Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Blake
Skyla already has a decorated Christmas tree with more presents than you would think could possibly fit beneath one, but after an incident with Liam, Wesley and my boys involving a football inside the house…
let’s just say there were a few casualties among the glass ornaments.
I cringed when I saw the beautiful tree flat on the floor, covering dozens of expensive-looking presents, mentally calculating how much each damaged item would cost. Don’t get me wrong, the boys and I are completely comfortable.
We have more than we could ever spend in this life or the next.
These people, though… they’re next-level rich, and it shows.
The guys claimed the blame, though I knew my boys were behind the incident based on their guilty faces, and Skyla all but shrugged it off before turning to me.
“I’ve been wanting to get a few last-minute presents anyways, and Vincent finally isn’t around, so it’s the perfect time to get him something. Besides, you guys might be with us through the holiday, and the boys don’t have anything under the tree.”
True. All their presents were left at the safe house in the Caribbean; they just didn’t seem like a priority when we were packing up. Logically, they still aren’t, but I don’t want Aries or Ryder to wake up on Christmas with nothing for them.
“C’mon—the mall is only a thirty-minute drive, and it’s not too bad for in-store selections,” she says.
I hesitate, looking around as if Dominic and Zayden can hear us. “I don’t know. My husbands were very clear that me and the boys shouldn’t leave the house.”
She laughs lightly. “Blake, we essentially have a private protection detail with my husbands alone. And Asher and Liam can stay at home and manage the kids.”
Uncertainty flickers inside me. I’m not sure how I feel about leaving the boys behind, even if it’s only for a few hours.
When I look to Skyla, though, I see no malice in her gaze; I feel no ill intent.
It may seem asinine, but I feel I can trust her, and trust her husbands by extension. Again, probably asinine of me.
“We’ll be there and back in no time,” she says.
“You’ll be where and back?” Wesley asks.
She turns to him and smiles, pressing a soft kiss to his lips that seems to melt him right where he stands. “The mall. You and Ronan will come with us,” she says like it’s a done deal.
He lifts an eyebrow in curiosity and tilts his head to the side. “Oh yeah? Just like that?”
“Just like that,” she says with a smile.
“I don’t know, little one. Convincing Ro might be more difficult than you think.”
“What will be difficult?” Ronan asks as he strolls into the room.
He wraps his arm around Skyla’s waist, effectively stealing her from Wesley, and places a kiss to her lips. Wesley doesn’t seem to mind one bit; in fact, he seems to be downright enjoying himself as their kiss lingers.
When they pull away, Skyla intertwines her arms around his neck, batting her eyes at him as she softens her voice. “Daddy.”
“Oh Christ,” he mutters, tilting his head to the sky like he’s not ready for whatever she’s about to ask.
When he looks back down at her, even I can see that she’s got him in the palm of her hand. She smiles at him sweetly as she speaks, while he seems to hang on her every word.
“Blake and I want to go to the mall to get the boys some Christmas presents. And I haven’t bought anything for Vincent yet. It’s the perfect opportunity.”
Ronan winces like he’s struggling against her womanly wiles—at least that’s what I assume is going on in his inner monologue.
“Baby, that’s not a good idea. Why can’t you buy some things online?”
“There’s no guarantee what we want will get here before Christmas, and we’ve been cooped up for too long.”
He gives her a flat look as he lifts an eyebrow. “It’s been a few days.”
“Semantics,” she says with a wave of her hand. “Please, Daddy. Pleeeease.”
Skyla begins kissing Ronan’s neck, and I watch as his resolve evaporates almost immediately. His eyes close, and he nods, tightening his grip on her as he responds.
“Fine, but Wesley and I will be sticking to the two of you like glue.”
Skyla pulls away, an excited little bounce to her step as she nods. “Wouldn’t have it any other way. Let me just go get changed,” she says and practically waddles up the stairs with her cute little baby bump to her room.
Ronan turns to me with an assessing gaze. “How likely is it that one of your husbands will skin me alive if they find out I let you out of this place?”
“Ten out of ten, though Dom much prefers to shoot his kills, so maybe nine out of ten if he can beat Zay to it.”
He scoffs, running a hand through his hair as Wesley laughs.
“Well, goddamn. Gotta love those odds, huh, Ro?”
“Yeah, fucking great,” he snarks back.
Twenty minutes later, Skyla came out of her bedroom, alongside Asher and Liam, who both were rocking just-had-sex hair.
All of their cheeks were flushed, and their foreheads were dotted with sweat.
Fuck, I know having five husbands must mean a lot of sex, but this girl has to be the horniest woman who’s ever lived. I kinda love it for her, though.
Wesley climbed into the driver’s seat as Ronan sat up front, and Skyla and I took the back of the blacked-out SUV. We all chatted lightly at first before the conversation casually quieted.
Now, I find myself practically mesmerized by the white streets.
It reminds me so much of Chicago. I didn’t realize how much I loved living in a snow-covered city with nearly guaranteed white Christmases until I moved to Seattle.
Just cold enough to be miserable, just warm enough to only rain.
Sometimes we get the occasional flurry that quickly melts away, but nothing like out here.
Skyla snickers beside me, and I look to see her texting on her phone. Her eyes catch mine, and she smirks before showing me the screen.
“This is my best friend Maggie’s daughter. She’s three now and apparently did a whole presentation at preschool about why having two mommies is better than one.”
I look down at the beautiful redheaded little girl. She looks like that princess with the crazy flowing hair and bright green eyes.
I laugh. “I mean, cleaner house, less noise. I see her point.”
Skyla nods along, typing out a reply to her friend.
“How long have you been friends?” I ask.
“Gosh, almost seven years or something, right?” she asks the guys.
“With Maggie. With Bridgette… less,” Ronan says as he and Wesley chuckle.
I tilt my head in curiosity as Skyla rolls her eyes before looking to me.
“Bridgette and I have a little history. Once upon a time, she was in love with Asher and did not want me at her school. We were in college, but once she and Maggie fell in love, all was well.”
Wesley snickers. “Kinda.”
“Enough,” Skyla scoffs with a laugh. “Bridgette is a little… high maintenance. Maggie loves her to pieces, but I swear to God I thought she was going to kill her while she was pregnant. They used Maggie’s egg and a donor, and then Bridgette carried their baby, but my God, that was nine months of hell for everyone within a five-mile radius. ”
I laugh at that, feeling blessed that my pregnancy with the boys was decently easy.
The reminder of my current… condition has a fearful feeling sinking into my stomach. I know I have to tell Zayden and Dominic soon. They both track my period, like psychos. I’m already two weeks late. I think the only reason they haven’t put it together yet is because of this whole mess we’re in.
Skyla chuckles once more before pocketing her phone.
I smile at her, though I can’t help but feel a little envious.
It must be nice to have tight-knit friends, or a tight-knit friend and her wife that you tolerate.
I really just have… the guys and the twins.
I’m not saying I don’t love my family or my life because I do, so much.
I guess I never slowed down long enough to realize that I really don’t have anything outside of them.
Maybe that’s what terrifies me about this pregnancy, or maybe that’s why my first postpartum experience was so dark.
I had nothing but… this, and it was too easy to get lost in the chaos of it all.
“You okay?” Skyla asks, resting her hand on mine in sympathy.
I do my best to smile. “Yeah, I just… I don’t really have any friends. Kinda jealous of you.” I laugh lightly. “I had one friend growing up, and she turned out to be a fucking cunt,” I say.
Skyla frowns at that before nodding. “Before Maggie, I really didn’t have any friends either. Acquaintances but never anyone who got me, you know?”
“Yeah. It’s probably really nice to have that.”
The car is quiet for a moment before Skyla squeezes my hand. “Well, you’ve got that now.”
I smile at her and squeeze her hand in return. I guess so.