The nurse poked Karla’s belly again, and Karla gasped this time. “Can she have something for the pain?” The nurse promised to bring whatever the doctor ordered.
He wished they would go easier on his kitten. Hell, she’d just delivered three babies through a gaping hole in her belly. But his reading prep told him it was important for her uterus to shrink back to normal size to avoid hemorrhaging. She’d been stretched far beyond what most women would have been for a single baby.
Fuck, they weren’t out of the woods yet for weeks on that score.
So he let them do their job. He reached down to squeeze Karla’s shoulder, pinching her to try to direct her focus away from the pain in her belly. Karla glanced up and smiled.
“Thank you, Sir. You always know just what to do.”
I wish, Kitten.
Right now, he was flying without a parachute. Adam turned toward the window, his back to the door as he fought to regain his equilibrium. As if that would ever be possible again.
A knock on the door gave him something to do, and he crossed the room to find Jenny and Carl had arrived. No Damián with them, but Adam figured he wanted to give the new grandparents time alone first. Or maybe he’d headed home to pick up Savannah and Marisol.
His in-laws barely said hello to him as they rushed into the room and toward Karla and the babies.
“Do the pink and blue caps mean we have a girl and a boy!” Karla nodded and started to speak, but Jenny interrupted. “They’re so little. How much did they weigh, Karla?”
“Kate’s the oldest. Five pounds exactly.”
“That’s big for a twin at thirty-four weeks. Good for you, Karla! I’m so glad they’re healthy. And her brother?”
“Ian Paxton’s the biggest at five-two.”
“Oh, Carl.” Her husband placed his arm around Jenny before she hugged and kissed her daughter. “Thank you for that.” Carl turned to Adam, looking lost. Adam swore the man had gone misty-eyed.
Join the club. The babies had that effect on him, too.
A loud sniffle from Jenny told Adam he needed to ward off sad thoughts at a time like this. Adam cleared his throat. “And Aurora was four-ten.”
Adam watched Jenny’s gaze go from one baby to the other in confusion. “I thought Karla said she was five pounds.”
“Kate’s five. But our second daughter is down the hall in the NICU. I can take you in there one at a time to meet her in a little bit.” The new grandparents stared blankly at him and then Karla before their eyes grew wider as realization dawned. Carl reached out to grab the bassinet before he fell over.
“Triplets?” Jenny’s incredulous tone made Adam smile. The woman didn’t lose her composure often, but she seemed at a loss for words. Only for a moment, though, before she glared at Karla. “How could you keep something like that a secret?”
Karla just laughed. “I assure you, it was as much a surprise for us as it is for you. Even the doctor hadn’t detected the third one. Apparently, during the ultrasounds she only saw one boy and one girl. Aurora was hiding behind them.”
Tears flowed down Jenny’s cheeks. She stroked Paxton’s forehead. “May I?”
Karla nodded, tears overflowing from her eyes, too.
A visibly shaking Jenny took the little boy and bundled her first grandson before holding him in her arms. Carl comforted his wife as they huddled around Paxton.
Adam’s thoughts strayed once more to the son he’d lost at birth. So much for keeping sad thoughts out of the room. Losing him without ever knowing him had been hard enough, but to have had a son for more than twenty-eight years, like the Paxton’s Ian, and then lose him would have been unbearable.
Maybe Doc Palmer had been right all along, and his son’s death had just been a very cruel accident that couldn’t have been prevented regardless of what he and Joni had done in the months before his delivery. Guilt would plague him the rest of his life, though.
He glanced down at Kate, asleep on Karla’s chest, and watched her tiny back rise and fall as she breathed. His vision blurred.
I’m so fucking blessed.
A squeeze on his shoulder brought his attention to the man standing beside him. “Thank you, Adam. You and Karla and these babies are going to make it possible for Jenny and me to return to the living again.”
Seeing Carl crying, too, Adam refused to do a damned thing to hide the wetness on his own face.
“Your daughter did all the work. I’m so proud of her.” Adam choked up, and his gaze shifted to Karla, who teared up as well. At least the babies hadn’t joined in the bawl-fest yet.
A tentative knock on the door gave Adam something to do. He opened it to find Cassie. “You’re back. Come on in.”
She entered the room, and her gaze flew to Karla first, then the babies.
“Cassie, come meet two of my babies.”
“Two?”
“The third is in the NICU.”
Cassie’s hand flew to her mouth. “Then there are three?”
How did Cassie suspect three? They hadn’t even told her about the twins.
Karla seemed a little puzzled, too, but didn’t question her friend. “She’s the smallest of the three. They’re worried about her lungs.”
“Do not worry about her, Kitty. I have seen you together with all three, and they were much older than newborns.”
“You saw this and didn’t warn me?”
“I thought perhaps you were going to have your pregnancies really close together, not that all three would be born at once.”
After introducing Cassie to these two babies, Karla added, “I should have known keeping the news about our having twins from you was pointless, Cassie. You always know everything before I do.”
Another knock and Adam waved Damián and his family in. If the nurses found out they’d exceeded their four-guest limit, they were going to have a fit. Ask forgiveness, not permission.
Damián and Savannah walked over to the bassinet and peeked in.
“Madre de Dios! Dos!”
He met Adam’s gaze, shock on his face. “We didn’t stop there. There’s another girl in the NICU. She just needed a little extra looking after. These two are Kate and Paxton, and the third one’s Aurora, but we’ll probably call her—”
Marisol squealed when she heard the name. “My own Princess Aurora! Wait ’til Emily finds out.” He was happy she’d made friends easily, which made her move to Denver go more smoothly.
Damián smiled. “I guess I don’t have to ask where that name came from,”
“Marisol had you watching the video, too, I guess.”
His adopted son grinned. “A few times.”
“Maman, may I hold one of the babies? Please?”
“No, dear, not just yet. Let’s wait until they’re a little bigger.”
Marisol stuck out her lower lip, but quickly forgot about her request when she reached out to stroke Kate’s cheek.
Karla said, “Savannah, I’m okay with her holding one if she’s sitting down. She’ll probably be babysitting them in a few years.”
“If you’re sure.”
“Absolutely. Mom says babies are tougher than you think, so I don’t want to coddle them.”
Marisol jumped into the chair, her short legs bouncing in midair over the edge in anticipation. Adam brought over some pillows to stuff around her. Savannah placed Kate on her lap. Hell, a seven-year-old kid could hold one, but he still hadn’t. What was his problem?
“She’s all wrinkly,” Marisol observed.
“Well, she’s been in water for a long time, dear.” Savannah smiled apologetically at Karla.
Knowing Damián hadn’t met his daughter until she was seven years old, Adam asked him, “Why don’t you pick up Paxton? You’ll probably need the practice soon.”
Damián’s gaze went between Savannah’s and then Adam’s faces. “You know something I don’t, Dad?”
“No, but I have no doubt you’ll have more kids. You two are naturals at parenting. Now, meet your
new little brother.”
Unlike Adam, Damián had no qualms about picking up the baby. Must have been his practice as an uncle to Rosa’s kids. Why couldn’t Adam pick him up? What was he so fucking afraid of?
Adam placed his finger under the rim of the knit cap and lifted it. “Check out all this hair. It’ll be longer than yours in no time.”
“Wow. And black as…Marisol’s.” The younger man had to clear his throat. Another tough Marine just hit his knees, figuratively speaking, felled by a tiny baby. Damián held the baby a little tighter and didn’t take his eyes off Paxton’s face. Adam let him bask in the moment, experiencing a small bit of what he’d missed.
“With his grip, he’ll be playing baseball in no time. But I won’t unbundle him to prove it.”
“Takes after Kitty.” Adam turned to Cassie, a wistful expression on her face as she gazed at Karla. “She also holds on and does not let you go.”
Adam knew that feeling.
Karla smiled. “Cassie, why don’t you head down to the NICU with Adam to meet Aurora Casandra Montague?”
Cassie stared first at Adam, probably not too keen about having to go through him to meet the remaining baby. Then she turned to Karla.
“Casandra?” Cassie swallowed hard, visibly moved. “Truly? She shares part of my name?”
“Just as you will always share a part of my heart, Cassie. Sorry I’ve been so busy lately, but I wanted you to know how much you mean to me. You’re my sister from another mother.”
Seeing Cassie blinking away tears surprised Adam. She really did love Karla and had been a loyal friend all these years. Everyone should be so lucky to have a friend like her.
“Kitty, I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything. Just go see her for me. They won’t let me out of bed until later today.”
“Ready when you are, Cassie,” Adam said. “I haven’t been to see her in more than an hour. I’m anxious to see how she’s doing.” Adam crossed the room and held the door for her. She gave him a wide berth.
Damn it, he was going to win this woman over if it killed him. Cassie loved Karla almost as much as he did. Karla loved her, too. Cassie had to be worth the effort to get to know better. Time to figure out a way to do it. Maybe the babies could be the bridge.
Chapter Nine
Cassie tried to tamp down her irrational fear, but the man strolling down the hallway beside her set off warning bells she had learned never to ignore again. Adam had never done anything to hurt her. However, she needed to be cautious.
“I appreciate you coming up here today. Means a lot to Karla.”
She would suffer being with Adam because of Kitty. If this was the way she could get in to meet her namesake, then so be it. But she sensed that Adam wanted her to go with him, as well. He seemed a bit insecure when it came to the babies. Somehow, that made him less threatening.
“I would not have missed this for the world.”
Aurora Casandra.
Tears pricked the backs of her eyelids. Nothing could have surprised her more than hearing they had chosen to honor her in such a way. And triplets! What a shock that must have been for the new parents.
“I will talk with Kitty’s friends and family and make sure someone is with her and the babies at all times during these first few weeks.”
“That would help a lot. Karla’s been through a lot, and I want to be sure she’s getting as much rest as possible.”
She would decide what to do later. Now, she needed to meet Kitty’s baby and help however she could until Kitty and the babies went home. Apparently, this tiny one could be here for weeks, though. The separation would be difficult for Kitty.
Adam showed the nurse his wristband, and she scanned it before allowing them both inside the NICU. They scrubbed their hands and forearms before suiting up in gowns, gloves, and masks. The nurse led them to the isolette where the tiny baby slept with patches covering her eyes to keep out the bright light. Seeing the baby naked except for a diaper, Cassie wondered why she wasn’t tucked in a blanket.
Her skin was red and wrinkled. Cassie’s heart constricted at the sight of the beautiful little girl. She reached in and stroked the baby’s forehead.
“Keep fighting, little one. Life is worth it.”
The nurse said, “She’ll be fine. The lights are to prevent jaundice, but her lab work and vital signs are all good so far. We’re rotating her to a new position every two hours.”
Adam reached out tentatively and stroked the baby’s foot. The sleeping infant did not open her eyes but jerked away from his finger.
“I think she’s ticklish,” Adam remarked.
The isolette was warm inside, so Cassie worried less about her being cold. “So soft.”
When Adam did not respond, she gave him a sidelong glance and saw tears in his eyes. Something melted in her heart to see the usually brusque, no-nonsense man reduced to tears at the sight of one of his newborn daughters.
Without thought, she reached up to touch his arm. When realization came, she forced herself not to pull away. Adam needed reassurance. “She will be joining her siblings in no time.”
He nodded. “I hope you’re right.”
“All will be fine.” Cassie sensed Adam was one to worry about everyone in his life. He certainly was overprotective when it came to Kitty.
Everything had to be okay. Kitty said Adam had lost a baby before.
Mama Quilla, please protect this and all of their little ones as they journey through this earthly plane.
Adam was a watchful guardian and protector, so like Papá and Eduardo. Cassie had always seen Papá in Adam’s green eyes. After lying to her parents by not telling them what happened with Pedro and his cronies, and then returning to New York City earlier than planned, she had been riddled with shame and guilt whenever she glanced at Adam’s censuring scrutiny in the photo on Kitty’s desk. Of course, he was not looking at Cassie, but those stern eyes had made her uncomfortable anyway, reminding her of how she had failed her parents.
Perhaps she should have been honest with Papá, but telling him about that night would have forced him to either seek revenge, or worse, to keep Cassie under wraps at home. There was always the real possibility she might have been blamed for going to the cantina with Pedro. Her stomach clenched. What if she had been forced to marry Pedro? If she had been unable to escape to New York, she could not have survived in her Peruvian village without shriveling up and dying. She shuddered.
“Cold?”
She brought herself back to the moment. “Just felt a little draft,” she lied. “At least Aurora Casandra is warm.”
Staring into Adam’s eyes confirmed her suspicions. In the past, every time she had come face to face with the man or his photo, she had not been able to shake the feeling of being scrutinized—and found lacking. But it was her papá’s disdain she had sensed, not Adam’s. She hadn’t realized the resemblance between the two men and their skin tone and green eyes until she painted the portrait of her parents and saw that his eyes were so similar to Adam’s.
The new papá beside her moved his hand and tapped Aurora’s closed fist with his pinky finger. She opened her tiny, wrinkled hand to latch onto him. “Definitely as strong as the other two.”
Adam said, “Like Karla.”
At the same moment, in unison, Cassie said, “Like Kitty.”
He cleared his throat and continued in a whisper. “I think you’re right. Rori’s going to be just fine.”
Rori. She liked the nickname. She would still remember the baby’s full name.
But the pride and love in his voice melted any remaining irrational resistance she had to Adam. The time had come for her to open her heart to the man who made Kitty happy and fulfilled. “You are going to be a wonderful father, Adam. Just as you have been a good husband to Kitty.”
Adam’s gaze sent her back to the past, leaving her longing for Papá before she centered herself once again in the present.
�
�Thank you, Cassie. I’d give up my life for any one of my family members, and that includes you because you’re a sister to my Karla.”
Cassie blinked away the tears, but they spilled anyway. A crushing weight lifted off her shoulders. Perhaps the time had come for her to stop painting all men with the same brush of evil she used for Pedro, Luis, and Diego.
There were good men in the world—Adam Montague was one of them.
And Lucas Denton, another.
* * *
“How are Gracie and Millie doin’?”
Cassie looked up from her pressed-paper cup of coffee to find Lucas towering over her. Her heartbeat ramped up before she reminded herself he was not a threat, even at his imposing height. She had chosen this table in the corner, facing into the cafeteria, so she would notice anyone approaching but had been too absorbed in her thoughts about Kitty’s babies to pay attention to her surroundings. Not wise, although with Lucas, she felt more safe than scared.
“Milagrosa’s doing fine. Graciela’s a wonderful mom.” Cassie’s throat grew tight. Seeing Kitty’s three precious babies churned up feelings she did not know she had inside her. Motherhood was something she would never experience herself.
“Mind if I join you?”
“No, of course not!” She picked up her purse and hooked the strap over the back of her chair. “I am sorry.”
Lucas took the only other seat at the table, at a ninety-degree angle to her, and sipped from his cup as they sat in silence for a few moments.
“They sure have their work cut out for them. Triplets. Damn.”
The words came out before she thought. “Have you ever thought about having kids of your own, Lucas?” A fraction of a second later, Cassie realized that she had given him a life sentence with a woman who did not want to have his children. “I am sorry. I forgot about—”
He waved his hand in the air. “Don’t apologize. Tell you the truth, back then the thought of being a dad scared the piss out of me.”
She wanted to crawl under the table with embarrassment twice over now. She had not been referring to the loss of his unborn baby, either. If she had been sleeping better, perhaps she would not be so careless.
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