Chapter 38
Chapter thirty-eight
Abigail
The big house has always had a certain rhythm to it. The soft echo of the wind outside. The low hum of the refrigerator. The distant sound of horses in the barn or the guys working outside. And the pitter-patter of Lucy shuffling about the house.
Today that rhythm is… off.
I stand at the kitchen island with my hands wrapped around a mug of decaf coffee that’s now gone cold.
The smell of bacon lingers in the air from the breakfast I made for everyone.
I was quick to learn that Joe and her men aren’t exactly culinary masters in the kitchen.
Be that as it may, she wasted no time volunteering to clean once we were all done eating.
I smile as I watch her move around the kitchen like she’s lived here her entire life—opening cabinets without asking, placing pans in drawers, and humming softly under her breath as she washes dishes at the sink.
Lucy follows her every step, eagerly awaiting Joe to slip her another scrap.
“I think you’re spoiling her worse than I do,” I say quietly, just as she hands Lucy another piece of bacon.
Joe glances over her shoulder with the same mischievous smile I often get from Jas. “She deserves it.”
Lucy thumps her tail against the floor like she understands the compliment.
Across the room, Dante leans against the counter with a cup of coffee in his hand. He hasn’t said much since they arrived, but one thing I have noticed is that his eyes calmly flick between everyone in the room. Cataloging our every movement and making sure we’re all okay.
Enzo, on the other hand, is sitting at the kitchen table with his chair tipped back on two legs—the same way Lawson scolds Beau for—tossing a small piece of cantaloupe up in the air and catching it in his mouth.
Lucy spots the piece of food immediately.
“Don’t even think about it,” Joe tells her without turning around.
Lucy sighs dramatically and flops onto the floor between Joe and me.
Luca sits near the far end of the table with a laptop open in front of him, his fingers moving steadily across the keyboard while his eyes scan the screen.
Enzo tosses another piece of cantaloupe in the air. “Would you stop with the fruit?” he snaps, but there’s no real heat behind it. “I know you have work to do.”
Enzo shrugs. “Yeah, but I don’t really want to do it.”
Luca rolls his eyes. “And what exactly do you want to do?”
“Oh, Amico,” Enzo says with a slow grin. “I think you know exactly what I want to do… or more like whom.”
He winks at Luca, and despite how hard he tries to hide it, I watch a blush creep up Luca’s neck.
Joe snorts a laugh as she continues washing dishes, not even bothering to turn around.
Sebastian’s amused gaze drifts from the two men at the table back down to his phone. He stands at the front window, coffee in one hand, phone in the other. He glances down at the screen every few seconds, like he’s waiting for something. Anything.
My chest tightens a little.
Because I know who he’s wishing to be at the other end of that phone.
Something is happening today.
I just don’t know what.
The boys left early this morning, before the sun had even climbed over the ridge.
Lawson had been dressed already when I woke up, sitting at the edge of the bed, pulling his socks on.
Lincoln stood near the dresser as he buttoned the cuffs of a crisp white shirt.
Beau leaned against the doorframe, muscular arms crossed over his broad chest, watching them both.
And Jasper sat on the edge of the mattress beside me, brushing a few strands of hair out of my face with that quiet, thoughtful expression he gets when he’s thinking too hard.
I didn’t ask where they were going.
Didn’t ask why none of them looked like they hadn’t slept or why they all kissed me a little longer than usual. And I definitely didn’t ask when Beau held my face in his hands and whispered, “Everything will be better after today. We will be back soon.”
I knew better.
I trust them.
So, I let them go.
Pressing my hand gently against the small curve of my stomach, I smile, knowing they will come back to me.
They’d never put themselves in a situation where they wouldn’t make it home to me.
I feel a small flutter as my hand moves along the small bump.
The baby is still small enough that most people probably wouldn’t notice the bump yet unless they were looking for it.
But I notice.
Every second of every day.
Not because I’m uncomfortable, but because it’s a constant reminder of the love the five of us share.
Sometimes, when I catch my reflection in a window or a mirror, I still feel a little stunned that this is my life now. There’s a tiny person growing inside of me. Equal parts me and the men that I love.
And yeah, sure—I know it’s scientifically impossible. I know that genetically, this baby is only one of theirs. But I also know something else.
That with daddies like them, there’s no way this baby won’t grow up carrying pieces of all four.
Lawson’s steady kindness.
Jasper’s fearless heart.
Beau’s unwavering devotion.
And Lincoln’s quiet strength.
The beep of the microwave brings me back to the present, and I look over to find Joe sliding a plate across the island toward me. “You need to eat.”
I wrinkle my nose. “I did eat.”
She lifts a brow. “You had a piece of toast.”
“That counts.”
She crosses her arms. “Not for someone growing an entire human being, it doesn’t.”
Enzo snorts from the table. “Better listen to her, Bella Rossa. That one’s never been in a fight she can’t win.”
Joe smiles proudly at Enzo.
“Bella Rossa?” I ask the room.
“Beautiful redhead,” Dante mumbles. Enzo looks momentarily surprised. “What? If Joe can learn Italian, then so can I?”
“Gonna talk dirty to me in Italian, Big Daddy?”
Dante’s eyes heat, and Joe just laughs.
“Better get that all out now. You know how your brother feels about hearing you call D that,” Luca mutters, still working away at his computer.
“While we’re on the topic.” He looks up from his computer to Enzo.
“Don’t let them hear you call Abigail that.
I imagine it’ll be as well received as what you call Harper. ”
“I guess only time will tell,” Enzo replies, now winking at me.
Dante chuckles softly into his mug.
The warm sound settles in my chest.
For people who technically showed up here as almost strangers, they’ve made the house feel so safe.
Comfortable.
Like an extension of a family I’d always dreamed I would be lucky enough to have.
And still—there’s an undercurrent of tension running beneath it all.
Everyone feels it.
Just then, Sebastian’s phone buzzes quietly in his hand.
His head lifts, and for a split second, something flickers across his face.
Joe notices immediately, and their eyes meet. A silent conversation passes between them, and my stomach flips in anticipation.
“What?” I ask.
Joe blinks and turns back toward the stove, a soft smile on her face.
Luca glances up from his laptop and looks between us before settling on Sebastian. “Mio Re?”
Enzo only nods at him.
The tension in the room shifts.
Lucy must feel it because she lifts her head as her tail begins sweeping the floor.
“What’s happening?” I ask carefully.
Joe turns back toward me with a smile that’s just a little too bright. “Eat, Abigail.”
I narrow my eyes, even though I know it’ll do little to intimidate the woman standing in front of me. “Josephine…”
She grins. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
“Bu—”
“Eat.”
That’s it. End of discussion.
I guess, Enzo was right. The woman doesn’t lose a fight.
I pick at the eggs on my plate, only taking the occasional bite when I spot Joe staring at me.
The ranch stretches out beyond the kitchen windows.
Endless Pasture.
Rolling hills.
The barn standing steady across the driveway.
Everything looks exactly the same as it did yesterday.
But I know deep in my bones that something has shifted.
I can feel it.
And just as that thought runs through my head, my phone buzzes on the counter.
My heart jumps as I see Lincoln’s name and his handsome face light up my screen.
The entire room goes quiet, and Joe watches me carefully as I answer it.
“Hi, Lyubimyy.” My voice comes out softer than I expected.
There’s a brief pause on the other end, then Lincoln’s voice fills my ear. “Hey, Sweetheart.”
“Lincoln…”
Another pause. I can almost picture him standing somewhere with one hand in his pocket, that thoughtful look on his face.
“What’s going on?”
The silence stretches for another moment before he finally says the only two words that could make my lungs loosen. The only two words that make it feel like, after all these years—after everything—I can finally breathe. “It’s done.”
Just like that.
No explanation.
No details.
Just those two words.
I close my eyes as the air slowly leaves my lungs. “When will you be home?” I ask quietly.
“In a few hours.”
I nod even though he can’t see me. “Okay.”
Another small pause. “I love you, Abigail.”
“I love you too.”
The call ends, and for a moment, I just stare at the dark screen.
Joe walks over and leans her hip against the counter beside me. “Well?”
I look up at her. A strange mix of relief and curiosity swirls in my chest. “He said it’s done. Whatever that means.”
Joe smiles.
Not a big boisterous one.
Just something soft. Quiet.
“I think it means you can finally be at peace.”