Talkin' Trash
Page 44

He was talking about Pru, of course.
“That’s because her father is fully capable of killing me before I’d even realize he was there.” He paused. “And I’m fairly sure that he hates me.”
I scoffed. “Sam Mackenzie seems like a big ol’ teddy bear to me.”
“That’s because you’re a girl, honey,” Linc explained. “Sam Mackenzie is a badass. He’ll kill Hoax if he goes near his daughter.”
I smiled and turned my head to study the man across from me.
“At least mine’s easier to hide,” Wade held up his casted foot. “If I keep it, that is. Then it won’t matter whether it’s tanned or not.”
Wade, apparently, was in danger of losing his leg from the knee down due to a recurring infection that they couldn’t get to clear up. The nurses and doctors, according to Wade, feared that the infection was in danger of spreading to the bone.
And if it did that, he might be shit out of luck.
“What…”
Linc’s phone made a ding-dong sound, indicating that he had a voicemail from the same number that had called earlier.
“Why do you have the hospital calling you?” I questioned, showing him the phone.
Linc frowned. “That’s the hospital?”
I nodded. “All numbers at the hospital start with 315.” I pointed out. “And they’ve left you like seven voicemails over the last two months.”
He shrugged.
“Just listen to it, Jesus,” Hoax growled.
“I just figured that it was more reporters. I nearly blocked the number, honestly. But my agent…”
The phone rang in his hand, and he sighed. “My agent/publicist says I should keep them in case we need to use them for harassment charges. Speaking of…”
He pressed the answer button, and then put the phone on speaker as he placed it on his thigh.
“Hello, Elouise,” Linc drawled, sounding tired.
“I think we can spin it so that you two were role-playing,” Elouise began without preamble. “But, although you were able to find someone to get all the photos off the Internet, people aren’t likely to forget that it happened. I’ll just spin it so that an overzealous reporter took an anonymous tip that you were at a certain hotel, and took it upon themselves to break in. The manager was fired, as well as two housekeepers. It was a tragedy. But, you also have to pay them loss of wages until they find a new job. I gave them six months to do it. That okay?”
I closed my eyes and breathed a sigh of relief.
“Yes,” I answered instantly. “I’ll do anything.”
Anything to make it to where my relationship with Conleigh stayed healthy, and I didn’t have to bring charges against Tara.
I wouldn’t be sending that woman to jail.
I also wouldn’t be sitting by so that Tantor and her father could continue to use her.
Surprisingly, her biggest advocate was Liner, who was suspiciously absent tonight from the club dinner that we had just finished.
“That’s good.” Elouise yawned. “I’m going to bed now. Don’t do anything stupid tonight so that I’m allowed to get a full night’s sleep. I haven’t been able to do that in at least two months.”
Then she was gone, leaving the room around me quiet.
Since it was, I went ahead and listened to the latest voicemail that the so-called hospital had left just moments before.
I pressed play and then speaker and waited.
“Mr. and Mrs. James, this is Linda Haywood with Good Shepherd Laboratory. I’m calling to inform you of your test results. I’ve tried to reach you multiple times over the last couple of months, and this will be my final attempt to make contact. There was a positive on the pregnancy test, and the hormone levels ranged in the…”
I missed what else she said because my brain was hyper-focused on one word.
Pregnant.
“Well, shit,” Hoax murmured. “My head doesn’t hurt anymore. Imagine that.”
I felt the ring in my pocket burning a hole in the fabric and wondered if she would think that I was asking her to marry me just because she was pregnant.
But I felt so much joy at the thought of her carrying my child inside of her that I wasn’t too worried.
And I couldn’t stop myself from doing what I did next.
I dropped down to my knee and stared into Conleigh’s wide-eyed face.
Shoving my hand into my pocket, I took the ring out and placed it on her knee.
“I was going to do this later, but I didn’t want you to think that I went out and got it really quick just because you were pregnant…” I looked into her eyes. “Conleigh Reins, I love you with all of my heart. Will you marry me?”
Wade made a gagging sound, and Hoax started to cough.
I shot them both a glare and when I looked back at Conleigh, it was to see her slipping the ring on her finger as calm as could be.
“I thought you’d never ask.”
Epilogue
Are you fine being hugged while you pee? That’s a question you should ask yourself before having kids.
-Conleigh to Linc
Linc
I was busting ass to get to the auditorium on time.
I was late.
So. Fucking. Late.
Sweat dripped down my face, and I was fairly sure I looked like I’d just come straight from practice—which I had.
I just made it to the auditorium doors when I heard the wailing scream of what had to be my child coming from the opposite direction.
Frowning, I moved until I saw my wife leaning over a trash can, our four-month-old child in her arms as she lost her lunch—likely for the hundredth time.
I came up behind her and easily scooped my child into my arms.
Then I placed my other hand on Conleigh’s back.
“You okay?”
She moaned and leaned up, her eyes finding mine, face green.
“I’ve been better.”
I held my mouth closed tight to keep the smile from breaking free. If she saw me smile, she’d kill me.
“Our girl up yet?” I asked.
Conleigh wiped at her mouth and shrugged. “I left just as they were taking the stage. That was about a minute and a half ago. Sasha looks so cute in her little tutu.”
I took Conleigh’s hand. “Let’s go.”
She came, her head leaning against my bicep as she shuffled behind me and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like ‘I hate you’ under her breath.
I snorted and looked down at our other daughter, Mila.
She was an exact replica of Conleigh in every way, while Sasha was mine.
I wondered idly what the third one that we were having would look like, and I couldn’t decide which kiddo was cuter.
“Oh,” Conleigh whispered. “Get a picture!”
I handed Mila over just as the music started, then pulled my phone out and opened up the camera.
Mila started to cry again, and I looked over just in time to see Conleigh go green in the face just as she was about to gain her seat.
The handoff happened fast, and I found myself with an armful of hiccupping—but no longer crying since she had her daddy—baby in my arms, and Conleigh running out of the auditorium with her hands covering her mouth.
So, I might have knocked her up again.
I kind of liked her that way, though.
All of our children were going to be very close in age, and there was something to say about Conleigh, barefoot and pregnant, cooking me breakfast that I just fucking loved.
The music got louder as the lights on the stage got brighter, and that was when I saw my girl.
Sasha, my little tiny ballerina, was on the stage, and she was not happy.
Her teacher was trying to get her to perform, yet whenever the teacher would move on to the next step she’d look away.
My girl was exactly like her mama. There was no performance gene in her entire little body.
Each time the teacher would move, she’d turn her little face the other way, the same glaring pout on her cute mug that hadn’t shifted since I’d gotten there.
Knowing that Sasha would be sad if she didn’t perform her routine like we’d practiced so many times at home, I stood up and turned to the man at my side.
“Take her.”