Chapter 14
“You’re going to make a great daddy.” I sighed as I leaned my head on Lincoln’s shoulder.
Lincoln’s goddaughter, Anna’s daughter Hailey, was fast asleep on his chest. After Sierra and I were all measured up, we joined the men, then we loaded up to go to a children's museum for the day. We used two fifteen-passenger vans to take Kade, Micah, Alex, Ella, Harry, Hailey, Nadia, Victoria, Patrick, and Lexus out for the day. Of course, our main knights had come, including Rachel, Gavin, Sierra, and Mercedes.
The children's museum had a fantastic interactive play area where the kids played for hours. However, the early morning traveling and playtime had tuckered Hailey out approximately a half hour ago. She had gotten cranky, and after Lincoln walked her around for ten minutes, she passed out on his chest.
Sierra and Mercedes walked past, holding Lexus’ hand. Lexus was dragging them behind her, laughing, as she attempted to show them the little grocery store they had for the children. They exchanged amused glances and spoke animatedly about something I couldn’t hear from my spot on the bench near Lincoln and Hailey.
After an awkward hour or so, I was pleased to see that Sierra and Mercedes were getting along. I caught them talking several times, and Lexus seemed to be naturally drawn to Sierra as well. As the hours passed, it became more and more evident why they were connected to Gavin. They all balanced each other out.
“I hope so,” he admitted without his usual bravado. “It’s easy to be a part-time parent. I take Hailey out or babysit her some afternoons, but she always goes back to Anna or the nanny. But these babies,” he threw an arm around my waist and caressed my belly, “are going to be with us twenty-four-seven, and if I’m honest with myself, that’s a little terrifying. Especially after I realized how some babies come out… different.”
I raised my brows at him in confusion as I tried to hide a smile. It was endearing for him to be so vulnerable with me. I knew he rarely made himself so. He was generally confident and maybe even a little cocky.
“Different, how?” Reaching over, I untangled a strand of hair that had fallen over Hailey’s eyes.
“Well,” he said, feigning annoyance at my unsympathetic response, “some babies get jaundice, acid reflux, allergies, lip ties, croup, thrush, and don’t even get me started on colic! I know that there are eight of us, but there are two of them, and if our daughter is anything like our ultrasound, she’s gonna give us a run for our money.”
I couldn’t contain the laugh that burst from my lips. It was cute how worried he was. I knew I should probably be more concerned, but I wasn’t. I knew my guys. I also realized I wouldn’t be the typical first-time mom. They would take care of them and me. No matter what, with Jace and Remy behind the helm, they would figure something out, so we were never exhausted or overwhelmed.
“Shouldn’t I be the one worrying?” I teased him before I brushed a kiss on the underside of his jaw.
I could tell that my show of affection surprised him. This was new territory for us, but I wasn’t holding back any longer. He had already proved that he was all in, so it was time to show him I was all in too. He wasn’t going to run off; believe it or not, Gavin and Jemmy’s predicament had put my relationship in perspective. He was chosen for me for a reason, and I couldn’t deny it.
“I don’t want to worry you.” He frowned as he reached up and tucked one of my wild curls behind my ear. “After chasing all the kids around today, I just realized that we’ll have two tiny humans relying on us sooner than we think.”
“And we’ll be just fine,” I said as I pointed out where Dawn, Ella, and Nadia were in the middle of a dance battle.
Further into the room, Terrance and Alex were attempting to light up a cave-looking structure using clues to determine which light bulbs would illuminate the area. They seemed committed to winning the simulation in the predetermined time they were given. As far as our eyes could see, the children were having a blast with the adults—even the older ones.
I was pleasantly surprised to notice that even the teens had found stations they could interact with. This museum was impressive enough that even the adults were having a good time. I did a silent headcount once more and noticed two missing. I stood up when I noticed I couldn’t see Victoria and Kade.
In a distracted tone, I said, “We have so many other hands to help us. Look at all the adults we have in our life. Do you really think they’ll hang us out to dry when the twins run us ragged?”
Lincoln chuckled as he stood next. “Very true. What’s up?”
“Ice scream?” Harry ran up to me with a hopeful look on his face.
I looked down at him and smiled before I scooped him up. “That sounds great, buddy, but maybe lunch first.” Then I turned to look at Lincoln. “I don’t see Kade and Victoria. Maybe I should track them down and find out if the others are ready for a late lunch.”
“I know the place we can go,” Lincoln stated. “I can call them and make sure we get a private room for our party.”
Sometimes it was easy to forget that he was famous. His disguise seemed to hold up well today, but I was sure he was tired of wearing the oversized hoodie, sweatpants, hats, and sunglasses. With a private room he was free to be himself.
“Sounds good to me.” I smiled at him and squeezed his hand.“Now, I’m going to hunt the teens down.”
“Not with that baby on your hip,” Remy grumbled as he swooped in and took Harry from me. “He’s over thirty pounds, and you shouldn’t be lifting him.”
I lovingly rolled my eyes.“I’m not that far along. The doctor said I shouldn’t carry anything heavy, and Harry’s not that heavy.”
“Regardless,” he argued, “you shouldn’t if you don’t need to.”
“Rem-eee,” Harry plaintively cajoled, patting Remy’s face.“Ice scream, peas?”
Lincoln and I chuckled, realizing Harry was attempting to go over our heads. He knew how soft Remy could be and hoped to sweet-talk the man into getting him some.
“We told him food first,” I told Remy as I playfully tickled Harry’s sides.“You little stinker.”
He let out a gleeful giggle.“No tick tick, Lake!” he squealed.
Hearing him talk brought me such enjoyment. He had come a long way verbally. He was still behind his peers, but like his parents, the fact that he was talking was good enough for me. His nightmares still plagued him, but he was learning how to cope with them and get support from others.
I laughed.“I will if you stop buttering up Remy into an ice cream. I told you we could get some after lunch.”
“After?” he eagerly inquired.
“Yes, after.” I smiled before I turned to leave.
“I’ll gather some of the others and buckle this one in,” Remy told me.
Lincoln pulled a face.“I think someone needs a butt change before we go anywhere.”
The smell of a dirty diaper reached my nose, and I realized then that Hailey had pooped in her diaper. At three, she was still struggling with potty training. I barely held back a sudden onslaught of nauseousness. The smell was strong enough to violently turn my stomach.
“Yeah, I’m going now.” Lincoln shot me a sheepish grin and ran off.
I decided to go off on my own to find the teens since the rest of the team was rounding up the other kids. I didn’t make it ten steps before Jaxson jogged up beside me. “I’m starving, and so are the kids. Are we ready to get grub yet?”
“That’s the plan,” I explained as I linked my arm through his. “Let’s hunt down Vicky and Kade and blow this popsicle stand.”
Jaxson looked around.“Hmm. I haven’t seen them in a hot minute.Let’s go!”
I still felt like I needed to pinch myself. I couldn’t believe I was free of Horatio. Enjoying these simple acts of freedom, like hanging out with my guys and the children, was fantastic, but it still felt like a dream.
“It feels so nice to be in the real world again,” I stated.
He suddenly stopped, and my back was up against the wall before I could blink. His hand cradled my face before he lowered his mouth to mine. His kiss was sensual and full of heat as our tongues slid against each other. I reached up and wound my fingers through his thick dark hair as he grasped my hips and pulled me in closer. His erection pressed against my stomach, and I made a mewing sound.
His tongue tangled with mine, driving in and out of my mouth. I let out a low moan as my heightened libido imagined our lower parts mimicking our tongues. He gave an answering groan as I reached out and grabbed his cock through his jeans, but just as suddenly as it started, it ended. He pulled away, his breath as ragged as mine.
“Just making sure you’re still here.” He gave me a crooked little grin before he gripped my chin and tilted it up. “There are no words to describe how I feel about having you back in my arms.”
“Ditto,” I said a bit breathlessly.
I furtively looked around even though I knew dragging him off to a secluded area wasn’t feasible. Everyone was hungry or getting there. Plus, the place was far too crowded to hide away unnoticed.
I pouted at him. “That was dirty. Now, I’m all hot and bothered, and we can’t do anything about it.”
“I don’t know about that .” He smirked at me before pulling me toward a side hallway.
There were signs clearly stating Employees Only and Restricted to the Public , but Jaxson seemed undeterred. He opened the door to the right and pulled me into some kind of storage room. His lips were on me seconds afterward.
I got lost in his kiss once more until familiar voices started filtering through the thin walls.
“How much longer do I have to wait?” The girl's voice caught on a sob. “You took Maura Green on a date Friday night, and I heard Simone say you kissed her last week.”
“We’ve talked about this,” a weary male voice responded. “You’re still a kid. You’re three years younger than me, and you forget that my brother is in love with you. I can’t do that to him. I won’t do that to him.”
Jaxson and I stopped kissing and looked at each other with wide eyes. I recognized Kade’s voice, then I realized I recognized the girl's voice too—Vicky. When I first met her, she had been emotional, but rarely did she show her more vulnerable side. Anger, defensiveness, grief, and even guilt were emotions I was familiar with, but this devastation was a new emotion altogether.
“And I love him too, but not like that.” Victoria’s voice wavered. “I’ve told him I could never see him as more than a friend, so I’m not ruining what we have, and neither would you. You’re my—”
Kade cut her off. “It means nothing,” he said a bit harshly. “Do you not see how Jemmy and Gavin are tearing themselves apart? Or how Pops has another connection out there, the same woman who had no issues cheating on him with an evil man. The same woman who kidnapped Blake. God, or whoever decides our connections, can get them wrong sometimes.”
I sighed and closed my eyes. Micah had fallen for Victoria almost immediately, and Patrick had a crush on her as well. The boys didn’t seem to mind splitting her affections, but somehow, I doubted he would favorably take the news of Victoria's crush on Kade. Kade was doing the right thing by discouraging her.
Holy shit, Jaxson mouthed, his eyes wide with shock.
I was just as speechless and stunned. Victoria and Kade were connected. I couldn’t believe I had forgotten all about the mark I had seen on her arm. Here I thought it was a harmless crush, but it was more, so much more.
My heart went out to them. I was glad I hadn’t found my guys when I first got marked. I couldn’t imagine sitting by for years, watching my older guys date and hook up with other women. Not to say they would have, but I was still a kid when Remy was marked as an adult. I couldn’t imagine him, Noah, or Troy remaining celibate while they waited for me to become legal.
“How can you say that?” A sob finally ripped from Vick’s throat. “I know I’m not the only one who feels this pull!”
“I—” Kade began before Jaxson pulled open the door.
“Don’t,” Jaxson barked out in warning. “Whatever you were about to say, Kade, don’t. Before you speak, think and be smart. It’s hard to fix a wrinkled heart.”
His tone was light, but I saw the sternness in his eyes. He was rarely firm with the kids. If anything, he was the ringleader in some of their mischievous antics. I slipped my hand in his and squeezed it. I loved seeing this air of maturity in him.
Victoria gasped, her tears slowly cascading down her cheeks. She tried to wipe them away with the sleeve of her Henley, but there was no hiding the redness in her eyes. Kade looked stunned, ashamed even.
It took me a moment to register Jaxson’s words and why they seemed familiar, then I remembered the wrinkled paper heart on the fridge. Ella, Nadia, and Alex’s teacher had given them all paper hearts, then she told them to ball it up. After that, she told them to straighten them, but none of them could. She explained the meaning behind the lesson and warned them how their words could still hurt people and “wrinkle” hearts. The final part of the lesson was for them to decorate the cutouts and write the saying “Before you speak, think and be smart. It’s hard to fix a wrinkled heart.” on them.
The lesson had touched me, and it had put things in perspective for the kids as well. It was easy to say something in the heat of the moment, but our words had the power to leave lasting damage on other people’s hearts.
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Jaxson asked, a touch of hurt in his voice.
“There’s nothing to tell,” Victoria said with false bravado. “It’s just a stupid crush.” She sniffed before turning away from us.
“But it’s not.” I gently reached for her arm, the same limb I had seen the mark on. “I can’t believe I forgot I saw it.”
“You didn’t see anything,” Victoria caustically replied.
“She just turned thirteen, and I’m going to be sixteen in a couple of weeks.” Kade sighed. “I’m not a pervert, and Micah and Patrick love her.”
“You probably should have told them the truth as soon as you found out,” Jaxson said with a weary sigh. “But that’s not the biggest issue. The biggest one is that you’re not treating her as she deserves, man. Young or not, there’s a reason she was chosen for you.” Kade went to open his mouth as if he were going to argue, but Jaxson interrupted. “I’m not saying date her now, but you can still treat her respectfully. There’s no rush to get into any relationships in the meantime.”
Kade uncharacteristically snorted. “Like you, Noah, Remy, Troy, Jace, and Drake waited for Blake? As you said, we’re still young. There’s no reason we can’t date and see other people until we get older. We shouldn’t have to make decisions like this at our age. Besides, like I said, I can’t do this to Micah and Patrick. I won’t…” His eyes widened as his voice trailed off.
I turned and looked over my shoulder. Micah and Patrick were standing at the mouth of the hallway with Troy right behind them.
“Do what?” Micah asked.
At the same time, Troy asked, “What’s going on?”
Kade closed his eyes and cursed while Victoria turned into my body and began to cry. Initially shocked, I instinctively wrapped my arms around her, comforting her.