“How did you get that one?”
“Ordered it on online.”
“Then let’s go browsing.”
He ordered me some kind of expensive thing that didn’t remotely resemble a sex toy. And then he bought some other fun stuff, or so he said. “Just in case you can’t have sex, later on. You know, after the babies and all.”
“If I can’t have sex, how can I use that?”
“Orgasms.”
That’s all he said. And then he made me do a striptease. I wanted to kill him, but after I saw his cock, I was happy he made me do it.
“You think I’m kidding or something?”
“I can’t figure out why you want to see me naked. I’m waddling already.”
“You aren’t. Well, maybe just a little, but it’s super cute. And you’re sexy.”
“You’re nuts.”
But he showed me how sexy he thought I was. My brain emptied all its ideas of me being a watermelon and waddling around like a duck. By the time I had my second orgasm, riding his thick cock like a professional cowboy, all that was missing was the yeehaw. I collapsed on his chest, or tried to anyway, but A and B got in the way, and I ended up rolling off him and onto the bed.
“Did you come?” I asked, thinking it was a little late for that question.
“Yes, thank you.” His deep laugh sent shivers up and down my skin. I looked at him and offered my most sincere apologies.
“I’m sorry. You zapped me. My stamina isn’t what it used to be.”
“No? Just wait.”
Then he dove for my pussy. The man was going to kill me. “What are you doing?”
He lifted his head. “What does it look like?”
Then he tickled my clit with his tongue until I was clawing the bed. One hand was on his head and the other was shredding the sheets. I thrashed around like a mad woman and when I came, it was a never-ending climax. I didn’t think I would ever catch my breath. When I did, I smacked him on top of his head.
“Don’t you ever do that to me again. You trying to kill me or something?”
He hopped to his feet and brought me a water. “Drink.”
Drink? I could barely suck in air. What the hell was wrong with him?
When my body resumed its normal functions, I told him he was off limits for sex. He only laughed at me.
“You’d miss it too much.” Then he stroked his long, thick, cock, and my traitorous mouth watered. My hormones must’ve been completely out of whack. Five minutes later, after sneaking peeks of him fondling his dick, I pounced. I took him on my hands and knees this time, begging for it. He complied as he played with my clit. I don’t know how his arm came around my girth, but damn if it didn’t. He was a miracle worker for sure.
This went on all night, this crazy fucking. I lost count of my orgasms. When I was ready, and he wasn’t, he satisfied me with his hand or mouth. One time he even used the handheld shower. That was nice. Two fingers and a spray. In the morning, I was exhausted from lack of sleep.
Our couples massages were scheduled at ten. We held hands—it was so cute. He had a female and I had a male, which was weird. But by the time it was over, I was close to snoring. Then on to the facials. Next, we got pedicures and manicures. I laughed at him in the chair getting his toes done, but he took it all in stride. Three hours later, we’d worked up a gigantic appetite, so we headed to the restaurant.
Afterward, we went back to the room for what I thought would be a nap. I crawled into the bed and so did Hudson right behind me and before I knew it, Brutus was sneaking his way inside of me. That pesky bugger. I didn’t know there were so many different sexual positions. We got really creative. My favorite was one where I sat on Hudson’s lap, facing away from him so my belly didn’t get in the way. He had full on access to all my lady bits too. He made excellent use of them, I might add. The afternoon turned into another marathon. I was glad we’d eaten lunch beforehand, or I would’ve fainted.
When it was time to check out, Hudson decided that we’d gotten our money’s worth. The room was a wreck, the bed looked destroyed.
“Definitely honeymooned here,” he mumbled.
“Good thing I waddled before I came in.”
“Why’s that?”
“I don’t have to pretend now because my waddle has worsened. Or maybe I’m limping.”
Chapter Forty-Six
Hudson
Six Weeks Later
It was the middle of December and we were completely ready for Christmas. The shopping was done, and Wiley was as excited as I’d ever seen him. His list for Santa was a mile long and Milly had, of course, insisted he get everything on it.
“He’s such a great kid. He never does anything wrong.”
“Milly, he does too. You have blinders on.”
“Maybe, but this is my first Christmas with him.”
How could I say no to that?
She’d smiled, and I buckled. That night in bed, she woke me up.
“Hudson, I just peed the bed.”
“What?”
“I just peed in the bed. I’ve never done that before.”
I sat up, concerned. “Milly, I don’t think you peed. I bet your water broke.”
“Oh, shit. Shit, shit, shit. It’s too soon.”
Taking her hand, I said, “No, it’s fine. You’re due in four weeks. The babies are okay.”
“They’re too little.” She started crying.
“Let’s call Dr. Lynch and see what she says.”
We were instructed to go to the hospital immediately. I notified Carly, next door, who was on call for these emergencies. Then I called Mom and Dad so they could get here too. They were on the way. We couldn’t rely on Carly one hundred percent, so we had Mom and Dad as back-up.
Milly had already packed a bag, and after taking a quick shower, we were off.
When we got there, sure enough, it had been her water.
Dr. Lynch said, “We’re going to monitor her, but I think we may be having babies soon.”
“Will they be okay. Isn’t it too early?” Milly asked.
“Everything’s fine, Milly. And we may not have a choice. Once the water breaks, infection can result, and the babies need to come after that.”
They monitored her for a day, and then she spiked a fever.
Dr. Lynch came in. “This was what I feared. We have two options. We can try a normal delivery.” She held up a hand. “But, if we don’t have babies in eight hours, we go for a C-section. The other option is to go straight for the C-section.”
“What do you suggest we do, doctor?” I asked.
“My preference is that we do an immediate C-section.”
“Milly?”
She was chewing on her lip. I hated this for her, but then again, this could get critical and I’d rather be safe than sorry.
I sat next to her and said, “This needs to be your decision since it’s your body, but babe, we have two babies who have no choice. They’ve already gone a day without any fluid and that worries me.”
She grabbed my hand and said, “Yes. Let’s do the C-section. And you’ll be with me, right?”
“Absolutely. Every step.”
They prepped her and wheeled her into the room where the procedure would be performed. I’d seen a lot of surgeries, on humans and animals. But nothing could prepare me for surgery on my wife. I held her hand, kissed her cheek, and when baby number one arrived, I sagged with relief as it let out a gusty cry.
“Here’s your girl,” Dr. Lynch said.
Then she added a minute or so later, “And here’s your little guy.”
I didn’t totally relax until she said both babies were healthy, and Milly was great too. That’s when the room swam, and the lights went out.
Waking up was humiliating. At forty years of age, I’d seen a lot of shit. Going to veterinary school hadn’t been easy. We’d worked on a lot of different animals … not just one. Try going shoulder deep inside a cow to assist in delivering a calf. It�
��s a damn messy deal. I’ve dealt with trauma, worked with cadavers, both animal and human, observed human trauma surgeries, and never—not once—did I ever get close to fainting. But let my wife deliver twins and BAM! Out cold.
“Hudson, are you okay?”
“Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that?”
“You’re the one who dropped to the floor and hit your head. Did you suffer a concussion?”
The sound of her voice took every ounce of embarrassment away. “My head is fine. I don’t think I even hit it.”
One of the nurses was taking my blood pressure. “Mrs. West, he sort of crumpled, so I don’t believe he hit his head either.”
“Oh, thank God.” She was holding both babies and one of them let out a cry. “Oooh, it’s okay, A.”
“Honey, do you think it’s time we chose names, now that we know they’re fine?”
“Look how tiny they are.”
They were indeed that. Weighing in at about five pounds each, I mentally compared them to Wiley. I wouldn’t tell her that, because he weighed in at eight pounds, seven ounces. He looked like a moose in comparison.
Dr. Lynch said, “We may want to keep them here a few days. Usually after they’re born, they drop a few ounces and we don’t like to send babies home until they’re maintaining five pounds.”
“Then we need to make sure they eat,” Milly said.
She was already worried about them not taking her milk. Dr. Lynch explained that in the beginning, they may have to supplement with formula, as it was important with tiny babies to get them eating right away.
Turned out, we didn’t have to worry about that. They both latched on and after the initial weight loss, they gained it back. Ariane Brielle and Braxton Alexander were released from the hospital five days later. We decided to stick with the A and B after all.
* * *
“MillyMom, can I hold Braxton?”
“Just a minute. He’s still eating.” Dick was here for his week. We had split custody and we wanted him to get used to the twins. He sat and stared at the baby. It was a constant job of keeping him from licking their heads.
I tried to divert Wiley’s attention while Milly fed the babies, which was a full-time job. That’s all she seemed to do. Feed, pump, feed, pump. She said she felt like a dairy cow. Our freezer was nothing but frozen bags of breast milk. The babies already weighed seven pounds at four weeks. The pediatrician was very pleased.
Wiley was super persistent though. “MillyMom, how soon can they start playing?”
“It’ll be a while.”
“Are the gonna walk soon?”
“Maybe when they’re one.”
“How come it takes so long? Why can’t they walk now?”
“Because they’re too little.”
“I wish they’d grow faster. They’re not any fun yet.”
“They’re cute though, don’t you think?”
“Nuh uh. How come they don’t have no teeth?”
“Babies get teeth when they’re around nine months old.”
“Did I have teeth?”
“No.”
“Did I have to drink that yucky stuff?”
“Yep. All babies do.”
“How come their fingernails are so little?”
“Wouldn’t they look silly with big ones?”
“Yeah.” He laughed. “How come they poop so much? They poop more than dogs.”
Wiley’s questions went on and on. I would listen to him every day and never get tired of them.
“They just do.”
“Don’t you hate to change all those poopie diapers?”
“Not so much.”
“Yucky. Too bad you just can’t walk them around the block like Dick.”
“You had yucky diapers too, you know.”
“So did you.” Then he giggled.
“Do you think Kinsley will make Ariane dance?”
“What do you think?”
“I think she’ll give her clicky shoes for her birthday and make her do it all the time.” Wiley groaned.
“Maybe you should give Kinsley soccer cleats for her birthday and make her kick the ball with you.”
“Could I?”
“You’d better check with your daddy.”
Thanks, Milly. I could already see it now. Kinsley would march around in those cleats, still trying to do her Irish step dancing. Marin would hate me because the cleats would mess up her wooden floors.
All of a sudden, Wiley came tearing out of the room like a madman. One of the babies must’ve spit up. He hated when that happened.
I went in there to see if I could lend a hand. Milly was burping Ariane.
“Can I help?”
“Braxton could use a bottle.”
I picked the little guy up and stuck a bottle in his mouth. He sucked it down in no time. Then I burped him and he sounded like he just downed a beer. “Dang, he’s sounding like a pro these days.”
“He’s easier than she is.”
I smirked and said, “Boys usually are.”
She threw a diaper at me.
Later that night, we were in bed, she was reading the latest and greatest romance novel and I was catching up on my journal articles when I opened up the nightstand and pulled out the small velvet box I’d stashed there a few days ago.
“Close your eyes.” She did, and I took her hand. “You said you didn’t want a ring when we got married because you were too swollen. I waited until your hands returned to normal to give this to you.” I slipped the ring on her finger that I’d bought her. “I never thought the day would come when I’d meet my dream girl, yet here you are, next to me. You’ve given me everything, Milly West. Not a day goes by that I don’t thank God and my lucky stars for having you in my life. There isn’t any way to tell you how much you’ve brought to Wiley and me. And then you gave us Ariane and Braxton too. The word love isn’t enough to say what’s in my heart for you. All I know is that with you here, our world is complete.” I kissed her then and felt her tears as they ran down her cheeks.
“This is supposed to be a happy time.”
“It is. I was in such a terrible place when we met. I never thought I’d be here either. This happiness I’m living each day is like floating on a cloud. You’re right, Hudson. The word love doesn’t come close to describing what we have. All I know is you’ve melted my heart of ice and turned it into flames when I never thought it would be possible. You made my fairy tale come true. You are my Prince Charming.”
We kissed again. And I knew it would always be like this with us.
Epilogue
Hudson
Two Months Later
It was that time right before dawn, when you’re not quite awake, yet not sound asleep. The babies were now sleeping in their own room, being monitored by a video camera—thank you, technology. I comforted myself with being able to watch them anytime, anywhere. Milly was still sleeping, curled on her side from the last sex session we’d had. We were in Florence, Italy. I’d promised to take her here and we decided to come for a brief week’s visit. The twins were now sleeping through the night, from midnight to seven a.m. They were great babies, thank the Lord, which made our decision to come here a bit easier. Between Mom, Dad, Milly’s parents, and Carly, they’d promised to take good care of them.
I had woken up, drifted back to sleep, then woken again, and was lying there in that state of weird consciousness. Something was wrong. I felt it. I grabbed my phone and checked the cameras on the app. The babies were fine. Napping as it were since they were six hours ahead of us. Maybe I needed to check Wiley. My heart raced for a minute as I switched to the camera in his room. I saw him playing a game in there so I instantly relaxed. That little stunt his mother had pulled had died a quick death when she saw she couldn’t get close to him. His mother was not allowed within a few hundred feet of him. If she showed up at his school, she would be arrested.
What woke me up then? I checked the time and it was only 5:45. This feeling
was nearly overwhelming. I didn’t want to wake Milly. It wasn’t often she got to enjoy her sleep. I took a shower and made some espresso as I checked my phone again. The twins were awake now with Mom and Grace spoiling them.
Wiley was in the den, watching TV. I turned off the camera app and decided to read a book. The sun had risen, and I was enjoying the view of the Arno River when my phone buzzed. It was my brother, Grey.
“Hey, man. Is everything okay?”
“No, it’s not, Hudson. You need to catch the first flight home. I haven’t called Mom and Dad yet, but the police called this morning. Pearson is missing. His firm filed a missing person’s report. No one has seen or heard from him in two days.”
The End
Thank you so much for reading From Ice to Flames. I hope you enjoyed this West Brothers Novel. If you haven’t read From Ashes to Flames, a sneak peek is included at the back of this book. You can also download it here to read about Marin, Grey, Kinsley, and Aaron.
http://smarturl.it/FAtoF
From Smoke to Flames is coming soon. To find out what happened to Pearson, sign up for a Live Amazon Alert here: http://bit.ly/2PAFS6x
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Acknowledgements
Thank you to all the readers, bloggers, and anyone else who ever took a chance on me. It’s you who inspires me to write. If not for you, I wouldn’t keep pounding out the words every day. With love from the bottom of my heart.
Thank you Terri E. Laine, my book wifey, for your friendship, ears, and everything else. There isn’t enough space in here to really thank you, but you know what I mean. I love you to pieces forever.
Thank you to Harloe Rae for all your patience and help over the last year. You’ve been a life saver and I don’t know what I’d do without you.
Amy Jennings—thank you for being a friend, travel pal, and fellow book lover. Can’t wait for London and Rome again!
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