by K. C. Crowne
I was on the west side, the back of the house. I assumed the person on the porch would announce my arrival, so they’d be prepared. But they wouldn’t be prepared for this.
On the back side of the house, there was a door to the basement.
I moved toward that door, moving quickly and quietly. I pulled the keys out of my pocket and unlocked the door, cringing as the door squeaked open. They shouldn’t have heard it, not from this far, but it still made me worried.
I didn’t want to give them any warning.
That was going to be my advantage.
I entered the dark basement and shut the door behind me. Silence all around me. Just like they probably couldn’t hear anything from down here, I likely couldn’t hear them either.
Please let Felicity be okay, I pleaded with the universe. Please don’t let me be too late.
I moved through the basement without a light, careful to not bump into anything as I moved through the room. I made it to the stairway and took each one carefully - hoping they wouldn’t squeak under my feet and announce my arrival.
I made it to the top and took a deep breath. This was it. I would open the door, which led to the kitchen.
It had to be as quiet as possible.
I turned the knob and slowly opened the door.
I stepped into the kitchen, and for the first time, the silence was broken.
Felicity’s screams rang out, blood curdling cries that flipped a switch in me. I wanted to run to her, to tell her I was here. I stopped myself just in time, reminding myself that I had to be careful. Her screams would help muffle my footsteps, but God, I so badly wanted the silence to return again. I wanted her not to be hurting or afraid.
And screams like that could only mean one thing. She was in labor.
I walked as quickly as I could through the house, stopping at the end of the hallway and glancing down it. The door was open to Felicity’s room, but I couldn’t see anyone. No one was standing in the doorway, for now.
I had to hurry. I had to make my move while her contractions distracted the man holding them hostage.
I turned and rushed down the hallway, rifle ready and loaded, safety off.
I turned the corner into the room, and as expected, I caught the masked man off guard.
He turned and saw me there but had no time to reach for his own gun. I had my rifle pointed directly at him.
He was standing at the foot of the bed, not too far from Felicity. I knew my aim was good, but not that good. I wasn’t going to take a shot with him right there.
Seeing Felicity in the bed, the sheets stained red with her blood, I panicked. My protective instincts kicked in.
“Get on the fucking floor, now,” I commanded the masked man.
He smirked, and at first, I thought he might not obey. I walked closer to him, giving me a better chance at hitting the target if he tried anything. He held his hands up and went down to his knees.
“All the way, hands down on the floor.”
The man listened, laying himself flat down onto the floor. With him out of the way, I commanded to Rosa. “Call 9-1-1. Get her an ambulance.”
I heard footsteps down the hallway, the man from the front was coming this way. I was outnumbered. I walked over to the man on the floor and grabbed his gun from the holster on the side, tucking it into the waistband of my pants. He sneered up at me, but I think he knew, at this point, he lost.
“You guys thought you were tough, huh? Well, I’m going to show you tough. You don’t mess with a fucking mountain man.”
The other man turned the corner and found my rifle pointed directly at him. His gun was out and pointed, and he shot it off before I had a chance to return fire. There was a scream behind me, but I didn’t have a chance to turn and look. I had to react. I pulled the trigger and out sounded like a bomb went off.
The man fell to the ground, clutching at his chest.
I didn’t like the idea of taking anyone’s life, but no one messed with my family.
No one.
I walked over to him, never taking my eyes off the other guy on the ground. He remained face down. I checked the other man’s pulse and found it weak. Too weak. There was so much blood pooled around him, and knowing what I did about anatomy, I knew it was likely a fatal blow unless he got help right away.
Help was coming, but I didn’t know if it would be there in time to save him.
Felicity let out another scream, pulling my attention back to her.
“She’s having them minutes apart now,” Rosa said. “The ambulance is on the way.”
That’s when I saw Nicole. She’d been hit by the other man’s gunshot. She was sitting in the corner, holding her arm as blood spilled between her fingers. She stared back at me fear in her eyes.
“You take care of Nicole,” I told Rosa. “I’ve got Felicity.”
I went over to Felicity’s side, still keeping an eye on the guy on the floor. I didn’t want to kill him if I didn’t have to. I warned him, “If you so much as move, I will do whatever it takes to keep my family safe.”
He stared up at me, sneering, but he seemed to understand I meant it. I meant every word.
“Breathe, Felicity. You’ve got this. Help will be here soon.” I took her hand in mind, and maybe it was my imagination, but she seemed to relax as soon as I took it.
She nodded, calm as the contraction subsided. We both knew what was at stake here, and that ambulance needed to get there, fast.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “For everything.”
There was no sweeter sound than the sirens in the distance. Okay, maybe the sound of both the police and EMTs entering the house. That sound was surely the sweetest I’ve heard.
I stepped aside to let EMTs take care of Felicity. They listened to everything I told them - how she was thirty-four weeks with triplets and was in labor. They rushed her out the door, and I followed until Teddy stopped me.
“We need to ask you some questions.”
“I’ve got this for now,” Rosa said. “He wasn’t here the whole time, but I was. I can tell you everything.”
Nicole had also been taken by EMTs. The man I’d shot was covered with a white cloth. I knew what that meant. The other one was in handcuffs. It was all happening so fast and my head was spinning.
But all I wanted was to be with Felicity, to be there when my babies were born.
Teddy seemed to think about this for a second then nodded. “Fine. Go. We can catch up later.”
I ran faster than I ever had in my entire life. I made it right as the ambulance was preparing to pull out. I could have driven myself, but I wanted to be with her. Just in case, I wanted to be there.
I didn’t want to leave her side.
Felicity
Genevieve Anne, Evelyn Caroline, and Abel James Hammond. I stared at the names on the incubator cribs. I was in a wheelchair, staring at them through the glass. They were already a day old, and I’d hardly had a chance to touch them. My babies were so tiny, all weighing in around three pounds. Evie was the smallest, just at three pounds even. They were so fragile, and it pained me to see them with breathing tubes. I was told it was normal - that they were as healthy as premature babies could be, but they’d need a little time in the NICU.
Abe was by my side. He was quiet. We were in awe over our little miracles. I even saw him cry, which was something I never imagined I’d see from someone like him.
The nurse stepped out. “Ready to hold them?” she asked.
“Of course,” I said. “I’ve been dying for this chance.”
“Come on in,” she said.
Abe pushed me in the wheelchair, pushed me right over to their little incubators.
The nurse stepped around and picked up little Abel James - A.J. She handed him to me first. My son. There were so many tubes, one for breathing and another for feeding. My heart ached as I stared down at him. His little hand wrapped around my finger, and I already knew that these babies had my heart.
I’d do anything for them.
I never wanted to be away from them.
I’d begun thinking about Abe’s proposition of staying with him, at least while the babies were tiny. Yes, it might be difficult playing house, but I couldn’t imagine being apart from my angels. Not after everything we’d been through.
The nurse handed little Genny to Abe, and we shared a look. There were tears in both of our eyes.
“You make such a beautiful family,” the nurse cooed.
My smile fell.
A family. God, I so badly wanted us to be a family. I opened my mouth to correct her, “Thank you, but--”
Abe stopped me. “Yes, thank you. I think we do too.”
I looked up at him. Why must he play with my heart like this, I wondered? I was already so fragile, ready to break.
He squeezed my shoulder.
“Is it possible for us to get a minute alone?” Abe asked.
“Of course,” the nurse said. “I’ll be in the next room. Push this button if you need me.”
She hurried off, and Abe turned toward me, baby Genny in his arms.
“Listen, Felicity. I know I’ve been an asshole about all this. But I’ve realized something, and I wanted to talk to you about it.”
I raised my eyebrows. “What is it?”
He licked his lips and cleared his throat. “I think-- I think I’d like to give us a real try, if you’re willing. I know it’ll take some work on my part, but--”
“Yes,” I said before he could finish.
He smiled. “You’re not even going to hear me out? Make sure you can handle my bullshit?”
“I know your bullshit, Abe. I know we might have problems at times, but I also know that you’re worth it - and so are these beautiful babies. They deserve for us to at least try and see where it goes. If it doesn’t work out, fine. But I love-- I love what I know about you.”
I quickly corrected myself before saying the words. I knew it, I knew I loved him. But I wasn’t sure if he was ready to hear those words yet.
My little correction didn’t seem to distract him, however. He kissed the top of my head and said, “I love you too, Felicity.”
My heart swelled, and I didn’t think it was possible to feel this much love. The love I had for my babies already made me feel like I might explode from joy, but knowing that Abe loved me back, well that was icing on the cake.
“Please tell me you’re going to stay with me? I can’t imagine my home without you.”
“Of course,” I said, my cheeks hurting from all the smiling. “I don’t think you could kick me out now. Not with these little ones in our lives.”
“Good,” he said.
Seeing my massive mountain man holding one of our tiny babies brought tears to my eyes. We were going to be a family.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” Abe said. “This whole fiasco came about because of the property I bought for you, and I almost forgot to tell you.”
I cocked my head to the side. “What do you mean? What property?”
“I’ll show you as soon as we get back to the room, the sellers accepted my bid, finally. Seems like the competition pulled out once they got arrested.”
I was still so confused. I had no idea what he was talking about.
“What property, Abe?”
“For your new place. I hope you like it, and if you don’t, we can always turn it into something else. It’s a nice place. But I thought it would make a great location for your other restaurant.”
My heart leaped into my throat. “My other restaurant?”
“Yes, the one you’ve always dreamt of opening.”
My hands began shaking, and I had to take a deep breath and steady myself. I still had little A.J in my arms.
“This whole fiasco was about that property all along?”
“I guess so. The other guy talked, he was hired by a Chester Garrison, I guess? Small, local developer trying to play with the big guys, I guess.”
It all clicked into place. This was about the diner, sure, but it was so much bigger than that. We’d almost had not one, but two properties that the Garrison’s wanted.
Abe had bought property for me to open my dream restaurant.
I wasn’t sure if I should be angry at him for doing it without asking my permission, or just revel in the excitement of it. My dreams were coming true.
All of them.
Including having a family all my own.
The nurse came back into the room, all smiles. I was still not sure what to think. She asked if either of us wanted to hold Evie, and of course I jumped at the chance. Abe took A.J, holding his son and speaking to him in the softest, sweetest tone.
God, I loved that man.
I loved him so freaking much.
It was impossible to stay mad at him for long.
Abe
Life at home with triplets was something else. We were very lucky. Since Felicity made it to thirty-four weeks, all three of our babies were fairly healthy. Evie stayed in the NICU the longest, but she was only there for a week.
We were able to take everyone home within a week of them being born.
Felicity was still recovering, so that meant I was up a lot too. I wasn’t about to let the burden fall on her. She needed her rest. We’d brought Rosa back, and as soon as Nicole recovered enough, she came back to help as well. After what they’d done to help save Felicity and our children, I trusted no one more to help care for them.
Nicole, thankfully, recovered fairly fast. She was shot in the arm, missed all vital organs and Rose’s quick attention had saved her from too much blood loss.
The only casualty was the man who shot her.
Chester Garrison was behind bars in no time. The masked man had talked, told the police everything in exchange for a lighter sentence. There would be no more threats. Felicity would be able to re-open her diner soon. I’d managed to get it back into tip-top shape before the babies were born, and as soon as she felt confident enough, we’d re-open. And we’d start on her new concept as well.
Felicity had moved into my bed, and it was so hard to behave. But we needed to wait until she was healed enough. At least six weeks.
Today was her six-week check-up.
I was at home with the babies, even though it was hard for me to let her go alone.
I’d just put the babies down to sleep when I heard the front door open. I met her in the living room, a smile on her face.
“I sent Rosa on home, I hope that’s okay,” she said, batting her lashes at me.
“Of course it’s fine,” I said, scooping her in my arms and kissing her soft, sweet lips. “What did the doctor say?”
“She said everything has healed perfectly. We can resume our normal activities,” she said.
Her blue eyes stared into mine, and I knew exactly what type of activities she meant.
“How are the babies?”
“They’re asleep.”
“All at the same time?”
“I know, it’s a miracle, and I don’t think we should ignore this precious opportunity,” I said, pushing a strand of her blonde hair from her face.
“I agree,” she said. She stood on her tip-toes and kissed me deeply, her mouth opening up for me. She was already working the buttons of my shirt, pulling it off of me.
We didn’t want to waste a precious second; the babies could wake up at any minute and then sexy time would come to an end. And God, I wanted her so badly. I’d wanted her for weeks. No, months. I had denied myself because of some stupid fear of commitment. Well, that fear was long gone, and I was ready to have her again.
I’d missed her curvy body so much. I pulled off her clothing, gently removing her leggings and sliding them down off her. She unzipped my pants and I kicked them off as she pushed me backward against the couch. I sat down.
She climbed into my lap, straddling me.
Her smooth skin felt so good against mine. Her curves were delicious underneath my hands. I kissed her lips, then moved
to her neck, nibbling gently as she whimpered.
“I need you, Abe. I need you inside of me.”
I would never deny her anything she wanted.
I guided her hips down against me, her pussy rubbing my erection, coating it in her wetness. She moaned as her clit stroked against my cock.
“Yes, yes,” she whimpered. “But inside, please.”
She lifted herself up, grabbing my cock in her tiny hands and guiding it toward her opening. She slid down the length of me, taking me inside of her as she groaned. She bit her lip and her eyes fluttered open and shut as our bodies got used to being together once more.
She rocked slowly at first, grinding herself against me as her body trembled. I wanted her on top, so she could control the movements. Even though she was cleared for sex, I wanted to be careful. I wanted to protect her, to never hurt her again.
I took her perfect, round breasts into my hands, teasing the nipples as I kissed her sweet lips. She bit my lower lip, crying out in pleasure.
She didn’t have to announce it to me anymore - I knew when she was coming. Her pussy clenched around my cock. I loved that feeling, it nearly brought me to orgasm too, but I held off - just barely. Her body froze, but I kept up the rhythm, grinding her hips up and down with one hand, extending that sweet release for as long as possible.
She deserved it.
I wanted to make her feel so fucking good.
Once her orgasm subsided, she was back riding me, bouncing on top of me, harder than before. Her movements were more desperate - as if one orgasm wasn’t enough.
Good thing I planned to give her more than that.
“I love you,” she whimpered, her forehead resting against mine, staring deep into my eyes.
I cupped her cheek in my hands and kissed her deeply, speaking the words into her mouth. “I love you so damn much.”
I had never felt this way about anyone. I thought I’d known love before, but this was the real thing.
