Starting from Scratch Ch. 12

A round of cheers went out from the other ladies but Deborah waved for them to quiet down before she continued, "I guess what I'm trying to say is I've been around, and I lived. However, when my mother died I realized that I'm all alone now. Most of the guys I knew were either assholes, gay, married, or too fucking scared to approach me. Then, there is Thomas."

She gave Thomas a very warm grin, then leaving Victoria and Kinsae whom she had been conversing with, she walked to Thomas and stood right in front of him as she went on, "I never thought I'd fall in love with a younger guy..."

Her blue eyes flitted from him to Rhea, Anna, and Emma before she to him and added, "Nor did I ever think I would have to share you with anyone else, nor want to. So, here I am alone in the world except for the baby in my belly, the love of the man who put it in me, and my love for him. Thomas Goodspeed, this is my New Year's resolution. My goal this year l is to have a family. Married. Unmarried. I don't care as long as you will accept me as a part of your family, that's all I want. That and more babies."

Deborah was about to step in close to Thomas but Rhea intercepted her. She smiled weakly while Rhea wiped tears from her eyes, then Rhea enfolded her in a hug as she whispered, "Welcome to the family, Deborah."

Deborah choked off a sniffle then hugged Rhea fiercely as Anna and Emma joined in. Everyone else remained silent during the emotional exchange.

After a few seconds Kinsae raised her glass and hollered, "Cheers Debbie! Good for you! I, however, don't really care to limit myself to one man. Thomas, this baby growing in my belly is yours, and my New Year's resolution is for you and me to remain friends. Friends with benefits would be even better, but if not then at least friends. I want you to be involved in raising our baby, however, I don't want to marry you. Sorry, stud."

Jessica thrust her champagne glass into the air with a guffaw before adding, "Here here! I am with Kinsae. Thomas, I love you man, but I don't want to be anything other than fuck buddies. Though I got to say, after seeing your harem I think I would like one of my own. Just, made up of guys and girls. Let me know if you wanna join. There will always be a place for you!"

Annalee was the only one that laughed in the silence that followed, then as if on cue everyone laughed a second later. Wine glasses filled with wine or cranberry juice were clinked together and everyone started conversing. Ben found the remote to the stereo and turned the music and everyone settled in to have a good time.

A short time later friends of Damien, Ben, Thelma, Annalee, and Amanda started showing up. A few of Emma's friends showed up and then some of Anna's friends. Thomas actually knew some of them, then lastly a few very open minded friends of Rhea's showed up. They were all older female divorcees. Thomas kept Rhea on his arm as she introduced her friends to Janette. After the sun set in a dazzling display of reds, oranges, pinks, and greens no one noticed when Thomas, Rhea, Anna, Emma, and Deborah left the party.

"So," Emma said from the back seat of Rhea's Lincoln Navigator, "Thomas, now you have six wives. What do you think of that?"

"Six," Deborah said from right beside Emma who was sitting in the middle, "There's four of us here. Who are the other two?"

"Oh, well, one of them is just Cinderella," Emma replied sarcastically, "The other, well, I'm not sure where she fits in. But, then again, there could just be the four of us if Margaret and Leslie don't get their butts in gear and patch things up with Thomas."

"Margaret? Leslie?" Deborah mumbled, "Patch things up?"

"It's a long story," Thomas said from the driver's seat.

"Don't worry Deborah, I'll tell you the whole story once we're home," Rhea promised.

Deborah nodded but Anna preempted Rhea by starting the story anyway, and so, as they drove home Rhea, Anna, Emma and occasionally Thomas shared his recent events and romances.

----(!)----

After New Year's Eve Thomas didn't return to the beach house. Rhea's home became known as the compound and it was where everyone lived and loved.

Thomas went out and bought six women's Claddagh wedding rings. Six. However, he waited on giving any of them to the four women that loved him until he had an answer from the two that started him down this path. For himself, he had a custom wedding ring made. It was made up of six thin pieces fitted together with the final band having an overlapping triangular piece with an Irish Chladaigh that overlapped the other five pieces, locked them together, and pointed up his hand toward his heart. It had been--something--trying to get every woman's ring size without asking them or getting help.

Deborah moved in and found herself with an instant family. Even Rhea, who also explained who she was in relation to her son and was ten years older than herself, seemed like a sister to her. Anna also explained who she was, Rhea's sister and Thomas's aunt, and for a while there she was completely revolted by the idea and reality of the incest obviously practiced between the three. But then she rationalized it by examining her own heartfelt desire to have a very close, very loving family of her own. Then she excused it by imagining how she might have loved her father and brothers, the lengths of affection she would have gone to express her love and desire to hold on to the only family she had if she had had such a family in the first place. Then, she found that she wasn't so revolted anymore and accepted her place in her new family.

As it turned out Emma got pregnant early in November and didn't even realize until her belly started growing outward by the end of January. She had no sickness at all. So, as February came to a close Thomas had four pregnant women sleeping in bed with him on the largest bed he'd ever conceived of. It was a double king pushed together with huge custom sheets and comforters. Anna and Debbie were the furthest along. Anna got pregnant her very first time having sex with Thomas at the movie theater, or possibly the five or six times later that evening. Debbie's last period made it so that she evidently got pregnant on Halloween night. That put Anna at four and a half months, and Debbie at four months along and both were showing every bit of it. Emma was next but she barely appeared to be pregnant at all, and then there was Rhea. Rhea guesstimated from her last period that her conception was sometime during to a little after her and Thomas's long Thanksgiving weekend, so she was only three months pregnant and barely showing.

Another thing that happened was that a grim-faced Mary June and George drove over from Jacksonville and deposited a sniffling fifteen-year-old Cheryline with all of her possessions on Rhea's doorstep. Rhea asked Mary June and George in and took them to the kitchen for tea while Scot very quietly ushered Cheryline and all her stuff off to his room.

Once Rhea had Mary June and George settled she asked, "What is this all about?"

George opened his sneering mouth but Mary June held up a hand to forestall him and said, "Cheryline is pregnant. Your son got my little girl pregnant. She refuses to abort the incestuous bastard, so here she is. You, Thomas, Scot, and Cheryl can all live with the consequences now, I wash my hands of it all!"

"What about Thelma, Amanda, and your other children?" Rhea asked.

"Jasper's pregnant too," Mary June growled, "We've already dropped her off with Lionel and Bianca."

"So," Rhea asked in a quiet but horrified tone, "You're just writing off your children?"

"This was their choice and your negligence," George growled, "If you had done your job instead fucking your son and sister like some incest-crazed succubus then this never would have happened!"

Rhea blinked, her mouth open just a little from her surprise, but then she gathered herself and replied, "Okay then. If this is how it is to be then fine. I will take Cheryline in and--any of the other children too if you don't want them."

"Want?" Mary June gasped, "Do you think we don't want them? Do you think that we don't love our children? Well, I got news for you Sis, we love them all! But, our hearts are broken and they must learn that there are consequences for their decisions, and so do you!"

"Don't you remember being their age, Mary?" Rhea asked while shaking her head, "Don't you remember being fifteen and determined that you were going to be pregnant before you were sixteen?"

"Yes!" Mary June admitted, "But I didn't fuck my brothers or cousins to get that way!"

"Mary," Rhea replied softly, "Don't you understand? They're young. They've never really spent much time with anyone outside of the family. Of course, they think they're in love with their cousins and siblings..." She paused for a second as a thought occurred to her then continued, "You know, it's said that a woman's husband is usually her first great love while her firstborn son is her last. I don't know if that applies to men as well with their wives and daughters, but I've also heard that a boy's first love is his mother, and it is she that teaches him what a good woman is. So, I guess we all start a little incestuous from birth."

"That as may be," Mary June hissed, "But you don't just go plunging headlong into incestuously fucking your son, or daughter, or sister, or brother, or cousins! It just isn't done! It's not proper!"

"Neither was fucking a fifteen-year-old," Rhea chided right back, "And yet, you two did it!"

"And accepted the consequences of our actions," Mary June retorted immediately.

"And so shall they," Rhea said, speaking of all the children that had made the very adult decision to have sex Christmas Eve, "However, like mom and dad didn't cut you out of their life for your behavior, neither will I cut out my children and nieces and nephews for theirs. I suggest you reconsider your actions as well."

"Well," George growled, "On that point, we will have to agree to disagree."

Then, they got up and left.

A few days later, Lionel and Bianca arrived just long enough to leave a bawling Jasper, Jamin, Reagan, and Ingrid on Rhea's doorstep. All four girls were, in fact, pregnant.

A few days later, Raegan suddenly got her period. The day after that Jamin got hers, and a week later Jasper got hers. Since they were longer pregnant, Rhea asked if they wanted to go home and reconcile with their parents; they all refused. That left Cheryline and Ingrid as the only girls still pregnant. And so, by the close of February Rhea's house was bursting at the seams.

----(!)----

When the plane landed in Florida, Margaret searched for Martin Green's law office on her phone, then she walked out and hailed a cab. It was quite a drive to Martin's office. She walked in and found that he looked nothing like she had imagined. He was much younger than she had assumed from their short conversations on the phone.

Martin was stockily built, not fat, but well on his way to it if he didn't start exercising soon. He wore a blue suit that really brought out his eyes and had curly blonde hair that was combed but somehow still appeared tousled.

He stood up as she walked in and held his hand out for her to shake. She took it and shook it before sitting down across from him. Her gravid seven-month pregnant belly had him reaching out in vain assistance before he moved around his desk and took the chair right next to hers before saying, "I am glad to finally meet you, Margaret. I see now why Thomas is so in love with you."

"Thank you," Margaret replied with a flash of a kind smile before getting down to business, "So, as you've probably already guessed, I'm here to win back my man. Will you help me?"

"Just so you know, he told me what happened," Martin said in a low serious voice, "He was very messed up over it. I had him go and get a drug test, and there were traces of drugs in his system. Combined with the alcohol, and well, whatever he did, he was not cognizant of his actions and I would wager that I could make a good case that he did not consent."

"I know," Margaret agreed in a grieved voice as she looked down at her hands, "One of the girls, Lauren, confessed what actually happened. I left to come and make up with Thomas as soon as I found out."

"So, there will be no charges? No lawsuits?" Martin asked.

"No," Margaret answered, "We will handle the situation as a family. Those girls know what they did was wrong, and it will never happen again. They also know that when it comes to Thomas they will never be trusted again."

"I have to tell you, Missus Gardener," Martin said as he nodded his head in agreement with her sentiment, "If I am asked to advise my client, I will have to tell him that I recommend that he never come within five hundred feet of those girls again. That includes you too as long as they remain at your estate."

Margaret's big golden brown eyes fell to her hands again. Her platinum blonde braid fell over her shoulder as tears fell into her lap and hands.

"Please," Margaret begged through her sniffles, "Please, tell me where he is. At least let me try to win him back. I love him! I love him so much!"

"Winning his heart is not what I fear from you Missus Gardener," Martin replied, "His heart is already yours, what I fear is what you will do with it once he sees you again."

Margaret's breath caught at Martin's statement and she couldn't hold back the smile that lit up her face so beautifully, nor could she contain her giggles as her heart threatened to thud right out of her chest!

----(!)----

A silver BMW zoomed down the long solitary road that led to the Goodspeed Compound. One day, the solitary road would be filled with homes. It would become a neighborhood, and at its end would be the largest single house on the block. It would be more of a mansion than a house, almost a modern-day castle. It was a five-bedroom house, to begin with, but now, the silver sedan bypassed trucks, trailers, and mounds upon mounds of lumber. On each side of the house, two new wings were being built simultaneously. Men were crawling over the new construction like ants, and wherever they went things were getting done.

"What is all of this?" Marg asked.

"This?" Martin said as he nodded his head toward the house, "This is Thomas's doing. This was originally his mother's home. He bought it for her when his first App sold and he suddenly became a multi-millionaire. Thomas is the oldest of five kids. When he was a teenager his dad left his mom, so Thomas stepped up and did what he could to support his family."

"He told me a little about them, but not much," Marg said.

Martin nodded, "When he married Heather he moved out and got his own place, but that is all done now. Marg, I have to tell you, things have changed. Thomas was really messed up when he got back. He was heartbroken because of you. It's taken months for Emma, Anna, and Rhea to put him back together again."

"Changed? How?" Marg asked.

"Marg," Martin began then sighed before going on, "Thomas loves you, and you love him. But, you are not the only woman that loves him. You had your chance to have him all to yourself, but now, well, you will have to see for yourself."

Martin pulled into the driveway while Marg thought over his words. He popped the car into neutral, set the brake, then hopped out and opened the door for Marg. The car was very low and she was very pregnant, so he offered a hand that she took. Once she was on her feet he retrieved her bags from the trunk.

A knock on the door startled Emma out of her thoughts. Thomas was in his office avoiding the chaos of having four pregnant women and two pregnant girls emotionally running amok around the house. Scot, Jasper, Jamin, and Raegan did all they could to help but the house, no matter how you sliced it, was packed full of people.

Sauntering to the door, she opened it and her mouth fell open.

Standing in front of her were Margaret Gardener and Martin. The platinum-haired beauty stood there clutching a bag to her chest apprehensively. A chest that had swelled from small B-cup breasts to very swollen E-cups. Also, Margaret's belly had grown since the last time Emma saw her. Now, the woman wore a country dress, lavender in color with green flowers. It was very pretty and very feminine. Halfway down Marg ballooned out! She looked like she was full-term rather than seven months.

Marg was looking down at her hands, lost in her thoughts when Emma opened the door. When she looked up, her mouth fell open too. She could see immediately that Emma was at least four months pregnant!

"What the fuck do you want?" Emma growled, "Haven't you, and those other Montana bovine cunts, messed Thomas up enough?"

Marg stood there in shock for a long drawn-out minute as she looked Emma up and down before replying, "I knew I didn't like you for a reason. You're too much like me!"

"What?" Emma gasped as she clenched her fist and stepped toward Marg.

"You've been prancing around him naked all this time, haven't you?" Marg asked in a knowing tone while smirking and ogling Emma up and down.

Emma stood there in the door unabashedly nude not caring one whit that Martin was right there in front of her, or that there were a hundred men all about the premises that saw her.

As Emma sputtered for a retort, Marg went on, "Obviously, he finally made a move. How many months along are you? Four? Mmm, so he didn't make any moves immediately?"

"How?" Emma growled, but then she shook her head and said, "That doesn't matter. It took weeks for Anna and me to undo all the shit that Heather, then you and those big-breasted cows did to him!"

"You're right," Marg replied as she chuckled softly, "I fucked up the best thing I've had since my husband died by not trusting him. That is my fault, but here I am. I still love him. Leslie still loves him. All I want, all we want, is him back in our lives, if he still loves us."

"I shouldn't let you in," Emma growled.

"If you do that, and Thomas finds out, what do you think his reaction will be, Emma," Martin asked.

"Please," Marg begged, "Let me in. Let me talk to him. Let me at least try to win his love and trust back!"

"What if he refuses," Emma asked.

"Then I will leave," Marg said as she rubbed her belly, "And I will be thankful for the time we had together and the two gifts he has given me."

Emma glared at Margaret for a long time, but then she growled and stepped back into the house, "Come on then, Thomas is hiding in his office. I will take you to him."

Marg nodded her head and followed Emma. Martin was left behind as Emma led Marg through the house. She didn't take Marg straight to Thomas, instead, she led Marg to the large indoor pool. Wading in the shallow end of the pool were Deborah and Anna. Both were nude. Across the pool, Scot, Cheryline, Jamin, Jasper, Reagan, and Ingrid swam in the deep end, and or, were jumping off the artificial mountain or sliding down the slide. The kids, thankfully, were all clothed in bathing suits.

"Debbie, Anna," Emma called out. When she had their attention she continued, "This is Margaret Gardener."

"Oh!" Anna gasped as she looked Marg up and down.

"So, she's Cinderella?" Debbie asked.

"Yep," Emma replied.

"Cinderella?" Marg mumbled.

"My nickname for you," Emma replied sarcastically, "That and, the Bitch."

"God you're so much like me," Marg retorted with a malicious grin as Emma's eyes opened wide and her mouth twisted into a sneer.

"I am nothing like you," She growled, but Marg only grinned at her.

Anna and Deborah moved out of the water and Marg was suddenly more interested in the two new women than in Emma. Anna was a crazy beautiful redhead with breasts that rivaled Leslie's. She was younger, maybe Thomas's age. Her waist was tiny. Marg could see what it once was, but now it was thickened with pregnancy. Anna was at least four and a half, maybe five months pregnant. And her hips and ass!