I Remember Nothing, But I Have Four Husbands

Are we not there yet?!

She had no idea how long they had walked, but she was already at her limit. Well, she had been thinking the same for the past eight stops they had to make due to her severely lacking stamina, so that was nothing new.

Why is the mountain so steep?! It did not look like that from the house!

But that was not the main point of the whole horrendous situation she found herself in. The worst thing was that she had not seen any good-looking flower to bring back! Actually, she had seen no flowers! She was tired like a beaten dog, was sweating like a pig, yet the search was a failure so far! All the enthusiasm she had built up for this trip vanished just like that.

Luckily, Lucas patiently waited for her every time she stopped to rest. She admired that trait of his; if she had been in his place, she would have abandoned herself long ago. But Lucas was not her, so for not giving up on her, Isabelle was truly grateful to him.

"You ok?" He worriedly asked after she once again sat down to rest.

"I am not dead yet." She joked. The bandage on her head was completely soaked in sweat, but she did not take it off.

She had no confidence she could take care of her wound the same way Ethan did while in the wild. He had said to take it easy. It seemed he had high hopes for her. Even she had high hopes for herself before. Yet she was all bark and no bite. Taking it easy for her turned out to be having her tongue almost out of her mouth, like a dying dog.

"Carry?" He asked again. It had not been the first time he offered.

"Huh? No, it is not necessary. I guess I am just not used to walking a lot." Isabelle feebly smiled, trying to reassure him. Though, she was speaking more out of stubbornness. She wanted nothing more than to lay down and become dead to the world.

The only upside of the trip so far was that, despite Lucas speaking only a few words, it was easy to understand him. Meaning, she could perfectly and smoothly communicate with him. Isabelle sincerely had initially thought that due to his silent nature, the whole trip would be awkward and boring. On the contrary, his silent presence was very reassuring in her humbling moment.

"Lean on me?" He tried once again.

"That… I cannot continue pretending to be strong, right? Please help me." She offered him her hand. If she kept refusing his help, they would never move forward or backward. He gently grabbed her hand, but his strength was firm and he easily made her stand up. His arm then coiled around her waist to support most of her weight, and both started walking.

Their closeness and position most likely were not appropriate for an unmarried man and woman, but they did not care. From her part, she actually liked being held by his strong arms; from his, he was marveling at how soft her body was. Most importantly, they were alone in a mountain. Who would scold them for being inappropriate? Nobody, that was who!

Though, that reminded her that they were truly alone in the mountains. She wondered if something would happen between them. More like, she was waiting for something to happen, but did he? Would that not be too fast? How long had they known each other? Three, four days? And that was without counting the days she spent most of the time passed out or delirious from high fevers.

Then again, when were feelings or desires rational?

All she knew was that she would not be against whatever he initiated. And, she hoped he also accepted anything she started with him. After all, that was the reason why she asked for the trip. She had the feelings, she wanted to act on her feelings, so she saw nothing bad in what she desired.

The subtle smell of lavender carried in the breeze interrupted her train of thoughts. Soon, before them stood a small field of lavender that had not bloomed yet. Isabelle's mood instantly brightened from the discovery. They did not have to look any longer! Those were the flowers she was looking for!

It seemed Lucas also thought the same as he asked, "These ones?" After getting a nod of confirmation from her, he instantly set himself to work.

"The soil too?" Isabelle, who had been standing at the side with nothing to do, suddenly asked after seeing him dig some soil first and put it inside the basket.

He nodded. "Different soil." Isabelle did not understand what he meant with different soil, all she could see was that there were a few little white stones here and there mixed in it, so she only hummed as her mind filled in the blanks since Lucas did not elucidate on his answer.

If the soil was different from the one at their house, it was obvious they needed to take back as much as possible so the plant could survive. With that observation, Isabelle realized they had only brought two baskets—the two biggest ones. A dozen stalks hardly fit in each basket; not enough for the garden she envisioned. Another trip was needed to look for more flowers.

But that was for the future. At the moment, getting the lavender plants back was what mattered. And she did not want to think about another bone-tiring trip. After a while, Lucas was done packing the soil and the stalks in the baskets.

He also took notice of the flowers' surroundings, checking the type of environment lavender thrived in to try copying it. Joseph had asked him to pay clear attention to it so it would be easier for him to take care of the garden. He was very serious when it came to working the land.

With the sun high above them, they looked for shade to eat lunch and then prepare to go back. Their meal was eaten in silence, but not an uncomfortable silence. The two simply enjoyed the gentle breeze and each other's company. It was so peaceful, and it somewhat felt like a courting outing.

And like in a courting outing, Lucas quietly called out to Isabelle with a rough voice, "Belle"

Her heart flipped and started wildly beating, as if it wanted to come out of her chest. "Yes?" She timidly asked, though she was excitedly waiting for his next words, for his next action.

Not hearing him talk, or move, she turned to look at him. Faced with his smoldering eyes heavily staring at her, her mind just had the time to tell her 'this is it' before his face got closer and his lips covered hers. She closed her eyes and relished in his clumsy yet rough – due to his beard – kiss.

Feelings, as Isabelle thought, were irrational; and it appeared she had never been rational when it came to feelings.

Reason enough for her to get closer to him and coiled her arms around his neck. He paused, surprised by her enthusiasm and giving her the chance to search for him, to take control of the kiss. Coming out as a fast learner, he immediately copied her lips' movements.

Taken by his rising desire, he tightly coiled one arm around her waist while his other hand stiltedly roamed her body. He shyly stroked her back, and, noticing she did not stop him, he felt emboldened to pull her onto his lap.

The move did not even stop their kissing!

Far from that, their kiss was evolving into a hot mess of lips, tongue and teeth in that new position; face-to-face. His hands did not stay in one place or innocent anymore, encouraged by her appreciation of his touch with small mewls and moans.

One of his big hands pinched her waist, dangerously looming around her butt, while the other slithered up to her breasts. Without any warning, his hand started fondling her generous left mound, making her let out a gasped moan.

As her mouth ran away from his, her lungs begging for air, his lips attached themselves to her neck. Due to their moves, her lapel blouse opened, giving him the chance to leave a trail of kisses across the clavicle, and use his tongue to naughtily slide it in between her breasts.

Isabelle whimpered when she felt his hardness pressing and throbbing against her. It prompted her to start rocking her hips on him, creating a delicious pressure against his cock. Lucas lowly groaned at her actions, though it sounded more like a growl, sending a shiver down her spine.

As they rubbed each other, he wildly pulled her blouse open and lifted the bralette, leaving her big breasts in the air. She had no time to feel shy when his mouth latched onto her nipples, first sucking and lapping one, then the other. His inexperienced yet eager actions tore moans from her throat.

Her whole body felt so hot that it was starting to weaken, her hands blindly looking for purchase, only managing to feel up all his abdomen and sides with kitten-like touches that incensed his body even more. Soon, their moves started becoming very frantic, as if they were racing to reach a goal.

So close! I… it is building up…

It all started so suddenly, and it was all over when Isabelle let out a keen sound, followed by a suppressed groan from Lucas as their bodies twitched in bliss. They stayed in the same hugging position, heavily panting and enjoying the afterglow.

For some reason, she felt as if it was not the first time she had done that; to have a tryst with a man. However, she refused that thought to take root in her mind. Her life was no longer in the past she could not remember.

And even if she remembered one day, she did not want to abandon the life she suddenly found herself in. Perhaps it was a pretext, hiding her ulterior motive of wanting to be surrounded by handsome men; but the idyllic, simple, and hardworking life was to her liking, too. The brothers were very much to her liking.

Maybe I even like them…

That thought refused to leave her mind. On one hand, she was afraid of the suddenness and the implications of it; on the other, it was natural to find others pleasant. The only problem was… "Lucas?" Isabelle softly called out his name as her fingers carded through his short hair.

He was the only one with short hair among the brothers. Ethan and Felix had long hair tied in ponytails, though the former had longer hair than the latter. And Joseph had short hair at the top and long tresses in the back; he looked the epitome of a bad guy with his haircut.

"Hm?" He hummed as his face remained buried in her neck, peppering it with kisses from time to time. Her skin was full of goosebumps from his beard, but otherwise she was enjoying the ministrations.

"Lucas… Do you like me?" And that was the problem, if her feelings were reciprocated or not. She was not asking to be loved, or the unnecessary 'until death do us part'. She just wanted to believe that even if it all started as a physical relationship, that it could evolve to something else in the future.

Lucas easily caught her uneasiness. It was something he was somewhat prepared for after she asked for the outing. However, to be prepared and facing the matter firsthand were two different matters. So, he straightened and started to gently arrange her clothes; covering her breasts with the bralette, and closing the lapel top. Then, he combed the locks of hair that had escaped from her braid.

Finally, when he felt himself ready, he spoke up. "I do." He confessed with a smile.

When Isabelle and Lucas returned to the house, it was late in the afternoon. Her snail pace delayed them by a lot, not only in the morning but on the way back, too. Luckily, coming back did not seem as hard as going up, so she coped with fewer rest stops. The one carrying the plants did not even look tired, with just a thin sheet of sweat adorning his handsome forehead.

He looks even more handsome while sweating.

Isabelle's eyes unconsciously sneaked a few peeks at him. But, probably the reason for the stolen glances was due to what happened back in the mountains and his confession. She really got more than she expected up in the mountains, and she was more than thankful for it.

In the front yard, Ethan was already back and working on the bathtub. It was already taking shape. She did not have to wait long to have a proper soak. Felix was folding a few shirts and pants that he had most likely washed and hung to dry during the day. There were no signs of Joseph, but there were a few vats of soil ready in a corner of the yard, together with the pieces of bamboo.

He had prepared them to make a raised flower bed.

"You're back." Ethan greeted them. "How'd it go?"

Why do I feel his question has a different meaning? 

Ethan's eyes stopped at their linked hands, so it was not so strange if he came to certain conclusions. However, their linked hands had a simpler explanation: Isabelle was somewhat dragged for the last half an hour back so they could return before night fell on them.

Or am I just suffering from a guilty conscience?

She reluctantly let go of Lucas' big hand and calmly replied to Ethan. "It went well. We found lavender high in the mountains. When it blooms, it smells good." She smiled, recounting the little she knew about the flower. "Though, I think we need to make another trip to bring a few more stalks. Or if possible, find other flowers. I want a very colorful garden!"

Her mind buzzed in excitement at the idea of having a plethora of flowers of different colors in the front yard. How lovely it would look! And part of that excitement also came from the opportunity to spend more time alone with Lucas, of course.

"You ain't going." Ethan easily broke her dream with a few words. "You look half dead on yer feet right now. You're still healin'. This long walk was enough exercise for you." He explained as he pushed her towards the table. "Felix, water." The teen did not argue his brother's words, and quickly put a cup of fresh water in front of her.

"I..." Her retort died in her mouth after seeing Ethan's serious face.

He sighed to release some of his tension. They had returned so late, that he had started thinking something had happened to them. Luckily, it was just him being paranoid. Now, he had to softly explain things to Isabelle. "I know the wound doesn't look so bad, and that yer head's not aching as often as before. Which is nice. But ye need to know when to rest, to take care of yerself."

Isabelle looked down ashamed at her own stubbornness. It was not that she did not want to rest. She just hated the feeling of being a freeloader in a house with such hardworking yet poor brothers. She did not feel good being a burden.

"You're not a burden." Ethan said, guessing her thoughts. "We like havin' ya here, and we don't mind raising you." Her heart thumped. For some reason, those words… she inadvertently looked up at Lucas and encountered his shining smiling eyes. Furiously blushing, she ducked her head. "Imma look at your wound." She nodded, letting Ethan do whatever he wanted.

As Ethan removed the used and sweaty bandages, cleaned the wound, put the medicine on and wrapped it with clean new bandages, Isabelle pondered about his words.

I am not dreaming, right? Does he actually mean what I think he means? Is it even possible?

The logical part of her preached that there was never something so good for free. However, another big part of her told her that it was fine. That they were being honest. Her heart loudly beat in her chest in excitement as her mind conjured the memory of what happened between Lucas and her back in mountains and that moment with Ethan in the morning.

Maybe it really is possible…

"Done!" Ethan's voice took Isabelle out of her thoughts. "It'll heal in a couple of days. But I think hair won't grow anymore after it scars." He looked at her with a hint of pity.

"It is fine." She easily replied, not really caring about a missing clump of hair that she could easily cover. However… Her eyes minutely narrowed and a mischievous idea crossed her mind. "With or without that piece of hair, I will still look beautiful." She shamelessly declared, waiting for Ethan's answer.

He was surprised for a second before smiling. "Yes, you are." His fingers grabbed a lock of her hair, slowly twirling it around, to then let it go after realizing what he was doing. And with Lucas and Felix as their audience! He coughed. "I'll continue makin' the tub." Saying so, he stood up and walked away in a hurry.

Oh! My! Lord!

My assumptions are true!

I… Have I landed myself in my own harem?!