, and in the past, some packs had been persecuted, harassed, and even hunted down and killed.