Page 46 of Wife Number One

“They’re both his?” I asked, though it was obvious how alike the two children were, and Wolf was the spitting image of his biological father.

Rebel nodded. “Remi is Fang’s though,” she explained, pointing to her fair-haired older daughter. “Though only the hair color gives it away. She definitely didn’t get any of his height, poor kid. She’s a short-ass like I am. And Madden is Kian’s. I think I might have told you that in a letter before we got cut off, though…”

I swallowed hard and nodded. “I remember being so shocked that twins could have different fathers.”

“You and me both!” She gazed over at her twins fondly. “Wouldn’t change them for the world. The guys are such good dads.”

“Do the kids call all of them Dad? Or just their biological parent?” I knew I was being nosy, but I couldn’t help it. The dynamic of Rebel’s family was so different from the household I’d left behind, even though both were polyamorous.

“They’re all dad to each of them. But they call Vaughn Dad. Fang is Daddy. Kian has Irish roots and wanted to be called Da. Really, though, any of them yells Dad and all three guys come running. These kids have those big men wrapped around their little fingers, don’t you?” She picked up Lavender’s hand and pressed a kiss to her chubby baby fingers. “Your dads are big suckers for all four of you.”

I glanced at Hayley Jade, my heart squeezing with love. She wasn’t lucky enough to have one father, let alone three who doted on her. Hayley Jade’s father was a monster, and I was glad he was dead.

Maybe that was the real reason I couldn’t conceive.

Because every day, I was silently glad Caleb was six feet under and could never hurt anyone ever again.

But that didn’t change the way I felt about the daughter he’d left me with.

She was everything that was good and right. His evil couldn’t touch her.

But Josiah’s could.

I bit my lip.

Like Rebel could read my mind, she reached out and took my hand. “Please. You don’t have to go. We’ll keep you safe. We have the MC, and…”

I squeezed her hand back and stood, because there was no point having this conversation again, even if she meant well. “Can I get Hayley Jade something to eat? As soon as she’s eaten, we need to get on the road.”

Rebel’s face fell, but she nodded and reached over to a side table and picked up a small plastic card. “Here. I didn’t know if you had a bank account to transfer money into, but I suspected you didn’t…”

“I don’t. Josiah doesn’t allow women to have money of their own.”

Rebel’s mouth pulled a thin line, but she didn’t comment. “I figured as much. This is the card for an account we don’t use. We should have closed it ages ago, but it’s one of those annoying things where they make you go into the branch to close it, and who has the time or energy to do that? Do you know how quickly four kids can tear apart a bank if they have to wait in line for longer than five minutes?”

“I’m sure your children are very well behaved.”

Rebel laughed. “They’re terrors, but aren’t all kids at this age? They’re loud and full of energy and they talk nonstop…”

Her voice trailed away at the comparison between her healthy, confident kids who felt secure enough to be typical children, and Hayley Jade, who hadn’t said a word since we’d been here.

Rebel put the card into my hand. It had her name on it. “We put ten thousand dollars in there last night. And we’ll put more if you need it. Fang is going to run out this morning and get you a burner phone so you can stay in contact with us.”

I stared down at the small plastic card and then up at my older sister in shock. “Ten thousand…I can’t accept that.” I pushed the card back at her.

But Rebel’s gaze was firm. “You will take it, Kara.” Her gaze slid to Hayley Jade. “You’ll take it for her and give her a better life. I want you to stay, but even if you don’t, you need to have your own money.” She swallowed hard. “Women do desperate things when they don’t have enough of it. I won’t have that life for you.”

A look of understanding passed between us. Shari had said much the same thing. I tucked the card into the pocket of the skirt I’d slept in, remembering I didn’t even have any clothes to get changed into. “Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

Rebel’s bottom lip trembled for a second, but she drew in a deep breath. “Enough of being sappy. If you’re sure you have to leave, then let’s get you on the road. Hayley Jade, do you want to come have some breakfast with us? We have all sorts of yummy foods, and you can choose anything you want. I know your cousins are going to choose chocolate Pop-Tarts.” She glanced at me. “Which is my bad influence on their diet, but I think today is a chocolate for breakfast sort of day.”

I held my breath when Hayley Jade glanced up from her dolls and then watched her cousins cheering and running for the kitchen in their sweet onesie pajamas. Slowly, she stood and followed them.

I breathed out a sigh of relief.

Rebel stood, shifting Lavender to her hip. “I’ll handle the food. You go get Alice and Kyle up and organized. They’ll probably want to have showers and breakfast before you leave too.”

“Good idea. From memory, Alice is just like her eldest sister.” I grinned at Rebel. “Not a morning person.”

---