He's Captured My Soul (Captured Series Book 3)

by Karen Frances

  “Of course I can manage,” he tells me.

  I rub at my ever expanding belly. These two are as bad as the two men in front of me. Maybe Alex will get his way and these will be boys, they have certainly caused me some trouble the last few days. A few contractions have come and gone; I’m told these are all normal in the last few weeks.

  “Libby, do you want to sit down, you’re making me nervous,” Kieran says.

  “No I’m good. If you two are all okay, I’m going to head off home.” Even with air conditioning on here in the hotel, I’m still too warm. It must be one of the hottest days of the year so far. So heading home does appeal to me right now. “So can I leave you two, not to run my hotel into the ground while . . .” Shit. I don’t get to finish my sentence as I look to the floor. No, not today. I’m not ready for this today.

  “Libby, is that what I think it is?” Kieran sounds a little . . . numb would be a good word.

  “Yip. My waters have broken. I should go and grab my phone and call Alex.”

  “On it,” Karl says as he calls Alex. Now this should be interesting, he will only panic with Karl calling him. “Alex where are you? . . . Libby’s waters have broken . . . Okay see you in five . . .”

  “That was short and sweet, where is he?” I ask.

  “He’s down at the house, with the contractor.”

  “So which one of you fine young men is going to see me outside while I wait for him?” I ask. Kieran looks horrified at my question.

  “Can you go, Karl, I have things to do.” Karl and I both laugh as Kieran leaves the office.

  “Do you need to get anything?” Karl asks.

  “Just my bag from my office; everything else is in my car, including my hospital bag.”

  “Okay. Let’s go and get your bag, because I think these two will be making an appearance sooner rather than later.”

  As Karl and I walk through the hotel, I have my first proper contraction. The others I’ve had in recent days were mild to say the least. Poor Karl, I have to hand it to him, he never lets me down, even when my hands are gripping him as the pain sweeps through me. He must be used to the drama that usually surrounds me.

  We finally get outside just as Alex’s car pulls up at the front door. He jumps out on the passenger’s side before the car stops.

  “Seriously, Libby, you’re five weeks early.” I can hear the panic in his voice. I don’t get to answer him as another contraction rips through me, and I still have a hold of Karl’s arm as I squeeze it.

  “What will I do?”

  “My . . . Hospital . . . Bag is in my car,” I tell him. He rushes away to my car and returns with my bag. Murphy gets out of the car and opens the rear doors.“Mrs. Mathews, we will get you straight to the hospital. Would you like me to make few calls for you?”

  “Thanks, Murphy. A call to Sarah and then my parents, because I’m not sure my husband is capable of doing that.” We both watch in amusement at a very flustered Alex. Oh, I hope for his sake this isn’t a long labour, seeing him now I’m not sure how he will cope.

  “Libby, is this everything you need?” Alex asks.

  “Yes, now can you help me into the car?” He helps me into the back seat of his car and rushes around to the other side and climbs in beside me. Murphy drives straight away, although I do hear him call Sarah in New York to let her know the babies are on their way.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Mathews are away to book flights. She will let me know when they will get here. I will have Joan set up a bedroom for them,” Murphy tells us.

  “Alex . . .”

  “Yes, baby?” He takes my hand. “Was that another? So soon.”

  I grip onto him at one side and his precious car at the other, until it passes. From nothing to contractions every few minutes, this can’t be good. I thought I would have more warning than this. Alex strokes my hand, probably hoping it soothes me, but it doesn’t.

  “Alex, you know I love you, right?”

  “Of course.” I can see confusion when I look at him.

  “Well, see right now.” I feel another contraction build. “You’re not my favourite person.” I hear Murphy laugh. I know it must sound funny. But right now I blame Alex for my predicament, as my grip on his hand tightens and I’m sure my fingernails dig into him. Well that’s only a little pain, compared to what I’m going through. “Happy Birthday,” I say to him as the contraction comes to an end. “I think we might need to cancel dinner.”

  “Baby, don’t worry about dinner. I just want you and our babies to be fine.”

  “I want to push!” I cry.

  “You can’t, Libby. A few more minutes and we’ll be there.”

  We arrive at the hospital, and Murphy drops us off as close to the entrance as he can, and then leaves to go home. He wishes me luck and tells Alex he will take care of things. That has me wondering, what needs taking care of, but I don’t dwell on that as another contraction comes hard and fast. That makes me think of the man that got me into this mess; he comes hard and fast too Well, it has taken my mind off the contraction.

  We’re shown to a room where a midwife helps me get settled. She asks lots of question, which I try to answer, but Alex is able to fill in the blanks. She hooks me up to the monitor that keeps track of the babies’ heart rates, before doing a quick internal examination. The midwife is lovely; she timed the examination to perfection just at the end of a contraction.

  “Well, Mrs. Mathews, it looks like you are ready to start pushing. No time for pain relief, I have gas here if you want it.”

  “Will the babies be okay?” I ask, suddenly concerned that I’m five weeks early. “With being early.”

  “Yes, twins usually arrive early, although I have called for a pediatrician to come and check both babies over.”

  Another midwife comes into the room. Alex rushes to my side and takes my hand. “I love you,” he says, placing a kiss on my forehead.

  “I love you too, even though I might not say it again today.”

  “Mrs. Mathews, with the next contraction, I want you to push with everything you have,” the midwife tells me. “Ready?”

  As the contraction starts, I push with everything I have, until I’m told to stop. “So glad you’re not a screamer,” she says with a laugh.

  “Oh, it can be arranged,” I say because I know I’m really struggling with the pain. I could curl up in a ball and cry if my belly wasn’t in the way.

  “Again.”

  I push again; I still have a grip on Alex’s hand. I can’t help it as my fingernails dig into his hand. At this rate I will draw blood from him.

  “Shit, Libby.”

  “Sorry.” Although why I’m apologising to him, I have no idea.

  “I can see the head,” the midwife says.

  The midwife gives me instructions and I do as I’m told. Then I hear the most perfect sound in the world at this moment. A soft cry from my baby.

  “You have a beautiful baby girl.” I cry as the midwife places my daughter on me. I look at Alex as the midwife lets him cut the cord. He’s crying as well. I look at my daughter in wonder. I take her small hand and my tears keep falling. “She’s perfect.”

  “Of course she is. She takes after her mother. I love you so much,” Alex says and places a soft kiss on my lips and then on our daughters tiny hand. That single act has me melting all over again.

  “Mrs. Mathews, are you ready to do it all again? Baby number two is getting a little restless.” I nod. “The doctor will just check over your daughter while you do the hard work all over again.”

  Alex stays by my side and this time doesn't seem so bad, although I am getting tired now. He and the midwife continue to reassure me that I’m doing well.

  “I see the head,” she tells me. “Now just like last time, a few more minutes and baby number two will be here.”

  I can do this. It wasn’t so bad the first time. I concentrate and push until I can no longer push. Then I hear the most beautiful sound again. A soft baby cry.<
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  “Another perfect girl.”

  We go through all the motions again and I’m restless. Alex takes a seat beside me, overcome with emotion. The midwife continues to fuss over me, but all I want to do is sleep. My eyes are heavy, but I’m fighting an inner battle to keep them open. I’m torn between keeping my eyes open and on our daughters because I’m struggling to take my eyes from them, and closing them if only for a few minutes.

  “Mrs. Mathews.” The voice startles me. The midwife is standing with one of my daughters, all wrapped up. I sit myself up in the bed; Alex tries to help me. She hands me my tiny baby girl and walks back and lifts the other from the cot and hands her to me.

  My eyes go back and forth between our two precious babies. Alex moves from the seat and sits with us on the bed, wrapping his arm around me. The smile on his face reaches his tear-filled eyes, and in this single moment everything is forgotten. All the pain we’ve both been through, forgotten. Our life is complete.

  “Are you going to take your girls?” I ask him.

  “I have my three girls here with me.” He kisses me softly on my lips. “Our girls and I are already well acquainted, when you dosed off. It’s time for some quality time with their mother.”

  “What did I miss when I was sleeping?”

  “You didn’t sleep long, not even fifteen minutes. Okay, this one weighed five pounds eleven ounces and has a lot more hair. This one weighed five pounds eight ounces. All checks are done and both babies are healthy. Although now might be a good idea to try and start feeding.”

  “If you’re ready, Mrs. Mathews, I can help you,” the midwife says softly.

  Alex takes one of our daughters and sits in the chair, staring lovingly at her. Her body looks so tiny in his arms. So petite.

  I know Alex had already planned a month off work, to spend time with us all. But we do have Joan at the flat, and she is more than looking forward to helping out. And then there’s my parents and not to mention Ethan and Sophie as well.

  The midwife leaves us to spend some time on our own, after she’s had me up and out of the bed. I know we won’t have that much time until my parents and Ethan and Sophie arrive.

  “Libby.” I lift my eyes from our daughters when I hear Alex’s voice. “We really should think of names for these two.”

  “I know. I had boys names in mind, because that’s what I thought I was having. Have you thought about it?” I ask him. From the glint in his eye, he has.

  “Well, I do have one. Ava.”

  “I like Ava too. I also like Ella.”

  “So we have first names for the girls? Are we still thinking about second names?”

  “Yes,” I say. “This is Ella Grace Mathews.” I look at our daughter in my right arm.

  “So this is Ava Louise?” He smiles warmly at me.

  “Yes. Perfect names for perfect little girls.” I agree. “Happy birthday, Alex, from the three of us.”

  “Baby, you’ve given me the most precious gift in the world, giving me two beautiful daughters.”

  Alex

  MURPHY DROPS ME OFF AT the entrance, and I take the two car seats with me. I’m a little nervous, but yet very excited about taking all three of my girls home today. We get to spend tonight together, alone. Libby won't admit it, but I’m sure the endless visitors have taken a toll on her. But, Libby being Libby, would never admit to that. She had to spend an extra day in the hospital which she wasn’t happy about; her blood pressure was a little high. But she has now been cleared to leave.

  My parents and Michael arrived yesterday, and came straight here from the airport. My poor mother couldn’t stop crying; it was very emotional seeing her with her first grandchildren. My dad was just a little bit more reserved, although not by much. As for Michael, I thought we were going to have to pry both girls away from him. Not what I had envisioned, but then again he would’ve thought the same about me not so long ago. So much has changed in this past year.

  Sophie and Ethan have been constant visitors, along with Phil and Jane. I will admit that I didn’t think things would work out with Sophie and Ethan, but then again I suppose everyone thought the same of Libby and I. They’ve had a tough few months.

  I stop outside the door and smile as I hear crying. I suppose there’s going to be a lot more of that. Opening the door, I find Libby pacing the floor with Ella in her arms. Ava is lying quite content in her cot. Libby lifts her head; god that smile I love. I love this woman with all my heart.

  “Hey, handsome.”

  “Hey yourself.” I kiss her soft lips. I really have missed her. I hope she doesn’t notice my lack of sleep. She’ll find out soon enough that I’ve not slept all night. “I’ve missed you.”

  “Glad to hear it, because I missed you when these two had me up all night. I swear all I did was feed them all night.”

  “So are you tired? You can rest at home and I can take care of them.”

  “No, it’s funny I’m not tired. I’m excited to get home.”

  I help her get organised to leave. Libby had just finished feeding them before I got here, so all that’s left to do is change them both and strap them into the car seats. All the paperwork for their discharge was also sorted before I got here. We say our goodbyes to the staff and head off to start our new life as a family.

  Murphy pulls up at the entrance at the perfect time. Both Murphy and I rehearsed several times putting these seats in and out of the car. I secure Ella’s seat in the back and help Libby in as well. She insisted on sitting in the middle of both seats. Murphy secures Ava’s seat. Then we are good to go. I sit in the front with Murphy.

  I glance over my shoulder and smile. Elizabeth Mathews is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid my eyes on. My smile is returned before she checks on the girls. My heart swells with pride for my family. My own perfect family.

  “Alex, Murphy where the hell are we going?” she snaps. She’s noticed we’re out of town and not far away from our destination. “If we’re headed to the hotel, you had better turn this car around. I’m not up for going visiting.”

  “Libby, do you trust me?”

  “Usually.”

  “Please trust me.” I’m as nervous as hell about this. She nods, but doesn’t look convinced. God, I hope I’ve done everything right. I know all the things she wanted. I just needed to do something for Libby; it’s been a hard few months, between me and then there was Jeff and his mother.

  His mother admitted it was her that drove Libby’s car off the road. That admission left Libby pretty shaken up I suppose we both suspected Jeff, but never once thought about his mother. He stooped low doing that, but I can’t understand why his mother would agree to it. Libby took it all bad.

  I made good on my promise of taking her away. I needed to make everything up to her, although we had to wait a few days. She wanted to wait on Kieran coming back from his holiday, but that gave me time to organise our time away. I whisked her back to The Mountain, in St. Lucia. And yet again we had the most amazing time away. Just what was needed for us, to help us get back to normal.

  We drive until the silence is broken; Ella has a fine set of lungs on her, that’s for sure. As we enter the private road, I text Joan.

  Here.

  The car stops outside our new home. Turning, I see a puzzled look on her face. Oh god, she looks so cute right now. Joan exits the front door and comes to the car. Murphy takes Ava’s seat and I hand Ella’s seat to Joan and they both enter the house.

  “Alex, why are we here?”

  “I wanted to show you something,” I say, helping her from the car. “What do you think of the landscaping?” It’s the first thing that comes to my mind.

  “Yeah it looks great, but shouldn’t that be the last thing to be done?”

  “Maybe.” I take her hand and pause at the front door. “Welcome to your new home.” She turns and I draw her into my arms and I do the one thing that comes so natural to me, I kiss her. Her lips taste so good as she responds. I’m going to have
a hard time over the next few weeks trying to keep it in my pants.

  “But when. .?” she asks with wide eyes full of excitement.

  “We’ve all spent the last few weeks putting the finishing touches together. I hope you love it. If there’s anything missing, please let me know. Come on, it’s about time you saw our home. It’s almost killed me trying to keep this from you the last few weeks.”

  I take her on a tour of our home. Her excitement is evident. I love seeing her this happy, and I love knowing I’ve played my part in making her happy. I start upstairs—I want to leave the best for last. Up here, only the bathrooms and two bedrooms are completely finished. The rest, we have plenty of time to finish off the other rooms. Our bedroom is almost exactly the same as the one in the apartment, all the furniture and bed made the move yesterday.

  “I can’t believe you’ve done all this.”

  “Well I have, with a lot of help, now let me show you next door.”

  I open the door to the girls’ room. I’m amazed at how good it looks. This is what I stayed up all night for, making sure this room was complete. I know it will be a few months before they sleep in here at night, but I wanted it finished. Jane, Sophie, my mom, Joan and even Kirsty all helped last night. Shortly after the girls were born, I had called Murphy to arrange for the painter to come in and decorate this room. I wanted it perfect for all of them. I turn to my wife, and she's crying.

  “Libby.”

  “Alex, it’s perfect. I love it. I love you.”

  I could spend all day standing here, telling her all about it, but I can see she is anxious to get downstairs to our daughters. If truth be told, so am I. Downstairs I show her the kitchen that she picked out and it now has every gadget imaginable. I’ve left the sitting room until last, and I know she will appreciate it. She will not even have a second glance at everything in the room.