by K. J. Dahlen
Raine nodded and had a hard time holding back his own tears. He turned and put the truck in gear. It took him most of the ride into the city to get control of his emotions back. When they parked in front of the store, he quickly got out of the truck and around the front and when he opened her door, he leaned in and kissed her.
Cricket smiled and mouthed the words “I love you” to him.
Raine helped her out of the truck and kissed her lightly on the top of the head. “Are you guys ready to furnish a house today?” he asked.
“Yup, I am.” Dusty grinned. “We gotta get your babies somewhere to sleep.”
“Yup,” Raine agreed. “We do because they can’t sleep with me. Between Cricket and the dog, I’m running out of bed space. Come on then let’s go.”
Raine led the way into the furniture store.
Several hours later, he had to drag Cricket out. She was wore out. Dusty was dragging a little too. But Raine was happy with their purchases. They had found everything they were looking for and by tomorrow they would deliver it and then he and Cricket could move into their new house.
Everything was going according to his plan. They could get settled in before the babies came.
Then fate stepped in. As soon as he opened the truck door and was going to lift her up into the cab, Cricket gasped and fell back into him.
She grabbed her belly and groaned as a pain tore her belly apart.
Then suddenly they both were wet and her water broke. She turned panicked eyes to him and whispered, “It’s too soon. The babies have three more weeks to go.”
“Peters said they could come early,” Raine assured her.
“Well this is early.” Cricket groaned as another pain hit her. “Get us to the hospital fast. These babies aren’t going to wait very long to be born.”
Raine all but shoved her up into the cab and made his way to his own seat. Making sure Dusty was buckled up he grabbed his phone and called his mother. “Ma, listen we’re on our way to the hospital. Cricket’s water just broke. Can you meet us there? We got Dusty with us.”
“Oh dear lord, we’ll be there as soon as we can. I’ll let everyone else know too,” Molly told her son.
“Ok Ma, I gotta go.” Raine threw the phone on the dash and maneuvered his way through traffic toward the hospital. When they arrived at the parking lot, Raine threw the truck into park. Looking over at Dusty he said, “I’m gonna need your help for this.”
Dusty gave him a nod. “I’m ready, Uncle Raine.”
“Good, let’s go then. You hold the doors and I’ll carry her inside.”
Dusty looked over at Cricket. “Come on Cricket let’s go get them babies out of your belly, so everyone can enjoy them.”
Cricket laughed then moaned as another pain ripped through her. After a moment, she nodded at Dusty. “Ok sweet boy, let’s go.”
Raine carried her in and they found Dr. Peters waiting for them. When Raine gave him a look, he told them, “Cassie called me and told me you guys were on your way.” Then he looked at Cricket. “Are you ready for this?”
“I kind of have to be don’t I?” she groaned. “I mean they can’t get here without me.”
“Well, that’s true enough.” He chuckled. “Shall we see what’s going on?” He motioned them toward an exam room. When Raine put her down on the table Dr. Peters noticed Dusty was there. “Young man, maybe you should wait in the waiting room. You might not want to see this.”
Dusty shook his head. “I’m not leaving my Cricket. She needs me.”
Raine shook his head. “My family is on their way. I’m sure he’ll be okay until they get here.”
Dr. Peters hesitated the nodded. “Ok but only until your family gets here. This isn’t a place for a child.”
Cricket held out her hand.” Come here Dusty.”
Dusty went to her. She looked at him and noted the tears in his eyes. Brushing her fingers down the satiny skin of his cheek she told him, “Sweet baby, I don’t want you to get scared and this is gonna be scary. For me and for Raine and for the babies. They aren’t gonna know what’s happening to them. I don’t want you to see me in pain while I’m waiting on these babies to get here and I am in pain. It’s all part of what having babies is all about. Pain, sweat and tears. But the reward of holding those sweet little babies after they’re born is going to be worth every ounce of pain I’m going through now. I just don’t want you to see it, I want you to remember the babies the first time you see them just like I saw you. I want you to love them for the sweet babies they are.”
“So you don’t need me then?” Dusty let a tear fall.
“Oh sweet boy, I’ll always need you. Always. But it’s like the nightmares I have, those are mine alone and I don’t want you to see the bad in them either. I’ll need you to hold me after I have them. I’ll need you more then. Can you understand what I’m saying?”
“I think so.” He hung his head. “Will Raine be with you?”
Cricket nodded. “These are his babies too.”
Dusty lifted his head and walked over to where Raine was standing. “You’d better take care of my Cricket and those sweet babies or you’ll answer to me. Understand?”
Raine nodded. Slowly. “I do understand.”
A nurse came to the door just then and announced, “The Moore family is here.”
Raine nodded at her then squatted down to look at Dusty. “I promise you I’ll take care of your Cricket and those babies. But I need you to go sit with your grandma, grandpa and dad and all your uncles ok, buddy?”
“Okay, I can do that.”
Raine got to his feet and walked him over to the nurse. “Can you take him out to my family?’
“Sure.” She smiled. She took his hand.
The moment he was out the door, Raine turned back to Cricket. He grasped her hand and held on while she grimaced in pain. From her grip, he knew the pain was overwhelming her. Brushing the hair away from her face, he assured her, “Babe, you’re doing fine.”
She looked him in the eyes as another pain hit. She closed her eyes but didn’t let her pain show. Then she felt something tear at her gut and she moaned. Half lifting her body she felt another push and then a tiny wail was heard.
Raine snapped his head around and watched at Dr. Peters held up a tiny little baby in the air. Peters was smiling as he announced. “It’s a boy.”
“His name is Caden James,” Cricket called out. She thought maybe the second one would wait but she groaned as yet another pain hit. “Oh, my god,” she called out as she curled up in pain again. She pushed the other baby from her body and she closed her eyes when she heard him wail.
Dr. Peters smiled again. “Another son,” he announced.
“This one’s name is Daniel Orrin Christopher.” She laid back weary of the whole process. It hadn’t taken her very long to give birth to her sons but it was long enough.
Just as she thought she was done there was another pain ripping through her body. She screamed and called out, “Raine, what’s happening? Something is wrong.”
Raine held her close and looked down to where Peters was checking things out.
“We got a hider.” He called out.
“What is going on doc?” Raine called out. “What the hell is a hider?”
“It means there’s another baby in there waiting to be born.”
Cricket lifted herself up higher than before as she felt the urge to push. This time, she couldn’t hold back the scream of pain. “Ahhh,” she called out as she felt something rush out of her body. Another baby’s cry sounded and suddenly Doctor Peters laughed out loud. “You have a little girl.”
Raine looked at Cricket and smiled. “We have a baby girl sweetness. Two boys and a little baby girl!”
Cricket smiled. “Her name is Molly Grace.” She closed her eyes for a moment then snuggled into his shoulder. “Oh, my god… I’m tired.”
“I gotta know something babe,” he asked her. “Why did you name the babies after our parents a
nd who the heck is Caden?”
“My dad did the best he could raising me and Cordy. He wasn’t much but all I had. Your dad raised you and your brothers and he did a fine job. You told me once that you hated the name Christopher and I didn’t want to give your son a name you didn’t like but I still wanted him to have your name. I named our girl after her grandmothers in order to give her someone she could look up to.”
“And Caden?”
“Caden was someone who would come to me when I was caught in my own nightmares. I knew he wasn’t real but he guided me out of the maze in my mind. He became my alter ego, I could talk to him when no one else would listen. By naming our son after him, I am honoring a small piece of me that no one else knows about. Now my Caden is real and I no longer need the one that hides in my heart. He’s free to go to another little girl who needs his help.” She paused then asked, “Does that make sense to you?”
Raine smiled. “Yeah baby, that makes perfect sense. Thank you for giving me my family.”
Cricket chuckled. “I just thought of something. We’re gonna need another crib and some pink clothes.”
Raine smiled. “I’ll get right on that. I’m sure Ma will love picking out little girl clothes.”
Just then, the nurse wheeled in a bassinet with three tiny babies inside.
Raine and Cricket looked at their family.
Raine lifted one of the boys up to his mother.
Cricket knew him immediately. “Caden James. Oh, aren’t you the handsome boy?”
He lifted his second son up to his mother.
“Daniel Orrin Christopher. You are beautiful.” She smiled.
Then he picked up his daughter and held her up to her mother.
“Molly Grace. I love you baby girl.” Cricket looked at her tiny family and smiled. “I will never be alone again will I?”
“Nope not as long as I’m alive. And now you and I will live on through them.”
“Can you bring the rest of your family in to see the babies?”
“They are your family too, you know,” Raine reminded her.
“Can you bring the rest of our family in to see the babies?”
“I can do that.” Raine smiled.
* * * *
Three days later, Raine brought his family home. While the rest of his family toured the house, he took Cricket to the one place he wanted her to see the most. The master bedroom.
When he opened the door, he turned to her to see the look on her face. She was truly stunned by what she saw. The room was big and as beautiful as she ever imagined it could be but what stood out the most to her mind was the skylight he had installed. Half the ceiling was glass and she would be able to lie in bed and watch the heavens all night long if she wanted to.
She turned to stare at the one man she loved more than life itself. “What did you do, you crazy man?” Tears rolled down her face as she saw the love in his eyes. Love for her and only her.
“You needed a place, a special place to watch the stars. I wanted to share that place with you and I couldn’t think of a more special place than our bedroom. Now we can watch the stars together and make our plans for the future.” He wrapped his arms around her body hugging her close to him. “I love you Cricket, yesterday, today and forever.”
Cricket felt something inside her grow. A warmth she never felt before. “I love you so much, Raine. I loved you yesterday, I love you today and I will love you forever,” she vowed softly.
This is not the end of their story but merely the beginning
Raine and Cricket will be back.
LOOK FOR
SIN’S BASTARDS MC
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SATAN’S SPAWN MC
By
K.J. Dahlen
Bratva Blood Brothers Series
ABOUT K. J. DAHLEN
K.J. Dahlen
Author of the bestselling Bratva Brothers Series & The Satan Spawn MC Series…
I live in a small town (population495) in Wisconsin. From my deck, I can see the Mississippi River on one side and the bluffs, where eagles live and nest on the other side. I live with my husband Dave and dog Buddy. My two children are grown and I have two grandchildren. I love to watch people and that has helped me with my writing. I often use people I watch as characters in my books and I always try to give my characters some of my own values and habits.
I love to create characters and put them in a troubling situation then sit back and let them do all the work. My characters surprise even me at times. At some point in the book, they take on a life of their own and the twists and turns they create becomes the story. Of all the stories, I could write I found I like mystery/thrillers the best. I like to keep my readers guessing until the very end of the book.
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