Page 26 of Forever Your Touch

“Yeah, Mason, I think. We have to pray and hope for the best. If you go in thinking he’s going to die, he’ll see that. You have to be strong for him. This is going to be a long, hard battle, and if he thinks his family doesn’t believe he can beat it, that can be just as bad as the cancer eating away at him. You can’t let him see your doubts or your fears.”

“Papa is the strongest man I know. He taught us everything. How do I get through this?”

“You take tonight, and you let yourself feel all the pain you’re in right now. Let it out, and then when he comes home, you walk in there like the cocky, carefree man I’ve come to know. Be his baby boy and tell him how much you love him and believe in him. Being yourself and not some sad, morose version of you will help him more than anything else.”

He nodded and hugged her again, his arms so tight, they made it hard to breathe, but she took it. He was hurting so much right now. It caused her own heart to ache for the torment his family was about to go through.

“Thank you,” he murmured against her ear. His warm breath teased her hair, and she fought the shudder that threatened.

“You’re welcome,” she whispered back. “Lay down and get some sleep. I’ll be on baby watch for now.”

Instead of moving over to the other side of the couch, he stretched out and put his head in her lap. She froze for a heartbeat, but then gave in to the urge to run her fingers through his hair. It was a little longish and on the shaggy side, but it was softer than her own.

It didn’t take him long to find sleep. He was emotionally exhausted. She glanced over at the Pack ‘n Play where the twins slept. They’d convinced Viktor and Sara to leave them down here so the two of them could get some actual sleep. They both looked beyond tired.

Mason had told her how much he adored Delia, but to see it was an entirely different matter. He was gentle and patient with her, letting her do what she wanted to him because it made her happy. It took a strong man to do that.

She couldn’t help but think of Ray with his niece and nephew. For the most part, he ignored them. When he did have to deal with them, he tended to get impatient. He would never sit down on the floor and let Molly curl his hair or put makeup on him.

He and Mason were so different, and that was what her brother was counting on. Jo sighed. She was beginning to see that things with Ray were far from perfect because of Mason. Didn’t mean she was going to break up with him, because she truly did love Ray, and she owed him. It simply meant she was more aware of his flaws. She’d talk to him. Maybe they could work out a few things that bothered her about the way he treated her sometimes.

The babies woke up an hour later, and she fed and changed them both then put them back down, singing a lullaby softly until they fell out. She smiled at their beautiful little faces. At least Mason’s father would get to meet them in case he didn’t beat the cancer. These two would bring him such joy. Babies did that for everyone. You couldn’t help but smile at them.

Jo nodded off around two and was jostled awake when the twins started to cry. She started to rise, but Mason was already up, and he waved her down. He picked up one baby and tried to rock him a little, but he only cried harder.

“What the hell am I doing wrong?” he asked, looking unsure of himself.

“He’s hungry.” She got up and went into the kitchen to warm two bottles. Once that was done, she came back into the living room and picked up Ronin. She popped one bottle in his mouth and handed the other to Mason, who mimicked her.

“You’re good with them.” Mason sat beside her on the couch and rested the baby on his knee, keeping his head elevated.

“I love babies.” She stroked Riley’s cheek. “They are our own personal pieces of Heaven to take care of for the time we have them.”

Mason’s breath caught at the look on her face. She was so damn beautiful with her eyes shining and a soft smile gracing her lips. And she wasn’t only beautiful on the outside. Her kindness and compassion shined through. Jo was awesome.

“Do you want kids?”

“Sure.” She wiggled the bottle to see if Ronin was done eating, and the little bugger started sucking again. Riley, he saw, was dozing with the bottle in his mouth, and he pulled it out. The baby’s face scrunched up, getting ready to wail, and he stuck the bottle right back in.

“How many?”

“At least four or five. I grew up in a huge family. I want my kids to have lots of brothers and sisters to lean on.”

“Me too.” Saying it out loud, he realized it was true. He wanted lots and lots of kids. Being around his nieces and nephews had made him start thinking about family and what he wanted more than he was ready to admit to himself.

“How about Ray? How many kids does he want?” Just saying the guy’s name left a foul taste in Mason’s mouth.

“I don’t know. We’ve never really discussed it.”

“How long have you been dating him?” A tendril of blonde hair had escaped her ponytail sometime while she slept. It seemed to want to tease the baby, and his little fist tried to catch it. She laughed at his antics, and the sound pierced his soul. It was full of so much joy. He needed that right now when his own heart was breaking for his papa.

“We got together in high school. I was seventeen, so, three years.”

“That’s a long time.” Mason heard Ronin sucking air, and he removed the bottle, throwing the baby up on his shoulder to burp him like Sara had taught him to do. “You guys discussed marriage?”

“Off and on, but not seriously. That’s part of why I moved in with him. I wanted to see what it would be like to be married before I jumped in that particular frying pan.”

“Keith would be proud.” He smirked, thinking of the relief on his best friend’s face when he told him that bit of information.

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