Read Rescue Me: A Bad Boy Military Romance Online

Authors: Vesper Vaughn

Rescue Me: A Bad Boy Military Romance (23 page)

Alexa meanders over with her hand in Adam’s. Adam finally returned from active duty a few months ago. They’ve been inseparable ever since. I suddenly realize that Alexa is glowing. I kiss her on the cheek. “You look different,” I say to her.

She beams up at Adam but shakes her head at me. “Not different,” she says, but Adam’s eyes flick to her stomach and I suddenly know.

“You’re pregnant?” I whisper to her.

She bites her lip and smiles. “I didn’t want you to be upset,” she says.

I pull her into a full hug. “Never. I’m so happy for you.”

But I feel my ears ringing and my smile become fixed across my face. Luke is at my side once again, Teddy hanging off his back for a piggyback ride. “You okay?” Luke whispers when we’re settled into our normal pew.

I nod and smile at him. He squeezes my hand and I squeeze so hard back I feel like I might break his bones. He doesn’t even flinch. This is a thing we do. When I’m in emotional pain, he tells me to give it all to him. “Nothing can be worse pain for me than my leg,” he’d said to me when we started doing this.

The preacher starts up her sermon and I’m in a daze.
Alexa is pregnant. Alexa is pregnant.
I try not to feel jealous. I really am happy for her. But this hurts, too.

I feel a buzzing sensation against my thigh and Luke has to let go of my hand to pull out his phone. He sees the number and his face lights up. He practically runs out of the church to answer it. I turn around, looking after him inquisitively. Alexa is a few rows back and looks at me questioningly. I shrug and face the preacher.

The doors to the church open five minutes later and Luke yells. “We’re having a baby!” he says. “Actually, three babies. Well, not three babies. But three kids. One of them is a baby!”

The entire congregation cheers and my eyes zoom into his line of sight. He runs over to me and lifts me out of my seat. “You’re going to be a mom. Today,” he whispers.

“Today?” I say, feeling like someone is about to steal this away from me at any possible moment.

“That’s right.”

“We gotta go!” I say to everyone. “We – we gotta go. Oh no. Oh, wow.” I don’t even know what I’m saying as Luke leads me out of the church, people yelling congratulations at us.

We get in the truck and drive. I feel like the whole world is brighter, sunnier, happier.

“We’re going to be somebody’s parents,” I say in shock as Luke speeds toward Ft. Worth. I feel another lurch of nausea and have to ask him to pull over on the highway. As I vomit into a patch of bluebonnets, I realize that this is one of those moments that changes your life. I’m living it, right now.

I look up at Luke, who is standing protectively over me. “We can do this, right?”

He smiles, his dimples cavernous. “We can do fucking anything.”

He walks me back to the truck, cars zooming past us on the highway. He opens my door for me.

“You might want to not curse in front of the kids I guess.”

He laughs. “That’s a great fucking point.”

I raise my eyebrows.

“What? I need to get it out of my system.”

CHAPTER FORTY

LUKE

I rap on the door three more times. “Ella. Come out here. Please,” I say, pleading with her. I turn the doorknob. It’s locked. “You locked me out?”

I hear the pitter patter of pajama-clad feet and I turn around to see the curly brown hair of one of my daughters. I still get a little fluttery when I say that.
My daughters
. “What’s up, Jessie?”

She rubs her hand across her eyes. They’re filled with sleep. “I had a nightmare,” she says. “And Thomas is snoring.”

I laugh and scoop her up, smelling her sweet hair. “It’s alright, baby girl. I’ll go scare those monsters away and put on your lullaby music.” She nestles her head against my chin and I feel my heart grow three sizes.

It’s only been two months with the kids, and everything has changed. Everything. But I wouldn’t swap it for the entire world. I tuck Jessie into her bed and look under her bed with my flashlight. “All clear,” I whisper to her over the sound of Thomas’ snores. We have enough bedrooms for all of the kids but the two oldest insist on sleeping in the same room.

She smiles at me. I tuck her bunny rabbit under the blanket next to her. “Goodnight, Mr. Grumpy Pants,” I whisper to the toy, kissing him on the head. Jessie giggles. “Goodnight, princess.” I kiss her too and switch on her lullaby music. It fills the room and she’s asleep before I get to the doorway.

I wander back into our bedroom and knock on the door to the bathroom again. “Woman. You’re being ridiculous. Just come out here or let me in. Or I’m getting my drill and punching through the lock on this thing.”

I hear the toilet flush, the tap run, and the door unlock. I open it and see Ella back on the floor next to the toilet. “Babe, it’s been eight weeks. We need to check.”

She’s crying, dark circles under her eyes. “It’ll pass. It’s just the stress and lack of sleep with the kids. I promise.” At that moment, the baby cries out across the house. Ella groans and wretches into the toilet again. I hold back her hair.

“Let me get the baby,” I say. She murmurs her approval and I race to the nursery, lifting baby Jasmine out of her crib. Her head smells like cereal and baby powder. “Shh, it’s okay,” I whisper. Ella wants us to let her cry it out. But I can’t stand it. She’d have to tie me to the bed in a non-sexy way to keep me from this child. I sit down in the rocking chair and rest Jasmine’s head on my chest, replacing her pacifier. Soon she’s suckling it contentedly, her sticky, pudgy hands balled up.

I reach into my pocket and dial a phone number. If I can’t bring Ella to let me get this, I’m going to need someone to deliver it.

A half an hour later, I’ve gotten Jasmine to sleep. My phone buzzes and I see a text.
Here. Don’t want to ring the doorbell in case it wakes up the kids.

I run down the stairs and open the door, sweeping Tanya into a hug. “I owe you big time,” I say to her.

She grins. “I’ve been trying to get her to do this for weeks but I didn’t want to push.” She hands me a small brown paper bag. “I got extras in case she doesn’t want to believe the first one.”

“You want to stick around?” I say. “I can make you some tea.”

She shakes her head. “This moment is for both of you alone. Just give me a call if y’all want me to take the kids tomorrow. I’m happy to do it.”

“Thank you,” I say.

“Don’t mention it,” she replies. “And Luke?”

“Yeah?” I ask her.

“It’s normal to feel like you don’t know what the hell you’re going to do. Just remember that for the moment when you
know
.”

I nod. “Night, Tanya.”

I try not to race up the stairs but I can’t help myself. I feel like a kid on Christmas morning. The bathroom door is still open and I push it forward. Ella is brushing her teeth. “Ella,” I say kindly. “We need to do this.” I hold out the paper bag and she shakes her head violently.

“I can’t,” she says after spitting out her toothpaste. “I can’t know because what if…what if it doesn’t happen? What if this is a fluke? What if I get to five months like last time and we lose the baby? I’m so scared.”

I push her hair off of her sweaty forehead. “If this train has left the station, there’s no getting off it. And I’m on it with you.”

Ella’s lip is trembling.

I sigh and stand up, opening the paper bag and unboxing the contents of Tanya’s purchase. I slip one of the plastic sticks out of the bag and hold it in my hands, a stern look on my face. “Woman, if you don’t piss on this stick in the next ten minutes, I’m not having sex with you for a month.”

“You’re joking,” Ella groans. But I see a smile playing at her lips.

“Don’t test me on this.” I hand her the stick.

She takes it.

I step outside and wait for her to finish. She flushes and washes her hands and steps out into our bedroom. She looks relieved.

“Well?” I ask her, feeling like I’m going to jump out of my skin.

“It’s sitting. We have to wait another sixty seconds.”

The next sixty seconds are the longest of my life. We wait outside the bathroom as if giving the test room to breathe. Ella takes my hand. “I think I’m ready,” she whispers.

“Wait!” I say as she turns to go inside. “I need something real quick.”

“What?” she asks me.

“Just a kiss,” I say. She delivers.

She sighs contentedly and squeezes my hand. We walk into the bathroom together. Ella flips the test over.

She looks up at me. “Looks like the train has left the station.”

“I’m right here on it with you,” I reply, a wide smile on my face. I sweep her off of her feet and carry her to bed.

This is the greatest moment of my entire life. And I get to share it with my very best friend.

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