Chapter 35 Tarron
TARRON
“Give her a minute.” I dug through Reed’s dresser drawer full of sweatpants, found a pair I could wear, and tossed a second pair to Mav.
He caught them one-handed and dropped his towel.
“Hey, what about me?” Reed snapped his fingers.
I took a step away from the dresser. “Already told you I’m not a dog. You want to act like that, you can get your own damned pants.” I shoved my foot through the leg, followed with the other, and drew them up around my waist while Reed muttered a curse and stomped over.
“You’re an asshole.” Reed gave me a shove that barely touched me.
I laughed and toweled off my hair. “Yeah, well. You must have rubbed off on me.”
We would have kept that up for a while, using sarcasm and annoying each other to defuse the sudden tension Payton had left behind.
We were good at that.
But there was something sacred about having her in our apartment that settled us both before we pushed too far.
Payton’s steps created a slow marching rhythm in the other room.
I tracked her through those soft sounds, listening as she made her way to the window and paused.
Seconds later, she turned and headed toward the kitchen.
A twist of uncertainty lodged in my gut.
Reed cleaned the bathroom, even mopping up the water we’d sloshed over the edge of the tub and gathering up all our dirty clothes.
He pushed the entire mess into an empty hamper. “I’ll run the washer later.”
“What do you think she wants to tell us?” Mav wore a worried expression.
He sat on the edge of Reed’s bed and shot a look toward the kitchen.
Payton rustled around in the living room, making a second trip around the living area.
I heard her sigh and mutter under her breath before she moved too far away for her voice to carry.
I motioned for Mav to keep quiet, which caused him to arch a brow. “Yeah, yeah. I know. You’re supposed to be the leader. But I’m allowed to make a suggestion, too.”
“That wasn’t a suggestion.” He pointed it out with a bit of a smile that meant he didn’t hold a grudge.
The anxiety I’d seen on Payton’s face rushed through me.
All thoughts of joking with Mav and Reed dried up. “She might be thinking about ending things. Now that we’re all safe in New York.” I struggled to find the words.
Mav and Reed nodded, the motion slow and understanding.
“Yeah, I thought that too.” Reed ran a hand through his hair. “What do we do?”
“It’s her call.” Mav stood.
Where he’d been loose and easy before, he took up his military stance of rigid shoulders and icy hardness in his eyes. “This might have been temporary for her. We all got swept up in the moment after her rescue. It’s understandable.”
“We don’t know what she’s going to say.” Reed put a hand out to stop Mav. “Don’t go out there looking like you’re heading to the firing squad.”
Mav paused. The muscle in his jaw relaxed, and he dropped his chin. “Right. If she’s undecided, we don’t want to risk scaring her off.”
I gathered up some clothes for Payton. “Let’s make her feel comfortable, then we’ll find out what’s going on.”
I never should have asked them.
Making assumptions always got us into trouble.
We worked with facts, but in a moment of panic, I’d let my emotions take control of my mouth.
Payton spun to face us when my socked feet landed on the hardwood flooring. She kept the robe wrapped tight across her body.
The overly long sleeves draped across her forearms, the length hitting her mid-calf.
“That’s a good look for you.” I held out the stack of clothes. “We can buy you some new clothes and have them delivered. Thought you might be more comfortable in these for now.”
Reed and Mav moved into the room behind me.
They settled on the couch, one on either end, and waited in complete silence.
I scowled at them, and Reed shrugged.
“Is there anything we can get for you?” Mav knotted his hands together. “Are you hungry?”
She hugged the clothes to her stomach and shook her head. “Maybe later.” Her eyes fluttered closed, and a pained look crossed her face.
When her eyes opened, a clear decision shone in the depths of crystalline blue. “There’s no easy way to work up to this, so here it is.” We all braced. “When I thought you were dead, I found out something. Something I never expected, and that we never talked about. I’m pregnant.”
An expectant hush fell over the room.
I blinked, the tension in my jaw unlocking.
“Pregnant?” I’d never said that word out loud in my entire life.
“How could that happen?” Reed whispered the words. His expression was a mixture of shocked hope and confusion.
I replayed our conversation the first night we’d been together.
Payton had reassured us she was on birth control.
I took a step toward her, making sure I didn’t crowd too close in case she needed space.
“I think I know. You were on the pill, right? You missed some doses while you were kidnapped. Then more when we were hunkered down during the storm.”
Her head bobbed, her throat working. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I didn’t mean for it to happen.” Her grip on the clothes tightened.
“Payton.” I skimmed her body, taking in the lines of grief that dented her forehead and drew a tiny line between her eyes. “There’s no reason for you to be sorry.”
She kept going like I hadn’t spoken at all.
“I understand if you don’t want to take on that kind of responsibility. You didn’t ask for it, and I don’t expect anything from you.”
“Payton.” I said her name a little louder, with a little more bite to my tone.
I needed her to hear me, and the panic suddenly clouding her face flattened into something that almost looked like fear.
“I’ve always wanted a family.” I took the clothes from her and opened my arms.
She hesitated, looking up at me with tears in her eyes. “You’re not just saying that?”
For the first time I could remember, I stopped holding back my emotions and let the joy fill me.
It brought my lips up into a smile that pinched my cheeks.
A laugh so full of effervescent bubbles I had no choice but to release it tickled my throat. “Are you kidding? I would never make light of anything to do with family. I never had time or found the right woman to start a family with. Now I know why.”
Reed and Maverick stood simultaneously, both moving with slow, precise movements that made them resemble puppets being moved around.
Their arms hung by their sides, mutual expressions of awe on their faces.
Family. Holy shit.
Reed, Mav, and I considered each other family.
We were closer than brothers, and I’d fallen in love with Payton.
Having families of our own was something we’d talked about through the years.
Late at night when we werewaiting for a mission.
Sitting around the living room with no one to share our lives.
We’d often discussed our ideas about family and what we hoped for our futures.
Payton stepped into my embrace, and I rocked us side to side. “We’re in.” I spoke for all of us, because there was no way in hell Reed or Mav would ever be able to walk away from Payton or our child.
Her body fit perfectly against mine.
I’d have to let Reed and Mav close soon, but I had a few seconds to myself, and I reveled in them.
There might be days when Payton wanted to spend time exclusively with one of us at a time.
When—if—that time came, we’d all be cool with it.
That was not today.
This relationship was not based on exclusivity but on being a close-knit unit that stuck together. “
We want to be part of the baby’s life. And yours. For as long as you will have us.”
I hoped she’d say she wanted us forever.
The way she bloomed with a smile gave me hope for a phenomenal future.
“Having a child with you is a dream come true.” I tucked her hair behind her ears and kissed her.
She melted into me with that languidness that meant she’d become completely comfortable.
The kiss deepened, and even though we’d just had one of the most intense sessions yet, my cock tensed and swelled in preparation for more.
If Payton wanted us. It was always, always her choice, with her pleasure taking precedence over ours.
I’d do anything, give anything, to make her happy.