Double Bossed

by K. L. Ramsey

  Airi looked him up and down and giggled. “You know it takes a few minutes until we get the results, right?” she asked.

  “Sure,” he lied. Airi’s incredulous look told him she wasn’t buying his assurances.

  “What happens if it’s positive?” she asked. The way her voice broke nearly did him in. He wanted to tell her they were going to get through this and everything was going to be all right but until he had news about his brother, he couldn’t make her any of those promises.

  “I don’t know, Airi,” he admitted. “We find our way forward, no matter what,” he said.

  “It’s alright, Justin. You don’t have to make me any promises. Not now, not with Jarrod—” her voice cracked again and this time, she didn’t hide her sob.

  “Aww, honey, don’t,” he said. Justin sat down next to her, the bed dipping with his weight. He was careful to avoid her bad arm, letting her body lean into his. It was the first time he chanced touching her since finding her earlier that day. Justin worried he wouldn’t be able to take care of Airi or be everything she needed without his brother. He was wrong. He wanted her no matter what and she needed to hear that from him.

  “If you’re pregnant, I’ll be the happiest man on the planet,” Justin whispered. “I want everything with you, honey. We just need to get through this, one minute at a time, and then decide where we go from here. Nothing will change the fact that I love you, Airi—nothing.” Her watery smile made him want to laugh, until her nurse came back into the room and didn’t even bother to look at the two of them. She made a beeline for the bathroom and came back out with a triumphant smile on her face.

  “Well, it looks like you two are going to have another little one under foot,” the nurse said. Airi burst into tears and Justin had to admit he felt like doing the same. “I’ll notify x-ray you are expecting and they will take good care of you,” she offered. Airi sobbed and nodded and the nurse patted her leg on the way out of the room.

  “I’m so sorry,” she cried. “I never meant for any of this to happen, Justin.”

  “I know, honey but I’m not one fucking bit sorry. I’m happy we are going to have another baby. Hell, I’m in love with Milo and I already think of him as my own. I know Jarrod feels the same way about him,” he said.

  “He does?” Airi questioned.

  “Yep,” Justin said. “I see the way he is with Milo. He and I both are crazy in love with your son. Another baby will just mean more love to go around.”

  “We still have to tell Jarrod,” she whispered.

  “We will, honey. How about you get that arm taken care of and I go to find my brother. I won’t share our news, we can do that together,” he offered. Airi nodded and he stood to leave.

  “I’ll be back soon,” he whispered and didn’t turn to look back at her. He felt as though he wasn’t being completely honest with Airi, not telling her about Jarrod being in surgery. He wouldn’t needlessly worry her and until he had more information, he wouldn’t tell her Jarrod was having brain surgery. It might cause her undue stress and now with the baby to consider he wouldn’t risk it. He’d just have to come clean with Airi later when Jarrod was out of surgery and in recovery.

  Airiana

  Hours later, Airi sat with her arm freshly casted and was sure she was going to pass out from the pain. They had offered her something to take the edge off but she wouldn’t take chances with the baby. From her doctor’s guess she was about two months pregnant and taking anything might not be safe for her little one. This wasn’t the first time she had a broken arm and she knew the pain might seem unbearable now but she’d feel better in a week or so. Her biggest worry right now was Jarrod and she couldn’t help but think the worst had happened when Justin didn’t return to check on her.

  “You don’t have to play the hero, you can have some Tylenol and the baby will be fine,” the doctor offered. Airi knew she would function better if she wasn’t in so much pain and she really wanted to go looking for Justin. She needed an update on Jarrod and she was sure Justin was keeping whatever was going on with him a secret. They both needed to realize she was a hell of a lot stronger than either of them gave her credit for.

  “Fine,” she finally conceded. “I’ll take the medication, just to take the edge off.”

  “We’d also like to do a sonogram to make sure your baby is alright. The explosion threw you a good distance, Miss Scott. It might be better to be safe than sorry,” he offered. She nodded, knowing he was right. Airi would have more piece of mind knowing the baby was doing well inside her. It was strange that just an hour ago she didn’t even know of her baby’s existence and now he or she was all Airi could think about.

  “I’d like to wait until—um, well,” she stuttered, not sure how to finish her sentence. What exactly did she call the guys, her bosses? She almost wanted to laugh at the thought. She decided to play it safe. “Until my boyfriend is available? I’d like to check on him. He was brought in the same time as me and we haven’t had any word about him.” The nurse shot Airi an apologetic look and her stomach dropped.

  “What aren’t you telling me?” she demanded.

  “I told his brother he was taken into surgery a couple hours ago,” the nurse admitted.

  “Surgery?” Airi gasped. “What for?”

  “Well, he had a brain bleed but they just sent down word he’s out and it looks like he’ll make a full recovery,” she said. Airi stood, grabbing her things with her one good hand.

  “Floor and room number please,” she shouted. The nurse must have realized she wasn’t going to concede and let them finish their exam. She needed to get to Jarrod and there would be no stopping her.

  “Third floor, room three hundred and nine,” she said.

  Airi didn’t wait for discharge papers or instructions. She made her way up to the third floor and found Jarrod’s room number. She softly knocked on the door and then let herself in to find Justin sitting by Jarrod’s bedside.

  “How is he?” she asked. Justin shot her a sheepish look, quite like the one Milo gave her when he had been caught doing something wrong. “We’ll talk about you keeping the truth from me later, Justin. Right now, I need to know how he is.” She looked Jarrod up and down, noting how pale he was. He was so still and the machines around him beeped on. The side of his head was shaved and he had gauze that circled his head, much like a halo.

  “The doctor said he’ll be waking up soon but the surgery went well and it looks like he’ll make a full recovery,” Justin said. “How’s the arm?” he questioned. She allowed him to pull her down onto his lap and wrap his arms around her body. She liked the way his hand laid protectively across her belly.

  “Hurts,” she admitted. “They gave me some Tylenol and said it would be safe for the baby,” she whispered. “But they want to do a sonogram to make sure the he or she is alright in there.”

  Justin’s whole body tense, “You mean there’s a chance the baby is not okay?” he asked.

  Jarrod popped an eye open and moaned. “You two need to stop making so much fucking noise,” he groaned. “And, what’s all this talk about a baby?” Airi smiled at Justin and he shrugged.

  “Sorry, man. We’ll try to keep it down. The doctor said your head would hurt like a bitch when you woke up,” Justin said.

  “Well, the doctor was wrong,” Jarrod whispered. “It hurts much worse than that.” Jarrod opened both eyes and looked at Airi, noticing her cast.

  He started to reach for her but groaned in pain. “No, don’t move,” Airi insisted. “You need to lay still.”

  “Your arm,” he said.

  “Yeah, it’s broken. But, I’ll be as good as new in about eight weeks,” she said.

  “Is Milo okay?” he asked.

  Airi nodded, confused by his question. “Milo is fine. He’s with Ivy and wasn’t near the blast,” she said.

  “Well then what’s all the talk about a baby?” Jarrod asked. Justin nodded at her and she suddenly felt nervous about telling Jarrod he was go
ing to be a daddy.

  “I found out downstairs—I’m pregnant,” she admitted. It was hard to read Jarrod’s expression. He was in so much pain she wasn’t sure if he was hurting or upset about their news.

  “How about I call the nurse in to give you some pain meds and we can talk about this later,” Justin offered. Jarrod didn’t answer and his brother left to find some help, leaving her alone with Jarrod.

  “I’m going to be a dad?” he asked. Airi nodded.

  “Yes,” she said.

  “Is the baby alright, you know from the explosion?” Jarrod asked.

  “I don’t know. They want to do a sonogram to check the baby out,” she sobbed. What was it with her crying all the time? She wasn’t so hormonal with Milo but she chalked it up to this being her third pregnancy.

  The nurse and Jarrod’s doctor entered the room to check on him. “How are you feeling?” the doctor asked.

  “Like a mac truck tried to smash my head open,” Jarrod grumbled.

  “We are going to give you something to make you more comfortable,” the doctor said. “You’ll sleep for a bit but that will help. You’re going to be here for a few days at least.”

  Airi stood from the side of Jarrod’s bed, giving the doctor room to work and doubled over from the pains that shot through her abdomen. “Airiana,” Jarrod shouted, trying to reach for her but Justin had her in his arms before she could hit the floor. He laid her in the empty bed next to Jarrod’s.

  “She’s pregnant,” Justin said. “They wanted to do a sonogram to make sure the explosion didn’t hurt the baby but she refused.”

  “I wanted to wait for you two,” she said through her gritted teeth. “What’s wrong with my baby?” she questioned.

  “I’ll call for an OB consult but you should really be back in the emergency room,” the doctor said. Both guys shouted a resounding “No” at the doctor’s insistence and he finally gave in. “Fine, I’ll have them bring the machine here and we can check the baby,” he offered.

  Airi nodded, holding her belly. “Hurry please,” she begged. The thought of losing her baby consumed her. The pain felt very similar to when she lost her first baby—Jimmy’s baby. She thought about how he would find it to be some sick poetic justice she would miscarry Jarrod and Justin’s child because of his handy work. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she lost the baby but waiting and worrying was all she could do now.

  It felt like an eternity had passed for the OB doctor on duty to show up with a sonogram machine to check her. The sharp, stabbing pain had subsided and she was feeling much better. She hated that she had caused such a scene but she wasn’t taking any chances with the baby. Jarrod seemed more relaxed since taking his pain medication but he refused to sleep until he knew she was alright. She still didn’t know how Jarrod felt about her news and honestly she was too afraid to ask. First, she needed to make sure her baby was alright, then she’d worry about how the guys felt about her pregnancy.

  “This will be a little cold,” the technician said, spreading the gel on her lower abdomen. The doctor started firing off questions but all she could do was hold her breath and wait for the swooshing sound that always comforted her when she heard Milo’s heartbeat. When the tech finally found the baby’s heartbeat and that glorious sound filled the room, she breathed a sigh of relief. The guys seemed even more confused until the doctor assure them the baby’s heartbeat was supposed to beat that fast. The technician worked on getting a visual of the baby and the doctor smiled at the computer screen.

  “Your babies look wonderful,” he soothed.

  “Oh thank God,” she said. “I was so worried.”

  “Wait—babies?” Justin asked. Airi did a double take at the screen, realizing just what she had missed seconds earlier. There were two babies inside of her.

  “Two?” she questioned. The doctor continued to smile and nod, looking over to Jarrod and Justin.

  “I’m assuming one of you is the father. And I’m also guessing you are twins, so it’s not too far-fetched.” Airi didn’t answer the doctor, not sure how to explain she was in a threesome and technically only one of her guys was the father. How exactly was she supposed to explain what the three of them had come to mean to each other or what they had surprisingly created together.

  “I’m recommending you spend a week on bed rest, Miss Scott,” the doctor ordered. “In fact, given the trauma your body has been through, I’m going to admit you and advise that you don’t move from this bed.” Justin smiled at her and then Jarrod. He was going to let them all stay together and that was just what she needed right now.

  “Thank you,” Justin said. “I’ll make sure she stays in this bed, even if I have to tie her down.” Justin shot her a wolfish grin and bobbed his eyebrows.

  Jarrod groaned from his bed and Airi looked over to make sure he was alright. “I’m pretty sure that’s how she got pregnant in the first place,” he moaned. They laughed and the doctor gave her a few more instructions before he left, assuring her that her babies were in good hands. Airi just needed rest and that sounded absolutely perfect to her and when they were all up for it, they would have a nice long talk about what was going to happen next. She had been a single mother for so long she was used to making her own decisions but this time would be different. This time, she would have two men she adored taking care of her and that was more than she could ever wish for.

  Jarrod

  It had been a week and Jarrod was thrilled he and Airi were finally getting sprung from the hospital. He couldn’t wait to get home to Milo and start their lives together. The police detective who was handling the case had been by earlier that morning to confirm Jimmy had died in the explosion. Unfortunately, the detective also said that Mike and two guys from their private security team also died in the blast. Jarrod worried Airi would blame herself for their deaths until the detective told them about the note he found in Jimmy’s apartment. It was basically a suicide note that spelled out his plans, tying the case up in a neat package. Jimmy had planned on luring the guys and Milo over to the abandoned house and ending them all with his homemade bomb but the guys showing up with the police kind of put a kink in his plot. Jimmy must have thought that having Jarrod and Justin there would be enough and set the bomb off. Luckily for them, Airiana had found a way to escape and they were mostly clear of the blast zone when he detonated the bomb. For the most part, Jarrod felt damn lucky. He was walking out of that hospital with the woman he loved, his brother, Milo and the promise of two new lives they created. Lucky didn’t even begin to cover how he was feeling.

  They really hadn’t talked much about the newest additions to their family. He and Justin had a few quiet conversations while Airiana was sleeping but for the most part they both agreed they were thrilled about the babies. They just wanted to make sure Airiana and the twins were alright before he and Justin went full throttle making plans for their new family. Their priority was getting everyone healthy enough to leave the hospital, the rest would fall into place. Plus, their hospital stay gave Justin time to get everything ready for their special surprise.

  After they had been home two days, they both decided it was time to show Airiana just how excited they were about the two new additions to their family. Justin was holding down the fort at work, allowing Jarrod to work from home to finish recovering. It also allowed him to keep an eye on Airiana. They allowed her to work from home but the doctor said she had to take it easy for a few more weeks until she was into her second trimester. Jarrod had been medically cleared to go back to work but they decided to keep that little bit of information to themselves. If Airiana knew, she’d be less likely to follow doctor’s orders and they weren’t willing to take any chances with her or the babies.

  He walked into the room the three of them shared, fresh from the shower. He liked the way Airiana looked him over, her eyes lingering where his towel was wrapped just below his waistline. “Don’t look at me like that,” he growled. “We both know you can’t do anythi
ng about it.” Airiana’s pout nearly had him caving. As soon as the doctor gave them the green light, he couldn’t wait to give her everything she craved and more.

  “These next few weeks better fly by,” Airiana groused. “My hormones are out of whack and I’m horny.” Jarrod’s laugh seemed to pissed her off more and she crossed her arms over her impressive cleavage. Jarrod loved how her curves were fuller now with the pregnancy. He couldn’t wait to learn every one of Airiana’s new curves by heart.

  “How about you let us surprise you tonight? Justin and I have a nice, quiet dinner planned.” Airiana seemed to perk up at the mention of food, causing him to chuckle again.

  “Well, if sex is completely off the table…” she teased.

  “It is,” he confirmed.

  “Then fine, I could eat.” Her matter of fact declaration had him full on belly laughing. His girl was always up for food, now more than ever.

  “Any cravings?” he questioned.

  “Yep—tacos and ice cream,” she said. Judging from her giggle, he must have made a face. The idea of having tacos and ice cream together disgusted him.

  “Okay baby, tacos and ice cream it is,” he agreed. Airiana squealed and clapped at his compliance. Jarrod quickly dressed and gave an order for her to rest and be ready for dinner by six. He and Justin were going to give their girl the surprise of her life and he just hoped like hell she’d say yes.

  Justin got home with bags of takeout from Airiana’s favorite Mexican place just as Jarrod was setting the table. “Hey, perfect timing,” Jarrod drawled. “Ivy was just here to pick up Milo and we have our girl all to ourselves.”

  “Yeah, they were a little backed up at the restaurant,” Justin said. “How’s our girl?”

  “She’s fine. Stubborn but good. She actually undressed me today,” Jarrod teased. “With her eyes,” he quickly added when he saw the flash of anger in Justin’s eyes. Jarrod knew his brother had to be on edge with holding down the fort at home and dealing with the news of the babies.