Page 79 of Tempt Me

Smiling, I tug her against me. “I knew once you opened your heart to me, I’d dig my way inside forever.”

Despite her fear, Hunter shares my smile. We’re on the brink of starting our life together. Today is the final test. If we can survive this shit, I truly believe nothing will ever get in our way again.

HUNTER

Carys’s home is a comfortable four-bedroom rambler with a fully furnished basement. I hate for her to traverse the stairs when she’s in active labor. Carys pauses twice on her way down to catch her breath. Finally, we get her settled on the couch.

Carys grips my hand and whimpers, “Can you check my phone for everyone’s location? I need Mom, Aunt Dot, and Pork Chop to get their asses here.”

“Do you feel the need to push?” Siobhan asks from the toy area, where she organizes the four kids.

“Put on my birthing music,” Carys snaps at her little sister. “I hate you right now for having a C-section.”

Siobhan leaves the kids and sits next Carys on the couch. Using a wet cloth, she wipes her sister’s forehead. Her other hand taps at her phone until a slow and soft George Strait song begins.

Exhaling deeply, Carys looks at me. “Don’t be scared.”

“I’m not.”

“You look like you’re about to cry,” Carys says, and Siobhan nods.

When I just stare at her, Carys tugs me closer. “Focus on me. I need everyone to treat me like the most important person in the world. That way, I won’t think about how my aunt isn’t here to help me give birth.”

“They’ll all be here soon,” I say and settle next to her. “Let’s close our eyes and breathe. We both need to calm down.”

Carys and I sit side by side, breathing at the same pace. When she has to pant through a contraction, I mimic her. Her hand remains wrapped around mine.

When the kids won’t play, Siobhan gets them involved in babying Carys. The boys drag the ottoman over to elevate her feet. The girls run the cloths under the faucet to keep them cool for our foreheads.

“You don’t have to take care of me,” I tell Deirdre who dabs my cheeks.

“You look scared.”

“I am,” I admit and tear up. “I want everyone to be safe and happy.”

“Me too,” she says and kisses my cheek.

Time slows down in the basement. I can’t picture what’s happening outside. Kiera gasps when the farm’s speakers go silent before Tack’s voice begins to explain the situation to whoever might be in the woods.

“Matt Parker has been arrested by French police. His devices are in their possession. They’re already tracking down your identities. If you leave now, you might beat the FBI to your homes. If you stay, you’re about to face the entire force of the Backcountry Kings.”

Kiera rests her head on my shoulder and listens to Tack speak. He reads a vaguely worded media report found online about Matt Parker’s arrest. Tack encourages the men to use their own devices to see how their payday just got picked up by the authorities.

“You have no reason to be here unless you’re suicidal,” Tack explains over the speakers. “We have a woman in labor right now. Our priorities aren’t hunting you down. You have the option to slip out of the woods and disappear back into the world.”

Tack’s voice relaxes me, even while my mind questions how long those men have been hiding in the woods. Did they have a plan or were they simply looking for an opportunity? Would I already be gone now if I hadn’t been wearing a hat the last few days?

Carys grips my hand through another contraction. They’re coming faster now. I don’t need to be a midwife to know that’s bad.

“I really like the name Ripley,” I whisper to her as I snuggle closer. “She’s going to be a tough, sassy little thing.”

Carys’s pained expression softens. “Pork Chop and I watched ‘Aliens’ on our first real date. He came to the farmhouse while my parents were out. We made cheese quesadillas and shared a beer. I wanted him to kiss me so badly. I sat super close to him on the couch and acted scared, even though I’d seen the movie a dozen times before.”

I smile as she closes her eyes and remembers a simpler time.

“Pork Chop was a chubby weirdo when he came to the farm. He talked like his mouth was always full. He would get squirrely if he wasn’t eating. It was a coping thing he had from a crazy childhood.”

Carys opens her eyes and smiles. “I didn’t like him when he first got here. He was pushy and whiny and all-around awful. But then, over the next year, Dad worked with Pork Chop and his brother Gravy. The boys lost weight, but more importantly, they got rid of many of their goofy habits. They started acting like my dad.”

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