Nobody's Dream (38 page)

Needed to know you aren’t leaving me
.

She smiled, and while weak, it was the most glorious ray of sunshine he’d seen in a long time.

Slowly, she took in her surroundings. She pointed to the IV pole. “What happened? Why am I back in the hospital?”

“Had a little complication, but Doc Palmer fixed you up in no time.”
Like hell it was no time.
Not the doctor’s fault, though. Any amount of time with Karla unconscious was too fucking long.

He stood and bent over her, capturing her lips in a searing kiss, leaving both of them gasping for breath. “I’ve missed you, Kitten.”

“How long have I been in here?”

“Couple days.”
Felt like a year to me
. He smiled for the first time since he’d found Karla hemorrhaging. God, he’d almost lost her.

She started to sit up until she grimaced in pain. He pressed her shoulder to the mattress. “Hold on. You aren’t going anywhere.”

“I need to go to the babies. They need me.”

“Damned right, they do. But they’re being taken care of. You need to take care of you first. Savannah’s with Kate and Paxton, and Rori is right down the hall. You can visit her when they give you the go-ahead.” Time to catch her up. “Rori’s jaundice is cleared up, and she’s gaining weight steadily. We may even have her home with us sooner than expected.”

Karla blinked away the tears and visibly relaxed. “Oh, that’s so good to hear. I just want to go home and have all my family with me.”

“You and me both.” He reached out and stroked her hair. “You’re an amazing mother and the best wife a man could ask for.”

Her chin quivered. “This is so scary. I feel as if I’ve missed half their lives already.”

“You never left them.” The babies probably knew that better than Adam did.

“I dreamt I visited Rori in the NICU.” She wrinkled her brow and shook off the memory.

The door to the room opened. “Adam, Angelina has brought something for you to eat.” Cassie’s gaze went from Adam to Karla, and he watched the expression on her face become one of pure joy. “Kitty! You are awake!”

She set the containers on the windowsill and ran to the other side of the bed to give Karla a hug. Cassie had shown what a true friend she was to Karla—him, too, although Adam knew she wasn’t doing any of this for him. Her heart belonged to Karla and the babies.

But somewhere around the second visit to the NICU, Adam had stopped getting hostile glares from Cassie. They’d reached some sort of truce. It was a good thing, because she and Karla were like sisters. Adam had never understood why Cassie disliked him from day one, but whatever it was seemed to have been forgiven in the midst of making sure Karla and the babies had all the love and attention they needed.

He’d ask the nurses if Karla could have something besides IV fluids. He reached over, pushed the call button, and summoned the nurse to check on her, too. He needed to know everything was okay now. Giving Cassie and Karla a moment—and hungry for the first time in days—Adam went to the window to see what Angelina had made.

He overheard Karla ask, “How’s Rori?” She lowered her voice, but Adam still heard, “I know you have been watching over her. I saw you in the NICU the night you told me not to cross over.”

What the fuck did she mean cross over?

Realization hit, and the dish in his hand shook so badly that he had to put it down.

Cassie whispered, “I could not stay away. You scared me when you came in there. I thought—”

Karla met Adam’s gaze and saw he had overheard. “Adam, you know I would never have left willingly. I screamed at you when I first found myself out of my body and told you I didn’t want to leave you.”

Her dream of visiting Rori had been no dream at all. He
had
nearly lost her.

In a moment of clarity, Adam realized his mother, Joni, his first son—none of them had abandoned him intentionally. None really had a choice, not even his mother. Death, tragedy, it could come for anybody at any time. No one could control it and, most times, couldn’t prevent it.

He needed to let go of living on the edge of panic, worrying about what might happen. He’d been given so many second chances and blessings. Time to live in the moment and appreciate what he had.

“I know, Kitten.” Unable to have even a small space between them, he returned to the bed and squeezed her hand, afraid to touch her anywhere. He kissed her and felt Cassie move away, but he didn’t care who saw him. He loved this woman more than life itself.

She’d fought her way back to return to him.

“I love you, Kitten.”

*     *     *

Two days later, Karla awoke to the sound of one of the babies crying. Being home in her own bed with two of her children nearby was the best medicine ever. She started to get up and felt the tug at her abdomen. She took the pillow and pressed it against her to support her belly with one hand while swinging her legs over the side of the bed and pushing up with her other one.

The door opened, and Adam came in, the cell phone to his ear. “Kitten, you should be in bed!”

“But the babies need me.”

“I’ll take care of them. Lie down.” He pocketed his phone and bent over the bassinet to pick up Paxton in his blue receiving blanket.

Karla’s jaw dropped as she watched him leave the room to fix the baby a bottle. Her world had shifted on its axis these past few days. Cassie was talking with Adam as if the two were good friends, and Adam was holding babies as if he had done it all his life.

Nothing made her happier. She’d been worried about Adam ever becoming comfortable with his babies. Adam returned and fed Paxton while rocking and talking with him as if this was something they did all the time. She blinked back the tears seeing his enormous hands holding the baby with such tenderness.

As he lifted the baby to his shoulder to burp him, Adam glanced over at Karla with a worried expression on his face. “Are you in any pain?”

“No. Why do you ask?”

“There are tears in your eyes.”

She grinned. “Happy tears. I love seeing you caring for the babies with such ease.”

Adam gazed down at the sleeping bundle he held against his chest. “Took some practice—okay and maybe having no choice in the matter.” He grinned. “But you were right all along. I’m not going to break them. Not if I’m careful, anyway.”

“You’re always careful, Adam, with everyone you love.”

Sometimes way
too
careful
.

Oh, dear Lord, with this medical setback, she could probably kiss having sex goodbye until these three were walking and talking, if then. Honestly, though, having sex was the last thing she wanted right now. She pretty much had everything she’d ever dreamed of having—and more.

Thank you, Lord, for my family and friends.

Her complication had been more than a little setback. She could have died. Perhaps she was clinically dead at some point—when she had floated to the NICU and had seen Cassie with Rori.

Thank goodness Adam had found her, and Mom had been able to do what she could. Karla shuddered as she stretched out on the mattress again.

“Are you cold?”

“No.” She blinked away the tears and cleared her throat. “I love you, Adam.”

“I know, hon. I love you, too.” He glanced down at Paxton, sucking away on his little bottle. Doctor Palmer said she could start breastfeeding again tonight, rather than pumping and tossing the milk while her system had been on so many drugs. But seeing Adam feeding one of the babies was a beautiful sight.

“I’m so glad to be home.”

“Not as glad as I am to have you here.”

Adam must have nearly lost his mind these past few days, thinking he was going to lose her. “I’m sorry I put you through that.”

“You didn’t do it on purpose, although you have one helluva pain threshold, woman.” He did not look happy with her. “Doc Palmer said she would have expected you to be complaining about pain a lot more than you did.”

“I had no idea my cramping was anything out of the ordinary.” She grinned. “Just remember that the next time we play. I can take more pain than you think.”

His pupils dilated in apparent excitement. Time for her to drive
him
crazy with anticipation for a while.

Oh, no!
“Adam! I missed your birthday!”

“I don’t give a rat’s ass about a birthday. You coming back to me is the only present I could ask for. Besides, you know I didn’t want any fuss.”

Karla grinned. “Well, I do have a couple gifts for you.”

*     *     *

Adam had carried Karla up here only this morning after bringing her home from the hospital. Being in the room where she’d almost died was surreal. He refused to look at the place where he’d found her, even though he knew Marc had sent in his cleaning crew to remove all remnants of the horrific scene here.

Karla giggled, and he grew hard. After burping Paxton, he returned him to the bassinet. Kate remained asleep, so he’d feed her later.

He turned and Karla patted the mattress. “Join me?”

“You need to sleep.”

Sticking out her lower lip just made him even harder.
Damned minx
.

“I’m tired of sleeping. That’s all I’ve done for days. I want your arms around me. We both know we can’t do anything more than cuddle.”

Oh, what the hell? The babies were asleep. Adam reached for his belt and unbuckled it. Karla’s breath hitched, and her nipples bunched against her T-shirt even showing through the breast pads.
Great.
He presented his back to her as he slid the belt from its loops and sat on the edge of the bed to remove his shoes and jeans.

Karla’s hand reached out to stroke his bare thigh.

“Kitten.” He hoped the warning note in his voice kept her from tormenting him any further.

“Sorry, Sir. I’ve just missed touching you.”

He’d missed her, too. He would be taking her back to Doc Palmer’s in two weeks for a checkup, but it would be at least eight weeks from when the babies were born before they’d be having sex again. Not that they couldn’t enjoy each other’s bodies in less energetic ways. He glanced down at her, and the sultry smile she gave him warmed his heart.

God, I almost lost you.

“Wait! Before you come to bed, I need to give you your presents!”

Her and her damned reminders that he was another year older. “They can wait.”

“No! They can’t! Really!” She started to sit up.

“Lie down.” She obeyed, her eyes dilating at his command. He reached out to stroke her cheek. “God, I’ve missed that look on your face.”

“I’ve missed everything about you, Sir.” She leaned into his hand and kissed it before glancing at the dresser beside him. “Now, I want you to find your presents. The first one’s in the top drawer under my panties.”

More than one? Curious, and a little surprised that she’d found time to shop before going into labor, he stood. Whatever it was, she wanted to please him with it, and he should accept her gifts with gratitude.

He opened the drawer and saw a jumbled mess of lacy panties and her equally sexy boxer briefs. The woman had never had to pass inspection, apparently. He pushed them to the side. Nothing. Then he shoved them to the other side and saw a flat red package wrapped in a black bow. He pulled it out and set it on the bed.

“The other is at the back of the bottom drawer.”

He hunkered down to open the drawer. He encountered the red bustier she’d worn the first time he’d ever done Shibari on her, right upstairs in Marc’s playroom.

Their playroom now, not that he had given any thought to how he would set it up. They’d be pretty darned busy in the coming months. He doubted there’d be time for much personal play, although she seemed anxious to resume singing at the club.

Still no present in sight, he pulled a latex mini-skirt out of the way and then saw it. This box, wrapped in the same paper, was bigger than the first, more square than flat. He pulled it out.

“Open the flat one first.” Karla scooted slowly toward the middle of the bed to give him some room. He hadn’t opened a present from her since Christmas Day while they were on their honeymoon.

Don’t think about what happened after you played the song she sang to you on that CD.
But this gift was too big to be a CD. She’d attached a full-blown red silk rose to the black ribbon on top as well as two unopened rosebuds.

“When I wrapped it, I didn’t know about the third baby. But the open rose is supposed to be me because I’ve blossomed under your watch, Sir.”

“You bloom more beautifully every day, Kitten.” He bent over and placed a quick kiss on her lips before sitting up and tugging at the ribbon. He pulled it off and tore into the paper like a kid at Christmas. He never understood why people opened packages delicately. It wasn’t like they’d ever use the paper again.

Besides, he was anxious to see what she’d given him.

He’d keep the ribbon, though. Might use it sometime when they could play again, or maybe in Kate or Rori’s hair. He set it on the bed beside him so it wouldn’t be tossed out with the trash.

“If you’re going to save the ribbon and roses, I’ll see if I can add a third rosebud for you.”

“That would be great, but don’t go to any trouble. One can stand for our two daughters and the other our son.”

With the paper removed, he found a flat box and opened the lid. Pushing the tissue paper aside, he found himself staring into the faces of his parents and him back in South Dakota the summer they had camped out at the cabin.

Smiles on all three faces. Everyone—including Adam. He remembered that summer as if it were yesterday. One of the best times of his childhood. Dad had stayed sober. The two of them had fished, cooked out, and swam in the lake.

“Megan and your mother helped me with it.”

He glanced up, pulled back from the past. He mouthed a thank you when the words wouldn’t go past the knot in his throat.

She blinked away tears. “At our wedding, I asked them if there were any photos of your childhood. When we were in California for Damián’s wedding, I met with Megan.”

He didn’t remember her being out of his sight much and quirked an eyebrow.