“Stubborn,” Tracy told me with a small laugh. “We kept moving them apart, but they always ended up like this. They shouldn’t be able to move around like that yet.”
“Jesse..?” Layla’s hesitant voice made me turn to look at her.
Her eyes were glued to the incubator beside me, tears brimming in them. “Ready to meet our boys?” I asked softly and a tear fell down her cheek before she nodded.
I glanced at Tracy. “Will they be in the nursery today?”
“Yes, sir. I thought I would let them come in and say hi to their mommy before I took them in. But because of the sleep apnea we are going to be keeping them in the nursery for a while. They have to have three nights in a row of no alarms going off before you can take them home.”
“Can I hold them?” Layla asked quietly and I lifted Baby 1 into my arms carefully.
He weighed next to nothing. Both babies had lost a few ounces since their birth, but the doctor assured me that at the rate they were eating it would all be gained back before long. I wrapped his blanket tighter around him and took the few steps to Layla’s bed. All traces of tiredness were gone as her eyes devoured the sight of our child in my arms.
“Jesse, you’re killing me,” she said with a laugh, using her fingers to wipe her tears away. “Please, just give him to me.”
Chuckling, I transferred him into her arms and brushed a kiss over the baby’s head before dropping one on hers. “All yours, baby.”
“Gods, he’s so beautiful,” she whispered, stroking a finger over his cheek. The baby sighed contentedly but didn’t open his eyes as he sometimes did. But a tiny smile lifted one corner of his mouth. “Hello, Luca. Have you been taking care of your brother?”
“He’s been taking very good care of him, ma’am,” Tracy assured her quietly.
“That’s my good boy.” She kissed his nose. “He looks just like you, Jesse.”
“Because he’s bald and angry looking?” I grinned when she shot me a mock glare. “He’s too beautiful to look like me, Layla. They look like you.” She blushed with pleasure, but I could see the argument in her eyes. I shook my head and turned to lift Baby 2 into my arms. “Okay, buddy. If that’s Luca, then that can only mean your name is Lyric. Aunt Emmie says she’s not calling you that, though. So you’re going to be Ric to her.”
“I told you. We should just call him Ric anyway.” Layla raised her head from Luca as I stepped forward to place Lyric in her other arm. “But you had to give him a name that starts with L.”
“It’s a cooler name, baby. The guys love it.” I wasn’t going to back down on it. L was a lucky letter for us and I had inked it into my chest just a few weeks ago.
“You’re rockers, Jesse. Of course they like the name.” She sighed, giving in as she smiled down at Lyric. “Hello, Ric. It feels like I’ve waited a lifetime to finally meet you, sweet baby boy. Your brother’s going to take good care of you, but don’t let him do all the work. Take care of him as much as he takes care of you.”
She kissed his nose and Lyric sighed, just as content to be with his mother as his brother was.
Tracy gave her five more minutes before she took them to the nursery. “I’ll bring them back in a few hours, Mrs. Thornton. You need your rest.”
Tears were streaming down Layla’s face as she clung to my hand and we watched the nurse wheel our babies out of the room. “I don’t want them to go,” she whispered, her voice breaking on a sob.
I sat down on the bed beside her and pulled her into my arms. “It’s okay, baby. You’ll see them in a little while.” She sobbed harder and I let a few tears of my own fall. “Don’t cry, baby. Please, don’t cry.” It tore me apart to hear her crying. “We’ll all be together soon.”
Emmie
The parking lot outside the hospital was noticeably quieter today than it had been the last few days. I wasn’t going to dare think that it was because the paparazzi vultures had given up on getting the first pictures of Jesse Thornton’s twins, or even pictures of Layla looking like shit after the hell she had been through. They were close by, I could almost smell their greedy scent.
I nodded at the two security men that were part of the team that had covered Shane’s wedding and had been keeping Layla and the twins safe from the prying eye of the world. They inclined their heads, the only acknowledgement they ever gave me. I walked through the lobby and was lucky enough to catch the elevator doors open, but about to shut. Jumping through the door I found the elevator slightly crowded and rearranged my bags.
I heard a few sniffs, breathing in the delicious scent of spaghetti and garlic bread. The man in a suit beside me glanced at my take out bag and raised a brow. “Is that fresh?”
I shrugged. “My friend is hungry.”
“It’s nine-thirty in the morning. How did you get Angelo’s this early? He doesn’t open until late evening.” The man frowned at me. “Do you know the owner?”
I shrugged again. “I do now.” In truth, I hadn’t even met the owner of the Italian restaurant until about an hour ago. It wasn’t surprising that for the right price I was able to get the chef out of bed and in the kitchen fixing Layla’s favorite meal from Angelo’s in less than half an hour.”
The elevator stopped and I stepped off. There were two more security men standing at the entrance to the maternity wing. I got another head bob from the men as one opened the door for me. I didn’t even pause at the nurses’ station as I passed, heading straight for Layla’s private room.
When I opened the door it was to find Jesse lying in bed beside Layla with her sound asleep against his chest. Tears stained her pale cheeks. “What’s up?” I asked quietly as I placed the delicious-smelling food on the little rolling table. “She okay?”
“She got to hold the boys for a few minutes before they had to go to the nursery. She’s a little upset right now. Her doctor came in a little while ago and said she’s just having some postpartum issues.” He grimaced, probably remembering how bad my postpartum depression had been after having Mia.
“Layla’s stronger than I was, Jesse. She’s not going to go all psycho bitch on you like I did. The last few days have been hard on her—on all of us. A few days of weeping isn’t going to be that bad.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right.” He stroked his hand over Layla’s hair. “Did you take care of tonight?”
I nodded. “All set to go.” Jesse and Layla had given in and told Lucy that she could go trick-or-treating with Harris tonight. But protective daddy that Jesse was had asked me to have someone from the security company follow the two kids. Just to keep an eye on them from a distance. Make sure that Lucy was safe. I could completely understand Jesse’s need for extra precaution. If it had been Mia, I probably wouldn’t let her leave the house without a bodyguard or three following after her.
“She gave them their names this morning. Baby 1 is Luca and Baby 2 is Lyric.” He smiled tiredly.
I returned his smile. “I can’t wait to get my hands on them. Ric is going to be so spoiled by me. You watch. I’ll be his favorite aunt. And Luca is going to be my little buddy. I’m so going to turn him into you.”
“I can’t wait.” He yawned and I knew he was exhausted.
I had a million and one things that needed my attention still, so I kissed his cheek and told him I would be back in a few hours. “I’ll bring you both some clothes. You could really use a shower and a shave.” I rubbed his scruffy cheek. “Get some rest. I’ll bring Lucy by before I drop her off at Devlin’s house.”
“Love you, Em.” He yawned again, his eyes already closing.
I couldn’t help but stop by the nursery before leaving. I glanced through the viewing window and saw the nurses moving around busily. There were three babies at the window, a little girl wrapped in lots of pink and the twins in the same incubator. There had been some differing opinions last night when Jesse had asked them to put the twins together. Some of the nurses hadn’t wanted to because co-sleeping could lead to crib death, but Lyric had
been having a little more trouble than usual with his breathing. As soon as the twins had been moved into the same incubator everything had turned around. Luca was more at peace and Lyric’s oxygen levels evened out.
“Good morning.”
I turned my head to find a girl in her teens standing beside me. I hadn’t even heard her I was so caught up in looking at my nephews. My eyes narrowed on her. She set off all kinds of warning bells for me. “Good morning.”
“Excuse me,” she said and I stepped back as she lifted a smartphone and snapped a picture.
At first I thought she was taking pictures of the baby girl in the nursery, but then I stepped back to get a quick glance and saw it was the twins. I didn’t even think before I reacted. I grabbed her by the hair and jerked her back against the wall. She shrieked and screamed at me when I took the phone from her.
“You stupid little bitch!” I yelled at her when I saw that there were at least five pictures of Luca and Lyric. “Who’s paying you for the pictures?”
“No one!” Her eyes were wild and I realized that she was probably high. “Not yet.”
“Not ever.” I dropped the phone on the floor and stomped it with the heel of my boots, still holding onto the girl by her hair. “Stupid junkies,” I muttered as I pulled her toward the doors.
When I got to the double doors that led to the maternity wing I pushed her through them and against one of the security men. “Get her out of here and double security. I don’t care what the administrator says. No one gets through those doors unless they have one of those parent ID bracelets.”
I waited until the second security guy had his phone to his ear, getting it all done before going back to the nursery. The nurses had stopped what they were doing to watch the commotion that I had made. I glared at them all and nodded toward the door that went into the nursery. It was locked, no one could get in without swiping their clearance badges.
The nurse that I remembered from the NICU opened the door and let me inside. “What was that about?” she asked quietly.
“That was what I have been warning this whole fucking hospital about for days. She was trying to get pictures of the twins to sell for a fortune. Which she would have gotten if I hadn’t stopped her. Keep the boys away from the viewing window. Do not let anyone in here, at all. If your administrator has a problem with me or my demands tell her to take it up with my lawyer. Because if one picture leaks out about those babies and their mother I will sue this entire hospital.”
Tracy nodded. “I completely understand, Mrs. Armstrong. I’ll let the administrator know and speak to the staff down here personally.”
“You make her call me!” I commanded and turned on my heel, storming out of the hospital before I ripped someone’s head off.
Chapter 17
Harper
I had to untangle myself from Shane before I could get out of bed. He groaned and held on tighter as I tried to crawl toward the edge of the bed. “Not yet,” he mumbled, still half asleep.
I kissed his chest then pushed him away. “I have things I need to do. Like pee.”
“Come back to bed when you’re done,” he grumbled, turning over onto his stomach and hugging my pillow. “We have things to do, too.”
Laughing, I headed into the bathroom and didn’t even bother to close the door. As soon as I sat down I nearly groaned. “Ouch,” I muttered, the pressure and slight burning telling me I had a UTI.
“You okay?” Shane called, having heard me.
“Nothing a trip to the doctor can’t remedy,” I called back. “I have a urinary tract infection. Nothing serious.”
I started to get up but he appeared in the doorway, frowning. “Does it hurt?”
I shrugged, turning to flush and then moving toward the sink to wash my hands. “It’s not comfortable. I’ll be fine, Shane.” I dried my hands and then stepped into his waiting arms. They tightened around me and he pressed a kiss to my forehead. “I’ll call my doctor and get an appointment for later today, okay?”
“While you’re there, talk to her about stopping the pill…”
I raised my head, meeting his gaze. “You want to start trying for a baby?” My heart was racing a hundred miles a minute all of a sudden and I stepped back, needing a better view of his face.
We had only talked about it a few times, in recent months, and we had both decided it was something we needed to think more on. But with Layla’s twins already here, Lana due in two months, and now Emmie expecting baby number two I was getting a little excited for us to have our own little rocker running around this huge house.
Shane gave me a sheepish grin. “I think Emmie has slipped something in the water because ever since she told us she was pregnant I’ve been thinking about it more and more. What do you think, beautiful? Are we ready to start our family?”
I threw my arms around his neck. “Yes. Yes, I think now is perfect.” I pulled back, a stupid, happy grin so big it hurt my face. “Our baby will have so many cousins to play with and go to school with.”
“I was thinking more along the lines of how sexy you’re going to look with my baby growing inside of you. Not the cousins and school thing.” He brushed his lips over my lips, making my breath catch as I felt his erection pulse against my bare thighs. “It makes me hard just thinking about it, beautiful.”
“Mm. I can see that.” I grinned as I reached between us to let my fingers skim up and down the long, hard length of him. “So you want to see me fat and miserable.”
“Pregnant and glowing,” he corrected, backing me toward the sink until my rear hit the coolness of the ceramic. “Let’s start practicing now, baby. It might take me a few tries to get the technique down to put a baby in that sexy little body.”
My grin disappeared as a moan of pure pleasure escaped me when he lifted me effortlessly and placed me on the edge of the sink. His fingers spreading my pussy open wide as he stepped between my legs. The tip was already damp with his precum. I was soaking wet, my desire already running down my thighs even before he touched me.
When he felt my heat he growled with pleasure and put the tip inside of me. “Fuck. That feels so damn good.”
I could only whimper in agreement. Shane slipped an inch deeper, and my arms wrapped around his shoulders needing to hold onto something to ground me to the earth.
“You’re dripping wet for me,” he breathed at my ear as his thumb brushed over my clit. “Shit, that makes my balls tighten. Knowing how much you want me, that I can make you this hot so easily, it makes me so damn hard. All I want to do is pound into that sweet little pussy until I don’t know where I end and you begin.”
Another inch deeper and he wasn’t even close to being halfway. My sex clamped around those two inches, trying to suck him deeper. His hand skimmed upward, over my tattoo to my belly button. Shane flattened his hand against me. “She’s going to grow here, she’s going to be safe and happy right here as she grows. And you’re going to be so goddamned hot as your stomach grows, because I will know you are taking care of our child.”
He thrust into me until he was balls deep with one powerful stroke, making me clutch at him as my nails dug into his flesh. His words melted my heart even as his body melted everything else. My legs wrapped around his waist, keeping him prisoner inside of me as we raced toward completion.
Later, after we had showered together and finally gotten ready for the day, I hugged him tight. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, beautiful.”
“Our little family is going to be what neither of us had as kids. They will be so spoiled rotten and I won’t even care.” I was never going to put our kids down, make them feel unworthy.
Shane chuckled, brushing my long hair back from my face. “Of course they will. They’ll have the best life imaginable, because they will have you as their mom.”
Tears burned my eyes and I had to kiss him again or start crying. How was it possible to love someone as much as I loved him without combusting?
I
dropped by the office before I went to my doctor’s appointment that afternoon. Since we had delayed our honeymoon there was no reason why I couldn’t check in with Rex and see if they were having any problems. I liked my boss, had become decent friends with him even though he liked to use my relationship with Shane and his family a little too often. Shane got along with Rex, which made my life a little easier.
They seemed set without me at the office, so I bailed out after checking the stack of pictures on my desk.
The doctor’s office wasn’t very busy when I signed in. I sat down in a corner, keeping my head down so no one would notice me. Not that I expected anyone to, but I had learned in the last six months to be cautious. Shane’s fans—the women at least—hated me. I was still getting death threats and nasty hate mail sent to my office as well as our house. Emmie took care of the fan mail and at least half of it was for Shane and how much they wanted to hurt me because we were engaged and now married.
My bodyguard went with me when Shane couldn’t. Since Shane had gone to the hospital to check on Layla and the babies, Peterson had driven me to the doctor’s office. He had left me at the entrance to the building where I had told him he could pick me up in about an hour since I had no idea how long this visit was going to take.
“Harper?”
I raised my head to find the nurse standing in the doorway to the back of the office. I stood quickly and hurried toward her, offering her a smile. “Hi.”
She smiled back. “What brings you in, dear?” she asked as I stepped onto the scale in the little alcove before we reached the exam rooms.
“I think I have a UTI, and there are a few things I need to talk to the doctor about,” I told her as she scanned my forehead with the thermometer.
“Okay then.” She reached into the cabinet behind me and pulled out a cup before labeling it with my name and birthdate. “Can you give us a little sample? I’ll give it to the lab and she will have the results before she comes in to talk to you.”