“The couch, Daniil. Long…cold…lonely fucking nights on your lumpy couch,” I stated slowly, meaning it fully. If he was going to use his arsenal to its fullest and ignore my wishes, then I needed to fight fire with fire. And this was the only fire I could think of on such short notice.
Daniil stilled, glancing at me. “You wouldn’t.”
“Just like you wouldn’t offer my doctor forty G’s to give you information about babies inmystomach after Ialreadysaidno!”
The doctor was still staring at the money on the ground, and I tried to ignore that and keep my game face on.
Daniil smirked, his grin knowing. “I could seduce you like that,” he snapped his fingers, “and you know it.”
I smirked right back. “Not if I sleep in my parents’ room.”
His mouth thinned, and he looked positively pained, asking the doctor, “How many more months until she has the babies?”
I pointed at him. “You know what,my dear, you’re sleeping on the damn couch tonight for even considering it!”
He rolled his shoulders, and glared at me, but bent down and started picking up his money, muttering in Russian under his breath. I snapped my fingers at the doctor, stating, “That’s his way of giving me what I want. Now hurry up, soeveryoneon the line can get back to work.”
“That was impressive,” Zane stated clearly over the line. “You’re learning.”
I snorted as the doc finally yanked his gaze away from the money, a little downhearted and went back to work. “I hope I’ve learned something by now.”
Daniil muttered loudly in Russian, and most of the men on the other end of the line laughed. I decided to let that one pass. He was ticked and venting.
“Baby Two,” Dr. Wisser stated…and there was silence as everyone listened to the heartbeat. Daniil even stopped moving to look up at me from his squat on the floor. Though he was still upset, his lips lifted in the tiniest of smiles and dark eyes softening instantly. My heart melted, irritation gone that fast, remembering—knowing—that our babies were alive and well, growing as they should be.
Daniil dropped the money in his hand to the floor and stood, walking on all those bills to come to my side. He took my hand and placed my fingers to his lips, and kept them there, staring down at me with so much love in his eyes, I knew he wouldn’t be sleeping on the couch tonight. By the time Dr. Wisser found our third child’s heartbeat again, Daniil and I both heard a few sniffles over the line.
I heard Anna state softly, “I want one.”
“Then let’s go make one,” Carl stated instantly, his voice a hell of a lot rougher than it normally was, and we all heard another squeal that had to have been Anna.
Daniil chuckled, his gaze on Dr. Wisser, “You may have a referral soon.”
That night after dinner, I headed in the direction of the music room where Daniil had promised he would play the piano for me. He had been too busy earlier and I had been asleep by the time he was free. Peace and happy, the last thing I wanted to see was Ember staring silently out of a window in the front room. It was late, and most everyone had gone to bed by now.
I sighed and stopped. Dammit!
She seemed so fucking lost standing there with her arms wrapped around herself, the darkness of the room like a blanket around her.
Over the past week, I had noticed little things that I had missed before. Her confused looks that she tried to mask when everyone around her started speaking Russian. Her careful expressions when Brent or Cole was around because of Nikki and Beth. The way she chattered non-stop with Zane about the occupants of the mansion across the street. Where she was staring now as if she could see it. It wasn’t possible even in the daytime. And then, there were her furtive glances at my stomach.
Pretty much, Ember was a mess.
I felt for her. I had begun to like the redheaded bitch…because I knew she had a soft heart that she obviously tried so hard to shelter and protect. I took a deep breath and walked into the dark room, standing by her side and staring out the window. I ignored how she stiffened.
She didn’t move away, though.
I asked, “Wanna talk? I’m actually a pretty good listener.”Duh.I was a reporter…er…would be again once the babies were born and my boss let me have my job back. Like Ember, I didn’t have a lot of friends here to talk with where the information wouldn’t make its way back to the men we were hiding our issues from. Sometimes I might need to speak with someone. And fuck, if she wasn’t the only one around here to do it with.
Ember snorted. “Duh.”
It was best not to let her know how entwined that was to my thoughts. So…I waited.
And waited a little more.
My feet tingled with numbness.
She murmured, “This is going to sound awful…but…do you know how badly Brent and Cole’s return screwed everything up?”
