Triplets for The Millionaire : A Secret Baby Romance (Doctors of Denver Book 4)

by K. C. Crowne

  We were in the middle of an unseasonably warm weather snap, so mild, fresh air followed her in.

  “That’s Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, huh?” I asked. “And it smells like…something with bacon and cheese.”

  I heard a crumpling sound, followed by a light chuckle from Lola. “That lose one sense and the others get stronger thing is no joke, huh?”

  “I thought it was some old wives’ tale or somethin’,” I said. “But damn, I’m smellin’ what Kenna and Finn are makin’ for the kids for breakfast! And I can even tell the difference between Starbucks and Dunkin’ coffee, just madness.”

  She chuckled, and by that point the smell of the food had made me damn hungry. “Anyway, I brought you some breakfast.”

  I stepped aside and gestured for her to come in. “Happy to have you here, of course. But you’re not at work?”

  “I had an appointment first thing this morning, so I took the day off.”

  It was clear that the appointment, whatever it might’ve been, wasn’t a run-of-the-mill affair.

  “Everything good?”

  “Everything’s great, actually. Perfect, even.”

  “Well, that’s some good news.”

  She helped me over to the couch and we sat down.

  “So, how’re you holding up?”

  I thought about my incident in the bathroom just a few moments before she’d arrived and decided to keep the dirty details to myself.

  “Ah, certain things are harder than usual, but I’m hangin’ in there. It’s just…hard, you know? Until this happened, the world was my fuckin’ oyster. I went where I wanted, did what I wanted, and nothin’ stopped me. But since the surgery, my world’s shrunk from that to…this.” I swept my hand around me. “It’s a hard adjustment.”

  “I don’t doubt it. But is it all that bad? I mean, not the being blind and stuck in this room part. I mean having your world be a little more…normal-human-scaled.”

  I was curious as hell why she was asking me a question like that. After all, I’d been looking at long-term places in Denver, and she’d been iffy about the whole thing.

  “Not at all. It’s been damn nice bein’ here with Finn and Kenna and the twins. And bein’ here with you, too. Maybe I’m gettin’ older or…I don’t know. But the thought of havin’ a place of my own doesn’t seem half bad.”

  I couldn’t tell her reaction, but there was more I wanted to say.

  “And Lola, I wanted to say again that I’m sorry for how I acted before the surgery. But it was hard, standin’ on the brink of my life as I knew it endin’ forever, and I got scared. And instead of recognizin’ you as the supportive, amazin’ woman you are, I lashed out. I’m not proud of myself for how I acted, and I want to apologize. Lola, you’re as incredible a woman as they come, and I—”

  I didn’t get a chance to finish. She closed the distance between us, and her lips met mine, a surge of heat running through my body. I could taste every bit of her. Being blind was hell, but it was almost worth it for the intensity of how her lips felt on mine. When she took them away, all I could do was sit there stunned. I blinked hard under my bandages, trying to wrap my mind around how damn good that felt.

  “In case it wasn’t clear, that was my way of saying apology accepted.”

  I took her hand. “And this is my way of sayin’ thank you.”

  I leaned closer to her, our lips finding one another’s as we kissed long and deep. My cock twitched to life, my hand falling onto the curve of her hip as I began to position myself on top of her. But she stopped, taking her lips from mine.

  “Now, I wouldn’t be doing my job as a doctor if I didn’t tell you that the kind of exertion you’ve very clearly got on your mind isn’t a good idea when you’re recovering. Need to wait a few more days.”

  I kissed her one more time, finding her lips without the slightest bit of effort. “For a woman like you, the wait’s worth it.”

  Lola kissed me one more time, putting her forehead against mine.

  “I love you, Lola,” I said, wrapping my arm around her shoulders. It felt good to say it again.

  “And I love you.”

  In that moment, I didn’t need to see anything. What I felt in my heart was more, much more, than enough.

  Chapter 32

  LOLA

  Two weeks later…

  The scents and sounds of parmesan on the stove were wrapped around me. I’d gotten so wrapped up in my cooking that I’d barely noticed when Patrick’s text arrived.

  Having a little too much fun driving. Be there in twenty. This was followed by a kissing face emoji.

  He was running late, but it didn’t make me mad in the slightest. Patrick’s bandages had remained over his eyes for a few days longer than we’d anticipated. Now that they were off, there was no stopping him from enjoying every last thing that he could see.

  First stop had been to the car dealership where he’d picked up a brand-new Jaguar convertible. I’d encouraged him to take it easy, of course, to not jump right into risky behavior. But he refused to listen – he wanted to live.

  I turned my attention back to the stove, some top forty playing on Alexa as I glanced over at one pan, then the other. I was cooking eggplant parmesan for me, chicken for him. I hadn’t eaten a bite of meat in years, but I had to admit Patrick’s smelled pretty darn good.

  As I cooked, my stomach tightened with the combination of worry and excitement that had been brewing in me since I’d decided today was the day I’d tell Patrick he was going to be a dad. I still wasn’t sure how he was going to react but considering how high on life he’d been since getting those bandages off, I had a good feeling about his reaction.

  The twenty minutes flew by, and before too long a knock sounded at the front door. I turned down the music and hurried over, so excited I worried I might trip over my own feet. When I reached the door, I threw it open, eager as hell to see the man who more and more I’d begun to think might be the love of my life.

  And damn, did he look good. Patrick was dressed in dark jeans and a black Henley, a rugged leather jacket on over top. But the accessory I was most interested in were the black Lucite glasses he wore.

  “Evenin’, beautiful.” He swooped in for a long, deep kiss to greet me.

  I didn’t want to let him go. He felt so good, tasted so good, that nothing else mattered in that moment but him and his touch.

  When the kiss finally ended, I turned my attention to his glasses. “Have I told you how good those look on you.”

  He chuckled as he stepped into my condo. Though, truth be told, with as much time as he’d been spending over, it was quickly becoming our condo. And if that were the case, we’d have to start looking at new places before too long. I couldn’t wait to see what life would bring us over the next few months, the next few years.

  I brought my mind back to the present. After all, I had some big news to break.

  “Don’t get too attached to them,” he said with his usual cocky smile. “As soon as I can, I’m gettin’ contacts.”

  “Aw, but they’re so darn cute. They make you look just the right amount of nerdy.”

  He cocked his head to the side, sniffing the air. “Is that…meat I smell?” Patrick hurried to the stove and saw what was on the burners. “Lola, my love, you’re too good to me.”

  “Don’t I know it,” I said, wrapping my arms around his waist. “Figured I’d give you a break from the tofu.”

  He turned around in my arms and kissed me. “I’d eat bean curd for every meal of my life if that meant I’d be with you, gorgeous.”

  “You’re such a freaking smooth-talker.”

  He didn’t have any words to say to that. He kissed me, his mouth opening and his tongue finding mine. I fell into the kiss, forgetting about dinner and the triplets and everything else.

  The triplets. The moment they came to mind, I focused on the matter at hand – all three matters.

  “Anyway,” he said. “I was thinking my first day back behi
nd the wheel was a cause for celebration.” He opened the fridge and stuck his head inside, rooting around. “So that’s why I got this.” He pulled a bottle of champagne out, holding it in front of me. “What do you say – a little bubbly to mark the occasion?”

  My eyes locked on the bottle of booze – the bottle I couldn’t drink from – and I realized it was as good of a time as any. I turned back to the two meals on the stove and turned the temperatures down to simmer, my stomach tightening into a knot.

  “Come over and sit down with me,” I said.

  “You wanna talk? Whatever the subject, I’m sure some fizzy wine would be the perfect complement.”

  “Just…trust me.”

  I took his hand, and he set down the bottle on the counter before coming over to the couch with me. Music played softly in the background and the rich scents of spice and cooking meat hung in the air. I opened my mouth to speak, but Patrick beat me to it.

  “Holy hell – you’re pregnant.”

  My jaw about hit the floor. “How the fuck did you know that?”

  “Just a bit of Irish intuition.”

  “Irish intuition? Come on – that’s not a thing?”

  He grinned. “Well, you wanted to sit me down for a serious heart-to-heart. And I seriously doubt it would be a bad thing if you’re goin’ to the trouble of makin’ me a dinner with meat in it. You’ve already gotten about as much news for your career as we could hope, so that leaves pregnancy.”

  I was stunned. “Wow. Remind me never to try to get anything past you.”

  “But that’s not all,” he guessed as he looked in my eyes. “Oh lord – is it twins?”

  I grinned, unable to hold it back any longer. “You’re close…”

  His eyes flashed with total surprise. “Triplets.” The word came out of him with a tone bordering on total awe. “You’re pregnant with triplets?”

  I nodded. Tears came to my eyes, and whatever words I might’ve thought to say seemed insufficient.

  He took my hands and squeezed them tight. “You’re gonna be a ma. And…” He glanced aside and nodded, as if he were working out the implications. “And I…”

  “You’re gonna be a dad. Or da.”

  He lifted his eyes to mine and smiled the warmest smile I’d seen on his face yet. “I can’t wait. And I can’t wait to go on this adventure with you, Lola.”

  It was the exact answer I’d hoped to hear. We kissed, and the kiss soon became something more.

  “Speaking of marking the moment,” he said as he slipped his arm around my waist.

  I grinned through the kiss as he moved on top of me, both of us disrobing as quickly as we could. When I was down to nothing but my panties, his hand wandered between my thighs, his touch like a spark against my clit. He rubbed me in just the way I liked, just the way he knew I wanted, and it didn’t take long before the first orgasm rushed through my body.

  Once the pleasure faded, I shimmied out of my panties as he peeled off his boxer briefs. His cock was thick and long, his tip grazing my belly. I glanced down, for a moment imagining just how big my middle would get with three babies growing inside it. But that was something to worry about another day. Right then, I was so eager for his cock to be inside me I could hardly focus. I wrapped my fingers around his length and guided him down, my entrance slick and wet from the orgasm.

  It was the first time he’d been inside me since the accident, and the sensation of him moving deep, of him stretching me around him, was so intense that all I could do was moan as I wrapped my legs around his narrow hips, guiding him deeper.

  Patrick quickly brought me to another orgasm on top of me, his thick warmth pushing into me as the pleasure broke through my body. Once it faded, I was ready for more, more, more.

  I placed my hands on his legs and wordlessly urged him to sit down. I positioned myself on top of him, then reached around to find his length before sliding him inside again. I closed my eyes and tilted my head back as I rode him, my hips bucking as we both reached another orgasm, Patrick grunting hard as we hit the peak at the same time, our bodies freezing in place for a long moment as he drained himself inside.

  And when it was over, we held each other tightly. The food simmered gently on the stove, ready for us now that our other appetites had been satisfied.

  “I love you like mad, Dr. Bridges,” he said with a warm smile.

  “And I love you.”

  The moment was perfect. And I knew it was only one of many, many more to come.

  Epilogue

  PATRICK

  FOUR YEARS LATER

  I loved my monthly trips. Three days of going wherever the story took me, traveling to whatever far reaches of the globe called out. Just me and my camera.

  But there was nothing, and I mean nothing, quite like coming home.

  I stood at the front door of my home, knowing there would be total chaos on the other side. The kids would be running wild as usual, Lola keeping up as best she could.

  I wasn’t hesitating because I didn’t want to deal with it – furthest thing from the truth. I held back for the same reason I always did.

  Because I wanted to savor it.

  I opened the door and stepped inside. I heard only quiet at first. Our home was a three-story in the same development as Finn and Kenna’s – just a few minutes down the road from them, as a matter of fact. And the size meant that sometimes the kids could get off to a place where I wouldn’t be able to hear them.

  But then a shriek from outside broke the silence, and I knew just where to find the little brood.

  I set my camera bag down and hurried through the house, reaching the glass doors for the pool quickly. It was high summer, the weather warm and perfect for a dip. Lola and our babies were outside, of course, Finn and Kenna and the twins with them. All were splashing about in the pool, and I saw the opportunity for another wonderful moment to savor.

  Henry and Kieran and Cora – our three beautiful children. As I watched the trio laugh and splash in the shallow end of the water, I found myself thinking about when they were born, how they’d arrived even earlier than triplets normally came, which itself was already very early.

  They’d all been around four pounds at birth, with Cora coming in the biggest at four-pounds-five ounces. And her weight was a sign of things to come. The boys were energetic and happy-go-lucky, but Cora was certainly the little boss of the trio. Even at three, she was bold and confident, reminding me a hell of a lot of her mother.

  Speaking of whom, I watched Lola play in the water with our children. She wore a simple, black, one-piece bathing suit and was as gorgeous as the day I’d first laid eyes on her. The sight of her in the water, a happy smile on her face as she splashed with the family, was enough to make me touch my wedding ring in total gratitude at the life I’d been so blessed to have.

  Even things at the clinic were going grand. Lola was still working at Pitt, but most of her hours were at the free clinic, taking care of those who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford care. My donation had set off a landslide, and now the place was swimming with money. There’d even been enough to open a community center next door, and day by day the neighborhood was beginning to pick up.

  My book on secret, haunted places in America had been a hit, selling like wild and being the talk of the photography world for months after it had come out. It didn’t hurt that I had some killer shots of the Stanley Hotel avalanche as it happened. I was more than good on money, so half the book’s proceeds had gone to the families of those affected. What good was being successful if you didn’t give a little back?

  But there was only so much savoring to do. Finn was cooking some food on the grill, what looked to be some brats and burgers and probably a soy patty for Lola. The sight was enough to make my stomach grumble with hunger, and I was ready to get out there and join my family.

  I rushed upstairs and threw on a pair of swim trunks, so excited to take a dip that I could barely think straight. I’d loved my life as a single
man, but it was nothing compared to being a husband and father. Each day was a damn gift. And while our home could be mad as it gets, it was always full of love.

  “Da’s home!” I called out as I threw open the door to the back patio.

  The kids screamed their little hearts out as they toddled over to me. Henry and Kieran took after me, with their emerald, green eyes, while Cora had the olive skin and dark hair of her mother. I squatted down and gave them each a hug in turn.

  “Now,” I said, standing up. “Step aside.” I rushed toward the pool and leaped into the air, coming down into the water with a giant splash.

  “Easy there, brother!” Finn called out as he stood at the grill. “I’m cookin’ over here!”

  I laughed, splashing the kids as they climbed back into the water. They made their way over to Sam and Sophie to play. I felt a slender pair of arms wrap around me, followed by a kiss on my cheek.

  “Hey there, handsome.”

  “Well, hello there, beautiful.” I turned around and was face to face with the love of my life.

  “How was the trip?” she asked.

  “Oh, grand. But you know it’s nothin’ compared to comin’ home.”

  She flashed me a seductive smile. “I’ll be sure to give you a proper welcome back later tonight.”

  We kissed again, love flowing through me.

  It was strange. In all the years I’d been running around, chasing that next big rush, it turned out all I’d ever needed was the life I’d been lucky enough to have, the love of a good woman and our wonderful children.

  Figures it’d take me nearly going blind to see what was right in front of me.

  The End

  Did you enjoy Lola and Patrick’s story?

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