RONAN Sarah stiffens at Jaxon’s words. It’s palpable—her shock. That’s how I know she never intended to tell us about the loss of her child. It’s how I realize, how I see…truly see, the extent to which she’s been hurt. One breath, a long one, and I squeeze her hand tighter in mine until I’m certain a vein won’t pop from my forehead. “It must have been a lot for you to handle alone.” Smile, Ronan. There must be a reason she didn’t say anything. Don’t overreact. Keep it calm. Be as cool and collected as she needs you to be right now. You can do this. You’re as chill as ice. This should be a walk in the park for you. Sarah’s facial muscles relax as she stares at me. Surprise. That’s the look that flashes in those sweet eyes. I don’t know what she expected, but I’m glad she’s relieved. She parts her lips to speak, but the doctor cuts in. “If you two need time…” she looks above our head. “It’s okay.” Sarah replies. “They’re here with me. For me,” clears her throat. “All of them.” “Alright.” The rather nosy doctor leans back into her seat. “Would you like to tell me how you’re feeling? How has it been? I was made to understand the conditions you were told about your pregnancy.” Sarah sucks in a deep breath. “It was hard at first, really hard. I had just woken up from an accident I thought would cost me my life, really. The next thing I had to find out was that I was pregnant, and not only pregnant, I had lost one of my babies.” She blinks, an attempt to keep her tears at bay. My jaw ticks. Luke did this to her. And we’re to blame too, for keeping the truth away from her, for ridding her of the knowledge she needed to protect herself. “The shock and grief was immediate. It hit me like…struck me like lightning.” My thumb brushes over her knuckles. Slowly, she turns to look at me. I flash her a warm smile, and Jaxon slowly taps her shoulders. “I had to grieve for a child I never even knew I had, and there were other issues around the time…honestly, I’ve never really had the time to process it. It’s just at certain times, when I’m alone at night, I think to myself ‘what if?’ You know?” Note to self: never leave her alone at night. Doctor Cheryl nods on, taking down notes at certain points of Sarah’s speech. “I’m really sorry about that, miss Wellspring. Please do understand that in this first trimester, rest and a good state of mind are extremely important. The last thing you need to do right now is to burden yourself. I’m glad the father of the children is here,” she looks to me. “They’re all here.” The doctor raises a brow at her. “Pardon?” “They’re all here,” Sarah repeats. “These are the fathers of my children. We’re all together.” She reaches for Jaxon’s hand on her shoulder and rubs it gently. A smug grin creeps up to my face. The doctor’s jaw all but drops to the ground as she blinks. Once. Twice. Three fucking times, with mouth open so wide I could stick a pen inside. “Is that going to be a problem?” Sarah asks. I catch the glimmer of amusement in her eyes as she inches closer to the edge of her seat. “No, no.” A nervous chuckle. “Not at all. It’s just…” she clears her throat. “I’ve never seen…I’ve never seen anything…it’s quite unusual to…so who will be…we’ll need to run a test on the biological father to predict…” “You can do the tests on all of us.” Malachi says aloud. “Are there any hospital policies that restrict that?” We’re all focused on her. She shifts in her seat. “I don’t think so.” “Great then. It’s settled.” Sarah stretches her hand to the table. “Thank you so much, doctor Cheryl. This has been nothing short of amazing. When do I come in for my tests? And the ultrasound…?” Cheryl blinks again, shaking her head like she’s been snapped out of a trance. “Yes. Yes.” She shuffles the files on her desk. “That’ll be tomorrow. Today was for us to get acquainted, and we have.” “Awesome.” Sarah claps. She’s simply glowing. It’s been only eight weeks, and pregnancy looks so stunning on her. This is something she’s always wanted, something the bastard she was married to almost stole from her. But we did it. We gave it to her. We made her happy. Later, as we walk down the corridor of the hospital, Sarah grabs locks her hands in my right arm and Malachi’s left while Jaxon walks beside me. “She was really creeped out, wasn’t she?” She laughs, throwing her head backwards. “For a minute, I was worried she was going to call child protective services ahead of time.” Jaxon’s right on that one. “Do you think she’s going to tell people?” “I wouldn’t blame her if she did. It’s not everyday three men fall hopelessly in love with a breathtaking woman and decide to share her.” I wink at her, and she blushes lightly, looking away from me. “I wouldn’t say you’re exactly sharing me. You all get equal pieces.” “Not enough.” The words leave all our lips at the exact same time. We were thinking it, all of us, how we would never be able to get enough of her. With wide eyes, she inspects us. It softens up—the look on her face—as she stares straight ahead. “I’m really sorry I didn’t say anything about losing the baby.” “You have nothing to apologize for.” I lean into her, kissing the center of her head, just above her ponytail. “It’s not…it must have been hard for you to even think about.” “It was.” “We’re sorry we couldn’t see it.” Jaxon says softly. “That’s on us. Everything is.” She nods, sniffing in her tears. “It’s alright,” her gaze travels to my face. I know she’s trying to be strong. It’s easy for me to tell she wants to put it all behind her, start afresh, a new beginning. She might have forgiven, but it’ll be impossible to forget. I know that every time she looks at the twins, she would wonder what the third would have looked like, WHO he would have looked like. She would think of what he or she would have become. Every milestone, she would think about it. It’s my greatest desire to be there to hold her hand when it happens, to bring her back to the joy of the present and keep her rooted in it. That’s why we have to do it, why we want to marry her. To cement our place in her life forever. Malachi pulls the car door open for her and she climbs in. Just as he’s about to get in after her, an idea crosses my mind. “The vineyard.” I say. He turns to look at me, left brow raised in confusion. “What?” “That’s where it’ll happen.” In front of the driver’s seat, Jaxon’s cheeks swell, unable to hide his excitement. “Are you for real?” “Yes.” I nod. “It’s going to be her favorite place in Durmont soon enough, so why not?” “Fuck yes!” “Shush, Jaxon. She’ll hear you.” “Is everything alright?” Sarah peeps out of the car. We all turn to her. “Everything is just fine, baby.” I pull my door open. “Everything is just fine.” For the first time in a long while, I actually believe it’s true. However, there’s still the issue of Caroline. Detective Caroline. The thought leaves a bigger taste in my mouth even as I smile at something Sarah points. My phone vibrates in my pocket. I reach for it with a small frown. I had told my assistant to make sure every work related message is relayed to… UNCLE ABEL: I got her. I got the bitch. I exhale with a wide smile as the invisible boulder the detective had set on my shoulder slowly rolls away. We promised Sarah we would handle it. “Let’s eat out for lunch, shall we?” I call out. This deserves a celebratory meal. ME: We would meet you for dinner, uncle. Send. Another inhale and exhale. ME: Thank you. Send.