CHAPTER FOUR

TWITCH

When I got the call about Trey’s presents getting stolen, I kept wondering why it was such a big deal. The kids’ toys, even the hard to find ones, could be replaced. I had a feeling in my gut that this was bigger than some toy.

I was thankful for something to do, though. Tasha was getting antsy. Her pregnancy hormones were worse than ever, and I was running out of excuses not to have sex with her.

I know, I know, what man wouldn’t want to have sex with her? She was gorgeous and she had become even more beautiful since she started growing round carrying my child. It was a miracle we never thought we would be blessed with, and I looked at her in awe every day. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to fuck her. I had to get out of bed every night and jerk myself off just to be able to sleep next to her lush body, but I was scared. It takes a lot for a veteran of the Special Forces to admit to being scared, so I knew that it was terror I felt not wanting to hurt that little miracle inside her. It didn’t matter what the books or the doctor said, I wouldn’t do it.

Those were the thoughts that ran through my head in a loop when Kenzie answered the door. “Hey Barbie, where’s the big dumb idiot?”

She laughed and pointed down the hallway. “I told him something like this would happen.”

“Was anything else stolen?” I asked.

“No. The only thing in the trunk was the bag with the toys, why?”

“It just doesn’t feel right,” I said as I walked down the hall.

“What do you mean?” she asked, and I filed away her nervousness for later contemplation.

“Why not just chalk it up to a loss and go find another toy? There’s more to this, I’m thinking.”

“What more could there possibly be?”

I opened the door to Trey’s bat cave. “I don’t know, but I’m gonna find out.” I liked to call it that because no normal residence had that much surveillance equipment in it. “What’s up, Idiot?” I grinned at my friend, who was sitting, staring at the screen in front of him.

“Shut up asshole,” he replied without even glancing up, the strain was evident in the set of his shoulders. He was freaking out.

“Spill it, what the hell else was taken?”

“Nothing.”

“Bullshit,” I said eyeing him. “You look like Tasha did when she thought her engagement ring went down the bathroom drain.”

He flinched when I said engagement ring and I couldn’t help but laugh. “You stupid motherfucker, you didn’t?”

“God, I hate your gut sometimes,” he grumbled and I laughed even harder.

I heard the snick of the door opening. Mac had just walked in and was looking between us in confusion. I was wheezing I was laughing so hard. “He… hid… Barbie’s… ring…” I broke off in a coughing fit and finally Mac’s eyes lit with recognition and he shook his head at Trey with a look of disgust.

“What the fuck is wrong with you? We all have safes that you could have used. Why on earth would you hide something like that in your trunk?”

“I didn’t want anyone to know, okay? I didn’t want to jinx it.” He looked at us with dread, and I instantly stopped laughing. I actually felt like the biggest asshole on the planet.

Trey had proposed to Shelby twice and gotten shot down brutally both times. I could totally understand his hesitation, but Barbie loved him. We all felt it, and if any one doubted, the way she held vigil at Trey’s bedside until Griffin and I dragged her skinny ass out of there, confirmed it. Thinking about it more, it was easy to understand Trey’s hesitancy; Barbie was a wild card. You never knew how she would react. She could very well get spooked by something so permanent, then bolt again.

“Shit,” Mac cursed. “Sorry man. I didn’t even think of that.”

“I know,” he sighed. “What the hell am I gonna do?”

“We’re going to find that ring and you’re gonna man up. You might need to keep handcuffs handy though.” I grinned and he threw a paperclip at me.

“You’re not funny, brother,” he scolded while Griffin and Mac snickered behind their hands.

“Okay let’s get to the grocery store and start combing the area. Someone had to have seen something,” Griffin said once he got ahold of himself.

We all got up and walked outside. As annoyed as I was by the fact that Trey didn’t trust us and did something so unbelievably stupid, I had to admit that it felt good to be chasing down criminals again.

TASHA

Waddling to the door, I opened it to find Marcy and Kaylee, who was pushing a stroller with little Nat tucked in with blankets. “You ready to go for a walk and try to get that baby out of you?”

“You have no idea.” I put a protective hand over my belly and grabbed a light jacket.

We walked to the nearby park and sat on the bench by the sandbox. Kaylee got Nat out of the stroller and gave her a shovel so she could play in the sand and then came over and sat next to me. “I can’t wait until all our babies can play together.”

“Whoa, how about we get them out before we start planning play dates.” Marcy laughed.

“Seriously, it’ll be awhile before they can all play together,” I agreed.

“I know, but it’s so exciting. Leanne and Lance didn’t have that when they were growing up. I’m starting to think that Billy and Tara are never gonna have kids… and Kenzie? I think she’s still getting used to the idea of relationships. It’ll be awhile before she even thinks about having a kid. I’m so glad that Nat is gonna have other kids to grow up with.”

“True. I was lucky that I ran into Casey and we hit it off—well, you know, once I realized that my boyfriend hadn’t been cheating on me with her.” It was good that Marcy was able to laugh at herself now. The guilt she’d had about that point in her life almost crushed the future she now held with Mac.

We changed the subject after that. Dwelling on the past wasn’t something we did anymore. We all knew how short life could be after everything that had happened.

“So, have you tried any of the home remedies to get that baby out?” Kay asked me.

“No, not really,” I huffed, putting my arms across the top of my enormous belly. “Twitch is being an idiot. He keeps saying that we need to just let it happen naturally. The baby will come out when she’s ready. Blah, blah, blah.”

“You know, that’s just dumb,” Kaylee replied.

“Yeah what’s even worse is the way he’s been treating me, like I’m gonna break.”

“Griffin tried that crap with me after they took Barnes down, but I wasn’t having it. He ‘caught me’ helping myself right before Nat was born.” She giggled at the memory.

“Wait, I didn’t think it worked like that,” I said curiously.

“Oh it does. It’s the orgasm itself that stirs things up not the actual penetration. Although, I’m sure it helps the process, along.”

Smiling brightly, an idea started to form in my head, and I couldn’t wait for Twitch to get home so I could put my devious little plan into action.