Blake, Abby - Mikayla's Family [A Bride for Eight Brothers 6] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever) (10 page)

All of her men had been frightened for her safety, and she finally realized that she needed to let them react—even if that meant letting them tell her what to do for a little while. She allowed Ryan to lay her down in the middle of the bed and tried not to react when Bryce and Lachlan lay down on either side and the others took up various positions around the room.

The distant sounds of emergency vehicles approaching eventually got them moving, but Bryce and Lachlan stayed by her side until the police finally entered the room to collect their statements. By the time the emergency services had finished traipsing mud into her house, Mikayla was nearly asleep. John’s strong arms wrapping around her and his whispered, “I love you,” were the last things she remembered.

She woke hours later, her stomach rolling once more. Trying to make it to the bathroom without waking her husbands proved futile, and by the time she had the retching under control, she was in Matt’s arms and the other seven were crowding the doorway.

Again, as soon as the retching passed, the nausea retreated. Matt glanced up at his brothers, reassured them that she was fine and then turned to her with a concerned smile. “How long have you been feeling like this?”

“Only since Bryce grabbed the bomb. I was fine before that.”

“Are you sure? You looked quite pale yesterday and the day before.”

“It’s been a long week,” she said with a shrug.

Matt glanced at the now closed door and lowered his mouth to her ear. “Is it possible you’re pregnant?” he asked in a very quiet voice.

Mikayla tried to swallow the sudden excitement and fear that the question evoked. It was possible, but it was also possible that the retching was simply her reaction to the fear she’d felt. She shrugged again, unwilling to get any of their hopes up.

Matt must’ve felt the same way because he moved to the cupboard and rummaged around the back for a moment before retrieving a small looking box. Without a word, he held his hand out for her. She put her hand in his, and he quickly sterilized the end of her finger and then pricked the tip with a tiny little needle attached to a strange little box. He watched the top of the box for a moment and then smiled.

He held it up for her to see, and Mikayla stared blankly at the digital number it showed. “You’re pregnant, honey,” he said with a grin. “This number here shows approximately how many days since conception, which makes the baby’s due date November fifteenth.”

“Seriously?” It wasn’t that she didn’t believe him. It was just taking a long time for the information to seem real. After everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours, she hadn’t fully discounted delusional wishful thinking.

Matt smiled. “Yes, Mikayla, you are seriously pregnant.”

She squealed in delight and threw herself into Matt’s arms. Of course the noise attracted the rest of her husbands’ attention, and the door practically flew open when they came to investigate. Seven sets of eyes regarded her intently as she gave them the news they’d all been waiting months to hear.

“I’m pregnant.”

Epilogue

Mikayla sat on the front porch of her home and wondered how she’d gotten so lucky. All eight of her men had taken to farming like they’d been born to it. In the past six years, not one of them had raised the idea of accepting another survey contract on a different planet. Mikayla smiled as some of the more eventful contracts swirled through her mind. She couldn’t deny that they’d had some incredible experiences, but it felt wonderful to have a safe and stable home, especially now that they had children to raise.

Louise had just turned five and was due to start school next year. She was very bright, very bubbly and sometimes absolutely exhausting, but she was the apple of all her daddies’ eyes, and she never let them forget it.

Jacob arrived less than two years after Louise, and then Samuel had been born a year later. Mikayla’s pregnancy with Samuel had been the same as the others, but the delivery proved to be a series of minor, but concerning, problems that convinced her husbands that three was a perfect number. Mikayla hadn’t objected at the time, but she hoped that now the fear and uncertainty had faded into memory she might convince them to try again.

She could hear several of her husbands moving about the kitchen, cleaning up after the big Thanksgiving celebration they’d just hosted. Thank goodness the weather had been fine because her family had certainly grown over the last few years. At today’s table, they’d not only had Mikayla, Lachlan, Brock, John, Matt, Bryce, Peter, Ryan and Ty and their three children, but also Emily, and Mikayla’s five parents-in-law, Tracey, and her three husbands and their four children as well.

“It’s so beautiful here this time of night,” Lachlan said as he joined her on the veranda. Mikayla looked over at her handsome husband and shuffled across the seat so that he could join her on the swing. It had been a silly orphan’s daydream to one day own an old-fashioned swinging seat so that she could sit on the veranda and watch the sunset, and as soon as her husbands found out, it had become a reality. The most incredible part was that they’d fashioned it themselves, carefully designing and creating the swing from a tree that had grown on their farm and fallen over in one of the violent electrical storms they had each summer.

The fact that it was large enough and sturdy enough to hold at least three people was certainly a bonus. Mikayla smiled as she cuddled up to Lachlan. She was probably lucky swings couldn’t talk because this one had quite a few interesting stories.

“Emily looked well.” The pride in Lachlan’s voice was unmistakable. Zedahla had been so timid and shy when Lachlan had rescued her from a violent husband, but now nearly eight years later, she’d grown into a mature, confident, compassionate young woman. Her decision to become a doctor hadn’t surprised any of them. These days Emily was so obviously one of the Davidson clan that, even to those who knew her real name and history, it was sometimes hard to remember she hadn’t always been one of the family.

Feeling a little melancholy, Mikayla asked, “Do you remember the first time we met?”

“Of course, little one. Finding my soul mate cooking dinner and begging for a spanking is not something I’m ever likely to forget.”

She giggled slightly as memories of her first meeting with Lachlan and Brock sent little shivers through her mind. It had certainly been a new experience at the time. But then she caught the part he’d said about begging. “I was not begging.”

“Perhaps not,” he conceded with a smile, “but you’ve done plenty since.” She smiled sweetly and dug her fingers into his ribs. He laughed and pulled her closer, and she squirmed as he tickled her in revenge. She was practically breathless by the time Lachlan stopped his attack. Smiling, he leaned over and pressed his lips to hers. “I love you, little one.”

“I love you, too, Lachlan.”

He held her close for a few moments. When he heard the screen door open, he pressed a quick kiss to her mouth and stood up. “It’s my turn to read a story and put the kids to bed.”

He left, but she wasn’t alone for long.

Peter joined her on the seat and then set it swinging gently. She snuggled up to him, content just to hold him close. “I got an email from Jessie today.”

“How is she?” Amazingly, despite everything that Jessie Evans had put them all through, somehow they’d ended up friends. Not best friends, but close enough to keep up with the major changes in each other’s lives.

“Jessie’s good. Tired of being pregnant and complaining that Alicia is being overprotective again,” he said with a smile, “but with only a few weeks left before their twins are due, I reckon Alicia’s entitled to be a little uptight.” Mikayla laughed at Peter’s obvious siding with Alicia. He’d been the bossiest of all the brothers when Mikayla had reached the later stages of her pregnancies, so it figured he’d see Alicia’s point of view. But, despite her current overprotectiveness, Alicia had proven to be Jessie’s perfect match. The two women had been very happy together and the angry, distraught bitch Jessie had once been had disappeared completely once she’d found where she belonged.

“I’m happy for her,” Mikayla said quietly.

“I know, and I love you all the more for it. You are an amazing woman, Mikayla Davidson, and every day I thank whatever deity brought you to us.”

A little bit embarrassed by Peter’s heartfelt words, Mikayla closed her eyes and snuggled closer. “I love you, Peter.”

They held each other as the sun dipped lower on the horizon. But like Lachlan, Peter moved when he heard the screen door open. Ty took his place, and she gave him a questioning look before letting him pull her into his embrace.

“Don’t give me that look, darlin’. We simply decided that Thanksgiving was a good time to remember all the reasons we had to be thankful. You, sweet Mikayla, are number one on all our lists.”

She smiled at the sincere words delivered with a touch of humor and hint of mischief. Ty had always been the one to handle life with humor, but underneath he was just as serious, just as responsible as his brothers. His kissed her softly, teasing and tickling her lips with his tongue, but after a few moments his movement slowed and the kiss became deeper, harder, more possessive.

Ty pulled away with a reluctant sounding laugh. “You’ve always been my weakness, Mikayla. When I met you, even when I’d convinced myself to stand back and let John and Matt love you, I couldn’t resist you. You are the center of my universe, darlin’.” He grinned and winked. “And of course I’m your favorite husband.”

A snort from the doorway let her know that Ty knew exactly who was listening.

“I love you, Ty,” Mikayla said as she cuddled closer. He held her for a few moments longer, kissed her again until she wondered where all the oxygen had gone, and then levered himself out of the swing.

John threw a mock punch at him as they passed on the veranda, mumbling something that sounded suspiciously like, “Not fucking likely,” and then settled on the swing beside her. He set the chair rocking faster and pulled Mikayla onto his lap.

“It was good to enjoy the sun today,” John said quietly. Mikayla nodded and smiled softly. It had been a beautiful fall day, perfect for celebrating Thanksgiving outdoors. But Mikayla knew also that memories of how a vitamin D deficiency had affected her on the jungle planet were never far from John’s mind. He especially worried as winter approached. And because of his worry, she tolerated the blood tests that Matt did every three months and took supplements when needed.

“Do you remember that first day in your office?”

John’s chest expanded like he was trying to hold in a laugh. Obviously he remembered her first lesson in giving him a blow job, but that wasn’t quite what she was referring to.

“The day you rearranged my filing system?”

“That’s the one,” she said with a quiet laugh. “The day you made me wonder if it was possible. I’d never felt like a part of a family until you and your brothers welcomed me into your lives. But even when I thought it was all illusion and wishful thinking, you accepted me and let me be myself. There will always be that small part of me that will be forever grateful to you for that day.”

“Hey,” John said, sounding embarrassed, “I’m supposed to be the one telling you what I’m thankful for.” Mikayla smiled and sat up, waiting for him to say what he wanted to say. “I’m thankful that you can…”—he smiled wickedly—“suck cock really,
really
well.”

Mikayla smacked him playfully as they both laughed. After a moment, he sobered and held her close. “And I’m also very thankful that you came into our lives. It takes an amazing woman to put up with all of us. I can’t imagine my life without you. I love you, Mikayla.”

“I love you, too, John.” She returned his wicked smile. “Especially when you su—”

He cut her off with a hand over her mouth. “Shhh…if you start talking dirty, I won’t be able to leave this swing without showing you exactly how thankful I am.” Mikayla nodded enthusiastically, but the screen door opened and someone stomped onto the veranda.

John grinned as he lifted Mikayla off his lap and settled her back onto the cushions. He winked, and then he was gone.

Brock quickly took his place, but not before he kissed her with all the unleashed passion she’d come to expect from her most demanding Dom. Where Lachlan was indulgent, Brock was the exact opposite. He was strict, uncompromising, and definitely in charge, and Mikayla couldn’t dispute his ability to turn her on simply by gripping her wrist and speaking to her in that low tone of voice that set every inch of her throbbing. But by far Brock’s most amazing talent was that he asked for and expected her trust, not blind obedience.

And he somehow let her be herself, even when he was being bossy.