Roman-2(Lane Brothers, Book 5)(64)
It’s still slightly swollen and tender to the touch, but the heavy feeling is gone and I know that—
“Where are my babies!”
“Settle down, love.”
I look up to see Lucian standing above me, his face wreathed in a smile so wide I let out a shaky breath and smile, ignoring the pain and lingering drowsiness.
“They’re okay? All of them?”
Those blue eyes are radiant as he leans down and rests his forehead on mine and closes his eyes, taking deep breaths before opening them again and spearing me with a glare.
“Don’t you ever fucking do that to me again. You said goodbye. Promise me.”
I feel a lump form in my throat at the hoarseness in his voice and nod silently, trying to hold back tears. Of course that’s the first thing he’d do when I wake up from almost dying in childbirth. That’s Luc for ya, chastising and laying down the law.
“Say it, Ashley.”
“I promise. I won’t ever say it again.”
That brings a smile to his face, because, though he knows what I mean, the statement is somewhat ambiguous and sounds a lot like something else.
“I mean, I’ll still say I love you, but I won’t give up again,” I say, smiling into the soft kiss he plants on my dry lips. “I want my babies.”
***
“How can they… Oh, God, they’re too small,” I whisper tearfully twenty minutes later when he wheels me into the room and stops between the three incubators, his hold steady as I stand painfully and peer into the little glass enclosures where my babies lie wrapped in tubes and wires.
“It’s okay, love. They’re small but healthy. We just need to give them time to get there, and then we can take them home with us,” he soothes, kissing my neck reassuringly.
How the hell those little mites are even alive is a miracle, and I say a silent prayer of thanks and beg for their health as the nurse opens the tiny side hatches and smiles kindly.
“Mom and dad can touch them if you want. They’ll probably feel better knowing you’re here to watch over them. Has the nurse talked to you about expressing your milk so we can get them fed through their feeding tubes?”
“Ah, no, but I can—”
“Relax, mama, we’ll get it done. For now say hello to your little ones. I’ll be back in a few to help you with the milk.”
I nod and advance, trembling badly when I push my hand into the opening and stroke one finger over the little boy inside, grinding my teeth when his butter soft skin meets mine and shows the stark outline of his little veins.
“He’s the eldest. He’s small but bigger than the other two,” Lucian murmurs, smiling down softly at his firstborn.
“Lucian.”
“Yes, love?”
“No. His name is Lucian,” I whisper, kissing the tip of my index finger to lay it over his chest, where his heart is beating like a hummingbird’s.
After the nurse comes back and closes the flap, I turn to the next boy, smiling when I see the frown on his face that so resembles my own and Ben’s. This little guy will look like his dad but have my temperament, God help us all.
“Cameron.”
I touch him with more fear than I had his big brother because he looks so small and fragile I’m terrified he’ll disintegrate beneath my touch, but the little champ curls his tiny finger around my pinky, and I could swear he squeezes it reassuringly before going back to sleep.
“Cammy would like that, love.”
“Yeah. It’s the best I could do, since she was planning on naming one of them River or Rain or some such crap.”
He snorts and pushes me forward, his face brilliant and eager to get me moving.
“Come and see, love. You won’t believe.”
He’s so excited it’s all I can do to stumble over and peer inside.
“A girl?”
“Yeah, she’s a tough one, this little thing. Just as strong as her mum, and look! I think she has your weird toes,” he murmurs, running a delicate finger over the barely there appendages.
She’s so delicate I can’t even see toenails.
“Aw, look at her tiny little mouth. And look, Luc, she’s pursing her lips just like you! Crap, she’s probably gonna be a daddy’s girl.”
That makes his chest puff out so much he looks like a rooster before he becomes serious again and looks back at me, his eyes shining brightly.
“Name, Mum?”
Well, crapsickles. I never looked at girl names, since I was convinced his super Hulk sperm had filled me with boys.
“Uh, I don’t have one. Unless you wanna name her Carter?”
“I was hoping we could name her Jewel, if you don’t mind too much.”
No, I say, I don’t mind at all. It’s perfect and sweet and makes me smile just to know that the guy is gaga over three babies that look like little alien dolls.