Have Me

A Montgomery Ink Novella

Author Note: Luc and Miranda from Harder than Words (Montgomery Ink Book 3) are nearing the end of her pregnancy and Luc wants to make sure she knows she’s loved. It’s best if you read this story any time after Ink Enduring (Montgomery Ink Book 5).

ONE

Meghan resembled a duck. She was sure of it. She waddled like one. She quacked like one when she tried to cough. And she was pretty sure her lips had swollen just enough that she was going to have a bill any second.

This being her third pregnancy, she’d thought she would be used to the ever-present duck stage, and yet, she couldn’t quite remember it being this bad when she was pregnant with Sasha and Cliff.

Her ankles were swollen to the point she wasn’t sure she had ankles anymore. She wore flip-flops everywhere she went, and they weren’t even her flip-flops. She’d been forced into wearing Luc’s instead of her own because her feet had grown two sizes. Even putting her feet up for hours a day hadn’t helped the swelling.

Her back ached no matter how she stood, sat, or slept. No matter how many times her very amazing and talented husband massaged her, nothing helped.

Her face had broken out with adult acne, and she was allergic to the meds that could help her with it.

Her wedding ring no longer fit, and she’d been forced to wear it around her neck because she didn’t want to let anyone else near it. She’d almost lost Luc once before, and she didn’t want to chance it by not having her wedding ring near her.

The fact that her two younger sisters were also pregnant and in the same trimester as she was should have been a wonderful experience. Instead, she was forced to constantly compare herself to the perfectly petite Miranda had her perfect baby bump, and Maya’s strength in her pregnancy. Her pierced and inked middle sister had even started doing baby Pilates since one of her husbands, Border, had introduced her to it.

These were Miranda’s and Maya’s first babies, and they were perfectly content in every way.

Meghan was ready to rip the flesh off the next person who dared ask her when her twins were due.

She wasn’t having freaking twins, thank you very much.

The blimp her body had turned into was only housing one fetus at the moment.

Damn people and their damn big mouths.

And now she wanted chocolate. Like all the chocolate in the world. The ones with the little rice pieces in them but not the store-bought ones. No, she wanted her mother’s.

But she’d eaten all of her mother’s chocolate the day before, though she’d sworn she’d save some for the children. Instead, she’d licked the damn container and moaned in ecstasy.

Luc had taken one look at her and handed over a glass of water.

The traitor had been worried about her sugar intake. But considering she’d been eating healthier than either of her two sisters during the whole pregnancy, one day of chocolate binging wouldn’t hurt her.

And yet, she wanted more.

All the chocolate.

In the entire world.

Gimmie. Gimmie. Gimmie.

She wasn’t sure if that was her or the baby thinking just then, and it didn’t matter. She didn’t have any chocolate in the house, and it wasn’t good for her anyway. Her blood work was fine, and while she was retaining water, her pregnancy was healthy.

She just happened to have every single side effect of pregnancy on the non-dangerous side.

Meghan rested her hands on her very large belly and sighed. Less than a month to go, and she’d have her perfect baby girl in her arms. They hadn’t meant to find out the sex, but she’d caught a glimpse of the sonogram at just the right angle. It was easier for the family to plan shopping for the babies anyway since some of them had wanted to go pink crazy. Though knowing Maya and Miranda, their boys would have pink things, as well. Any color for any baby would work for them. And since they would all be virtually the same age, Meghan couldn’t wait until they could grow up together.

She just had to give birth first.

However, she wasn’t close to having the baby yet, and neither were her sisters. First, she had to make sure her other children were happy and well taken care of. The two of them were currently fighting over space at the kitchen table, though there was plenty of space for both of them.

It had just been a long day, and apparently, they were looking for any reason to fight. Boomer, their dog, was currently asleep under Cliff’s feet, his head resting on her son’s backpack.

She sighed, wishing Luc were home, but she knew it would be a couple of hours before that happened. Since she worked for the family and with Luc, taking time off because of the pregnancy had been easy. While she hadn’t wanted to take time off so soon, her current predicament of being the size of a house wasn’t really conducive to her job as a landscape architect at Montgomery Inc.. She still did some of the paperwork, but even that had been mostly taken over by their administrative assistant, Tabby.

The noise grew louder, and she knew she needed to step in and stop it.

“What is going on in here?” she asked, fully aware why the kids were fighting.

“I want space, and she’s in my way,” Cliff pouted. Not an attractive look for an eight-year-old.

Sasha sniffed, using her big, six-year-old eyes to their best advantage. “He’s the one in my way.”

Meghan rubbed her back. “Just be nice to each other, okay? I’m tired, and I know you guys want to fight, but I honestly don’t have it in me.” She hadn’t meant to blurt that out just then, but apparently, her being truthful worked. Her kids swallowed hard before getting up to hug her.

Tears filled her eyes, and she did her best to kiss the tops of their little heads.

“We’re sorry, Mommy,” Sasha said softly. She kissed Meghan’s belly, and Meghan fell that much more in love with her daughter.

Cliff kissed her belly, too. “We’re done with our homework. I can check Sasha’s if you want.”

Meghan wiped away tears. “I’ll check it. Thank you for being so good to me.”

“We love you,” Sasha said with a bounce.

The kids could make her feel as if she were on top of the world even when she was exhausted. They were such good babies.

And soon, she’d have a third baby to join the fray. She wasn’t as young as she had been with the others, but she figured she could do this again. It would be different, but she’d be ready.

And at that thought, Boomer vomited on top of Cliff’s backpack.

“Gross!” Sasha squealed.

“I told you not to eat grass,” Cliff admonished and reached down to pet his beloved dog.

The scent of dog vomit was too much, and Meghan waddled to the kitchen sink to empty her stomach. Her children petted her back, and she washed out her mouth and the sink. 

“I’ll clean it up, Mom,” Cliff said solemnly. “Go take a nap.”

“We have this,” Sasha said with a nod. “Daddy will be home soon to take us to my recital and everything.”

“A dance recital,” Cliff sneered.

“Don’t make fun of my dancing!” Sasha screamed.

Meghan’s eyes blurred, and she took a deep breath. “Cliff, please take care of Boomer, okay?” She looked down at the dog, who had sad eyes but honestly looked like he’d just eaten too much grass outside. Silly dog. She’d be sure to keep an eye on him, though. Just in case. “Sasha, darling, go get ready for your recital. I’m going to take a quick nap so I’m ready for it tonight.” She couldn’t believe she was actually taking a nap just then, but she needed to if she were going to make it through the night.

Her kids led her to the couch, and Cliff even put a blanket over her. She fell asleep before she’d even hit the pillow.

In her dreams, she heard voices, her babies’ and Luc’s deep drawl. Soft lips kissed her forehead, and she drifted off again.

When she woke up, a small light was on in the kitchen, but it was dark everywhere else. Panic seeped in, and she forced herself to sit, ignoring the dizzy feeling that passed through her.

How was it night?

She couldn’t hear her children, couldn’t see her husband, but Boomer sat patiently by her on the floor next to the couch, and she knew one thing.

She’d missed her baby’s first dance recital.

And the others had let her.

Meghan put her hands to her face and wept.