Courage by Kristen Proby

Chapter 13

~Natasha~

“They’re finally asleep. The excitement from the storm and all of today’s festivities at Ellie and Liam’s house had them all hopped up. But now, they’re down for the count.” I stop in the kitchen and pour myself a glass of red wine, then walk into the living room armed with my laptop, the ads for Black Friday from the Sunday newspaper, and a notebook.

It’s time to make some Christmas decisions when it comes to the kids.

“Have I mentioned that I love black Friday?” I ask as I curl up on the couch, set my wine on the floor next to me, and open the computer. “Because I do. Monica and I went shopping every year. Some years, she made me get up at like three o’clock in the morning because there were sales she didn’t want to miss.”

I stop and stare at the computer screen, but I don’t really see it.

One thing I’ve learned over the past six months is that grief is a sneaky bastard and will surprise you in the oddest moments. Take your breath away.

Bring you to your knees.

Like after a fun holiday with friends, curled up on the couch as it snows and storms outside.

And a sexy man watching me from just a few feet away with complete understanding in his blue eyes.

“I miss her, too,” he says softly and rubs the top of my foot in support. “Okay, let’s do this. What should we get the kids? I’m not buying anyone a car.”

This makes me chuckle like he knew it would. “Not until they’re sixteen.”

“Or twenty-six,” he mutters. “Do you know how many dead teenagers I’ve scraped off the pavement over the years?”

“Jesus, Sam.” I shake my head and reach out for his hand. “Why do you do this job? It’s so damn sad.”

“Because someone has to. Someone has to help.”

“And you’re the helper.” I squeeze his hand.

“Yeah, I guess so. Okay, let’s do this.”

I nod and inhale as I reach for the first ad. “I did some research on what five-year-olds are playing with these days. I mean, I also pay attention when the kids announce that they want something, but this is my first Christmas as a parent, and I want them to be excited, you know?”

“I’m grateful you did because I’m totally clueless,” he says with a grin and reaches for another ad. “Let’s get Kevin a PlayStation.”

I blink over at him. “He’s five.”

“So?” He raises a brow.

“So, he’s too young for a gaming console. I don’t like them spending too much time staring at a screen.”

“They watch TV all the damn time,” he counters, clearly frustrated.

“No, they don’t. They’re allowed one hour a day on school days, and no more than three hours over the weekend. Oh, Target has some cool-looking art sets on sale. Kelsey loves this kind of stuff, and it’s princess-themed so that’ll go over well.”

“Good one,” he says with a nod, but he still looks irritated. “They have some cool-looking building blocks at this store. Complete with little race cars. Kev would love that.”

“It’s going on the list. You know, we could just go ahead and order most of this tonight. The sales start at midnight, and that’s only thirty minutes away. I’ll start putting stuff in the carts.”

My fingers fly over the keyboard as I look for the items we’ve already discussed, and I put them in my shopping carts.

“What about this cool dollhouse for Kelsey?” Sam asks and shows me the page in the ad. “She loves the one at Ellie’s place.”

“Of course, the one up there is a replica of the castle in London,” I reply with a laugh. “Complete with hardwood floors and tapestries for the walls.”

“This one is pink,” he replies, keeping a straight face.

“That’ll work. Going in the cart.”

We spend the next twenty minutes or so choosing several things for each of the twins.

“When I’m out tomorrow, I’ll look for some new clothes,” I inform him. “They’re growing so fast. A few things will get wrapped, but most of it is just going right in their closet. The sales are too good to pass up.”

“Wait, you’re going out tomorrow?” he asks with a scowl.

“Of course. It’s black Friday.”

“It’s a freaking blizzard outside.”

I frown. “They’ll have the roads clear by morning. I’ve been driving on snow since the first day I got behind the wheel, you know.”

“Are you going alone?”

“No. Aspen, Ellie, and Nina would be recognized, and it’s not a good idea where security is concerned. But Fallon called me the other day and asked if I’d like to go with her. I’m meeting her at her place in the morning. The twins can hang out with Noah and the kids for the day.”

“If this storm gets worse, just promise me you’ll reconsider.”

“Sam, it’s fine.”

“I won’t have you out driving in this mess, Tash. It’s damn dangerous, and there are too many people on the roads who don’t know what they’re doing. I’ve seen too many horrible accidents, so please don’t go if the storm doesn’t let up.”

“Okay.” I hold up my hands in surrender. “If it isn’t better by morning, we’ll stay home.”

“Thanks.” He tosses the ads on the floor and rests his head against the couch. “I think that’s plenty of things for the kids.”

“I do think that shortly after Christmas, I’ll take Kelsey to get her ears pierced,” I add. “It’ll be one of her gifts.”

“She’s five,” he says, echoing my words back to me.

“Yeah, so?”

“She’s too young for pierced ears.”

“Some kids have their ears pierced when they’re tiny babies,” I say. “She’s old enough, and she’s been asking about it.”

“No,” he says, shaking his head. “My dad made Monica wait until she was ten to get hers done, and Kelsey will wait, too.”

“You’re so strict.”

He shrugs. “I never thought I would be, but I guess I am. Just a little.”

“Okay, no ear piercing, but you get to be the one to tell her that she has to wait five years to get it done.”

“I have no problem with that.”

He crosses his arms over his chest and closes his eyes again.

“You’re tired.”

“A little.”

“You can go to bed. I’ll just order these things here in a few minutes and be right behind you.”

He shakes his head, his eyes still closed. “I like being here with you. I can just chill here until you’re done.”

I smile. I love hanging out with him like this, too. More evenings than not, we end up here on the couch, on different electronics, doing our own things. But we’re together. And it’s so nice.

I didn’t realize I was so alone before Sam and the kids came into my life full time. I didn’t feel lonely, but I was certainly alone when I look back on that time.

And now, I’m never by myself.

I can’t even go to the bathroom without one of the kids asking a question or waiting on the other side of the door.

I finish the last of my wine and just as the clock clicks over to midnight, I go through and check out of the retailers, snagging some fun gifts for the kids.

When I’m finished, I close the computer and set it on the floor, then watch Sam. He’s asleep. Snoring softly.

He should have gone to bed.

God, I love him. Everything about him. He’s handsome and funny. His smile can totally disarm me.

We were thrust into this situation, this family. A year ago, I would have thought it would be awkward.

But it’s not. It’s comforting. Comfortable. And surprisingly easy.

Not that raising twins is easy, not at all. But with Sam here, working with me, it’s not just doable, it’s also fun.

He sniffs and shifts his head, cracking one eye open.

“Are you watching me sleep like a creeper?”

I grin. “Yeah. Kind of.”

“Come on, creeper.” He yawns and stands, holding his hand out for mine. “Let’s go to bed.”

* * *

“You’rein such good shape for having a baby just a month ago,” I inform Fallon as we drive from the bigger city not far away back to her house.

The storm had cleared by this morning, and by the time I drove out to the bird sanctuary to pick my friend up, the plows had been out to do their jobs.

I didn’t have to miss Black Friday, after all.

“Yoga,” she says simply. “It does wonders for lots of things. You should come to a class.”

“I’ve actually thought about it. After the kids go back to school from Christmas break, I’ll do it. Are you feeling well?”

“I’m great. I had some clotting issues after the baby was born, but it’s all been resolved.”

I frown and glance over at her. “What kind of clotting issues?”

“After I delivered the placenta, my body didn’t want to clot, and I bled a bit. Had to have a transfusion. It was kind of a mess.”

“You could have died.”

She nods. “If it had happened years ago, I likely would have. Thank God for modern medicine. Gave Noah a scare, but it all worked out. And now we have little baby Ezio.”

“What does his name mean? It’s so different.”

“Eagle.” I glance over as she grins at me. “It’s appropriate for our family.”

“I should say so. I love it.” I turn down the road that leads to Noah and Fallon’s home. “Where are you going to hide all of these bags?”

“In the garage,” she says and taps a button on her phone. The garage door opens automatically. “We’ll stash the goods in there.”

“I’ll back up to it.”

I maneuver the car around so I can open the hatchback of my SUV, and we can easily transfer Fallon’s things to the garage.

When we’re finished, I toss the sheet I brought with me over my bags so the kids can’t peek in the back and see everything.

We walk into the house, to utter quiet.

“Where are the kids?” Fallon asks Noah quietly.

“They’re all zonked out,” he says with a grin. “I ran them all ragged this morning. They just passed out about twenty minutes ago.”

I bite my lip. “I hate to wake them up, but I really should head home.”

“They can stay,” Fallon says with a shrug. “It’s the holiday weekend. They can go home tomorrow.”

I frown. “Are you sure?”

“They’re honestly no trouble,” Noah says.

“This way, you can go hide your things without them lurking,” Fallon adds.

“That’s definitely a plus.” I nod and then hug my friend. “Thanks. I appreciate it. We’ll come grab them tomorrow morning after breakfast.”

“No hurry,” Fallon says. “Have a good evening.”

She waggles her eyebrows, making me laugh.

I drive home and take my time unloading the vehicle. When I have everything in the living room, I close and lock the car, and my phone rings.

“Hey there.” I grin and close the front door behind me.

“Hello yourself,” Sam says. “Still shopping?”

“No, I just got home. I did some major damage today, but it was a lot of fun.”

“Awesome. I’m about to get off work here in a few. Should I pick up dinner on the way home? I was thinking burgers from Ed’s.”

“That sounds delicious. I’m starving.”

“Cool. What do the kids want?”

“The kids aren’t here.”

There’s a pause. “Where are they?”

“They’re staying with Fallon and Noah tonight. But I want my usual.”

“Okay.” I hear a smile in his voice. “I’ll pick it up and be there shortly.”

“Thanks. See you soon.”

I hang up and get to work hiding the gifts. Most of them will fit in my closet, but not all of them.

This house isn’t that big. It was perfectly big enough when it was just me, but with three other people living here now, it’s a bit cramped.

I’m left with about four shopping bags, and I prop my hands on my hips to think.

Where should I put these?

And then I remember. I have a crawl space under the house. That’s the perfect place to store these.

I hurry into the laundry room and lift the trap door that leads to the crawl space, but when I turn the light on below, I scowl.

There’s about a foot of water under there.

I don’t think this is normal. I don’t open the trap door often, but I don’t remember seeing water under there before. Could it attract critters?

With the mental image of snakes and other things that I refuse to dwell on, I close the trap door and instead rearrange the linen closet so I can hide the bags on the top shelf, cover them with a towel, and close the doors.

I’ll have to send Ty Sullivan, my landlord, an email and let him know about the water under the house.

I’m exhausted. Sam and I went to bed after midnight, and I got up with him at five, so he could go to work. I stayed up and got ready for my fun shopping day.

So I’ve had little sleep and lots of activity today.

I’d give my right ovary for a nap.

I flop down on the couch, cover my face with my arm, and enjoy the blessed quiet.

Just as I’m dozing off, the door opens, closes, and I feel someone standing over me.

Not to mention, I can smell the onion rings.

I crack an eye and grin up at the tall man next to the couch.

“Are you watching me sleep like a creeper?”

He laughs and squats next to me. “You’re not sleeping.”

I reach out and cup his cheek, but he takes my hand and kisses the palm. “How was work?”

“We only got called out a few times. No one died on my shift today, so that’s a good thing.”

“A very good thing.” I sit up and kiss his chin. “And you brought me food.”

“Oh, you wanted food, too?”

I narrow my eyes at him. “Hand over the onion rings, and no one gets hurt. You might be the first casualty of the day.”

“So violent.” He clucks his tongue and pulls the to-go container out of the bag. “Here you go. I’d like to live to see another day.”

“Good idea.” I scoot back and set the box on my lap, then open it up. “They even included extra mayo and ketchup.”

“They know what you like.” He sits next to me and opens his box. “I’m glad you had fun today.”

“I only had to elbow one guy who got in my way.”

He stops chewing and stares at me. “Christ, Tash.”

“Kidding.” I giggle and take a bite of my burger. I was hungrier than I thought and gobble down my meal in record time.

When I’m finished, I lean back and sigh happily.

“Thanks for grabbing dinner.”

“You’re welcome.” He also leans back and opens his arms. I crawl over and lay right on top of him.

“Wanna nap?”

He kisses the top of my head. “Sure. After.”

“After what?”

His hands glide up and down my back, then slip under my shirt and under my pants until he cups the bare skin of my ass.

“After I fuck you brainless.”

Well, then.

I swallow, and the next thing I know, he moves us, pinning me beneath him on the couch as his hand dives into my pants again, only from the front this time.

Those talented fingers get right to work, fiddling with my clit before moving lower to my most intimate place, gliding over my lips only to dip inside and repeat.

I gasp.

Grab onto Sam’s shoulder.

“Fuck me, you’re good with your hands.” I turn my head and bite his free arm that’s braced against the back of the couch.

“You’re so damn wet, babe. I have to taste you.”

He hurries to strip my pants down my legs. Suddenly, he’s kneeling on the floor next to the couch and turns me on the cushion, props my legs over his shoulders, and feasts.

Freaking feasts.

There’s no other word for it. I thrash about, going out of my mind as his mouth teases my pussy, sending me over the edge of sanity.

I’m still quaking when he’s suddenly inside me, moving in and out in a quick rhythm as if he can’t hold himself in check for another moment.

He leans over to brace himself on the back of the couch and stares down at me with intense blue eyes.

“You’re so fucking sexy,” he growls, and picks up the pace. “I can’t stop wanting you. I don’t want to stop wanting you.”

I can only shake my head and hold on as he does, indeed, fuck me blind.

He growls with the force of his release. When I can see again, I can’t help but laugh.

“What?” he asks, panting.

“We’re half on and half off the couch. Your pants are around your knees. I’m half-dressed. And we look like we just made it through some kind of crazy, perverted war.”

He grins. “Well, I was thinking of taking you to the bedroom to get you the rest of the way naked.”

“I was thinking of getting the rest of the way dressed.”

Sam scowls. “I’m not finished. Not even close. Not to mention, I’m no quitter. I will get you all the way naked before the day’s out, mark my words.”

“We have to stop watching so much Game of Thrones.”

“What? Why?”

“Because now you’re saying things like ‘mark my words.’”

He grins. “Come on Khaleesi. Let’s go to bed.”

He picks me up, clothes and all, and carries me back to the bedroom.

“I’m a mess.” I bury my face in his neck. “I should probably take a shower.”

“Good idea. We’ll shower, and then we’ll work on getting each other messy again.”

“What about the nap you promised me?”

“I’m a man of my word.” His face is solemn. “I shall make good on the promise, Your Grace.”

“You’re goofy.” I kiss his cheek. “I kind of like it.”