by Bex Dane
She nods.
I shoot his leg, and he doubles over in pain. Lola grabs the baby and runs out. My fist connects with his face, and the crunch of his bones feels awesome. "You never ever ever use a child like a shield. Who the fuck are you treating a defenseless kid like that?" I can't stop pounding his face. He's bleeding now, and I don't care. He passes out, but I can't stop pummeling this bastard. He needs to die.
"Mace! Stop."
"I can't."
"Stop. You'll kill him."
She tugs on my bicep and almost catches my elbow as I'm winding up.
"It's not him. He's not your dad. Stop. He's a stranger. You'll go to jail for killing him. You have to stop. For me."
It's the "for me" that penetrates my crazed mind. For her, I'd do anything. For her, I can stop.
I raise my fists and back away from him.
Lola is holding the baby.
We're both panting and trying to catch our breath. The baby has stopped crying but his eyes are wet and frightened.
"What do we do now?" she asks.
If my brain was locked up before, it's crystal clear now. We have two choices. "We could call the cops and deal with the fall out."
"Or?" Her tone makes it clear she's hoping for a better alternative.
"Or we take that baby and get out of here."
She looks around the place and bites her lip. "What did Wayne do?"
"He took me and ran."
Her mouth drops open and her face pales. "That would be kidnapping."
"James doesn't know who we are. No one knows we were here. We take the kid and go."
"What about him?" She points at James, who appears to be alive, but still unconscious on the floor.
When I look at him, I want to beat him more. My lips curl up over my teeth. "Don't give a shit."
"What about the bounty?" Her voice rises. She's panicking, but I'm getting more confident with this decision every minute.
"We'll call Helix. He can clean this up. He won't know about the kid."
"Are you sure?"
My brain worked through this scenario fast. There's only one choice. "I'm not leaving that kid here or turning him over to the authorities. He said the mother abandoned him. We need to help him."
The baby has stopped crying and is looking from her to me like he's listening.
"Let's go. We'll call Helix from the car."
We exit the house and she sits in the back of the car with the baby on her lap. "Are we really doing this?" She cradles his head in her palm.
"We are."
I start the car and tear out of the driveway.
"Goodbye, James. You'll never see this kid again."
***
The farther away from James's house we get, the more Lola relaxes. The baby falls asleep on her chest. She's still holding his head in one hand, his bottom in the other.
Her head bobs and falls down. She's crying.
I get what she's feeling. That poor baby was in a room in that house for God knows how long. The father was a violent criminal who would use the child and put him in danger. It feels like we got there just in time to save him.
"I was about his age when Wayne rescued me."
"I know." She wipes a tear from her cheek. "I felt everything you were feeling. We're so in tune with each other, I was feeling all your pain. I saw you as a baby in his sweet little eyes. I felt his cries like they were yours."
I didn't realize that's what was happening at the time, but now it makes sense. "Yeah. It was intense. It knocked me off kilter. I was frozen trying to process it."
"It was heavy. It still is. He's such a sweet baby. He's sleeping in my arms, but we don't have anything for him. No car seat. We need formula and diapers. He looks old enough to eat solid food. We don't know his name or his birthday."
"We might be able to find his birth records."
"He's so precious. He's an innocent child. He doesn't deserve any of that. He needs love."
"Yep." I feel it in my bones. She's crying for him and me at the same time. We need love.
"We should really bring him to the authorities. We can't steal him, but we couldn't leave him there."
She's second guessing it, but I'm sure we made the right decision. "Let's talk to my parents when we get home. They know more about the system and what the options are. For tonight, we have to take him. He needs care. We'll bring him home, make sure he's healthy, and then we'll figure out what to do."
"Okay. Thank you, Mace. I love you." She sniffles and lowers her head again.
"Love you, Lola. With all my heart forever. No matter what."
Chapter 24 Epilogue
Three years later
Loralei
Mace leads the haka with his little man, Seger, at his side. Foster and Cutter are up there with all the Twist siblings. Mila and Cass sit next to me looking up at their men.
"You're not doing the haka today?" Mila asks me.
"I decided to sit out today. A little tired."
"I'm kinda glad I'm pregnant because I like to watch," Cass replies and raises her eyebrows as she ogles Cutter with his shirt off. He's covered in a mosaic of scars and tattoos that make him look dangerous and sexy. "Oh my God, Seger is so cute." She claps her hands.
"He's ours for good. Free and clear." They know the news already, but it's the first time I've seen them since Mace told them.
Mila and Foster were able to call in some favors with the local adoption agencies. James signed his parental rights over and Seger became our son officially a week ago.
"I'm so happy for you." Mila gives me a big hug.
Cass reaches over to embrace me too. Her pregnant belly bumps into my stomach. "You're going to have two new little Twists up there doing the haka with Uncle Mace soon."
"Not too soon. I have to pop these babies out first then get them walking, but I'm sure Cutter will have them doing karate in their little diapers."
We sit and watch the family finish up the haka. Four-year old Seger is Mace's little dude. Mace likes to tell me I'm the fuel in the engine of our little family, but it's not true. Seger and Mace are huge contributors to the happiness we're enjoying. Mace's never ending optimism and zeal for life keep us all motivated and excited for every day.
"I thought I loved Mace when we said our vows, but I didn't know then I'd love him as much as I do now. How did I get so lucky?"
"I feel that way about Foster. It just gets stronger every day as we get to know each other more deeply." Mila grins, and you can see the love glowing in her eyes.
"Me too! The more I know Cutter, the more I love him." Cass smiles up at Cutter on the stage.
"And they look hot in those karate pants," I say.
"Well, they are my sons, but I agree they are shockingly gorgeous."
My stomach gurgles, but I'm not hungry. "I feel like crap and my boobs hurt."
Their heads turn slowly toward me. "Are you pregnant?" Mila asks.
"No."
"How do you know?" Cass asks.
"I'm not late for my… Well, um, I might be a little late. But I'm taking the pill."
"The pill isn't one hundred percent. Ask me how I know." Mila glances up at Henry and Maisey on the stage.
"We were trying, but I felt tired and my boobs hurt before the test came back positive." Cass's voice is really excited.
"Leave it to Mace to get me pregnant while I'm on birth control."
"His super swimmers are probably turbo charged," Cass says. "Just like him."
"Oh my God. Do you think so?"
"Let's go check." Cass grabs my hand. "I have plenty of left-over tests."
Mila follows us inside Cass and Cutter's cabin. Cass hands me a pregnancy test from under the sink in her bathroom. "Pee on the stick, girl."
"You really think?"
"Can't hurt. Pee on it."
"I don't even know how. I've never done this."
"Just hold it in the urine stream for a second. It's not hard."
"Okay.
"
My hands shake as I squat over the toilet and pee on the stick.
"Oh shit. Holy shit. Cass!" Mila grabs the stick.
"What?"
"It's making a blue plus sign!" She shows me the results window as I'm buckling up my jeans.
Mila hands me the stick.
"You are knocked up, girl," Cass says.
"Oh my God." Tears well in my eyes. "I can't believe it. Are these things accurate?"
"Pretty accurate," Mila says.
Cass nods. "I had a dark plus sign like that too. Girl, we're going to be pregnant together." She smiles and her eyes light up.
I'm staring at her when Mace comes in. "What's going on?"
He looks so handsome with a layer of sweat glistening on his chest.
I hide the test behind my back, but his eyes track it. He takes three steps toward me and kisses me. He tastes like man and pure Mace. Just his kiss gets me turned on, and I want to jump his bones. He's amped up from doing the haka and grunts and deepens the kiss.
His hand grabs the stick out of mine as he breaks the kiss. He stares at it. Mila and Cass are pressing their lips tight trying to hold in their excitement. I'm still in shock. I can't believe it.
"Is this?" His voice breaks, and his eyes light up.
I nod and smile.
"You're gonna have my baby?" The emotion in his voice pierces my soul. This means everything to him.
"According to the stick, yes!"
"Woot!" He slugs the air like he just won a big fight. "Damn! We did it?"
"And we weren't even trying!"
"My God, woman. You just made me the happiest man on Earth, and I was already the fucking happiest man on Earth."
"You want this?"
He leans down and looks me in the eye. "I want this. I want you. I want us. Forever. Best fucking news ever. Imagine a little girl as pretty and sweet as you."
"Imagine a boy, handsome and strong, like you."
His beaming smile widens. Seeing him like this is everything. I want to give him joy like this all the time.
He bends down and scoops me up by my ass. My hands fall to his shoulders. "Mace!"
He marches out of Cass's cabin and back to the firepit. "Hey, everybody!"
Oh no. Please don't.
"Lola's having my baby."
Cheers break out in the group.
"I'm taking her back to my cabin to celebrate. You knock, you lose an arm."
Oh Lord, save me. Mace has no filters.
He turns and carries me up the hill to our cabin. He slams the door shut and drops me on the bed. He's on top of me kissing me with hot, urgent, wet kisses. "I love you, babe." His voice is heavy with all the emotion, and it sounds like he's holding back tears.
"I love you too, Mace." I let the tears fall. He kisses them quickly to wipe them away.
His large hand palms the base of my head, and he kisses me again. He's all over me and all around me. His hard cock pokes my belly and his hand traces down the back of my leg to pull my knee up around his hip. Suddenly I have to have him right now. We have to express this with our bodies. There aren't sufficient words to describe how close we are right now.
His hips roll against mine, and my body ignites for him. We peel our clothes off, and I push him to his back. "Mace, you look so damn good up there on that stage. It's not fair how beautiful you are."
"I'm glad you like it. All yours. Forever."
"All mine." I kiss down his chest, and he groans when my lips graze the head of his cock. I slip my lips around the tip, and he squeezes my thighs. I'm just getting my groove on when he pulls me up by my armpits and places me straddling him, his dick smashed in the slick wetness between us.
"Seeing you pregnant is going to drive me wild. I'm going to want to fuck you all the time."
"You pretty much wanted that before too."
"True. Love you, my Lola."
"Love you, my Mace. Forever. Thank you for never giving up on me."
"I never did. Never will. We're living the dream together. Wherever you go, I'm there too. You, me, Seger, and our little girl."
"It could be…" I can't finish my sentence because he lifts me and slams me down on his cock. "Oh." It feels so good. Mace fills me, and I am whole. We make love and celebrate the new life that will be another important link in the eternal chain of the Twist family.
###
Playlist
"All For Love" by Rod Stewart and Bryan Adams
"Colder Weather" by Zac Brown Band
"Jealousy" by Natalie Merchant
"Not Broken Just Bent" by Pink feat. Nate Ruess
"Porn Star Dancing" by My Darkest Days ft. Ludacris, Zakk Wylde
"Precious and Few" by Climax
"Remind Me" by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood
"Remind Me To Forget" by Kygo
"Senorita" by Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes
"Still The Same" by Bob Seger
"We've Got Tonight" by Bob Seger
"Wild" by John Legend Meduza Remix
Other Books by Bex Dane
Men of Siege Series
Violet (exclusive to newsletter subscribers)
Rogan
Tessa
Lachlan
Zook
Torrez
Falcon
Twist Brothers Series
Fighting for Foster
Captivated by Cutter
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