Page 51 of Embattled Ever After

Shit, wasthatwhat his problem really was, deep down? Did he worry that Alex would leave him at some point because she didn’t want to deal with all his medical issues?

No, that felt like kind of a copout. Everyone developed issues as they aged. Besides, she was a doctor. If anyone would understand the degeneration of the body it would be Alex.

So, best case scenario, what could he do to change the situation, what could he do to fix things?Whydidn’t he want kids?

The question made him pause.

Little Mercy had an iron grip on his heart, as well as most of the other men in the group. Big, bad Harper made it a point to stop and see her when he was in town, even bringing his own kids to meet her. And Drew, Ember’s little boy, was a kick-ass little dude. Zeke had already settled into being the father that Drew had been needing. It turned out Zeke had needed it too, of course.

Then there were his nephews and his little niece. All were amazing little human beings, on the path to becoming even more amazing adults. They changed every time he saw them, even if it had been only a few days.

Maybe it wasn’t the kids themselves, but the responsibility they brought with them.

The thought settled into his skin and it seemed a little ridiculous. Duncan and responsibility had been best friends and bosom buddies for a long time. All his life, he’d been the one taking care of everyone around him. The Marines had recognized his leadership abilities and taken advantage of them early. Even out of the Marines a decade, he was still taking care of people. It was what he did well.

And admittedly, he’d created some of the obligations himself. There was something satisfying in knowing he had changed lives. Just recently he’d hired two of the guys he’d met at Harmony House. They both had previous security training and fit exactly into the position he needed them for. It had been a no-brainer to hire them. They were starting after the first of the year, just a few days away.

And maybe he was a little selfish, too. There was a very real possibility that he just didn’t want to give up the time and energy to raising a child. His life worked like a well-oiled machine. Well, it had until Alex had thrown a wrench in the gears.

She had made him realize how boring his life was, and as many people as he had around him, it was empty too. Yeah, he loved working, but his personal life truly sucked. There was no way he could count the guys at Harmony House as his Wednesday night dates. Alex made him feel things that he’d been missing all the more sharply now that she was gone.

In the privacy of his room, he could admit that he missed her desperately. She’d walked into his life in her too-tall heels and wrapped herself around his heart. He would do damn near anything to get back with her.

Even think about having kids.

***

John and Shannonhad taken a couple of days off. They’d needed the time to let everything sink in. When they returned to work, they let the rest of the company know about the double pregnancy. Duncan, definitely not looking refreshed after his trip to the hot springs, sat in the corner of the conference room, frowning distractedly. He’d been snappish and a little lost since Alex had left. John wished they’d get their shit together so the company could settle down again.

After the men had gotten over their shock, they’d congratulated them, or commiserated. John laughed as he saw the scolding look on Roger’s face. “What?”

The big man just shook his head, arms crossed. “You’re in for it now. What if you have two girls?”

John scowled. That had occurred to him as well. Two boys would be ideal. He could deal with boys. What the hell would he do with girls?

Chad punched Roger in the shoulder. “Hey, now. Girls are fine. Mercy is amazing.” He looked at John. “Don’t give in to all that stereotypical bullshit. She plays with carsandstuffed animals. Give her a Barbie doll and she turns her nose up at it. I can’t wait to take her shooting at the ranch. I found this awesome little .22 caliber rifle called a Cricket. Shorter barrel, shorter stock. Totally made for a little girl.”

John looked at the picture Chad had saved on his phone of the little pink gun. Huh…okay. That was pretty cute.

“Besides,” Chad continued, “I doubt Shannon will let you avoid them. Twins are a lot of work, my friend. I used to babysit my niece Grace when she was a baby, and just one kid is a handful. I can’t imagine two.”

“Thanks for the pep talk, Lowell,” John growled.

They all laughed, but John knew they spoke the truth.

The group took it a little easier on Shannon. She got hugs. And warnings that she had better get in gear on the nursery because she would be as big as a house in no time. John didn’t like the look in her eyes. The men’s words held a glimmer of truth in them, and she was realizing that twins could shorten their timeline. The doctor had warned them that carrying two babies also meant having a greater chance of pregnancy issues.

“I think I need to talk to the girls,” she murmured to him later.

Chapter Sixteen

With a heaving sigh, Alex settled into her office chair, wondering why the heck she felt so bad. Oh yeah, she’d been on duty for like five hundred hours. And she’d lost a patient. Hadn’t slept for days. God, what else…

Removing her glasses she rubbed her eyes, wondering when she’d be relieved. Most of the staff was out with the flu and it was everything they could do to keep it from spreading patient to patient.

It didn’t help that she was also missing Duncan terribly. It had been a long, grueling three days since she’d walked away from him. She’d never lost her head over a man, but Duncan was definitely the one to make her do it.

Six feet of muscular male, dark hair fading to silver, strong jaw—he was everything she thought she would want in a man. And more. Her breath sped up every time she’d walked toward him. When she’d watched him interact with his men, she’d been impressed with how much he obviously cared about all of them.

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