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Author’s Notes

I was going to break it up, but since I have a busy day today, I decided to give you a big chapter to keep you occupied. You’re welcome.

I love how Tori becomes consumed by each brother as she gets used to being around them. And I love how she can be different around them. I think that’s important in a polyamorous relationship. She shouldn’t be the same around each of them, even if they love how she is.

Exploring the dynamic of a poly relationship and putting it out for readers to see and understand, so you know this isn’t just a regular Why Choose? romance.

I’m still interested in whether you think she should choose or go with all of them and see what happens.

Let me know in the comments.

Happy reading and enjoy… your author, Sylvia Hubbard

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Chapter 11 – Which Brother to Choose?

Malea huffed as if Tori was being ridiculous and then turned to the mirror to fix her makeup and the hickey on her neck.

Tori came around and poked the hickey. “Is that Norman trying to let us all know you fucked him?”

“I didn’t fuck him!” her sister said.

“Really, because your clothes were messed up! I’m not playing Malea. Tell me the truth, now or regret it later.”

Malea pretended that putting her makeup on was more important, so Tori started toward the door, intending to make good on her threat.

“Stop, Tori!” she cried, rushing to block the door. “Stop being ridiculous.”

“Talk!” Tori ordered.

Malea blustered back over to the mirror, mumbling, “Fine! Yes, I did something with Norman.” She kept her voice low, and Tori had to move very close to hear her.

“I thought you said you broke it off.”

“I did until that son of a bitch called me last night and told me he was going to tell Scott I’ve been lying to him.”

“About what?”

Malea suddenly bursts into tears. “Tori, Scott can never know!”

Tori wasn’t affected by her sister’s sudden tears. Malea often did this when their father would corner Malea about something, and Tori knew they were all crocodile tears.

“I’ve been gambling all the money away we’ve saved.”

Tori let her sister’s statement sink in and clarified, “So it’s not Scott gambling, it’s you?”

More tears fell like a river stream down her sister’s face, but Tori was far from affected. Malea slowly nodded and dramatically released a deep, bellowing sob geared to draw sorrow from Tori. “I know. I know, I had to lie because I’m so ashamed, Tori.”

It was hard not to roll her eyes at the ridiculousness of listening to her sister’s dramatic performance, but Tori needed her sister to know, “Norman was right?”

Suddenly, Malea’s tears dried up. “You talked with Norman?”

“He was at the restaurant last night. Cornered me in the woman’s bathroom, warning me to get out of this mess with Shawn and you.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this?!” It was as if the tears were sucked back into her eyes. “You could have saved me a lot of embarrassment!”

“Malea, why did he have to say that to me? What is he blackmailing you about? The gambling? Using your savings? I need answers now! Stop avoiding answering my questions and tell me the truth.”

“Okay! Okay, Tori! I’ve been gambling not only the savings, but all the money in Scott’s business is gone, and he just thinks it’s just bills, plus I’ve had to sell our boat, and we’re about to lose the land and cabin in St. Clair.”

“How does Scott not know about this?”

“He thinks the boat has some major repairs, and I handle all the household bills. I’ve told him I rent out the land and cabin so he doesn’t wander up there, but we’re barely scraping by.”

“What happened to the money I gave you that I split with you?”

Malea smacked her tongue as if the amount was paltry. “That was gone in one night at the casinos.”

“A hundred thousand dollars, Malea? You lost that amount at the casino in one night?”

“I was on a streak!”

“A losing streak?” Tori asked, exasperated.

“You wouldn’t understand, Tori! That’s why I didn’t tell you.”

“You lied to me, Malea. All this was a whole lie. Does Shawn know? Because I know he was Norman’s lover.”

Malea looked beyond scared. “I’m sorry, Tori. I should have said something. I didn’t think it mattered once you said yes.”

“What’s the real story on all this?” Tori demanded to know.

“Shawn doesn’t know about my gambling problem or my financial problems. He thinks I don’t want to be fired, and I definitely don’t want Scott to lose his job. He only knows enough because I couldn’t have Norman in that position. It would have been too much power for him. Norman was going to use me, and then he was going to involve Scott. He told me he wanted us to be in a three-way. He wanted to turn Scott out. I told Shawn that’s when Shawn came up with the plan, but he wanted to meet you first because he said what he remembered about you he didn’t like, and he needed to know if he could tolerate you.”

That hurt, but considering how Tori had been with his mother, it was understandable.

“So I arranged for you to sit in front of him at the network thing,” Malea finished explaining. “And that’s that. Are you happy?”

“Am I happy? I’m in this mess to help you, and all this time you’ve been manipulating me. After all I’ve done for you, Malea? I’m saving your job, and your marriage.”

“Tori! I couldn’t tell Scott. I don’t want to lose him. You have to help me! I’m your sister. Please!”

“One moment you want to be the big sister – too prideful for your own good – and the next you want me to help you out of the muck you caused. Make up your mind, Malea. What are you trying to achieve? Accomplish? What’s your end game?”

Malea smiled crookedly as the tears poured down her face again. “To be like you, Tori.”

“If I believed that, I bet there’s beachfront property you could sell me in South Dakota,” Tori snorted.

“It’s true, Tori,” Malea said, using the back of her hand to rub away the real tears. “My kids love you. Scott talks about you constantly. You’ve honored our father’s legacy like a true daughter could, and you’ve changed for the better. What is there not to be jealous of?”

Rolling her eyes again, Tori huffed, getting back to the subject. “You need to figure out how to get rid of Norman, and the only way I see it is with the truth. I’m giving you seventy-two hours, or I’m going to tell him myself. Now let’s get back to the table.”

“I got to pee,” her sister pouted.

Tori needed some air because the bathrooms started to smell putrid. “I’ll wait outside.”

Getting out in the hallway, Tori took a deep breath and leaned against the wall, waiting for her sister.

“Well, hello there,” a random guy walked up to her and leaned his arm over her head, partially locking her in place.

Before she spoke to push him away, Duncan came up and shoved the guy as if he had stolen something, and then pulled her behind him protectively.

“Alright, man! Damn! If that’s your woman, you ain’t had-“

Duncan lounged at him, and then the man ran off toward the exit.

“Duncan!” she cried. “What the hell are you doing?”

He leaned over her now, looking down in concern at her.

She didn’t need words because she could almost feel his words of care in her head. “I’m fine,” she assured him. “You don’t need to protect me like that.”

He smiled proudly as if that was his duty and leaned in over her ear. “Not too fond of anyone touching stuff I’m really enjoying.” And then he smoothly moved to the side of her and folded his arms over his chest.

Tori blushed hard. “Thank you.”

“You can thank me later,” he whispered. “Order the chicken fajita bowl, please.”

She had to hide the even bigger blush as Malea came out of the bathroom.

“Duncan?” Malea said. “What are you doing here?”

Duncan only nodded and then put his arm out so they both could take his arm so he could escort them to the table. Tori couldn’t ask him why he needed her to order such a specific item or press him about his protectiveness.

Why was Duncan here? Following Shawn? Or actually coming to see her?

“Duncan Carter?” Scott asked, amazed, as he reached out to shake his hand.

The middle brother didn’t acknowledge Scott’s hand until Tori was seated beside Shawn again.

Shawn looked pleased and even kissed her cheek, pleased that she had been returned to him.

“Can you join us?” Scott invited Duncan. “I’d love to talk with you about my boat.”

Malea sucked in her breath harshly and looked at Tori for help with a slight shake of her head in complete panic mode.

Tori rolled her eyes, looked up at Duncan, and shook her head.

Duncan caught the clue and then pointed to his watch before he said, “Later.”

“Scott ordered salad for the table, but I told him we could wait until you two came back,” Shawn said. “Are you okay?”

“I think so,” Tori said, but was flustered because she had so many questions for him. “I’ll take the chicken fajita bowl I saw on the menu wth the Spanish rice.”

Shawn raised his hand, and a waitress appeared as if eagerly waiting for him to call her. Tori loved his command of things and how he made sure she was taken care of. Her stomach growled because she was very hungry. Although she had eaten the light lunch and the chickpeas, she really needed something heavy before she went to bed, or she’d be wandering to her junk cabinet for something.

As they all ate their salad, she asked Scott, “Why would you need to talk with Duncan about your boat? You need a private chef?”

Scott did that cackle laugh and hit the table as if she had told the funniest joke. “Are you kidding me? You don’t know Duncan’s a professional boat expert and cleaner. He’s usually busy from spring all the way until November.”

“But he works as a sous chef,” she said, and looked at Shawn for an explanation.

“Off-season,” Shawn explained. “Or when he’s bored. He’s always loved to cook, but he also loves the water, too, and that’s his bread and butter. Cleaning boats inside and out, wrapping them for the winter, and then doing light repairs and maintenance.”

Tori loved knowing this about Duncan, and now she knew why her sister didn’t want the middle brother around. One discussion with Duncan, and Scott would discover Malea’s secret.

‘Just seventy-two hours of this deceit,’ she told herself begrudgingly. Scott had been through too much, and Tori wasn’t going to contribute to this man’s misery.

“Tori hates the water,” Scott revealed to Shawn. “Never comes out when we take the boat out.”

“I never learned to swim,” she explained. “And I wasn’t going to try to learn in the middle of the Detroit River.”

“Perhaps I’ll have Duncan teach you,” Shawn said. “He taught Kevin and me.”

“Is Kevin a mechanic?” she asked. “Or is that a hobby?”

“Yeah, Kevin’s always been the fixer of everything in the family,” Shawn said. “He can rebuild and manually time a Nissan Rogue CVT Transmission perfectly.”

“Oh man, those are bitches to fix,” Scott contributed.

“Yeah, people who want to save especially older model vehicles, bring them all over the country for Kevin to fix. Nissan is making a deal with him to improve their new model and will give Kevin a small cut for every car sold off the line.”

Tori couldn’t believe Kevin was pretty much set for life, and damn, he was fucking smart, plus good with his hands.

And then she remembered what those hands had done to her just hours ago. Fuck, if she kept blushing, her cheeks were going to fall off.

“You okay?” Malea asked her. “You look like you bit your tongue.”

“We should be asking you that,” Scott said, taking the focus off Tori. “You’re usually jabbering away. Did someone steal your voice?”

“I’m fine,” her sister snipped, looking around the room. Most likely, Malea was looking for Norman.

Tori kicked her sister to keep her focus on the table.

Their food arrived, and that was the perfect distraction. Every bite kicked ass, and Tori was just in taste heaven as everything was so flavorful. Not too spicy and cooked just right.

When she couldn’t take another bite, Shawn asked, “You aren’t too full to dance, are you?”

Brightening up, she shook her head. “I’d love to.”

“Excuse us as I take my wife to be for a dance,” Shawn said, helping her out of her chair and escorting her to the club side.

“I know only a little tango,” she confessed. “I took a little class on Latin dances before my solo trip, but that was so long ago.”

“It’s a memory in the muscle,” he urged, holding her close. “Just take a deep breath, Tori.” He pushed his thick, muscled leg through her legs and leaned her body into his. “Take a deep breath in and let it out slowly, and just feel me. We’re going to do a simple Tango step. You’ll remember it.”

Tori couldn’t believe how her feet and legs seemed to move in sync with his. He only corrected her a couple of times, but even those mistakes seemed intentional. Feeling his strong hands guide her around, twirling her in and out of his body, and taking her on a dancing journey around the room, mesmerized her completely for what felt like forever, until she remembered she had so much to talk to him about now that no one else was around.

“Are you and your brothers joined at the hip? It seems, where there is one, there’s another?” she questioned when she didn’t have to think about her steps anymore.

“We’ve all been through some trying times in one way or another, and we realized something very recently after our mother died.” He twirled her out, around his body, and then pulled her back in before he continued. “We find we’re better when we’re together than when we are apart.”

Tori decided to ask the hard questions even if it was going to hurt. “And you know I’ve had sex with both of them?”

He faltered a little but recovered beautifully, turning her so her back was to him, but they were still dancing as his face tucked her neck. “I know all the details, Tori,” he whispered in her ear. “And I’m fine with everything they have done to you. What you do with them has nothing to do with us?”

To prove his point, Shawn pulled over the side of her dress to expose her neck and kissed where she knew Duncan had left the dime-sized hickey and where there were teeth-like bruises on the crook of her neck left by Kevin. With this being a point of arousal on her body, Tori gasped at the sensation of the kiss, and then Shawn licked up behind her ear, making her shiver in his arms.

He turned her around to press her breasts against his body hard. “And I intend to have my turn with you, Tori, if you’ll still have me.”

Breathlessly, she said, “Yes!”

A bite to her bare shoulder where the dress didn’t cover almost broke her, and she looked alarmed as Kevin pressed his body behind her, syncing beautifully with their dance, sandwiching her between them.

“May I, brother dear?” Kevin asked Shawn.

Shawn kissed her again and then nodded, placing her hand in Kevin’s, passing her off as if it were no big deal. Yet it was because she had just been lying naked with this man less than four hours ago.

Stunned that Shawn had done this, knowing she had just slept with his older brother, she was too caught up to protest as Kevin took her elegantly into another dance. Purely flabbergasted, Tori watched as Shawn walked to the sidelines with Scott, but his eyes stayed on her. Kevin took up the dance she had been doing with Shawn.

Biting her lip, she allowed Kevin to teach her a new step to incorporate with the one she was familiar with. Perhaps it was because she was already comfortable with his body that she didn’t mind the closeness of this dance and was a swift learner.

Once she was able to keep up smoothly, Kevin asked, “Are you going to get mad?”

She chewed on her lip and looked off the dance floor. Shawn was still watching her with Scott, but did not attempt to come to her.

Why was he over there instead of getting her away from his brother? And he didn’t look the least bit upset, as if he was perfectly fine with her dancing with his brother, WHO SHE JUST HAD SEX WITH.

Tori wanted to dance with Shawn. Not Kevin! The most annoying big brother on earth.

“I can’t be that bad that you want to give me the silent treatment,” Kevin proclaimed.

Tori couldn’t resist. “You’re worse.”

“You’re breaking my heart, Tori.”

Gasping, she almost stumbled, but Kevin was just as smooth as his little brother in picking up her mistakes and moving them as if they were deliberate. Tori refused to show her appreciation to him, even refusing to look at him.

“I take it you didn’t tell your sister yet you’ve slept with Duncan and me,” he surmised.

When Tori didn’t answer, he forcefully twirled her and returned her body hard against his chest.

She caught her breath and said, “You get more bees with honey than water, Kevin.”

He completely stopped dancing, placing a gentle finger under her chin to move her face so she was forced to look up into his resting, angry visage.

“But you catch more flies with shit,” he shot back. “And there’s not one drop of anything sweet running through my body, Tori.”

Maybe because he looked like an older version of Shawn with more complex features, just as gorgeous, meticulously groomed, and smelling all delicious, but her anger for him melted away. Or it could be the hilarious comeback. She smiled, knowing she had thrown him off. “Then sometimes you have to fake it until you make it or at least fake it until you get what you want.”

Kevin raised his arms and politely asked, “Would you dance with me, Ms. Snow?”

Feeling like making him suffer a little more, she said, “What are you going to do when you have to address me as your brother’s wife, Mrs. Carter?”

A very intense, passionate look came to his eyes for a brief moment, which took her breath away. Only Kevin could have mastered a visual lick with just his eyes. “Then I’d ask, may I have this dance, Mrs. Carter?” he growled, shifting his leg slightly awkwardly.

Tori loved how his voice had gotten gravelly and passionate at the same time.

Moving into his arms willingly made him tremble, and she was taken aback watching him openly showing how attracted he was to her, which then seemed to transfer to her.

“Fuck,” he snarled.

She could feel in every touch, twirl, and motion, Kevin’s powerful sexual aura, and loved how he controlled himself just for her.

“Gawd, I wish I had you alone right now,” he growled.

“I’m terrified,” she admitted.

“Because you don’t like yourself when you’re with me,” he said, recalling her words.

“I didn’t say that to hurt you, Kevin.”

“I know, but I’m used to that.”

Hating herself because she hated leaving him thinking he did something awful, she said, “You shouldn’t think that way, Kevin. You’re like this because it’s a way to keep people from getting close to you.” She moved her hands briefly over his chest, remembering the tattoo. “And if someone who wants to love you can’t understand that, then they don’t deserve you. Your brothers put up with your messy self, and you’d move heaven and earth for them, so any woman should be fucking honored if you love them.”

A broad smile spread across his lips, making her heart flutter triple time. Did he have to be so damn handsome?

Kevin threw his head back and laughed, not missing a beat in their dance, and said, “There you go, woman, trying to get to me.”

“I was only being honest.” If she kept this up, Tori would need another set of underwear. “It’s the only thing I can be. And I’m not terrified of you hurting me, Kevin.”

He spun her away and then twirled her back into him.

She finished what she was saying. “I’m terrified I could lose myself with you, Kevin, and enjoy every minute of it. You bring out this visceral sexual desire in me. I hate it and like it at the same time.”

“Fuck woman,” he growled, pressing his hardened shaft against her stomach.

Tori smiled, loving the power she had over him, but she needed to bring him down a peg or two. “But you get on my damn nerves sometimes, and irritate the fuck out of me most times.”

He chuckled, not upset she had turned the mood. “Are you only annoyed at me? OR someone else?”

She cut her eyes at Kevin as if he had read the back of her mind because she still had a bad taste in her mouth about her sister. And it wasn’t as if she could talk to anyone else about this matter or anything happening between the brothers, as Kevin had said earlier. “Malea is still fooling around with Norman.”

“What the fuck?!” he snarled so loud people turned their heads.

Tori put her hand over his mouth briefly. “You can’t be angrier than I am, Kevin.”

“The fuck I can be.”

Loving that he felt just as angry as her, she teased, “You’d be the perfect brother-in-law if I were really married to Shawn.”

“I’ve been looking for a reason to beat the shit out of Norman. I’d definitely do it for you, Tori,” he swore with a very deadly serious look.

“So romantic,” she teased, feeling better. “But it’s not just Norman’s fault. Malea’s a married woman, and she shouldn’t violate the sanctity of marriage.”

“I’m shocked you feel so strongly about marriage since you did everything you could to make sure your father never married anyone.”

“I’m not going to keep apologizing for the past, sir.”

“I wasn’t asking that of you. I just felt you wouldn’t be so respectful toward the sanctity of marriage.”

“I believe promises made between people that are supposed to care about each other, whether on paper or not, are significant, especially when it comes to matters of the heart.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said. “But if you’re asking me to talk through your issues, I would tell you Malea’s jealous of you. And it’s not even about your father paying more attention to you. You worked your ass off on your own while Malea turns around and uses sex as a way to get what she wants, and as long as Norman gives her money or valuable things she can sell, she’ll continue to mess around with him.”

“That’s a mouthful.”

“I call it how I see it, whether people want to hear it or not.”

Rolling her eyes, she was starting to remember why she couldn’t stand Kevin.

“Do you like this dress?” he asked.

Tori thought the question was out of pocket. “I love this dress.”

“Damn! Because I don’t know if I have enough patience to pull down the long ass zipper.”

Rolling her eyes, she said, “Kevin, we’re not-“

“Don’t deny it, Tori. You’re already heating up like a skillet about to fry chicken. I could crack an egg by you and it’ll cook.”

Annoyed, she pushed away from him and didn’t look behind her, only to bump into someone. When she turned around to apologize, Tori blushed to see Duncan standing there with his hands ready to receive her for a dance with him.

Tori was happy to see him and stepped into his arms, not giving annoying Kevin another thought. Duncan’s eyes brightened, and she knew he was just as affected as she was. She found that when she was with one brother intimately, she didn’t think about anything else and wondered how they had managed to do that.

Duncan didn’t need words to speak, and she enjoyed that about him. She enjoyed everything about Duncan.

Damn! Damn! Damn! Which brother would she finally choose?

___ *** ___

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Her Substitute Husband… His Brothers (c) 2025 Sylvia Hubbard All Rights Reserved

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