AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You don’t ever gotta thank me for havin’ your back, Talon. You know that. You’re my family and that girl in there is family no matter what happens between the two of you. You can keep your cock in your pants and only have her. All those other women don’t mean shit to you. If they did, you wouldn’t be so scared right now. You wouldn’t have followed that girl to her hometown and stayed when the girls and Austin left. No matter what fears you got goin’ on in your head, know they’re not real. That girl is gonna give you everythin’ you’ll ever need and want out of life. I’m an old, grumpy fuck and I can see how sweet she is. She’s the only one who will get my sweet just like you’ll give her your sweet, Talon. She’ll get every single piece of you and in return, you’ll get her strength, her love, her sweet, and her sass. None of those things are to be taken for granted either. I expect you to treat her like a Queen, give her respect, and make sure she knows how important she is to you. Plus, I want her to be brought by my house every now and then so I can see her,” Pops says as he releases my shoulder and I stub out my cigarette in the ashtray out here.
“Talon, is she gonna be okay?” Death asks me.
“Yeah, she’ll be just fine. She’ll need to have the IV fluids for a while longer. More than likely until we get out of here, so they know she’s not dehydrated any longer. They’re goin’ to do an ultrasound of the baby soon. We’re just waitin’ on the technician to come down. I’m sure she’ll have to relax and take things easy for a while. Along with eatin’ and drinkin’. Hopefully she can start gettin’ some sleep too. Red has been through so much in such a short amount of time and I don’t know how she was still standin’ for as long as she did.”
“That’s how you know how strong she is,” Death tells me, putting out his own cigarette. “She tries to take care of everyone around her and puts herself last. Even when she would cook for us, she never got somethin’ to eat of her own until everyone in the room had gone through the line. Some of us had seconds even before she would get her own food. The only time it didn’t happen was the day you both left. She was lost in her own head, and I knew somethin’ had changed between you two. Then, you ignored her and Bronwan couldn’t hide the hurt from showin’ on her face. Don’t hurt her again, Brice. Bronwan doesn’t deserve it. You’re a better man than you know and are more than good enough for her.”
When the hell did my baby brother get so damn smart? Before I can respond, my phone starts vibrating in my pocket. Pulling it out, it’s Coraline.
“Hey. Is everythin’ okay?”
“Everything is good. She’s awake and asking for you. The technician should be down here in a few minutes too,” she lets me know.
“I’ll be right there,” I respond just before she hangs up. “Red’s awake again and wants me. I’m not sure if she knows she’s pregnant yet or not. Remember, this is between us and no one else. Not yet.”
“What about Judge? Can I let him know?” Death asks me.
“Yeah. Just tell him to lock his shit down and not let anyone know. This is all on Bronwan’s timetable as to what happens.”
Death nods his head at me as I quickly make my way back inside. When I enter the exam room, the technician is already there. I didn’t miss anything as she’s still putting in Bronwan’s information into her computer. Taking my seat, I stare down at my girl. She looks so small in the bed with the blankets pulled up tight.
“Are you okay?” I ask her, not sure what’s going on in her head right now.
“I don’t know. It’s a lot to process. Are you okay?”
“Same, Red. We’ll get through this together. We have a lot to talk about in the upcomin’ days. Just know I’m not goin’ anywhere.”
Leaning down, I press a kiss against her forehead.
“Alright. I’m going to have to pull up the bottom of the blankets. I don’t want you getting cold, but this is an internal ultrasound today. In just a minute, I’ll explain what’s going to happen and point out things I see on the screen, so you know what you’re looking at. Do you have any idea how far along you are?”
“Um, I could be around six weeks. I honestly had no clue I was pregnant though. Will you be able to tell us if anything is wrong?” Bronwan asks, her voice laced with tears as one slides down her cheek.
Wrapping her in my arms, I give her all of my strength and comfort I can right now. It’s not much, but I don’t know what else to do. Coraline holds her daughters hand to give her everything she can to help us get through this moment of the unknown.
“If there is anything wrong, I might be able to pick it up. By now, you should be able to hear the heartbeat and what we see on the screen will give me an idea of how far along you are. You’re sure it would be about six weeks?” the technician asks.
“Yes. I’ve only had sex once in my life and that’s about how long ago it was. Talon, I’m so sorry. We should have done something to prevent this. I’m not trying to trap you. I swear,” Bronwan says, her voice going a little crazy with the thoughts running through her head.
“Red, I’m the one who should have protected you. I know you’re not tryin’ to trap me. I lost control and there’s no reason I can give you for this. I’m sorry, Red. Truly sorry this is happenin’ if it’s not what you want. I’ll stand by whatever decision you make and support you fully,” I tell her, not wanting to have this conversation in front of an audience.
“Let’s get this done so I can put both of your minds at ease. Are you okay with them both being in here for this?” the technician asks Bronwan.
“Yes.”
I watch on as the technician explains what’s going to happen now. She shows us the wand that will be going inside Bronwan’s body and I can feel my heart racing and sweat breaking out on my forehead. Is this shit normal? Is it going to hurt her or the baby? I have so many questions, but I can’t make myself ask them.
Soon, the technician begins the ultrasound, and the sweetest sound fills the room we’re in for now. The baby’s heartbeat is the only thing we hear. I’m not sure, but it doesn’t sound right to me for some reason. Again, I can’t make myself ask the woman what’s going on as she looks from the screen to us and back at the screen again. As quickly as the heartbeat started filling the room around us, it’s gone. Then we’re gifted with seeing our baby on the screen. I have no clue what the hell we’re looking at and I’m not sure Bronwan knows either. Her mom does as she gasps in shock and covers her mouth with her hand.
“Is there something wrong?” Bronwan asks, her fingers tightening around mine.
“Well, you’re not having one baby. You two are going to have twins,” the technician answers as my entire world flips on it’s axis.
We watch on as she points out the babies on the screen. They look like nothing more than blobs to me though. Bronwan doesn’t say a word as we look at them. The technician informs us she’s just under six weeks pregnant and more than likely why her stomach has been so upset lately. Some women apparently experience worse morning sickness with multiples. With her done with the exam, she lets us know the importance of making an appointment with the doctor as soon as possible to get started on her prenatal vitamins and anything else the doctor wants her to do.
I still have no words as Coraline slides a chair behind me so I can take a seat. Knowing we were going to have one baby was enough to scare the shit out of me. Now, we’re going to have twins. That’s two babies we’re responsible for and I have no clue what the hell we’re going to do. It’s not financially I’m thinking about either. I have more than enough money to take care of our family. It’s the thought of these two babies being solely dependent on us for their every need that scares the shit out of me.
I’m handed a piece of paper by Coraline. Looking down, it’s a picture of our babies. One is labeled ‘Baby A’ and the other ‘Baby B’. Holy fuck! Turning my attention to Bronwan, I can see she’s in as much shock as I am as she holds her own picture looking down at it. We need to take some time and let this new information sink in.
