Taking her cue, I drop it. We were lucky they let Jack go after the damage he’d done to Jerry’s face.
The three of us pile into the car and head back to the hospital, where Bennett’s waiting out front, his arm bandaged up. It wasn’t as bad as it looked, and after some serious stitches, he was let go.
Bree is still shaking in the passenger seat as I drive us home.
“I can’t believe he came to the house,” she says in a small voice. “I’m so sorry he hurt you, Bennett.”
Bennett reaches forward and squeezes her shoulder over the seat.
“No one’s fault but his,” says Jack. “And now they’ve caught him, so he can’t come after us anymore.”
Bree bites her lip, and I think it will be some time before she’s not afraid anymore, no matter where he is.
Bennett and Jack both take the day off work the next day so we can spend some time recovering. Bree still has wretched morning sickness, which we’ve been told is often worse with twins.
Everything is worse with twins, apparently.
We take care of Bennett’s arm like the doctor told us. He spends his day off making phone calls and doing research on Jerry.
“He’s an employee of the company that hosts Bree’s stream,” he tells us after coming out of the office. “He had access to her private information that way.”
Bree sits up straight. “What? He was an employee?”
“I’ve already sent the police report to their legal team.” Bennett pauses. “Do you want to pursue legal action against them?”
There’s a long pause, then she sighs and shakes her head.
“No. I want to leave this behind us.”
We go house hunting that weekend, hoping to bring us all back down to earth. It’s good to do something together, to envision our future together, after the attack. Bennett is still skittish, and has a lot to say about the wood I left out back. Bree holds hands with him through our entire visit with the realtor, and he promises to get a state-of-the-art alarm system and motion sensing lights for the next house.
But with our new future together standing in front of us, it feels as if a specter has lifted. As a surprise, after house hunting, we stop by the jewelry store to find a ring for Bree.
“Come on, guys,” she says as we all push her inside together. “This isn’t necessary.”
I flash my gold wedding ring, which is plain but engraved with a fancy design. “Yes it is. I’m gonna put a ring on that finger whether you like it or not.”
Bree giggles as we take her up to the counter to have her sized, then start looking at options. She likes all the small gemstones, even as I try to upsell her on a really nice sapphire.
“Simple,” she says.
Then, of course, Jack finds the perfect one—a small diamond on an intricate gold band. When Bree tries it on, it slides perfectly smooth onto her ring finger, and I practically get a boner just looking at it.
She’s going to be ours, for real.
Then it’s time to tell all the families. Everyone in our respective herds are happy to hear the news about Bree joining us. Of course, we’re met with some surprise when we inform them there’s not one, but two fawns on the way already, but they accept it with heartfelt congratulations.
Well, except Bree’s mom. The poor human woman has no idea what to make of her daughter having three fiances. So we fly her out to meet us, and I do my best to appear normal and well-adjusted and worthy of her daughter’s hand.
By the end of it, I think she likes me. I’m a bit easier to like than Jack, who definitely intimidates her.
Soon, Bennett’s stitches come out, and it feels like maybe we’re moving on from the attack. There are court dates to attend and lawyers to meet with, which is stressful for everyone. But I try to keep the focus on our future and the life we want for ourselves.
Finally, assured that Jerry isn’t coming back, Bree starts streaming again. I can tell immediately how her mood lifts, how it brings a certain kind of satisfaction and fulfillment to her life. Sometimes, when we’re not on stream with her, I just like to sit nearby and watch her perform.
Summer is nearly over when we finally find the perfect house to buy. It’s just been put on the market, and it meets all our needs—size, location, and neighborhood. Without hesitating, Jack submits an offer above asking price, just to make sure we get it.
Bree didn’t think she would start showing for a while longer, but by the time we’re under contract, her belly is already getting bigger.
