Page 64 of Briggs
I wanted to hug him. He was holding out a cup with purple liquid in it, and I knew immediately that it was my mouthwash from the bathroom. It had been the only one I’d found that didn’t cause me to get sick. I took the glass and immediately got to swishing out my mouth. I spit it back into the glass and then exchanged the glass for a completely different one.
“Tea. Take a few sips. It’s not the sleepy one, but it will help keep your stomach calm as the magic fades.”
I nodded before I started drinking the tea. The last thing I wanted was to be sick again. I absolutely wasn’t a fan of throwing up, but I was certain everyone else felt the same. It just wasn’t enjoyable in any way.
“Don’t let him walk until he can feel his legs completely. That should be in about an hour. The hope is that the two of you will be asleep by then,” Dr. King told Briggs.
“I won’t let him out of bed.”
“Good. Cuddle and bond with the babies. Come get me if you need anything. I’ll be downstairs for the next few hours.”
I looked up at Dr. King. “I’m sorry. We only had the one guest bedroom, and John is in it.” I suddenly remembered my brother. “Should we wake him?”
Briggs chuckled and shook his head. “We’ll let him know the babies arrived in the morning.” Briggs tilted his head. “Actually, maybe afternoon, depending on how late he sleeps since it’s Saturday.”
Dr. King was smiling. “I’m fine. I always make myself a comfortable spot in the den or living room. If you need anything at all, come get me.”
I nodded before a yawn hit me. I really was tired all of a sudden. Then again, I’d been asleep, woken up suddenly becauseI’d gotten sick, given birth, and now the excitement of everything was crashing.
“Thanks, Dr. King,” Briggs said. I heard them say a bit more, but my brain had decided it was time to shut down. It had been an incredibly eventful night, and it was still night, and I wanted to sleep. I turned my head toward the twins, and the desire to stay awake and stare at them was far greater than the one that said sleep.
I felt the bed move beside me, and then Briggs was cuddling up beside me. He was so careful and avoiding my stomach, and I really wanted his arms around me. I turned my head and immediately got a kiss on the nose, which caused me to smile.
“Do you think they’ll sleep long?” I asked.
“I have no idea. We have everything we need for them in here though.”
“Not completely. The bottles and formula are downstairs.”
“True. I’ll have to run down to get bottles when they wake up. Did you want to sleep? Or would you rather hold one or both?”
I turned back to the babies, and the desire to hold them was too strong to deny. Briggs was out of the bed before I could say anything, and when he carefully handed me Wrenley and then Willow, I looked up at my mate. I wanted to scream because he was suddenly blurry, and my arms were effectively full and I could not in any way wipe the tears from my eyes.
“I got you,” Briggs said quietly as he gently wiped at my eyes for me. “I love you, Todd. You are so amazing, and I never thought I’d have such a strong and loving mate. But I do.”
I tried to glare because Briggs’s words were causing my eyes to leak even more. I couldn’t though. I loved that man too much to be upset with him. “I love you too.” I looked down at the tiny heads that had fuzzy blond hair. I kissed Wrenley and then Willow before I looked back up at my mate. “Look at what we did.”
Briggs sat by my hip and leaned in, kissing our daughters as I had just done. “We did,” he whispered.
“I wanted to die,” I said. “So many times, for so long, I wanted everything to just end.” I took a deep breath. “But if I’d given up, I wouldn’t be here today. I wouldn’t have you or the girls.” Tears were flowing freely now, and I took several deep breaths while Briggs gently wiped at my eyes for me.
“I love you more than anything,” Briggs whispered before he leaned in and pressed his lips to mine. He held them there for several seconds before he moved away. “I would never want anyone to have to go through what you did, but I’m so thankful that you survived. I’ll always be here for you, no matter what. Even in your dark times, I’m going to be here, and we’ll get through everything together. Always.”
I nodded. We would. Briggs had already been there for me through some tough times, and I knew there were plenty more ahead of us. I felt my cheetah stretch in my mind and then a sudden sense of peace. He was awake, and although I could and would be a bit upset with him, I did understand now why he’d been asleep for so long. He trusted Briggs completely, and he knew that our mate would watch over us. It was Briggs’s turn to protect us, and he had. Every step of the way, Briggs had been there. Through happy moments and dark ones too. Never judging, just loving me and helping me in every way he could.
I felt Briggs carefully taking one of the twins, and then the other. I was too tired to do much more than turn my head in the direction of their bassinet and sigh as my eyes closed. My mate was here, our babies were here, and I was safe. What more could I ask for?
Chapter 23
Briggs
Something was off. My wolf woke me, and immediately, I knew why. I wasn’t in bed with my mate. Well, I was, but it was his other half. I smiled at the gorgeous feline that was curled up beside me. How long had Todd been in his cheetah form? Was him shifting what had woken me? Or was it something else? I was reaching for the furry head when I heard a noise. One that hadn’t ever been there before. My smile grew because that was most likely what had woken me, to be honest.
I rolled away, tossed the blanket back, and got out of bed. After peeking in on the twins quickly, I dashed to the bathroom to take care of my bladder. I got a look at my hair when washing my hands and could only shake my head. I needed to shower, but there wasn’t time for that before I had crying, hungry babies waiting to be fed and, I was certain, changed.
After drying my hands, I hurried down the stairs. I glanced toward the back room, finding it empty, with no sign of Dr. King anywhere. Not that I blamed him. He had his own life, it was the weekend, and I’d woken him in the middle of the night.
In the kitchen, I found the bottle warmer out on the counter, but I knew we’d not placed it there. It had been stored in the cupboard with the empty bottles because we hadn’t needed ityet. I finally noticed a piece of paper that was half under the bottle warmer.
