God! I wonder how it might have been if I—but he refused to go there again. He had made peace with that eons ago, or he thought he had until now.
I will not think about that. It was a long time ago. Hell, another lifetime ago.
* * *
After three days of hospital stay, back home again, babies Cameron one and Cameron two, as they were being called since they were still unnamed, were laid in their bassinets, which were next to Kayla’s bed.
Kayla never knew she could be so happy. Every time she saw Trey cradling his sons, his face glowing with pride and love, she felt an achy, hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach. Ever since the delivery day when Trey had so generously offered to share the moment with Harm, her heart had swelled with love and warm acceptance. She knew she would do anything to keep Trey. With a pang she realized her decision would devastate Harm, a man she cherished.
A knock on the door brought her out of her thoughts. “Come in.”
Harm smiled as he walked into her bedroom. “Up to visitors?” he drawled.
“Sure, come on over.” She patted the bed beside her.
Harm sank down on the bed beside her as he gazed at the cherubic faces of the sleeping twins. “They’re beautiful, Kayla. You did good,” he said.
But Kayla could feel the tension in him. “What’s wrong, Harm?” she asked.
He turned glittering blue eyes to her. Haunted cerulean pools bored into hers as he said gently, “You know how it has to be, don’t you?”
Sudden tears sprang to Kayla’s eyes. “Oh, Harm. I’m so sorry. But—“
“But you love Trey. So much so that you’re going to be his wife and make it all paper legal, like he wants, right? You’ve decided to be his and his alone.” He brushed a tear from her cheek.
“Yes,” Kayla said simply.
Briefly he pressed his lips to hers. “I understand, hon. Be happy, Kayla.”
Then he was gone.
* * *
Trey prowled around his suite—originally Lee’s apartment. Not for the first time he stared at the photos displayed on just about every surface there was and wondered why Lee had left them. There was Lee in his famous wrestling costume with the red, white, and blue cape. Lee with a bevy of beautiful women. Lee at the opening of his first restaurant amid celebrities. Lee with Harm, J.J., Luke, and a beaming, Kayla. There were more pictures of Lee and Kayla and a seductive head shot of Kayla in the place of honor on Lee’s bedside table.
Trey felt as if his stomach was trying to climb up into his throat. This was the Kayla they had all loved. Now there was only Harm left, and somehow, he, Trey, needed to fit into the scene. Was she intending to continue as she had before by adding more men to the household? Trey sank on the huge California king–sized bed.
Oh, God. I thought I was past this.
He had sworn to her he would do anything to keep her. But could he really share her with other men? And how would this work when his business was in San Antonio? In fact, he needed to get back there soon.
He felt a headache building at the back of his neck. He had to make some decisions.
Just then the baby monitor—one of several placed throughout the mansion—came alive with the angry wails of Camerons one and two. Trey grinned. The little guys were probably hungry and when one went off the other chimed in just to keep him company. Now that they didn’t have the home care staff anymore, he knew Kayla would need a hand, so he hurried to her apartment.
“I’ve got it,” he said to Harm who was just coming out of his suite also in response to the Cameron twins’ 911.
“Yeah, you do,” Harm acknowledged with a shrug before turning back into his apartment.
Trey frowned. What was that about?
Kayla was already changing Cameron one when Trey entered. He immediately went to the second twin and lifted him out of his bassinet. “Whoa, big fella. No need for all this fuss.”
At the sound of his voice, the baby blinked and stared at him. Trey’s heart clenched with love. He changed the boy, then got a bottle from the heater, tested the formula against the back of his hand to make sure it wasn’t too hot, then settled into the stuffed arm chair to feed his son.
Kayla was already feeding Cameron one. For a moment, there was peace and silence with only the occasional sucking sound of the twins’ chowing down on the bottle nipples.
Trey couldn’t contain his feelings anymore. “Kayla, I meant what I said at the hospital. I want us to get married. Give these kids my name. It doesn’t matter how you and I decide to live from here on out, but I want our kids to be legitimate.”
Kayla was smiling down at her son whose chubby fingers had latched onto a lock of her hair. “All right. Whatever you say.”
Trey thought he’d misheard her. “Just like that? No arguments?” He looked over to find green eyes filled with love regarding him steadily.
“No arguments, Trey. No arguments, no Harm, nobody else. Just you, me, and our boys.”
Now he was sure he was misunderstanding her. His heart raced and the pulse on his neck beat a wild rhythm. “Are you saying what I think you are saying, Kayla? Just us from now on?”
“Just us, Trey. I choose you. There really was never any other choice. I just had to finally admit it to myself.”
Trey felt a rainbow of happiness arc through him, knowing that she loved him enough to give up her lifestyle—one she had so determinedly followed for years.
We’re going to be a family!
“Are you sure, Kayla? God, that’s what I want more than anything else. But are you sure? What about Harm?”
“Harm already knows. I think he knew when he got you to come here. But being Harm, he knew I had to make this decision myself.”
Trey rested Cameron two on his shoulder as he patted his back to burp him. He walked over to Kayla and sank down beside her. Carefully, he leaned forward and placed a tender kiss on her lips. Lips that were firm—warm—his.
“I love you, Kayla. I promise I will do my best to make you—our family—happy.”
“I know, Trey. I know.”
* * *
A day later, Kayla listened as Harm told her of his plans to leave. He wasn’t staying for the wedding. Studying his face, trying to read his expression, she was well aware he was struggling with his emotions. Her heart ached at the pain she knew he must be feeling.
“Harm, there are two things I—no, not just me, but Trey, too, want to talk to you about before you leave,” Kayla said.
“Oh? What’s that?”
“Trey, do you want to tell him?”
“Sure.”
Frowning, Harm prompted, “What is it? Spill it, man. Don’t keep me in suspense.”
“Well, the first thing is that we’ve decided on the twins’ names at last,” Trey said. “The first one born we’re going to call Sean, which is my middle name, but his full name will be Sean Jonathan Lee Cameron, and the second one, we are calling Don, which is your middle name, I believe. And Don’s full name will be Donald Javier Luke Cameron. A tribute to you and the men who have been so much a part of their mother’s life.”
Kayla smiled as she said, “All of you have been, and always will be, very special to me.”
Harm swallowed hard, fighting to control his emotions.
“I—I don’t know what to say. Just a thank you seems too weak. I know the guys, if and when they find out about it, will be honored—though Luke won’t really be able to fathom it unless he gets back his memory.”
Kayla’s eye brimmed with unshed tears.
“Sorry, Kayla. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“You didn’t, Harm. I was just thinking of all of you, especially sweet J.J. and all he’s going through. I hope he’ll be all right. I know his parents blocked all our efforts to contact him. But after all this time, if he really wanted to, he would have reached out to us. If you get the chance, maybe you could check up on him occasionally.”
“I will.”
Harm bent to kiss Kayla�
��s check then stood to shake Trey’s hand, their eyes holding for a moment.
“Now the second item before you leave,” Trey said, “is that we’d like you to be the twins’ godfather. Kayla and I can’t think of anyone we would trust our sons to more than you, if something happened to both of us.”
Harm couldn’t hold back the flood of emotion any longer. He turned away, his eyes suspiciously bright. Clearing his throat before turning back around to face them.
“I would be honored to be their godfather. And I promise you that I’d do good by them if something did happen to you two, but that ain’t likely.”
Kayla spoke up, laughing through the lump in her throat. “But no tattoos, not until they’re old enough to decide for themselves.”
“No tattoos, I swear,” Harm promised, holding up his right hand as if taking an oath, her laughter pulling a half-hearted one from him. He went to lean over the babies’ bassinets, taking another long look at the sleeping twins. As far as he could tell, they were identical.
“How can you tell which one is which?”
Trey chuckled. “Trying to figure out which one is your namesake?”
“Yeah,” Harm admitted sheepishly.
Kayla answered. “The one with the birthmark on his arm is Don J. Luke.”
Harm looked closer at their arms and almost whistled, which would have awakened them, but he caught himself.
Turning to Trey and Kayla he whispered in wonder, “Damn, I never noticed that before. It almost looks like a heart.”
“It does,’ Kayla said. “Kind of like a strawberry heart. The doctor joked that it was probably caused by my intense craving for strawberries during the early days of my pregnancy. But I have a different theory. I call it fate. If you’ll look close enough, I think you’ll agree with me that it’s a smaller, non-tattooed version of the heart tattoo you have, Harm. And remember, you promised no tattoos, not even a ‘yes’ like yours in the middle of that heart. If you’ll notice, the birthmark is even on the same arm.”
Trey, listening to their almost intimate interchange, felt a twinge of jealousy, but he willed it aside, seeing the astonished and delighted look on Harm’s face and the way the man was fighting to hold back his emotions as he exclaimed, “Well, I’ll be damned.”
Trey thought, I owe the man this much, this small concession. After all, I have Kayla and the twins.
Trey was suddenly, silently overwhelmed with the truth that the life he had believed was lost to him forever had been gifted back to him, because of Harm.
The least I can do is give him this moment in time.
Harm leaned down to kiss his namesake and then the other twin. Rising, he cleared his throat before he said, “Man, they’re really something, those two. And you, Trey, are one lucky man.”
“Don’t I know it.”
“Well, guess I’ll get to that packing.”
When he looked at Trey, Harm’s silent plea was obvious.
With an imperceptible nod, Trey gave his permission and Harm sat down on the edge of the bed and leaned to give Kayla a long goodbye kiss. Smoothing her hair back from her face, he whispered, “I’ll always love you, Kayla.”
When Harm stood, he avoided eye contract with Trey until Trey said, “We’ll let you know when the christening is, so let us know where you settle and how to get in touch with you, Harm. And by the way, as soon as Kayla and I can settle things here in Nashville, we’ll be relocating to San Antonio.”
Having said that, Trey fished out a business card and handed it to him. “This has my office and cell number on it. And I’ll let you know what our home number is as soon as we’re settled somewhere. I want you to know, Harm, that you’ll always be welcome at our house.”
Harm nodded. “I appreciate that.”
Kayla’s heart was full as she watched the two of them shake hands. She knew she was witnessing acceptance and understanding of opposite ideologies between the two men she cared for the most in the world.
When Trey came closer to put his arm around her shoulder, Kayla leaned against him with a contented sigh. Side by side, they waved to Harm as he turned at the door to say, “See ya.”
“Counting on it,” Trey said.
When the door closed behind him, Trey claimed Kayla’s lips with a whispered, “God, I love you, Kayla.”
She didn’t respond. There was no need because the heated kiss melded them together, saying more than words could. Kayla had no doubt that Trey was the only man she needed now and for the rest of her life.
EPILOGUE
Christmas morning in San Antonio dawned with an unusually crispy-cold wind whipping the trees. Stretching, Trey glanced at Kayla, and as always when he was this near to her, he felt the heat of desire rush through his loins, hardening his cock and flushing his face. He slipped off his pajama bottoms and reached for her.
Kayla, still in the throes of sleep, responded by automatically snuggling into his arms. He kissed her, a deep, lingering kiss while his hands pushed the flimsy nightgown straps off her shoulders and down to expose her full breasts. He nibbled her flesh lightly on the way to each breast, then stayed long enough to suckle each, bringing the nipples to taut attention. Kayla, fully awake now, emitted a satisfied moan. She opened her eyes and her legs to receive him as Trey rolled on top of her.
“Merry Christmas, Mrs. Cameron. This is your first gift of the day,” Trey teased as he entered her with a thrust.
“Best gift ever, Mr. Cameron,” Kayla breathed out with a satisfied groan as their bodies fell into the natural rhythm they now knew so well. Kayla arched upward, wrapping her legs around him, drawing him in deeper. Exhaling as he plumbed her depths, she breathed, “Ah, this is the best gift of the morning, so far.”
“So far? What does that mean? You have some special gift waiting for me downstairs?” Trey asked as he leaned to kiss her.
“Best ever. Tell you later. Right now, I want to concentrate on that fantastic climax you always give me.”
“Flattery will get you your heart’s desire, my sexy love.”
“Shut up and fuck me hard, husband!”
Happy to oblige, Trey grabbed her buttocks and drove his shaft to the hilt, losing them both in the rhythmic ebb and flow of heated sex until they simultaneously exploded with groans of delight.
Just at that climatic and inopportune moment, there was a pounding on the door, followed by three-year-old twins crying, “Mama, Daddy! It’s Christmas. Santa was here! Come see.”
Trey withdrew and rolled to Kayla’s side with a chuckle. “I think we’re being summoned by our anxious offspring who have obviously already been downstairs and found the booty. How about you trot off to shower while I corral the herd.”
“Mama, Daddy! Why is the door locked? Let us in.”
“That would be Don Luke making demands,” Kayla said, laughing as she thought how the more dominant of the twins always took the lead in mischief.
“We wanta see what Uncle Harm sent us. Hurry up,” Sean Lee whined.
“Okay, wife, you to the shower, me to the rowdy bunch,” Trey said as he stood, pulled on his pajama bottoms and retrieved his robe from the chair where he had tossed it the night before.
As Kayla disappeared into the en suite, he opened the door and both boys jumped at him, jabbering excitedly about what they had already seen downstairs beneath and around the tree.
Laughing, Trey ushered them out.
“Where’s Mama?” Don Luke asked.
“She’ll be down shortly.”
“Can we open Uncle Harm’s present first?” Sean Lee insisted.
“Well, you could, except I think it might be more polite to wait for Uncle Harm to arrive. He promised to spend Christmas day with us. He should be here by noon.”
“Aw, that’s too long to wait,” Don Luke said in a whining tone. “I think it might be the Spiderman Learner Laptop I said I wanted.”
“Well, I think Harm would like to be present when you do open his gift. And even if it isn’t what y
ou ordered, young man, you be sure to thank him.”
Kayla entered the room and came to settle on Trey’s lap. She whispered something in his ear and he exclaimed, “What? Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. Merry Christmas, darling. So what do you think of your surprise present?”
“I think that’s the second best present you’ve given me this morning,” Trey said laughing.
The twins stared at them. It was Don Luke who asked, “What did Mama say? And what present did she give you already, Daddy?”
When Trey seemed nonplussed as to how to answer that one, Kayla said laughing, “The first was a good morning kiss, guys. Now, how about you both giving me one.”
They more or less flung themselves at her, giving her bear hugs and almost knocking her off Trey’s lap.
“What’s the second?” Don Luke persisted.
“Well, let me put it this way. How would you two like a little sister?”
“Is that the present? You’re going to get a baby sister for us? Today?”
Kayla laughed, “No, not today. In about eight months from now though. And I’m not sure it will be a girl, but I think it might. Would you just as soon have a brother?”
The twins looked at each other, both suddenly silent—both thinking about having a sister or brother.
“Think I’d rather have a sister. Already have a brother,” Don Luke said.
“Yeah,” Sean Lee chimed in. “We’ll be the bosses of a sister, for sure.”
“I don’t know so much about that, guys,” Trey said, in a mocking tone. “Sometimes a girl can manage to get her way without us guys even knowing we’re giving in.”
As he listened to his sons rattling on about how they would let that sister know right off who was the boss, and then switching the subject—as only flighty three-year-olds can—to what they had gotten for Christmas and wondering out loud what might still be forthcoming from Harm, Trey thought about a new baby coming. He was suddenly struck by the fact that he was a blessed man.
Best Christmas ever. Life is good. Damn good.
Uncensored Passion (Men of Passion) Page 25