“I won’t go with them!” he yelled, choking on the last syllable and dissolving into a coughing fit.
The paramedics stepped forward, ignoring Sadler’s protests as they moved him to the stretcher and forced him down. He continued to cough violently, wheezing even as he tried to cuss them out.
The paramedics strapped him to the stretcher, lifting one half so that he was sitting up and could breathe better. His hands were restrained with padded leather cuffs, an oxygen mask pulled over his face. One of the men spoke calmly to Sadler, encouraging the man to take slow, steady breaths.
The other one leaned toward Lydia, speaking low near her ear.
“You did the right thing. A few more weeks and he would have died a horrible death.”
Lydia just nodded her thanks, waiting for them to load him up so she could follow them to the nursing home. She was doing the right thing, she knew that. But part of her wished that she could be like him and just let him die.
Then she’d never have to worry about him again.
The drive to the home was short, but Sadler was much mellower when Lydia walked beside the stretcher. A secretive smile from one of the paramedics was enough to confirm that they had sedated him.
She wished she’d thought of that first.
She stopped at the front desk, filling out the last of the forms and handing over a cashier’s check to the clerk.
“This is for two hundred thousand dollars!”
“It’s for ten years of care and a little bonus. If he doesn’t make it that long, consider it a tip for dealing with him.”
The woman looked a little uncomfortable at the joke, but she entered the information and handed Lydia a receipt.
“For emergency contact you put ‘N/A’?”
“He has no one left.”
“What about you?”
“I’ve done my part. I don’t need to know when he’s gone either. I’m giving him to you. Trust me, when the drugs wear off, you’ll wish I hadn’t.”
The woman smiled weakly, looking relieved when the phone rang and she was forced to answer it.
The admitting nurse finished her assessment of Sadler, directing the paramedics to his room. She turned to Lydia, assuring her that they would take good care of him, and that the doctor would see him this afternoon.
Lydia nodded but she really didn’t know what to say. She managed a polite thank you, hurrying to catch up with the paramedics to walk beside her uncle for the last time. No matter where she ended up, she had no intention of visiting him. Ever.
“You know, Lydia. I didn’t always hate you,” he said, eyes closed, face relaxed.
“Good to know.”
“It wasn’t you I hated. It was Lily. I loved that girl from the moment I laid eyes on her and she broke my heart. She always loved Silas. When Silas crashed the car and killed my sweet Lily, I thought that having you around would make it better. But the pain was just worse. I saw Lily in your face every day and I couldn’t handle it. That woman broke my heart when she chose my younger brother over me, then again when she died.”
Lydia didn’t say a word, didn’t want to break the spell, but her heart ached for him. Laying on the gurney, oxygen line taped to his face and shoved up his nostrils, he looked so fragile. His heart had been broken and he’d never moved past it. It didn’t excuse his behavior, but for the first time in her life, she understood him.
“When you shifted that first time and I realized what you were, I couldn’t take it. Lily had been a shifter all along and no one knew. I don’t even think Silas knew. After that, I hated you. You should have been my child. Instead, I was left with a constant reminder of what I’d lost, and of the lie that Lily had lived. She took her secret to the grave and I never forgave her for that.”
They stopped at room 210 and the paramedics stopped. Sadler opened his eyes, staring directly into Lydia’s. She fought the urge to squirm, meeting his gaze directly. Sadler nodded and offered a smile so weak that it was almost invisible.
“Lily and Silas would have been proud of you. You turned out to be a real good person. Better than me, that’s for sure.”
Before Lydia could say anything, Sadler’s eyes closed and his breathing slowed.
“He’ll sleep for a while now,” the paramedic said.
“Will he remember what he said to me?”
“He probably won’t even remember how he got here.”
“Good.”
THE FINAL CHAPTER
Spring
Jareth circled around the large, lit table in the drafting room. His tiny model of their latest product was complete and ready to be presented to the client. Carter had already gone over the blue prints on his computer to check for any miscalculations, and Jareth was triple-checking the scale model to make sure that everything was perfect for their meeting later this afternoon.
This was a huge account for them, and it was important that everything be perfect.
He checked the time again, surprised to see that it was still not even lunch time.
“Carter, what time is he coming again?”
“You asked me that ten minutes ago,” Carter called from the adjoining office. “He’ll be here around dinner time. He’s putting in a full day at the office and coming to us after that.”
“So six, maybe?”
“About then. He’ll get here when he shows up. Relax.”
Jareth found it hard to relax, even now that he was completely healed and back to his old self. He’d filled his days to the brink of overflow to keep his mind off his broken heart. It worked, for the most part, but the nights were still quite long. If he was honest with himself, he was actually happy that the client would be in so late. By the time they finished the presentation and invited the man to join them for dinner, then coffee and most likely dessert, it would be late.
Jareth could let exhaustion drag him into a dreamless sleep, making coping with his days a lot easier.
Jareth moved a tiny model tree a smidge to the left, smiling when he saw that the scene was absolute perfection. Business had picked up in January, and now, late in March, things remained steady.
If business continued this way, they were going to have to hire a secretary.
Jareth watched Carter move about his office through the open office door. Like Jareth, he’d thrown himself into his work once it became apparent that Lydia probably wasn’t coming back. Christmas came and went, then New Years and Valentine’s Day. He didn’t know when it had happened, but at some point, both men had given up and moved on.
Jareth continued puttering around the table, crouching down and taking in the different parts of the massive compound from different angles. This latest project was for Caleb Sawyer, a multi-billionaire with a lucrative contract with the DOJ. His projects were so secretive that the President of the United States wasn’t privy to their existence. It was imperative that the building specs, secret passageways and rooms were kept top secret and then some.
A low chime dinged and the security monitor fired up, showing a car already passing the guard on slowly winding its way down the drive.
“Carter, it looks like he’s here already.”
Carter groaned from the other room.
“I hate that. He does this all the time. He thinks he’s keeping us on our toes or something.”
“Don’t sweat it. We’re ready. We’ve been ready. He might think he’s catching us off-guard, but really, he’s walking in on awesome.”
“Your humility is astounding,” Carter said as he walked into the drafting room. “Let’s lock it up and we’ll meet him at the door. Can’t have our biggest account thinking that we leave things unguarded when we leave the room.”
“I’ll just be glad when the planning phase is over and we can hand it off to his contractors. The money is good, but Sawyer is a royal pain in the ass. I’m ready to move on to someone that micromanages a little less than this guy.”
Carter smiled but didn’t respond. They could hear the car door open
and close outside the door.
“Show time,” Jareth said, plastering a smile on his face and pulling the door open wide.
The grin slid off his face almost immediately. Carter stood behind Jareth, unable to see over Jareth’s head through the partially opened door.
“Jareth what is it?”
Jareth said nothing, letting the door swing open the rest of the way and standing stock-still where he was, afraid to move in case his eyes were playing tricks on him.
“Hi,” Lydia said softly, tears brimming in her soft blue eyes. “Can I come in?”
“Of course you can.” Jareth was stammering, but he managed to get the words out and out of her way.
“Can we talk?” she asked, indicating the sitting room off the kitchen where so much of their lives had unfolded in that short month.
“Sure,” Carter said, resisting the urge to touch her as he lead the way.
He sat in an upright chair leaving the loveseat open for Lydia. Jareth stood, waving off Lydia when she offered the seat beside herself.
“I imagine that one of the things I need to talk about is pretty obvious,” Lydia started, rubbing her belly absently as she spoke.
“I would be lying if I didn’t admit that I’m surprised to see you, and well-” Carter trailed off, not knowing quite what to say.
“Jareth. You haven’t said anything. Are you alright?”
Lydia’s face showed concern but her shoulders were set. Jareth’s expression was unreadable, and Lydia was preparing herself for anything from anger to despair, and all the myriad of emotions in between.
“I don’t know what to say, Lydia. You leave without letting us know where you are, and you just show up, pregnant, and I guess I don’t really know what to say.”
Lydia nodded.
“I understand. I really do, and I’m sorry. I’m sorry that my demons made life difficult for us all, and I’m sorry that I needed to get away to find myself before I could even begin to move forward with the rest of my life.”
Her voice caught and she breathed in a shuddering sigh.
“I’m so sorry that I hurt you. I never wanted to, but it was kind of unavoidable.”
“So that’s it then, you came to say you’re sorry that you hurt us?”
Lydia flinched at Jareth’s tone, but she didn’t blame him. He’d been heavily medicated when she’d left, and she hadn’t been able to say goodbye to him. It ate away at her while she was gone. She couldn’t imagine how much it had hurt him too.
“What Jareth is trying to say is, why are you here? Are you here because you’ve made a decision, or just to make amends before you move on with your life?”
“Don’t you even want to know about the baby?”
“It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that it’s either mine or Jareth’s child. But, how exciting that news is really depends on what you’ve come here to do.”
Lydia bit her lip. This wasn’t going the way she’d hoped. She’d hoped that she’d walk into the house and be welcomed with opened arms. Instead, the chill in the air was heart-wrenching.
“Maybe I was gone too long. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have come.”
She stood to leave, fighting back tears.
“Lydia, wait,” Jareth said. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I’ve spent these last few months finding ways to forget about you. And now you’re here, and I just don’t know what to say.”
“Do you still love me?” Her voice quivered.
“God yes, of course I do, Lydia. We both do. But it’s not about that. This is about you and what you want in life. That’s what it’s always been. I’m just afraid that you’ve come here to tell us that you’re leaving for good. I don’t know if I can handle that.”
She closed her eyes, struggling to find the words, to make this whole uncomfortable encounter end and make everything right again. She trembled, frightened that she wouldn’t find the right words, and everything she’d missed while she was gone would disappear like vapor, never to be found again.
“The time I spent here was the best of my life. I’ve never been happier. But I had so much that I had to figure out to make sure, absolutely sure, that I was happy here for the right reasons. That took some time, and I got caught up back in Kentucky, trying to make a light in the world for children like me. It was great, and I’m hoping to go back there soon.”
Jareth’s hand flew up to his face, pinching his temples in frustration. So she was here to say goodbye. Why bother?
“I’m not done, Jareth. Please.”
Her voice was soft, pleading. Slowly, Jareth lowered his hand, trying not to turn away and hide from what he knew was coming.
“When I say ‘I’m hoping to go back there soon’ I mean that I’m hoping to visit frequently. Donating my family’s home to Hope’s House and funding the upkeep healed so much of the hurt I felt. But there’s more to do, and I need a purpose in my life outside of this. I want to run the fundraising portion of the House from here, making frequent visits to offer support and guidance as the orphanage grows and takes on more children. And I’m hoping to expand so that no child like me ever suffers again.”
“So you’re staying in Georgia?” Carter asked.
“I’m hoping to stay here, in Jasper. With you.”
“So you’ve made your choice then, and you’re choosing one of us?”
Lydia smiled then. They were finally hearing her, but somehow still missing the point.
“No, Carter. I’m staying here with both of you. I’m choosing not to choose. Why should I? I married you both and I love you both. Shouldn’t that be enough?”
She waited, watching the play of emotions on both of their faces as her words sunk in.
Jareth was the first to speak, a huge grin splitting his face.
“So you’re here, for good?”
“Yes, of course. I’m not raising this baby by myself, and there’s no way I could live anywhere else after living here with you both.”
“Do you know whose it is?”
“No. Shifter babies – even ones that are part human - grow so fast that the doctor said it was impossible to tell whether this baby was yours or Carter’s. It doesn’t really matter to me. As far as I’m concerned, you’re both the father and we’re all family. I’m due any day now, even though it has only been a few months.”
She was quiet for a moment before she continued.
“I’m hoping that there will be plenty of children in the future. For all three of us.”
Her eyes locked with Carter’s, waiting for him to respond. They were close, a few feet from each other, but the distance felt immense. She was waiting for his answer, hoping that whatever he said next didn’t tear her heart in two.
When he finally spoke, his voice was soft and shaky, but his words made her heart soar.
“I knew you’d come back to us. I never lost hope.”
“Life isn’t the same without you guys.”
“Trust me,” Jareth said with a wide smile, “nothing is the same without you here.”
He went to Lydia, pulling her out of the loveseat and into his arms. He kissed her deeply, soaking up her sweetness, arms wrapped tightly around her.
“Don’t be surprised if we never let you go again,” Jareth said as he released her.
“Let’s hope not. These have been some of the hardest months of my life. Next time I go to Kentucky, I want you both by my side.”
Lydia smiled at Carter, biting her lip and closing the distance between them. She slipped into his arms, leaned in for a kiss. He hesitated at first, but finally gave in to Lydia’s coaxing. She had waited months to feel his mouth on hers, she wasn’t going to let him off that easily. She could feel the exact moment when Carter let his guard down, opening his heart to her and taking the lead. He kissed her almost roughly, shoving his hands into her hair and holding tight.
When he finally released her, she could barely breathe.
It was a wonderful feeling.
“I see you
missed our kisses,” Jareth joked with her.
“That wasn’t all I missed.”
Her grin was mischievous, her meaning clear. She stepped out of Carter’s arms, holding one hand in hers and slipping her free hand into Jareth’s. She led them both to the stairs, loving the feel of being surrounded by them as she headed towards her room.
The room was exactly as she’d left it, not a single thing out of place.
Lydia led the way into the room, turning when both men stopped. She didn’t have to ask them what they were wondering, it was pretty obvious.
“Both of you. I want you both.”
Her voice was husky and low, her need obvious. That was all it took for both men to move into the room, following her to the bed without question.
Lydia slipped out of her dress and laid down in the center of the bed.
“Don’t just stand there,” she said playfully.
Carter and Jareth left their clothes where they stood, each moving onto the bed from either side. It had been years since they’d had a woman together, but this time it was different. Lydia was more than just a lay; she was their wife.
Lydia lay back on her side, facing Carter while Jareth helped her out of her bra and panties. Carter kissed her hungrily, moving close to press himself against her. His erection slid against her leg, teasing the heat between her legs. Her breasts pressed against him roughly, his chest rubbing her nipples taut as he moved against her.
Jareth kissed the back of her neck, moving slowly down her spine. Lydia moaned, eyes closing as she gave herself to the sensations. Carter continued to tease her core, sliding his member against her without entering.
Lydia opened her legs to him, silently begging him to take her. He ignored her pleas, teasing her mercilessly.
Lydia caught a shiny wrapper passed over her to Carter, but when Jareth notice Lydia looking at it, he immediately slipped his hand between her legs, distracting her instantly. She wanted to ask them the purpose of a condom when she was already heavily pregnant, but Jareth’s skilled fingers jumbled her thoughts and set her soul afire.
The Tigers Shared Mate Page 18
