Caged Songbird

by Avery Gale

  She hadn’t realized she’d dropped her gaze to the floor until Sage’s warm hand massaged the back of her neck. “Talk to us, love. You’re scaring the hell out of me.” Looking up at him, she gave a short nod and took a deep breath. There was nothing to do but plunge ahead, there was no other way to break this kind of news.

  “We’re having triplets.” The silence in the room was deafening. It might not have lasted more than a few heartbeats, but it had seemed interminable to her. “Well, I guess I should say the first sonogram confirmed three babies, they want to do another test to make sure there aren’t more.”

  The women were all on their feet and rushing toward her, but Sage hadn’t moved so much as a muscle. Hell, she wasn’t even sure he was breathing. Before she could be surrounded, Coral turned to him as tears filled her eyes. “Are you angry? I’m sorry, I know this is a lot to take in. I didn’t want to spoil our trip by telling her before we left.” He didn’t say anything… just blinking at her in stunned silence.

  Twisting her hands together, she pleaded, “Sage, please…say something. Please tell me you aren’t angry with me. It’s not like I tried to have a whole liter.” Even she could hear her voice edging toward panic. He blinked several times before he finally seemed to come back to himself. The grin that spread across his face as he looked down at her made her sigh with relief.

  “Angry? No, my darling wife, I am not angry. Surprised? Definitely. Thrilled? More than I can tell you. Worried? Absolutely. But, angry? That emotion isn’t even on the radar.” He leaned down to whisper against her ear. “Although I am going to add your failure to share this immediately to a growing list of punishments you’ve got coming once you’re recovered from bringing our sweet babies into this world. Don’t think I’m not keeping count, pet.”

  Shuddering with some weird mixture of anticipation and relief. She turned into his embrace wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her face against his chest. Feeling his arms wrap securely around her was the best feeling in the world. This was the place she always felt the safest and she relished the moment.

  The year she’d spent hiding from her ex-boyfriend taught her the value of feeling safe, it was something she wanted her children to grow up taking for granted. When he finally released her, Coral found herself crushed against Patsy’s slender frame. “I’m so excited…I believed you when you said you had good news, but this is so much better than anything I could have ever imagined.” Coral wouldn’t have been surprised to see Patsy start jumping up and down she was so happy.

  Next to Charlotte, Patsy was the closest thing to a mother Coral had. Just thinking about how excited Charlotte would be with the news made Coral smile. The woman who’d given her a job when she first moved to Pine Creek quickly became a surrogate mother to Coral. Hell, who was she kidding, Charlotte was the first real mother she’d ever really had.

  Charlotte might be pushing eighty, but she was more energetic than most thirty-year-olds and a lot more fun. Patsy pulled back but didn’t release her. Slender hands gripped her upper arms as she leaned so close their foreheads were practically touching. “We’ll help you in any way we can, Coral. And when my overly protective son drives you to distraction, I’ll help you plot an escape.” When Sage growled under his breath at her, his mom rolled her eyes. “Okay, okay. I’ll bring the escape to you.” Josie and Joelle both nodded in agreement as they pledged to help Patsy all the while hugging her between them.

  “Damn, girlfriend you don’t do things halfway do you?” Josie was grinning from ear to ear. “Looks like I better get started on those lullabies. I can’t have my bestie’s babies listening to Jewel, I don’t care if her album was great.”

  When she turned, Sage’s dad pulled her into his arms and just held her. He didn’t say anything for a long time, but he finally set her back and smiled. His expression was so filled with love, she hoped he didn’t say anything too sweet, or she was going to cry.

  Damn pregnancy hormones, she’d cried at a commercial on television the other day. Sage should probably stock up on tissues. “I’m sure my wife has already told you, but I’m going to say it again so you don’t forget. We’ll help you in any way we can, and we can stick around until you get a manager hired for the hardware store.” Coral was confused by his comment until she looked over and saw the stricken look on Sage’s face.

  “What makes you think I’m looking for someone to manage the store?” She tried to keep the frustration from her voice but knew she hadn’t succeeded when she saw Dean pale. Obviously, Sage had failed to mention the fact his meddling in her business was a secret.

  “The last I heard the store was mine to operate as I see fit. Sage assured me he wouldn’t interfere unless I asked for his help and I hadn’t planned to hire help until I was closer to delivering.” So much for staying out of my business. Damn she was mad but even more than that, she was disappointed and embarrassed. Double damn, was she the only one who didn’t know he didn’t trust her with the store?

  Coral hadn’t realized she’d turned from Dean until Sage gave her a guilty smile and reached for her hand. “Baby, let’s talk about this later. Now is a time to celebrate, not discuss business.” She’d pulled her hand back and stared at him impassively. She’d spent the past ten days worrying herself sick about not sharing this news with her new husband, and all along he’d been keeping a secret of his own.

  Glancing at his brothers, it was easy to see the guilt-ridden looks on their faces—well, guess that answers my question. Obviously, everyone had known about his plan but her. All her earlier sentiment about family evaporated like drops of water sizzling on a hot plate. Fuck it all, steam was probably going to be whistling out of her ears any second. She was hurt and angry, but most of all she was disappointed—not only in her husband but also in herself for believing he’d actually trusted her with his investment.

  When he stepped toward her, she instinctively stepped back out of his reach. Turning to leave the room, she ran directly into Kip. He tilted her face up to his and smiled. “Nobody here understands your frustration better than I do, sweetie. It sucks when you think you’re calling the shots and find out you aren’t—or at least not to the extent you believed you were. Believe me, I get it.”

  Kip sighed as he brushed away tears she didn’t even realize were rolling down her cheeks. “And even though we all tried to warn Sage, he didn’t listen. Hell, everybody knew he was making a mistake by not telling you how worried he was the store was going to be too much of a burden. He should have told you about his concerns you were already overextending yourself. But, princess, you need to remember he will always have your best interests at heart—even when he screws up. And just for the record, I doubt seriously this will be the last time he’ll make this particular mistake—some guys don’t learn too quick.”

  When she saw Sage shift to her side, Kip laughed, “But I, on the other hand, am learning from all my brothers’ mistakes, and someday I’m going to be the best husband in the world.” Leaning closer he winked and then whispered, “Told you I would have been the better choice.”

  The youngest Morgan brother was a flirt of the first order and had indeed told her exactly that—but he’d been poking his brother that time as well. She was grateful he’d stopped her from walking out in a huff. But, she was even more thankful he’d managed to remind her that while Sage’s technique had certainly been lacking, Kip was probably right about his heart being in the right place. Not only had Sage just gotten married and purchased the small hardware store where she’d worked, but he’d also seen his work load at Morgan Holdings double when his father and uncle had decided to merge their diverse businesses.

  Colt pulled her into his arms and gave her a quick squeeze. Speaking low so no one else could hear, he chuckled. “I guess you know why you were having trouble with your zipper now. Hope you got some comfortable clothes, sweetness. And the offer to help you get back into shape still stands, but my guess is those sweet babies will have you running yourself
back into your favorite Levis in no time.”

  Phoenix was next, his hug was gentler than the others. “Anything you need, little sister, you only have to ask. I know this has to seem daunting right now, but we’ll all pull together to make sure it’s as easy for you as we can make it. Tomorrow we’ll start figuring out how to network everything at the store and then set you up here so you can keep track of the ordering until you’re comfortable with whoever you choose to help out at the store. I think in the end you’ll be grateful you don’t have to make that long drive into town this winter.”

  Brandt was standing to the side nodding. “I for one wasn’t looking forward to getting a call about you sliding off the road, sweetheart. Sage isn’t the only one who was worrying about you.” He hugged her and then passed her off to Ryan.

  Since Ryan was Pine Creek’s new physician in residence, she was sure they’d be seeing a lot of each other for years to come. He hadn’t pulled her close but had wrapped one large hand around her wrist and the other resting casually on the side of her neck. He might think he was subtle, but she knew he was watching her too closely for it to be chance.

  “Well, doll, I’d say you’re going to need very careful monitoring. I’ll help you find a great specialist and assist in any way you’re comfortable with.” She hadn’t thought that far ahead, but she was pretty sure he was right, she’d need to deal with a specialist rather than the obstetrician she’d been seeing.

  “I will appreciate any help and guidance you can give me. I’m pretty overwhelmed right now, and I don’t want to do anything that could hurt the babies.” She felt herself blushing but decided she might as well get past it, from everything she’d heard, pregnancy and modesty were mutually exclusive concepts. Leaning close where she wouldn’t be overheard, Coral sighed, “Since I’m pretty sure I don’t have anything you haven’t already seen when we were all at the Prairie Winds Club, I’ll put aside my expectations of modesty. As long as you won’t be uncomfortable seeing my pink bits outside of a playroom, I’ll try to keep my blushing to a minimum.”

  “You’ve got yourself a deal, Coral. I’ll program my number into your phone before we leave. Don’t hesitate to call me any time—day or night, when you have a question or concern.” She nodded her agreement even as her imagination took off like a Formula One racer.

  His eyes narrowed as he continued watching her. “You need to sit down, your pulse is racing, and you’ve gone ghost white all of the sudden.” Those were the last words she heard before she felt herself sway, and everything went black.

  Chapter Eight

  Sage heard Ryan telling Coral she needed to sit down and was already on his way back to her side when he saw start to sway. Her knees folded just as he stepped behind her. Catching her in his arms he heard his mom gasp in surprise, but Ryan shook his head. “She’s just overwhelmed. Her pulse took off when she let herself think about all the questions she’s going to have. You’ll be doing her a great disservice if you make a big deal about this.” Sage knew Ryan was right, but he also knew she’d push herself to the very limit if he didn’t watch her very carefully.

  His beautiful wife had a stubborn streak a mile wide whenever she thought his efforts to take care of her were over the top. She’d sworn he was smothering her on their cruise—and that was before he’d known she was carrying more than one baby.

  Sage would never have agreed to go if he’d known. Well, fuck me. He suddenly realized why she hadn’t told him. She’d known he would have put the brakes on their trip, and she’d been looking forward to it for weeks. No doubt it had been their last chance to take a vacation before their lives were forever changed by children and she hadn’t wanted to miss the time together. Now he understood why she’d seemed so stressed the entire time they’d been gone.

  Settling her on the soft sofa in the solarium, Sage pushed the soft strands of her hair away from her heart-shaped face. She was pale, and the dark purple half-moons beneath her eyes let him know how tired she was. Ryan appeared at his side, black bag in hand, and Sage reluctantly stepped back to let him check her over.

  “How soon can you set her up with a specialist, Ry?” She might be annoyed with him for starting the search for a manager without talking to her first, but now he was damned glad he had. She was probably going to be mad at him a lot more before this pregnancy was over, so he didn’t see any reason to bother hiding how worried he was.

  Josie stepped beside him and gave him a reassuring smile. “She’s the strongest woman I know, Sage. She’s always been strong, and she’s whip smart too. When she called me to say she was pregnant, she was over the moon. A family is the only thing I’ve ever known Coral to want so much she could practically taste it. She loves that hardware store, but she loves you and those babies more. Keep that in mind when you are trying to micromanage her, don’t paint her into a corner where she feels she has to act carelessly just to prove to herself she is still independent.”

  “But she doesn’t have to be independent anymore—she has me.” Sage knew that declaration hadn’t sounded the way he’d meant it, but Josie’s expression told him she knew exactly what he meant.

  “She has a family now—one that will always have her back, even when they think she is doing something stupid.” Muttering almost under his breath, he added, “As evidenced by my brother’s keeping my secret about the manager search, even though they’d all told me I was making a mistake—a couple of them were downright belligerent about it, too.

  “Are you being deliberately obtuse, Sage? Because I was under the impression you were a really smart guy.” Sage was shocked to his toes by her question, but her unwavering resolve let him know she wasn’t trying to be disrespectful. Fuck, she really thinks I know what she’s talking about. And I don’t have a fucking clue. Colt was now standing beside her grinning like a fool. Obviously his brother knew what she was talking about. And do you think the asshole would help him out? Hell no.

  Sage tried to remember Josie was actually Josephine Alta, the woman who performed before thousands of people on a regular basis. He was still planning to have a chat with her about not telling him she was in trouble, but that would have to come later. For now, he knew the woman standing in front of him wasn’t the least bit intimidated standing up to him.

  Josephine the performer was definitely in place as she gave a dramatic sigh. He’d bet interpersonal theatrics were not only accepted in her world, they were likely expected. Shutting down his frustration, he tried to focus on figuring out what the hell she was trying to say. “I can see by the look on your face you don’t have a clue what I’m talking about. But you know what? Ignorance comes before being exposed to the truth. Stupidity only steps in if you continue on your merry way after someone enlightens you…so don’t be stupid okay?

  Fuck me, that sounded like English, but I’ll be damned if I have any idea what she just said.

  Colt stood beside Josie watching the baffled expression on his older brother’s face shift from amused to frustrated. Sage Morgan was not happy being out of the loop when it came to business, and even less so when it came to his family.

  Josie finally took a deep breath and shook her head, looking like she was completely bewildered by her need to explain. “Coral spent most of her childhood either caring for her parents or trying to convince them to act like grown-ups and take care of themselves. I’m not saying they were bad people, but they were more than happy to let her be the adult of the group.” Colt watched his brother all but grind his teeth in frustration at Josie’s scenic tour of Coral’s past. Sage wanted the little songbird to get to the point, and if Colt had to guess, he was just a few seconds from saying as much.

  “What I’m trying to tell you is Coral is smart, and she’ll make great decisions if you’ll just let her do it. When you started that search behind her back, you told her you don’t trust her. Specifically, you don’t trust her to take care of herself or your money.” Colt knew Sage was both furious and mortified. He didn’t even respond to wh
at Josie said, but turned to find Coral sitting up looking at him with wide eyes.

  “Pet, is this true?” When she nodded, Colt saw his brother’s shoulders sag. Sage stood and pulled Josie into a crushing hug before stepping back. “Thank you, Josie. I’m not usually particularly receptive to being called obtuse.” His rueful expression was something Colt wasn’t sure he’d seen before. “But any help or guidance that helps me keep Coral happy is appreciated.”

  Colt watched Sage lean down to slide his one arm under Coral’s knees and the other behind her back before lifting her easily against his chest. When she started to protest that she was too heavy—as she often did, he shook his head. “Don’t start with that nonsense, pet. You’ll just add to the growing list of post-baby punishments. I’m sorry I started the search for a manager without talking to you first. But let me assure you it wasn’t because I don’t trust you with the store or the money.” The rest of their conversation was swallowed up by the growing distance as Sage made his way up the front stairs.

  Colt turned Josie to face him and smiled at her. “You amaze me. You’re fearless when it comes to defending your friends—hell, Sage intimidates almost everybody outside of our family, and you didn’t even blink.”

  “You don’t think he was trying to protect the financial investment?” He could hear the doubt in her tone, but this was one he could set aside quickly.

  “Absolutely not. If Sage was worried about protecting himself financially, he’d have agreed to the pre-nuptial agreement Coral tried valiantly to badger him into signing before the wedding.” Josie didn’t look surprised as he continued, “She was worried people would think she was only marrying Sage for his money—which was almost laughable when you consider how Sage claimed her the first time they met. And I can tell you this—I don’t remember a time I saw my older brother more frustrated than he was with the over-the-top examples she came up with. Coral kept finding them on the internet and Sage kept pointing out all their flaws.”