Taming Her Past - Protecting Her Future: BBW Erotic Romance (Hearts of Heroes Book 2) (16 page)

“Where are you going? You can’t leave me, please don’t leave me,” she starts with anger in her voice that fades into almost panic.

“I was just going to make the phone calls. I am not going to leave you until those men of yours get here. I will be just right outside as to not bother you.”

“Oh, okay. Good idea. Please tell them to hurry the fuck up and get their asses over here right now!” she yells.

“Will do,” I say, making my exit to just right outside the door.

Not chancing Alex’s or Roman’s cells, I call the fire station directly. Asking for Roman, I wait only a few moments before his gruff voice comes over the receiver.

“Kavanah.”

“Hello, Roman. This is Harmony. I am actually with Cait right now and we need you to and I quote ‘hurry the fuck up and get ya’lls’ asses over to the hospital right now.’

“What!?” he roars.

“Her water broke! She is having your son so you and Alex need to get here ASAP! Hello? Roman?” He hung up on me. Well at least that means he’s in a rush, so hopefully he will be here soon.

I peek my head around the corner and check on mommy-to-be.

“The guys are on their way, babe.”

“Awesome. I’ll forget the contract killer and just do it myself. No one would convict me. Free bird, baby!” Cait breathes through another contraction.

I am no expert on having babies, but this seems to be going really fast. Finding a doctor, I ask quick and to the point questions, but I am rewarded with answers that frustrate me even more.

“Every labor is different. All depends on her body.” Well fuck you very much!

Good Lord! I need to get calling! This baby could pop out at any moment!

I quickly dial Sofie’s number first and relay the news and whereabouts before hanging up and calling Luc. Even if he isn’t a part of this baby, he knows all parties involved and…and I need him here for me.

Back in the room, I try to calm down Cait. I wipe the sweat from her brow, feed her ice chips, and suffer through the bone snapping strength only a pregnant woman in labor seems to possess. Thankfully, in the middle of a long and hard contraction, Alex and Roman walk through the door. I think I can sneak out and wait for the good news in the waiting room, but Death Grip Betty clamps down on my poor fingers and starts yelling at the guys. They have the good graces to look ashamed, contrite, and so very apologetic. Alex is finally able to talk her into releasing me to take the pain out on him and it works. Thank God.

Saying a quick, “I will see you later,” I dart out of the room and down the hall to the waiting room. Luc is sitting against the back wall but stands up when he catches sight of me. His arms open wide and for unknown reasons I collapse into him and tears start rolling down my cheeks. Why am I crying like this? Why do I feel so vulnerable?

“
Easy,
tesoro mio
. It’s adrenaline.
You’re feeling the low right now. Let’s get some chocolate in you.”

Oh.

That sounds like a reasonable explanation. But it doesn’t seem right.

Luc walks back into the cramped waiting room while we snuggle together and get ready for the long wait. Sofie and Rob show up not long after with smiles, balloons, and the baby bag.

“You went to their place and grabbed the baby bag?” I ask Sofie.

“Oh no, hon. I had a separate one in my car just in case of emergencies like this one,” she explains.

After I nod and smile at her, Luc leans over and whispers into my ear, “Mother Hen.” Yeah, I get it. And I am very thankful we have someone like her in our lives. Yes she is loud, nosey, blunt…and so loving, caring, and big hearted. Where would Luc and I be if it weren’t for Sofie? Still yelling and fighting instead of together and happy, that’s where. So in the future, when she wants to do some scheming, I say I’m all in…providing it’s not illegal. This
is
Sofie we are talking about, there does need to be
some
guidelines.

The room becomes more and more crowded as time goes by. People making phone calls so others wouldn’t miss this occasion, who in turn call more people, and so on. I think by the time Alex comes out to announce the birth of Jackob Eli Kavanah, a healthy baby boy at seven pounds, eight ounces, and twenty-one and a half inches long, the whole fire department and some of the police force is waiting alongside us. A great cheer goes up at the announcement. So much so, a nurse comes in to shush us.

Alex comes over to let us know that after Sofie and Rob’s visit, it’s Luc’s and my turn. Only so many people allowed in at a time, even if Roman does push for larger groups. I think his motivation is the more people at once the faster everyone will leave them alone.

Not wanting to take up a lot of time so they could be alone with their new family member, I tell myself not to stay long. Congrats then see ya. My plan is working really well, at first. I walk over to an exhausted but glowing Cait holding a blue swaddled bundle in her arms. Luc gives those hug-slash-back-slap things to Alex then Roman saying he is so happy for them. We are about to make our exit when she asks the dreaded question.

“Would you like to hold him, Auntie Harm?” Cait asks me softly.

Crap! I am going to be sucked in, there is no escape…except…I look over to Luc for help, but get a huge go-for-it smile instead. Turning back to Cait, I open my arms and cradle the perfect little boy to my chest.

My heart melts with the first wiggle in my arms. So tiny. A small soft fuzz of red hair crowns his head and I wink at Cait.

“He’s so perfect and beautiful, Cait,” I whisper to her and start to coo at sweet baby Jake. His eyes open and I know it’s not true, but it feels like he is looking inside me. Seeing what kind of person I am. His eyes slide close once more as he falls to sleep in my arms. I am trusted.

I look over to catch Luc’s eyes blazing at me holding the little one. It’s lust, but not like sexual lust. A wanting so fierce I could feel it across a room. With that one look everything snaps into place for me. There is no expiration date with us. I don’t care that I am scared. That I don’t know what is in our future, but damn I want to find out. I know now that I am going to hold on till the very end with him, whether that means marriage and kids till death do we part, or until our relationship just crumbles beneath us. Either way, no more looking and waiting for the end. I love him. I love him so much it hurts and that’s scary. But so very worth it.

I brush my lips across Jake’s forehead and inhale the perfect baby smell. I want to know what it will feels like to hold Luc’s baby in my arms. In my belly. Even giving birth. Not so much the last part, but if it were Luc’s, then oh yeah.

Oh good Lord…I sound like a stalker.

Handing the baby back to momma, I say my good-byes then Luc and I walk out together. Just a couple steps down the hallway I stop and tug him to a stop beside me. I look up in to his sweet brown eyes and I can’t wait any longer.

“I love you, Luccas. So much.” I try to be strong but the tears escape anyway. I start blushing with embarrassment and try to move the conversation. “I just wanted to say that to you. I couldn’t hold it in any longer. Shall we go eat? We can meet up with Sofie somewhere.”

“Harm, baby.” Luc’s hands come up to cup my face and a pained expression covers his features.

Oh shit…I just fucked up. Here comes the letdown. Fuck, fuck, fuck!

“I love you fiercely, Harmony Saint-Marks. Your sass, temper, and bitchiness drive me fucking crazy, but I won’t live without it, without you. Your sexy body drives me wild and I can never keep my hands off…even when I am supposed too, pending sexual harassment charges.”

“Luc!” I admonish him, but smile after his name leaves my lips.

“All playing aside. I have loved you for years,
cuore mio
. I’ve just been waiting for you to realize you can’t live without me either. Feels really fucking good that you finally have.” Luc whispers the last before sealing our mouths together in a kiss that defines our love. Hot and passionate with sweet and tender all rolled in together.

Our hands hold each other as close as possible and all I think is where is the nearest secluded place we can find, because I need to feel him inside of me. Vibrations start to pull me away from Luc’s so very tempting mouth, and I growl in frustration at being stopped.

Pulling it out from my pocket, I notice the cell number.

“It’s Heather,” I mumble to Luc as I answer the call.

“Hello?” I ask the receiver. Why is my stomach starting to hurt all of a sudden?

Listening to her quick ramble, I feel the blood drain from my face. Luc’s happy face falls into concern as I look at him with wide eyes. I hang up with Heather and breathe deeply, trying to hold back the panic.

“Baby, what’s wrong? What did Heather say?”

“There…there was an accident.” Clearing my throat, I push the sickening words out and watch the panic rise in Luc’s face to mirror my own.

“Shiloh was hit by a car and is en route to this hospital right now.”

*****

Luccas…

She loves me. Yes! She fuckin’ loves me! Jesus, it took her long enough. I was dying there for a while. Holding her in my arms and knowing her feelings for me is the best feeling. Nothing could bring me off this high right now.

Having talked to her father last week was a great decision. Desk work won’t be so damn boring if I have her to come home to at night. We can start a family. A handful of kids running around. I have to get her to move into my place. The apartment is all good but we need room to grow.

Mmmm…I bet we-just-said-I-love-you-to-each-other-for-the-first-time sex is better than makeup sex. Yes, I have made love to her numerous times, but I still think she had blinders on and stuck with calling it just sex…or fucking. This time, we both are on the same page and I can show her I much I love her.

Her buzzing phone slows my libido, slightly. I have every intention of finding a dark corner somewhere and loving her brains out as soon as she hangs up. Her face falls and goes pale. What is going on?

She hangs up the phone and my heart starts pounding. Something is really wrong. Harm clears her throat after a garbled attempt of telling me what was said by the person on the other side of the line.

“Shiloh was hit by a car and is en route to this hospital right now.”

My heart stops.

Our little girl.

All the happiness I was just feeling evaporated. I didn’t say anything to Harmony because I knew letting Shiloh go was hard for her and I didn’t want to add to it. I fell in love with that little girl just as hard as she did. Visions of her laying on the pavement, hurt and scared, brings moisture to my eyes and it feels like a steel band across my chest. She has to be all right. She has to be.

I grab Harmony’s hand and we take off toward the elevators. The emergency entrance is on the other side of the hospital, taking us a while to get there. Once the elevator doors slide close and we start the trip down, I wrap my arms around her waist and tug her into my arms. Harmony is shaking life a leaf.

“She is going to be fine, baby,” I try to soothe but I can’t put any conviction behind my words. I am just as scared as her, but I need to be strong for Harm. Me breaking down like her won’t help anything, and having two hysterical people won’t solve anything.

I give her shuddering body one last big hug before I pull away. Moving her head up with my hands, I lose my breath in her tear-sheened eyes. Catching by breath, I wipe the tears streaking her cheeks.

“She is going to be okay,
cuore mio.
” I try to lift her hopes, but the scared look in her eyes tells me nothing but seeing Shiloh is going to help her. Instead of words for support, I hold her tightly. Then we pace in the large waiting room. On our, what has to be hundredth turn, Heather and the foster parents arrive.

Harmony’s eyes light up then narrow in the all too familiar pissed off I-am-kicking-someone’s-ass way. Grabbing up her hand, I twine our fingers together and exert a little pressure to her pressure point. Just enough to get her attention through her haze. It works. With a silent shake of my head, she understands me and takes in a deep breath. Once her eyes clear and her breathing regulates, I lead her over to the small three-person group.

“What happened?” Harmony croaks out.

“It happened so fast. We were all playing in the yard then all of a sudden screeching tires and screams everywhere. Her ball…she went after her ball,” the mother explains shakily.

We never saw Shiloh. Arriving, checking in, nothing. Thankfully it wasn’t long before a doctor came in and called for us. Not us specifically, but we went with them all the same.

“She is a very lucky little girl. Scrapes, bruises, and a broken arm. We are setting the cast right now and she will be ready to leave in just a bit. Make sure she gets plenty of fluid and Tylenol will help with the pain. If it is still too much for her, I am going to go ahead and put in a pain reliever prescription just in case. Four year olds can be a little cranky when in pain,” the doctor explains to us with a smile.

A huge weight is lifted off my chest. A broken arm was the most damage… Thank God! I tug Harmony into my arms and kiss her fiercely. Elation and relief pour from me. I see the same emotions from Harmony. Her big topaz eyes shine at me while I sit us down and just hold her close.