Living To Love You (Santos Family Series Book 4)

by KD Bryan

  Reid watched them too, and chuckling he said, “If this baby is a boy, then the poor kid will have three big sisters who’ll most likely make his life hell, won’t he?”

  Smiling at his observation, Carli nodded again and looked at Reid. “He will, and if he or she is lucky, they’ll also have three older sisters who’ll always have their back no matter what. They might make this little one’s life miserable at times, but you can bet no one else will be allowed to.”

  Groaning quietly as another thought occurred to him, Reid said, “Three girls, now possibly four…at least three trips down the aisle one of these days to give my little girls away to some guy who’ll never deserve them.”

  Kissing him tenderly on the lips, Carli kept her hand on Reid’s face as she looked thoughtfully at the man she loved so much. “They’ll always be your little girls, Reid, always.”

  As if to prove her point, the three girls in question started their way and the twins began trying to climb onto Carli’s lap as she sat on Reid’s. Angelina hung back watching as the other two girls wiggled their bodies into place jabbering the entire time. Reid looked at Angelina and that’s when he noticed the uncertainty in her expression.

  Holding out his free hand, Reid coaxed, “Come here, Angelina. You need to climb up here with us, too.”

  Reid waited to see what the little girl would do, and from the corner of his eye he could see Carli watching her expectantly. After a few moments, Angelina took a few tentative steps toward his outstretched hand and Reid smiled in relief. A big smile lit up her features as Angelina stepped into the circle of Reid’s arm and he lifted her to perch on his other knee.

  Their eyes meeting and locking on one another, Carli smiled at Reid and blinked against the tears stinging her lids. Their little family was suddenly growing by leaps and bounds, and Carli was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that they’d soon number six instead of four. Her heart swelling with love for the people surrounding her, Carli’s only wish now was that her best friend would be at her side to watch her children grow up.

  Carli had just returned from seeing Jillian at the hospital the next afternoon when the doorbell interrupted her rundown to Reid on how she’d found her best friend. Reid stood from his chair at the island and went to open the door to find Detectives Aiden Grant and R.T. Jackson waiting on the other side. He felt a shiver of unease coast down his spine, but then hurriedly stepped aside so the other two men could enter.

  Calling out to his wife, Reid motioned for the detectives to have a seat just as Carli entered the room. She came to an abrupt halt when she saw who was now seated on her couch, and then pressed a trembling hand to her belly. Dread shifted through her system leaving behind a slight feeling of nausea, but Carli tried ignoring it as she greeted her old friend and his partner.

  “Aiden…R.T.…is everything okay?” she asked anxiously.

  Running a hand back through his hair, Aiden looked at the couple now sitting together on the love seat across from him. He completely understood their apprehension at seeing them in their home again, but hopefully their news today would bring the Brandt family some closure.

  Aiden glanced at R.T. and then back toward Carli and Reid. “Carli…Reid…we just received word from the warden that Julio was found dead earlier today in a secluded section of the prison. They have no idea what he was even doing in that particular area, but his body was found with two stab wounds. The prison officials have no leads regarding who’s responsible, but there’s an ongoing investigation at this time.”

  Carli knew she might question her reaction later, but right now she simply couldn’t regret the feeling of profound relief that swept through her. Julio was dead…the man who’d fathered Angelina, but who the authorities were almost certain had been responsible for the murder of the little girl’s mother. Although it was true that he hadn’t pulled the trigger which had ended the young woman’s life, evidence was pointing to Julio being behind the attack through his people on the outside.

  Suddenly, Carli felt her stomach roll and she jumped to her feet rushing toward the hallway. Poor Reid would just have to explain her sudden departure to the two detectives, but they were the least of her worries at the moment. Reaching the toilet in time was her only priority as Carli slammed the bathroom door behind her.

  Aiden shot Reid a puzzled look and watched as the other man simply remained seated making no attempt to follow his wife to see what was wrong. With a slight shrug and a smile, Reid looked at the other two men and said, “Ah…we’ve just found out that my beautiful wife is pregnant again, and this baby is definitely making its presence known.”

  The two detectives glanced at one another before Aiden blurted out, “No shit? Congratulations, Reid…but wait, you guys have twins already and now you have Angelina.”

  Shaking his head in amusement, Aide added, “Man, that’s gonna be a lot of little ones running around here before long.”

  Chuckling quietly, Reid nodded and looked at Aiden. “You’re telling me…needless to say our family is expanding rather rapidly.” Changing gears, Reid asked about the other subject that was foremost on his mind now that the detectives had shown up.

  “So tell me, Aiden, have you made any headway in solving Martina’s murder?”

  Aiden shifted in his seat and then responded saying, “Yeah, actually we have. Someone came forward and gave up the names of two people who are now our priority suspects. And not surprising the names match the two guys who recently visited Julio in prison. We’ve also learned where they typically hang out, so we have officers stationed there now. They’ll surface soon, and then we’ll haul them in for questioning.”

  “That is good news. The sooner this thing gets solved the better I’ll feel regarding my family’s safety. Although I believe the threat factor just went down considerably with Julio’s death,” said Reid, the relief evident in his voice.

  Nodding in agreement, R.T. said, “We agree, Reid. The person who came forward had information which led us to believe our suspicions were true. Julio was behind Martina’s death, and someone took offense therefore taking him out of the picture.”

  The sound of Carli’s voice had all three men turning to look at her as she entered the room again. “I’m glad. As horrible as it may sound for me to say it…I’m glad that Julio is no longer alive. He was a cruel and vicious young man…he stabbed Martina, and he was responsible for me being shot. Martina told me once that he was heavily into drug trafficking and other gang related activities. She hinted that he’d even killed someone before, but then she shut down as soon as she realized what she’d said. I think Martina still lived in constant fear of Julio…even after he went to prison. And her fear was justified in the end. He probably had her killed…and now Angelina will never know the courageous young woman who was her mother.”

  Silence settled over the room until Aiden finally lifted his gaze to Carli again. “You’re right, Carli. Julio’s death is no great loss. The only thing I regret is that we can’t charge him with conspiracy to have her killed. He got off too easily by simply being shanked in the laundry section of the prison.”

  The two detectives took their leave a short time later with promises to keep Carli and Reid apprised of any developments in the case. Reid shut the door after showing them out, and then turned to his wife. He held his arms open and pulled Carli close when she stepped into his embrace. Smoothing his hands down Carli’s back, Reid felt her sigh quietly as she relaxed against him. He brushed a kiss against her hair before saying, “Hey, are you okay? Other than the little bout of sickness you just experienced of course.”

  Nodding against his shirt, Carli kept her eyes closed and sank further into her husband’s arms. “Yes, I’m okay. It was just a shock…and then this profound sense of relief from hearing that he’s gone. That we won’t have to worry about him any longer…and that he’ll never be a threat to Angelina in the future.”

  “I know, baby. I felt the same way myself, believe me,” agreed Reid.<
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  Stepping back in her husband’s embrace, Carli looked at Reid saying, “I know you won’t believe this, but I’m suddenly really hungry. Like I’m craving pizza so bad right now it’s crazy. How about we take the girls out for dinner and then ice cream?”

  Reid pressed a kiss to his wife’s mouth and teasingly said, “I think the pregnant Momma is the one wanting ice cream, am I right?”

  “Maybe, maybe not. It’s actually a little too soon to be having cravings…unless of course,” Carli allowed her voice to trail off knowing her husband would take the bait.

  “Unless what?”

  “Unless this pregnancy is…more than one baby again.”

  It felt good to laugh for a change, and Carli erupted into giggles at the look on her poor husband’s face. Reid’s expression was a cross between, “Oh, hell no” and “You’ve got to be joking”, both of which made Carli laugh harder.

  Taking her husband by the hand, Carli turned and eyed Reid as she pulled him along. “Come on, Daddy. Let’s get our girls and go feed this baby some pizza and ice cream.”

  As they trailed upstairs to the nursery, Reid said, “You said baby that time…as in singular, right? Carli, you don’t really think it could be twins again, do you? How soon will the doctor do an ultrasound?”

  Carli merely laughed at her husband’s barrage of questions and strode to the nursery door without answering him. They’d find out the answers to all of his questions soon enough, but in the meantime they had an adoption to get through. A momentous occasion in their lives which now wouldn’t be overshadowed by the threat of one man’s hate and vindictiveness. Angelina would be theirs… legally, and without fear of anyone threatening their safety or hers in the future.

  To the world you may be one person:

  but to one person you may be the world.

  -Dr. Seuss

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Jillian was startled awake by a noise from the hallway, but then dozed again when she realized it had nothing to do with her. No one was coming to draw blood, change her IV bag, or inject any medication into her port at the moment, and she was grateful for the reprieve. Drifting in and out of sleep, Jillian slowly realized something else that had her opening her eyes to blink in surprise. She felt better.

  Taking a quick inventory, Jillian raised a hand to her forehead to find it cool and dry instead of hot and clammy. Her stomach still felt a little iffy, but overall it even felt much better. She shifted in the bed and realized, too, that the slightest movement didn’t make her bones feel like they were breaking. A quick stretch of her foot and leg revealed muscles that were still sore, but she knew the dehydration had contributed to that. However, her mouth no longer felt like cotton this morning, and she actually needed to pee.

  Glancing across the room her gaze landed on the man sleeping soundly on a cot which looked entirely too small for his large frame. The blanket he was using had slipped down to his waist, but the white t-shirt he was wearing covered his broad chest and flat stomach. She could just barely see a strip of gray fabric at his waist and realized he was most likely wearing a pair of basketball shorts as well. Jillian knew what a major concession his sleeping attire was for him considering he slept nude every night.

  Jillian lay there in the early morning quiet and studied Rob’s features as he slept. He looked relaxed which was a look she hadn’t seen in a long time. Lately his features were marred with worry…his warm brown eyes troubled instead of flirty, or mirroring the smile which he usually wore. This morning his hair was sleep-tousled, but not sticking straight up like it did when he’d been repeatedly running his hand back through it. Jillian knew he did that when he was worried or frustrated, and Rob had been both too many times to count recently.

  The urge to pee was becoming too much, but Jillian didn’t want to wake Rob. Instead she located the right button on her bed rail to call the nurse, and waited patiently for someone to show up. A few minutes later the door opened to admit a tall, handsome guy wearing navy blue scrubs and a smile on his face. Evidently he was her nurse for the day, and Jillian hid a smile thinking he’d make a great model if his nursing gig didn’t work out.

  “Good morning, Miss Barnes. I’m Dex, and I’ll be your nurse today. Now, what can I do for you?” asked the young man cheerfully.

  His wide, even smile was so inviting that Jillian caught herself smiling broadly in return as she answered, “Well, Dex, I need to use the restroom and I hated to disturb Rob.”

  Jillian pointed in Rob’s direction and watched as the other man’s gaze followed her finger.

  “Oh, sure, no problem at all. Let’s get you up and on your feet, but slowly at first, okay? From the report I received you’ve been a pretty sick patient for a couple of days. I’m sure you’re still weak, and we don’t want to risk a fall,” said Dex quietly.

  Jillian pushed herself up to a sitting position while the nurse lowered the bed rail and found her slippers. Dex held her arm while Jillian swung her legs over the side of the bed and came to a sitting position. Her head felt a little woozy just for a moment, but it quickly cleared and she nodded to Dex.

  “Okay, Miss Barnes…”

  “Jillian…please, call me Jillian.”

  “Sounds good. Okay, Jillian, I want you to hold onto my arm as you slide off the bed. I’ll maneuver the IV pole because I want you to concentrate strictly on walking. Once you’re standing, however, we need to wait before trying to walk. Standing in an upright position will really test your strength, and that’s when any dizziness will most likely occur. Once we start walking I want you to keep your eyes trained straight ahead. Find a focal point across the room and concentrate on that, okay?”

  Grasping the muscled arm of her nurse, Jillian did as he’d instructed and carefully slid to her feet to a standing position beside the bed. And Dex’s warning had been correct… she did feel weak. That realization was quickly followed by a wave of dizziness which had Jillian clutching Dex even harder, and reaching for the bedrail with her free hand. Thankfully the whirling inside her head stopped after a few moments and Jillian blew out a breath.

  “Feeling okay?” asked Dex calmly.

  With a nod, Jillian replied, “Yes, I think so.”

  “Now, find your focal point just like we discussed and tell me when you’re ready.”

  A movement from the cot caught Jillian’s attention, but she didn’t waver from her nurse’s instructions. She really had to pee, and if finding her focal point got that accomplished then she’d find it. The actual bathroom door seemed a logical choice, and Jillian fixed her gaze in that direction.

  Rob came fully awake in a matter of seconds, and then realized it was voices in the room that’d pulled him from the best sleep he’d had in days. Running a hand through his hair, he lay there for a moment until he realized it was a man’s voice he was hearing. Rob pushed his upper body to a sitting position, and once his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting he was able to make out who the voice belonged to.

  Some tall, muscular dude in scrubs was acting as Jillian’s crutch, and she was clutching his arm like he was the last man standing. Rob heard her laugh, and the sound was like a punch to his gut. He hadn’t heard her laugh in days, and he quickly realized that if the Thor look-alike could elicit that sound then so be it. Rob was just territorial enough, however, that he still felt the need to make his presence known anyway.

  “Jilli? Hey, baby, what’s going on?” asked Rob.

  “Shh…I’m finding my focal point,” Jillian informed him.

  Rob had no idea why she even needed a focal point, but evidently her nurse thought it was a good idea. Rising to his feet, Rob stood beside his makeshift bed and stretched out muscles that were a little stiff and sore. He hadn’t been to the gym in weeks, and his work-outs at home while Jillian slept hadn’t been as vigorous or nearly as effective. His body was craving a long work-out with weights, and some major time on the treadmill.

  In the meantime it didn’t look as if Jillian’s nurse
had missed any gym time recently, and Rob tamped down the little twinge of jealously in his gut. He knew he’d eventually get back to his normal routine, and a pang of guilt followed quickly on the heels of his previous thoughts. Any time he spent with Jillian was worth far more than anything else in his life right now.

  Determined to make it to bathroom without crumbling to a heap on the floor, Jillian’s focus remained straight ahead which earned her several “you’re doing great, Jillian” comments from her nurse. She caught the look on Rob’s face from the corner of her eye, and Jillian wanted to laugh out loud. Was he actually jealous? Adding to the humor was the fact that Jillian knew she’d never been more unattractive in her life than she was right now. She was bald, thin, no make-up, and basically looked like the very ill woman that she was. She doubted in her wildest imagination that Nurse Dex saw anything attractive about her whatsoever.

  Jillian finally arrived at the bathroom door and leaning against the frame she turned to look at her escort. He really was handsome in a blonde, blue-eyed kind of way, and his great tan only added to his good looks. Spotting Rob still standing by his cot, Jillian knew there was really no comparing the two men. Roberto Santos was one of the hottest men she’d ever known, and he always had been. Even as a teenager he’d been built, and his outgoing personality just added to the whole package. No, her man definitely outshone the one currently helping her into the bathroom.

  Rob watched suspiciously as Jillian’s nurse opened the bathroom door and then ushered her inside. Did this guy really think he was going to take her to the bathroom and then just stand there? Call him a little territorial again, but no dude who looked like this one was getting a chance to stare at her butt while he was in the room. Nurse or not, it wasn’t happening.

  Making his way to the bathroom, Rob opened the door and looked at Jillian. She had an amused look on her face, but Rob just ignored her. Instead, he stepped further inside and then gave the other man a look before saying, “I’ve got it from here, okay?”