“Daddy, are you…crying?” Reaching out for him, Carver brings her hand to his lips and kisses her knuckles.
“You died, Scotty.” His broken words have her looking around the room, halting when she meets my stare. I nod. When she gets a look at her brother, tears crowd her eyes and spill over.
“I’m okay now,” she tries to reassure but doesn’t sound confident.
“Dad?” I look back at him. “Would you check on the girls? Make sure they’re okay?”
Dropping a hand on my shoulder, he squeezes. “I’ll take care of them, son.”
“Ambulance is on the way,” Easton informs us.
“Carv,” Luther calls softly, and the two older men walk out of the house. Glancing out the window, I see they’ve got one man hog-tied on the ground near a burning vehicle.
“You got her?” I grip Saint’s arm, and he nods, still shaken up. “I’ll be right back, sunshine. Don’t move.”
Reaching up, she grazes my jaw with her fingers, comforting me when I feel like I have nearly lost my entire world. “Don’t be long.”
Kissing the tips of her fingers, I promise, “Minutes.” Her eyes follow me out of the house.
Taking a second to soak in the fact that she’s not dead, I remind myself she’s breathing and talking. That my girls are safe. And as I glance around the yard, I see most of the enemy is dead.
Carver and Luther stand over a body I assume is Sergei Tumarov. “This him?” I ask, noticing Carver is playing with a tri-blade knife in his fingers as he looms over the man.
“This is him,” Luther confirms.
Kneeling next to Sergei, his eyes travel from Carver, and his knife, to me. “You made a mistake," I taunt. "You underestimated my desire to keep my woman all to myself.” Reaching forward, I snatch the blade from Carver’s grip and plunge it to the hilt into Tumarov’s chest. “I guess Icankill a man for the right reasons, after all.” Blood spills from his lips as he stares down at his chest and then up at me. “She’s the right reason, and you fucked up.”
Walking away, Carver and Luther appear a little shocked, and if I’m honest, I am too. But the only way to ensure Scotlyn is safe, that my twins are safe, is if he’s no longer breathing in this world. Now he’s not.
Entering the house, I hear sirens in the distance, and I see Scotlyn joking with her brother and cousins, so I know everything will be okay. She’s safe and alive. That’s all I need.
Epilogue
Scotlyn
Several Months Later.
“Mama, you have to stop spoiling them.” Scolding my mother when it comes to Bethy and Belly never works. She completely ignores me to dote on her two granddaughters.
“I only see them a few times a year. I get to do this all I want.” She doesn’t even look at me, and Aunt Lilith laughs along with her as she spoils herowngrandchildren.
“Once a month, Mama. We fly down here once a month.” Reasoning with her won’t work, and as I see Daddy come out back from the house, I know I’m in trouble.
He’s got two enormous matching pink flamingo inflatables, and the girls squeal their delight as he tosses them in the pool for them. Saint follows next with trays of snacks, and when I open my mouth to protest, I feel a hand cover it.
“Stop,” Jax growls in my ear from behind, his body pressing firmly against mine. My body ignites immediately. “Let themhave their fun. All you’re going to do is stress yourself into going into labor.” He’s right; I know he is.
“I just don’t want–”
“What? For them to know they’re loved? Insanely loved by a huge extended family. I’m pretty okay with that.”
“I don’t want them too spoiled and having you not want to come back as often.” I hadn’t realized I was afraid of that until the words popped out.
Spinning me around to face him, Jax looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. Maybe I have. “Do you really think that could happen?”
“No,” I huff out. It’s the hormones; they make me crazy.
“We’re here all summer because you want your mom around for the birth. Trust me, everything will be fine.” When I started getting anxious a few weeks ago because I wouldn’t be able to fly out here, Jaxson packed us all up, and we’ve been back in Florida ever since. I’m so grateful because I didn’t realize how scared I was until I was up crying one night, and he finally coaxed out of me what was wrong.