Dark Love (The Two Sides of Me Book 3) (28 page)

“They should have had us out of here by now,” he complains.

“It’s only been a few minutes.”

“I’ve got some pull around here; they were supposed to be right in with your discharge paperwork.”

“Oh geesh, keep your pants on mister, experience life as a commoner,” I say holding back a little giggle.

“Commoner? I think not.” He looks so adorably disgusted I can’t help laughing. “You stop making fun of me, lady; I’ve been forbidden from fucking you not spanking you.” My jaw drops, his use of profanity always surprises me.

“Promises promises.” I giggle unable to stop goading him. He rolls his eyes, and the nurse enters as if on cue. After receiving a laundry list of things I can’t do for the next few days, I’m loaded into a wheelchair and pushed to the curb where Evan lifts me into the freshly cleaned Escalade, buckling my seatbelt like I’m a two-year-old. I let him do his overbearing protective thing with no complaints though, it’s his way, and I love his ways.

When we pull up in the circle drive at home I am excited and energized, it feels so amazing to be here. It’s been a very long time since we have been under the roof of this house together. Evan, as promised does not allow my feet to touch the ground and gathers me in his arms to carry me inside through the foyer, past the grotesque fireplace in the living room and through the double doors of our bedroom.

“Bath first or bed?”

“Bath.”

“I’ll run the water.” I curl up on my side in our huge bed and watch him disappear into the hall to the bedroom next to ours where the bathroom has a tub. I reach down to touch my tummy and try to imagine that two tiny people are growing there. I saw the ultrasound. I even have pictures in my purse, but it’s still unbelievable.

“Mrs. Lawson?” Saint stands just outside the door holding two rocking kennels. “I think they would like to be freed.”

“Oh, of course, please let them out!” I sit up in bed as he sets the kennels down and Yes and No come bounding across the room the second he swings their doors open. “Would you like me to close the doors and keep them in here?”

“No, let them explore their new home, Evan doesn’t like the door closed anyway.” Just as I speak the words both of the kitties dive for the door, and Saint is forced to jump up allowing them to run between his legs.

“Oh!” I exclaim, and his expression has me bursting with laughter.

“What’s going on in here?” Evan strolls past Saint and the abandoned kennels.

“Yes and No are trying to kill Saint,” I say between fits of giggles.

“Miserable pests,” he mumbles as he tugs his shirt down and picks up the kennels to put them away. Evan smirks

“Those are my Furballs, Saint!” He taunts him as he walks away. Saint harrumphs his disapproval which intensifies my laughter.

“You’re very jubilant today, aren’t you?”

“What’s not to be
jubilant
about?” I reach out and take his hand to pull him down into bed with me. “I’ve got you, your surgery is behind us, we are home and I’m…pregnant with twins!” The reality is too much and brings me from full on laughter to tears in one breath.

“Oh my God, are all women as unbalanced and bewildering as you when they’re pregnant?” A chuckle escapes between sobs, and I have to wonder the same thing, I’ve never felt so happy or so nuts.

“I dunno but I do feel pretty crazy.” He tucks a long piece of stray hair behind my ear and lazily drags his finger along my jaw before cupping my cheek.

“You are double crazy because there are two babies.” He smiles warmly.

“I’m double crazy because I’m pregnant with two of
your
babies!”

“You only have this shield for a few months. I’m keeping track of your smart mouth, Mrs. Lawson, don’t think I won’t find a way to punish you later.” He tickles me gently with the word punish.

“Promises promises…”

“Ohhh lady, that’s two now in a matter of seconds watch it.”

“All right, I’ll be good is it bath time?”

“Yup,” I’m hauled from bed and carried next door with no effort. “You won’t be able to lift me pretty soon I’ll be so fat.” I pout “I can’t wait, baby.”

“I’m bored.” Evan made sure every nook and cranny of my body was void of dried blood, he washed and conditioned my hair, dried me thoroughly, dressed me robotically and returned me to this boring bed.

“Go to sleep, baby.” He moves around the room putting clothes away and cleaning up after my bath; I’m surprised he’s putting things away, he usually has Cecelia do that.

“Where’s Cecelia?”

“I gave her a few days off, traveling is hard on her.”

“Oh. Wait, what do you mean hard on her?”

“She has a little cold. Dr. Carmichael is seeing to her. Don’t worry, she is fine.” Hmm, I don’t like the sounds of that, he’s not telling me something, I can feel it.

“Stop, Mia, you’re worrying and there will never be a time when I will be more insistent that you not worry then now. She is fine she has one of the world's top neurologists looking after her, and it’s just a cold. It’s late, now sleep.” He waggles his finger at the pillow behind me, and I sigh.

“It’s not late in Italy; it’s only three in the afternoon.”

“Yes, but it is midnight here and you need to sleep.”

“I need my sleeping pills then.”

“Are those safe for the babies?”

“One of them is for sure, the other I don’t know.” He sits on the bed and gently pushes me back into the pillows with his hand over my heart.

“Can you make it with just the one?” he says softly

“Of course…I’ll be fine.” I have no idea what made me think I could lie to him; it’s never worked before, and it’s not working now. His eyebrows lift with suspicion.

“Ok, I don’t know, but I’ll try, it’s for them.” I cover my tummy with both hands, and his automatically slides down over them.

“I cannot have you suffering nightmares; it isn’t good for you or the babies.”

“Well I have to try, and I’m sure they will be sapping my energy so I’ll be worn out to start with. I have you to snuggle with and we are home, so that helps.” He chews on the inside of his cheek, something I’ve never seen him do and he squints his eyes, he’s thinking.

“You have several valid points, all right; we will try it but the first time you wake up screaming we are asking the specialist to give you something stronger.”

“Sounds fair to me.”

“Up.” He moves his hand from my tummy to my hip and with our eyes locked I lift my hips so he can pull the covers under and over me but as he smooths the blanket over my body to tuck me in he stops short, his eyes darken and his tone turns serious.

“This is the worst kind of torture, you know. I never thought I possessed such strength but after bathing and dressing you as if you were my baby sister instead of the woman who drops me to my knees with a glance, I’m sure we can do this.” His voice has dropped two octaves during his proclamation, and the last few words were delivered in an unconvincing whisper.

“I don’t believe you,” I whisper back and pull him by his charcoal gray Henley down against my chest.

“Please, Mia, don’t.” Please? I think that’s the first time I’ve heard him use that word and instead of repelling me, it’s turning me on, everything is turning me on lately. I roll my head away from him into the pillow and groan.

“Ugh, this
is
torture!” Suddenly his warm minty mouth is covering mine and our tongues tangle in a hot forbidden dance, my pulse races and a zing of desire blasts my core. I fight with myself as his kiss deepens, and I let my hands wander under his shirt and slide over every taut muscle on his back. I can’t. I want to. I shouldn’t. Yes yes yes NO! I jerk away. “Stop you’re destroying me.”

He shifts down and touches his forehead to my chest. “Oh Mia, fuck, this is a test we cannot fail.” He moves to hover over my belly pulling up the edge
of my silk pajama top he kisses me there, once and then after dragging his nose across my skin and breathing my scent in he kisses me again. “We will be strong, for the babies.” Squeezing him tight I remind him of his comment in the hospital today.

“We can find creative ways to get around the rules remember?” I feel him smile against my skin. “What would you suggest?”

“Oh…I dunno…you’re pretty great with your mouth, she said no sex as in penetration, right? I don’t remember hearing no
oral
sex.”

“I believe you are correct, and you have a lovely mouth yourself, baby. But tonight I think we should play it safe and keep it to cuddling.” He’s right as usual, we should. I don’t want to and neither does he but like he said, it’s for the babies.

“Well get your fine ass in here and start cuddling then!”

“Bossiness comes with pregnancy too? This is delightful.” He drawls sarcastically and rises up onto his arms.

“Karma’s a bitch.” Now I’ve done it, I think I’ve pushed a little too hard with that one, his jaw twitches, and his cocks to the side with warning.

“Three.” Shit, at this rate I’ll be in the thousands, hell hundreds of thousands of indiscretions by the time these two are born. His point has been made, and I watch him as he readies himself for bed, bringing me my toothbrush while he brushes his own along with just the one sleeping pill. When we’ve settled into bed with the soft lamp glowing at the bedside I feel the light landing of two warm kitties and a groan from Evan spooning behind me.

“Furballs,” he says into the hair bunched at my neck.

“You love them.”

“I love you; you love them therefore in a roundabout fucked up way I do suppose I love them.” Yes settles in the curve of my tummy as if she knows something needs protecting there, and No takes a place behind Evan’s knees. This is a rare moment of bliss, no tragedy, no illness, no family problems. Shit, family! I have to call my parents tomorrow and tell them the news. How am I going to tell them? How am I going to tell Sage or anybody for that matter?

“You are worrying. I feel it. What’s the matter now?”

“How are we going to tell my family?”

“I will find a way unless you would like to do it yourself.”

“Uh uh, I need you for this one, for sure.”

“We can have them for dinner soon.”

“When Cecelia is well?” I swear I feel him twitch at the mention of her name.

“Yes, when Cecelia is well. Let’s get some sleep, it’s been a long day.” I close my eyes and imagine two little Evans or Mias, maybe one of each? How perfect would that be?

“Mia?”

“Yea?”

“Will you give me your word that you won’t get out of bed until the doctor says it’s safe?”

“Of course, I’ll follow the rules; I don’t have to like them though.”

“True, as long as you promise I’m going to trust you. I really need to get back to work next week, and we have to decide whether or not to have a wedding before or after these two arrive.”

“Before, as in as soon as possible, I want it here, originally I thought we would have it in the garden but it won’t be warm enough so how about the foyer, I’ll come down the stairs and we can do it under the chandelier.”

“I like it.”

“A small ceremony, just family, and close friends with dinner following. If you want a big reception, we can do it after the babies are born.”

“Say that again.”

“Say what?” I ask,

“The last part.”

“After the babies are born?”

“Yes, I love hearing you say that. Mia, I am more frightened than you can possibly imagine. I cannot believe this is happening, and to me, to us. I don’t deserve any of it, and I can’t help thinking it will all go up in smoke and I’ll be left to suffer as I rightly should.” He squeezes me tight and nuzzles his face deep into the curve of my neck.

“If anyone deserves a family it’s us, these babies are going to balance the bad in our lives with good, just wait and see, nothing can take us away from you.”

“I pray you are right.” No more words are exchanged quiet blankets the room and the four or should I say the six of us take a much needed time out from our recent stress for a good night of sleep.

I don’t usually dream, in fact I never dream when I sleep because of my medications but this night I do, and it isn’t the nightmare that usually breaks through but the kind of bizarre dream people usually have. Strange chunks of recent happenings mixed with bits and pieces of things that make no sense at all combine and confuse me.