“We didn’t do it for any reward, Jacques,” Bernard said quietly. “Surely you know that by now?”
Jacques nodded. “I’m starting to understand now,” he said, squeezing my hand under the table. “But still, I owe all of you more than I could ever say.”
Silence descended once again. It seemed no one quite knew what to say. Finally, Étienne spoke up. “I can’t help but wonder if there’s something else you’d like to share with us,” he said. “Something the two of you would like to share, perhaps.” He glanced meaningfully at our clasped hands.
“Ah. Yes. Well,” Jacques shifted uncomfortably.
“I’ll take this one,” I told him, then turned to the rest of the table. “Jacques and I...we’re in love.” I shrugged, blushing furiously.
For a long moment, no one spoke. It was Vincent who finally broke the silence. “Well. Congratulations,” he said gruffly. “I’m sure the two of you will be very happy together.” The others echoed his sentiments vaguely, none of them quite meeting our eyes.
“But that’s not all,” I said.
Bernard’s eyes flickered to my midsection and widened. “You’re not —”
“Goodness, no,” I said, shocked into a burst of laughter. “No, it’s not that. It’s...well, there’s no easy way to say this, so I’ll just spit it out: I’m in love with all of you.” The six men stared at me in shocked silence. I hurried to continue. “Jacques and I have discussed it, and we know it’s unconventional, but we’re both willing to give this a shot. I mean, if you all feel the same way. I don’t mean to assume…” I trailed off uncertainly. “Please somebody say something,” I mumbled.
Suddenly, everyone was speaking at once, and no one person could be heard over the general cacophony.
Étienne held up his hands, calling for silence. He turned to me, lips quirking with good humor. “It seems we all have something to say about this,” he said. “Perhaps one at a time would be better than all at once. If no one objects, I’ll go first.” He cleared his throat, suddenly serious. “Isabel, cherie, I have loved you almost since the first moment you walked through our doors. I can’t tell you how much it pleases me to hear you feel the same. I can’t speak for anyone but myself, but I have no objections to sharing the woman I love with the men I love best in the world.”
Around us, the other men were nodding in agreement. Raphael was grinning broadly. “What he said,” he said. The others echoed him.
I gazed around at them all wondrously. “You all mean it?” I asked, my voice catching.
“It is unconventional, you were right about that,” Isiah said, “But we’re something of an unconventional household. You’ve made me happier than I’ve been in years, mon chou, and I suspect the others feel the same way. You really think we’d balk because our arrangement is a bit unorthodox?”
I looked around at their open, beaming faces, feeling suddenly choked up. “Thank you all,” I said. “After everything, I didn’t know if you’d still want me around.”
“What do you mean?” Alexandre asked. “How could we possibly not want you?”
“Luis—the fire,” I said. “Everything that happened — it’s all my fault. I wouldn’t blame you if you never wanted to see me again.”
Étienne stood suddenly and came to my side, taking my hands in his. “Listen to me very carefully,” he said. “None of what happened was your fault. You have to believe me. That was entirely Luis’ doing.” The others nodded emphatically. A solitary tear slipped down my cheek, and I dashed it away.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
Gently, tenderly, Étienne kissed me. “I think it’s time we show you how much we love you,” he said, pulling me to my feet and leading me out of the dining room. I followed on trembling legs, aware that the others had come with.
“We’ll have to give you both a tour later,” Vincent said behind us. “Right now, I think we all have other things on our mind.”
We reached a bedroom; whose, I wasn’t sure, only that the bed was the largest I had ever seen in my life. There was no doubt in my mind, this was a bed made to fit eight comfortably. Dimly, I suspected that one of the men—Étienne or Vincent, maybe—had had it custom made for me.
Étienne faced me, his hands running lightly down my sides. Slowly, gently, he lifted away my t-shirt. Behind me, Alexandre’s arms wrapped around my waist, making short work of the buttons of my jeans. I stood before them in my underwear, goosebumps suddenly erupting up and down my arms. I tried to cross them in front of me, but Étienne caught me. “Don’t, s’il vous plaît,” he said, his eyes burning. “Let us look at you.”
The seven men gathered around me, brushing my skin with their hands and murmuring words of love. I helped divest them of their clothes until we were all naked, and as one, we tumbled into the bed.