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Our baby boy.
I didn’t call out his choice of words. After all, I felt the same, though I kept it to myself. I thought of them as our children, something that I knew could complicate things once they arrived, but it was too late for that.
“Thirty weeks,” I said. “My goal is to get us to at least thirty weeks.”
Most quadruplets were delivered around thirty weeks. While in a perfect world, I’d hold out for forty, I knew it wasn’t possible and my doctors told me to be prepared for a scheduled C-section. So in ten more weeks, maybe less, they would be out of the safety of my womb and in the world with us.
As much as I loved the idea of holding them in my arms, as long as they were inside of me, they were my constant companions. I knew once they were born, it was unlikely that I would get to be with them twenty-four seven and that pained my heart to even think about. But until then, they were with me, always, and I liked that.
Gabe looked down at me, still holding me close. I so badly wanted to ask him what he was thinking. His face was relaxed and soft, his lips pulled back into a smile.
His soft,sweet lips, I thought to myself, remembering the way they had felt pressed against mine. My insides quivered at the memory. What I wouldn’t give to be able to have my way with him again, but I knew that wasn’t a good idea.
It didn’t help that every little thing he did was hot as hell. Being a strong, loving father was easily one of the sexiest things a man could be.
I pulled away from his embrace, knowing that there was no way to act on my desires. I was too pregnant. The doctors told me to take it easy, and no amount of drenched panties would change that.
“I have some things to show you when we get home,” he said.
“Oh yeah? With the nursery?” I asked.
“Well… yes, some things there too, but that’s not what I’m talking about.”
He took my hand in his and together, we walked to his car which was thankfully parked nearby.
“Are you going to tell me?” I asked. “Or keep me guessing?”
“Keep you guessing, at least until we get home.” His face had turned serious all of a sudden, and I instantly knew what it was about.
“Oh, so you found something about my real family?” I asked.
He nodded as he opened the car door for me. “I’ll show you when we get home, but please promise me that you won’t let it stress you out or upset you?”
“I’ll do my best.” And I would. I wanted to do my very best for these babies, but Gabe’s tone worried me a bit.
10
Gabe
Bella was propped up on the couch in the library when I came in with my laptop. She put her book away instantly.
“You said you had some stuff to show me?”
“I do,” I said, taking the seat next to her. “But please, whatever you do, we need to be calm about this, and proceed slowly. Because we still don’t know for sure that these are your parents.”
“You found my parents?” She sat up straighter.
“Maybe.” I had to temper her expectations because I meant what I said—I didn’t know for sure. Only a DNA test could prove that she was their daughter, and we had enough going on already, I didn’t want to add any additional stress to her life.
“Tell me, Gabe.”
“Their names are Charles and Brenda O’Connell. They live just outside Chicago, in Lake Forest.”
“Wow, that’s a beautiful area, ritzy,” she said.
I nodded. “They had a daughter named Anabel, you saw her picture. She was kidnapped from their home when she was three years old and never found. The family suspected a member of their staff, a housekeeper that disappeared around the same time Anabel did.”
“My mom talked about working as a housekeeper for affluent families before. Do you know the name of the housekeeper?”
