Bane (32 page)

Maren sniffled. “We’re coming.”

I grabbed her hand and gave her a quick kiss. “Whatever happens, we’ll face it together.”

Walking out of the room, the doctor gave me a quizzical look at Maren’s tears. She handed her a tissue. The doctor kept a pleasant smile on her face. Maren needed to understand I was all in.

I had my angel. She was mine. Only mine. The only thing that would make this day absolutely perfect was if everything was okay with the baby.

Positioning herself on the table, Maren lifted her shirt. Her hands shook as I soothingly stroked one with my thumb. A large screen flickered at the end of the room. The doctor watched the screen. Black and white fuzz filled it as the technician moved the wand across her stomach.

“Doctor, please tell me what’s going on.” The plead of Maren’s voice nearly undid me. I wanted to choke the answers out of the doctor.

She turned and smiled to us. “I’m sorry to have scared you, but it’s best to wait until a number of theories can be confirmed. The reason I heard an echo was because there’s not just one baby.”

Maren interrupted the doctor. “What are you saying?”

I was frozen to the spot. Did the baby have a third arm? Four legs? Two heads? My mind spun out of control with possibilities.

“You’re having twins.”

We asked at the same time, “What?”

The doctor gave us a gentle smile. “Yes, you’re expecting twins.”

“Two babies.” My voice was in awe as I approached the screen. The doctor talked and pointed to two little lima bean-shaped objects in Maren’s belly. Our babies. They were perfect. Beyond perfect. This was a miracle.

I repeated myself, “Two babies.”

The doctor nodded to us. “Congratulations, Mom and Dad.”

I was speechless as it sunk in.

Two babies. Two.

I rushed to Maren and kissed her for everyone to see, not caring that we had an audience. “I love you, angel. Thank you for giving me this.”

Finally, I had let my guard down. Maren knew how I truly felt and it was fan-fucking-tastic for it to be out there. I waited as she searched my eyes and tears filled her own. What if she wasn’t in love with me? Fuck.

The door shut and we were alone. I went to speak, but she cut me off. “I love you, too,” she cried. “Did you mean what you said in the office before we came in here?”

Kissing her lips, I poured my love into her. “I did. Maren, when you’re ready I want you to be my wife. I love you.” I hadn’t planned on saying it that way, but I’d learned to seize the moment. Waiting only led to regrets.

She wiped a tear from her eye. “Are you asking me to marry you?”

“I am. If you’ll have me.” I felt exposed as I waited for her answer, not knowing if I’d rushed this too fast.

Maren sat up and looked at me with her beautiful eyes. “Are you sure you want this? I don’t want you regretting it later. Marriage is a lifetime commitment for me. We can take this slow if you need to. I’m not going anywhere.”

Grabbing her beautiful face between my hands, I held her. “I will never regret spending my life with you. I’ve fallen in love with you over seven weeks.”

This was the least romantic way to start our life together, but Maren got me. She watched me closely and my eyes never wavered from hers. Grabbing my face, she kissed me. “Yes. I’ll marry you. I love you, Bane.”

TWINS. WE WERE having twins. I held my stomach. There were two babies inside of me. Looking over at Bane, he looked happy as he pulled me to him while we laid in bed naked and entwined. The memory of his lips kissing me slowly brought goose bumps to my exposed flesh.

We’d made love for the first time. He’d held my hands as he slid in and out of me, uniting us in a way I never thought possible.

“What are you thinking about, angel?” His finger trailed down my arm. A voice of pure contentment.

For the first time, I felt what I had been missing for so long—a family. “Us. Making love. What it felt like to have you inside of me without any barriers.”

Bringing me closer to him, Bane kissed my neck. His warm breath tickled my neck. “I’m going to make love to you every day.”

“Hopefully, there will still be some fuckings, too.”

Bane nipped my shoulder. “Definitely.”

A somber silence fell over us. “Maren, I’m scared of losing you. Of losing them.”

Quietly, I added, “I’m scared of losing you. Of you realizing this life with the babies isn’t for you.” If Bane decided this was too much it would destroy me.

“This is it for me, angel. I’m all in.” There was conviction is his voice. “No turning back. You’re mine forever.”

“I’m all in, too. I’m yours … forever.”

A peace filled the air. Fingers trailed down my stomach. “We are going to have double the trouble.”

Glancing back, Bane smiled as he chuckled. “I can’t wait.” He nuzzled my neck. “How fast do you want to get married?”

Married. I couldn’t believe Bane proposed. “I don’t want a formal wedding.” The movement on my stomach stopped. “What do you want, Maren?”

“If you want something more, I’m fine with it. Okay?” I turned toward Bane. This was new territory for us on so many levels.

Bane searched my face. “I’ll tell you if it’s not something I want. I’ll always be honest with you.”

Running a finger down his chest, I told him what I wanted. “I want us to commit ourselves to each other. No wedding. No pastor.” It wasn’t conventional, but it fit us.

“Where?”

Excited flutters coursed through me. “Here. Now. But that’s only if you want.”

“Now? You’re okay committing ourselves while being naked?”

I giggled. “It may not be conventional, but I want us to be together.”

Bane pulled me closer to him. “I, Bane, promise to cherish you for the rest of my days. I’ll never leave or abandon you. I’ll protect you and our family with every fiber of my being. I’ll be yours forever.”

We were doing this. Right here. Right now. I kissed him. “I, Maren, promise to love you with every ounce of my being. Be a good wife and mother. Be there for you in the good times and the bad. Let you be my everything and be yours in return.”

Bane rolled on top of me as I felt the tip of him enter me. The connection between us intensified as I asked, “So, we’re married?”

“We’re married.” He pushed in and I could sense victory coursing through him. “I love you, wife.”

“I love you too, husband.”

My world was complete.

Christmas was approaching in less than a week. I neared three months into the pregnancy. Sex was amazing. I couldn’t get enough of it. Marriage was more than I’d ever thought. My stomach had a little bump to it with the twins. Everything showed faster and the risks were greater. I couldn’t wait to feel them move around, but I was nervous. Sixty percent of all twins came prematurely. The risks were all amplified. Bane seemed to be handling all the information well, but I knew he worried.

I loved him more every day and I wanted my family more than I’d wanted anything.

Twins. It was going to be crazy caring for two babies. With Bane by my side, I knew we could handle it. Bane laid beside me, peacefully sleeping with his hand on my stomach. It’s how we slept every night. He’d told me he wanted to make sure our babies knew he was there and would never leave.

Beside the bed, his cell phone vibrated. Without missing a beat, Bane grabbed the phone, cleared his throat and spoke. “Hello. Yes. Are you sure? That’s good news. Thanks, Alex. I will.” I wasn’t sure how he could go from fast asleep to wide awake in a nanosecond. He looked toward me after he hung up and answered my silent query. “Sarge and Eric’s bodies have been identified. Looks like a deal gone bad. We’re in the clear. Alex is assembling a team to take care of all the connections and see if there were any other leaks.”

Relief coursed through me. I’d been trying to push it to the side with all the worry the twins brought and live in my happy bubble. I was married and in love. Stress wasn’t good and I tried to pretend the underlying fear wasn’t there. But now that the door had been opened, I had to ask, “Will it ever be safe for us?”

Propping up on his elbow, Bane popped his neck. “Angel, I’m not going to let anything happen to you. I will protect our family.”

“I know. I trust you … implicitly.”

“But …”

I took a deep breath as I thought about all we had been through. “But what if there are still some loose ends out there? What if Eric did tell someone else? What if Sarge had a backup plan? I’m trying not to stress about it, Bane. But—”

He silenced me with a kiss. “Don’t get stressed. It’s not good for you. I have a solution, but was going to wait and discuss it with you after the pregnancy.”

“What is it?”

Bane sat up and the sheet pooled at his waist, showcasing his muscular torso. Scrubbing his scalp, he watched me closely as he said, “Disappearing. Completely beginning a new life. Never contacting anyone again that we currently know. It’s the safest way I know, but it means leaving everything.”

It was hard to believe it would be that simple. “How would we do it?”

“Stage our deaths. Then disappear. Start over somewhere normal. Create false identities.”

It was no different than what we originally planned when I was going without Bane. The decision had been easy with all that was on the line. “That’s what I want to do.”

“Okay, we’ll go after the babies are born.”

I could tell he wasn’t sure if I was certain. The pregnancy did make me a little more emotional, but I knew this was the right decision. “Why not now when I’m still early in the pregnancy? When the babies are born it will make it so much harder.”

“Maren, this isn’t a decision to be made lightly. We—”

I put my fingers to his lips. “I know. Bane, I was willing to do it without you. I was prepared to leave Frankie.” Closing my eyes for a second, I pushed the sadness away from losing my brother. “We need to do this. I don’t want to look over my shoulder for the rest of my life and wonder if it’s okay for the kids to play in the yard in case there’s someone waiting to take them.”

Rolling me under him, Bane looked me in the eyes. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. I know you’ll pick a safe place for us and the pregnancy.”

Bane’s dick was hard against my thigh. I squirmed. Positioning himself at my entrance, he pushed in. “We’ll make all the decisions together. It’s you and me, my angel and wife.”

I arched into the friction. “Yes. Forever.”