Chapter Twenty-Seven

Brooklyn

WAKING UP SURROUNDED by Gavin and Jayce, I feel completely safe, loved, and overwhelmingly hot. These men of mine are like furnaces when we sleep. I never have to worry about being cold and while that's nice, it does make things really awkward right now because I feel as if I have a fever and can't go back to sleep no matter how early in the day it is. Today is one of those days as I lay here and try to figure out why I woke up so early. Looking around our bedroom with sleepy eyes, there's nothing different in here. Kyler isn't standing by our bed after having a nightmare as we've found him a few times over the last two months since they've moved in with us. Lifting my head, I look over Jayce at the baby monitor to find Mia still sleeping peacefully in her crib. Thinking about it, she didn't wake us up once during the night. My mouth opens in shock at the realization and I want to jump up and rush to her in case something is wrong.

I must shift in the bed or something because Jayce wraps his arm more firmly around me and I look over at him to find his eyes open and watching me.

"What's wrong, Little Warrior?" he asks me, sleep filling his voice making it deeper than normal.

"Mia didn't wake up last night, Jayce. Do we need to go check on her? Is she okay? I can't tell this far from the baby monitor," I ask him, my heart starting to race slightly as he looks at me, all signs of sleep gone in an instant.

"I'll check on her, Brooklyn. We should call Doc and make sure this is normal. She doesn't wake up a lot durin' the night, but I don't know when kids start to sleep through the night. Maybe we can call Nanny to come over after I make sure she's okay? Wake Gavin up in case somethin' is wrong," Jayce states before jumping out of bed and rushing into the nursery where I watch him on the monitor.

"Gavin!" I call out, not taking my eyes off the monitor. "Gavin, wake up!"

"Huh?" he kind of mumbles in his sleep as he rolls over and tries to pull me closer to him.

"Get. Up," I yell out, my voice hard enough to alert him in sleep that something might be wrong or something.

"What's wrong?" he asks me, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he looks around the room.

"Mia didn't wake up last night. Jayce is checking on her now to make sure she's okay," I tell him as Jayce turns from the crib and makes his way back out of the nursery.

"Is she okay?" he asks, throwing back the blankets, ready to jump out of the bed as Jayce enters our room once again.

"She's okay. She's still sleepin', isn't warm to my touch, and doesn't seem to have any issues breathin'. I'm callin' Nanny to see if this is normal," Jayce says, grabbing his phone from the stand next to our bed and pulling up her number. "Nanny, are you awake?"

I can't hear what Nanny's saying to him, but I imagine it's something sarcastic as he gets a grim look on his face and his eyes look toward the floor as if she's standing in front of him instead of in her cabin.

"Okay. I know you're awake this early. You have been for longer than you can remember. Mia didn't wake up last night. Is she okay? Should we take her to the hospital? She doesn't feel warm when I touched her forehead and her breathin' doesn't seem to be labored or anythin'," he informs her as we all wait for an answer with bated breath.

Jayce starts nodding his head as if Nanny can see him and I wonder what she's saying to him right now. It would've been helpful if he put the phone on speaker so we could all hear what she's saying. I can understand why he didn't with the panic we're all feeling right now as we wait to see what Nanny says to do and I let my eyes drift toward the baby monitor again to check on our girl.

"Okay. Thank you, Nanny," Jayce finally says, hanging up the phone and letting his shoulders drop.

Jayce sits on the edge of the bed, but doesn't say anything for a minute. Gavin and I stare at him as we wait for him to tell us what the hell is going on. I'm trying to be patient, but it's not really working.

"Jayce, what the fuck? What did Nanny say?" Gavin finally yells out, trying not to be too loud so he wakes the kids up.

"Sorry. She said it's okay. Mia is gettin' to the age where she will sleep through the night and probably would've already been doin' it but with all the upheaval and stress of movin' to a new house and bein' put on a new routine, it's delayed her slightly. There's nothin' to worry about and she'll probably wake up soon ready to eat and start her day," Jayce informs us, turning around to look at us with sorrow-filled eyes at the delay in relaying the information to us.

"Thank God," I mumble, letting myself sink back into our mattress.

Before I can even let myself think of falling back asleep for a little bit, the telltale sounds of Mia waking up fill our room. She shuffles around in her crib for a few minutes before a small whimper escapes her. Next, we watch on as she stretches her little arms over her head while scrunching up the bottom half of her body. I start laughing a little bit and start to sit up in bed to go get her ready for the morning.

"I'll get her, Love. Lay in bed for a few minutes and I'll feed her breakfast. Jayce, don't let her get up yet. She's had a shock and needs to rest," Gavin says as he climbs out of bed and makes his way into the nursery.

"I'm okay, Jayce. I can take care of Mia and Kyler without him trying to take that away from me. Yes, I was a little surprised and worried when she didn't wake up at all last night. It doesn't mean I have to be kept in bed," I state as Jayce lays down and pulls me into his arms with a soft smile on his handsome face with the lines still showing from where he laid on his pillow while he was sleeping.

"I know you are, Little Warrior. We both just worry about you and the babies. Why don't you get up and take a bath while Gavin feeds Mia breakfast. You can be downstairs with her for her mornin' play time before her nap. I'll join you in the bath," Jayce says, a hint of a mischievous glint in his eyes as he smirks at me.

With a smile on my face, I nod at him and let him help me out of bed. Since it's so early, we'll let Kyler sleep a little longer while we get ourselves going. Because of our crazy schedules as well as two kids, I enjoy the times that I get to spend with the guys, whether it's all three of us or one on one. These days it tends to be more time with one of my guys versus all of us together. When we're awake, we're all focused on the kids as we should be. At night, one of us is usually too tired to do much of anything so we've had to get creative when it comes to having sex and just spending time together.

Jayce takes his time bathing me, working my body into a feverish pitch before he helps me straddle his lap. I can't help the moan that escapes as I lower myself on his dick. "God, it keeps getting better," I murmur as I lean in and kiss him.

He grips my hips and begins thrusting upward as I move down, the water sloshing over the sides of the tub. We may be making a mess but it's the last thing on my mind as I feel my release hovering just beyond my reach.

"You gonna come for me?" he asks, nipping at my neck. It's such a sensitive spot, heightened because of what we're doing that I shiver, pleasure coursing through my body.

"Yeah," I reply, my breath hitching as he grinds me down against his pubic bone, hitting my clit just right.

"Thinking my wife likes that," he teases, increasing the speed of his movements.

Stars start forming behind my eyes and I know I'm close, so when he takes one of my distended nipples in his mouth and sucks hard, I detonate, screaming out his name as I grip his shoulders so hard my fingers turn white.

"Brooklyn!" he bellows, filling me with his cum. We ride out our orgasms, both of us breathing hard as he places kisses along my jaw and throat. Long minutes pass as we wait for our hearts to stop pounding before he starts chuckling. "Guess we need to get cleaned up again, huh?"

"So, what are your plans today?" Gavin asks when we're downstairs in the kitchen.

I'm currently putting Kyler's lunch together since it's one of his full days. I'm still not sure where the guys found his lunchbox. It's a perfect replica of a motorcycle, with enough room for a sandwich, some fruit, chips, and a juice box. He loves it and sometimes, I'll put his lunch in it on his half days so he can use it when he gets home. Seeing his smile makes it worth it to go that extra mile. Right now, I have my notebook beside me since I keep up with what I put in his lunch. I'm not sure why I started doing it, but I feel as though it helps me know what he likes best while still making sure he has a nutritious meal. After I have it all packed, I jot down today's menu, which is homemade Lunchables since he loves cheese and crackers, apple slices, a pack of mini muffins, and a fruit punch flavored juice box.

"We have the doctor's appointment in a few hours, Gavin. Today is the day we might be able to find out what we're having," I gently remind him, watching as his face lights up when we talk about the twins as Jayce brings Kyler into the room.

"What about the twins?" Jayce asks, walking over and placing his hand on my stomach where our twins rest.

"We have an appointment in a few hours and they're doing an ultrasound so we can hopefully find out what we're having. I really want to know what we're having if that's okay with you two," I tell them, looking between Jayce and Gavin as Kyler takes his seat at the table. "That way, we can set up the nursery."

Right now, I'm thankful our house is as big as it is, although I think initially, with three babies, all of them may be in the same room for a little while, regardless of the genders of the twins.

"I want to know," Jayce immediately says, his voice warm and soothing as he looks over to his best friend.

"I do too. We already need to stock up on ammunition with Mia here. If we're havin' girls we'll need to make sure everyone in the club stocks up so no one ever gets close to our girls. All the girls in the club really," Gavin adds in, his voice serious as he looks down at Mia in her high chair.

"Kyler, who do you want to take you to school today?" I ask him as Jayce walks over to grab the plate of food Gavin made him.

This morning he's having scrambled eggs, toast, and sausage. We always try to start Kyler out with a hot breakfast when we have enough time to cook before he goes to school. It doesn't always happen because life gets in the way with a baby and him to get ready every day, but it's something we strive to do. Adding in what he's had for breakfast to my list, I set the notebook aside and head for the table because Gavin is bringing me over a plate so we can eat with Kyler. That's something really important to me—eating meals together as a family instead of fending for ourselves and sitting in various rooms of the house. It's how I grew up and I refuse to let our kids go through the same thing.

I know I worry about being a good mom and a good wife, but if I keep doing the opposite of what my own parents did, I think I'll be okay. I realize that when he gets older, he may want to buy a school lunch, and if that happens, we'll let him, but I'm hoping that when he gets older he'll understand that the lunches I made were done with love. I've even started putting little notes in there; nothing too hard since he doesn't really know how to read.

"Jayce takes me to school today," Kyler says after swallowing his bite of food and taking a sip of his milk.

"Okay, Little Man. I'll eat breakfast and get ready for work before we head out. Brooklyn, I'll meet you two at the doctor's office. Send me a message with the time we have to be there. Anguish knows I'll be leavin' for a while today and he's good with it. We're finally startin' to get caught back up on everythin' after takin' time off," Jayce says, making Kyler smile big with the thought of riding in Jayce's big black truck as he loves to do.

Not only does Kyler love the bikes, but he loves vehicles of any kind. Every time he sees a new one around the compound, he stops what he's doing and watches them until he can no longer see the vehicle. When he gets a chance to ride in one of the big trucks, it makes his day so much better. What I love the most is how the rest of the men in the compound have taken to him, letting him ‘help' whenever they're doing something and he's watching. Seeing them patiently explain what they're doing, even though it takes them a lot longer to get the task done, is absolutely precious to me. He's got some wonderful male role models, starting with his brother and Jayce.

We get through breakfast and Gavin gets Kyler dressed and watches over him as he brushes his teeth while I take Mia into the living room for play time. Jayce and Kyler make their way back downstairs to let me know Gavin is in the shower. I give them both a hug and kiss before watching them leave the house. Moving to the window at the front of the house, I watch Jayce remove Kyler's backpack and put it on the floor of the truck before lifting him up and putting him in the booster seat both trucks and the SUV I've been using have. We bought three car seats for Mia and the booster seats for Kyler so we're not constantly switching vehicles or moving the seats from one to the other. Soon we'll add six more car seats to the mix and it's kind of freaking me out.

The guys and I decided not to get my SUV back from the police. There was too much done to it by Bennett and the assholes he hired to try and take me out for me to ever feel safe in it again. For now, I've been using one of the club's SUVs when I have to go somewhere and the guys are busy. It's not often that it happens, but everyone wants to make sure I have a vehicle at home in case I'm alone with the kids. By using one of the club's vehicles, I can always ensure I have a way to town in case of an emergency. It's the only way I feel safe home with the kids when Gavin and Jayce are busy with club business or at work.

When Jayce leaves the house, I sit down with Mia as she plays on the mat we got her. It won't be long until she's ready for her nap. Then I can clean the house until it's time to go to Dr. Matthews. Gavin comes down after his shower and plays with his sister on the floor. In less than an hour, she's starting to nod off with her eyes fluttering open and close as she laughs at something Gavin does. Looking at the two of them, I watch as he tickles Mia and she tries to move her body away from him. She's rolling over and crawling now as she tries to get away from him. It doesn't work, but she still tries and it's adorable to watch.

Walking into Dr. Matthews' office, I find Jayce already sitting in a chair and all the women in the waiting room staring at him. He stands from his seat and makes his way over to me. Jayce pulls me away from Gavin into his arms as he leans down and presses a kiss against my lips. I hear shocked gasps from the women but don't give a shit what they think of my relationship with the men. Pulling back from him, I look up with a smile on my face as they lead me to the desk where I check in before we all take seats away from everyone else. I knew it would be a challenge being in a relationship with two men, but the judgmental looks I get every time we come to see the doctor are starting to get to me.

"Can I help you?" I ask the room at large as the women all suddenly have way more interesting things to look at instead of us. "I am with both of these men and they obviously know it since they're here together. If you don't like my relationship, that's okay. You're not involved in it and any opinion you might have doesn't matter at all."

"Slut," one of the women says as Gavin and Jayce tense at my side.

"No, I'm not a slut. I can count on one hand and still have fingers left over from the number of men I've had sex with. Can any of you say the same thing?" I ask the women as my men hold my hands and lean in closer to me. Several of the women turn red and look completely away from the three of us. I've literally only been with three men and two of them are in my life for keeps so they can all just fuck off with their opinions, which I don't give the first fuck about.

"Brooklyn, you can come back now," one of the nurses says, startling me a little bit as I look over to her and offer a smile.

Standing up with my men, we make our way to the door leading back to the exam rooms so I can get our appointment over with. Mia is with Nanny and Cricket today while we're here so we didn't have to bring her in with us. I was debating what to do but Nanny took the decision out of my hands when she showed up and gathered everything she'd need for Mia. Cricket was right behind her, laughing hysterically at Nanny swooping in and taking charge as she always does.

We get through the nurse taking my vitals and asking how I've been feeling and I answer her honestly. Other than being exhausted still, I feel really good. The last thing she does before leading us into the room where I'll have the ultrasound is measure my stomach. I feel like a beached whale most days but in reality I'm not that big yet. The girls all say I'm kind of small for how far along I am. They still don't know we're having twins so I'm sure they'd all have comments to make about it if they understood the truth.

"Okay. If you could lie back on the table here, the technician will be in with you shortly. They're going to have you pull down the top of your pants and lift your shirt so they can have access to your stomach. This will not be an internal one this time," she informs me, reading notes from the chart she has in her hands.

I had way more of the internal ultrasounds than I ever wanted to have after being taken by Bennett. They're definitely invasive as hell, and uncomfortable to boot. Hearing I'll be having a normal one today makes me very happy. Jayce is on one side of me while Gavin is on the other, both of them have my hands in theirs as we talk quietly while we wait.

A knock sounds on the door and we turn to face the door as another woman enters the room with a smile on her face. Today we have Carmine as our technician. She's one we've had a few times when I was coming in regularly for the ultrasounds. Carmine is funny as hell and one of the few people in this office who don't judge me.

"I hear you've been causing a stir in the waiting room this afternoon," Carmine says as she walks up to the machine and Jayce moves to the opposite side of the bed I'm laying on so he can see the screen.

"Well, people shouldn't be so damn judgmental and I wouldn't have to be a bitch. Someone had the nerve to call me a slut when that's not the case at all. These are the same girls I went to school with who treated me like shit and made me feel so damn small every day of my life," I tell her as my guys growl in response to my words. "Hell, they knew I never dated, and trust me, I know some of their histories. What's that saying? People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones?"

"There are so many shitty people in this world. You keep doing you, Brooklyn. If I could get even one guy to look at me the way these two look at you, I'd die a happy woman. You're all very lucky and I know this is supposed to be a happy time in your life. Don't let those people drag you down and make you feel ashamed for having the love of two great men," Carmine tells me, a smile on her face.

"She won't think of it after today," Jayce promises as Carmine gets to work, putting in my information on the machine in front of her and asking me to verify things.

"Okay. Are you three wanting to find out the genders of the babies today?" Carmine asks us as she grabs the gel she'll squirt on my stomach.

"Yes please," I answer her.

After squirting the gel on me, Carmine places the wand on my stomach and the room fills with the sound of our babies' heartbeats. I smile as we listen to them and Carmine makes notes on the computer.

"That sounds really good," Carmine tells us, pressing a few buttons on the machine and the heartbeats disappear into nothing leaving the room in silence.

We watch the screen and wait for the image of our babies to fill it. Carmine moves the wand over my stomach and focuses on one baby at a time.

"Baby A is going to be a . . .," she pauses, moving the wand again as Jayce, Gavin, and myself try to figure out what we're looking at. "Baby A is a boy."

"Thank God," Gavin mutters, his voice barely above a whisper as he looks down at me with a smirk on his face.

"I second that," Jayce adds in, placing his hand on my arm as he looks down at me.

"I honestly didn't care as long as they are both healthy," I admit, smiling at the baby on the screen.

"You three are too funny," Carmine says, moving the wand over to the other baby. "Baby B is a lot more cooperative. This one will be a girl."

"Fuck," Jayce states, his voice echoing in the small room we're in.

"Didn't Anguish say we could open up a gun shop?" Gavin asks, looking over at Jayce. "Thinkin' we need to bring that back to the table, especially with all the girls we've got."

"A little girl," I whisper, tears now rolling down my face. "She's going to be so loved and spoiled, just like Mia."

And she'll never be made to feel as though she's less than. To me, both babies are already perfect even though all we have are the grainy visuals on the ultrasound. Our kids will be raised in such a way that they're going to know they're loved. I know they won't be perfect, but we're going to make sure they're independent so when it's time to get out on their own, they're prepared for whatever life throws at them. In the meantime, our home is going to be their safe haven, where they can make mistakes and learn from them.

Carmine finishes up our appointment and prints us off pictures of the twins for us. I know deep in my heart it's time to tell everyone we're having twins. We'll figure out a way to make it happen. Maybe we can have Kyler tell everyone when we're at the clubhouse later today. Carmine lets us know Dr. Matthews doesn't need to see me today and to keep my appointment with her for next week. She'll have time to go over the ultrasound and give us any important information we might need to move forward with the pregnancy. We've already learned that I most likely won't make it to forty weeks. Women with multiples don't usually make it to their due date. The guys and I are trying to wrap our heads around that information, but it hasn't happened so far.

After confirming our appointment, we leave the office and make our way out to the trucks. Jayce suggests picking up Kyler from school since it's about that time and taking him out for some ice cream before we head home. It can take the place of his snack today because he's been doing so well in school and deserves to have a treat. Gavin and I agree as we load up in the trucks and Jayce goes to pick our boy up. Gavin and I head to the local ice cream parlor and wait for them to meet us. Excitement fills me as I think of adding another boy and girl to our family. We'll have an equal number of boys and girls. For some reason, that's important to me. Gavin and I look at the pictures from the ultrasound and try to think of names. We've been doing this since we found out about the babies and can't agree on any. Honestly, some of the names Jayce and Gavin have thrown out there are absolutely ridiculous. I won't even entertain thinking about those names now.