Love Found a Way (Hell Yeah! Book 0)

by Sable Hunter

  After dinner, Harper helped Glory settle on colors and a theme for her nursery.

  “What do you think of primary colors, maybe blue and red with touches of brown? I was thinking about a rodeo theme, I just have a feeling it’s going to be a boy,” T heard her say.

  There was a lot of whispering and then he heard both women giggle.

  “Hey, you wanna take a walk?” Revel asked.

  “Yea, sounds good.” He moved over to Glory, kissing her on the cheek. “We’ll be back. I think we’ll walk down on the bayou and check the trot lines.”

  “Okay.” Glory gave him a quick hug.

  Harper bid Revel goodbye, giving him instructions to be back within the hour. “I need to get home before ten. We have a big day tomorrow. Our first Lamaze class!”

  Revel groaned. “I’m not sure I’m going to be a good coach. Seeing you in pain is not going to be fun.”

  Harper winked at him. “I’m not worried a bit.”

  Once the two men were outside, Revel stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Want to tell me what’s wrong?”

  “What do you mean?” T pretended not to know what Revel was referring to.

  “Don’t try to pull the wool over my eyes, Beaumont, I know you. I can see the strain and worry on your face. Is something wrong? Is it cold feet again?”

  T-Rex sighed. “No, not at all. I’m looking forward to our child. While I can’t be sure I’ll be the best parent in the world, I’m no longer afraid that I’m my father. Glory has gone out of her way to show me that I’m my own man, my future is not shaped by my father’s failures.”

  “So, what is it? What’s wrong? You know you can tell me anything.”

  T stopped walking and leaned against a tree. “She’s sick, Revel.”

  “What? Glory?” Revel’s voice was full of concern. “What do you mean? Is something wrong with the baby?”

  He shook his head. “No, not as far as we know. Glory has a heart condition. She overcame childhood leukemia as a child, but the drug they gave her had some unforeseen side effects. Just as soon as she thought she was well, this hit her.”

  “What? Is it serious?”

  “Yea, PAH. A serious type of high blood pressure.”

  “I know what it is, one of my Aunt’s suffered with it.” Revel sighed. “Man, I hate that.”

  “She’s lived with this, dealing with it on her own since she was sixteen. Can you believe her mother and stepfather moved away and left her? She came home and discovered an empty house. They left her a note and some clothes, no forwarding address. She was too much trouble for them.”

  Revel could hear the sorrow in his voice. “Their loss, your gain. Right?”

  “Hell, yeah.” He kicked at some fallen oak leaves with his foot. “But…the pregnancy and delivery of the baby may be too much for her.” He stopped and swallowed. “She might not live through it. In fact, both doctors we’ve seen say the chances are like ninety percent that she won’t make it.”

  “God, T, I’m so sorry.” Revel came to him and placed an arm around his shoulder.

  T cleared his throat. “Lily has been helping me look for a doctor, anyone who might be able to help.”

  “Let us help too. I can call some friends. Do some research. Willow Saucier, Kane and Zane’s cousin, used to practice medicine in New Orleans. She’s a world-class surgeon. I bet she has some contacts.”

  Letting out a long breath, T pushed off the tree and began walking again. “Thanks, Revel. I appreciate anything you can do. Just don’t make a big deal about it in front of Glory. I don’t mind if you tell Harper, but Glory is pretending everything is going to be fine. I pray to God that she’s right.”

  They walked around the back of the house and Revel stopped in his tracks. “What’s that, T?”

  T raised his head to focus on what Revel was referring to. “What the hell?” They both ran over to where a makeshift altar had been set up on a broad, flat stump.

  “Looks like some serious mojo,” Revel muttered as he squatted down to get a closer look. There were burned down stumps of candles, burlap dolls, and a couple of wooden idols. Most disturbing was the dead chicken lying in a pool of its own blood. “Somebody is sending you a message. Is anything missing?”

  T headed for his tool shed. He didn’t have anything super valuable, but he did have some good tools. When he threw open the door and checked inside, it was to find a generator, a chain saw, and a tool set missing. “Dammit, I’m tired of this crap.” Cursing, he stormed off to another of his outbuildings, coming back with a big garbage bag and a shovel. “Help me get rid of this shit. I don’t want Glory to know anything about any of this.” As they picked it all up and stuffed it in the bag, T’s mind spun. “How in the world am I supposed to go off and leave her alone?”

  “Don’t panic, let’s think. As close as we are to my house, I don’t want Harper alone either. Not with some nut wandering around.”

  As they got rid of all the evidence, both men racked their brains for a solution. “I suppose they could take turns staying together, first one house, then the other. With Glory’s problem, she doesn’t need to be by herself anyway.” Suddenly, T felt the weight of a precious responsibility, one that he wouldn’t trade for anything.

  “I like that, T.” Revel was serious, taking the bag in hand and heading to his pickup. “I’ll take this to the dump for you.” He walked over and tossed the garbage in the back of the truck. “But until we figure this out, I don’t think we should leave them unprotected. Let me give the sheriff a call and see if they have any deputies that might need a part-time security gig.”

  “All right, let me know. We’ll split the cost.” T’s stomach hurt. “How are we going to tell the girls? I don’t want to scare them.”

  “Leave it to me,” Revel said. “Harper’s not easily scared. I’ll tell her what’s going on and she’ll make the whole thing sound like a party to Glory.”

  “Glory’s not easily scared either,” T remarked. “She’s the bravest person I know.”

  When it was time for the evening to be over, Harper made an announcement. “I’ve got a surprise for you both.”

  Glory grabbed T’s arm. “E-e-e-e-k. I love surprises. What is it?”

  “I don’t want to spoil it, but I will be back tomorrow.”

  That night, Glory was exhausted from her dinner party. T seemed able to sleep just fine, but she laid in bed with her eyes open the better part of the night, her mind racing with possibilities. So much had happened. The dinner party had been a success, Harper had some type of surprise for them – and best of all, T-Rex was being so good to her. He treated her like gold. She couldn’t help but be hopeful. Surely fate wouldn’t be so cruel as to give her a glimpse of heaven, then take it away.

  After much contemplation and prayer, Glory had decided a positive attitude was her most powerful weapon. After all, Ma Dyer had seen a wonderful vision of happiness and family. Glory was holding onto that possibility with both hands. There was only one thing that was bothering her…

  While T was gentle, attentive, and considerate in all ways. He hadn’t made any move to be intimate with her. After the hot, intense kiss they’d shared on the steps in Lily’s house, he’d touched her with care but not with passion. Tonight, when they’d gone to bed, she’d let her hand wander south, attempting to entice him. He’d grasped her hand and placed it on his chest, holding it tight. Even in the glow of the moonlight, she could see he wanted her. When T-Rex was aroused, there wasn’t much he could do to hide it. No, the problem was that he was afraid he’d hurt her, he thought she might break, or her heart might give out – and it was up to Glory to show him different.

  *

  The next morning, Glory greeted her sleepy man when he entered the kitchen. “Hey, baby.” Despite her turmoil, she’d gotten a few hours of sleep last night, which was all she really needed, considering the powernaps she’d been indulging in.

  T walked over to place a quick kiss on her cheek. “Mmmm. Pancak
es and bacon.” He stole a slice of crispy bacon off the plate on the counter. “Just how I like it.”

  All this domestic bliss was going to Glory’s head. Sure, there was still the specter of some very heavy and serious days ahead of her, but it felt incredible to be barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen with the man she loved.

  A loud knock came on the door. “Expecting your other boyfriend?” T inquired from his spot at the table.

  Glory slid a stack of pancakes onto his plate. “As a matter of fact, I am.” She kissed him on the top of his head. “You were supposed to be gone by now.”

  T drenched his plate with syrup. “Tell him to circle the block.” A heaping fork of deliciousness filled his mouth.

  Harper was standing on the other side of the door when Glory opened it. “I couldn’t wait.” She moved in past Glory with a bag over her shoulder.

  Whatever she had brought, it was big.

  Harper raced into the kitchen and placed the bag down on the counter. “Close your eyes.” The excitement was visible on her face.

  Glory looked over to T. “You heard the girl. Close your eyes.”

  “They are closed,” T responded, but he just kept eating, his eyes still wide open.

  “Spoil sport,” Glory pouted.

  “Oh, don’t pay no mind to him,” Harper waved at T. “Close your eyes.”

  The anticipation was killing Glory and she snapped her lids shut.

  Harper fishing around in the big bag drew T’s attention. He thought she might’ve come over to discuss Revel’s plan for the two women to stay together during the day on workdays. Apparently not. “Oh crap,” he said when he saw what she drew out and held up for them both to see.

  “Okay. Open them,” Harper said enthusiastically.

  Glory opened her eyes and saw the lifelike baby in front of her. “Oh, how cute.” She wasn’t sure why Harper had brought her a toy doll, but she didn’t want to offend her friend. “I didn’t really have a lot of dolls growing up. Thank you, Harper.”

  T knew what it was right away, there was no fooling him. He bet Revel was laughing his ass off.

  “It’s not a doll, silly,” Harper said, placing it down on the island.

  Glory looked at it again. “It sure looks like a doll to me.”

  T jumped up out of his seat to join them, a glass of milk in his hand. He picked the doll up to study it.

  “Well…it is a doll,” Harper admitted.

  Glory was still at a loss. “I don’t understand.

  T turned it over in his hand. “I’m literally going to kill you if this is what I think it is.”

  Harper just laughed. “Don’t be such a drama queen.” She took it out of T’s hand and began to undress the doll. “It’s one of those robots they give to high school kids.”

  Glory still had a confused look on her face.

  “I’m going to kill that husband of yours also,” T said as he went to finish his breakfast.

  Harper was just beside herself with excitement and she wanted Glory to be too. “Here. Look.” She flipped the doll over on its stomach so she could show Glory the mechanics on the back. “They use these to scare high school kids away from having sex.”

  “Ohhh.” Now that Harper had told her more about it, Glory knew what it was. “I’ve never actually seen one, but I have heard about them. The doll acts like a real baby, right? It yells, cries, poops, and all that fun stuff.”

  “Exactly. Much to Revel’s chagrin, I borrowed this from a friend of mine who works at the high school. This model is fairly dated, but it does all the good stuff. We used it for three days last week. Revel hated it, but I think he understood the value of the experience after a day or two.”

  To T’s surprise, he actually found himself curious about the doll. It was clear right from the get-go, that Glory was onboard for having it around, so he gave in and watched as Harper explained how to use it.

  “Oh, one more thing,” Harper stopped at the front door on her way out an hour later. “I personally programmed the doll before I brought it over. Enjoy.”

  “We will. See you later.” He gave her a fake smile and a wave. “That woman is evil,” T commented after the door was closed.

  Glory had carried the doll to the door with her, holding it as if it were a real child. “Oh, she is not. This is gonna be fun. What should we name it?”

  “How about Linda, after that actress who played the little girl who was possessed? You never know when it’s head is gonna start spinning around while it pukes.”

  “Would you be serious. This is stuff you to need to know. You might have to do this without me one day.”

  A heavy silence filled the air. Glory’s words suddenly made the mood heavy. Both knew the possibility of her not being around to raise the child was very real, but Glory hadn’t voiced her concern in some time.

  T’s phone buzzed on the coffee table in front of him. He made a grateful grab for it. “Dang.” The text was from Revel: Hahahahahahahahaha. Have fun buddy. 3…2…1!

  “WHA-A-A-A!” Right on cue, the baby began to cry, wailing in a high-pitched tone that was made worse by the old audio cassette inside the doll. Even though it made T-Rex feel like his brain was bleeding, he was glad it had distracted them from the topic of Glory’s mortality.

  And the little plastic she-devil kept them distracted.

  Harper had either been mad at T or she wasn’t an expert on programming the doll, because it seemed like the baby either cried or wet itself every hour, on the hour.

  “You’re gonna need em, he says,” T muttered under his breath as he pulled another diaper out of the box Revel had brought last night.

  While T tolerated the torture, Glory seemed to get into it. She was fastidious about refilling the doll with water each time just like Harper had shown her. “This won’t work if we don’t take it seriously,” she repeated each time T complained.

  By day three, things had settled down. Revel had talked to Harper and she was spending this week with Glory. Next week would be Glory’s turn to stay at Wildwood. Sitting outside in his patrol car, young Brandon Hillshire was making a little extra money. When he was on duty at the sheriff’s department, Justin Brock watched their ladies. The women were taking the whole thing in stride, he and Revel were more disturbed than they were.

  As far as the robot baby from hell, T-Rex was fast becoming a pro. He held the neck just right, his big hands supporting the tiny head and his whining and protesting had stopped altogether. Glory had taken to it right away. Despite her lack of experience with children, mothering seemed to come natural to her and it hurt T’s heart to see it. No matter what Glory thought, he was still living with the possibility that either Glory or the baby might not survive. T had spent his entire life waiting for the other shoe to drop and now he found himself with more on the line than he’d ever had before. Seeing Glory growing big with his child was, at the same time, both beautiful and absolute torture for him.

  And by day five, Glory was seeing a side of T she could’ve only hoped for…

  “I’ll get it,” T said at three-fifteen on Friday morning.

  The baby was sleeping in a box T had set-up in one of his spare rooms. Glory laid there for a few minutes. And then a noise she couldn’t identify caused her to sit up. Could that be…?

  “Hush little baby, don’t say a word.”

  Hearing the singing from down the hall, Glory climbed out of bed and tiptoed down the hallway. Peering in, doing her best to keep out of sight, she saw T rocking the doll back and forth in his arms. He sung in a low tone, treating the baby as if it was his own child. A tear rolled down Glory’s cheek, T was going to be a great father. Their child would be well taken care of.

  T spun around slowly, stopping his singing in the middle of a verse when he caught sight of Glory. “Oh, hey.”

  She was leaning on the door frame, a tiny sliver of bare skin on her stomach peeking out under her shirt. Damn, the woman looked delicious and T wondered what he’d done to be l
ucky enough to have her.

  Placing the doll back in the box, he whispered, “Little Linda Bee should be good for a while now.”

  Glory chuckled. She’d argued for a different name for the doll, but she still found it funny each time he referred to it with that demonic nickname.

  She took T’s hand in hers. “Come on. Let’s go back to bed.”

  T followed his woman down the hall. He hadn’t had many of these moments in his life, but in this moment, he felt like his world was settled. Like it was perfect.

  He stopped after they’d entered the bedroom.

  Glory looked back over her shoulder to him. “What?”

  T just stared down at her. Moonlight filtered in through the bedroom window and her skin looked as smooth as silk and he was dying to touch it.

  His silence made Glory suddenly self-conscious. “What are you looking at?” She ran a hand through her hair.

  “How beautiful you are.”

  His response shook the nervousness out of Glory’s mind and sent a flash of arousal over her body.

  T leaned down and kissed her exposed shoulder. “You are gorgeous.”

  Glory closed her eyes and melted with his words.

  Another kiss on the shoulder. “Sexy.” He slid the strap of her tank-top off Glory’s shoulder and kissed her suddenly overheating skin. “Smart.” He lifted her hair up and kissed her again, this time at the base of her neck. “My girl.” T’s hands slid around and cupped Glory’s breasts. “My perfect girl.”

  Nudging against her, his cock was hard as stone. Nothing had ever felt better than to own Glory as he now did. She belonged to him: mind, body, and soul. T would have words with anyone who argued that fact.

  Pulling her tightly to him, he engulfed Glory with his big frame. “You belong to me. Don’t you?”

  Glory settled back, exposing her neck. “Unconditionally and forever.”

  Every word she spoke sent a shockwave through T.

  T teased her neck with his tongue and Glory’s knees came together, the ache in her pussy growing. Easing her legs open, T commanded her. “They stay open for me. I own that spot just like the rest of you.” Glory nearly climaxed at his words in her ear. She ground down hard on the hand that he placed between her legs. “I feel like I haven’t been inside you in forever, Glory.”