Ink Ever After

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  The other guys nodded, sending out thanks and grunts before doing as Decker ordered. It was good to be the boss sometimes.

  “I could use another bottle of water,” Luc said as he turned and made his way off the roof. Decker followed after he’d guzzled the rest of his drink. “Man, I’m exhausted. Meghan was up half the night sick as a dog, and I didn’t want her to be alone so we got like no sleep. Thankfully, she’s working in the greenhouse today, so I know she’s sitting down a bit.”

  “Morning sickness?” Decker asked.

  “Yeah, apparently it hit her hard with Cliff and Sasha. But since I wasn’t here then…” The other man trailed off. “I still can’t believe I missed out on ten years with her.”

  Decker sighed. “You lost ten years, but you have way more than that left. She got two kids out of the deal with that jerkwad ex of hers, and now the asshole is in prison where he belongs. You guys are going to have another baby soon, and your brood will keep growing. Losing ten years sucks, but hell, you’re a family now. Love it.”

  “You know I do.” Luc looked out over the project site and cursed. “And hell, there’s my lovely wife now. Of course, she couldn’t stay away, even when it’s hot as hell.”

  Decker grinned as Luc went off without as much as a goodbye to see his pregnant wife and best friend. While Luc had married his best friend, Decker had married his best friend’s little sister and didn’t mind the fact that they all gave him shit for it. Of course, as soon as he saw the way Luc doted on Meghan, it just brought forth images of Decker doting on Miranda. They’d only just started to try to have a baby, and he knew it would be a little while yet until he was holding her hair back during her bouts of morning sickness. But it couldn’t come soon enough.

  He freaking loved that woman, and couldn’t wait to see her round with his child. Of course, it would be nice if she could take some time off since she was a little stressed these days. She worked too hard, but hell, so did every teacher he knew. There was no way he’d tell her not to work, so they’d just have to find balance. They always did.

  By the time the day was over and he’d sent the crew home, he was covered in sweat and dirt, more than a few scrapes, and had a massive headache. But the former roof was gone, and they were ready to start the next phase. He drove home, Miranda on his mind, and in desperate need of a shower.

  When he walked into the house he shared with his very adorable wife and dog, he smiled at the scent of cooked meat and vegetables. Though he needed a shower, he dropped off his things near the door and made his way into the kitchen where his sexy as all hell wife danced in front of the stove, stirring the contents of the wok with one hand and reading her Kindle from the other.

  She wiggled that very delectable ass of hers around as she hummed to herself. How she could cook, read, dance, sing, and nod at the dog, who slept in the corner, all at once was beyond him. Yet he loved her even more because of it. So fucking much.

  He also couldn’t keep his eyes off her ass, and knew he’d be fucking it later. Because, hell, they both loved when he did that.

  When she set her spoon down, he cleared his throat. He’d have moved closer, tugging on her hips to grind his now hard cock against her, but he didn’t want to startle her. He knew better than to sneak up on her after what had happened before.

  He pushed those thoughts from his mind as she turned around, a smile on her face. She wore a tank top and very short shorts. And because the gods loved him, she wore no bra, so her nipples poked at her shirt, begging for his tongue.

  “You’re home,” she said with a smile. Her gaze raked over him, her eyes darkening. “And you’re dirty.”

  “Not as dirty as you,” he growled and stalked toward her. He wrapped her hair around his fist, tilted her head to the side, and licked up her neck before gently biting down.

  “Decker,” she breathed.

  “I want to fuck you.” Lick. Suck. Bite. Kiss.

  “I need to turn the burner off first.”

  Lick. Suck. Bite. Kiss.

  “Let me get you off here, then we’ll eat. Then I’ll eat you. Then I’ll fuck you.”

  Her head rolled back as he slid his hand under her shorts. He speared her, fucking her with his fingers as his thumb flicked her clit.

  “Decker,” she breathed again as she came. He loved that she was such a quick trigger. His wife was a siren when she came, all sweetness, heat, and everything.

  “Love you,” he growled.

  Lick. Suck. Bite. Kiss.

  “Love you, too, bad boy.” She kissed his chin. “Now, go shower before dinner because you’re not getting our chair dirty.”

  He chuckled then. Yeah, being married was nothing like he’d thought it would be, and yet everything he wanted.

  Perfection.

  THREE

  Miranda flushed the toilet one more time and sighed. If she didn’t get over this stomach flu of hers soon, she was going to freak out on someone. It had been a few days now, and while she hadn’t missed work or lost sleep because of it, she was pretty sure Decker would find out soon.

  She didn’t know why she was hiding that she was throwing up every morning from him, other than the fact that she didn’t want him to worry about her.

  Of course, he’d asked her that morning why she looked pale, so he probably already knew. And the man had done his best to make sure she ate and was pampered, so really, he already knew but was pretending he didn’t for her.

  The damn man was way too perceptive. And too good for her.

  And she loved him more each day.

  She quickly brushed her teeth with the toothbrush she’d brought with her to work and went back to her classroom. The final bell had rung an hour ago, and she would be in meetings with students and their parents for the next few hours.

  While most of her appointments were with students who didn’t try and didn’t turn in paperwork as well as their parents, there was one meeting that genuinely hurt her heart. This one student tried so hard, and yet no matter what he did, he just couldn’t get it right. She helped as much as she could, and had even looked into other ways she could aid him in case it was a learning disability, but so far, she’d come up blank.

  Hopefully, after this meeting with his parents, she’d figure out a new plan. Because there was no way she’d let this student fail if she could help it.

  As soon as she entered her classroom, she knew something was wrong. That student sat in a chair between his two very harried but perceptive parents. They smiled up at her sadly, but her vision went blurry.

  She tried to open her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Instead, she went lightheaded. In the distance, she heard someone calling her name, yelling for her, but she couldn’t quite figure it out. She fell to the ground, the darkness overtaking her.

  She woke up to a frantic student above her, as well as a few teachers and parents. She blinked and tried to focus.

  “What happened?” she asked and closed her eyes. She could really use some water.

  “You passed out,” her student, Chad, whispered. “Mom called the ambulance when Dad went for help. I stayed by you in case, you know, you woke up. You scared us.”

  She tried to reassure him, but she wasn’t quite up to it yet.

  “Ambulance?” she asked.

  “Yes, ma’am,” Chad’s father answered. “They should be here any moment.”

  “Since you lost consciousness for a moment, it sounded like a good idea,” Chad’s mother added.

  Miranda sighed. She’d have argued with them, but she couldn’t at the moment; not when she wasn’t up to her normal self.

  “Okay,” she said as the paramedics walked into the classroom.

  “What do we have here?” the first one asked, and Miranda sighed once again.

  “Call Decker, will you?” she mumbled to one of her co-workers. “Not the whole family because you know how they are, but call my husband?”

  “No problem, honey,” she answered back.

  Mira
nda let the paramedics take care of her, even though she’d rather have taken care of herself. “It was only a little dizzy spell,” she explained. “I’ve been sick for a few days.”

  They nodded but didn’t stop their tests. By the time they’d put her in the ambulance and were on the way to the hospital, she was sure everyone was overreacting. She just needed to eat something or have a little bit more water to get hydrated. Now the school would be talking about this once again. She’d already had the school talk about her enough.

  It took no time at all, surprisingly, for her to be settled into a private area in the emergency room and for a nurse to do a few more tests on her. She answered their questions, but all she wanted was Decker. Yes, she had an amazing family who could be overwhelming at times, but she just needed her husband now.

  He’d be there soon, and then he could take her home.

  After all, it was just a little flu.

  FOUR

  Decker slammed through the emergency room doors and ran to the front desk. Good thing there wasn’t anyone waiting in line already, and there weren’t any small children around to see him act like a crazy person. When Miranda’s co-worker had called him, he’d almost had a heart attack and had run straight to his car. Thankfully, Luc had been there to explain things to the others. Soon, the other Montgomerys would be filling the waiting room because that’s what they did. Unfortunately, they’d had far too much practice waiting for their loved ones recently.

  “I need to see my wife,” Decker growled and stopped himself. He took a deep breath, trying to relax before someone called the cops on him. “Miranda Montgomery.” They’d taken her name since he’d been a Montgomery in every way that counted. If anyone wanted to call him out on it, they could take it up with his fists.

  Or his wife.

  But first, he needed to see her.

  The nurse on shift smiled softly at him. “Okay, sir, let me check and see.” A few clicks of the keyboard. “Here she is. Just follow me. We’ve got her set up in the back.”

  He followed the nurse closely, doing his best to calm himself. He couldn’t walk in there like this and scare the hell out of Miranda. Though she knew him better than most and would know it was stark fear riding him and not rage, he didn’t want to put that on her.

  The nurse said something as they pulled back the curtain, but he didn’t listen. He could only see his wife. Miranda sat on a bed, wearing a thin gown, but there was a tired smile on her face.

  “Miranda,” he said quietly, his voice oh so low.

  “Hey, you,” she said with that smile of hers, but this time a little brighter.

  He cupped her face and kissed her brow. “What’s going on, baby?”

  “I don’t know yet. I’ve been sick—”

  “Yeah,” he cut her off. “I know. And the fact that I couldn’t hold your hair because you were worried about me more than yourself is something we’re going to talk about. I know you passed out, and I’m glad you didn’t fight anyone when they told you to come here.”

  “Like I could fight the horde.” She smiled at him.

  He opened his mouth to speak but stopped when a doctor walked in.

  “Mrs. Montgomery. Mr. Montgomery. I’m Dr. Bartlett. I hear you had a rough afternoon.”

  Miranda laughed softly as she leaned into Decker’s hold. “You could say that.”

  “Well, I have your test results here if you’re ready.”

  Decker’s grip tightened. “What’s wrong?”

  The doctor just smiled. “You’re pregnant, Miranda. Not too far along, but far enough that you got a little dehydrated. It sometimes happens in the first trimester. We’ll get you some fluids as well as prenatal vitamins to counteract that. But I’m reasonably sure you’ll be on the mend in no time. Congratulations.”

  Decker blinked as Miranda let out a little squeak. He loosened his grip on her but didn’t let her go.

  “Pregnant?”

  “Really?” Miranda asked, tears in her voice.

  “Yes, really,” Dr. Bartlett answered. “I’ll leave you two alone to talk, but the nurse will be in soon with what you need. Good luck, parents.”

  With that, the doctor left, and Decker tried to slow his heartbeat. He and Miranda had been trying to have a baby, but he hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly.

  He cupped her face and kissed her softly. “A baby.”

  Miranda kissed him back a little harder. “A baby. Oh God, Decker. We’re having a baby!”

  He held her close as she kissed his face over and over again. He couldn’t help but smile with her at the thought, even though his mind was going in a million different directions.

  “I’m not going to be like my father,” he blurted. He hadn’t meant to say that, but apparently, it had needed to be said.

  Miranda pulled back and cupped his face over his beard. “I know. You’ll be like mine. Dad pretty much rocks, and you have tons of other Montgomerys to ask for help. So, yeah, you’re going to be an amazing father, and oh my God, I’m going to be a mom!”

  Decker laughed, relief sliding through him at the idea of Miranda as a mom. He couldn’t fucking wait to see their child, to see how they’d be as parents. Things were changing, but he knew, no matter what, he wouldn’t be the man who had given him half his genes.

  He’d be a Montgomery, like the woman he loved.

  And they were going to have a Montgomery of their own.

  Hell. Fucking. Yeah.

  Have Me

  A Montgomery Ink Novella

  Author Note: Luc and Miranda from Harder than Words (Montgomery Ink Book 3) are nearing the end of her pregnancy and Luc wants to make sure she knows she’s loved. It’s best if you read this story any time after Ink Enduring (Montgomery Ink Book 5).

  ONE

  Meghan resembled a duck. She was sure of it. She waddled like one. She quacked like one when she tried to cough. And she was pretty sure her lips had swollen just enough that she was going to have a bill any second.

  This being her third pregnancy, she’d thought she would be used to the ever-present duck stage, and yet, she couldn’t quite remember it being this bad when she was pregnant with Sasha and Cliff.

  Her ankles were swollen to the point she wasn’t sure she had ankles anymore. She wore flip-flops everywhere she went, and they weren’t even her flip-flops. She’d been forced into wearing Luc’s instead of her own because her feet had grown two sizes. Even putting her feet up for hours a day hadn’t helped the swelling.

  Her back ached no matter how she stood, sat, or slept. No matter how many times her very amazing and talented husband massaged her, nothing helped.

  Her face had broken out with adult acne, and she was allergic to the meds that could help her with it.

  Her wedding ring no longer fit, and she’d been forced to wear it around her neck because she didn’t want to let anyone else near it. She’d almost lost Luc once before, and she didn’t want to chance it by not having her wedding ring near her.

  The fact that her two younger sisters were also pregnant and in the same trimester as she was should have been a wonderful experience. Instead, she was forced to constantly compare herself to the perfectly petite Miranda had her perfect baby bump, and Maya’s strength in her pregnancy. Her pierced and inked middle sister had even started doing baby Pilates since one of her husbands, Border, had introduced her to it.

  These were Miranda’s and Maya’s first babies, and they were perfectly content in every way.

  Meghan was ready to rip the flesh off the next person who dared ask her when her twins were due.

  She wasn’t having freaking twins, thank you very much.

  The blimp her body had turned into was only housing one fetus at the moment.

  Damn people and their damn big mouths.

  And now she wanted chocolate. Like all the chocolate in the world. The ones with the little rice pieces in them but not the store-bought ones. No, she wanted her mother’s.

  But she’d eaten al
l of her mother’s chocolate the day before, though she’d sworn she’d save some for the children. Instead, she’d licked the damn container and moaned in ecstasy.

  Luc had taken one look at her and handed over a glass of water.

  The traitor had been worried about her sugar intake. But considering she’d been eating healthier than either of her two sisters during the whole pregnancy, one day of chocolate binging wouldn’t hurt her.

  And yet, she wanted more.

  All the chocolate.

  In the entire world.

  Gimmie. Gimmie. Gimmie.

  She wasn’t sure if that was her or the baby thinking just then, and it didn’t matter. She didn’t have any chocolate in the house, and it wasn’t good for her anyway. Her blood work was fine, and while she was retaining water, her pregnancy was healthy.

  She just happened to have every single side effect of pregnancy on the non-dangerous side.

  Meghan rested her hands on her very large belly and sighed. Less than a month to go, and she’d have her perfect baby girl in her arms. They hadn’t meant to find out the sex, but she’d caught a glimpse of the sonogram at just the right angle. It was easier for the family to plan shopping for the babies anyway since some of them had wanted to go pink crazy. Though knowing Maya and Miranda, their boys would have pink things, as well. Any color for any baby would work for them. And since they would all be virtually the same age, Meghan couldn’t wait until they could grow up together.

  She just had to give birth first.

  However, she wasn’t close to having the baby yet, and neither were her sisters. First, she had to make sure her other children were happy and well taken care of. The two of them were currently fighting over space at the kitchen table, though there was plenty of space for both of them.