“How did she get on?” Colette asked as they all surrounded me.
“Really well. Both Maya and baby Townsend are doing well.”
“Was it big?” Cole was the next to speak up, and I just nodded. That was another surprise for them all, one that I couldn’t help wincing at which made them all wince too.
After answering the next load of questions, I said goodbye and started walking in the direction of the elevator, leaving them all to wait impatiently to see the baby. Maya had told me that I needed to go and get some rest before Ren came in, so I just fired her off a text saying that I’d be back later and if she needed anything just to shout. I fully intended on heading to the baby store to get some girly stuff for the poor thing to wear before I came back. Seeing as it was now 3:10AMam, that meant that I’d be able to get at least eight hours of sleep which sounded like heaven. Not only was my hand throbbing like a mother, but I really was exhausted.
“I’ll take you home,” the one voice that I didn’t want to hear said from beside me as I hit the button to call the elevator.
“That’s okay, I’ll get a cab.”
“I’m taking you home,” he insisted, in the tone of voice that he had used on me before and I knew meant that no matter what I said he had made his mind up.
“Honestly, it’s fine,” I hit the call button again trying not to panic at being alone with him.
Fortunately, the elevator arrived at that moment, and I got in and turned around to say goodbye, only to see him pressing the ground floor button and standing back to watch the doors close.
Now was the time to panic. I couldn’t be alone with Coleman. The last time that had happened we’d…
“We need to talk anyway,” he said, still facing the doors with his hands crossed in front of him.
“Really, there’s no need. And I’m sure that the Townsends need you, so you stay here and I’ll catch up with you later.”
“Baz and Landon can look after them, and there’s five of my men in the parking lot anyway. No,” he said, turning to face me with a smug look on his face. “I’ll be the one taking you home. And we’re going to talk too.”
He took a step towards me making me take a step back away from him. The next step had my back hitting the side of the elevator, and then he was an inch away from me. I could feel my heart trying to beat out of my chest as his face came closer to mine. Fuck me, I was never drinking again. It always led to bad choices. Obviously, I hadn’t been drinking recently, but with all of the alcohol wipes that had been cracked for Ren, I could blame the fumes from those for what I did next.
Reaching up to grab him behind the head, I pulled him down towards me.
Chapter Eight
Cole
The hospital had cleared Maya for release the day after she gave birth. The fact that I now had a niece instead of a nephew was still confusing me, though. What exactly did they see on the sonogram then if it was a girl?
I pulled up in front of Isla’s house with Landon and two other guys that I recognized from Coleman’s team pulling in behind me. Security was still tight because Coleman and Baz refused to back down until we caught who was responsible for all of the accidents, and until they did, it was security as usual. Luke had been called into the office to finalize a couple of projects with one of their guys from Singapore, so I’d offered to collect Isla and the twins to take them to Ren’s for the baby’s homecoming.
I’d just walked up to the door and was about to ring the bell, when the door was pulled open, and Isla was standing there looking…a bit of a mess with a crying baby in her arms.
“Oh, thank you God, you’re here!” she said, pulling me inside the house and slamming the door behind me.
“I know it’s family, so it’s casual, but…”I looked her up and down and then paused at something on her shoulder. “Is that puke?”
“I don’t know,” she wailed. “They’ve been crying since Luke left two hours ago and it doesn’t matter what I do, they just keep going. I get one to stop and put it down, then pick the other up and the other one starts crying so the other one…”
Walking up to her, I took the baby out of her arms. “You have two not ten, and you should have called earlier. Now, go upstairs and have a shower and get dressed and I’ll get the twins ready.”
Chewing on her lip, she looked at the now quiet baby in my arms and then nodded. She made a move to hug me, but I shook my head and took a quick step back. “Up the stairs. You have barf on your shoulder!”
I waited until she’d got to the top of the stairs and then walked into the family room to find the other twin calmly looking around the room from its position on its back in the crib. Walking over to the changing table, I saw that Isla had already put outfits out for them to wear and pushed my sleeves up my arms.
“Now,” I warned the baby who was cooing up at me from the thick diaper changing pad. “No shitting, pissing or barfing on Uncle Cole or I won’t buy you a horsey for your birthday.”
Praying for the best, I started undoing the snaps on the bodysuit…
Twenty minutes later…
“That wasn’t so difficult now, was it?” I asked Dewi as I put little bows in her hair. She had on the cutest little pink dress with a white long-sleeved baby thingy under it. Kali was in his swinging chair watching us and kicking his legs around. He was wearing jeans and a plaid flannel shirt; Jesus these babies were cute.
The sounds of the shower had just shut off upstairs, and I waited a couple of minutes before picking up the baby monitor and using it as a walkie talkie.
“Isla, do you want me to take the bambinos over to Ren and Maya’s and you can meet us there?” I didn’t mind, I loved one-on-one baby time with these guys. They made the reality of what I could have had and what had been taken away from more real, but they also helped soothe the hurt that I still felt over the loss.
“No, I’ll be five minutes,” Isla replied down the monitor, sounding flustered.
“It’s not a problem. And then you can get ready in your own time, honey.”
There was a slight delay and then, “Are you sure you don’t mind?”
Picking Dewi up and walking over to the corner where their car seats were neatly placed against the wall, I put her carefully inside. “No problemo. I’ll see you there.”
I grabbed up a seriously soft pink blanket and paused to rub it against my face. Sweet Jesus, what did they make this shit from? Angels’ wings? Begrudgingly wrapping it around the beautiful little girl who was looking up at me, I turned and walked back to get Kali and did the same thing with him and his blue blanket. By the time we were all set and ready to go, I had a baby on each arm and a diaper bag over each shoulder. How the hell did tiny little Isla do all of this?
Walking out to the car, I buckled them in and then checked to make sure that the seat belts were secured properly, before getting behind the wheel and starting the engine, making both of them coo. “That’s right, it’s a ‘Stang. Purrs like a kitten doesn’t it?” I got a round of coos in response. “I know, right? Y’all have good taste.”
I made sure to drive carefully on the way back to the ranch seeing as I had such precious cargo with me. Checking my rear view mirror, I saw Landon driving behind me and scowling for some reason, and then focused back on the road in front of me. As I pulled in front of Ren’s house, Landon parked next to me and met me at the back of the car.
“You drive like a ninety-five-year-old woman,” he grumbled, undoing the belt around Kali’s seat while I undid Dewi’s.
“Dude, I’ve got babies in the car!”
“You were going fifteen miles per hour,” he ground out as he passed Kali to me and then picked up the diaper bags to carry in for me. I wasn’t going to get into this with him. When he had kids, he’d understand.
As the babies were sleeping, I walked through the house to Ren’s study which was next to his kitchen. Picking up the baby monitor from its cradle on the desk, I was sudd
enly very grateful that Ren had gone into baby overload and set everything up weeks ago.
Before I’d left to go to Isla’s, my brother and my sister had arrived back from college and Maya’s parents and sister had arrived shortly before them. Now, there was a large group of people, including the Montgomerys, scattered throughout the house hanging decorations.
“Hey sweetie,” Mom greeted, as she placed a bright pink thing on the table just as Amy, Lucy, Maya’s Mom and Ebru carried shit through from the kitchen. “Where are Isla and the babies?” she asked looking around the room.
“Isla needed some time to get ready, so I brought the twins.” Walking over to Ebru, I gave her a kiss making her blush as always. I then stopped and grabbed a handful of trail mix before walking over to say hey to Scarlett, Adam, Mace, Ava, Mark, Tom, Layla and Maya’s parents and sister. It was a full house, literally.
“What do you think they’ll call her?” Ava asked.
“Ren refuses to think of baby girl names,” Mace snorted. “He’s adamant that the balls and peen just need to drop,” he added, making everyone burst out laughing.
“My brother isn’t so smart,” I pointed out.
“Well, at least now they have stuff for a baby girl,” Maya’s Mom said pointing at the mountain of presents waiting next to the table. I’d given Ebru my card and told her to go get pink shit this morning after I’d been asked to go to get Isla. After some arguing over her using my card, Ebru had given in and had text me while I was driving over to say what she’d bought from both of us. I fully intended to go pink shit shopping myself at some point, but at least they had some stuff for now.
Looking around for Pippa, I couldn’t help feeling a bit peeved when I saw Lasco holding her with Dash at his feet. To add insult to injury, he was sitting in the most comfortable chair that Ren and Maya owned - my chair. Pippa was out cold on her back in his arms, while Dash sat staring lovingly at him.
Walking over to him, I expected Dash to come running up to me and at least hump my leg or something, but he didn’t even look at me. I was about to say something, when the sound of the twins waking came through the monitor attached to my waistband, so I changed directions and went to go and bring them through.
I was just lifting Dewi out of the carrier when Maya’s Mom, Vivienne, spoke up. “Here, I’ll take the piglet Lasco. You go and help Cole with the babies.”
I couldn’t help the evil smile that crossed my face at the look of panic that he shot at me. Serves him right for stealing my piglet and Dash. Grudgingly, he got out of the chair and walked slowly over to me.
“You take Kali,” I nodded over at the baby who was now smiling up at the scared man. After watching him struggle with the buckle, I took pity on him and undid it before quickly walking over to my chair before he could steal it again.
At that moment, Luke walked through the door and looked around the place, clearly looking for his wife and babies. Seeing me, he headed in my direction smiling until he got about ten feet away, and then the expression on his face turned to confusion and then anger.
“Why is my kid wearing a dress with bows in its hair?” He growled, staring down at Dewi.
“Because she’s a girl,” I pointed out the obvious. “Please, tell me you’ve gone past the whole girl thing? I mean, I know Ren is waiting for the balls to drop, but Dewi has been around long enough for you…”
“That’s Kali,” he snapped.
“For shame, man. You’re their Dad, and you still can’t tell them apart?”
“That’s my son,” he growled.
“Look,” I straightened Dewi’s pink dress, hoping that her Dad’s ignorance wouldn’t scar her later on in life. “I dressed them both myself. I know which one is which, unlike some. I’ll prove it to you.” Boy was he gonna feel stupid. Pulling her diaper away from her stomach, I went to prove to Luke that I was right and froze. “Ah…” maybe I had gotten them mixed up.
“You’re going to give him gender identity issues at one month old, you asshole,” Luke said, snatching Kali out of my arms.
“How was I supposed to know? I mean, they’re identical!” I walked up to Lasco and took Dewi from him. His sigh of relief and the instant relaxing of his shoulders distracted me for a second. Oh when his granddaughter arrived any minute now, this was going to be fun to watch.
“They’re not identical,” Luke snapped, as he walked in the direction of the couch and proceeded to take the bows out of Kali’s hair and started to take the dress off of him. Apparently Kali was enjoying wearing a dress though and let his Dad know this by screaming his tiny little head off, earning me another glare from Luke.
I was calming a now appropriately dressed Dewi, after putting the bows in her hair, when her Mommy walked through the door. Passing Dewi off to her, I went to go and get a drink and stopped when I saw Coleman standing against the wall, staring at Amy who was looking anywhere but at him. Interesting!
The excited voices behind me told me that the new parents and baby girl Townsend had just arrived home and dammit I wanted a cuddle with my niece, so I pushed my way through everyone and grabbed the car seat out of Ren’s hand before anyone else could. Lifting the…medium sized bundle out of the car seat, I was shocked by the difference in weight and size between her and the twins.
“What the hell did you eat while you were pregnant, Maya? People?” I joked, but I was kind of serious. When Ebru and I had babies, I needed to know what not to let her eat.
“Did you see the size of her ass?” Tony asked, getting an elbow in the ribs from Ebru.
I never got to sit down and enjoy my niece before the baby thieves walked up to me. The only one who didn’t was Lasco, but he was too busy trying to avoid an amorous Dash and Pippa who was squealing up at him from the floor. Bunch of thieving bastards.
“So, what are you calling my granddaughter?” Maya’s Dad asked, finally getting the chance to hold her. He was back in my chair and had given me a smug smile when he’d sat down, which promptly dropped off his face when Vivienne placed the sleeping baby in his arms.
Maya looked at Ren who’s jaw was ticking as he looked down at the floor. “Well, contrary to Ren’s belief that a pair of balls and a penis are going to pop out of nowhere…” Ren turned to glare at her. “We’ve decided to call her Crystal.”
I was sitting in an uncomfortable chair holding Kali and avoiding Luke, who was standing glaring at me still. Damn, that guy knew how to hold a grudge.
“So, I hear you had identity issues today,” Ebru said, sitting on the armrest of the chair and smiling down at me.
“It could happen to anyone!” Why did people not see this?
“Why have you got the wrong outfit on that baby?” Lasco interrupted as he walked past us, baby free finally. Stopping and frowning, he looked over at Luke who was holding Dewi and shook his head. “Even the damn dad doesn’t know which one is which.”
“That’s what I said,” I smiled triumphantly at Luke, who looked like he was going to kill both of us.
After some arguing amongst everyone, mostly the rest of the house against Maya’s Dad and I, it was agreed that Lasco and I were the only ones who got the twins the wrong way round. I was about to put my arm around him and show some solidarity when he turned to Maya and asked, “What’s the number of that place that does the testing?”
“It’s okay, Daddy,” Maya replied, looking up at him in pity. “I think we already know the outcome.”
Hurst, who had been having a nap in Ren’s study during all of this, walked through at that moment and went to take Dewi from me. “Wait, why the hell is a little boy wearing a God damned dress?”
I looked up and met Lasco’s eyes. I’m pretty positive that when his lips moved, it was to say fuck.
Chapter Nine
Ebru
We’d been back at Cole’s house for a couple of hours, and were now lying next to each other on the couch, with my head on his chest watching a movie. Well, he was watch
ing a movie. I was thinking through the events of today and the last couple of weeks. I hated feeling off balance. For as long as I can remember, I knew the dynamics of my family and how it operated and had lived within them. Now, I was being welcomed into a true family, and they were treating me like I was a part of it, a real part of it. The other thing that was unnerving me was how comfortable I was living with Cole, how I actually wanted to touch him while we were out, or that I looked forward to the kisses he’d just drop on me from time to time. After the mess that was my family and losing Lou, I’d never wanted contact with people, I just accepted when I had to have it. This was all leaving me feeling…unsettled.
I snapped out of my thoughts when Cole picked up the remote and paused the movie. “Okay, what’s wrong?”
I wasn’t good at voicing my thoughts and emotions to people, well aside from Lou, so I just shrugged. Apparently this wasn’t good enough for Cole, because he rolled to the side, taking me with him so that he ended up lying on top of me with my legs either side of his hips. I’m not sure if this was to get my attention onto him, but if it was it really wasn’t conducive with that plan. After shifting and wiggling a little bit because it really did feel good, he sighed and held my head with his hands stopping my movements, and stared down into my eyes.
“Tell me.”
I’d never coped well with demands or orders so it immediately got my back up, until I saw the concern and genuine interest on his face and it registered with me that he actually cared.
“I like being an us,” I blurted out and then squeezed my eyes shut. I didn’t expect the gentle kiss that he gave me though, and quickly opened my eyes to see the soft look on his face.
“I’m glad,” he whispered, giving me a small smile. “I like it too. I also like you living here.” This wasn’t what I’d expected him to say. I mean, didn’t guys like their space? Didn’t they hate clingy women? “Ah, I see that’s shocked you. It’s true, though. I like coming home to you. I like knowing that when you work late, that I’ll still see you when you get back. I like taking your laundry out of the dryer. I like opening my wardrobe and seeing your shit hanging inside it. I like pulling up and seeing your car in front of the house. I like seeing your keys on the table beside the door. I like all of it, but today I loved seeing you surrounded by my family, laughing and having fun.”
Until Forever (Providence Series Book 3) Page 9