by Lola StVil
“You mean like dusting?” I ask.
“No! She means down on all fours, scrubbing the floors. We cleaned the toilets and did a thousand loads of laundry,” he says bitterly.
“In the beginning, the boys would throw their things around with no concern as to who would have to pick up after them. They’d get the house dirty, leave dishes, and track mud all over the floors. They thought the staff would clean up after them. No way, not in this family! So, the staff and I came up with a plan. I pretended to threaten to fire anyone who picked up after the kids. Each of the kids had to take care of their own section of the house or else.”
“Did it work, Mrs. Hunter?”
“In the beginning, Logan would track the entire city of Manhattan on his shoe and into the house. So, I made him in charge of floors. That’s when he started to really appreciate the work that goes into keeping marble floors clean. By the end of the summer, no one was allowed in the house unless the bottoms of their shoes were inspected by Logan. And if your shoes weren’t clean enough, and you didn’t pass inspection, you weren’t allowed in.” His mother laughs.
“Babe, it was awful. Rose and I spent two days sleeping in the backyard because we stepped in something, and Logan wouldn’t let us back inside. And my dear sweet mom let him do that,” Cash says pointedly.
His mom shrugs and says, “It was summer. You spent the night among the stars—you’re welcome.”
Before the night is over, his mother takes me aside and thanks me for the painting of the fort. Wyatt sent her a picture taken from behind of Cash looking at the painting. She tells me it’s a picture that touches her heart. “It’s like you gave her back to him. Thank you, Sky,” she says.
“It was my pleasure.”
“That’s the second nicest thing you could have given me,” she replies.
“Second?”
She doesn’t reply, but she looks down at my stomach and winks—yup, worst-kept secret ever!
***
It’s been a little over a month since Tyler held me at gunpoint. I was the one who opened the door for him, thinking he was the food delivery guy. I was scared, but not nearly as much as I would have been had Cash not been there. When things settled down, Cash did what he could to try and get Tyler off. In the end, everyone involved agreed that it was better Tyler gets help rather than lock him up.
However, Tyler did get mandatory therapy and community service, and he’s on probation for five years. Cash told me each of his brothers had to place a call and pull some strings. Cash has gone even further by making it his mission to ensure that Tyler stays on the right path. He pretends it’s a hassle having Cash come by, but I suspect Tyler likes it. He even sent us an invitation to his upcoming graduation.
Tyler’s community service started right away, and my school was on the list of places he could volunteer. That’s right; Tyler is my helper. He thought I would say no when he asked if I was okay with it. When I said it would be great, Cash rolled his eyes and said, “She has a thing for gunmen.”
It turns out the kids love Tyler. He has a gift when it comes to convincing them not to eat things like paste and crayons. He’s only been to my class four times so far, but he’s really taking to it. He even asked about the process to become a schoolteacher. I hate the way we met, but I’m glad he’s in our lives. I think there’s something special about him and Cash agrees.
Now that I am pregnant getting tattoos will have to wait until after the baby is born. But Kenzy and I talked about it, and we are going to get tattoos on our shoulder blades, with each other’s birthstone. That is a way of telling the world that she has my back the same way I have hers.
When I told Kenzy we were actually having a baby, her voice went so high up that only the dogs could understand what she was saying. She was beside herself. But apart from her, we have decided not to tell anyone else. That is until we are done with the first trimester. But once Shelby found out, the news was everywhere. But she was so excited and so sweet, I couldn’t be mad at her. And she sent a massive top-of-the-line baby carriage filled with gifts. This baby is the worst-kept secret in the Hunter household.
When I was with Josh, he changed after I got pregnant. Cash changed too, but in a good way. He changed his mind about us living together. He asked me to marry him during dinner at our favorite Italian place. Then in a matter of seconds, Shelby was whisking me off to discuss our rooftop wedding.
Tonight, we are headed for our engagement dinner with the family. But before we go, my dear fiancé is making fun of me for checking myself out in the hallway mirror for the seventh time.
“You know it’s not a date, right, babe? You’ve already hooked me,” he teases.
“You’re not funny, Agent Hunter.”
He smirks, “Oh, but I think I am.”
“Seriously, do I look okay?” I ask as I turn to face him.
“Babe, you are carrying our child. You could walk into the house wearing a trash bag, and I’d still find you sexy as fuck.”
I sigh deeply and try to relax. He places his hand on my lower back; my body begins to warm up. He starts to slide his other hand under my dress and between my thighs. I slap it away.
“No!” I counter.
“Oh come on, babe. Just a little…”
“You are shameless,” I scold.
“Is that your way of saying you want me?”
“I always want you. But right now, we have to go see your parents,” I point out.
“You know having a kid is going to take most of our time; we should get it in while we can. I’m just saying…” he replies in a thick voice as he comes closer and nibbles my ear. He’s already making me wet. He knows that. He’s fucking loving it.
“You know we have to get going, Cash. We can’t just…” I forget what I’m saying. In fact, I forget words in general because now his hand has found its way behind the barrier of my panties. He slides his fingers between my suddenly wet folds and grazes my clit until I see stars. I bite my lip, arch my back, and moan his name. Next thing I know, he’s taking off everything I had put on.
***
After mind-blowing sex, I change my clothes. It just feels more respectful to not greet his parents in “post sex” clothes. Cash thinks I’m crazy, but I don’t care. We finally pull away from the curb and head to his mom’s house. Thankfully, we won’t be late; we will make it just in time.
We’re listing to the news radio, and they are discussing a major bust that took place earlier that morning. Cash listens to the news intently. A few weeks ago, I was staying after school in my classroom along with Tyler. We were decorating the room with some of the kids’ artwork.
I saw Wyatt through the window walking towards us. I knew even before he said anything that something was wrong. My heart was stuck in my throat, and the entire world seemed to stop. He entered the class and said, “We need to go. Cash has been shot.”
I felt the life drain out of me. Wyatt talked and explained that an op had gone wrong in the Bronx and that they didn’t know what his condition was yet. I sat in the waiting room along with his family, too frozen to cry. Everyone in the family was there except Jackson, who couldn’t be reached.
Cash was hit on his left side above the hipbone, and the bullet went straight through. The doctors told us he was lucky and that while it would take time, he should recover. It felt like forever until we were able to see him. He was in that hospital bed, looking pale and weak, and it broke my heart.
And when he was well enough to sit up and talk, the first thing he did was ask about the baby. I said everything was fine, but he could hear the stress in my voice.
“Babe, I’m okay,” he said in a thin voice.
“No, you’re not! Someone shot you! Someone…” I didn’t mean to get worked up, but I did. And tears sprang to my eyes, and I ran out of there. I didn’t want his family to see me cry. I walked out to the hospital parking lot and sobbed uncontrollably.
“You look like you’re about to do some du
mb shit,” someone behind me said. I turned around and found myself looking into the eyes of Jackson Hunter. I’d seen pictures of him, but I had yet to meet him in person. He somehow managed to be even more breathtaking in real life. He was wearing faded, darkish gray jeans, boots, and a vintage leather jacket. And under his shirt was a black tee that hinted at his stellar pecs and abs. Christ, don’t any of them just stay home and eat junk like everyone else?
“Jackson?”
“Yeah.”
“When did you get here?” I asked.
“A few minutes ago. You the chick gonna have my niece or nephew?”
“Um, yeah. I’m Sky.”
“I heard about you from Endless.”
“Who?”
“Shelby. I call her Endless because—well, you’ve met her.”
“Yeah, I get it,” I replied as I tried to get myself together. “Hey, did you say I was about to do something dumb?” I asked as I replayed what just happened.
“Yeah, you got that look.”
“What look?”
“You are about to have ‘the talk’ with my brother. Tell him he can have you or he can have the job.”
“And what if I am? Have you seen him? He’s laid up in that bed; he could have died.”
“I didn’t say you had no reason to ask; I said don’t ask.”
“Why, because he would choose the job over his baby and me?”
“Nah, Cash will choose you.”
“That’s fine. That’s better than fine. It’s the smart thing. He’ll be safe.”
“Like I said, dumb shit,” he said, shrugging his shoulders as he started to walk away.
I called after him, “I love him. Seeing him in that bed... I could have lost him…”
“So you’re gonna go back into that room and demand he quit?”
“Yes.”
“If you make him leave the career he loves, that’s just you losing him in a different way.”
***
Later on, when I walked back into Cash’s hospital room, I could see the anxiety in his eyes because he knew I wanted to talk about his job. What Jackson said was true: Cash would leave the job for the baby and me. But Jackson was also right about something else; I shouldn’t ask Cash to give up what he loves.
In the end, Cash and I compromised. He’ll still be a DEA agent, but he’ll limit his overseas work. But now as we sit in the car, headed for dinner, I watch him get that faraway look in his eyes, and I am wondering if he regrets it.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. He glances over at me with confusion on his face.
“Sorry for what, babe?”
“That bust overseas they are talking about, those are the types of things you’re giving up by leaving undercover work?”
“I didn’t give it all up, babe, just most of the international ops.”
“Are you still okay with that?” I ask gently.
“Don’t get me wrong, I will miss that part of my job, but going undercover internationally would mean being away weeks at a time. And I don’t want that for us.”
“I get that, honey, but I don’t want you to be unhappy. I don’t want you to have regrets.” He pulls the car over to the side, turns it off, and looks at me.
“Sky, everything I care about in this world is in this car. Before you, I had a career. Now, I have a life. And I would not trade that shit for anything, you hear me?”
I nod, and he places the palm of his hand on my stomach and kisses me. He holds me close, and I whisper, “Thank you.”
“For what, babe?” he asks.
“For being so patient, for loving me, and for giving me the one thing I thought I would never have again—a family. You helped me out in the alley, but the fact is, the moment you actually saved me was when you first kissed me.”
“I told you, babe; we saved each other.”
I wrap my arms around him. “I love you…” I whisper. The way he looks back at me—his ardent stare—tells me we are going to be pulled over for a little while longer, and yes, we are going to be late for dinner.
A YEAR LATER…
Just so we are clear, my wife—the woman who claims to love me—is now laughing at me. In fact, she’s not just laughing; she’s howling and holding her midsection.
“It’s not funny!” I reply. That only makes her laugh even harder. We’re in the kitchen, and she has placed our twin girls on the counter, in their chairs, to bottle-feed them. I place a bottle in Mackenzie’s mouth, while Sky tends to Rosalie. The reason my wife is laughing is that we agreed I would not curse in the house anymore.
It was a nice little rule that I had trouble following—sometimes. But then Kenzy came up with the brilliant idea to fine me a dollar per swear word, and that whatever is in the jar she gets to keep. So now, my wife is laughing because the jar that holds the money is full after only two days.
“Seriously, it’s not funny,” I reply, trying to hold back my own laughter.
“Honey, there’s enough money in the swear jar to buy a car!” she says as she plays with the girls.
“Now, that’s a lie.”
“Okay, but it can buy a used car.” She laughs. I can’t help it; I begin to laugh with her. Our kids watch us and start to get giddy as they kick their little feet high in the air. I can’t help but smile and play with their little arms and legs. I hear someone at the door. My jaw drops as we watch Kenzy and Banshee enter the kitchen.
“Where did you get keys to our house?” I ask them.
They reply in unison, “Shelby.”
“What? How the fu—”
“Babe! Do you want to buy Kenzy a mansion?” Sky asks. I growl and glare at Kenzy. She smiles, and Banshee puts his arms around her. The Kenzy and Banshee thing came out of nowhere. They met at my mom’s book club. They are both strange and have no boundaries. They keep waiting for an odd reason to stop seeing each other, but so far, it looks like they like being strange together.
When they first started dating, I took Banshee aside and warned him that although Kenzy acts crazy, she means the world to my wife and me. And that if he hurt her, I’d hunt him down and cut off something he would miss greatly.
“Okay, you two are headed for date night, so get out of here!” Kenzy says.
“Are you sure you can handle the girls on your own?” Sky asks.
“Um, duh. We’re awesome,” Kenzy says, clearly offended.
“I brought something to read to the girls,” Banshee says as he takes a thick paperback book from his inside jacket pocket. He holds it up proudly. It’s a book called That’s What They Want You to Think.
“Banshee, what is this?” I ask as I take the book.
“Required reading for freethinkers, man,” he replies.
“He’s right. It has over one hundred and one lies the government has tried to feed the public,” Kenzy says as she picks up her namesake and cuddles her. Banshee picks up Rosalie and goes on and on about making sure she’s armed with the truth.
I take my wife’s hand and guide her towards the exit. It’s always hard for her to leave the kids; Wyatt said that Winter was the same way. I get it. My daughters are everything to me and leaving them alone makes my chest tighten. But I know they are in good hands with the two nut jobs in the kitchen.
Besides, Sky and I haven’t gone out in weeks. I miss alone time with my wife. I miss holding her and tasting her. The last time we really got to hang out and be together was during our honeymoon. We went to the little town in Brazil where the sunsets look like my wife’s eyes. She loved it there. But we might need to go back; we didn’t get to look around. We mostly stayed in bed.
That was a while back. Since the kids got here, it’s been nonstop work and juggling. But tonight will be different. We have a reservation for dinner, and we’re spending the night at the Four Seasons hotel. So we kiss our girls goodnight and go down to the car. But once inside, Sky turns to me and says, “How hungry are you?”
“Not that hunger yet, why?” I ask.
�
��Let’s skip dinner and go straight to the hotel,” she offers.
“Oh, I see. But what if I get hungry?” I tease.
“Oh, I think I have something you can nibble on…”
Damn, I love that woman…
END OF BOOK 3.
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