“You’re sick.”
“Aw, no honey, I’m not sick. There’s no medicine or cure for what I have.” I smile cheekily and pat her arm. “So, that’s all. Take care of my brother or I will come for you.”
“Okay, devil face. She gets it.” Miles pulls me under his arm and kisses the top of my head.
I whisper to Miles. “Please just kill them all if they annoy you.”
He grins. “You know I will.”
Then he takes out his phone. “I need you to keep an eye on Amy and Jr while I’m gone. And—”
“—and who else?” I roll my eyes.
“Blake.”
“Of course. Are you two finally?”
“What? No. Fuck no. You know I prefer pussy. I just like playing around.”
I roll my eyes again. “Give me his number.” Pulling out my phone, I punch in his number. “Okay,” I say, slowly looking up from my phone, but Miles is already near Taylor.
“Do I get handcuffs?” Miles winks at her. He’s terrifyingly smooth. This is precisely why he is Raze’s most lethal asset.
Taylor narrows her eyes. “Do you need them?”
Miles tilts his head. “Maybe.”
“Oh good Lord…” I rub my temples with my fingertips.
Frost laughs, walking up behind me. “I think he’s going to be fine, baby.”
“Yeah, on second thought, I’m going to have to agree.”
Raze and Millie come up beside me, and I wrap my arm around Millie. “He’ll be fine, Mils. It’s Miles.”
“True,” she nods. It’s just—” she yelps, leaning over and clutching her tummy. “Holy shit.”
“What?” I step back in shock. “Holy fucking shit!” I gasp, looking down at her legs toward the puddle at her feet. “Your water just broke.”
“Oh God, it’s too early, isn’t it? I got my dates wrong and I wasn’t due for another three weeks.”
Frost takes off his patch, and then his Devil’s Own hoodie, and puts the hoodie over my shoulder. I slip it on, forgetting this all happened while I was in a bra, then he shrugs his patch back on.
“No.” I shake my head. “You can have a baby up to three months early and it would still survive. You’re only three weeks early. Come on.”
“Wait!” Miles says to Taylor. “I need to go with them.”
Taylor’s eyes come to us, and then to her dad. “Ok. But I’m coming too.”
“For fuck's sake.” I hate Taylor, and I don’t make any effort to try to hide that. “And what of this mess?”
Taylor looks around the room, which now that I’ve inspected it closer, and without the distraction of either getting killed or doing the killing, I see it’s one large office. Taylor runs behind a counter and into a back room, then walks out with a container of gasoline.
“Well,” I murmur, “that’ll do it.”
Chapter 28
“How is she?” I stand from the hospital chair and wait for Raze and Miles to take off their scrubs.
“She’s resting, and we have a healthy baby boy!” Raze grins, his smile so wide it could split my heart into two.
“Congratulations, brother.” Frost pulls him in for a quick man hug-pat the shoulder embrace and then steps backward.
“When can I see her?” I ask, eager to meet the new McKenna.
“Soon, stop being impatient, devil face. She just had a C-section.”
“Oh.” My face falls. “That must have been difficult.”
“He was too large. The doc says his head wasn’t going down, whatever that means.”
I smile. “It means he has our genes.”
“Hey! Or mine!” Melissa bumps my hip with hers and winks.
I giggle because there’s no way that baby got his size from Millie and Melissa.
Pax yawns in Frost’s arms and I turn back to my brothers before casting a little glimpse at Taylor, who is sitting on one of the hospital chairs with a laptop on her lap and an earpiece in her ear. “We’re going to take Pax home. If you have any trouble with that one…”
Miles laughs and tugs me under his arm. “I think I have her handled.”
“Yeah. Sure.”
He kisses me on my head. “Come back tomorrow. I’m sure Millie will be ready then.”
I nod and then give both of them a quick hug. Frost, Pax, and I are walking through the entry doors when Frost asks, “How was your labor with Pax?”
The cool night air whisks through my hair and I stop in my tracks, tucking a couple of loose strands behind my ear. When he realizes I’m not following him anymore, he pauses too and turns to face me. “What? Was it something I said?”
“No.” I shake my head and smile. “Just sort of couldn’t wait for this day to come.”
“What day?” he prods, tilting his head while his eyes run over my body.
“The day that you get to see the labor, the birth, and all other important steps that has happened in Pax’s life for her first two years.”
“How?” he asks, hitching Pax up his arm so she’s resting on his massive shoulder.
“I sort of, well, documented everything from the beginning in hopes that one day you might like to see it.”
It finally registers what I’m saying and his face morphs from that of confusion to sheer joy. “Baby!” He grins, walking fast toward me. “You recorded her?”
“Every single thing I thought a father might want to see.”
He hooks his arm around the back of my thighs and throws me over his shoulder—literally with one hand, and rather effortlessly—and marches both of us back to his pick-up truck. “I need to be inside of you right now.”
“Frost!” I whack his back. “Not in front of Pax.”
The drive home was fast, to say the least. I actually didn’t realize one could drive so fast yet be so slow because of Pax being in the car. He pulls up to my house, walks out of the car, unbuckles Pax and then opens my door. “Hurry up.”
“Well all right then…” I get out and close the door, following him to the front of the house. It takes me around thirty minutes to find the hard drive that has all the videos saved on to a folder, and according to Frost, that’s a very fucking long time. I’m plugging it into the television in the cinema and crawling up to Frost with Pax sound asleep now in her pajamas on his chest when he finally presses play…
Chapter 29
“Is that the last of your shit?” Frost asks, coming into my bedroom as I’m boxing up the last of my ‘shit.’
“Yup!” I toss the box onto the floor just as X walks in and picks it up easily before walking out.
“You ready for this?”
I turn to face my bare room, seeing nothing left inside of it but my bed and dresser. So many memories since I was a kid. The walls are painted in my feelings, the floor layered in my memories, and the foundation is thick with all my rage. Will she remain caged now? Now that I’m truly happy?
“One more thing.” I turn to face Frost, wanting one more memory in this very room. I look between his eyes, the same eyes I feared for most of the time I knew him, and now, they’re the very eyes that give me comfort. They’re the very eyes that are the window to my future. Studying his beautiful profile, I run the tips of my fingers over his angular jaw and prominent cheekbones before letting them land on his plump lip. “I love you,” I whisper, and almost fucking choke. Something inside of me says she made me choke on them, the crazy bitch. I’m still locked in a daze with his lips when I see the corner kick up in a grin, then I whip my eyes up to meet his, but just as I’m about to cuss his smug ass out, he smiles. Full straight white teeth, cheesy smile, and I melt into a puddle on the floor. I mean metaphorically, obviously, but still.
He wraps his arm around my waist and clenches. “I love you too, babe.” Yeah, nope, my knees buckle, my chest tightens, and everything south is fucking singing. “What?” he asks quickly, that smirk back on his mouth and that beautiful smile gone. “Did you think I didn’t? Ella,” his thumb traces my lip, “I was obses
sed with you when I first saw you, I lusted after you after I knew what you felt like around my dick, and I fucking loved you the minute you left for NYU. Hell, I probably loved you before then.” He searches my eyes, tilts my head with his index finger and kisses me softly on the lips. “Do you know when the exact moment I realized all this?”
I shake my head, unable to form words because my throat feels like a watermelon is lodged deep inside.
He smiles, a lazy, sexy, weak-eyed smile. “Pax. She broke down every wall that ever held me back from feeling. The minute I saw her was all it took, and I felt, Ella. I fucking felt every emotion possible the second I laid eyes on our daughter. I don’t know what she did, but it’s done. When it comes to you and Pax, I feel everything now.”
It’s not until he stops when I realize my cheeks are wet and my eyes are blurry, and my nose is runny. I bury my head into his shoulder and sob softly. “That was so beautiful, Frost.”
“Aye.” He kisses me on the head. “I said you and Pax….”
I swipe my eyes. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, when it comes to you both, I feel it. I didn’t say I was cured, just when it comes to you two, I’m fixed.”
I chuckle and kiss him on the lips. “I think I can live with that.”
“Yeah?” He laughs, then throws me over his shoulder. “I’m taking this ass home. Always wanted a son.”
“Wait.” I freeze just as he walks out of the room. “No, nope, fuck no! You saw my labor video, Frost!” He ignores me while continuing to head out to my car, then tosses me inside. Our way back to his house—or our house now—was again, quick. The entire time we drove, I couldn’t help but feel elated with my final memories in my room. I’m a lucky girl, but he’s a not so lucky guy.
Chapter 30
FROST
TWO WEEKS LATER
There have been maybe one or two times in my life when I’ve been undoubtedly happy. This wasn’t one of them. I get that Ella feels like she needs to throw this…whatever it is, for me to get comfortable with the fact that Chase is going to be around, and in Pax’s life forever, but I ain’t with it. I have to give it to my girl though, she sure knows how to throw an epic…whatever this is. We’re all on my backyard porch, the BBQ is grilling, all the kids are playing on the playground I had built pretty much the day after Ella and Pax moved in—as well as childproofing the entire joint. Ella and I spent the first week painting one of the bedrooms in the house yellow, all for Pax to change her mind and decide purple was her favorite color again. So yeah, you guessed it, I went down to the hardware store and got fucking purple paint. Ella says I’m being ridiculous when it comes to Pax, but hell nah, man, that’s my princess. Tonight, I guess if it wasn’t for the big pretty boy hunched opposite me on the long rectangular outdoor dining suite I have, would be pretty nice. Everyone who is anyone in our life is here. Raze, Millie, and their new baby boy, Reign. Miles, Amy Jr and Miles’ partner—or, whatever the fuck he is, Blake. Then there’s Taylor—who is here to watch Miles—and Chase, and Willow. My sister. I’m still getting used to the fact that I have a sister, and I gotta say, it doesn’t mean jack shit to me. Family, blood, never meant jack to me. My brothers are my family. Pax and Ella are my family. Willow, not so much, but she does try with me. As in, every single second. She’s fucking annoying, but I can see how she might grow on me.
“Dadda?” Pax yanks on my jeans from down below.
“Yeah, princess?” I scoop Pax up and place her on my knee. Her little hand wraps around the back of my neck as she stands on my leg. “Snow!”
Ella giggles, sipping on her wine. “Good girl, baby. That’s right, snow.” She winks at me and I grin. A couple days after they moved in—between the building of the playground and the painting of the room—I went and visited Hella’s tattoo studio downtown and got the exact same snowflake inked on the back of my neck, right at my nape, the exact same position and design as Ella’s. Every time Pax sees it, or doesn’t see it because she knows it’s there, she brings it up.
“She got it right?” Chase pipes in and my attention snaps to him. I feel Ella squeeze my knee from under the table and I relax slightly, my jaw relaxing.
“Yeah.” I give him a curt smile. “After I got my new piece she hasn’t stopped saying it.”
He nods, his features soft and somber, and I calm toward him a little. I’ve been battling internally with how I feel about him. I’m territorial and possessive, and what’s mine is mine, that’s how I’ve seen it since they got home, but I’ve slowly come to realize a couple of things. One is that Chase hasn’t done anything to warrant me being a fucker to him—lately. He knows Ella is with me now, and he knows Pax is my kid. I watch him, bringing my beer to my mouth. I notice the pride in his eyes, I share that same pride, and something itches in my chest. Reality, maybe?
“Fuck’s sake,” I grunt under my breath, placing Pax on the ground. I dip down to her level. “Go play with your cousins, baby. Daddy’s going to talk with Uncle Chase.”
“Untle Chay?” she asks, her head tilting and her long brown hair coming over her shoulder.
My eyes shoot up to his, to find him staring back at me. I lean and kiss Pax’s head while whispering, “Yeah baby. Won’t be long, promise. Daddy just wants a chat with Uncle Chay.” Then I stand and walk back inside, into the kitchen and wait a few seconds. Chase walks in a minute later.
ELLA
“Okay, so should I be worried?” I ask, watching the door where Frost just exited through. Pax jumps off the porch and runs toward the playground toward all the kids. After I found out Frost and Raze had set up this whole thing as a plan two years ago to initiate Miles’ revenge plan, as well as making Taylor think she was involved in said plan, everything made sense to me. I only felt bad that I killed Snake and Miles didn’t get to. I guess Taylor is going to get the Miles’ special then, what with all that pent-up energy Miles keeps hidden so well. That kill will go down in history.
Raze snickers. “I don’t know.”
Millie shakes her head, cupping Reign in her arm closer so she can feed him before unlatching her bra strap. “I don’t think so, sis. Only because Pax is here.”
“Fuck me, babe, you gotta do that shit out in the open like that?” Raze gestures to her breastfeeding Reign.
“What?” Millie snaps at him. “You mean feed our son?”
He throws his hands up. “Woman, that is not what I mean, but I don’t want to have to kill anyone here today. I happen to like the people that are here, and it will be unfortunate to lose any of them if they happen to gaze at your tit, just saying.”
Willow starts laughing and it’s not long until I’m joining her. “Raze!” I shake my head.
“What?” He feigns innocence.
I roll my eyes.
“Millie is right,” Melissa murmurs.
“Damn straight she is.” Racer points to the exit with his beer bottle, from where he’s leaning on the porch railing. “That motherfucker won’t touch him because he won’t want to take away Untle Chay from Pax.”
I crow. “Okay, true that.” Then I gaze toward Melissa. I haven’t said anything about Hella being locked up since Raze told me back in England, so I figure I should ask.
“Melissa? Are you ok?” I ask quietly since she’s beside me drinking wine.
Her eyes gaze blankly out the front of her. “I don’t know.” Then her eyes snap to mine. “Should I be?”
Good question. No, she shouldn’t. “Um, well, I don’t think I’d handle Frost being locked up, so no.”
“Locked up?” She searches my eyes in confusion, and then it’s as though something ticks in her brain. “Wait, they told you that he was locked up?”
She points to Beast, who has been quiet standing near Racer.
“Wait, Raze told me he was?”
“Oh, girl…” Blake mutters from the side and I have to fight the urge to look at him.
“Why did you tell her that, B?” Melissa asks Beast. I take this chance t
o cast a quick look at Meadow, who has gone awfully pale.
“Ah,” I correct myself, my hand coming up. “Maybe this isn’t the time?” I hit Raze’s leg with mine from under the table. Idiot. If I wasn’t allowed to say anything he should have told me. His leg presses into me harder.
Melissa laughs, rolling her eyes. “He isn’t locked up, El. He left me.”
“Wait, what?” I gasp. “No way?”
She nods, gulping the rest of her wine—her wine that was looking very full. “He did.”
“—For reasons we don’t know yet…” Racer adds, clenching his jaw.
“What does that even mean?” I ask them all, my eyes going around the table. They land on Blake, Miles’ plaything and he smiles softly at me, distracting me from the whirlwind of drama that has just picked up. Blake has ash blonde hair that hangs tidily off his head, soft friendly features and a personality to match. He’s hot for a suit, in a quirky kind of way. He’s definitely one hundred percent gay, whereas Miles isn’t. He isn’t even bi, he’s just… Miles. He has no preference, but he has always made it known that if he had to choose, he’d always choose pussy. His words, not mine. Blake is nice though, and he and Miles look amazing together, even if he was the nice to Miles’ asshole, the warm to his cold and the angel to all his demons, but I can see, because I’ve known Miles all my life, that Blake just…isn’t it.
“Well, whatever it is I’m sure he has a good reason, Melissa. I don’t know any of you that well, but you are his wife and I don’t think any man would take the decision of leaving very lightly,” Willow adds, tugging me out of my Miles and Blake self-induced haze.