Chapter 6
Chapter Six
WILLOW
Groaning with pain, I place a hand on my stomach, only to open my eyes in surprise when another hand touches mine.
“Easy, Dewdrop,” Malice says gently.
Oh my God.
He’s here.
My stomach feels flatter.
What happened?
Opening my eyes, I tilt my head to the side in order to see him better. It’s been months since I’ve seen him and yet in all this time, he still looks beautiful to me. I thought I’d be able to harden my heart to him, but that’s not the case. Not when it comes to him.
He holds my very being in his hands and seeing him now makes my heart flutter in my chest as it’s never done before.
“What happened?” I ask, quietly glancing around the hospital room. “Where are they?” Please tell me they’re okay.
They have to be okay. I didn’t know what I was having. I didn’t want to know when I found out it was three babies. It didn’t feel right to know something so special without Malice.
“Babies A, B, and C are down in the nursery being looked over right now under the heavy eyes of my brothers through the windows as they watch over them,” he says calmly. His fingers gently stroking the back of mine.
“I want to see them. I want to know what we had. I never found out what I was having. Well, besides there being three of them,” I stammer.
“Shh, Willow. You’ll see them. The nurses know to bring them back the moment they’re done doing what they need. Before I tell you what we have, why don’t you tell me what names you were planning for if it were both boys and girls.” Malice shocks me with how gentle he’s being.
“Um, I, um for boys, I thought about Marshall, Gavin, and Gates. For girls’ names, I, um, I wanted Arwen, Gemini, and Basilee,” I murmur, hoping he doesn’t hate the names I’ve picked.
Malice seems to contemplate each name and nods his head.
“How about Gavin, Gates, and Gemini? Since we have two boys and a girl, keep them with the G names.” Tears well in my eyes at his suggestion as he tells me what we have.
“Yes.” I nod, loving the idea.
“Good. Now how are you feeling? I don’t want you to be overwhelmed.” His voice is so soothing it could honestly lull me back to sleep.
“Okay, I suppose, but I have to ask, why are you being so nice to me? Last time I saw you, you walked away accusing me of trying to trap you,” I mutter, not missing the wince that flickers on his face.
“I know, Dewdrop. Trust me, I fuckin’ know what I said to you because it fucks with me at how fuckin’ hard I was on you.
But something you don’t understand is I’m the way I am because of my family and when you told me about the pregnancy, I thought the only way to protect you and them from my parents and uncle was to keep you out of my life. ”
I’m surprised by his honesty because I know every word that comes from his mouth right now is nothing but honest.
“What changed?” I asked.
“I heard Quinn scream your name over the phone and my heart plummeted. I didn’t even think my heartbeat anymore as it’s always been filled with hatred and ice.
However, when it comes to you, Willow, it’s as if you burn away the coldness and I’m compelled to you.
And after thinking the worst for long enough, I have to do whatever I can to keep my family together.
The only way for me to ensure this is by keeping you with me instead of pushing you away.
I don’t know if this is hard for you to understand, but it’s the only way I know how to explain it,” he grumbles.
What do I do with information like this?
He may have hurt me, but he had his reasons. I can understand those even if it doesn’t make it right.
Do I give him a chance to prove his actions himself? Or do I tell him to leave me be?
When it comes to Malice, I’m powerless in my emotions for him. I need to give him a chance. If not for me, for our babies. Sure, I could allow him to see them and not be with me, but then I’m denying myself what I truly want most.
To be with Malice.
“What’s your real name?” I ask randomly.
“Mattox Thyne,” he whispers, lacing our fingers together.
“Mattox Thyne. Interesting. I like it,” I mumble.
“Glad you like it since I like the sound of it on your lips,” he smiles. “In fact, I don’t want you to call me anything else besides Mattox unless we’re around my brothers.”
Holy smoke on a snickerdoodle.
He’s being completely serious right now in wanting me to call him Mattox whenever we’re not around his brothers.
“Okay,” I whisper before I stop myself causing him to grin—flipping grin. I’ve never seen him look any other way besides broody since I met him.
A knock comes from the other side of the door before he can say anything else. Excitement boils within me as it opens and three nurses wheel in three carts. Behind them come, Quinn, Gunner, Axe, Ruger, and Dagger.
“The rest are on their way up here. Avery’s evidently pissed you were pregnant at the same time and you popped first,” Quinn announces, causing everyone to chuckle.
“Well, it’s a good thing she’d been able to hold off for as long as she did without popping.
These three little ones are healthy. We don’t see many multiples being born here at our hospital, but most of the time, we’re always sending them to the NICU,” the nurse who walked in first says while checking the bracelet on Malice’s wrist to the baby she’d brought in.
“Are they okay?” I ask as she lifts the baby into her arms and brings the little bundle to me.
“They are. I helped the pediatrician who looked them over. She’d said other than their size, they looked great for them being triplets.
You did a good job. I’m Nurse Beman. If you need anything, let me or one of the other nurses know,” Beman says and takes the other two bundles from the other two nurses and, one by one, places them on the bed.
I’m surprised Malice doesn’t snatch them up with the way he’s glowering at the nurses.
“Thank you. We’ll let you know if we need anything,” I murmur.
“Unless they have to go to the nursery for anything else, they’ll be in here with us,” Malice declares, finally speaking up with a firm tone to keep them from arguing with him.
Without a word, the nurses leave in a hurry. Okay, so I guess Malice has them scared of him and I wonder what he’s done to them.
Turning my focus to each baby laying on the bed in front of me and the one I’m holding, I’m unable to stop the sob from slipping. They’re the most beautiful little babies I’ve ever seen and they’re mine. Mine and Malice’s.
“Dewdrop, don’t cry,” Malice mutters.
“Which one will be which? I know which our little girl is, Gemini. But we have two boys and we need to pick which one will be Gavin and which will be Gates.
“Wait, Gates, Gavin, and Gemini?” Gunner chuckles. “I like it.”
“Glad our names are ones you’d approve of, dick,” Malice mutters.
Rolling my eyes, I look between the two boys and all I see are them growing up to be the spitting image of their father. My daughter being the feminine version of him and becoming her daddy’s little girl.
A small part of me wishes I’d have had that chance with my dad, but I at least had that with my grandpa.
Smiling, I take the time to spend with my babies and Malice along with the guys who came here to be here for all of us.
Only thing I still have to worry about is where I fully stand with Malice and if I can actually trust him to not hurt me anymore than he already has.