Happy in Their Love [Men of the Border Lands 10] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Marla Monroe

  The weather proved to grow steadily warmer until suddenly the snow seemed like a distant memory. Though the nights continued to be quite cold, the days were blessedly warmer and Celina badgered the men every chance she had to let her go outside for a few minutes. Even as she begged, she felt guilty harassing them like she did. All of the conflicting emotions kept her in constant turmoil, sending the men into fits about her health.

  “Please, Abe. I need fresh air at least once a day.”

  “Celina, I don’t like taking you outside like that in your condition. All the excitement and moving around isn’t good for you.”

  He ran a hand over his face when she pouted prettily up at him. “Fine. Russell and I will go with you once he gets back in from doing chores. Just for a few minutes, Celina.”

  “Thank you!”

  “I swear you’re more trouble than you’re worth.” He scowled down at her, but she could see the teasing in his eyes.

  She had no doubts that the men cared about her and quite possibly even loved her on some level. She wouldn’t push them on it, though. They would tell her when the time was right for them. She could respect their loyalty to their previous families. She’d had Roger and knew the difficulty of relegating her past life and love to another spot in her heart to make room for her men.

  Her men. She smiled at that thought. They were her men, and she was their woman. She could live with that.

  “Time to head downstairs and make sure the shepherd’s pie is ready for lunch.” Abe picked her up as if she weighed nothing and carefully carried her out of the nursery and down the stairs where he sat her on the couch in front of the hearth.

  They kept a smaller fire going despite the fact that the days were warmer. Abe seemed obsessed with making sure she didn’t catch a cold. While he disappeared into the kitchen to get ready for lunch, Celina pulled off the extra shirt he insisted she wear when they were upstairs away from the fireplace. Today her back was aching again, and though she didn’t think it was anything serious, she felt as if she should tell the men. Maybe after lunch—after they went outside. She smiled. She wanted her time out in the fresh air and sunshine first.

  The door opened, and Russell walked in. She smiled as she turned to watch him hang up his jacket and slip out of his boots. The ready grin on his face when he saw her heated her skin.

  “There’s my favorite woman. Did you get a lot done in the nursery this morning?” He leaned over and kissed her before rubbing lightly on her tummy.

  “Well, Abe did. I just watched and made sure he did it right.”

  “I wish we could manage to find a baby bed.” His brows drew together as he frowned.

  “Don’t worry so much about it. The deep drawer from the chest is perfect. We can carry her from room to room until she outgrows it.”

  “Where’s Abe?” Russell asked, looking around.

  “In the kitchen. We’re having shepherd’s pie for lunch.” Celina laughed when her stomach growled.

  “Sounds like someone’s hungry.” Russell chuckled and scooped her up in his arms.

  “I can walk, Russell! It’s just to the kitchen.” She slapped his shoulder playfully.

  “No need to walk when you can ride.”

  When he pushed open the kitchen door and walked through, Abe looked up from where he’d been sitting at the table, a steaming cup of coffee in his hands. Guilt slid across his face like a sea serpent. Russell’s eyebrow arched, but he didn’t say anything. Celina knew they both snuck around and drank their coffee behind her back. It really didn’t bother her anymore. She knew coffee was bad for the baby, but it was almost a necessity for the men. They needed it to keep warm and to stay alert when they were working outside. She felt a bit guilty herself for having made such a big deal out of it before.

  Once Russell had settled her in a chair at the table, she eased out of her seat and climbed onto Abe’s lap. She leaned back and smiled up at him. It didn’t take long for her to coax a small smile from him. Then she stretched up and kissed him softly on the lips. After a second of hesitation, Abe wrapped his arms tightly around her and pulled her as close to him as her generous belly would allow. He nuzzled her neck, inhaling deeply as he did. She loved that he seemed to enjoy breathing her in.

  “I’m starved. Is lunch ready? Can I take it out of the oven?” Russell asked, interrupting their cuddle session.

  “It’s ready. I’ve already turned off the oven. Just pull it out and set it on the table. We can dip out of it.” Abe didn’t move from where he had his nose buried against her neck.

  “I think I understood that.” Russell chuckled. “I’m slowly learning to speak mumble around you.”

  Celina giggled. “I’ve gotten to where I can pick up the meaning of some of his grunts.”

  “You both suck.” Abe pulled back, and after dropping a quick kiss to her lips, he moved her over to her chair.

  Celina eyed the heaping spoonful of the meaty pie Russell had added to her plate. Just a few minutes ago, she’d felt as if she could eat a cow all by herself. Now she didn’t feel as hungry. In fact, she felt a little sick at her stomach.

  While the men cleaned their plates, she moved her food around to make it look like she was eating more than she was. Hopefully they wouldn’t notice and start worrying over her like mother hens. She’d never have believed that those two men would worry over her as much as they did if she hadn’t been the recipient of their over protectiveness.

  Thankfully, they were arguing over getting the garden ready to plant as they cleaned up the dishes and didn’t pay attention to her lack of appetite. By the time they had finished straightening the kitchen, she felt much better and was looking forward to her trip outside.

  “I’m ready to go out whenever you are.” She smiled up at the two men when they put away the dishcloths.

  “Patience, baby.” Abe tweaked her nose. “We’ll get there.”

  Russell smiled before picking her up and carrying her back to the great room. Instead of heading directly for the couch, he walked over to the door and stood her up so she could pull on her coat. She could tell her face was beaming by the indulgent smile on his face. Abe helped her slip into her boots. Then the three of them walked outside into the sunshine and fresh air.

  Celina leaned her head back and gloried in the feel of the sun on her face. It smelled wonderful out there. She knew she wasn’t a prisoner, but sometimes it sure felt like it. These brief periods of time when she cold bask in the freedom of nature helped her handle the harshness of her situation. It wouldn’t be much longer and she wouldn’t be this fragile anymore. It was just because she was pregnant and had gotten sick.

  “Come on, sweetness. Let’s get you settled. You don’t need to be standing on your feet.” Russell helped her waddle over to the chair they had built just for her.

  The rough-hewed wood had been fashioned to support her back, and when they added the pillow they always brought out with them, it was almost as comfortable as the couch. Their thoughtfulness always amazed her.

  While they were outside, Abe and Russell walked over the garden area and talked more about enlarging it. She was sure they were thinking about the fact that now there were three of them, soon to be four. Of course her baby wouldn’t exactly be eating anything out of it for a while.

  The soft breeze, though a bit chilly, felt wonderful as it lifted her hair and teased at her cheeks. She couldn’t wait for warmer weather where she could spend more time outside and introduce her baby to everything. She had little doubt that her men would be just as resistant to letting her carry her baby outside as they were to her going out now. She smiled to herself. She would find ways around them. She knew how to distract them when she needed to.

  Her back began to ache again, only this time the pain seemed to inch around her sides some now. Soon it became too uncomfortable to just sit still. She stood up and stretched hoping the movement would ease the discomfort.

  “Are you okay, Celina?” Abe hurried over to her.


  “I’m fine, just stiff.”

  “Don’t lie to us. You look like you’re in pain.” Russell’s serious expression said that he wasn’t buying her explanation one bit.

  “My back is a little sore today is all. I can’t seem to be still in one place for long.”

  “Time to go inside and lie down.” Abe’s tone brooked no argument.

  He deftly picked her up and carried her back inside. He didn’t even stop by the back door to pull off her coat or boots. He carried her straight up the stairs and to the master bedroom. They hadn’t slept in the big room yet. They had been still sleeping in front of the fireplace on the mattress.

  “I think it’s time we moved upstairs to sleep now. It’s warm enough at night with all three of us in the bed.” Abe smiled down at her as he settled her in the bed after Russell pulled down the covers.

  They each pulled off a boot, and then Russell removed her coat and helped her out of her pants. She squirmed, trying to find a comfortable position, but her back truly ached now. She’d read that toward the end of the pregnancy she would find it nearly impossible to get comfortable. She hadn’t truly appreciated that until now.

  “How about a back rub, sweetness?” Russell toed off his boots and climbed on the bed behind her.

  The first touch of his hands to her lower back was like a healing balm. She moaned with appreciation as he nimbly manipulated her muscles. He seemed to know exactly how to ease the tenseness that had settled there.

  “Does that feel better, baby?” Abe asked.

  Lines etched his features, telling her he was worried about her. She didn’t want him upset. She was fine.

  “Much better. I may take a little nap.” She yawned and closed her eyes.

  “I’ll be downstairs if you need me.” Abe’s footsteps grew fainter as he left the room.

  Celina relaxed deeper into the mattress while Russell worked magic on her back. The soothing motions of his fingers soon lulled her into a welcome sleep. Her only thought was that she prayed she wouldn’t have to suffer with her back for much longer.

  * * * *

  He watched her face slowly relax as he peered over her shoulder while he carefully manipulated the muscles of her back. Russell hated seeing her in any sort of pain. He couldn’t imagine how he would handle it when she actually went into labor. Just the thought of it sent chills down his spine. The fact that she was having back pains already worried him. It could be a sign of early labor. He’d been reading up on childbirth in the books lately. He didn’t want to be unprepared when the time came.

  Right now she seemed to be resting fairly comfortably. Still, she was close to term, and every little distress built the knowledge inside of him that the worst was yet to come. There would be nothing he could do to help ease the pain.

  He gently brushed the hair from her face and soaked up her peaceful expression. He could look at her for hours on end. Her strength and determination to help do her share around the place had drawn him to her originally. The beauty and strength in her heart had anchored him and locked him to her for all time. Russell knew he loved her. He had never really denied it to himself in the first place. Maybe he had tiptoed around it in the beginning, but mostly because she had just lost her husband and pushing her would have been insensitive, not to mention rude.

  Still, he hadn’t been able to keep his heart from becoming engaged from almost the beginning. She made him smile, and he hadn’t had much reason to smile when they had first met. Something about her had crept under his skin and set up house until he finally acknowledged that she meant something to him.

  From there, it didn’t take long until he’d found himself in love and happy about it. Seeing Abe slowly accept her and then become entranced by her only tightened the hold she had around his heart.

  He wondered what was different this time when before, he hadn’t wanted to share his wife and that was ultimately what had gotten her killed. Why was he okay with sharing Celina with Abe when he hadn’t wanted to let another man touch his first wife? Did he love Celina less? Russell couldn’t believe that. It had to be that he loved her differently. Or maybe it was as simple as he had grown and reconciled with himself the necessity of it for her safety.

  Whatever the reason, Russell was eternally grateful for the other man’s willingness to share in both her loving nature and the responsibility of keeping her safe. Her happiness mattered more to him than just about anything. Seeing her smile brought a joy to his heart he cherished. He vowed that no matter what it took, he would strive to keep that smile there for the rest of her life.

  Her soft snore tugged at his lips. He couldn’t help but smile at the normality. He slowly eased down on the bed next to her and curled around her. He would take a quick nap with her. The next thing he knew, he was sound asleep.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Pain stabbing around her belly dragged Celina out of the perfectly sinful dream she’d been having involving both Russell and Abe and a pair of fur-lined handcuffs. She gasped for breath as the pain prevented her from drawing in a complete one. Then it eased and she panted against the pillow she had buried her face in.

  “Celina? What’s wrong?” Russell’s worried voice startled her. She hadn’t realized he was still in bed with her.

  She started to speak when another pain gripped her in a steel trap of misery. She moaned instead. Russell almost immediately began to massage her back. It helped, but it wasn’t giving her nearly as much relief as it had earlier. Nausea threatened to overwhelm her as once again the pain began to ebb.

  “I don’t know. I think I might be in labor. The pain was mostly in my back, but now it’s more in my belly.”

  “Don’t move. I’m going to get Abe. Just stay right there.” He jumped out of bed and hurried out the door in his sock feet.

  He wasn’t gone long before she heard him calling down the stairs for Abe to bring the pregnancy book and come upstairs. Then he was right back by her side, gently rubbing small circles around her swollen belly. She had to admit it felt wonderful. At least for the time being.

  “What’s going on?” Abe asked as he rushed into the room.

  She noted that he had both of the pregnancy books that they’d begun to rely on in his arms. Before she could reassure him, another pain seized her, and she moaned.

  “She’s having back and stomach pains.” Russell’s voice held a quiver to it.

  “Fuck! We need to time them.” Abe’s didn’t sound any stronger.

  “How the hell can we time them without a damn watch?”

  “Count between them. It’s the best we can do.”

  Celina wanted to scream at them to be quiet. She didn’t need their panic right now. She needed some strength, and maybe some morphine. She tried to breathe around the pain, but it was hard. She’d never felt anything like the squeezing agony that clamped down on her belly.

  “How long have you been hurting like this?” Abe asked, desperately flipping pages in one of the books.

  “I think it just started,” Russell answered for her.

  “My back has been hurting off and on all day.”

  Both men froze and stared at her. She wanted to scream at them to stop screwing around and do something, but she knew there was nothing they could do. This was all on her.

  “Why didn’t you say something?” Abe demanded.

  “I didn’t think it was that bad and what can you do about it anyway?” Celina was fast losing patience with them.

  “Well, we could have given you more back rubs,” Russell sputtered.

  She scoffed at that suggestion. While she could use one right now, she wasn’t about to ask for it. At least not yet. She wasn’t so sure her bravado would last much longer, though. The pain was getting more intense with each bout of contractions. She had resigned herself to the fact that she was in labor. While a part of her deep down was excited to finally be able to meet her baby, another part of her was frightened out of her skull.

  This time when the contract
ion squeezed down on her belly and lower back, Celina cried out. Both of the men stilled with answering looks of pain on their faces. She almost wished she could draw in enough breath to reassure them. Truth be known, though, she really just wanted to be able to breathe comfortably and rest.

  “How far apart are they?” Abe asked Russell.

  “I don’t know. I forgot to count.”

  “Damn it, Russell. You’ve got to keep up with them.”

  “Don’t yell at him, Abe.” She finally drew in a deep breath and closed her eyes.

  “Rest, baby. We’re going to take care of you.” Abe kissed her sweaty brow.

  Celina wanted to laugh at them, but they were trying, and all she really wanted was for them to hold her and for the pain to go away. As if in answer to her prayers, Russell got up on the bed and scooted around her back. With the first touch of his hands at her back, a moan escaped her lips.

  Abe hurried around them setting up the room for the delivery. At some point he roused her to drape a tarp underneath her to protect the bed. She was almost hyperaware of everything around her. She was sure it had something to do with the endorphins cruising around in her bloodstream. Whatever the reason, she was ecstatic. This felt more like the high she’d experienced after getting a good dose of laughing gas at the dentist’s office.

  “Breathe, sweetness, breathe.” Russell immediately began to soothe over her back with his warm hands. He’d felt her stiffen and immediately reacted to it.

  Celina didn’t have any idea how long they had been upstairs, but she was so tired and wanted to take a nap. When she closed her eyes, Adam’s shout had her jerking her eyes open to stare into his slightly wild ones.

  “Your water broke! This is it, baby. You’ve got to concentrate now.”

  She couldn’t help but roll her eyes before she let them drift closed once again. Less than a minute later, though, another pain hit, and she nearly screamed with this one. All the panting in the world wasn’t going to help her live through this. Celina clenched her teeth as fear that she’d die gripped her throat almost as fiercely as the labor pains squeezed her abdomen. Her legs cramped with trying to press into the mattress to escape some of the pressure.