by S. M. Shade
“Sorry.” I retreat with a chuckle. I’ve seen a few looks exchanged between them so I’m not surprised.
Airen is still removing layers and dripping all over the floor when I tell him what I witnessed, and he smiles, mischievously. I know that grin. “Airen Lane, don’t you dare!”
“What?” He tries to appear innocent, but fails miserably. He doesn’t have an innocent cell in his sexy body.
“Tease them.”
“Would I do that?” He smiles, and I can feel it in the pit of my stomach. Pregnancy has turned me into a nymphomaniac. “Keep staring at me like that, Abigail, and see what happens.”
“I love what happens,” I reply, letting my hands wander to his firm ass.
“My little sex fiend.” He gives me a soft kiss before swatting my ass. “Later, darlin’. Let a man eat.”
We’re all sitting around the kitchen table when Joseph and Troy enter. Airen grins, shaking his head. “In the kid’s fort, Joseph?” he says with fake disapproval in his voice. I smack him while Joseph stares at me in exasperation.
“Sorry,” I apologize, glancing at him and Troy.
“You just had to tell him.” Joseph smirks.
“Can I blame this one on the hormones?” Hey, I can play the pregnancy card occasionally.
“Their hormones,” Airen says, grinning and ignoring my stern look. He’s loving every minute of this.
“Don’t listen to him,” I advise Troy. “We’re happy for both of you.”
Joseph saunters over and slings his arm around Troy’s neck, giving him a quick kiss. I’m thrilled for Joseph and Troy. They have both been to hell and back, and they deserve some happiness.
* * * *
The guys are chomping at the bit to get started on what will be Troy and Joseph’s house. They’re back to hauling gasoline and using generators for light and heat while they install the solar panels on a good sized three bedroom ranch style house. It’s less than a quarter of a mile from our place, closer to the lake, but not so close that flooding should be an issue. I’m happy they chose it. We’ll have Joseph on one side of us, and Julie on the other. Still, it breaks my heart to know they’re moving out, and Walker isn’t happy about it either.
“I want to stay here,” he insists, sulking.
I’m sitting on the sofa with him, and he’s supposed to be reading. “Your dad needs you with him, Walker. You’re still going to be here every day. Your new house is very close by.”
“Is not.” He crosses his arms and pouts.
“Sure it is. You’ll be so close, I’ll bet I still hear you snoring.”
“I don’t snore,” he says, trying not to smile.
“So close I’ll be able to hear you sneeze and run over to give you a tissue.”
“No way.”
“So close I’ll be able to smell your pancakes cooking in the morning and sneak in to steal a bite.” He giggles, and I put him on my lap. “I promise you won’t have time to miss us. We’ll all be together during the day. Plus, you get to have your own room, and the baby won’t keep you awake at night.”
“Will it still be my brother or sister?”
“Of course. We’re all family no matter where we live.”
“Okay,” he replies and returns to his book.
It’s such a joy to see Joseph with Troy, laughing and enjoying each other’s company. He has been lonely for so long. He’s infinitely patient with Troy while he heals and overcomes the fears and issues his captivity and torture have inflicted on him. He has a paranoid way of peeking out the windows every hour, as if one of his tormentors may be coming for him, and he jumps at the slightest noises. He will never lock a door, and I can’t count the times one of us has walked in on him in the bathroom. While the other guys wander around the house shirtless, he always keeps his back covered to hide his scars.
Troy is quiet, kind, and helpful, but I sometimes wonder if we know the real man, or if he was different before his time with the cult. There are times when a different side of him seems to show through, and he can be funny in a witty, sarcastic manner. I know Joseph cares for him and that makes him family. He couldn’t have found a more compassionate person than Joseph to support him and help him heal.
Troy and Joseph invite Eric to live with them, and he gladly accepts. Of course he does. He wants out from under Airen’s distrustful eyes. Airen hasn’t caused any more trouble since our fight, but you would have to be blind to miss the way he watches Eric when he’s with me. I’m sure Airen is beyond relieved that he’s moving out.
When the day comes, however, I’m struggling not to cry. Joseph and Walker have been with us forever. Walker runs ahead with Troy and Eric, excited to get to his new room.
“Don’t you do it,” Joseph warns as he hugs me goodbye to spend his first night in their new house. “Just think, there will be no more peanut butter in the jelly jar,” he whispers in my ear, making me giggle while I wipe my eyes. Walker and Joseph always use the same knife for both, and it looks absolutely disgusting.
“See you tomorrow, Joseph,” Carson calls on his way past.
“He wears his pain on the inside,” I say, laughing.
Airen and Joseph regard one another uncertainly, and I excuse myself, retreating to the bedroom to allow them some privacy. I don’t know how they say goodbye to each other. I don’t know the depth of Airen’s true feelings for Joseph. I don’t know what may have happened if Airen and I hadn’t found each other first. That something special exists between these two charming, attractive men...that I’ll never doubt.
Troy
It’s beautiful here, too good to be true. Hot showers, plenty of food, nice people, electricity for Christ sake! I expect to wake any moment back in the stable, starving and cold, with blood drying on my back.
Every day I wake to Joseph’s grinning face seems a gift from a god I no longer believe exists. Currently, he’s snoring away beside me, a small smile on his face as he sleeps. I could love him...shit, maybe I already do, but I’m apprehensive. He’s very kind to me and patient as a saint. I’m attracted to him. Who wouldn’t be? Those bright green eyes and red lips that feel so soft pressed against mine. His adorable mischievous little smile is irresistible, and I can’t suppress the urge to smile back, no matter how low I feel.
Yet, as soon as things get heated between us, I freeze up. I can’t stand for him to see the scars left by the cane. I know they don’t bother him, and he’s not turned off by them, but something inside me can’t move past it.
He reassured me again last night that we have all the time in the world, and we don’t have to rush into a sexual relationship. “I understand,” he said softly, running his thumb down my cheek. “After all you’ve suffered, it’ll take time to trust someone again, and I don’t want you to do anything you aren’t ready to do. I’m here when you need me.”
As I said, he’s too good to be true, a soft place to fall when I need it the most. I believe he cares for me, and I want to trust him. Perhaps, if just once he looked at me the way he looks at Airen, it would be easier. It’s impossible to miss the connection between the two of them, the sparkle in Joseph’s eyes when Airen smiles at him, and the love inherent in their actions whenever they’re near one another.
Abby seems to be oblivious, or possibly just indifferent. Perhaps it’s a concession she’s willing to make, an inconsequential issue as long as Airen loves her as well. Regardless, this is a wonderful place, filled with light and life, and I can be happy here. I can’t help but think of Micah and Jennifer. They could have been happy here as well.
Joseph wakes and gazes at me, concern etched on that adorable face. “Hey, babe, are you okay?”
“Fine, beautiful,” I murmur, lying down and wrapping my arms around him, pressing his back to my chest.
“I’m fine.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Airen and I have set up the crib in our room, but we plan to have a nursery after the baby begins to sleep through the night. We are still in the dar
k when it comes to the baby’s gender. Julie has performed two additional ultrasounds, but he or she refuses to cooperate.
“Maybe it’s shy,” Carson quips after Julie informs us that the baby’s legs are together once again, blocking the view.
“Looks like you’ll just have to wait,” Julie remarks. The suspense is killing me. It’s been a relatively easy pregnancy. I’m big, but I haven’t gained an excessive amount of weight. Still, I’m self-conscious about being naked in front of Airen.
“Abby,” he scolds. “You’re being silly.”
He’s trying to convince me to take a bath with him. I gaze at him, naked, standing there in all his glory. He’s so sexy, and I feel like a hippo. “I’ll probably overflow the water,” I mumble.
He snorts and pulls my shirt over my head. His fingers slide into my hair, tilting my head back, and he softly presses his lips against mine.
His eyes are molten tar, scorching a path from my feet to my lips. “You’re so fucking sexy. Come on, darlin’, don’t pull away from me. I need you.” His husky voice is full of desire, and his hands slide over my enlarged belly before they slip behind me to squeeze and caress my ass. How can I ever resist this man? I end up on the bed, moaning his name while he gently pushes me to the peak of ecstasy.
It’s nearly April, and we’ve had a good winter. The food supply has held out well and we’ve had no problem keeping warm. Jayla and I are discussing this year’s garden and planning where and when to plant. I bend to pick up a pen from the floor and feel a gush of liquid pour down my legs, splashing my feet.
“Jayla! I think my water just broke!”
Her eyes widen comically, and she leads me to a kitchen chair, as if I’m an elderly woman. “Are you having contractions?”
“I’ve had a few cramps, but nothing bad.”
“I’m getting Julie,” she announces, darting from the house. I’m not hurting as badly as I had expected. I change into dry clothes and mop up the mess on the kitchen floor. I’m rinsing the mop when Julie and Airen come dashing in.
“Abby! What the hell are you doing?” he demands, frustrated. He pulls a chair over to me.
“How far apart are your contractions?” Julie asks.
Oh shit, that’s what I was supposed to be doing, timing the pains.
“I’m not sure. I’ve only had a few pains, and they weren’t severe.” I’m immediately struck by a more intense tightening, and I grab Airen’s hand, wincing. “Okay, that one was worse,” I admit. Julie notes the time while I catch my breath. “It’s a month early, Julie.”
She smiles, reassuringly. “A few weeks early is perfectly normal, dear. We can’t be sure of your exact conception date. You’re far enough along, so don’t worry.”
“We need to get you to bed,” Airen says.
I groan as the pain of another contraction spikes through me.
Julie’s eyebrows shoot up. “Three minutes. The baby’s in a hurry.” She covers the bed with a protective sheet, and Airen helps me undress and climb into bed. I never really went through labor with Carson. He was born by a caesarean section before the contractions were intense.
Airen stays right by my side the whole time. He sits behind me, and I lean against his bare chest while our baby fights to enter the world. The pain is unbearable now, and Julie yells at me to push.
“I can’t,” I moan.
“You have to! Now, Abby! Push!”
Airen wipes the sweat and tears from my face and whispers in my ear. “You can do this. You’re the strongest, bravest person I’ve ever known. One more time, sweetheart. Push. Bring our baby to us.”
I bear down one last time, gritting my teeth against the pain. I can’t. I can’t. Finally, I feel movement, a sharp stinging pain, and then a glorious emptiness.
“It’s a boy!” Julie announces. He wails, and Julie laughs with delight while she suctions his mouth and nose. Jayla helps to clean him up before placing him on my belly.
“You did it, darlin’.” Airen kisses my cheek.
“We did it,” I correct, wiping the tears from his face. We stare in awe at this screaming, squirming bundle.
“I have a son,” Airen says, overwhelmed.
“As beautiful as you.” I sigh. The baby turns his head toward the sound of my voice, and I study his features. He has a shock of jet black hair and his eyes are just as dark, Airen’s eyes.
“And you, sweetheart. Look at those lips, and his chin.” He grins with tears still running down his face. “Just like his Momma.”
I can live with that.
Julie finishes cleaning me up and changes the bedding. We finally allow the rest of the family in to meet our new addition.
“What’s his name?” Walker asks.
Airen grins at me and nods.
I take Joseph’s hand. “Lane Joseph Holder,” I announce. Joseph’s eyes immediately tear up and his face reddens as everyone looks at him expectantly. “Named for both of you,” I declare. “I would never have survived the past two years without you and Airen.”
“Oh, Abby.” Joseph hugs me and kisses my cheek. “I’m going to spoil him rotten.” He hugs Airen and congratulates him.
“Mom, do you realize it’s April first?” Carson asks. “His birthday is April Fool’s Day.” He laughs, delighted. I smile at him and flash a grin at Airen.
April first is so much more than April Fool’s Day. It marks the anniversary of the first time Airen kissed and made love to me. It marks two years since the plague destroyed our way of life and took so much from us, so many lives lost. Here is this new screaming bundle of life to celebrate.
I gaze slowly around the room, drinking it in. My boys, the loves of my life. My sons, my husband, and how to describe Joseph? He has crawled into my heart as surely as the others, and the word friend just doesn’t do him justice. They are woven into me.
I look from Airen’s beaming, tear streaked face to Joseph, smiling proudly as if it were his son, his arm around Troy’s waist. Troy reaches to brush Walker’s hair back from his face, fondly. Walker is all but bursting with excitement. Carson gazes at Jayla, his feelings for her written plainly across that freckled face. She smiles at him and takes his hand. Eric nods at me, looking surprised to find himself here with all this family. Airen singles him out and shakes his hand. Peace. A bounty of love fills this room.
I hand Lane to Airen, and their dark eyes meet. Lane quiets as they study one another, and a soft smile blooms on Airen’s face.
“What are you looking at?” Walker asks.
“The future,” Airen whispers.
THE END
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading! This is not the end of Abby, Airen, and Joseph’s story. I hope you will continue to follow them on their journey in Falling Together, All That Remains: Book Two. You can find it here:
http://www.amazon.com/Falling-Together-That-Remains-Book-ebook/dp/B00NY31EWS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1412026132&sr=8-2&keywords=Falling+Together
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