The Last Woman (All That Remains #1) (40 page)
Read The Last Woman (All That Remains #1) Online
Authors: S. M. Shade
Troy is quiet, kind, and
helpful, but I sometimes wonder if we know the real man, or if he was different
before his time with the cult. There are times when a different side of him
seems to show through, and he can be funny in a witty, sarcastic manner. I know
Joseph cares for him and that makes him family. He couldn’t have found a more
compassionate person than Joseph to support him and help him heal.
Troy and Joseph invite Eric to
live with them, and he gladly accepts. Of course he does. He wants out from
under Airen’s distrustful eyes. Airen hasn’t caused any more trouble since our
fight, but you would have to be blind to miss the way he watches Eric when he’s
with me. I’m sure Airen is beyond relieved that he’s moving out.
When the day comes, however, I’m
struggling not to cry. Joseph and Walker have been with us forever. Walker runs
ahead with Troy and Eric, excited to get to his new room.
“Don’t you do it,” Joseph
warns as he hugs me goodbye to spend his first night in their new house. “Just
think, there will be no more peanut butter in the jelly jar,” he whispers in my
ear, making me giggle while I wipe my eyes. Walker and Joseph always use the
same knife for both, and it looks absolutely disgusting.
“See you tomorrow, Joseph,”
Carson calls on his way past.
“He wears his pain on the
inside,” I say, laughing.
Airen and Joseph regard one
another uncertainly, and I excuse myself, retreating to the bedroom to allow
them some privacy. I don’t know how they say goodbye to each other. I don’t
know the depth of Airen’s true feelings for Joseph. I don’t know what may have
happened if Airen and I hadn’t found each other first. That something special
exists between these two charming, attractive men...that I’ll never doubt.
Troy
It’s beautiful here, too good
to be true. Hot showers, plenty of food, nice people,
electricity
for
Christ sake! I expect to wake any moment back in the stable, starving and cold,
with blood drying on my back.
Every day I wake to Joseph’s
grinning face seems a gift from a god I no longer believe exists. Currently,
he’s snoring away beside me, a small smile on his face as he sleeps. I could
love him...shit, maybe I already do, but I’m apprehensive. He’s very kind to me
and patient as a saint. I’m attracted to him. Who wouldn’t be? Those bright
green eyes and red lips that feel so soft pressed against mine. His adorable
mischievous little smile is irresistible, and I can’t suppress the urge to
smile back, no matter how low I feel.
Yet, as soon as things get
heated between us, I freeze up. I can’t stand for him to see the scars left by
the cane. I know they don’t bother him, and he’s not turned off by them, but
something inside me can’t move past it.
He reassured me again last
night that we have all the time in the world, and we don’t have to rush into a
sexual relationship. “I understand,” he said softly, running his thumb down my
cheek. “After all you’ve suffered, it’ll take time to trust someone again, and
I don’t want you to do anything you aren’t ready to do. I’m here when you need
me.”
As I said, he’s too good to be
true, a soft place to fall when I need it the most. I believe he cares for me,
and I want to trust him. Perhaps, if just once he looked at me the way he looks
at Airen, it would be easier. It’s impossible to miss the connection between
the two of them, the sparkle in Joseph’s eyes when Airen smiles at him, and the
love inherent in their actions whenever they’re near one another.
Abby seems to be oblivious, or
possibly just indifferent. Perhaps it’s a concession she’s willing to make, an
inconsequential issue as long as Airen loves her as well. Regardless, this is a
wonderful place, filled with light and life, and I can be happy here. I can’t
help but think of Micah and Jennifer. They could have been happy here as well.
Joseph wakes and gazes at me,
concern etched on that adorable face. “Hey, babe, are you okay?”
“Fine, beautiful,” I murmur,
lying down and wrapping my arms around him, pressing his back to my chest.
“I’m fine.”
Airen and I have set up the
crib in our room, but we plan to have a nursery after the baby begins to sleep
through the night. We are still in the dark when it comes to the baby’s gender.
Julie has performed two additional ultrasounds, but he or she refuses to
cooperate.
“Maybe it’s shy,” Carson quips
after Julie informs us that the baby’s legs are together once again, blocking
the view.
“Looks like you’ll just have
to wait,” Julie remarks. The suspense is killing me. It’s been a relatively
easy pregnancy. I’m big, but I haven’t gained an excessive amount of weight.
Still, I’m self-conscious about being naked in front of Airen.
“Abby,” he scolds. “You’re
being silly.”
He’s trying to convince me to
take a bath with him. I gaze at him, naked, standing there in all his glory.
He’s so sexy, and I feel like a hippo. “I’ll probably overflow the water,” I
mumble.
He snorts and pulls my shirt
over my head. His fingers slide into my hair, tilting my head back, and he
softly presses his lips against mine.
His eyes are molten tar,
scorching a path from my feet to my lips. “You’re so fucking sexy. Come on,
darlin’, don’t pull away from me. I need you.” His husky voice is full of
desire, and his hands slide over my enlarged belly before they slip behind me
to squeeze and caress my ass. How can I ever resist this man? I end up on the
bed, moaning his name while he gently pushes me to the peak of ecstasy.
It’s nearly April, and we’ve
had a good winter. The food supply has held out well and we’ve had no problem
keeping warm. Jayla and I are discussing this year’s garden and planning where
and when to plant. I bend to pick up a pen from the floor and feel a gush of
liquid pour down my legs, splashing my feet.
“Jayla! I think my water just
broke!”
Her eyes widen comically, and
she leads me to a kitchen chair, as if I’m an elderly woman. “Are you having
contractions?”
“I’ve had a few cramps, but
nothing bad.”
“I’m getting Julie,” she
announces, darting from the house. I’m not hurting as badly as I had expected.
I change into dry clothes and mop up the mess on the kitchen floor. I’m rinsing
the mop when Julie and Airen come dashing in.
“Abby! What the hell are you
doing?” he demands, frustrated. He pulls a chair over to me.
“How far apart are your
contractions?” Julie asks.
Oh shit, that’s what I was
supposed to be doing, timing the pains.
“I’m not sure. I’ve only had a
few pains, and they weren’t severe.” I’m immediately struck by a more intense
tightening, and I grab Airen’s hand, wincing. “Okay, that one was worse,” I
admit. Julie notes the time while I catch my breath. “It’s a month early, Julie.”
She smiles, reassuringly. “A
few weeks early is perfectly normal, dear. We can’t be sure of your exact
conception date. You’re far enough along, so don’t worry.”
“We need to get you to bed,”
Airen says.
I groan as the pain of another
contraction spikes through me.
Julie’s eyebrows shoot up.
“Three minutes. The baby’s in a hurry.” She covers the bed with a protective
sheet, and Airen helps me undress and climb into bed. I never really went
through labor with Carson. He was born by a caesarean section before the
contractions were intense.
Airen stays right by my side
the whole time. He sits behind me, and I lean against his bare chest while our
baby fights to enter the world. The pain is unbearable now, and Julie yells at
me to push.
“I can’t,” I moan.
“You have to! Now, Abby!
Push!”
Airen wipes the sweat and
tears from my face and whispers in my ear. “You can do this. You’re the
strongest, bravest person I’ve ever known. One more time, sweetheart. Push.
Bring our baby to us.”
I bear down one last time,
gritting my teeth against the pain.
I can’t. I can’t
. Finally, I feel
movement, a sharp stinging pain, and then a glorious emptiness.
“It’s a boy!” Julie announces.
He wails, and Julie laughs with delight while she suctions his mouth and nose.
Jayla helps to clean him up before placing him on my belly.
“You did it, darlin’.” Airen
kisses my cheek.
“We did it,” I correct, wiping
the tears from his face. We stare in awe at this screaming, squirming bundle.
“I have a son,” Airen says,
overwhelmed.
“As beautiful as you.” I sigh.
The baby turns his head toward the sound of my voice, and I study his features.
He has a shock of jet black hair and his eyes are just as dark, Airen’s eyes.
“And you, sweetheart. Look at
those lips, and his chin.” He grins with tears still running down his face.
“Just like his Momma.”
I can live with that.
Julie finishes cleaning me up
and changes the bedding. We finally allow the rest of the family in to meet our
new addition.
“What’s his name?” Walker
asks.
Airen grins at me and nods.
I take Joseph’s hand. “Lane
Joseph Holder,” I announce. Joseph’s eyes immediately tear up and his face
reddens as everyone looks at him expectantly. “Named for both of you,” I
declare. “I would never have survived the past two years without you and
Airen.”
“Oh, Abby.” Joseph hugs me and
kisses my cheek. “I’m going to spoil him rotten.” He hugs Airen and
congratulates him.
“Mom, do you realize it’s
April first?” Carson asks. “His birthday is April Fool’s Day.” He laughs,
delighted. I smile at him and flash a grin at Airen.
April first is so much more
than April Fool’s Day. It marks the anniversary of the first time Airen kissed
and made love to me. It marks two years since the plague destroyed our way of
life and took so much from us, so many lives lost. Here is this new screaming
bundle of life to celebrate.
I gaze slowly around the room,
drinking it in. My boys, the loves of my life. My sons, my husband, and how to
describe Joseph? He has crawled into my heart as surely as the others, and the
word friend just doesn’t do him justice. They are woven into me.
I look from Airen’s beaming,
tear streaked face to Joseph, smiling proudly as if it were his son, his arm
around Troy’s waist. Troy reaches to brush Walker’s hair back from his face,
fondly. Walker is all but bursting with excitement. Carson gazes at Jayla, his
feelings for her written plainly across that freckled face. She smiles at him
and takes his hand. Eric nods at me, looking surprised to find himself here
with all this family. Airen singles him out and shakes his hand. Peace. A
bounty of love fills this room.
I hand Lane to Airen, and
their dark eyes meet. Lane quiets as they study one another, and a soft smile
blooms on Airen’s face.
“What are you looking at?”
Walker asks.
“The future,” Airen whispers.
THE
END
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading! This is
not the end of Abby, Airen, and Joseph’s story. I hope you will continue to
follow them on their journey in Falling Together, All That Remains: Book Two.
You can find it here:
If you enjoyed this story,
please consider leaving a review on Amazon. It doesn’t need to be long, a few
sentences that share your opinion of the book would be very much appreciated.
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The amazing cover art for the
All That Remains series was created by Dawne Dominique at
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