ANNA

 

THREE MONTHS LATER

 

My sister says that we’re moving too fast and maybe she’s right, but I guess that’s what happens when people survive the ordeal that Zane and I survived. The experience has forever bonded us, and because of that, our relationship has moved at a lightning pace.

I hold the door open as Zane brings in the last box from the moving truck and sits it on the dining room table. The box is marked in black sharpie with the label Nursery. He steps away from the table and drags his shirt up over his forehead to wipe away the thin veneer of sweat dampening his face. His body is still as carved as ever. Hell, I think he’s actually become even more fit.

Ever since we escaped with our lives intact, he has been crazy about staying in the best shape of his life. It’s amazing to me that after everything he’s experienced in his life, that this one incident seemed to be the straw that broke his proverbial back.

He circles the table to come stand in front of me and drapes his arms over my shoulders. He still looks at me the same way he first began to look at me the day my life changed forever. There’s something beautiful behind those dark emerald eyes and that something beautiful is his soul. I’ve never known a better man in my life.

He drops his head and kisses me softly. It’s short and it’s sweet, and it still manages to make the butterflies swarm my stomach. All this time later and each kiss is like it’s the first one. He can still make my heart race with nothing more than a quick glance and he can make me melt for any number of reasons.

“How’s the little guy doing?” he questions, drops a hand to my waist. “Is he kicking yet?”

“No,” I chuckle. “I think we’re still a long way away from that.”

“Come on, little guy.” He trails his hand to caress my belly. “I hope he surprises you and he has a twin.”

“Speaking of surprises,” I say with a light squeal and break away from his touch. I spin around and grab an envelope from off the dining room table and pass it into his hands. “Here you go.”

“Is this the ultrasound?” he questions, a smile hitching across his lips while his brow furrows. “Our first look at our little baby boy?”

I shake my head and laugh. “How do you know it’s a boy?”

He cocks his head sideways. “Haven’t you learned to trust my gut by now?”

“Just open the damn envelope,” I scold him playfully with a laugh and hold my hands on my hips as I eagerly wait for him to see his surprise.

He pulls the ultrasound out of the yellow envelope and stares down at the black and white photo. “Oh, we are so screwed.” He throws the photo and the envelope into the air over his head and throws himself at me, wrapping his arms around the back of my neck as he plants a series of kisses against my lips. “But I’m so damn happy. Oh my God. You have no idea…”

“Yeah.” I force a smile. “Twins.” I chew into my lip and elbow him playfully. “I hope they’re nothing like their father and their uncle Zach.”

“Oh, trust me,” he winks, “they’re going to be just like us.”

“I can hardly wait.” I roll my eyes but can’t help but to smile. It’s heartwarming how excited he is for kids. Just three months ago, right about the time I got pregnant, I never would have pegged him as a guy who wanted kids.

I, however, have always wanted them. But even being a thirty-year-old woman, I wasn’t quite ready to have them. That’s fate though. Always throwing surprises your way when you’re least expecting them. It was fate that brought Zane and I even closer together than we ever were before, and I’m thankful every day for the experience in that tower.

Back then, in the midst of it, I couldn’t believe him when he said I would look back and be thankful someday. I now see how wrong I was to doubt him. I’m thankful because I survived, but more than that, I’m thankful at how much it changed my life.

Before I was meek and shy. Now, I’m anything but.

Before, I was weak and scared, and now I feel empowered.

And if it weren’t for that nightmare scenario that forced us into close quarters in the most luxurious panic room I have ever seen, then I don’t think I would have had unprotected sex with a man I wasn’t even technically dating, and thus I wouldn’t be about to give birth to the greatest gifts I could ever receive in about six months.

So yeah, I’m thankful as hell for that experience.

Thankful for Zane.

Thankful for the twin boys growing inside me.

Thankful for this new life we’ve made for ourselves.

So damn thankful.

Zane drops his hands behind my back and scoops me up into his arms. I let out a few cackles interwoven with screams as he spins me in a quick circle before he begins carrying me towards the stairs of our own suburban house that we purchased two weeks ago. He carries me up the stairs and once we reach the second floor landing, I kick my legs trying to free myself from him.

But it’s no use. He’s too strong for me to break from his grasp, and it’s not like I really want to anyways because no matter where we are, no matter what’s going on in our lives, he’s the one thing in this world that makes me feel safe. He’s the one thing in this world that I love without hesitation and without question. He’s my knight in shining armor, but please don’t get it twisted, I’m no damsel in distress.

Not anymore.

He pushes through our bedroom door and drops me onto the unmade bed. He makes quick work climbing out of his jeans before he’s climbing on top of me. “What do you think?” he questions from above me, his breath hot and heavy against my skin. “Should we christen our new bed?”

“Without sheets?” I question incredulously. “No, that’s not going to happen.”

“Fine,” he groans and rolls onto his side. He throws an arm behind my back and rolls my body so that we’re side to side and face to face and then he scoots closer still so that there’s barely any space between our two bodies. “Can we at least take a nap before we finish unpacking?”

“That sounds perfect.” I push a hand firmly against his chest to force him onto his back and drop my head against his muscular chest. With my ear propped to the side, I close my eyes and listen to the gentle beating of his heart.

And it’s not long before I’m drifting off to sleep. And when I awake, I know he’ll still be right where I left him. I know that for as long as he’s around, I’m safe both physically and mentally.

I love him in every way someone could ever love another person.

And I thank God for that crazy bitch pretending to be Lola Grimm every day.

It’s because of her that I found him. I mean really, truly found him. He was hiding in plain sight and I was too scared to make the first move. Lola Grimm forced both of our hands. I bet she’s pissed as hell while she burns in the fiery pits of hell.

Just before I finally fade off into the land of dreams, I peel my eyes open once more to get one last glance at him to find that he’s already fast asleep. His chest rises and falls and he looks so damn peaceful with his head cocked to the side. I caress his chest, running my palm in slow circles before I drop my head back onto him and drift off to sleep.