by Sharan Daire
“Of course,” I replied. “I wouldn’t have it any other way, unless you just wanted some alone time.”
“I definitely don’t want to be alone. It’s too easy to start imagining all the bad things that could happen.”
“What do you need?” Shelby asked. “What can we do to help?”
Just when I didn’t think I could love her more, she proved me wrong. She could have offered up some bullshit platitude like, “everything’s going to be okay.” Or worse, tell us to stop worrying, or that we were all being silly for being so concerned. She didn’t invalidate Taylen’s feelings or start shoving a bunch of emotional stuff at them either.
“It’s dumb,” Taylen muttered under their breath.
“Nothing you could ever need is dumb,” I retorted, though I kept my voice light so they didn’t immediately assume I was angry.
Tay looked up at me, blue eyes so solemn and hesitant it broke my damned heart. A long fringe of honey-brown hair fell forward, a self-conscious, involuntary jerk of their head trying to hide a little. Protect themselves. Even from us.
“Hugs,” they mumbled shyly. “Lots of hugs. Mom has been so tired and stressed lately. I hate to bother her. Marlo’s cool and all, but he’s not a hugging sort of guy. Besides, he’s focused on Mom. Which he should be,” they added hurriedly. “It’s fine. I don’t hate him or anything. He’s great. But I wouldn’t expect a big bear hug from him, you know?”
I started to get up so I could hug them right away, but Shelby scooted over in the Adirondack chair and lifted her arm. Taylen was up and sliding up against her in a heartbeat.
“We’ve got lots and lots of hugs around here,” Shelby said, her voice thick with emotion. “That’s one thing I learned pretty quickly about your uncles. They’re not hesitant or stingy with their affection.”
“I thought I was too big for that kind of stuff,” Tay whispered, dashing a few tears away. “I’ll graduate next year and go off to college. I didn’t think I’d miss it, but I didn’t want to be a baby about it, either.”
Shelby sighed deeply, tucking Tay closer against her. “It’s a basic human need to feel closeness and affection. Without hugs and caring touches, you can start to feel starved. It’s a miserable feeling.”
Taylen looked up at her. “Were you starved?”
Shelby’s jaw clenched and she nodded, making my hands ball into fists at my sides. I wasn’t normally one for violence. That was Chris and D’s department. But for once, I was more than ready to beat that piece of shit ex into the ground.
SHELBY
Just when I thought I’d finally gotten used to life in Lala Land, they managed to surprise me with a new twist.
Family. Support. Closeness. So much love.
Sure, it was the twins’ sister who was having the medical emergency, but Everett and Chris were just as much a part of the Anderson family. We closed ranks together, sharing food and talking. Trying to laugh despite a few tears. We all did our best to keep Taylen distracted from worry as the hours dragged by waiting for news from the hospital.
My kids had never had a sleepover at our house before. We built a pillow and blanket fort in the main living room and let all three kids sleep on the floor in their makeshift tent. Allie demanded three bedtime stories before she finally fell asleep. Despite being several years older, Taylen was fantastic with my kids. Even when Liam finally fell asleep too, Taylen stayed in the fort reading their own book, with the phone on silent nearby waiting for a call from Angela or Marlo.
When their phone finally buzzed, Taylen scurried out of the blanket fort as carefully as possible and rushed into the kitchen. “Mom? Oh, Marlo. How is she?”
Kaleb and Derek were on their feet too, but they kept their distance to give Tay some privacy. Taylen nodded several times, but we couldn’t really get the gist of the conversation. Though at least they didn’t burst into tears or whirl toward their uncles for a crushing hug.
“Okay. Tell her I love her. Yeah. I’ll give them an update. I can come see her tomorrow? Okay. Bye.”
Slowly, Taylen turned to face their uncles. “She’s okay. Babies are okay.”
“Whew.” Kaleb’s shoulders eased a bit. “They’re going to keep her overnight?”
Taylen nodded. “Yeah, at least a day or two. They put her on a medication that’s supposed to help, but there’s really not a cure or quick fix.”
“What does that mean?” Derek asked.
Taylen shrugged uneasily and met my gaze. “Marlo said she’s going to be in danger until the babies are born, but they’re going to keep a close watch on her. Isn’t there anything else they can do?”
“I’ve never had preeclampsia, but it’s my understanding that the only cure is to deliver the babies,” I replied. “With twins, they’d probably induce her a bit early anyway. Did Marlo say how many more weeks she needs to go before they’ll try?”
“He said something about thirty-six weeks would be ideal. That’s mid-March.”
Kaleb shook his head worriedly. “That’s still over a month away. What can we do to help?”
Taylen looked so forlorn and scared that I couldn’t help but step closer and wrap my arm around their shoulders. “We keep her off her feet as much as possible. Exactly what you’ve already been doing. Keep her mood up and happy. We make jokes and read funny stories and watch movies with her. Whatever it takes to help pass the time. Even if she needs to have the babies a few weeks early, modern medicine is pretty miraculous.”
“We could each make a block for a baby blanket,” Chris said. “Well, two blankets, I guess. Get her involved in piecing them together.”
We all stared at him, a bit stunned that the lean, mean Marine would think about making baby blankets. But of course he was also a clothing designer who sewed his own dresses, so it definitely made sense.
“Now that’s an idea,” Derek drawled. “Does she still quilt?”
Taylen frowned a moment. “I don’t know. I haven’t seen her do any sewing in forever. She couldn’t be at the machine anyway.”
“I distinctly remember her sewing by hand once upon a time, though,” Kaleb said. “Years ago when Grandma Mabel was still alive. Maybe we start a sewing bee or something?”
Chris guffawed. “I’d pay good money to see you knuckleheads trying to quilt with a little bitty needle.”
We all sat down and started making lists of what we’d need to make these quilts for the twins. Though I couldn’t help but sit in awe as they talked around me. This. This was what friends and family did for one another. I’d never seen anything like it. With Chris at the helm, these four guys swarmed to the problem, determined to head to a fabric store and start learning how to sew. Simply to help distract Angela and help her pass the time until her twins could be safely delivered.
I guess I’ll be learning to quilt too. I thought a moment, a smile flickering over my lips. I wonder what craziness they’d get up to for our baby?
15
Shelby
The days flew by, and it was a contest each day to see which body part would be the sorest: my fingers from quilting, or my feet from walking in stilettos.
My stitches were laughable, but like my runway walk, the more I practiced, the better I got. I’d never manage the perfectly straight and regularly-spaced tiny stitches that Chris accomplished. Most nights I got very little sewing done, too distracted by looking at him or the other men sitting around the living room. Even Derek, grimacing fiercely as he stabbed fabric with a sharp, ridiculously small needle in his big sheriff hands.
Most nights at least one of the twins was over at the Daniels’ house, helping entertain Angela while she was on strict bed rest. We’d gone over all together the first night she was home, but the whole group was too much for her to deal with despite our attempt at quiet cheering up. The Blakely Four Brothers didn’t do anything quietly or calmly. Add in my two kids and Wally, and we’d been way too much excitement to stay more than a few minutes.
I wasn’t ready to
tell anyone our news yet, and I certainly didn’t want to say anything to Angela while she was dealing with her own high-risk pregnancy. I was happy to wait, though I was sure that anyone would look at me and know the truth now.
My now very swollen and tender breasts spilled out of Chris’ dresses, just as I’d warned him. Not that he complained. At all. In fact, I was pretty sure he deliberately modified the other two gowns to showcase my boobs even more.
The white one was oddly demure and yet sinfully sexy at the same time. Flowy and dreamy, it resembled a baby doll chemise covered by a transparent outer skirt. I was completely covered—and yet completely exposed at the same time. The flowy fabric made me feel like a gothic lady running around in a haunted castle.
Wearing it made me blush, even though I loved it. I especially loved the look in Chris’ eyes when I stepped out from behind the screen. Everett actually made a low sound almost like a gasp.
Blushing harder, I fluttered my eyelashes at him. “That bad?”
“Holy fuck,” Everett whispered. “Please tell me this is the wedding gown.”
Chris let out a deep grunt. “That wasn’t my intent, but yeah, I could see her walking down the aisle in this.”
My cheeks were on fire. “You can’t be serious. This gown is far too scandalous for a formal ceremony. It’s more of a honeymoon kind of gown, don’t you think?”
A slow, fierce smile spread on Chris’ lips. “I like that idea. Yeah. But I think I’ll do a modified version of this for the ceremony itself. If you like it, that is.”
“I’m sure I’ll love it. This one’s beautiful, don’t get me wrong, but I feel… Naked.”
“The fallen angel,” Paolo said suddenly, turning to Chris. “Pure beauty, yet also deeply sexy. It’s a perfect counterpart to the red velvet gown while still also showcasing her the very same way. Brilliant, my friend. Truly brilliant. Though may I suggest adding a feather trim on either the sleeves or the hem of the gown? And what is the third gown? Does it follow the same theme?”
“Golden evening gown fit for the queen of heaven.”
“Ah, yes,” Paolo breathed, clapping his hands. “Do tell me you plan to style the look with a tiara?”
“Fuck no.” Chris growled. Luckily Paolo knew him as well as we did now, and the man only arched a brow at him. “My queen of heaven gets a fucking crown and literally drips gold.”
I wasn’t sure what he meant until I was in the gown. Delicate golden threads, painstakingly threaded with tiny glittering gold beads, hung down my arms instead of fabric sleeves. A gold bracelet banded the threads at my wrist, though the strands cascaded past my fingertips to hang like droplets of molten gold.
The gown itself was made from shimmery material that looked metallic though still managed to be soft enough to hug my body from my neck to the floor. It looked like poured metal, as if someone had tipped a pot of molten gold to run down my body. Well, at least the front. The back was mostly open and dipped alarmingly low in the small of my back.
How Chris had managed to cut the fabric and fit it to my changing body without any gaps or puckers in the seams, I had no idea.
Everett let out a low whistle. “That’s a red-carpet gown if I ever saw one.”
“Academy Award worthy,” Paolo agreed. “This will be the perfect finale dress to end a show.”
They called Carsen, Isa, and Sagarika to fuss over my hair and makeup. Chris hadn’t been joking about the crown, either. It was surprisingly heavy, which made me fear it might actually be real gold. I couldn’t even fathom how much the ridiculous thing might cost. If those glittering chips were diamonds…
“Do you need to lock this thing up at night?” I tried to joke, but my eyes widened as Everett opened another black case that had even more extremely expensive looking jewelry.
“Absolutely. Though we won’t need to hire a security guard. Not with Chris and Derek on our side.”
“It’s real?” I whispered hoarsely as Chris lowered the heavy golden necklace around my throat. A gleaming chunk of an amber-colored jewel nestled between my breasts. It caught the light and seemed to glow against the dress.
“Of fucking course it’s real,” he retorted. “I had it specially made by an artist in Italy. It represents your heart, shining like the beacon you are.”
My eyes pooled with tears, but I tried not to cry. It always upset him, even when they were happy tears of overwhelming awe and gratitude. How had he managed to put all this together so quickly? Including a custom-made necklace from Italy? In a matter of weeks?
Or had he commissioned the necklace months before, the same way he’d envisioned our house? Planning for the woman they hadn’t yet met. Loving her just the same. Needing her.
Needing me.
Chris took my hand and pressed my knuckles to his lips as he dropped down to one knee before me. “Our queen. Exactly as we dreamed. You are a dream come true.”
Paolo grabbed his camera. “Hold that pose.”
I was used to the sound of the shutter clicking. Having someone move around me, adjusting lights or changing the angle. Though I wasn’t used to having Chris before me like this. Not the fierce, proud, deadly Marine.
His eyes flashed, dark and hypnotic. He might be on his knees before me, but he didn’t yield. He would never admit defeat. He would never quit. I didn’t have to worry about him getting sick of cleaning up after me and the kids. Or him just walking out one day, never once looking back.
Holding my gaze, he turned my hand over and rubbed his lips against my palm. My wrist. I leaned down toward him, cupping his cheek with my other hand.
“Sì,” Paolo whispered fervently, trying not to break the special magic in this moment. “Now kiss as if you may never see each other again.”
My heart wrenched at the thought. A sound of pain escaped my lips. Chris growled softly, sliding his hand up to grip my nape. “Not on my watch, babe.”
His lips sealed over mine, taking my breath. The floor seemed to rock beneath my feet, the world tumbling off its axis. I was falling, ever so slowly, but I wasn’t afraid. Not with his hands on me, his body catching me effortlessly. Pulling me down to him.
On one level, I knew we were only playing a scene while Paolo took pictures. But on another deeper level, it was just me and Chris. His fierce determination enveloping me, keeping me safe. Keeping me for himself. Holding me. Forever.
His arms tightened around me, as if he wanted to pull me inside of him and hide me away from all the dangers of the world.
“I hate to interrupt…” Everett said, letting out a cough to disguise his amusement.
As expected, Chris growled furiously as he lifted his lips from mine. “Someone had better fucking be dead.”
Everett laughed. “Don’t shoot the messenger. You’re the one who demanded the first available doctor’s appointment with the best obstetrician in the city, which is in little under an hour, by the way.”
Dazed, I blinked my eyes, trying to get my bearings. I’d tumbled down into Chris’ lap. We were both on the floor. Lost in each other.
I turned my head slightly and my gaze collided with Paolo’s. He had knelt on the floor beside us, hovering near by to get super close shots. My cheeks flushed, but I couldn’t make myself regret getting lost in the kiss. I knew Paolo well enough now to recognize the spark in his eyes and his smile was enthusiasm for his art—not amusement at my expense.
“Was it a good shot?” I asked, reaching up for Everett’s hand so he could help me stand.
Paolo shrugged, but his lips quirked. “We’ll see.”
“Next time, you should get a ladder so you can shoot straight down,” Chris said. “Her hair loose, the gown spread out around her. I think that’d be fucking spectacular.”
“Agreed,” Paolo replied. “Though there will be a slight obstacle to overcome.”
Chris frowned. “What? We can rig whatever lighting we need.”
Paolo laughed, shaking his head. “The lighting will not be an issue. But to s
ell the gown, we need to be able to see it. As well as her beautiful face. Which means…” He paused dramatically. “I need to see her face. Her gown.”
Derek joined us and slapped Chris on the shoulder. “In other words, not a hulking brute on top of her.”
“That means you’re out of the shot then,” Chris retorted.
“I think that would disqualify all of us.” Everett lifted my hand to his mouth. “We all go crazy for a moment with our Shelby.”
I leaned against him, laying my head against his chest. “How did I get so lucky to find you?”
Derek stepped closer. Followed by Kaleb and Chris. Surrounding me like a fortress of peace and comfort and love. “No, sugar. We’re the lucky ones. Now let’s get you to your doctor appointment so we know you’re alright.”
16
Shelby
“Shelby?” The nurse called from the door.
I stood up along with all four guys. People’s heads definitely swiveled as we walked past, and the nurse’s eyes widened as we all approached. There were other men in the waiting room with their partners.
But not four men with a single woman.
My stomach pitched a little, whether from nerves or nausea I wasn’t sure. I didn’t care much for doctors or hospitals, but I’d done all this before. Derek and Kaleb had some experience with Angela at least, but not an actual consultation with an OB-GYN.
Granted, I’d never been to such a high-end clinic before. Everything looked brand new, and the exam room was quite roomy despite four large men crammed inside.
Though the nurse gave a nervous side eye to the guys, she focused mainly on me. “I’m Vanessa, Dr. McCall’s nurse. Since this is a first visit, we won’t do a lot today, unless you’re having any medical concerns. Mostly this appointment will be to get to know each other and give you a chance to ask any questions so you can decide if we’re a good fit for your birth plan.”