Epilogue 2
Several Years Later
Giggling was the first thing Crysta heard before she was fully awake. The lyrical sound filtered through the closed bedroom door. She blinked awake and realized from the slant of the sun she had slept in. It wasn’t a regular thing since they had their two kids, but it was Mother’s Day, so Eli had probably made sure the girls didn’t wake her. Plus, she was just into her second trimester with her third pregnancy. Her first two pregnancies had left her tired, but this one was kicking her butt. Mainly because she spent the first three months up close and personal with the toilet. Thankfully, the morning sickness had passed.
“Daddeeee, hurry!” their youngest, Regina said. She just turned five and thought she ran the house.
“Settle down, Middle,” Kanani said. Her seven-year-old was the true ruler of Team St. John. She had started calling Regina when they told her they were expecting another baby.
“My name is not Middle.”
“Whatever you say, Middle.”
“Daddeeee!”
Crysta tried not to laugh, but it was difficult. She’d always wanted a sibling, so she had been overjoyed when they could have two of their kids relatively close in age. They argued, but they were close. It had been challenging to get pregnant with Kanani, and they had to use IVF to have Regina. Pregnancy number three had been a complete surprise.
“Girls, we agreed to let Mommy sleep, right?”
“Mommies are supposed to have breakfast in bed on Mother’s Day,” Regina said. She repeated it like she had learned all the words by heart. Regina was probably going to end up becoming a cop or a Dominatrix. Or maybe both.
“We’ll give Mommy her one cup of coffee and then return to the kitchen. You know how Mommy doesn’t like crumbs in bed.”
There was a long silence. She could just imagine her youngest staring Eli down. For a man who dallied with women so quickly in his single days, he was utterly wound around the fingers of his girls. There wasn’t a more insane girl dad in the world. He even wore the t-shirt the girls bought him for his birthday that read You don’t scare me, I’m a girl dad to a cookout at Micah and Dee’s house. If the crowds at Rough ‘n Ready could see him now.
Granted, they did hop over to Oahu to play occasionally. They were still good friends with Micah, Evan, and the rest of the crew. Sean visited them so often that the girls called him Uncle Sean.
“Knock softly and see if she’s awake,” Eli said.
“How could she sleep with Middle here making so much noise?” Kanani said, sarcasm threading her voice.
“Nani,” Eli admonished. He never raised his voice at the girls, but he would get that disappointed tone. They would do anything to make him happy after that tone, but Kanani had been testing those boundaries lately.
“Sorry, but you know I’m right.”
Crysta rolled her eyes. That girl was going to get in trouble one of these days. Knowing they were close to a battle royale, she said, “I’m awake.”
The door squeaked open, and the girls came tumbling into the room. Regina was first, as she was always in a rush to do things. It was like she was trying to experience life as fast as possible to catch up with her sister. Her hair was always a mess of curls, no matter how many times Eli tried to tame them. Yep, big, bad Dom was a hair stylist in his house of women. She wore a sparkly purple skirt and a pink tank top with purple flowers. Her hazel eyes were alight with excitement.
Kanini followed her, walking in her usual slow way. She was the epitome of the older sister vibe, irritated with her younger sibling, but Krysta knew she loved her. Her hair was tamed, a ponytail swinging behind her. She was dressed already—these were ranch kids—wearing a blue shirt that matched her blue-green eyes. She wore a pair of faded jean shorts.
Eli followed them in, his girl dad shirt on and a cup of coffee in his hand. She would never get sick of seeing this man. He was tamed—to a point—but the fact that he was all hers would never get old. His eyes sparkled with mischief as he waited for her to pull herself into a sitting position. She had learned to start dressing in at least a shirt for bed when Kanini began to climb out of her crib in the morning.
“Happy Mother’s Day, Mommy!” Regina said as she jumped on the bed.
“Woah, there, Regina. Calm down,” Eli said in that slow, deep way of his. Immediately, Regina did as he said.
She smiled at all of them. “Thank you.”
She sipped at her coffee. The one thing she hated about being pregnant was the restriction of caffeine. She allowed herself one cup of coffee a day. The sweet, warm liquid slid down her throat. Eli knew exactly how to make her coffee. She hummed and looked up at him. His gaze darkened as he watched her. Heat flared through her whole body. Yep. Over ten years together, he could still get to her.
“Did you want us to bring you breakfast?” Regina asked.
“No, I’ll come out there. I just need a minute.”
“Girls, why don’t you go out there and help Grandpa with the pancakes.”
Her father always visited with her on Mother’s Day, and he had started to stay until Father’s Day. The girls loved it, and this year, it was needed. This pregnancy was more challenging than the first two, mainly because of the first two…and her age. Well, and the tidbit of information she learned at her appointment yesterday.
Once the clatter of their feet disappeared down the hall, Eli sat beside her.
“How are you doing, love?”
She sighed. “Tired, but thankfully, it looks like my morning sickness is gone for good.”
“Your father wants to take the girls out.”
She frowned. “It’s Mother’s Day.”
His mouth twitched. “I told Dad you would say that.”
She loved that Eli was so close to her father that he considered him his own dad. There was a camaraderie between them. They often talked about being girl dads.
“Well, I should spend the day with the girls.”
“He just wants to take them out on one of the four-wheelers. Give you a little break.”
“Oh.”
“You can take a nap…or…”
He reached out to trail his fingers down her arm.
“Do you have something in mind, Mr. St. John?”
“I do, Mrs. St. John.”
She curled her toes. God, that voice.
“What would that be?” Her voice had deepened. Even she heard the arousal dripping from every syllable.
“I have some special bubbles for the bath.”
She smiled. One of their favorite things was sharing a bubble bath in the massive clawfoot tub.
“Okay.”
He leaned forward and brushed his mouth over hers. “You didn’t tell me much about your appointment when I got home yesterday.”
Eli had gone to a meeting in Maui with the Wulf family. The British billionaires ran a resort on Maui, and the ranch supplied the beef they used in their restaurants. They weren’t the only supplier, but they featured all Hawaiian beef. She usually went with him, but the girls were close to the end of the school year, and she had an appointment. He’d made it home late last night, waking her up to make love to her before they both passed out.
“Everything is just fine.”
Of course, there was a little news she wanted to share, and she wasn’t sure how Eli was going to take it.
“There’s nothing wrong with the baby?” There was an edge of panic in his voice. Nothing scared Eli St. John unless it was fear about his girls.
“I said everything is fine.”
He stared at her for a long moment. “You’re hiding something.”
Crysta sighed. She would never be able to hide things from Eli. He always knew when she was worried about things.
“I don’t want you to freak out.”
He swallowed. “Tell me.”
She sighed again. She did not go about this the right way. This pregnancy hadn’t been planned, so she didn’t know how he would take the news. Reaching over, she opened the drawer on her bedside table. Her fingers were shaking when she retrieved the sonogram picture. She handed it over to him.
He frowned as he looked at it. Silence stretched out, her nerves along with it. He glanced up at her, confusion filling his expression.
“What’s the problem you’re not telling me?”
She blinked. Did he really not see it? Taking the picture from him, she scooted closer.
“So, this,” she said, pointing to the pic, “is one dangly bit the other two didn’t have.”
It was his turn to blink and then look at her. “You thought I would be upset about a boy?”
She shook her head. “Look here at this other dangly bit.”
He looked at her, then down at the pic again. His eyes widened as his gaze flew to her face. “Twins.”
She sighed and nodded. Tears filled her eyes. Eli took the picture from her hand, placing it gently on the table. Then he moved to sit beside her on the mattress, leaning against the headboard and pulling her into her arms.
“Why would I be upset?”
“We weren’t planning on this pregnancy. Plus, I will probably end up on bed rest at some point, like with Regina.”
He held her tightly and kissed the top of her head. “First, remember what I always say?”
“Unplanned happiness is the best.”
She looked up at him, not caring that he had tears streaming down her face. She had gotten used to showing her emotion to him, to being vulnerable.
“Right. And this…fuck, Crysta…” He smiled. “Two more babies to love. This is going to be fantastic.”
She laughed on a hiccup. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. And just for reference, I would be happy if they were girls.”
She knew that. “About the time in bed?”
“If it happens, it happens. We dealt with it last time. And I’m sure Dad would come to help if we needed him. Everything is going to be fine, love.”
She felt her nerves settle for the first time since her appointment on Friday. He was so good at that.
“I should have been gentler with you last night,” he said, wiping away her tears with care.
She shook her head. “Doc says sex is still on the table. We’re fine, Eli.”
He leaned down and brushed his mouth over hers. She opened her mouth, and he dove in, his tongue tangling with hers. The simmering heat from earlier exploded. Her nipples tightened, her entire body shimmering with need. She was trying to convince Eli that they needed to take that bath now when her father called out.
“These pancakes are going to get cold.”
Eli pulled back with a smile. She huffed out an annoying sigh. “Cock blocker.”
“Have you told them?”
She shook her head. “I wanted to tell you first.”
He smiled. “Go clean up. The girls and your father will freak out if they think you’ve been crying. Then we’ll tell them. Perfect day for it.”
“Yeah, it is. I love you, Eli St. John.”
He got that dreamy look in his eyes that he always did when she said those words. “And I love you, Crysta, love of my life.”
He leaned in for another kiss, which, of course, turned hot within seconds.
“Seriously?” her father said from the kitchen.
He knew exactly what was going on. They pulled apart with a laugh. “Let’s get out there so we take that bath you promised me.”
He helped her out of bed. Another kiss, this time on the nose so they didn’t lose control, and he left to help her father. With a smile, she went to get ready. Within a few minutes, she was walking out into the kitchen. Her heart was in this kitchen. Her girls, her father…and the man who would always own her body and soul.
She would never understand how she got so lucky. With her heart light and her soul filled with joy, she entered the bright kitchen, ready to take on the day—and the rest of her life.
* * *
Thankyou so much for reading Rough Ride. If you loved the book, please think about leaving a review/rating at your favorite retailer or review site!
Coming next: The Harmless Trouble Series
Three stories filled with intrigue, danger, and desire.
Harmless Secrets
Harmless Revenge
Harmless Scandals