Epilogue

"Sweetheart? Wake up ... you want to see this."

It took me a second to blink away the haze as someone tugged on my shoulder. The bedroom was still dark. Leah was curled up on one side, Mimi on the other. I slipped out from between my lovers and followed Melinda to the monitors on the other side of the room. She backed up the video feed to show me something that had happened a few moments before.

She pulled a robe around her shoulders to ward away the morning's chill. Through the monitors, I heard Gabi's soft crying. She was having another of her nightmares, and this time, not even having Gwen next to her was comforting enough.

I started to reach for a robe of my own, but Melinda stayed my hand. "Look."

On another monitor, I saw Bryan climbing out of his toddler bed. I followed him as he walked down the hallway and into the room next to his, following the soft whimpering. Ever so gently, he climbed into Gabi's bed. His little arms wrapped around his sister in a protective embrace.

The three of them lay there for a moment as Gabi settled into a fitful sleep. Then she fell silent, seemingly comforted by her brother and sister's loving touch.

"Like father, like son," Melinda said with a smile. She kissed me gently, then led me back to our bed.

"Daddy, when will they come back?" Kaylee asked as Yesmine and Geoff's car backed out of our driveway. Everyone waved and Geoff honked the horn.

"I don't know sweetheart," I said. "Maybe we could go visit them sometime."

"That would be fun," my daughter slipped her hand into mine. "I like them a lot."

"Me, too, Kaylee."

The girls scooped up Bryan and the twins, then we went inside. All three of my wives were taking the day off so we could have a family day for just the eight of us. After all, we weren't going to have many more days like this before the new ones arrived.

Next week, the contractors are supposed to arrive to break ground on the new addition to the house. There are doctor's appointments and school and work and everything else in our daily lives to occupy our time. Even though the girls aren't due for another six months, the babies will be here before we know it.

I cherished the time with my family. As crazy as our lives are, it seems so ... so ... normal. At least as normal as a man living with three wives and four children can be.

The four of us lay down for a nap not long after lunch, all of us in the big bed.

My head rested against Leah's bosom, one of my daughters cradled in my arms. I reflected back on the previous weekend and realised that I had the three best wives a guy could ask for. Yeah, it meant sharing them with another couple, but that was just for the sex.

And I now had a girlfriend.

A week before, I wondered if opening up our marriage would be the beginning of the end. Instead, it was the beginning of something new. We already had an unconventional arrangement ... now it was that much more perfect. I never doubted the love of my spouses, nor the love I had for them.

In sharing them with Mimi and Geoff, and in turn being shared, I realised just how lucky we were to have the relationship we do.

... And that happily ever after is whatever you make it.