His words would comfort me, but it wasn’t just two weeks ago I was complaining I couldn’t have her pussy because she was bleeding. We found other ways to pleasure each other, but not being able to fall asleep while I’m still inside of her fucks with my head. I need that every fucking night with Beth. Shit, I’ll need it when I’m ninety and popping pills just to make it possible.
“That’s not it, man. It’s not possible. Beth hasn’t been feeling good for a while. She’s been sick. She’s been trying to hide it from me, but she’s losing weight.”
“Maybe she just has the flu. It’s been going around,” Nicole whispers, trying to reassure me.
“What if it’s the cancer? Shit, I’ve been so focused on getting rid of all the threats against us… What if…?”
“Don’t borrow fucking trouble,” Katie growls. I look up at her—a face that looks so much like my woman, but so different. “Beth is strong. She will be here to watch her nephew get into this world.”
Torch leans into her. “Katydid, you’re not far enough along to know it’s a boy.”
“Trust me,” she shoots back, “only a boy would already cause me this much trouble, Hunter.”
I do my best to hold onto Katie’s words. They’re all I have and they are true. Beth is strong. She’s so much stronger than I ever gave her credit for. We wait for another fifteen minutes and I’m slowly going insane before I look up after hearing my name called.
“Mr. Cruz?”
“Yeah?”
“You can go in now. You’ll need to…”
I don’t listen to him, and I don’t particularly give a fuck about what he’s saying. I make a beeline for the room that I saw them wheel my woman into. The security guards who stopped me from following her into the room are there. They stand far away from me now—and that’s smart of them. Still, I flip both of the fuckers off, shove open the door, and go to the bedside of my woman.
She looks pale in the hospital bed. Her beautiful dress has been exchanged for a blue and brown standard-issued hospital gown. She’s smiling. Even sick, she’s the most beautiful woman in the world.
“Are you okay, sweetheart?”
“I’m fine, Skull. The doctor just needs to run some additional tests and then I can go home and we can…”
“Beth, don’t worry. Whatever this is, we can face it together. It doesn’t matter. We’ve already beaten so many odds; this is just one more hurdle.”
“Skull, sweetheart…”
“I mean it, Beth. I’m right here with you,” I tell her, holding her hand. “It doesn’t matter, even if it’s your cancer coming back. I’m here with you, and together, we’re strong enough to wipe out anything standing in our way. We’ve already proved that.”
“Skull…”
“We’ll just prove it again.”
“Skull!” she yells.
I go still. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
“I’m not sick! It’s not the cancer!”
“It’s okay, honey, we can… Wait, you’re not? It’s not…?”
“No, sweetheart. It’s nothing like that.”
“Well, what in the heck is it, then?”
“I’m pregnant.”
“It doesn’t—” I belatedly hear the words. “Wait. What… What did you say?”
“I said I’m pregnant!”
“How is that possible? You just had your monthly thing, and…”
“The doctor said some women continue to have what appear to be light periods for a few months before the pregnancy makes itself known. There’s even one lady on file who had periods clear up to her seventh month.”
“Christo!” I murmur, my mind whirling. Beth… pregnant.
“Skull, this is a good thing. Gabby needs a brother or sister she can grow up with, and this way, the child will be close to the same age as Katie’s. It’s perfect.”
“Christo…” I murmur, even softer.
“Skull? Aren’t you happy? I thought you said you wanted another child,” Beth asks worriedly.
My hand trembles as I move it slowly to her stomach and hold it where, even now, my child is growing inside.
“I’m happy, mi cielo. I’m ecstatic. We’re going to have a baby.”
She nods her head yes, smiling and crying at the same time.
“We’re going to have a baby,” I whisper again.
“We are,” she confirms.
“I’m going to be a daddy again.”
“You are.”
As everything settles into me, I close my eyes. When I open them back up, I know she can see exactly how I feel because Beth has always been inside of me—a part of me.
“I’ll be there this time, mi cielo. I’ll be with you every step of the way.” I wrap her hand around mine and kiss her fingers. “Te prometo,” I say as I kiss her forehead. I promise you.
“We’ll be there together,” Beth says, bringing her lips to mine. I deepen the kiss, sliding into her mouth with a groan. My hand goes to her neck, fingers rubbing against the pulse.
“Okay, I’ve waited long enough,” Katie exclaims, barging through the door. “What’s going on?”
I pull back just a space from Beth’s lips.
“My sister has very bad timing,” she whispers, her dark gray eyes close to mine.
“Muy mal,” I agree, staring back into her eyes. I remember the vow I made as a child. Everything I ever wanted, here in my arms.
Por siempre…
I’ll bust my ass to keep it forever.
KATIE & TORCH