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"Keep talking," I ordered her, breathing deep and slow. "Distract me."

"It was the same with the boys," Mom quickly carried on as she pottered around my tiny kitchen, opening cupboards and pulling out some cups. "I had a caesarian section with the triplets –"

"That won't happen to me, will it?" I whimpered in fear.

"Of course not," Mom soothed as she prepared two cups of tea for us. "You are going to be perfect, honey. Absolutely perfect." Returning to the table, she placed both cups down, then took the chair to my left. "You are going to have a beautiful, healthy baby, and nothing bad is going to happen to you while you do it."

The sound of a car door slamming outside filled my ears and I balked.

"I told you not to wake Dad," I groaned.

"I didn’t," Mom promised before releasing a weary sigh. "But you know your father, sweetie. He'll want to help you."

"I just wishhewas here, Mom," I choked out then, feeling my eyes well up. "I am so scared of doing this without him." Unable to stop the sob that tore out of my chest, I looked at my mother and cried, "It's notfair, Mom. It's not."

"I know it's not fair, honey," Mom whispered. "Oh, I know. And if I could change this for you, I would in a heartbeat." Taking my hand in hers, she squeezed tightly. "But this little baby demanding to be born right now? This baby ishalfof him." A lone tear slipped down her cheek as she said, "He'll never be gone, Hope. Not really. Because this child is his legacy, and when a father loves his child as much as I know he loved this little one, he can never truly die."

The front door creaked open, then closed with a click.

"Kyle?" Mom called out. "We're in the kitchen."

"Do you really believe that, Mom?" I whispered, wiping my face with the back of my hand.

"I honestly do," Mom confirmed. "I know that I will love my children long after death comes for me," she added, smiling.

"Well, let's put that theory into play, shall we?" a male voice stated coldly, causing me to turn towards the doorway.

And there he was, standing in the doorway, blue eyes narrowed on us.

Not my father, as we had thought.

No, those cold, soulless blue eyes could only belong to one man.

My grandfather.

****

Chapter Sixty-Six

Hope

My heart was racing so hard in my chest, I thought I might faint.

Months of silence had lured me into a false sense of security.

Or else, I just hadn't cared anymore.

After Hunter's death, I had been just about done with reality.

But now that I was staring him in the face again?

Every survival instinct inside of me had kick-started back to life.

"Girls. How long I've waited to get you two alone," David managed to wheeze before breaking into a fit of coughing.

In one hand, he held a sleek, black gun. In the other; a bloodied tissue he used to wipe his mouth.

"You should really lock that front gate," he continued to rasp. "Anyone could just walk right in on you."

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