Chapter 7
Cody and Carson were sitting on Colton’s bed while he stuffed the last few items in his suitcase. Colton was trying hard to contain his excitement as he checked his room to make sure nothing was forgotten.Crap,he hadn’t felt this way since before his parents and siblings died. Even though he wasn’t going down there in a nursing capacity, he secretly hoped he’d get to take care of some patients.What a fucking piece of luck!What…oh shit Cody was talking.
“Hey bro, are you listening to me?”
“Sorry, what did you say?”
“I said, we’re going to miss you in Seattle. Are you sure about not postponing the trip, so you can come with us?”
Carson joined in, “Yeah man. You know, ‘The Cocky C’s’. We always work together setting up and finding our men for the night. Now it’s only going to be two of us and you know Cody ain’t any good at it. You always could spot the hot ones.”
Laughing, Colton said, “I hardly think that’s going to be a problem. Did you check out the places Steel lined up for you? If you can’t hook up with anyone there, you all deserve to have a fuckless night.”
“But, Colton …”
“No Carson, don’t make me feel guilty about choosing this over going with you. I was happy for you when Steel gave you the chance to start living your dream of going into business sopleasedo the same for me.”
They heard Steel yelling, “Colton, your ride will be landing soon, so get the hell down here now so everyone can say good-bye.”
Cody stood, pulling Carson up with him and said to Colton, “So, flying in a helicopter, huh?”
“Yeah, Jackson told me it’s quite a blast. Slate and I are just flying to the local airport where Dire Enterprises’ private jet is waiting for us.
“Great,” Carson said, “I get to meet him finally. I’ve talked to him a few times while learning about Dire Enterprises.”
“Sorry, not this time, bro. Steel told me Slate is on a tight time crunch…he isn’t even getting out of the helicopter. You’ll meet him when we come back and he’ll be staying with us for a while.”
“Cool.” Cody reached out, pulling his two brothers into a hug. “Listen to me, bro. You take care of yourself down there and come back. I’ll miss you so call a lot, you hear?”
“That goes for me too,” Carson echoed.
The triplets stood in silence, aware this would be the first time they were separated. Murmurs of “love you bro” and “you too” were softly uttered as one last encompassing hug was given. Then, each triplet picked up a suitcase, heading downstairs.
As he reached the great room, Colton could see Jackson was upset. Steel had his arm around his waist, holding him tight while kissing his head. Thank goodness, Jackson had his mate to comfort him because this was the first time one of his brothers had flown the coop..and to another country, to boot. He could imagine what his brother was feeling after working so hard to keep them alive and safe. Now for the first time, Jackson didn’t have the power to insure Colton’s safety and his pregnancy hormones were only making his anxiety worse.
Colton held out his arms for Jackson’s embrace, gathering his brother in for a tight hug but taking care to avoid his belly. “You take care of yourself and the pup, okay. That’s an order from your medical provider. When I get back, I want to see you healthy and with a big baby belly.”
Jackson giggled through his tears. “How much bigger do you think I’ll get? I already can’t see my feet.”
“Oh bro, you are in for a surprise…a good one…but a surprise nevertheless,” Colton said before moving close to Jackson’s ear to whisper, “Now I need a favor, bro, take care of Cody and Carson for me. They are going to be very blue about a missing note in our triad. Okay?”
Jackson nodded. “You bet.”
Then Colton gave Steel a hug. “Promise you’ll take care of Jackson for me? Keep the wild sex down to manageable levels, right?”
Steel’s cheeks turned rosy. “I owe you one for that,” he said, grinning.
Colton hugged Logan, Dakota and Zane wishing them a good time in Seattle before turning to Oracle and Maximus. Taking Oracle in his arms, he whispered, “Please make sure my brothers are safe. They are my world.” He held on for a moment more, hearing her whisper back, “I promise I will. Now go and have a good time. You’ve worked hard to earn this opportunity.”
“Are you ready to go, Colton?” asked Maximus, holding out his hand to shake Colton’s.
“Yes sir. I’m pretty sure I have everything I’ll need.”
As the chopper came into sight and landed, Colton looked at his brothers and said, “Well, okay guys, I guessit’s time to go. Cody, Carson, can you help me with my suitcases?”
“Sure,” they said in unison.
Everyone gathered on the porch as the triplets walked towards the helicopter. The enormity of what was about to happen hit Colton hard and he faltered for a minute.
