Struggling Free (Hidden Secrets Book 5) (19 page)

“I
still love her. It hurt when she turned me away. You trust me, but what I had really come back here tonight for was to try and convince her to be with me.”

“I
know.” I stated.

Casey’s
head snapped in my direction. “You knew?”

“You
had only seen her a few hours ago. You weren’t checking on her already. I’m not a stupid man, Casey. But I also get the feeling that you see she’s happy and won’t step over the line from friend. Am I right?”

“Yeah,”
he said after a pause.

“Besides,
if you did, it would be your loss. She’d push you away.”

“I
know,” he said sadly. “I know,” he looked back up at the sky. “My ex-wife cheated on me with an actor. She was his publicist. I found out when a reporter came to our apartment to ask my feelings about her being pregnant and if I knew if it was mine or his. I didn’t even know she was pregnant.” He was quiet a moment. “It wasn’t mine. I had been out of town a lot during that time and barely even saw her because of the
work
she was doing with him. We divorced four months before I met Vicky,” he laughed sadly. “I thought it was fate, bringing me who I was meant to be with, only to lose her to an actor,” he shook his head.

“Damn
man, I’m sorry. Do you believe I was prepared to walk away because I thought she might have been happier with you?”

“I
know. I try not to compare you to Jared Wringer, but it’s hard.”

“You
got to be fucking kidding me!” I yelled without meaning to.

Vicky
burst out the door. “What’s wrong?”

Feeling
guilty, I hugged her to me tightly. “I’m sorry to worry you baby. Casey and I were just talking. He told me something that shocked me was all.”

“You
aren’t fighting?”

I
laughed. “No, opposite. Bonding, I think. See I think we have a common enemy,” I smirked at Casey and he looked shocked.

“The
only person I know that you would consider an enemy is Jared.” She looked at Casey, “You don’t know Jared, do you?”

“You
remember how when we met, we both said we just got out of a relationship?” Vicky nodded. “Well, we kind of never brought up the subject again, but I was married. Found out my wife had an affair and got pregnant by an actor. We divorced four months before I met you.”

“Oh
Casey,” she walked over to him, hugging him. “I’m so sorry. It must seem like history repeating itself. But I still don’t understand where your common enemy is.” She says, stepping back to me.

“Jared
Wringer is the actor she cheated on me with.”

“You
got to be kidding me!” She exclaimed causing Casey and I both to laugh.

“Wait,
what does she look like?” She asked after a moment.

“Brunette,
brown eyes, tall, slender. Her hair is short about to her shoulders.”

“That’s
not who he was with that night,” she said almost to herself.

“What
night?”

I
explained about the charity event. As I was telling him about it, I couldn’t help but notice that he smirked at Vicky’s tenacious attitude toward Jared.

“Do
you still love her?” Vicky asked.

He
shook his head. “No. That ship sailed when she had no remorse for cheating on me. Besides, if I still loved her, I couldn’t have fallen in lo… No, I don’t love her anymore.”

“I’m
so sorry, Casey. I really am.”

“I
know you are. You’re in love with him and he with you. I’m very happy that you guys are back together. You have a family on the way. Don’t feel bad because I love you. You’re a great woman and deserve a great man,” he winked at her. “You’ve got him Hun. He’s willing to accept the friendship of a man that loves his woman just because it makes his girl happy. He’s where you belong, but if you’re still willing I would love to be your friend…both of your friends.”

“Definitely,”
she smiled, teary eyed.

“Of
course, man. You’re welcome over here anytime.”

“Thanks,
beats my lonely house,” he winked at me. “I’ve still got to find a designer.”

“Why?”
She gasped. “Did I make you lose your contract?”

“It’s
okay. It was my fault, not yours.”

“It
is my fault. God, I’m so sorry Casey. I’ve really ruined your life,” she ended sadly.

“Don’t
you ever think that,” he took her hands in his. “Do you hear me? You showed me there was still life left for me.”

We
all talked for a few minutes longer before he was ready to go and Paco followed out to the gate. Dean, Vicky and I were finished cleaning up the cabin by the time Paco arrived back. We all sat and watched a movie before the guys decided to retire downstairs.

“Come
on, beautiful, it’s time to get you to bed.”

She
walked ahead of me while I shut all the lights off and made sure the door was locked. When I walked into the room, I froze. Vicky stood there wearing nothing, looking very nervous.

“Do
you still think I’m sexy?” She asked as she looked down at the ground.

Instead
of telling her exactly how sexy I thought she really was, I walked over to her and lifted her head, brought my lips down on hers and kissed her hungrily. My hand roaming over her body as I eagerly reacquainted myself with her again. It had been far too long since I had felt her under my hands and tasted her.

She
removed my clothes in such a hurry, I heard my shirt rip as she tried to remove it. Fully naked, I pulled her against me, devouring her mouth. Vicky lifted a leg and wrapped it around my waist. With one shift, I was inside her. She cried out.

“Did
I hurt you?”

“God,
no, don’t stop,” she practically screamed.

Grabbing
her hips, I lifted her to sit on the edge of the bed. The bed made her perfect height. She laid back and I immediately latched on to one of her breasts. She cried out again and I thrust faster and harder into her.

“Fuck
yeah! I missed you so much, Jake.”

Pulling
back, I lifted her legs to my shoulders and really started thrusting into her. The bed began to shift under the force of it, screeching across the floor a little with each thrust.

“I
missed you too. So damn much. Fuck you feel so good,” I moaned.

As
the intensity of our orgasms built up, there was no longer room for words. The only sound was the screeching of the bed moving, our moans, and panted breaths. I longed to be back right here, with Vicky in my arms, making love to her.

Her
nails dug into my arms as she screamed out my name. The first of her orgasm rippled through and clenched down on my cock sending me over the edge with her. My orgasm was so intense that I really thought I’d die from it. I roared her name as my cock began to jerk and release inside of her.

After
what seemed like the longest release I’ve ever had, I pulled out of her completely spent. Lifting her onto the bed, laying down next to her, I pulled her into my arms and we both fell asleep almost instantly.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Vicky

When
I woke the next morning, I was in the best mood. For the first time in a couple months, I had a good night’s sleep. It was definitely something I’ve missed since Jake and I have been apart. Carefully, I climbed from the bed and slipped on some sweats and a t-shirt. They fit tightly. Grumbling as I walked into the kitchen, I was going to have to buy new clothes. Don’t get me wrong, I can have some fun clothes shopping, but I wasn’t going to find cute little outfits to taunt Jake with. No, I’d be going to buy a tent just to cover my ever growing stomach.

“You
guys are so worth this, but please don’t leave me with too much to have to work off. I want to keep your Dad around.”

Just
as I was about to reach for a pan and make breakfast, I felt a sharp jab. Before I could stop it, a squeal left my lungs. A very loud squeal. Jake came stumbling out in all his naked glory from the bedroom that I’d almost forgot why he was running out.

“What’s
wrong? Are you okay?” He asked, panicked and sleepy.

“I
just felt a kick!” I half screamed and half squealed.

“What?”
He asked, confused.

“Come
here,” I pulled his hand and placed it on my stomach.

Just
a few seconds later, there was a kick right under his hand. “Holy Shit!” He yanked his hand back for a split second before placing it back on my stomach again.

We
watched as they continued to move and kick around inside my stomach. Jake looked up at me with tears in his eyes. He smiled the sweetest smile I’ve seen him smile yet.

“Our
kids are moving in there.”

“I
read one of the books and it said that I’d feel things earlier than a standard pregnancy because of the lack of space for our three little ones, but I never realized I’d feel it now. I’m sorry I scared you awake.”

Just
as Jake was about to reply, the door was kicked in and I screamed. Jake immediately covered me protectively.

“What
the fuck?” Jake said when he turned around. “You’re paying for that door, dickhead.”

“We
heard Vicky scream…”

“The
babies kicked for the first time,” I said sheepishly. “I’m sorry.”

“Apparently
we’re not the only ones you scared,” Paco nodded toward Jake.

Jake
shifts his hips back and forth, “Eat your hearts out.”

“No
, thank you,” Dean laughed.

“You
know you want it,” Jake teased as he walked past them.

To
my shock, Dean slapped Jake’s ass hard. I could see the red mark from where I was standing and watched him jump. “But I’ll take a piece of that ass.”

“Ha!
In your dreams buddy,” he winked and finished walking into the bedroom.

When
I looked at Paco, he looked sad. Walking over toward him, I rested my hand on his shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

He
looked up at me, then back at my stomach. “I’ve always wanted kids,” he said sadly.

“Oh,
Paco. I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

Dean
walked over and wrapped his arms around Paco, kissing him on the cheek. “We’ve tried the whole adoption route, but apparently two men are not capable of raising a child.”

“That’s
horrible,” a little taken back at the display of affection between the two men. “How… never mind.”

“Go
ahead and ask. I can tell by the look on your face Jake hadn’t told you we were gay. Ask. We’re used to the questions.”

“How
long have you been together?”

“Fifteen
years,” Dean said proudly.

“We
met our freshman year of high school and have been inseparable ever since.”

“That
is amazing. So you can’t adopt, have you tried a surrogate?”

“Surrogate?”
They ask in unison.

“Yeah,
you find a woman able to conceive and you use your sperm and her egg. It’s a way to have biological children.”

“I’m
sure that’s…”

“I’d
pay for it, if it is what you truly wanted,” Jake said walking in the room.

Both
their heads snapped in Jake’s direction. “What?”

“You
guys deserve to have this,” he said as he ran his hand over my stomach. “I’d pay for it if you all really wanted it.”

“I’d
watch your kid or kids while you worked to protect my man here too,” I grinned.

“We
wouldn’t even…”

“Stop
talking. I’m a problem solver by profession. I have friends everywhere. What I need to know is if you’re serious?”

“God,
yes. Please,” Dean said with tears in his eyes.

Paco
could only nod as his emotions boiled over.

“Excuse
me while I make some calls.”

As
I walked out of the room, I could hear Paco asking Jake if I was serious. Sitting in the room, I made more phone calls than I could count, went out snapped some pictures of the guys, made more phone calls, but finally I was walking back out into the room with the best news in the world.

“Because
I’m so good at my job and no problem stands a chance against me. You have two surrogates interested. Now I told them both to come and here’s why. You both deserve biological children and if you aren’t opposed to having multiple children then…well here you go. Food for thought is all, you don’t have to do it of course.”

I
was immediately engulfed in two strong hugs. “Thank you so much, Vicky!” They said together.

I
laughed. “You’re welcome, but if you keep squeezing me like this you’re going to push mine out far too early.”

“Oh,
sorry,” they said and backed away.

“You
guys need to go in today though. Are you ready for that?”

“Yes!”
Paco said almost clapping his hands.

“It’s
at noon. I figure we can kill two birds with one stone and I could go clothes shopping and you could go to your appointment.”

Suddenly
the eager, happy moment died and all three men turned serious.

“You
can’t go out today, Vicky.” Dean said seriously.

“What?
Why?”

“We
have to give the mob time to die down. We need to stay in for a few days,” Jake said cautiously.

“You’ve
got to be fucking kidding me! I’m being held captive in my own home?”

“No,
you are not being held captive, just protected.”

Looking
between the three men, I could see that none of them were going to budge on this. It pissed me off to no end that I couldn’t live my life as I wanted, but had to be cautious of what others were doing too. But I also knew that this is what Jake was worried about, so I decided to suck it up. Honestly, I really didn’t want to shop for my tents yet anyway. That didn’t mean I was going to let them know that either.

“Okay,
fine,” I forced through clenched teeth. “Here’s the address. Be there at noon.”

Turning
I started to storm out, I felt Jake moving behind me. “Don’t follow me either! I want to be left alone.”

Slamming
the door behind me, I stomped down the steps and toward the path that led to the beach. Once I knew I was out of sight, I took my time climbing down the path. This shit was going to get old real quick. I’m not about to stop living because people want to be near Jake. Hell, I wanted to be near Jake.

Is
this the life our kids are going to have? Running my hand over my stomach, I felt a couple more kicks. The water was chilly and lapped against my ankles as I walked into the water. I didn’t want my kids to be afraid to go out and make friends, or for me to be afraid to take them out. All I wanted to do was get clothes that actually fit and not looked like they were being painted on.

Looking
out over the water, I took a deep cleansing breath. Just as I had rested my hands on my belly again, a flash out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. My heart sped up and I whipped around, only to find Jake standing there with a camera.

“You
asshole! You fucking scared me.”

A
small tightening pulled at my belly that caused me to hold my stomach. Jake was running through the water and next to me by the time the pain went away.

“I’m
sorry. I’m so sorry. You looked so beautiful…”

“Chill
out. It was just a growing pain.”

“Maybe
we should just call…”

“Jake
I’m fine. Stop crowding me.” I hissed as I shoved past him.

Trying
to hurry up the hill, I tripped but quickly caught myself. It was enough to send my heart rate through the roof though. Instead of heading into the house, I climbed the hill toward my clubhouse. It was the one place that Jake did not know about. I just wanted some time to myself right now.

Wiggling
myself, I got in the clubhouse and sat as comfortably as possible. Right next to my head etched into the wood was my name followed by the date. The day that this was built, we were all so happy.

“Are we almost done papa?”

“You
getting tired, Tori?”

“No,”
I stood up straight. “I’m a big girl. We don’t get tired.”

He
laughed. “Even big girls get tired.” He set the hammer down next to him and looked around. “I think it’s ready to start using. We can fix things that we notice the more we use it. Let’s check out the inside, shall we?”

He
opened the door and bowed. It made me giggle. Mommy would be up here soon. She was making our lunches. It was just like a house only, no bathroom or anything. It was only one room, but it had windows and a door. Daddy was going to build benches and a table. It was just like I’d always dreamed of having. I squealed and ran into Daddy’s arms. He laughed as he caught me.

“I
love it, love it, love it!” I jumped up and down excitedly.

A
whistle came from outside and Daddy put his finger to his lips. Cuddling into him, I couldn’t control my giggles.

“Well,
there’s a house on my property. I’ve sure traveled long and far. Might I come in to rest,” Mom play acted outside.

“What’s
the password?” Dad asked in a character voice that had me laughing.

“I
have food and oreo cookies,” Mom sang.

“That’s
good enough for me,” Dad and I said together.

Dad
opened the door and mom handed him the bags of food and climbed inside. She sat down on the opposite side as me and stretched. Dad finished giving me my food and went over and pulled my mom into his arms. He kissed her cheek, then mouth and whispered in her ear. Mom laughed and leaned further into him.

“This
is the best day ever!” I exclaimed.

We stayed the night in there and they had me carve my name and the date in there because I felt it was such an important day. During my childhood, I spent a lot of time in there. My parents didn’t go there much after a while and then soon never did at all. After a while it became the one place that I could be alone. I rested my head against the wall and closed my eyes. As much as I hated them for what they did and who they became, I missed them so much too.

My
hands rested on my stomach. My stomach was about the size of a person six months pregnant with one baby. It made for early back pain and waddling. I hated the waddling. As I rested my head against the wall with my eyes closed, I pictured what they would look like. A small smiled played on my lips.

At
some point, I must have fallen asleep. Looking through one of the windows the sun was past high point. Shifting, tears sprang to my eyes. My whole body hurt, but my back was definitely at the forefront. My neck was too. Squeezing myself out of the clubhouse, I started to walk. It hurt like hell with every step I took.

My
mind was quickly doing the math at the distance that the clubhouse was from the cabin. My back was also doing the math and was screaming at me that we’d never make it. But I kept pushing forward, really I had no choice. After what seemed like forever, I could hear someone say my name. The further I moved down the hill the louder my name got.

“Vicky!
Damn it! Where are you?” Jake yelled.

Tears
already burned my eyes, but to hear the worry in his voice made them fall as I called out his name.