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“Don’t do that.” We both jerked our heads toward the voice in the kitchen. Mason was standing in the shadows with a gun pointed at us. Ewan pulled his hand from his pocket with the phone in it and raised his hands over his head. Then he stooped, placing the phone on the ground and stood, stepping in front of me. I noticed movement over his shoulder and was relieved to see Merlin and Clark playing outside. “You don’t seem to understand do you, Jovie?” Mason waved the gun, stepping into the light. His normally clean-shaven face had a full beard and his eyes were red, surrounded by circles. He did something to the gun, making it click and I yelped. “Answer me!” Mason roared.
“What don’t I understand?” My voice came out as a whimper. I wanted to think of a way out, wanted to think clearly enough to help us out of the situation, but my brain had come to a screeching halt. All I could think was that Ewan was going to die and it was my fault.
“You. Are. Mine.” Mason punctuated each word by jabbing the gun at the air. “Now, walk your ass over here.” Before I could move, Ewan dropped his hand, blocking my path. Mason stormed toward us, shoved the gun into Ewan’s forehead, and grabbed my hand.
“I’m coming, Mason. Just don’t hurt him.” My voice shook, but I let him pull me away from Ewan. It was a mistake, and I knew it, but Ewan was not going to die trying to protect me. Mason kept his eyes on Ewan as he jerked me back toward the kitchen.
“You love him?” Mason waved the gun. “Huh? Which one fucks you better? This guy or the one with a wife? Does your fiancé know about you and the big guy?” Mason jerked me around in front of him by the wrist when I didn’t answer. He watched Ewan over my shoulder, but at least I was between them. “Tell me, you fucking whore! Who does it better?” I stood, shaking in front of him as he screamed in my face. I tried to will Ewan not to move, silently begging him to stay still. Mason’s wild eyes settled on me and he turned the gun, aiming at my temple. “If you move, asshole, I will kill her. Now, Jovie. You belong to me. Not him, not the other guy. Me.” The cold metal pressed against my hot skin. I was sweating profusely, shaking all over, and trying not to cry. If I was going to die, I was not going to die crying. Mason pressed the gun harder into my head, and I squeezed my eyes closed. There was no way out, not without one of us dying. I heard Ewan make a sound and the gun moved away from me. I threw myself forward into Mason. The gun went off, there was screaming. It may have been me. Mason and I fell back into the island, something hit my head, something clattered to the ground, and the screaming faded, my vision faded. I tried to get up, to help Ewan, but everything went black.
TWENTY-SIX
Ewan
The bastard was going to kill her, so I cleared my throat, taking a step forward. If anyone was dying, it was not going to be her. I would beg him to shoot me before I let her get hurt. Jovie had other plans. I screamed when she threw herself into him. The gun went off, hitting the kitchen lighting, and a bar holding the lights fell directly on top of them. Jovie’s scream stopped instantly, and all I saw was blood. Mason scrambled up, tossing Jovie off of him, searching for the gun, but he was disoriented, and I was faster. I kicked it across the floor and slammed my elbow into his temple, making him crumple to the ground. I heard sirens, but went for Jovie. Her forehead was cut from the corner of the island and the back of her head had a gash from the lighting. I pulled her into my lap, her head lolling to the side, and cradled her. I whispered to her, checking her pulse and smoothing her hair. Tears stung my eyes, rolling down my face and into her hair. I should have protected her, should have kept her safe. I begged her to wake up, to open her eyes.
Police flooded the house, guns drawn and wearing vests. They asked me questions I didn’t answer and shouted to each other. I could only stare at Jovie, watching the blood from the back of her head coat my sleeve as I rocked her. The paramedics came in and pulled her away from me in slow motion. No one would let me ride with her. I shoved Samuel off me when he tried to hold me back outside and dove for the door as it slammed and the ambulance pulled away, sirens blaring. Then the world slammed back into me. The sounds, the people, the rain. It all hit me full force, and I got dizzy, stumbling back into the steps on the porch. Sam sat next to me, asking what happened and I rehashed the story. It made no sense to start with our date, but my friend let me talk.
Once I was done, he led me to his car and insisted on driving me to the hospital. Samuel swore the officers would all be gone before I brought her back home and he would lock up the house for me. I felt foggy. My head was clouded until we pulled up in front of the ER. Then I had to scramble out of his car to puke in the bushes. Sam kept his distance, letting me empty my stomach with some dignity before he walked me in.
The receptionist sent us to the triage room Jovie was in, but the nurse outside stopped us. “The doctor is with her now, but you can’t go in.” Then she pointed to the waiting room behind us. I tried to shove past her, but Sam caught my arm. “I can’t tell you anything, but we will come get you when she can be seen.” Sam dragged me back, shoving my ass down in a seat just as her family rushed in. I stood to catch Amelia and held her while she cried into my chest. My shirt was still soaked with rain and Jovie’s blood. Amelia settled next to me and Nick rushed in, using his cane, with Rae by his side. I told everyone what happened, starting again with my proposal, and then we waited.
“We gave her a light sedative to put the staples in so she didn’t wake up, but those should be wearing off in the next hour or so and she will wake up. Her pupils are reactive, so it’s probably a mild concussion, and the babies have nice strong heart rates, but we can do an ultrasound once Miss Reed is feeling up to it if it makes you guys feel better.” The doctor looked up from the laptop, obviously catching the confusion on my face. Has she mixed up Jovie’s chart with someone else’s? Is she in the wrong room? Did I hear her wrong in my fog and panic?
“I think you have the wrong patient.” I stepped closer, trying to check the name in the computer, but the doctor shook her head, blocking my view.
“Jovie Elyse Reed. D.O.B September twenty-sixth nineteen-eighty-seven.” She glanced up at Nick and me to confirm. We both nodded. Louise was clinging to Jovie’s hand at her bed side, looking from the doctor to me.
“Jovie’s pregnant?” I finally blurted out. The doctor’s smile faded instantly, and she nodded. “You said babies.” I groped behind me for the bed and lowered myself slowly as a wave of dizziness hit me.
“The Doppler picked up two heart beats. It’s customary to run blood work before any tests and the results puts her at about ten weeks. You didn’t know?” The doctor typed, refusing to look at me. Nick rested a hand on my shoulder, and I could feel Louise’s eyes burning into me. My mind scattered. I shook my head, unable to answer, and tried to let the new knowledge sink in. I dropped my head in my hands and bit back the urge to cry. Without looking at her mother, I climbed in bed with my fiancée and our babies, stretching out next to her as the doctor pushed the cart out of the room. I rested my hand gently on her stomach and kissed her cheek. The place on her forehead had turned an angry purple, but the cut was clean, and it probably wouldn’t scar too bad. Louise put her hand on mine, making me glance up to see her smile, and we went back to waiting.
TWENTY-SEVEN
Jovie
Waking up in a hospital was disorienting. Waking up in a hospital after being attacked and being told you’re pregnant is like a bad movie. But it happened. I was only out a few hours and woke up to a room full of people and a fiancé crying like an idiot. They sent me home the next day with the instructions to take it easy and rest. Ewan barely let me leave the bed, and Amelia was no better. Our friends cleaned the house up, Mason was gone, hopefully in a psyche ward, and Erica had roped Cori into helping take care of the shop while I was out. Within a week, life was back to normal except I was making midwife appointments and wrapping my mind around the idea of twins. Our nights were spent on the couch or stretched out in bed watching movies with Amelia. Ewan made it a habit of talking to my stomach and it melted me every time he did it. He also started begging me to get married, but I refused. I would not be part of another shot-gun wedding, no matter how much I loved him, or how much the man begged. Davis and I had walked into the courthouse and got married after my mother found out I was pregnant. Her words were, “If you can make a baby, you can get married or you won’t get a bit of help from me.” So, we got married. I was wearing blue jeans and Davis went back to work once we left. Then I threw up the rest of the day, and not because I had been dumb enough to get myself knocked up. I would never be in that situation again. The idea of living together forever was more appealing than the courthouse, and neither of us had time to plan anything big. He knew why, But Ewan still asked on a daily basis, thinking I would change my mind. I would never tell him, but it was working, he was wearing me down.
“Ready?” Amelia yelled up at him while I lingered near the door. She was bouncing with excitement and jingling her keys. Ewan came down, cuffing his sleeves, and rubbed my pot belly as he kissed my head. Amelia climbed in the front of my Honda to drive us the four blocks to the hospital. She practically dragged us in and to the elevator, talking incessantly as we went.
Nick met us in the hall, twirling his cane like a vaudeville performer. “BooBoo.” He bowed low, swinging his cane into the wall.
“Lunchbox.” I hugged him awkwardly over my stomach. “Where is my nephew?” He poked the door open with the tip of the cane and gestured us in to a dim hospital room. Rae was nursing a squirming little blue bundle, but covered herself when we came in, immediately gesturing for me to sit next to her. She rubbed my belly when I sat down. I would never get used to having people randomly rub my stomach.
“I wonder which girl George falls madly in love with first?” Rae shifted little George to my arms, and I plucked the blue hat from his head to reveal a head full of blond fuzz. He had Nick’s turned up nose and Rae’s tiny chin. Little George was perfect. My hormones took over, and I started sobbing, holding the little guy. I sniffed his hair, taking in the fresh baby smell, and cried harder. Everything made me cry from seeing babies in public to diaper commercials. Amelia snatched George from me, cooing over him, and telling him how cute he was and how much trouble they would get in once the little guy was older. I reclined back on the bed next to Rae and listened to her gory labor details. She was pretty proud of herself for pushing out an eight-pound human. Then Amelia passed the baby on to Ewan.
He held George awkwardly, at first, but quickly found a comfortable position and rubbed his big hand over George’s fuzzy head. I cried harder. I was a mess, but it was so sweet. Knowing that in a few short months he would be holding one of our daughters made my tears shift to unhinged sobs. Ewan caught my eyes, gently bouncing a fussy George. His expression was pleading, and I nodded. He grinned, knowing exactly what my nod meant. The man had won, and it was probably the fault of my damn hormones. Screw being giant with twins, I would marry the man the next instant he asked whether I fit in a dress or was wearing sweatpants. I had all the things I never realized I wanted. My life was perfect, lacking absolutely nothing.
* * *
THE END
