by Avery Gale
Looking around the beach room, Kat was impressed with what the Red Clouds had created. Cash had asked both she and Tori for input so she’d known they were making it, but damn, they’d outdone themselves in her opinion. One thing about Doms, there isn’t much they won’t do for the right sub.
Turning she came face to face with Bree. “Hey there, how are you? I haven’t seen you out of that flippin’ hospital since you got back.”
The pretty woman laughed and nodded. “I know, I’ve been trying to give Doc some time off after he was nice enough to let me take vacation time for a honeymoon so soon after joining the staff. I was just heading over to check on Jenna, she looks a bit pale.”
Sitting down next to Jenna, Kat watched as Bree asked her friend numerous questions and didn’t seem satisfied with any of the answers. Kat leaned forward and asked, “You want me to get Colt, Jenna?” Just then Rissa leaned down to see what was going on while Ilaina and Tori were trying to keep Layla from hopping over to them on one leg.
Jenna smiled and just shook her head. “I’d like to wait a few minutes if you think it’s okay. I really think it’s just indigestion again. I’ve been having it on and off since last night. I’ve taken antacids but they don’t seem to be helping. Seems little Daniel is being a handful already.” She was rubbing slow circles over her rounded tummy as if she could coax the little guy into cooperating.
Kat announced she needed another drink and headed for the bar. While Bree continued to talk to Jenna, Kat sent a quick text to Alex. And despite her request that they casually make their way downstairs, it sounded like a herd of elephants were stampeding their way. Sighing to herself she knew Jenna was going to know she’d ratted her out.
“Shit! Kat, you are a rat-fink. Don’t think I don’t know what you’ve done. Crap.”
“Damn and double damn I told Alex to be subtle. I swear the man doesn’t know subtle from fr…ric-rac.” She amended her words just in the nick of time and Tori leaned over to give her a high-five.
“Well done, girlfriend. I’m not sure I’ve ever heard that expression before, but you get points for creativity and thinking on your feet that’s for sure!” Alex frowned at her but then refocused his attention on his sister.
Leaning over he whispered, “I’ll deal with you later, my lovely wife.” But he didn’t seem all that committed to the idea if you asked Kat. Sighing she knew all hope for a nice session in the play room had just been torched by her soon to be born nephew. I’m going to have a chat with that young man.
She just tried to move to the back of the room and let everyone discuss what should be done. They all agreed to take Jenna in to the hospital so she could be checked and Bree was going along, despite having just come off a fourteen-hour shift. Kat watched as Ethan frowned but agreed to go along as well. Kat moved back in to give Jenna a hug and promised to come immediately and bring her bag if they kept her. Kat was trying to behave exactly as she usually did, but she had that “off” feeling again and just like so many other times since she’d had the triplets, she couldn’t seem to hammer down what it was that she was feeling. Both Alex and Zach had been distant and she was starting to worry. It wasn’t as if their past wasn’t already littered with challenges, but now she feared maybe they truly had lost interest in her. Alex had offered to drive Colt’s truck so he could hold his wife in the back as they made their way the short distance to the hospital. He’d turned to her and simply said, “Wait for Zach, he can bring you if and when he’s ready.” And then he’d turned and stalked away. She’d barely managed to contain her tears until she was able to rush past several of her friends and make her way into the tiny bathroom.
Chapter 20
Layla had watched the scene play out and worried about her sweet friends. One was being spirited away to the hospital and the concerned look on Bree’s face had everyone unsettled. And then Alex’s abrupt treatment of the woman he was known to adore was completely baffling and had clearly upset Kat tremendously. When she looked around she noticed Mitch Grayson had been one of the people Kat had moved past to escape before she’d succumbed to the hurt Layla had seen in her eyes. Layla had been told what a strong empath Mitch was and he’d clearly gotten something from his encounter with Kat and even though he was not happy, he was trying hard to distract his wife who was badgering him for information.
“Rissa, baby, please. I’ll talk to you about this in a bit. Right now, let’s focus on the other more pressing issues at hand. We’ve got to wait for Jamie and Zach’s report and then we’ll decide how to proceed. But no matter how this plays out, I’ll be taking you back home. Bryant and Betsy need you there more than you need to be at the hospital. Now, go check on your friends and then meet me back upstairs in five—please.” Layla smiled as he kissed his wife on the nose and then turned her toward the bathroom.
As he walked by Layla he knelt down and smiled at her. “Don’t worry so much, Layla. You are in great hands. Your men are going to take excellent care of you, they love you very much. And you have the whole ShadowDance team behind you. Just so you know, your uncle was sitting down the road when we all drove by, he thinks we didn’t notice and that we’re all a bunch of hicks.” When she started to protest he put his hand up, “No, leave it—please. That is exactly how we like things—if he is underestimating us, it’ll make our job a lot easier. He’ll make a mistake quicker and we’ll be able to snatch him up. Although, we’d have to lock him up quickly because if Cash gets his hands on him, the ass hat is a dead man.” Mitch smiled and shook his head. “And the thing with Alex and Kat is not at all what it appears to be and I’m going to be chatting with my friend in just a few minutes about that. He is so focused on his own agenda he has forgotten the sensitive woman he’s doing it all for.”
Layla wasn’t really sure what to make of Mitch Grayson. From the things she’d heard, his gifts were almost frightening in their intensity. Yet the few times she’d actually spoken to her, she’d noticed that he was amazingly sensitive and considerate in the way he approached people with information. Just before he walked out the door he turned and walked back to her and leaned down to whisper in her ear. “I won’t tell your men, but you need to as quickly as possible.” She must have looked as puzzled as she felt because he laughed and added, “Let’s just say this shall we? No more of those pain pills and no liquor either, little mama.” And with those words he was gone and Layla was left gasping for breath.
How could it be? She’d been tracking her cycle for years because she had never felt comfortable filling her body with the hormones of birth control pills and…oh shit. Just now realizing that she hadn’t paid any attention to any of this since the moment she’d met the Red Cloud brothers. The thought of being pregnant both thrilled and terrified her. And what would the men think? They had alluded to their relationship being permanent but she certainly hadn’t counted on this. The last thing she wanted was for them to feel obligated to marry her and now they were being forced to deal with her past as well. Oh you’re a real catch, Layla…yes indeed…a crazy-ass murdering piece of shit uncle and knocked up…every man’s dream woman.
Coming back to the present she realized that she had not only spoken the words out loud but that she wasn’t alone either. Fuck! Honestly, could you screw this day up any worse? Taking a deep breath she decided it was time to turn around and find out who was standing behind her. She was relieved to see Tori, Kat, Rissa, and Ilaina smiling at her. At least it wasn’t one of the guys. “Don’t suppose there’s any way you didn’t hear that, right?”
Tori squealed and pulled her into a hug so tight she heard herself squeak. “Oh Lord love a leper, this is so amazing. We’re going to be doing this together, I’m pregnant, too. Trace doesn’t know yet, I’ve had this super romantic dinner planned for a week now.” Pausing to look around when they all giggled, she frowned. “Hey, knock that shit off, of course I’m not cooking. I told you, I’ve planned a romantic dinner and that doesn’t involve the local fire department.” She sighed
deeply and then added, “Besides, Fire Chief McAllister made me promise I wouldn’t cook again until after he retired, the old fart.” Then she giggled. “He was so funny, the last time his crew had to come to the office because I’d tried to make my own lunch in the break room, he said, ‘Honey, if’n you’ll stop with this cooking business, I promise to buy your lunch every day until I retire.’ He’s such a sweetie, but God it was embarrassing.” By the time she’d finished all of the woman were laughing almost hysterically because her imitation of the elderly chief of the small Climax Fire Department had been nearly perfect.
Suddenly Layla was almost overwhelmed with her appreciation for her new friends and particularly for Tori. Her sweet pal had known how close to the edge Layla had been and had defused the emotion with another of her cooking disaster stories. Looking around the small group of women surrounding her, she found herself focused on Ilaina. “Please don’t tell your brothers about this. I need a bit to absorb it, and to confirm it. I know I’ve felt off for a while, but I really did attribute it to stress. I promise I won’t do anything crazy, but I really do need to process this first.”
Ilaina leaned forward and hugged her. “I understand and I’ll keep your secret for a while, but I won’t be able to contain my excitement forever, I’m just warning you. Oh—and you’d do well to avoid Granny Good-Witch like the plague, because she’ll out you in a heartbeat. And trust me, she’ll know the minute you walk in the room. That old woman doesn’t miss a thing and Cash is her darling, hell, you’d think he had personally hung the sun and the moon, so she’ll go 911 on this in a heartbeat.” She must have realized they were all staring at her because she looked around and added, “What?”
Kat spoke up first, “Well, damn and double damn, it’s good to know that one of the world’s most famous faces is attached to a mouthy sister. Welcome home, Lainy.” There was another round of giggles before they all headed upstairs to find out what the men had learned about Nick Lang and if there had been any news about Jenna. Layla was proud of how quickly she’d mastered the crutches, but stairs were a challenge, so her friends had surrounded her and helped. They were all giggling like school girls by the time they topped the long stairway.
Several hours later they all stood at the glass in the Climax Hospital’s nursery and looked on as Daniel Matthews slept peacefully in his small glass bassinette. His dark hair and golden tan skin were a gift from his mother’s Native American heritage, but his face and size were all from his doting daddy. When Layla looked over at Kat she noted the tears in her eyes. Kat smiled and without ever taking her eyes from the baby, then said, “He’s so perfect and I’m going to be the best aunt ever, you just wait and see. God, I can’t wait to hold him in my arms and cuddle him. I miss the cuddling. My three terrors don’t want to hold still until they collapse from exhaustion, oh wait, that’s me that collapses.” She smiled wanly and then turned to look at Layla. “You and Tori are going to be amazing mothers and you’ve got lots of help if you need it, don’t forget that, okay?”
Layla could only nod her head in agreement because she was so close to tears she didn’t dare speak. Damn, she hoped she wasn’t going to be one of those cry-baby pregnant women, and then she had to suppress a giggle. It seemed she was going to be one of those psycho-pregnant women that talked to themselves instead. Geez, Layla…get a fucking grip already.
As they made their way to Jenna’s room, Layla noticed Mitch standing in an alcove and he appeared to be having a very heated discussion with both of her bosses. Layla managed to distract Kat by pretending to struggle with her crutches so that she missed the scene unfolding just a few feet away and they breezed into the new mama’s room without incident. Jenna’s C-section hadn’t been planned but from what Layla had heard, Bree had tugged little Daniel into the world in short order when it had been apparent he was in distress. Jenna looked up and smiled at them, obviously feeling the effects of the pain medications she’d been given. “Did you see him? He’s so perfect. I want to hold him, but everybody thinks I have to rest.”
Kat rushed over to the side of the bed and assured her sister-in-law that she’d have her sweet bundle in here in no time. “And sweet sister mine, of course my nephew is perfect. And brilliant, too, after all, look who he picked as an aunt.” Jenna had already settled back against the pillows and was asleep as Kat stroked the side of her face before she added, “Even if I’m not his uncles’ favorite person anymore, I’ll always love him like one of my own.”
Layla was sure Kat had forgotten Colt stood in the corner listening and neither of them had noticed Alex and Zach until Alex spoke, “Katarina, Zach and I would like to speak with you. Let’s go, love. You can return later when our sweet sister has had a chance to rest up a bit.” Layla sensed a hesitance in Kat that she’d never seen before and it unsettled her. It was obvious both men were tense and Layla couldn’t help but worry for her new friend.
Making her way back to the waiting room, Layla was shocked to see it completely filled with well-wishers. Blue flowers and balloons filled every table and there was a rush of people asking her if she’d seen the baby. When she’d explained he was in the nursery, she’d nearly been stampeded as women rushed from the room. Just as the crowd had thinned, Daniel and Catherine Lamont breezed through the doors and Layla almost laughed out loud watching Daniel’s long legs eating up the hallway with his wife scrambling to keep up. Despite his pace he stopped at the nurse’s station. “Good evening, I’m Daniel Lamont and this lovely woman is my wife Catherine. We’d like to see out daughter, Jenna Matthews, and then our new grandson. If you’d direct us to her room, I’d certainly appreciate it.”
Layla almost choked as every nurse there moved to help the charming man. Easy to see why everyone speaks so highly of the elder Lamonts, that’s for sure. As she watched them move down the hall, Layla suddenly realized that there wasn’t anyone in the large, open room that she recognized. A sudden chill raced up her spine. Looking around, but the only person she saw that seemed out of place was a shadowy figure standing partially hidden by a door frame at the other end of the hall. She glanced toward the sliding glass doors leading outside and then when she looked again, he was gone.
Her heart was racing and Layla felt herself sliding into panic. He was here, she just knew it, but now it wasn’t just about her anymore, she had to keep her child safe. Intending to make her way back down the hall so she wouldn’t feel so alone, she dropped her crutches and wrapped her arms around her waist. When she tried to turn on her heel, she fell right into Cash’s arms. She would have landed on her ass if he hadn’t caught her. “Love, where have you been? We’ve been searching for you.” All three of them were standing in front of her and she could see they’d obviously been worried.
“What? Oh, Kat and I went down the hall to see baby Daniel in the nursery. She is kind of struggling today and I didn’t want her to be alone.” She looked up and saw indulgence in all three of their eyes. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize it had taken so long. Um…did you just see a strange man standing down there?” She gestured down the hall and Clay took off running in that direction. Cash and Collin surrounded her. Collin grabbed her crutches and Cash picked her up and they rushed her out the doors to their truck. They didn’t wait for Clay, explaining that they preferred to get her home and safe first.
“That’s why we were so worried, sweetheart. Jamie and Zach managed to get close enough to Nick’s car to put a tracker on it so we knew he was parked just down the street.” Collin had taken her hand in his and was working gently to unclench her fists. She hadn’t even realized she’d balled her hands into tense fists until she felt him massaging the aching digits.
* * * *
Cash had nearly wrecked the place looking for her and he still didn’t understand how they’d missed finding Layla. Christ, the damned hospital wasn’t that large and she was on crutches for fuck’s sake. And how had they all forgotten the viewing area in the nursery? As he wheeled into the driveway, he parked as close
to their front door as possible. Collin carried her into the house then caught the keys Cash tossed him. Collin quickly kissed Layla good-bye and then ran back out the door.
Looking over at Layla as she leaned on those blasted crutches he noted the dark circles under her eyes and was suddenly aware that, for a group of Doms, they were doing a mighty poor job of caring for their woman. “Come on, love. Let’s get you settled. Hang on to my shoulders while I set these aside.” He moved the crutches and then picked her up, cradling her in his arms. He loved how she fit against him. Sitting on the sofa he just held her against him for a while, satisfaction spreading through him. It was peaceful and she was obviously enjoying the moment because she’d snuggled against him and promptly fallen asleep. Thinking back he realized that she’d been tired a lot lately and he vowed to make sure she took better care of herself because she was obviously struggling to keep up with her job and three men, not to mention the extra effort it took to do everything with two damned casts and crutches. Hell, the one time he’d had to use crutches when he’d been in high school he’d thought they were the most exhausting things he’d ever dealt with.
Leaning back so he could look down into her sweet face he was suddenly struck by how different his life was now. His sweet grandmother had said when he found “the one” his entire world view would shift. He had smiled and nodded affectionately at her words but hadn’t really taken them to heart. But it was crystal clear now just how right she’d been. Brushing his fingers down the side of Layla’s face he smiled when she pushed closer and leaned into his touch.
How many hell holes around the world had he lain in, night after night and wondered if she was out there somewhere—needing him and he wasn’t there. Did she wonder what was taking him so long? Had the woman he’d only dreamed existed, given up on him walking into her life? Or was she still waiting—fighting the trials all alone? He shook his head at what, at the time, had seemed like delusional dreaming, but now seemed to have been more prophetic than he could have known. From the dates he’d seen on the reports Mitch had forwarded to them, Layla would have been dealing with every imaginable difficulty at the same time he would have been experiencing those dreams and asking himself those difficult questions.
