by Jules Dixon
After the adorable drama skit was finished, Fiona smiled. “Yes, you’re going to be an aunt on December 6th if all things go as planned.” Laken jumped up and pulled Fi from her chair, giving her one of the best sister-to-sister hugs I’d ever seen, and then she did the same to me. I cried and she let me.
She leaned back and brushed my hair. “Hey, it’s going to be okay. He’ll be better soon and you get to have that family you always wanted.”
I sat back down. “If things don’t work out for Rahl and me, I know he’ll still be a good father and you’ll both be excellent aunts.” I pursed my lips. “I mean, I hope you’ll still be in my life if it doesn’t turn out the way I hope.”
“Sage…” They both stretched my name in unison and we all giggled.
Fiona started first. “Sage, you’ll be in our lives for as long as you want to be here. We’re not going anywhere.”
“Okay, thanks, both of you. I’ve never had siblings and I really feel like I can be a sister now.”
Laken wiggled in her seat. “I can’t wait. Two babies! Mom’s going to freak!” Then she stilled. “When are you going to tell Rahl?”
“Soon. I want him to have a few more sessions before I give him something that might possibly take his focus away from getting better.”
“Nope,” Fi said. “I know Rahl, and this would make him work harder.”
“That’s what Ty said, too.”
That is my hope.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Rahl
It’d been two weeks since I last saw Sage. I was jonesing bad. Not for sex but to see her, to hold her in my arms, and to tell her I was getting better. There hadn’t been any more night terrors. I woke up one night wanting to find Sage’s warm, supple body next to me, but there was no sweating or screaming.
Only wondering.
I gave notice at Two Fine, and from Tia I found out that Sage had quit, too. Putting in all my extra time at the house, I accomplished in two weeks what the general contractor thought would take six. He added more shit to my list, which took more off of the final cost of the home, but there was a limit to how much I could do. Jude had been coming over after he got done at Triple R, and he was coming over tonight since Presley had art class. The driveway was poured last week, and I sat in a lawn chair enjoying a beer when his black pickup rolled up.
“You look comfortable,” he said, walking up the driveway. “This looks great.”
“We’ve got more on the list from the contractor.”
“Then we should get started. What’s first?”
“Can you sit for minute?” I pointed to the other chair.
Jude nabbed a beer from the cooler and sat. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, I think so. Has Sage been into Triple R lately?”
“No.”
“Have you seen her?”
“No.” He opened his beer and took a drink.
“Do you know if she’s okay?”
Jude took a long drink of his beer. “Maybe we should get to work.”
“You’re not giving me any useful intel. You know that, right?”
Jude leaned forward, balancing his arms on his legs, and stared across the street at the empty lot. “Fine, cause I can see the ogre’s gonna come out soon, here’s what I know. Sage invited Presley over on Monday. Presley took her friend Willow along and the three of them had a great night of watching movies, eating pizza, and making smoothies.”
Smoothies?
“And?”
“And nothing. Prez said Sage looked great and she was in a good mood.”
My gut clenched. I’d met with Aston for dinner last week to finalize him coming to work at Vendetti Security, Inc., and he’d fed me the exact same line while watching the bartender make a cocktail. I asked Laken at breakfast this week about Sage, and she repeated the exact same sentiments while staring at her omelet. It was weird that everyone was saying the exact same ten words—and not to me but around me.
Something is up. Shit, maybe she’s dating someone?
Jude stood and picked up the chair to move it into the garage. “Let’s get shit done. I want to be sitting on the deck by the Fourth of July.”
“That’s only four weeks away.” I drained my beer.
“I know, but the view from that back deck, it would be killer, dude.”
“It really would. I like a challenge. I’ll talk to my contractor and see what he can do.”
There would be lots of people to call tomorrow to speed up the process. I could be very persuasive when needed.
The next two weeks of therapy were … rough. I tried to give what I thought I needed to get past, but Dr. Sikes said I’d hit the wall that a lot of veterans experience. I wasn’t back to me. He was sure I’d make it through. I had doubts. Big ones. The block was self-protective. Unless I could break through, I’d always worry that the monster would seep back into my psyche and hurt someone I cared about.
On a Friday, in late June, I walked in the door of the clinic, and he nodded me back.
“How are you doing today, Rahl?”
I took a seat in a different chair this time. Anything to maybe mix it up and take me out of my comfort zone.
“I think Sage has moved on.”
Dr. Sikes nodded. “And how does that make you feel?”
“Can I have a bottle of water?” Diversionary tactic, but I needed just a minute.
Dr. Sikes left the room and I stood. My boots scratched on the carpet, each step heavier than the last. He entered and held out the water. I declined with a wave.
He sat and waited.
I leaned back against a wall. Blood drained from my chest. “Last night when I was lying in bed, I thought back to the day my friends died. But what I remembered was how Evan pushed on my shoulder, giving me shit. And how Knox stared at pictures of his wife and kids. And how Levi carried a football along with him and even if it was over a hundred degrees, that crazy mofo wanted to play a pickup game. Those are the memories I want to remember. What happened to them after that wasn’t…” I swallowed. “It wasn’t my fault. It was just war and war doesn’t accept blame, so I thought I had to.”
“And do you think you know why they brought you back now?”
I grinned. “Because if I was up there with them, they’d be bugging the shit out of me and they couldn’t do that to me.”
He chuckled. “Probably.” Dr. Sikes set down his pen. “Now, let’s talk about Sage.”
I closed my eyes and my head filled with images. But what had normally been scenes of mortality and mayhem were only the best moments of Sage and me together. Things that no one would think I’d even remember. Her humming at breakfast. Staring at her while she slept, pushing a chunk of her brown hair from her face so I could memorize how she looked. The way her arms wrapped around me on the motorcycle, first with fear, but in the end with such trust. And finally, her walking away from me.
“I want her to be happy.”
“And I’d like to believe she wants the same for you.”
“But I want her to be happy with me.”
“That’s a choice she has to make.”
“And I might not win that battle either.”
“But Rahl, you’ve already won. You’ve fought hard to get through some stuff that people can only imagine, and honestly, Sage has fought some pretty big battles too. I guess the only way to know if she’s still waiting—”
“Is to ask her.”
Time to see Sage again.
****
Sage
Tyson viewed the ultrasound screen. The technician had run from the room after sharing a tentative smile and excusing herself. His eyes narrowed and then widened, then narrowed, then widened again. I stared up at the ceiling and counted white tiles to stop a train of possible complications going through my head.
Two-by-two tiles, six width, eight length…
“Sage.” I brought my attention to Tyson. “I’m going to print off a couple of pictures and we’ll meet back in
my office.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
I cleaned up and walked down the hall to his suite. The nurse led me back to his office and in a couple of minutes he closed the door and took a seat in the other leather swivel chair. He’d never done that before.
I gripped the arms of the chair.
“Remember how I said your HCG levels were abnormally high? And every visit since then I’ve told you the same, right?”
“Yeah. Is something wrong with the baby?”
“No!” He leaned forward. “No, as far as I can tell it’s a very normal pregnancy, but…” He picked up the ultrasound picture from his lap. “See this small bubble?”
“Yes.”
“That’s a baby. See that bubble?”
My eyes narrowed in. “Yes.”
“That’s another baby. And see that last bubble?”
The blood rushed from my brain. “Triplets?”
“Yes, Sage. Not one. Not two. But three babies.”
“Holy shit! What did Vendetti have in that sperm!”
Tyson let out the biggest laugh I’d ever heard from him. He calmed and came back to supportive doctor mode. “My best and semi-educated guess, Sage, it was more you than him. I think your body recovered from the chemo and was ready to start ovulating again. You fell in love.” Tyson smiled. “Pretty amazing what the body can do when it’s in love. Your hormones went into overdrive and your ovaries released several matured eggs all at once, and all at the right time. Rahl did his part and you two literally hit the trifecta.”
The news settled in. “Three babies? Three?” The oxygen seemed absent from the room’s air. “Three! I can’t … I can’t, Ty! That’s a lot of babies.”
“Sage, take a deep breath. Everything will be...” Tyson’s voice sounded distant.
The room spun. I mumbled and the words sounded like I was underwater, “One, sure. But three? Three … that’s too many … I can’t … three…” An odd blackness filled my vision. The sound of Tyson calling for a nurse took me under.
When I woke up I was lying on an exam table, and there were multiple people in the room, one filling vials with my blood and another taking my blood pressure.
Tyson patted my leg. “Just give yourself some time to come back.”
I cleared my throat. “Water?”
“Sure.”
One of the nurses got a cup and I lifted my head to take a sip.
Tyson squeezed my hand. “It’s time to tell Rahl. You’ll need his support. He’ll help you through this, Sage.”
I sobbed. “I need him back to me, Tyson … I mean Dr. Richter.” I always tried to keep our relationship professional in front of his staff.
“And I’d say the sentiment is mutual. He asks every person how you are about once a week, sometimes more. He’s done with the intensive therapy. Rahl’s ready to be the man you need.”
“Thank God!” The words were emphatic and meant to be that way.
The nurses chuckled and relayed my vital signs. Tyson breathed a sigh of relief and so did I.
He helped me sit. “Laken’s on her way to take you home. I told her you weren’t feeling well and needed a ride, nothing about the multiple babies or the fainting. Take it easy for the next twenty-four hours.”
The nurses left the room.
“Um, when Rahl and I…” A blush heated my face. “I mean, when we see each other again, will it be safe to…”
Tyson chuckled. “Sex is totally fine. Unless you’re cramping or not feeling well, continue your normal activities. It’s better if you stay active.” He cleared his throat and stared at the pen in his hand. “I would say five times in one day might be a little much, but you probably already understood that.”
“Rahl!” I grumbled and blushed deeper. “That was an awesome day.”
“And you’ll have a triple reminder of it for the next twenty-plus years. Enjoy!”
“I think we will.”
He stepped aside as a nurse opened the door and a crying Laken stepped into the room.
“Come here, Lake.” I waved her over.
She shuffled into my arms. Tyson kissed her cheek before excusing himself to see other patients.
She mumbled, “I can’t do it anymore,” into my shoulder, before standing up straight. “Sage, you have to tell Rahl. I’m a mess around him. He’s constantly asking about you. There are only so many ways to say ‘She looks good and she’s acting okay’.”
“I understand. Thank you for supporting both of us. I know it wasn’t easy. I’ll talk to him this weekend.”
“Good. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine, just a little morning sickness.” I hated saying the fib.
She paused, like it wasn’t all that believable. “Sorry to hear that. Let’s get you home.”
I decided not to tell Laken about the not one, not two, but three babies.
That would be for Rahl only.
Hopefully he won’t faint from the news.
****
Rahl
I sat at the kitchen table on Saturday morning staring at my phone.
Call or text?
It seemed like such a fucking girlie question that I shuddered at myself.
Go to her. She deserves to hear what you want to say in person.
“Hey, bro.” Laken grabbed juice from the fridge and poured a glass, then took the seat next to me.
“I’m going to go see—”
“Sage?” She sat up in her chair.
“Yes.”
She took a drink, glancing over the rim. “You’re ready?”
“I am. I just hope she’s still available.”
Lake’s eyes darted from mine. “Just listen to her. She might be … emotional. Give her time.”
“Lake, I need to know. How did her tests turn out?”
She stood, walked around the table to me, and leaned down to give me a hug. “It was all positive, brother. Totally positive.” She walked from the room while tapping something into her phone.
That’s good to know.
I stopped off for flowers. Their scent filled the truck cab and reminded me of Sage’s perfume the first night she slept in my bed. Self-control is overrated.
As if time had stood still, her car was right where I saw it last parked. I grabbed the bouquet and made my way to her door. I pushed the buzzer and the door unlocked.
Does she just let anyone into the building?
I made my way up to the “penthouse” and chuckled to myself, remembering back to that lemon-drop night. That fateful night when desire pooled in her beautiful eyes. That night where she said those now meaningful words, “When you realize the rest of the world is only noise and I’m the song that can save you, I’ll be waiting to sing for you and only you.”
I knocked on her door. It swung open and Sage’s green eyes looked hopeful. Every muscle in my body twitched to drag her into my arms. Every nerve sparked to high alert at her soft gaze. The attraction was still there but was someone else here, too?
I drew the flowers from behind my back. “Hi, Sage. Can I come in?”
She nodded and stepped back, her eyes never leaving mine.
“For you.” I held out the flowers after she shut the door.
She grasped the bouquet and smiled. “Thank you.”
“I’d like a chance to talk to you. Is your boyfriend, Mr. Aston, here?”
She rolled her eyes. “You knew I was lying?”
I reached out to cup her angelic face, but stopped myself. “Yes. But I also realized why you were lying and although it hurt like a son of a bitch, you were right to do it.”
“I hope so.” She backed into the kitchen. “Let me get these in a vase. Make yourself comfortable, I’ll be right back.”
When she returned, I recognized the vase as she set it on the coffee table. It was the one I’d given to her over a month ago.
Sage’s voice wavered. “How are you feeling?”
I leaned forward and rested my arms on my knees. “Pret
ty good. I’ll continue to go to therapy once every two weeks for the next six months, but after that it’ll be up to me when I need a ‘tune-up’ as Dr. Sikes calls it. I’m off the sleeping meds and I haven’t had a night terror in almost three weeks, one without the sleeping pills.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“And how are you, Sage?” I adjusted on the sofa to face her.
“I’m…” Her face paled.
The real possibility that there was someone new in her life and my friends and family hadn’t wanted to tell me for fear of it making me worse fed through my body.
Just be a man. You can’t blame her for moving on.
“Is there someone else?”
“Kind of.”
I inhaled as the two words had the kickback of a 50-cal sniper rifle.
Her eyes dropped to her lap and grasped the edge of her t-shirt.
I reached over and lifted her chin. “Just tell me.” I slid my hand around her neck, giving a soft squeeze. “Whatever it is, say it and I’ll go.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “I don’t want you to go. I never want you to go away ever again.”
I moved closer. “Then what is it, Sage? Are you sick?”
She swallowed. “No. Not technically.”
“Technically?”
“Well, it seems that you and I … we are really compatible.” Her eyes sparkled through the tears.
“I’m not disagreeing but what’s that mean?”
“Rahl…” It was that same pause again, but this time her eyes held mine. “Rahl Vendetti, you’re going to be a daddy.”
“You’re pregnant?” My eyebrows rose into my hairline.
She nodded her head and silver drops trickled from her eyes. “Yes.”
I lifted her onto my lap and dried her face with my hand.
She bit her lip and sighed. “But that’s not all. The other part is … we’re not having one or two babies, we’re having three babies.”
“Triplets?” Some of my blood drained from my extremities at the wonderful news.
College for three kids? Perfect use for that trust fund.
“My love for you tripled in just five weeks.” She brushed her fingers down my cheek.
“You still love me?” I asked.
