What She Wants (27 page)

Like it was just that easy. And maybe for a little while she should let it be. She was tired and sick of going it alone.

Adrian slipped away, cleaning her up before a blanket floated down, covered them.

"Come here, Chook," Packer demanded, pulling Adrian back down to them. "Gimme a few and I'll tear your arse up."

"Sounds perfect, mate." Adrian cuddled in.

It did. Perfect. Which meant something was going to fuck it up. Something always did.

"
You've been living here?" Packer put his hands on his hips, facing down Calleigh's apartment like he would a charging bull. "This is terrifying."

"What?"

Like she couldn't see the water stains, the half put together cribs, the... Was that a waterbug? In the place where their woman and babies SLEPT? No, this would never do. "I hope you still have the moving boxes."

"If she doesn't I'll go get some."

"This is my apartment."

"No, this is a shithole."

Adrian nodded to Pack, frowned at her. "Baby? You had money, you told me."

"I was already pregnant. No insurance coverage, I knew I'd be out of work for at least three months, now..." She shrugged, the look defensive as all fuck. "I had to be careful."

"That's just stupid. Christ, woman." Packer was going to beat her. "You have a home, you have two men to take care of things, and you just...here? In this?"

Adrian held up a hand, keeping him from throwing anything. "This isn't helping." When he sputtered, those dark eyes bored into his. "I know. Now stop. We'll pack, baby girl. You just sit."

"Call that damned PODS place and have y'all's stuff delivered, too." When she opened her mouth he snarled. "Now, goddamn it! I will not... You are my girl. You deserve better!"

They both stared at him, Adrian grinning, Calleigh's lips quivering, and Packer threw up his hands. "Am I not making sense?"

"You are. It's fucking adorable. You've gone all caveman grunting married family man. It's the cutest thing ever."

Packer's hands clenched with the need to strangle Adrian. Really. Dead. He was actually moving to do it when Calleigh stopped him.

"If you kill him, you'd have to hide the body and then you'd have to rock the babies alone."

The babies. God, he loved those words. His smiled came from his toes, and he grabbed her, hugging her tight. "I'd have you. I want both of you helping me with those rugrats."

"Are you sure he's not hormonal, Ades?" Her belly pushed right into him.

"I think he's just in love." Adrian moved in close, too, one hand on his ass, one on Calleigh's waist.

"Yep. In love and ready to get your shit into the trucks. Ades can drive yours, you can ride with one of us." They'd done enough dancing about. It was time to get moving. Time to go home.

"But."

"You're coming." Adrian chuckled, kissed Calleigh, and headed over to the boxes of baby things. "You have enough shit, baby girl?"

"I didn't know there were going to be two, then."

"Two babies need lots of crap." Packer started loading things into boxes, setting them next to the door.

"Leave the kitchen shit. I just want my clothes and stuff from the bathroom."

He was going to holler with sheer fucking joy. She was cooperating. It was as if she finally believed that they were keeping her, that she didn't need to choose.

"What do I do about my job? I didn't give notice."

"I'll talk to them if I need to. You were close to maternity leave," Adrian said, and it was all Packer could do not to growl. Adrian was Calleigh's husband. That was his right.

Adrian looked at him, eyes knowing. They had shit to figure out, decisions to make. He gave his Chook a smile, though; this had to be hard for him, too, but Adrian just gave and gave. Packer knew he was the luckiest fool on earth.

Calleigh stretched, one hand on her back, one on her belly, a soft groan sounding.

"Luv? Are you all right?" He dropped everything to go to her, helping her sit on a kitchen chair.

"I'm fine, just feeling Frick and Frack here do somersaults." She took his hand. "Want to feel?"

It was like a madhouse, rolling and kicking and punching. He couldn't imagine what it felt like for her. "Do they do this all day, luv?"

"They move a lot more than I thought they would." She took his other hand, brought it to the small of her back. "Rub."

He did, flattening his hand and pushing in a little, giving her warmth and pressure. She'd been so good to him when he was hurt, and it felt amazing to be able to give it back to her.

She relaxed, eyelids closing, and the babies eased up, too. So tense. He met Adrian's eyes, and his Chook nodded. Time to take her home, let her relax, let her breathe while they took care of things.

They would pack her shit, close down the apartment, and talk to her work people while she decorated the nursery and got off her feet.

He rubbed until she was sagging against him, blinking slow. "Have a nap, luv, and me and Adrian will get the trucks loaded."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely, baby." Adrian took her to lie down, and they started the process of loading just the baby things and her really personal items.

They stopped together on the landing, just them. "You good, Chook?"

"I am. We'll have to work at it like we never have, you know?"

"I know." He wouldn't deny that, wouldn't pass it off as nonsense. They would have a lot of give and take.

"It's going to be fucking hard, but so fucking good, mate. Our family. I get you both -- my lady and my best mate."

Packer put his box down, reaching out to give Adrian a hard hug. "I know what you mean, Chook. I love you. You know that, right?" The words got easier to say every time.

"I know." Adrian grinned, eyes dancing, as wicked naughty as they could be. "Did you see how wild she was for you last night? This is going to be so much fun."

His cock jumped a little, just at the thought. "You know it, Chook. I can't wait."

"Let's go take our girl home, then. It's time."

"You know it, Chook. Let's give the lady what she wants."

He followed Adrian's amazing ass back inside to get his girl, knowing that a whole new life was opening up for him, one he frankly thought he'd never have. Packer amazed himself by wanting that life more than he'd ever wanted anything in his life, including the next bullride.

"
Goddamn it, Adrian! Did you eat all the mashed potatoes?"

He looked at Packer, and Packer looked back. "Chook, is she in the kitchen?"

Calleigh was supposed to be in bed, resting. Quiet. The woman was the size of a rhino, the babies making her swollen and grumpy and hungry.

Really hungry.

"I think they're under the chicken, baby." He wandered to the kitchen door, leaning there to blink at his girl.

Tired and scowling and wearing a sweater that was the size of a tent -- she'd never been so pretty. "Under the chicken. Right. Monday I get to go to the hospital and not be pregnant anymore, right?"

"That's what they say." He crossed the room to kiss her, then relieve her of her armful of cold snacks.

"Good. I'm tired, Ades. The girls are heavy."

"They'd be lighter in the bed, woman." Packer came to her, rumbling, hands searching out her sore spots. Pack was surprisingly good at the domestic thing, better than Adrian had ever imagined. Hell, he was the one sending Adrian off to ride bulls with a wave and a smile.

"I was hungry and bored and I don't want to watch any more movies. I want to be with you two."

"All you had to do was yell, you mad thing."

He and Pack grinned at each other over Calleigh's head when she growled. It was a great noise.

"Well, come and sit with Pack on the sofa while I put us some food together."

"Okay. I want..."

"Mashed potatoes. Calleigh, the man's not daft. He knows." Packer got her moving, arm around her expanded waist.

"I might want pickles!"

She didn't, though. She'd never had a pickle the whole time she'd been pregnant. Those weird crackers shaped like fish? Sure. French fries? God yes. Packer had even learned to make homemade onion rings, but no pickles. There was nothing more hilarious than Packer in a Kiss the Chook apron.

Adrian got the mashed potatoes out, the chicken and fixed her a plate, popped it in the nuker, grinning. Monday they'd have their girls and by the middle of the week they'd be in the newly painted nursery.

The timer was almost done when he heard Calleigh cry out, the sound sharp, almost scared. He'd made it to the kitchen door before he heard Packer holler, "CHOOK! Bring towels!"

Adrian didn't even ask. He just got towels, feet slapping on the floor as he ran from laundry to front room. His eyes widened. Whoa.

"My water broke."

Yeah, yeah, he could see that. Damn.

"Toss me the rags, Chook, and help her get cleaned up to head to town." Packer helped her up, got her moving. "Looks like we don't have to wait for Monday. Wednesday is a good day for babies."

Calleigh came to him, a panicked look on her face. "Ades?"

"It's okay, baby girl. Pack and I have birthed hundreds of calves. This is the way it works." She knew that, but she had to be freaked out.

"I am incredibly comforted, Ades. Thank you." Calleigh arched an eyebrow, popped him. "Glad you're here."

There'd been a chance that he'd have missed this, if she'd gone early. As it was, they both got to be there. The most exciting moment of his life, and he got to share it with his girl and his very own cowboy.

Adrian had never been happier than when Calleigh had pressed her point that day in the hotel, making them include her. It had been the only way to make things work.

"Me too, baby girl. Come on. Let's get your clothes changed and I'll grab your ready bag. We got babies to meet."

They were going to be daddies, him and Pack. Crikey.

Good thing his girl'd got what she wanted.

End