by Leah Brooke
“I’m not hungry.”
“Clay and Rio went to get some more sandwiches. You need to eat something.”
“I’d choke on it. Did you check on the baby?”
“Of course. He’s doing fine and eating like a horse.”
The baby!
Kelly moaned, struggling to get her eyes to open.
“Kelly!” Blade’s voice came from much closer now, his usually silky tone harsh and filled with desperation.
Jesse’s voice came from her other side. “Thank God.”
Feeling his hand tighten on hers, she squeezed it, hoping to reassure him.
He sounded so frantic!
“Come on, baby. You can do it. Open those beautiful green eyes for me. I know you can do it. Come on, baby. I’ve been waiting for you.”
His voice, still tense became low and cajoling. “Come on, baby. You can do it.”
Clinging to Blade’s low voice, and warmed by the hand that gripped hers, Kelly fought to open them. She got them open once, only to have them close again. She did it again, frustrated that they wouldn’t stay open.
Blade leaned closer, his breath warm against her cheek. “That’s my girl. You can do it. Try again for me. I’m dying to see those beautiful eyes.”
Turning toward his voice, Kelly redoubled her efforts, relieved when she finally managed to open her eyes to slits.
The first thing she saw was his beautiful face. Alarmed at how haggard he appeared, she parted her lips to form his name. Disappointed that although she moved her mouth, no sound came out, she swallowed and tried again. “Blade.”
It was worth it to see the relief and joy on Blade’s face.
He smiled, bending to touch his lips to hers. “You scared me, baby. How are you feeling? Are you in pain?”
Alarmed to see tears in his eyes, she squeezed his hand, shocked at how much effort it took. “No.”
It came out as a hoarse whisper. Clearing her throat, she tried again. “No.” Thankful that her voice had gotten stronger, she tried to smile, but tears filled her eyes, making Blade’s face swim out of focus. “I’m so sorry.”
Jesse touched her arm from the other side, bending to kiss her hair. “I’m going to leave you two alone. I’ll tell the others she’s awake. I’ll be right outside in the waiting room.”
Wiping her tears away, Blade nodded and brought Kelly’s hand to his lips. “You won’t be sorry when you see our son. He’s beautiful.”
The rush of joy and relief that swelled inside made her dizzy. “What?”
Blade’s smile brightened the room. Laughing, he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her with incredible gentleness, his arms strong and firm around her as he held her against his chest. “We have a son, baby.”
He held her, rocking her in his arms. “We have a beautiful little boy who’s been waiting for his mama to wake up.”
Held in her husband’s arms, Kelly could feel her strength growing. “You were right.”
Blade smiled and kissed her forehead. “I keep telling you that I’m always right. I told you we’d have a son, and that everything would be all right. You’re very lucky to have a husband who knows everything.”
Kelly couldn’t help but smile at the return of Blade’s usual arrogance. “I can’t believe it.” Laughing and crying at the same time, she reached up and gripped his shirt, feeling even stronger. “What happened? Where is he?”
Leaning back, he tilted her face to his, his eyes filled with love so strong it brought tears to her eyes. “He’s in the nursery. I haven’t seen him since he was born, but Jesse’s been with him. I didn’t want to leave you. I felt like if I left, you wouldn’t—” His voice broke, shocking Kelly.
“Blade?” She didn’t have the strength to hold him to her the way she would have like to.
Blade’s eyes filled with tears, breaking her heart. “You’ve been in a coma for three days, baby. You lost so much blood. I was so scared you wouldn’t come back to me.”
“Oh, Blade. I knew you were with me. I just couldn’t seem to surface until now. I felt you. I’ll always come back to you. I can’t live without you.”
Burying her face against his neck, she breathed in the scent of him, a scent that always settled her. Her heart raced with excitement and she couldn’t stop crying. “We have a baby boy!”
Blade lifted his head, his eyes swimming with tears. “We do. Are you ready to see him?”
By the time the nurse called the doctor, and he checked her out, Kelly felt much stronger.
Between bites of food that Blade kept feeding her, Kelly couldn’t stop staring at her son. “Oh, Blade, he looks just like you.” Her son had the same dark skin and black hair that her husband did, the blood of his ancestors evident. “He’s so beautiful.”
Blade slid the spoon of yogurt between her lips. “His mother’s beautiful.”
Uncomfortably aware that she looked a mess, Kelly looked away and swallowed. “No, she’s not. I need a shower.” Looking up, she touched his jaw. “You look exhausted. I can’t believe you’ve been sitting in that chair for three days.”
Blade’s eyes filled with remembered pain. “Where else would I be? Jesus, Kelly, you scared the hell out of me.” He set the yogurt aside and lifted her with a gentleness that brought tears to her eyes, cuddling her and the baby close. “I thought I was going to lose you. I couldn’t live without you, baby.”
His voice broke, his entire body shaking against hers.
She hadn’t thought her love for him could get any stronger, but the rush of love she felt for him in that moment made it difficult to breathe. “Blade, I’m so sorry to put you through that. I’m fine now. I promise.”
Blade pulled her closer. “I love you, Kelly, more than anything in the world. I can’t lose you.”
The baby objected, letting out a cry.
Laughing as Blade pulled away, she smiled up at him. “I think he’s hungry. Oh, dear. I’ve never done this before.”
Blade had already pushed the call button and rubbed their son’s belly. “We’ll have the nurse help us.”
Kelly blinked and tried to adjust the baby in her arms, inwardly cursing her weakness. “Us?” Grinning up at him as he stood and lowered her to the bed again, she looked from him to the baby and back again, unable to get enough of either of them.
Blade grinned back at her, looking better than he had when she woke up, but he still looked exhausted. “I don’t have the breasts for it, but I’ll help you all I can. We’re in this together, baby.”
By the time the nurse had shown her what to do, and she’d managed to nurse the baby, Kelly was exhausted. Before the kindly nurse had even placed the baby back in the bassinette, Blade had already begun tucking Kelly back under the covers.
His eyes held more than a hint of concern. “You’re still weak. Go to sleep for a while.”
Kelly struggled to keep her eyes open, scared that if she went to sleep, she wouldn’t be able to wake up again. “But the others… I want to see Jesse and show off our son. By the way, have you changed your mind about his name?”
Blade’s slow smile made her heart beat faster. “No—unless you’d like something different.”
“No. He looks so much like you. I’d like him to have the name of an ancestor you admired. Hawke Royal. I like it.” Her eyes started to close again.
“Good. You go to sleep. I’ll go talk to the others, and then I’ll be back. I’ll talk to the doctor about your shower.” Bending low, he kissed her forehead, her cheek, her lips. “I’ll be here when you wake up, baby. Go to sleep. The doctor said you’re fine now. Just sleep and get your strength back. I need you, baby, even more than I even knew.”
Chapter Four
Lying back against the pillow, Kelly smiled as she watched her best friend, Jesse, coo at Hawke. “You know, I’m kind of surprised you, Clay, and Rio haven’t tried for a baby.”
Seated in the chair next to the bed, Jesse didn’t even look up, answering in the same singsong voice she used for the baby.
“I had my tubes tied long ago. I didn’t want any more children with Brian, and he certainly didn’t want any more. Clay, Rio and I are happy with the three we have, and it probably sounds selfish, but we want to spend as much time together as possible.”
Looking up, Jesse smiled. “We consider finding each other nothing short of a miracle.”
Kelly grinned, her own heart filled with love for the man she’d married. “I feel the same way. I’m so glad you and I moved here. I don’t even want to think about a life without Blade in it.”
Her stomach knotted as she considered the change in him. It had been almost a week since she’d woken, and a hint of fear still lingered in his eyes.
He stared into the distance a lot, and at times, there was a strange look in his eyes.
When she asked him what was wrong, he shrugged it off. Although he touched her often and couldn’t seem to stay away from her from long, she noticed a distance between them that had never been there before. She tried to blame it on his fatigue, but knew it was something more. Blinking back tears, she dropped her head back on to the pillow and sighed.
“What’s wrong, Kelly?”
Kelly looked toward the door, knowing Blade could come through at any minute. “Blade’s different. Something’s wrong and he won’t talk about it.”
Shaking her head, Jesse sighed. “Jesus, Kelly, you should have seen him. It took King, Royce, and Rafe to keep him from tearing the room apart when you went into a coma. When they finally got him calmed down, he just fell apart. He and I came in here to be with you. Jesus, when he cried, it broke my heart.”
Getting to her feet, Jesse placed the baby back into the bassinette before sitting on the bed next to Kelly, her eyes shimmering with tears. “He didn’t want to leave you alone for a minute. He wouldn’t eat. He wouldn’t sleep. He didn’t even go to see the baby. He just sat there holding your hand and talking to you until he was hoarse. He was afraid to leave you. Kelly, I’ve never seen a man so broken.”
“I would have been throwing furniture against the wall, too.” Clay spoke from behind Jesse, making them both jump. Coming up behind his wife, he wrapped his arms around her and smiled at Kelly. Kelly blinked. “He threw furniture? My calm, always cool and in control husband threw furniture?” She couldn’t even imagine Blade doing anything like that.
Clay nodded and leaned over to smile at the baby. “Yep. You can thank Royce, King, and Rafe for not letting him break more and racking up a higher bill. It took all three of them to keep him from killing the doctor after he told him you were in a coma from too much blood loss.”
Running a hand over Jesse’s hair, Clay stared at her, his eyes hooded. “I can’t say that I blame him. If anything happened to Jesse, I wouldn’t want to live.”
Turning to Kelly, he smiled. “Be prepared to be wrapped in cotton and treated as though you might break. I know you’ll get frustrated, but be patient with him. He’s had quite a scare.”
Kelly sighed, plucking at the covers. “That’s what I’m afraid of. I don’t want him to worry. I want things to get back to normal. We haven’t had normal in a long time. He’s treated me as though I’m fragile for months.”
“You have been.” Coming closer, Clay bent over Kelly and kissed her forehead. “Blade’s scared, Kelly. That man loves you.”
Kelly watched in fascination as Clay cooed over the baby, the sight of such a huge man making ridiculous noises at a newborn making Kelly laugh. “You look ridiculous.”
Clay grinned. “I don’t care. You are going to let us babysit, aren’t you? Jesse already has a crib set up for him and everything.”
Kelly blinked and turned to Jesse. “You’re kidding.”
Jesse crossed her arms over her chest and smiled. “I don’t know why that would surprise you. By the way, I called your brother.” She lifted a hand before Kelly could say anything. “I told Cullen about the baby and that you were fine. I didn’t tell him anything else. He’s going to try to get here within the next couple of weeks.”
Kelly sighed and leaned back again. “Thank you. He’d worry, too.”
Clay straightened to his full height of over six and a half feet tall, and went to his wife, running his hand over her hair as he smiled at Kelly. “I’m leaving. I know you two are dying to talk without any men interfering.”
He touched his lips to Jesse’s forehead. “Let me know when you’re ready for lunch. Blade’s getting something to come back here and eat with Kelly. We’ll go to the restaurant next door with King and the others when you’re ready.”
Jesse looked up at him, the love shining in her eyes so stunning, it took Kelly’s breath away.
It seemed to have the same effect on Clay.
The way they looked at each other made Kelly feel like an intruder, but she couldn’t seem to look away.
Jesse smiled up at Clay, cupping his jaw in a loving gesture that made Clay’s eyes light up. “You don’t have to wait for me. I know you’re all hungry.” Leaning against Clay, Jesse met Kelly’s eyes and laughed softly. “They emptied the vending machines. All three of them.”
Kelly smiled as she imagined it, her eyes brimming with tears again at the thought of how many people from Desire had come to support Blade.
And to her amazement—her.
Clay rubbed a hand over Jesse’s back, his eyes narrowing. “Hell, Kelly’s crying. Do you want me to go get Blade?”
Kelly couldn’t help but laugh at his look of panic. “No. It’s these damned hormones. I’m fine. You two just look so in love, and I was thinking about how many people came to support Blade while I was in a coma, and how everyone took me in—” Embarrassed that tears started flowing again, Kelly reached for a tissue.
Clay held his hands out in front of him, his eyes going wide. “No more crying. No more. Please. I’m leaving. Jesse, fix it. Make her stop crying.”
Jesse laughed. “Get out. Give us some time alone together.” Laughing as he almost ran out the door, Jesse came over and sat on the bed next to Kelly.
“It’s kind of funny to see a man that big get a little frazzled by a few tears, huh?” Handing Kelly another tissue, she sniffed, her eyes suspiciously moist. “Gets me every damned time. They’re so softhearted when it comes to women, it makes me love them even more.”
Pulling another tissue from the box, Jesse wiped her own tears. “I can’t stop thinking about the way Blade looked at you. He was so scared. He held on to you, scared to let go of you. He talked to you until he lost his voice. He laid his head on the pillow beside yours and whispered to you.”
Sniffing again, she stood and went to the bassinette. “He didn’t even leave the room to go see the baby. He didn’t eat. I came in to check on you several times and found him wrapped around you, napping with his head on the pillow next to yours. He was scared all the way to the bone, Kelly. We all were, but Blade…”
“I know.” Kelly nodded, wiping away another tear. “He’s been so good with me. So loving. Patient. So strong. I’ve been leaning on him for a long time, Jesse.”
“You needed him, and it’s obvious he needs you.”
Kelly blew out a breath. “But, I hate that he looks at me as if he has to be careful with me all the time. He’s been doing it for so long, that even now, he doesn’t want me to move. Blade’s been so careful with me. He hasn’t even made love to me since finding out I was pregnant this time, and I know that must be hard for him.”
Taking Kelly’s hand in hers, Jesse smiled. “He’s been scared, Kelly. Give it time. You’re not ready for that anyway.”
Kelly squeezed Jesse’s hand. “He’s changed toward me, Jesse. It scares me. Then he goes to the club and is surrounded by all those women…”
Jesse frowned and glanced toward the closed door. “You don’t really think Blade would cheat on you, do you? That man’s obsessed with you.”
Releasing Jesse’s hand, Kelly dropped back against the pillow. “No. You know what kind of man he is, Jesse. Blade has a high sex drive and doesn’t
understand the word vanilla. He likes it raw and wild, and can be very demanding. I’m afraid he’s never going to look at me with that kind of hunger again.”
Patting her hand, Jesse got to her feet again. “That’s nonsense. You’ll see. When you’re healed, Blade will be all over you.”
Hearing the door open, Kelly forced a smile. “I’m sure you’re right.”
Blade paused to drop a kiss on Jesse’s head as he approached the bed. “Your husbands are waiting to take you out for lunch and then home. You look tired, honey, and Clay and Rio are getting a little desperate. You’ve been here for days.”
Shaking her head, Jesse giggled, something she did with heartwarming regularity since marrying Clay and Rio. “Those two worry too much.” Poking Blade in the stomach, Jesse shook her head, still smiling. “You men think we’re going to break or something. Just remember, we put up with all of you on a daily basis.”
Blade’s jaw clenched. “You’re all too fragile, and you’re all too important to us. It’s terrifying at times.”
Kelly’s stomach dropped. Shaken by the anguish in her husband’s eyes, she shared a look with Jesse as Hawke began to cry, drawing Blade’s attention.
Jesse smiled reassuringly before saying her good-byes. “I’ll stop in again tomorrow morning before work. I know they’re planning to release you tomorrow, so I’ll see you again tomorrow night. It sounds like Hawke’s hungry.”
Blade lifted his son from the bassinette. “Hungry, huh? I guess mommy’s breasts are yours for now, little guy.” He placed the baby in Kelly’s arms and sat beside her, supporting her weight with a strong arm wrapped around her back.
Wincing when Hawke latched on, Kelly leaned back against her husband. “I hope you don’t forget that they’re yours, too.”
“Hmm.” Blade kissed her hair. “Right now, you just worry about getting your strength back.”
Kelly sighed and let her eyes flutter closed, hating feeling so weak. She could only hope that Jesse was right. The almost desperate need to have proof that things would be the same as before ate at her.
He’d gotten so used to babying her and treating her with kid gloves that she feared he’d never see her the same way again.