Wade walked over to Reece and sat down beside him, raising his knees and resting his forearms on them to hang his hands as he bent his head forward in defeat. He had no words left. He hurt too much.
Meeka walked into their living room and sat down awkwardly on the overstuffed couch with the black suede cushions. She looked at Eric as he lay on the floor on his belly with his little legs bent upward and crossed at the ankles as he colored in the large coloring book filled with pictures of trucks and motorcycles.
“It looks like you’re enjoying the coloring book Aunt Kaley gave you, honey,” Meeka said, smiling as her son turned to her and gave her the most precious smile.
“I like the book, Mommy,” Eric said happily. “It has lots of trucks and motorcycles. They look just like the ones that Daddy and Poppa fix.”
He grabbed for the book and stood up, walking over to her and sitting beside her on the couch, handing her a blue crayon. Meeka took the crayon with her right hand and wrapped her left arm around her son to cuddle him closer against her body.
“Thank you, sweetheart,” she said, kissing the top of his head and hugging him lightly. “I think I’ll color this truck.”
“Okay, Mommy. I’ll color the motorcycle.”
The back door of their home opened and Reece walked into the kitchen, Wade following right behind him carrying a large pizza box. Reece was carrying a small paper bag filled with freshly baked breadsticks from their favorite pizza place.
“Little one?” Reece called out. “Where are you, Mate?”
“In the living room,” Meeka called out, smiling when her two men walked into the room and came over to her. “I smell something wonderful.”
“Hear that, Wade? We smell wonderful,” Reece said, smiling at Meeka.
“I meant the pizza and the breadsticks, Reece,” Meeka said, laughing. “But I have to admit that you and Wade smell yummy, too.”
When they knelt down before her and Eric, she reached up and slid her fingers through her mates’ hair and tugged them closer. She couldn’t help but laugh when they rubbed their faces over the top of Eric’s head before kissing his cheeks. It was always the same. She loved the way they always covered Eric in their scent before kissing him.
“Hello, pup,” Reece said, smiling down at their son.
“Hi, Daddy,” Eric responded, reaching up and gripping Reece’s hair tightly within his little fist.
“Hello, cub,” Wade whispered against the side of Eric’s face. “Did you have a good day with Mommy?”
“Yes, Poppa. We read lots of books and we played hide and seek. It was fun.”
“You played hide and seek?” Wade asked, surprised. He turned to look at Meeka and tried to make sure that she was okay. “You didn’t do too much today, did you baby?”
“No, I didn’t do too much today,” Meeka told him, exasperation evident in her voice. “Really, Wade. How is playing hide and seek with our son overdoing it?”
“Mommy was careful,” Eric spoke up. “She took good care of Maizy.”
“Did she?” Reece asked, smiling down at their son.
“Yup. She didn’t really try to hide very hard. I found her every time.”
“It’s hard to hide when I’m as big as a house,” Meeka muttered, leaning back against the cushions and covering her very pregnant belly with her hands.
Both men looked at each other and smiled.
“Oh, stop being so smug,” Meeka told them, reaching out to grab their hair once again and pull them toward her.
“We did a good job,” Reece told her, laughing as he kissed her quickly, covering her belly with his large hand and caressing it tenderly.
“We sure did,” Wade agreed. “You’re good and pregnant, Mate.” He leaned forward and kissed her, biting down on her lower lip carefully. “Are you going to tell us you don’t like carrying our daughter, baby?” His hand joined Reece’s on her belly, stroking it carefully and pausing when he felt their baby moving.
Meeka smiled at them and covered their hands with hers. “I absolutely love carrying your baby,” she whispered. “I’m looking forward to carrying more babies.”
“Yeah?” Reece whispered, kissing her cheek lightly.
“Yeah.” She looked at both men with a definite sparkle in her brown eyes. “I’m looking forward to making love to my men and making our babies. What do you think about that, Mates?”
When both men leaned into her neck and growled against her shoulders, she couldn’t help but giggle. The vibrations of their growling tickled.
“You both make me smile when you growl,” Meeka told them, laughing softly when both men bit down on her shoulders lightly. It made shivers rush through her body. “I like when you do that, too.”
“Meeka, you make us need,” Wade whispered against her neck.
“Then we’re even,” Meeka whispered, kissing first Wade’s neck and then Reece’s neck. “I hope you plan on loving me all night.”
She laughed softly as both men growled against her neck once again. Eric giggled against her side as he was squashed between his parents.
“You make me so happy,” she whispered, smiling tenderly at the two men.
“How are you feeling, little one?” Reece asked softly, leaning back and looking at her with concern.
“Other than feeling like I’m more than ready to have our baby, I’m doing very well.”
Eric scooted down from the couch and ran over to his stack of books on the small bookshelf that his daddy and his poppa had made just for him. He searched through the pile of books that already lined the shelves, looking for just the right one for his fathers to read to him.
“Daddy, Poppa, can you read me this book, please?” he asked as he lifted his favorite book about the motorcycle named Mike who loved to take a ride through the country.
Wade kissed Meeka quickly then turned to lift their son as he climbed up onto his lap and settled back into his arms. “I think we have time to read at least three books, don’t you think so, Daddy?” he asked Reece, sitting next to Meeka and kissing the top of Eric’s head.
“I think that’s a great plan,” Reece agreed. “After we read about Mike the Motorcycle, I want to read the story about the little rabbit who ran away from the big bad wolves.”
“You do, huh?” Meeka teased him.
“Yes. I want to read how the little rabbit realized that the wolves really loved her,” Reece told her quietly. “What do you think, little one?”
Meeka took her men’s hands in hers and brought them to her mouth to kiss their knuckles lightly. How was it possible that she had ever gotten so lucky to have these men in her lives? She had definitely been blessed.
“You know what I think, Mates?”
“What, baby?” Wade asked, smiling down at the woman that gave them such a beautiful life.
“I think that the little rabbit knew that the big bad wolves loved her all along.”
Reece looked at Wade in shock. “Did you see that, Wade?” he asked, almost afraid to voice the question.
Wade smiled slowly, nodding his head. “I did.”
“You think that’s really our future?”
“I don’t have any doubt in my mind,” Wade said firmly. “Meeka will be home with us, living in our home, and carrying our daughter. It’s just a matter of time. We’re going to have her, Eric, and our baby home soon.”
Reece smiled for the first time in one month. “She sure looked beautiful.”
“She looked happy.”
“Yeah. So did we.”
Wade laughed softly. “It’s about damn time!”
Meeka smiled as she slept. It was a beautiful dream. One of the best dreams she had ever had. To see her and Eric living with Reece and Wade and being a family was all that she had ever hoped for. To see how happy all of them were that she was carrying their daughter was an added blessing that she was thankful for.
Turning over in bed, she sighed with sadness. She covered her belly and pressed against it lightly. She w
as pretty sure that she was pregnant. Maybe that was why she had that dream. It was her subconscious giving her what she needed, but it didn’t really help. It just made her more upset and sad that the life she had dreamed of having with Reece and Wade was not possible. They didn’t want her. They didn’t want the baby that was probably growing within her womb.
Looking at the clock on the bedside table, she saw the soft glow of the red numbers indicating the time and sighed. It was only three in the morning. Closing her eyes, she tried to rest, knowing she was not going to be able to get back to sleep.
Instead of resting as she was desperate to do, thoughts of rejection and hurt filled her mind. Was there anything more devastating that offering your heart to someone and having it stomped into the dust?
Meeka turned and faced her son, tenderly touching his cheek and smiling sadly. There was something worse than having your love rejected. Having your child know a few months of safety and happiness and then having it all taken away was far worse. Her unborn child so innocent and new was a miracle and a joy, yet she was unwanted and unloved. Yes. Having her own heart broken meant nothing. Having her children rejected and unloved—that was what was most important to her.
“Love you, Eric,” she whispered, smiling when her son turned toward her and pressed his face against her neck. He breathed in deeply and settled immediately. “You can scent Reece, Wade, and your sister. It makes you calm.”
She carefully wrapped her right arm around him and held him tenderly against her. She didn’t know how she was ever going to accept that this little boy would never know the true love of a father.
“I may not be able to be your father and give you the guidance and love that a father should,” she said quietly. “But I’m going to give you all the love and guidance a mother can. You’ll be a good and kind man when you grow up. I’ll be very proud of you, honey. You’re the best son a mother could ever hope for.”
Kissing Eric’s forehead softly, she rested against her pillow. She startled slightly when she felt her sister’s hand on her arm.
“We’re going to raise him and your daughter together, Meeks,” Kaley whispered, her blue eyes sparkling with determination. “None of us will ever be alone again.”
Meeka smiled and reached out to touch her sister’s hair. “Thanks, Kales. You’re the best.”
“Yes, I am.”
Meeka laughed softly as Kaley closed her eyes and went back to sleep. It settled her somewhat to know that despite the uncertainty of her future, Kaley would be there to help her raise her children, and they would be raised with unconditional love and acceptance.
Closing her eyes, she willed her body to relax. In a very short time she could feel herself releasing the tension that surrounded her. For the first time in one month, she let her guard down. It was so very hard to keep up the walls of protection all the time. She just wanted to feel the warmth and protection that she had felt the moment she had been claimed by Reece and Wade. It was the most beautiful feeling in the world. She wished she could feel that again.
Wade, Reece, I miss you both so much. The thought echoed in her mind as the feelings of love filled her heart.
Little one, we miss you. Please tell us where you are, Reece’s voice filled her mind immediately.
Baby, we need you. Please forgive us for being such idiots. We never meant to hurt you, Wade’s voice continued.
I can’t come back to you, Meeka said firmly.
Why not, Mate?
Reece’s voice was gentle but the hurt he was feeling washed through her. She couldn’t help but reach out with her heart and wrap him in her love. Searching for Wade through their link, she included him in her embrace.
I love you both so much, she whispered to them. But I will not allow you to hurt our baby.
Meeka, why would you ever think that we would hurt our baby? Reece’s voice was filled with astonishment. The horror he was feeling at her words was apparent. We love you. We love Eric. And we already love our Maizy.
Please, baby. Tell us where you are, Wade implored. We need to come and get you. We need to feel you in our arms. You belong to us.
Hey, you belong to me! Meeka snapped before she could stop herself.
Yes, little one. We belong to you.
Meeka sighed with frustration. She wanted that to be true but she knew that it couldn’t be. Not after what she had heard them discuss with Drew. She turned over in bed and snuggled deeper within the warmth of the many blankets that covered her.
No. You don’t belong to me anymore, Reece. You and Wade said you wanted to break our triad bond. You said that we shouldn’t have a baby. I will not allow you to deny us or demand that I get rid of our baby if I’m pregnant. I really hope that I am. I want her. She’s mine. I’m sorry if you don’t want her, but that’s not your choice, it’s mine. I can take care of Eric and Maizy without you.
Before she weakened her resolve, she surrounded herself with the shield of protection that Laurie had taught her and the rest of the women of Beckett’s pack family how to create. It broke her heart to have to cut off the connection to the warmth and the love that Reece and Wade offered her, but she had to do it in order to protect her children. She was not going to allow them to grow up knowing that they were not wanted.
Reece looked at Wade in horror. “She’s cut us off again,” he whispered.
Wade nodded, reaching up and rubbing at his chest as the ache that filled him threatened to take him down. “To have her inside our heads and filling us with the love I know she has for us makes this more painful than ever,” he said finally. “She loves us, Reece. She loves our daughter.”
Reece nodded. “She thinks we’ll make her get rid of the baby,” he said, his voice filled with anger. “It’s our own damn fault for saying that we had to make sure that Meeka didn’t get pregnant. We put that thought in her head.”
“Mother Fate, if you’re listening, please help us to find our mate,” Reece prayed out loud. “We love her. We love Eric. We love the baby that she might be carrying. Please help us find her and bring her home so we can be a family.”
Wade said nothing. He searched their mate bond for some hint of Meeka’s presence but found nothing but cold emptiness. He closed his eyes and said his own silent prayer to Mother Fate, asking for the blessing of the return of their mate and children. He just hoped Mother Fate would finally open the connection to them and give them the guidance and help that they so desperately needed to find their woman.
Please forgive us for being idiots, Wade whispered to Mother Fate in his mind. We’re idiots who have made the worst mistake, but we’re idiots who love Meeka and Eric more than our own lives. Please, help us to find them so we can show them just how much we cherish and adore them.
Wade didn’t know if Mother Fate could hear his heartfelt prayer, but he hoped within everything in him that She did. Without Meeka, Eric, and their little Maizy in their future, they couldn’t bear to live their lonely lives.
Chapter 23
Abigail. Search your memories. You need to help Reece and Wade find Meeka.
Abbey startled awake. She fought to concentrate on the voice that pulled her from her sleep. Hunter and Clay tightened their hold on her, sensing her disquiet.
“Sweetheart?” Hunter mumbled, leaning in to kiss her neck lightly. “What’s wrong?”
Abbey rubbed his forearm as it rested across her belly. “Nothing’s wrong, Hunter. Go back to sleep,” she whispered, smiling as he automatically rubbed her belly. Hunter constantly needed the connection to her and their baby.
“Abbey? Are you in labor, honey?” Clay asked, leaning up on his forearm and looking down at her in concern. He touched her belly lightly, feeling their baby moving but feeling no tightness of her muscles that would indicate that she was having a contraction.
“What? She’s in labor?” Hunter asked in a panic as he leaned up and looked down at their beautiful mate. “Abbey.” His voice was a controlled panic.
“Relax,” A
bbey told them both, laughing softly. “Geez, for such big bad cops you really are complete marshmallows.”
“This is not funny, Mate,” Hunter chastised her. “We need to make sure that you and our cub are okay. Are you in labor?”
“No, I’m not in labor,” Abbey told them, smiling as she reached up and touched her men’s faces to caress them tenderly. “I love you both. You know that, right?”
“Yes, sweetheart,” Hunter said, smiling down at her. “We know.”
“We love you, honey,” Clay whispered, leaning forward to kiss her forehead lightly. “Why did you wake up?”
“I heard Mother Fate talking to me,” Abbey said quietly, her forehead furrowing in confusion. “She told me to search my memories to help Reece and Wade find Meeka, but I don’t know what she means. I don’t remember anything that will help them.”
Both men settled themselves beside their mate and hugged her carefully. Abbey relaxed within their arms, glad for their support and tenderness.
“I don’t know why Mother Fate just doesn’t tell me where Meeka and Eric are,” Abbey said, frustrated.
“I think Reece and Wade needed to be away from Meeka so they could understand the value of their mate,” Hunter said firmly. “They should have cherished their triad bond.”
“They had concerns that were understandable,” Clay offered. “But they should have tried to work it out.”
“Abigail, you will never leave us,” Hunter said firmly, fear filling him at the thought of ever losing their woman.
“Hunter Stewart, you never have to worry about me ever leaving you and Clay,” Abbey told him quietly. “I have everything I’ve ever wanted with the both of you. We’ve got a lifetime of love and babies ahead of us.”
Both men smiled down at her, the rumbling of soft growls escaping them as they cuddled against her. Abbey sighed contentedly, loving her men and the life she had with them.
Meeka's Reluctant Mates [Beckett's Wolf Pack, Triad Mates 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) Page 20