More Than Forever (Providence Series Book 2) (26 page)

“So, they say that he needs surgery and skin grafts around his ring and then put a tube in to keep the skin from uhhh…fusing together.” Everyone grimaces at the thought of their ass holes melting shut; poor bastard. “We must have had every doctor, including the students, come in to see it for themselves and just as they all start filing out, Reed pretty much screams, ‘
I’M SHITTING
!” By this point, we’re all laughing as hard as Johnny and Caleb while Reed just sits there with his arms crossed, staring at the fire and pouting. “I say, ‘No honey, it’s just the baby!’ I was so damn pissed that he’d got himself into yet
another
bad situation and he was as high as a kite, so it was perfect. He turns around and goes, ‘A baby?’ and I’m like ‘Yeah, you need to start pushing soon, though, okay?’  

“Outside of the room, there are doctors literally cracking the hell up at this, so I get his hand and start telling him to breathe and do Lamaze while he pushes.” 

Isla mimics the Lamaze breathing and starts making straining noises like she’s pushing and everyone is laughing so hard that there are roars coming from even the security guys.  

“So he’s pushing and I give him one last ‘
PUSH
!’ and when he did it, I looked up at him and said, ‘It’s a girl, congratulations Momma!’. I’m laughing my ass off with my head on the bed, and I hear beeping coming from him and realize he’s on his phone, but before I can grab it off him he goes,” she’s struggling to get the story out as she wheezes. Poor Thing One and Thing Two are going crazy under my hand, but I’m laughing too hard at the mental image of what she’s saying to try and calm them down. “‘Mommy? You’re a Nanny! I had a little girl.’ I don’t know what she said but he slurs, ‘I pushed her out all by myself.’” She’s snorting like a pig now, and Pippa, who’d been lying on Cole’s lap, looks up, jumps off and runs up to her making honking noises until Isla picked her up. I wasn’t joking when I said that I wanted one of those. 

“What happened?” Cole says, wiping the tears off his cheeks, still laughing. 

“He had skin grafts around his ass and I had to look after him for three weeks,” Isla snorts. “I saw bits of Reed that I never wanted to see and that haunt my dreams.” 

That sobers me up, because I know exactly what she’s seen of him now and I’m that gone over my wife that it pisses me off.  

Reed must have been expecting it to happen. “Dude, my asshole was like a fucking ice cream in the sun.” That makes us all gag at how graphic it is. “I needed help and I wasn’t gonna let one of these assholes near my… uhhh… ass hole.” 

I see his point and give him a tight nod, but it still bugs me. Isla is still laughing and hearing her snort while the babies move under my hands and the pig snuffles around them trying to get under them, too, I drop the petty issue and smile at the realization that this is my life now and it’s more beautiful and perfect than I’d ever thought it would be. And what Isla doesn’t know is that work started on the surprise that I’m going to show her when there’s a bit more to show for my designs last week. I remember her describing the house of her dreams to me before I fucked up with the whole Kendal bullshit, and I want her to have everything she’s literally ever dreamed of. Leaning back in my chair, I start laughing again as they continue the story about Reed and let myself relax.  

E
bru

My bladder was screaming
after laughing as hard as I did during the story about Reed’s ass. As a nurse, I’d come across a lot of things, but never something like that, and part of me actually wanted to ask Reed to drop his pants and bend over, but I wouldn’t do that…at least not sober. 

Walking through Maya and Ren’s house, I headed toward the downstairs toilet. Doing my business and washing up, I thought about the man who was making my life hell. I didn’t want to be interested in him because I didn’t do trusting or letting myself be vulnerable to people by dropping the walls I’d spent so long building. Once you did that, you were open to pain and hurt, and I wouldn’t go through that again. 

Shaking my head at how morose I was suddenly feeling, I opened the door and squealed when I looked up and saw Cole leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. 

“You scared the shit out of me,” I said holding my chest.  

He stood staring at me looking like he didn’t know what to do, then he suddenly lunged at me and the next thing his lips were on mine. I’d expected it to be a hard kiss, but he was kissing me gently and sweeping his tongue across my bottom lip. I was tense in his arms because I hadn’t expected this, but when the tip of his tongue pushed through my lips and I felt it skim the bottom of my teeth, I melted and reached up to put my arms around his neck and push myself closer to him. I’d been deliberately staying as far away from him as I could, thinking up a multitude of excuses even though I just knew that he was different and I didn’t want to fight anymore. His hand went into my hair and gently grabbed a handful as I held onto the back of his head, his soft hair in between my fingers and the soft short beard on his face rubbing my chin. 

Our tongues were sweeping against each other and we were both trying to get even closer to each other when he suddenly pulled back, let go of me, and backed away. I stood looking at him thinking what to say when I heard voices near us, that must have been what happened.
Why did he back away, though
?  

Before I could say anything, he said, “That shouldn’t have happened.” 

I stood, digesting it, and was about to ask why when he turned and started walking away shaking his head. I was tempted to follow when he said the one thing that was like a slap to the face. “Fucking free willy. Never again.” 

I went to where I’d dropped my purse when I’d arrived and walked out the front door towards my car, doing my best not to burst into tears. 

“Ebru,” I heard a deep voice shout behind me and saw one of Isla’s friends Caleb, looking at me and frowning. “You okay, honey?” 

“Yeah, I have to go. I’ve got work early. Can you tell them all thanks for me?” I shouted back trying to sound as breezy as possible. I just wanted to get home so that I could cry. 

“Right, babe,” he jerked his chin up and then started walking toward me. “Gimme your phone.” 

“Pardon?” 

“Phone,” he repeated, holding his hand out, so I took it out my pocket and unlocked the screen with my thumb. He stood and tapped at the screen and then his phone started ringing as he passed mine back to me. “You’ve got my number and now I’ve got yours. You need anything, then text or call, alright?” 

The dam was breaking on the tears as I looked up at him and for the first time in a long time, I let a guy do something I hated - he hugged me. “I don’t know what his problem is, but you’re beautiful Eb and don’t you ever think you’re not. Call me if you need anything, sweets.” He whispered in my ear as a couple of tears fell down before I could catch them. 

“Thanks,” I tried to sound strong, but with the tears and everything else that I was feeling, it came out so quiet that I didn’t know if he’d heard me. 

“Want me to drive you home?” These guys really were such great guys; Isla was so lucky to have them. 

Pulling myself together, I wiped my face and took a step back as I smiled up at him. “I’m cool, Caleb, but thank you.” 

“Call me, yeah?” 

“Yeah,” I nodded, and I meant it. Moving here had introduced me to people that, although I was scared to, I actually trusted. I couldn’t let my walls down, and Cole was a reminder of why, but I trusted them more than I’d trusted anyone since I was eighteen.  

Caleb walked me over to my Kia and opened the door for me before leaning in and repeating firmly, “Call me!” 

As I pulled out of the drive, I looked in the rear view mirror and saw him walking up to Cole who was standing at the side of the house looking pissed off. I was done, I’d tried it, and yet again I got proof that I couldn’t get close to people and I sure as shit wasn’t going to let myself get hurt again.  

C
ole
 

Watching Ebru talking to Caleb,
I continued to kick myself for what I’d just done. When would I stop fucking things up between us? 

I’d followed her inside and I’d been the one to kiss her, but when I’d heard the voices coming toward us I’d panicked and been my usual asshole self. The fact was, I wasn’t good enough for her, she deserved much better than me, but I couldn’t stay away from her.  

Seeing her standing so close to Isla’s friend, though, had me gritting my teeth and clenching my fists. I needed to get over this and fix the damage that I’d done between us because I’ll be fucked if I was going to let someone else have her.  

I looked up to see Ebru driving away and Caleb walking towards me. “Either you buck the fuck up or I’m moving in man,” he growled as he walked past me and it took everything in me not to beat the shit out of him for even thinking about her like that. 

I wanted her so badly, but I had so many issues and I didn’t know if I could trust anyone to ever be in a serious relationship with them. Could I lose her, though? 

Punching the side of Ren’s house, I walked in the direction of my own with the look on Ebru’s face when I pulled back stuck in my mind. I kept thinking of the old adage
slowly slowly catchy monkey;
I was going to fix this. 

I
sla
 

“Ebru said to say thank you,
but she had to go because she’s got work first thing,” Caleb said walking back to his chair. 

I was worried about her. I’d seen the looks Cole had been giving her and the looks she was shooting his way when she thought no one was looking, and I just couldn’t get why they weren’t doing anything about it? Looking over at the man in question and seeing the look on his face, I changed the focus of my worry from Ebru onto him. The lovable clown was looking…tormented, which wasn’t like him. I needed to speak to him, but I’d have to do it when no one was around. 

“Isla, what have you decided with Christie for your wedding then?” Maya asked across the fire. 

“I wanted something small, so we’re having it at the Church, and then Colette and 

Jack offered to let us have the reception here.” Christie had turned into a MOGzilla, mother-of-the-groomzilla, as Tony called her, he’d even hashtagged it on Facebook when he posted about the wedding the other day. I appreciated her help, though, because I wouldn’t have had a clue where to start. 

“I want it big,” Maya replied, rubbing her pretty much still flat stomach. Lucky bitch, I looked like I’d swallowed a beach ball already. “We’re getting married by the lake, and then we’re setting up the reception here, too.”  

“That sounds beautiful.” And it did. Maya had an eye for creating beauty so her wedding was going to be spectacular.  

“We need to go dress shopping. Actually, when are you getting married?” 

“In six weeks. We wanted to do it while I could still fit into a dress,” I giggled because it was true. At the rate I was growing, if I left it any longer I’d need a tent. Luke chuckled behind me as he rubbed the babies.