Amber Eyes (Amber Eyes #1)(50)

“I don’t remember them,”she said sadly. “Do you think it will make them angry?”

Jericho slipped his arm around her and hugged her close. “No, honey. They’re going to be so happy to see you. They’ll understand. You’ve been alone for such a long time. No one will expect you to remember.”

His hand slipped underneath the blanket and molded to her belly. “How is our little one this morning? Is she kicking yet?”

Kaya smiled and set aside her cup. She placed her hands over Jericho’s and moved it upward until it was in just the right spot. “Feel here.”

A tiny little bump, barely more than a muscle twitch, pittered and pattered against his palm. His entire expression transformed to one of intense awe.

“That’s her,”he whispered.

She leaned forward and brushed her lips across his. “She’s glad to see you.”

When she pulled away, Jericho leaned down and kissed the spot where the baby had been kicking.

“Good morning, sweetheart,”he murmured against Kaya’s belly.

Kaya tangled her hands in his hair, holding his head as he nestled it against her belly. The future was a very uncertain thing indeed, but she held to the one thing she knew. Jericho and Hunter would be with her. They would take care of her and their daughter. She’d never be alone again.

A sound made her look up, and she saw Hunter standing there, holding a cup of coffee as he stared down at her and Jericho.

Wordlessly, she held up her hand, an invitation for him to join them. Hunter set his coffee on the railing and settled on the other side of Kaya, his arm going around her. She laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes as she held Jericho’s head in her lap.

“I love you both so much,”she murmured. “I think I loved you from the first moment I saw you.”

Hunter kissed her forehead and stroked her hair. “I love you too. More than I imagined ever loving another person. It scares me sometimes.”

She smiled and nestled closer as she ran her fingers through Jericho’s hair.

“I’m tired. I think I would like nothing more than to go to sleep with my mates.”

Jericho raised his head and stared into her eyes. “Your mates would like that very much.”

Hunter ran his fingers down the curve of her arm and around the swell of her br**sts. “And who says we have to sleep all the time?”

She caught his lips with hers. “I like the way you think.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

“How long is it going to take?”Hunter asked with a scowl. “And why the hell did she ask us to wait out here?”

Aliyah smiled at him and patted him on the arm. “I imagine the poor midwife was thoroughly intimidated by you and Jericho hovering over Kaya like you’d cut off the arm of the person who dared touch her.”

“We aren’t that bad,”Jericho muttered.

Duncan snickered but didn’t move from his perch against the wall.

“Like you’ll be any better when Aliyah is pregnant,”Hunter said in Duncan’s direction.

“You two have lost any and all good sense,”Duncan said in disgust.

Aliyah checked her watch again. “Mama and Papa should be here soon. Oh, I can’t wait for them to see her. I don’t think Mama has stopped crying since I called her.”

Hunter wished he could share Aliyah’s enthusiasm, but the fact was he wasn’t as excited over Kaya’s parents’ arrival, and he knew Kaya was scared. He would have honestly preferred for the reunion to take place after the birth of their child. Until then he wanted to keep her as happy and as stress-free as possible.

Jericho sighed impatiently and dug his hands into his pockets. “Do you think something’s wrong? This was supposed to be a routine exam. Shouldn’t be taking this long.”

Hunter frowned. They’d arranged to take Kaya to a midwife after much argument from her. They’d sworn the midwife would do nothing more than examine her, offer advice, make sure she was as healthy as she needed to be. Her secret would be safe, and moreover, they’d never allow anyone to take her from them.

It was a vow they gave often in an attempt to reassure her. Though she’d forgiven the circumstances that kept them away from her for so long, she hadn’t forgotten the terror she’d lived.

Finally the door to the tiny exam room opened and Kaya stepped out, her cheeks blooming with a smile. Her gaze instantly found Jericho and Hunter, and her smile widened as she hurried over to them.

“I got to hear her heartbeat,”she exclaimed. “Oh, Jericho, it was wonderful. The midwife had this little machine, and she put it on my stomach, and it made the most amazing sound.”

Hunter smiled at her excitement and reached out for her hand, unable to keep from touching her. She responded by leaning into him. He didn’t even know if she was cognizant of doing it, but it thrilled him all the same how she instinctively sought him out. Somehow, he and Jericho hadn’t lost her trust. God knew they’d deserved to. They’d made mistakes with her, mistakes that almost cost them everything, and yet her trust in them was whole.

“Is everything okay with the baby?”Jericho asked anxiously. “And with you? She told you that you should be eating more, didn’t she? She probably thinks we’re not taking very good care of you.”

Kaya laughed and reached up to touch Jericho’s cheek which immediately halted his tirade. “I’m fine. Our daughter is fine.”