“This is why our way is better,” Logan said. “One of us will be with you at all times.”
“Oh dear, I never thought about that. Promise me you won’t turn into Cade when I’m pregnant.”
The silence was telling.
“Luc? Logan?”
Logan pretended to snore and Luc chuckled. “Go to sleep, Cassandra. Everything will be okay. Trust us.”
Chapter Four
Valentine’s Day
Cade slipped the box of chocolates beneath his arm, then stuffed the bouquet of roses into the basket of gourmet goodies. He kicked the truck door shut with a booted foot, then headed toward the front door. The lights of the house lit up the pathway and the porch steps.
He couldn’t wait to see Addison’s eyes light up when she saw him. The weeks he’d been away had felt like an eternity. He’d missed seeing her as their baby grew and her body changed even though he flew home every two weeks. The fact that he’d failed to find Thor and Marisol weighed on him.
Delacroix had gotten aboard the barge in November, but he’d only had one brief chance to look around while the guard had been called away. He’d searched several storage areas and found one with chains and cuffs welded to the metal walls, but no sign that Thor had been there.
Cade had put up a million-dollar reward for any information about Thor and Marisol but so far nobody had been brave enough to talk. Even all of their contacts were silent which told him that whatever had happened to Thor and Marisol was such a dangerous secret people were terrified to go against Mendez.
Frustrated and demoralized, they’d flown home for Valentine’s Day only to discover they couldn’t land at the ranch airstrip. They’d been forced to land at Thor’s home and borrow two of his vehicles. His team had driven one west to Dallas while he drove east to the ranch. A jack-knifed semi had blocked the highway twenty miles out of Rendezvous and he’d been stuck on the highway for an hour. By the time he’d reached Rendezvous, he’d barely had time to pick up the flowers and basket of goodies he’d ordered.
He took the steps of the porch in one leap, pushed the door open and frowned when he realized it wasn’t locked. He locked it, then listened to the silence around him. The sound of Luc’s voice drew him to the back of the house. He smiled as he passed a framed picture of him and Addison on their wedding day. The smile faded as soon as he stepped into the family room.
Addison bent over the back of the couch with Logan standing behind her. His hand was on her lower back. Luc knelt on the couch seat and Addison looked up at him while he spoke to her.
The basket and chocolates hit the floor with a dull thud. “What the hell is going on?”
Addison jumped, then looked at him. Her reddish-gold hair slid over her face, covering most of it. “Hi, honey.” Her voice sounded squeaky. “I can explain.”
“I’m sure you can.” Cade’s voice was calm.
“It’s not what you think,” Luc said.
“How do you know what I think?” Cade asked.
“Oh, oh, Logan, rub, rub,” Addison screeched.
Logan stroked her back. “Is that better, Addy?”
“Yes. Don’t stop,” Addison said.
“Get your hands off my wife,” Cade growled. “Now!”
Logan raised his hands and Addison’s right arm flew up, too, revealing that they were handcuffed together. She squeaked when she lost her balance and Luc caught her.
“She tricked us,” Logan said.
“Both of you?” Cade asked and Luc and Logan nodded.
“She said she’d ordered them for you and she wanted to see if they fit a man’s wrist,” Luc said.
“For me? Did you think to ask why my sub would order handcuffs for me?” Cade crowded Logan until he slid over the back of the couch onto the cushions next to Luc.
“Well, no, but they’re really nice ones.” Logan held up his hand. “See? Padded.”
Cade glanced at them. “Where’s the key?”
“She hid it,” Luc said.
“Don’t pull on my arm, Logan.” Addison wiggled and her skirt slid up to the curve of her bottom.
Cade jerked it down, then leaned over and looked into Addison’s eyes. “Why?”
Addison blinked. “Why what?”
“Why did you hide the key?”
Addison smiled, then grimaced. “They want to take me to the hospital and I don’t want to go.” She paused. “Logan, you stopped rubbing.” Her voice was shrill.
“Sorry, sorry.” Logan began rubbing again.
Cade grasped Addison’s waist, then gently eased her up. Logan and Luc were forced to move with her. “Baby, are you in labor?”
Addison nodded. “Yes, but it’s not my fault.” She looked at Luc and Logan. “I’ve been good. Haven’t I?”
“Yes, you’ve been very good and hardly got in trouble at all until today.”
Cade frowned when they smiled. “Has anyone called Doc?”
Addison looked flustered. “Jackson did, even though I told him I already knew what to do.”
The sound of footsteps in the hallway drew everyone’s attention and a few seconds later, Jackson walked into the room. “Cade.” Jackson nodded. “I have the truck outside. I’ll drive.”
“Let’s go then.” Cade reached for Addison.
“No, I’m not ready yet.” Addison tried to plant her hands on her nonexistent waist. Luc and Logan’s arms flew up, too. She shook her wrists, then dropped her arms and leaned against the back of the couch. “Doc said I should wait until the contractions are five minutes apart and last for sixty seconds.”
“We can time them on the way to the hospital.” Cade tried to pull her up as easily as he could, but she held onto the couch.
“No. I’m staying here until it’s time.”
“Addison, we need to get to the hospital now.” Cade tried to pull her up again.
“You missed our appointment with the doctor. I have something I have to tell you that I didn’t want to tell you on the phone.”
“You can tell me in the truck.”
Addison pulled him toward her and hugged him. “Everything is going to be okay. Trust me.” She raised her mouth for a kiss and he leaned down and gave her a little peck. “I love you, Cade, and I don’t want you to freak out.”
“Okay, now you’re scaring me,” Cade said.
“There’s no easy way to tell you this,” Addison said, then blurted out, “We’re having twins.”
“What?” A vein by Cade’s eye began pounding. “Twins? You can’t have twins.”
She patted his chest. “I don’t want you to worry. We’re fine. Really.” She looked down.
Cade held her close. His heart pounded with fear for her. She was too small to carry twins. “I need to talk to Doc.”
“I didn’t have Doc tell me the gender of the babies because we said we wanted to be surprised.”
“God,” Cade said, his voice hoarse as he glared at Luc and Logan. “Twins.”
Addison wrapped her arms around her tummy and moaned.
“How long have you been in labor?” Cade placed his hand on Addison’s belly and felt it tighten.
“I think since last night, but I’m not sure. Jack says he thinks I’m getting ready,” Addison said.
“Jack? Nymph’s uncle? The old spy who runs the foaling barn?” Cade’s voice was incredulous. “Addison, you can’t take advice from that old coot.”
“Jack’s not an old coot. He knows all about birthing.”
“Mares. Not women.” Cade rubbed her belly when she groaned.
“Jack said my rump is soft and I’m off my feed,” Addison said.
“Jack can keep his eyes off your rump,” Cade grumbled.
“Jack said people should be calm around me and not upset me, or things will go bad.” When Cade began to object, Addison held her belly and groaned again.
“Has anyone been timing the contractions?” Cade rubbed her belly.
“I’ve tried to, but I think she fakes some of t
hem so we won’t know what’s really going on,” Luc said. “Best guess, they’re about seven minutes apart.”
Cade forced Addison to meet his eyes. “No more faking. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, Cade. I was only doing it to give you time to get home.”
“What did Doc say when you called him, Jackson?” Cade asked.
“He said what Addison said, and that he’d been expecting her to go into labor any day now. He said to call him when we’re on our way.”
“I’m going to call him,” Cade said.
“He said to tell you to stay calm and have a drink,” Jackson said.
“I wanted to do this at home, but oh, no, Jackson said no way.” Addison groaned again, then turned and leaned over the back of the couch. Luc and Logan scrambled to organize their arms so hers wouldn’t be strained. “Cade, rub my back. It hurts.”
Cade kissed Addison’s cheek, then soothed her by rubbing circles on her lower back. “That better, baby?”
“Uh-huh.” She breathed through the contraction, then stood up. “I want to walk around.”
Luc and Logan climbed over the back of the couch and followed her as she paced the room.
Cade trailed behind her. “Addison, tell me where the key is.”
“Do you promise not to take me to the hospital until I’m ready?” Addison looked at him over her shoulder.
Before he could answer, Nate and Nymph appeared in the archway their hands on their weapons. When they saw the family gathered around the room, they put them away.
“Why’s the front door wide open and why is your truck on the drive with the engine running, Jackson?” Nate asked.
“Addison’s in labor. Jackson was going to take her to the hospital,” Cade said.
Nate smiled. “No kidding? Well, isn’t that wonderful?”
“She’s having twins,” Cade said. “She can’t have twins.”
Nate laughed, then patted Cade on the back. “It’ll be okay, son. Trust me.”
Jackson snorted, adjusted his hat until it shaded his eyes and walked out. “I’ll take care of the truck.” His fiancé Jenna passed him on her way into the room.
“I left Addison’s suitcase in the hallway,” Jenna said.
“I’ll put it in the truck,” Jackson said.
Addison waved at Nate. “Hi, Dad.”
Cade’s brow went up. “Dad? You’re calling my biological father ‘Dad’ now?”
“You aren’t claiming him and I’ve never had one, so I decided to claim him.”
Cade sighed. “Addison, you had a father. Cooper Matthews.”
“Cooper doesn’t count. He gave me away.” She sent him a fierce look. “To you, and look what you did to me!” She rubbed her hands over her belly.
Cade growled. “Don’t make it sound like I own you. I was your guardian and now I’m your husband, and I love you. You know that.” Before Addison could argue, he asked, “What about Nymph? She going to be your stepmother?”
“Of course not. I had a mother, even if she was gone all the time, but she wrote me a song so I have to claim her. Would you like me to sing it to you?”
“Yes, baby,” he said but everyone else shouted, “No!” having heard Addison’s voice in the past and knowing it could make the dog howl.
Addison looked hurt. Cade smiled. “Maybe later, okay?”
Addison nodded. “Besides, Nymph is my friend and one of the Royals. That’s better than being a stepmom.”
The Royals, Cade thought, with a silent curse. Addison’s group of five friends who were always plotting and getting into trouble with her. They were also his brothers’ women. Jackson’s fiancé Jenna, Luc and Logan’s fiancé Cassie, and Zane’s fiancé Ravyn. Marisol Rios was included in the group as well. “Luc? Where’s Zane, Ravyn, and Cassie?”
“Zane had to wrap up a court case in Dallas. Logan and I locked Cassie and Ravyn in the panic room. They were making plans to sneak out and follow Addison and Jackson to the hospital,” Luc said. “Did you find Thor and Marisol?”
“No,” Cade said. “We didn’t even get any leads, although Delacroix found evidence that people have been held on the barge. I’ll tell you about it later.”
Addison pulled Luc and Logan across the room in her wake and hugged Cade. “I’m so sorry.”
He brushed the tears from her cheeks. “Don’t cry, baby. I have three teams looking for them. We’ll find them.” He grasped her arms and studied the cuffs. “Now, tell me where you hid the key.”
Addison squeaked, then leaned against him while she breathed through the contraction. Cade braced her against him and rubbed her back. When she relaxed he pushed Luc and Logan away.
“They’re getting closer together,” Luc said.
“And lasting longer,” Logan said.
Addison moved away. “I’m not going yet.”
She rubbed her belly as much as she could with her wrists cuffed, then swiveled on bare feet and moved to the couch. Luc and Logan did their best to keep up with her. When she sank down onto the middle cushion, they took up the spaces on either side of her.
Cade sat down on the edge of the coffee table and caged her legs between his. “Let’s negotiate. You let me remove the cuffs and I’ll let you stay here until the contractions get to five minutes apart. Deal?”
Addison reached out and brushed his cheek with the fingers of her right hand.
“This is creepy, Addy.” Logan tried to keep his hand away from Cade’s face. “Take the deal.”
Addison laughed. She reached into her bra, found the key, and held it out to Cade. It only took him a few seconds to free her from his brothers. As soon as he did, she stood up, waddled away, then groaned and bent at the waist. He jumped up and wrapped his arms around her.
“I’m thirsty and I want a shower.” Addison moved toward the door. Cade chased after her and picked her up.
Nate and Nymph stepped aside so he could carry her into the hallway.
“I’ll make hot cocoa,” Nate said. “Anyone hungry?”
“Me,” Addison said.
“I’ll make you some broth, Addison, and sandwiches and salad for the rest of you.”
“I’m going to let Cassie and Ravyn out of the safe room,” Luc said. “Logan, back me up. Cassie’s going to be pissed.”
Cade carried Addison up to their suite and into the bathroom. He set her down and adjusted the shower before he pulled her dress over her head. She stepped into the shower and stood with the water running over her head and down her body. Cade undressed and joined her. He lathered some shampoo on his hands and ran them down the length of her hair before he rinsed it away and did the same thing with the conditioner.
“Pass me the shower gel.”
Addison handed him a bottle of lemon-scented shower crème. He squeezed out a large dollop, warmed it in his hands, and rubbed it over her body. While he rinsed it away, she leaned against him. “I was so worried about you.”
“You should have sent me a text as soon as you thought you were in labor.” Cade rubbed her back.
“I didn’t know where you were or what you were doing. I didn’t want to distract you.”
Cade turned off the shower, grabbed a towel and dried her, then himself. He combed the tangles from her hair and used the blow dryer to dry her hair. The stream of hot air made her shiver so he wrapped her in another towel. She leaned against the counter while he braided her hair then rubbed lotion into her skin, paying special attention to her belly. He led her into the closet, grabbed a long dress, and slipped it over her head before he dressed in jeans and a shirt.
Addison walked around the closet, pausing every now and then to run her hand over the clothes. She pulled a dress from the rack, then another, and tossed them into a pile on the floor.
“Addison, what are you doing?”
“I’ve been meaning to clean this closet for a long time.” She chose a dress, held it against her, then frowned and added it to the pile.
“You want to do this now?�
� Cade pointed to the pile.
“It’s as good a time as any.”
Cade leaned against the wall, understanding what was going on. His playful, meddling wife was turning into a nester.
“You know I really can’t run around all the time in short dresses and no panties with a baby? We need to renegotiate my wardrobe. Maybe add some shorts or capri pants.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?” Addison looked at him through the hanger that a scandalously short, rose-pink dress hung from. “Really?”
“Yes. We’ll have six weeks to talk about it.”
She moved to his side of the closet and began removing items. He let her until she grabbed his favorite T-shirt and tried to add it to the pile.
He took it from her. “Not that. It’s my lucky shirt.”
She held it up and stuck her fingers through the two holes on the right shoulder and wiggled them. “These are bullet holes.”
“That’s why it’s my lucky shirt. I lived, and every time I wear it, Texas wins.”
The holes matched up with the scars on Cade’s right shoulder. “Bull patties.”
“That’s five more.”
Addison smiled, then walked out of the closet. Cade glanced back at the pile. It included just about everything from Addison’s side of the closet and several items from his side. “What about this pile?”
“Maggie and Jane are on their way. They’ll pack it up and give it to the local thrift shop.”
“That’s all I need, your old nanny and our housekeeper joining the chaos. Anyone else showing up that I need to know about?”
“Uh, your aunt, Helen MacLeod. She’s coming to see Nate. She hasn’t seen him yet, you know?”
“How did she react to finding out he was still alive?” Cade watched Addison, noting the time when she stopped and seemed to hold her breath before moving on.
“She was happy. He’s her brother and she loves him as much as we do.” Addison pulled open a drawer and began tossing things into a pile on the bed. She held up a new but particularly large butt plug, then tossed it on the pile. She moved on to another drawer and did the same thing while Cade rescued the plug.
“Speak for yourself. I love my brothers, but I don’t love Nate.”
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