SARAH “You can be rest assured. I would have you speak to one of our leading obstetricians, and…” “I’m sorry, what is your name again?” My question annoys her. She stands straight, head held high, and pulls the both sides of her labcoat together. “I’m doctor Finch. Marilyn Finch.” I plaster a fake smile on my face. “Good. Doctor Finch, I’m not sure what type of prank my brother must have arranged with you before now. He does have a twisted sense of humor, trust me. But can’t you lose your license for lying? Because I promise you, he didn’t pay you enough for this.” She frowns. That’s how I know she’s not joking. It feels like another blade has been pierced into my chest. “You’re currently shocked, so I would try not to be offended by your opinion of me, miss Wellspring. But I’m not lying, neither am I playing pranks. You are pregnant. Six weeks pregnant. And we did lose one of your triplets to the unfortunate accident that happened to you…” Pregnant? Accident? Did they really tell the hospital it was an accident? Why am I even fucking surprised? Wait. Again. Pregnant? Six weeks? Triplets? Now…twins? As much as I try to stop it, to hold it back, the tears come flowing in full force once again. I’m weak, down to my bones. “I don’t…I don’t understand. How can I be pregnant? There’s three of them, and one of me. And I…” Doctor Finch raises a brow. Of course she doesn’t understand. Not many people can understand what the brothers and I have…or had. I don’t understand it sometimes. “I’ll give you sometime, miss Wellspring. I’ll have to come back when you’re feeling better. We can discuss the next steps from there.” She turns her back to leave. “Do I call your brother in?” I shake my head as a sign for no. “I’ll be alright. I just need to be on my own for a while.” She nods and leaves in silence. I’m all alone with my thoughts, almost a thousand of them. I’m honestly at a complete and total loss of what to do. Where do I go from here? It’s bad enough that I almost died because of them, now I’m pregnant with their babies? That’s putting myself in danger forever. Luke is only a tip of the iceberg compared to the rest of whoever it is they’ve made enemies of. How will they ever keep me safe? And my kids? Fuck it. Do they even want kids? I know I do. It’s been my greatest desire since I got married to Aaron. Knowing that my dream has finally come true, it leaves me with mixed feelings. I’m going to have to talk to them, that’s for sure. Frustrated, my fingers comb the length of my red hair. What do I say? I don’t even know if we’re still together. I mean, I did say I hated them. Then, I told Jaxon I loved them and he didn’t say it back. Doesn’t that mean he broke up with me? And if he broke up with me, it means they all did, right? And there’s the fact that they haven’t even tried to come see me. Did I say I never wanted to see any of them again? Yes. But when have they ever cared what I wanted if it meant not seeing them again? The men I know would have broken the door down just to catch a glimpse of me. These are the same men who single-handedly ruined Aaron’s life even when I said I wanted nothing to do with them. All of a sudden, they respect my wishes? It’s clear as day. They don’t give a shit about me anymore. I pick up the pillow beside me and throw it to the ground. My life just got more complicated than ever. What’s worse? I have no idea how I’m going to get out of this one. Or if I’m ever going to get out of it. ~•~ Doctor Finch advises me to stay in the hospital for an extra week. Kevin has been outside the door since then. He knows better than to come in to talk to me after what he’s done. I’ve been unable to wrap my head around any of it, especially with the babies. I do, however, plan to register for the antenatal care as the doctor instructed. There is no question of whether or not I’m keeping them. I know I am. On the fourth day in the hospital, I get a visitor. “Sarah.” I look up from my bowl of custard, to the door. There he is. Holding a bouquet of white roses in his right hand, and what I assume is a “get well soon” hamper in his left, is none other than Julian Cross. My custard gets stuck in my throat. I force a gulp to push it down to my stomach. “Julian?” I only realize I’m wide eyed when he smiles and my eyes start to hurt. “Can I come in?” I clear my throat, rubbing it gently with my left hand. “Uhmm. Sure, yes. What are you…what are you doing here?” “I came to see you. I was worried about you, so I asked Kevin. The night you…we had that talk, he called me and it was obvious he couldn’t find you. Let’s just say I haven’t been able to sleep since then.” “I can see it. You look like shit.” He laughs softly. I have to admit, it’s the most refreshing sound I’ve heard in days. “But really, why are you here?” He settles into the sofa and cocks his left brow. “Are you finding it so hard to accept I was worried about you?” “Well, the last time we met, I all but told you to go fuck yourself.” “You did do that.” “So you can see why I’m confused?” He nods, his smile growing even brighter. “Yes, Sarah. I can see why you’re confused.” Shaking his head slowly, he gently places the hamper on the table beside the sofa and turns to me. “Should I be honest, Sarah?” I lean back against the headboard. “Please be. I don’t think I can take one more person lying to me.”He looks curious, but he doesn’t ask me what I mean. Thankfully. “I really don’t know why I’m here either. It’s like I told you. I was finally able to get through to Kevin last night and he told me you were in the hospital. I had to come and see you. It was the only way I could feel better. So, Sarah…” he pauses and leans forward with his hands pressed against his thighs. “I guess I can say I like you more than you hate me.” I shudder, just a little bit. And it’s not in a bad way. It’s like a…it’s more of a shock than anything else, honestly. It seems his resilience doesn’t end in the boardroom. Apparently, it extends to relationships as well. It feels good. It’ll have felt better if he was the one I wanted to hear those words from. Not now, Sarah. Don’t think about them. Push the thoughts away. Remember why you’re here in the first place. “Well,” I force a smile and look up at him. “You must be dying to say you told me so. You were right after all. They are dangerous men.” Julian rises up from the couch and walks over to my bed. His left hand reaches for my face, lean fingers tracing the skin of my cheek. “I don’t care if I told you so, Sarah. If anything, I hate them for proving me right. I just want to be here for you. I could give a shit about anything else right now.” He’s staring down at me, wholely, fully. Like he’s looking down at his universe, like I’m everything he’s ever wanted. But I move away from him. It feels good, but it doesn’t feel right. “Listen, Julian. I’m really not ready for a relationship right now. I don’t know where I stand with the brothers, and now…” I stop speaking because there’s nothing else for me to say. Julian still has that certain look on his face. “I know better than to compete with three wild billionaires, Sarah. I’m only a senator’s son.” I roll my eyes. Cocky much? “So what is it you’re trying to do?” He leans closer to me. Close enough to press a featherlight kiss on my forehead. My heart does this strange somersault in my chest. “I’m trying to make you see that I don’t need to.” My near death experience must have knocked something in my head over. Or is it the pregnancy hormones? It’s definitely one of the two. Why else would Julian’s words raise goosebumps on my skin?