If confirmed, that would mean perhaps another child had been conceived in the cave at Thousand Steps Beach, since they hadn’t had sex again until their wedding night—gosh, only two weeks ago. So much had happened since then.
She grinned and turned to plant a kiss on Damián’s cheek. No sense getting his hopes up until she knew for sure. Damián wanted to add to their family—and soon. They certainly had been making love often enough since settling into their new house. So, if not now, then soon.
She turned to Damián. “Sit in the glider chair.”
“I can’t stay long. Heading to the shop. Just wanted to say goodbye and make sure you or the babies didn’t need anything.”
“I. Said. Sit.”
He cocked his head. “What did you say, Chica?” When she didn’t back down, he grinned and shrugged as he sat. “I do need to get to the shop soon. Have a new mechanic coming in for an interview.”
When he was seated, Savannah walked over and placed Paxton in his arms.
“Hold Paxton for me.” She placed him in her husband’s arms. Seeing him hold a baby brought tears to her eyes. He was a natural, given how he hadn’t hesitated at all in the hospital. When he met her gaze in Karla’s hospital room, she had seen he’d been affected in the same way.
“I missed so much with Marisol.” She didn’t want to think about that now. Nothing could be done to bring back the past. She hadn’t been ready to be with a man then. So much had changed this year, all because of Damián’s love and patient guidance.
Hoping to lighten the moment, she said, “Mari weighed three pounds more.”
He gazed down again. “Madre de Dios.” His words were spoken in a reverent tone. Seeing how profoundly moved he was, she prayed she’d soon give him a newborn of his own to hold and cherish. He was such a good father to Mari.
Fifteen minutes passed while she changed Kate’s diaper and sat on the bed, alternating glances between Kate and the man she loved holding Paxton. How she had ever found him again was a miracle, but to be married to him now and—
Mari scampered into the room, still dressed in her pajamas. “Maman! Can I hold one of them?”
“Sit in the middle of the bed, and I’ll put Kate in your arms.” With Mari situated far from the edge, Savannah placed the baby in her arms. She usually played with Barbie dolls rather than babies, but seemed to know just what to do.
“I know what I want for my birthday.”
Savannah smiled. Maybe this year she would ask for a baby doll instead of—
“I want you and Daddy to order us some triplets from Dr. McKenzie.”
“Whoa! Not so fast.” What did Mari know about where babies come from? Probably nothing, if she thought you could just place an order for them.
Savannah met Damián’s gaze, expecting him to be looking on in horror at the thought, but his sappy grin told her he might not object. He mouthed the words, “I’m game.” She shook her head. Of course, multiples were rare. Karla and Adam had to be over the moon with their three, but if given the choice, Savannah preferred having one at a time.
Savannah’s phone buzzed, and she pulled it from her pocket. Cassie. Karla was still unconscious. She sent up a quick prayer for her friend’s recovery. She needed to be here with her babies, well, two of them at least.
“Hey, Pax. Take your fist out of your mouth and say hi to Tío Damo.”
Savannah giggled. “It’s a little early for them to speak, Sir.”
Damián’s gaze never left Paxton. “Well, he is speaking to me with his eyes.” The two did seem to be locked in some silent communication. She and Damián sometimes communicated that way, too. A shiver coursed down her spine.
And her heart melted. Please let me be pregnant. If not already, then soon. How different the experience would be with him beside her than it had been with Mari.
“Do you want me to take him so you can get to work?”
He held Paxton closer as if to ward her off. “Work can wait. Family is more important.”
For Damián, family always came first.
Even so, she was so proud of how Damián was opening his own Harley Davidson customization shop. His work was exquisite, but now that he owned the shop, he could hire others to keep things running so he could be here for family when necessary.
Maman’s money had been put to good use there, and allowed her to help Dr. McKenzie expand his clinic and buy much-needed equipment. Soon, she’d be working there three days a week as a therapist. Construction of her office had to take place evenings and weekends so as not to disturb the important work happening at the clinic. She’d be holding individual and group sessions helping patients deal with life crises.
Damián’s sister would be working as a receptionist there after she moved to Denver next month. In the fall, Rosa planned to take two classes at the university and begin working on her bachelor’s degree.
The Orlando family was so blessed.
“Maman, I want to go downstairs now. Zía Angelina promised to show me how to make crepes.” The attention span of the newest Orlando—who had legally taken Damián’s name soon after the wedding—maxed out quickly. Maybe she wouldn’t remember her wish to have triplets or even a single baby after getting her fill of Karla and Adam’s.
“Ask Zía Angelina to bring me two bottles first. The little ones are hungry.” She took Kate and held her against her shoulder, patting her on the back. Damián met her gaze, a question in his eyes. “Yes, you get to feed one if you don’t have to run off right away.”
His smile warmed her heart. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Minutes later, Angelina and Mari entered the room, each holding one bottle. “I have a wonderful sous chef today. We’re going to be cooking up a storm and take some food to the hospital for Adam, Cassie, and Jenny.”
“I’m sure they’ll appreciate some real food for a change.”
Angelina nodded, solemn. “Adam has barely left Karla’s side. I’m worried about him as much as her.”
Damián accepted the bottle from Mari. “When I leave here, I’ll swing by the hospital and check on Dad.”
“Let us know if there’s anything we can do to help.” Savannah hated that the couple’s joy had turned to sorrow so quickly. The man had seen so much heartache. Adam was one of the strongest men she knew, but how much more could one person take?
* * *
Adam begged for fate to step in and give him his life back. “Kitten, I know you didn’t leave me because you wanted to. But you need to come back. Now.” Nothing he could have done would have kept her from hemorrhaging. Other forces had taken her from him.
But he wasn’t going to sit back and let her drift away.
The sight of Karla lying here so helpless and frail brought an ache to his chest that stole his breath. What would he and the babies do if anything happened to her? How could he raise three babies alone?
He laid his head on the bed, covering her arm and grasping her hand. His extended family would help to make sure the babies were cared for, but they needed their mommy.
He needed her, too.
“Baby, come back to us.”
A hand rested on his head, and Adam jerked his head up, wondering how he had missed hearing someone entering the room. Had he fallen asleep? Before he could search the room, he watched Karla’s right hand fall to her belly. His gaze tore to her face, but her eyes remained closed.
“Kitten, eyes on me.”
She blinked a few times and furrowed her brow before focusing those beautiful blue eyes on him.
“Yes, Sir?”
Ka-thunk!
Thank you, God!
For the first time he understood that feeling Karla referred to all the time when her heart dropped into her stomach. Something like that anyway. He took his first full breath in days. “That’s all. I just needed to see your eyes again.”
Needed to know you aren’t leaving me.
She smiled, and while weak, it was the most glorious ray of sunshine he’d see
n in a long time.
Slowly, she took in her surroundings. She pointed to the IV pole. “What happened? Why am I back in the hospital?”
“Had a little complication, but Doc Palmer fixed you up in no time.” Like hell it was no time. Not the doctor’s fault, though. Any amount of time with Karla unconscious was too fucking long.
He stood and bent over her, capturing her lips in a searing kiss, leaving both of them gasping for breath. “I’ve missed you, Kitten.”
“How long have I been in here?”
“Couple days.” Felt like a year to me. He smiled for the first time since he’d found Karla hemorrhaging. God, he’d almost lost her.
She started to sit up until she grimaced in pain. He pressed her shoulder to the mattress. “Hold on. You aren’t going anywhere.”
“I need to go to the babies. They need me.”
“Damned right, they do. But they’re being taken care of. You need to take care of you first. Savannah’s with Kate and Paxton, and Rori is right down the hall. You can visit her when they give you the go-ahead.” Time to catch her up. “Rori’s jaundice is cleared up, and she’s gaining weight steadily. We may even have her home with us sooner than expected.”
Karla blinked away the tears and visibly relaxed. “Oh, that’s so good to hear. I just want to go home and have all my family with me.”
“You and me both.” He reached out and stroked her hair. “You’re an amazing mother and the best wife a man could ask for.”
Her chin quivered. “This is so scary. I feel as if I’ve missed half their lives already.”
“You never left them.” The babies probably knew that better than Adam did.
“I dreamt I visited Rori in the NICU.” She wrinkled her brow and shook off the memory.
The door to the room opened. “Adam, Angelina has brought something for you to eat.” Cassie’s gaze went from Adam to Karla, and he watched the expression on her face become one of pure joy. “Kitty! You are awake!”
She set the containers on the windowsill and ran to the other side of the bed to give Karla a hug. Cassie had shown what a true friend she was to Karla—him, too, although Adam knew she wasn’t doing any of this for him. Her heart belonged to Karla and the babies.
But somewhere around the second visit to the NICU, Adam had stopped getting hostile glares from Cassie. They’d reached some sort of truce. It was a good thing, because she and Karla were like sisters. Adam had never understood why Cassie disliked him from day one, but whatever it was seemed to have been forgiven in the midst of making sure Karla and the babies had all the love and attention they needed.
He’d ask the nurses if Karla could have something besides IV fluids. He reached over, pushed the call button, and summoned the nurse to check on her, too. He needed to know everything was okay now. Giving Cassie and Karla a moment—and hungry for the first time in days—Adam went to the window to see what Angelina had made.
He overheard Karla ask, “How’s Rori?” She lowered her voice, but Adam still heard, “I know you have been watching over her. I saw you in the NICU the night you told me not to cross over.”
What the fuck did she mean cross over?
Realization hit, and the dish in his hand shook so badly that he had to put it down.
Cassie whispered, “I could not stay away. You scared me when you came in there. I thought—”
Karla met Adam’s gaze and saw he had overheard. “Adam, you know I would never have left willingly. I screamed at you when I first found myself out of my body and told you I didn’t want to leave you.”
Her dream of visiting Rori had been no dream at all. He had nearly lost her.
In a moment of clarity, Adam realized his mother, Joni, his first son—none of them had abandoned him intentionally. None really had a choice, not even his mother. Death, tragedy, it could come for anybody at any time. No one could control it and, most times, couldn’t prevent it.
He needed to let go of living on the edge of panic, worrying about what might happen. He’d been given so many second chances and blessings. Time to live in the moment and appreciate what he had.
“I know, Kitten.” Unable to have even a small space between them, he returned to the bed and squeezed her hand, afraid to touch her anywhere. He kissed her and felt Cassie move away, but he didn’t care who saw him. He loved this woman more than life itself.
She’d fought her way back to return to him.
“I love you, Kitten.”
* * *
Two days later, Karla awoke to the sound of one of the babies crying. Being home in her own bed with two of her children nearby was the best medicine ever. She started to get up and felt the tug at her abdomen. She took the pillow and pressed it against her to support her belly with one hand while swinging her legs over the side of the bed and pushing up with her other one.
The door opened, and Adam came in, the cell phone to his ear. “Kitten, you should be in bed!”
“But the babies need me.”
“I’ll take care of them. Lie down.” He pocketed his phone and bent over the bassinet to pick up Paxton in his blue receiving blanket.
Karla’s jaw dropped as she watched him leave the room to fix the baby a bottle. Her world had shifted on its axis these past few days. Cassie was talking with Adam as if the two were good friends, and Adam was holding babies as if he had done it all his life.
Nothing made her happier. She’d been worried about Adam ever becoming comfortable with his babies. Adam returned and fed Paxton while rocking and talking with him as if this was something they did all the time. She blinked back the tears seeing his enormous hands holding the baby with such tenderness.
As he lifted the baby to his shoulder to burp him, Adam glanced over at Karla with a worried expression on his face. “Are you in any pain?”
“No. Why do you ask?”
“There are tears in your eyes.”
She grinned. “Happy tears. I love seeing you caring for the babies with such ease.”
Adam gazed down at the sleeping bundle he held against his chest. “Took some practice—okay and maybe having no choice in the matter.” He grinned. “But you were right all along. I’m not going to break them. Not if I’m careful, anyway.”
“You’re always careful, Adam, with everyone you love.”
Sometimes way too careful.
Oh, dear Lord, with this medical setback, she could probably kiss having sex goodbye until these three were walking and talking, if then. Honestly, though, having sex was the last thing she wanted right now. She pretty much had everything she’d ever dreamed of having—and more.
Thank you, Lord, for my family and friends.
Her complication had been more than a little setback. She could have died. Perhaps she was clinically dead at some point—when she had floated to the NICU and had seen Cassie with Rori.
Thank goodness Adam had found her, and Mom had been able to do what she could. Karla shuddered as she stretched out on the mattress again.
“Are you cold?”
“No.” She blinked away the tears and cleared her throat. “I love you, Adam.”
“I know, hon. I love you, too.” He glanced down at Paxton, sucking away on his little bottle. Doctor Palmer said she could start breastfeeding again tonight, rather than pumping and tossing the milk while her system had been on so many drugs. But seeing Adam feeding one of the babies was a beautiful sight.
“I’m so glad to be home.”
“Not as glad as I am to have you here.”
Adam must have nearly lost his mind these past few days, thinking he was going to lose her. “I’m sorry I put you through that.”
“You didn’t do it on purpose, although you have one helluva pain threshold, woman.” He did not look happy with her. “Doc Palmer said she would have expected you to be complaining about pain a lot more than you did.”
“I had no idea my cramping was anything out of the ordinary.” She grinned. “Just remember that the next time we play. I
can take more pain than you think.”
His pupils dilated in apparent excitement. Time for her to drive him crazy with anticipation for a while.
Oh, no! “Adam! I missed your birthday!”
“I don’t give a rat’s ass about a birthday. You coming back to me is the only present I could ask for. Besides, you know I didn’t want any fuss.”
Karla grinned. “Well, I do have a couple gifts for you.”
* * *
Adam had carried Karla up here only this morning after bringing her home from the hospital. Being in the room where she’d almost died was surreal. He refused to look at the place where he’d found her, even though he knew Marc had sent in his cleaning crew to remove all remnants of the horrific scene here.
Karla giggled, and he grew hard. After burping Paxton, he returned him to the bassinet. Kate remained asleep, so he’d feed her later.
He turned and Karla patted the mattress. “Join me?”
“You need to sleep.”
Sticking out her lower lip just made him even harder. Damned minx.
“I’m tired of sleeping. That’s all I’ve done for days. I want your arms around me. We both know we can’t do anything more than cuddle.”
Oh, what the hell? The babies were asleep. Adam reached for his belt and unbuckled it. Karla’s breath hitched, and her nipples bunched against her T-shirt even showing through the breast pads. Great. He presented his back to her as he slid the belt from its loops and sat on the edge of the bed to remove his shoes and jeans.
Karla’s hand reached out to stroke his bare thigh.
“Kitten.” He hoped the warning note in his voice kept her from tormenting him any further.
“Sorry, Sir. I’ve just missed touching you.”
He’d missed her, too. He would be taking her back to Doc Palmer’s in two weeks for a checkup, but it would be at least eight weeks from when the babies were born before they’d be having sex again. Not that they couldn’t enjoy each other’s bodies in less energetic ways. He glanced down at her, and the sultry smile she gave him warmed his heart.
Nobody's Dream (Rescue Me Saga #6) Page 28