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Chapter Nine

Jolie

Boston dropped me home after the ultrasound, as he had one more class he needed to attend. That worked out perfectly because I called Petra in to help me cook the guys dinner. It’s nothing fancy, and we are starting at the basics; I want to try to make lasagna.

Petra’s lasagna is the best I have ever tasted, along with her homemade garlic bread. She has been making so many and freezing them, so I can just throw one in the oven and eat it when I get a craving. I was expecting something weird, like pickles and ice cream, but so far it’s just garlic bread.

“Good job. Now lay down the pasta sheet. The trick is using fresh sheets, not those pre-packaged, hard ones. And a homemade cheese sauce, but you have to make sure you?—”

“Continuously stir the sauce.”

“That’s right. We will make a housewife out of you yet,” she laughs.

“I wouldn’t go that far. We still need you to be our housewife, Petra. I’m not there yet.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere. Boston and Brennan are like my grandchildren, and these babies will be no different. They are my family.”

Tears well in my eyes.

“Don’t cry, come here.” She holds out her arms to me.

“I’m sorry, for the last few years I haven’t had a family. I didn’t remember anyone. And now I have so many people it gets a little overwhelming sometimes.” I sniffle and sob into her shirt.

“I’m always here for you if you need me. What about Melinda? Have you spoken to her lately?”

I pull back and nod. “Yes, we are having lunch in a few days. Ziyon has been weird lately, and she didn’t want to push. Which is strange in itself, right? That she was worried about how he would feel.”

“In a traditional relationship, it would be. But from what you have told me, she has been hidden away from the real world and had to rely only on him. If she read Zacari’s letter and has started to question anything, I could imagine she is very confused.”

“Add in finding out she had a daughter and wasn’t told... I guess I just have to take it slowly with her.”

“That sounds like a good approach. You have both been through so much at the hands of those men. Now, it’s time for me to go. The lasagna is in the oven. Put the garlic bread in when the first timer goes off, and the oven will turn off when the second timer rings. I have placed the salad in the fridge and the freshly baked bread is on the bench, cooling. If you need anything, just call me.”

“I will. Thank you so much for coming in on your day off.”

“There is nowhere else I would rather be, but now I have a date with a book.”

“Oh, you will have to tell me about it next time.”

“I will. I’m only halfway through the first book in the series. It’s called Zodiac Academy . Jimmie made Kai read it, and he has now got me hooked.”

“Well, enjoy your night. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Petra leaves, and I set the table. Unfortunately, we are still in the bunker, but Creed says the crew is on track to finish up in six to eight weeks’ time. While it’s the size of a normal house down here, no way is it big enough for everyone’s egos. But we are managing just fine.

“Something smells divine in here.” I jump at the sound of Case’s voice as he sneaks up behind me.

“You scared me,” I say, turning in his arms and slapping his chest.

“I’m sorry, Wildflower. But can I say how sexy you look in the kitchen, pregnant with my babies?”

I smile up at him. His green hair has faded to bleached and has almost grown out, just tinting the ends. His black hair is almost completely back. I love how every one of the guys refers to both babies as theirs.

“You’re lucky that you’re so cute,” I say and bop him on the nose with my finger.

“Just cute, huh?”

I place my hand on the side of his face and pull it down to mine. “You know I find you incredibly sexy. You’re mine, Case Chambers, and I’m never letting you go.”

“Please tell me tonight is the night for an orgy.”

Case stiffens at the sound of Kai’s voice. They are trying to work through their issues, but Case is just so damn stubborn.

“I’m not having an orgy with you, dickhead. No one wants one with you, so give it up.”

“I would,” Laughn says, entering the room. “Have an orgy, that is, if it’s what Jolie wants. Your wish is my command, baby. Just tell me where you want me.”

Laughn comes over to me and kisses my cheek. “Good to know,” I say, looking at Kai and giving him a wink.

Since getting pregnant, I have been daydreaming about watching Kai get fucked. But then I get jealous about someone touching him, so it has to be one of the guys, but they’re mostly straight. Chester and Creed have their thing, but refuse to tell me who is the top, so they are out. I didn’t even think of Laughn. He should have been my first guess; he is always down to try anything.

One by one, everyone arrives home, and I make them all go change before dinner. Marlow is the first back, and he steps up behind me, wrapping his arms around my stomach. “How was your day?”

“Really good.” I can’t help but smile. “I think Boston had a breakthrough. He came to the ultrasound with me.”

“I knew he would, eventually. Sometimes he is his own worst enemy. Dinner smells amazing, by the way. A man could get used to this.”

I laugh. “Don’t. I had help from Petra. That woman is a saint. She came here on her day off to help me.”

“Well, I love that you wanted to make us a meal.”

Creed comes up beside us. “Stop hogging her.”

He hip checks Marlow out of the way, who just laughs and steps aside. Creed lifts me up onto the kitchen bench and rubs his hands over my belly. “Daisuki,” he whispers to my belly. “I love you too.”

He smiles and leans in to place a kiss on my lips just as Brennan makes his way into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge and pressing it against Creed’s bare back.

“Nothing?” Brennan asks.

“Nice try, but you should know better. I don’t feel the cold.”

Brennan moves in beside Creed, and his hand also rubs my belly. These poor babies will be overcrowded and loved to death when they’re born.

“Alright, everyone go sit at the table. I need to get the food out of the oven.”

They move out of the kitchen, and everyone else joins them at the table as they pile into the room. I take the salad and bread to the table first, then get the garlic bread and lasagna. Chester follows me back to the kitchen to help carry the massive lasagna tray.

“Thank you,” I tell him as he takes the food, wearing Petra’s floral oven gloves.

“No need to thank me—I’m here to serve.”

I shake my head at him. Walking into the dining room, I approach the table, and everyone watches. I still get butterflies in my stomach every time I see them, followed by a sinking feeling that I have no idea how this will work. Ten—bloody ten —is a lot of men to cater to. What if I let them down or someone feels left out?

“Stop worrying about us. Everything will work itself out, and if we need you, we will seek you out,” Chester says, walking past me.

What the hell—he just read my mind! He turns back and winks. My mouth hangs open for a moment, but I shake it off and place the tray of garlic bread on the table.

The conversation around the table flows easily. Brennan goes over everything that is happening with Olympia, making sure I am happy with the progress. Chester is excited about working alongside a new scientist who has just started. When he says “she,” I demand to meet her. I have turned into... well, them. This pregnancy has me going all cavewoman on them, not that they mind. Kai is doing a short lock-picking course, and Case laughs. It has been an ongoing feud, since Case is better at picking locks, yet Kai doesn’t let it bother him. He knows he is still really good.

“How was your day, baby? How was the ultrasound?” Laughn asks.

“Both babies are healthy and growing well. But I do have some news. I think I picked a boy’s name and wanted to run it by you.”

“You know we will love whatever you pick,” Trace says.

“Zadom Knight.”

I look around at all their faces. A very unladylike snort leaves me when I spot Boston smiling like a weirdo. It’s extremely unusual to see him that happy, to the point it’s almost unnerving.

“I love it,” Davis says. “It’s different, but solid. Have we decided on surnames yet?”

“No, I can’t pick one of you. It’s not fair.”

“What about Olympia?” Boston says, and we all look at him like he has grown another head. “Hear me out. It’s your last name, and you are now the face of Olympia. From what I knew growing up, your grandfather was a good man. You have the chance to change Olympia, so make it good again and take back your name. Fuck, I would marry you tomorrow and take the name with you.”

“He has a point,” Kai says. “Mr Z may have been a dick, but that doesn’t mean the name has to die with him.”

“I will think about it. I just don’t know if I could go back to being Zircon. It doesn’t feel like me anymore.”

“You wouldn’t have to. We are more than happy to do whatever you want. But it makes sense for the babies to take the surname, especially since we are trying to change how the company has been run. Besides, they will take over when they grow up.”

“What about a girl’s name?” Creed asks, changing the subject slightly. “I still vote Hana.”

“Don’t you think it would be weird to name the baby Flower when some of us call Jolie Wildflower or Petal?” Case adds.

“I know it’s stupid, but I wanted to talk to Melinda about it. I have a mum now, and these are things mums are there for. But I still want to hear all your favourite names. When Boston said Zadom, I just knew that was his name. I don’t know how to explain it.”

We finish dinner, and Brennan asks me to sign some paperwork. I follow him to his room, which has a small desk against the wall with his laptop and a folder sitting neatly next to each other.

“These are just some contracts for the builders. We have the go ahead for the dorm buildings. I know we are working backwards, but I don’t want to disrupt the smaller children. We will build them a completely new building, then their current building will become the nursery. The current nursery is in the main Olympia building, and I was hoping you’d agree that it needs to be updated.”

“I do agree. Where do I sign?”

Brennan pulls out the contract and has mini sticky notes where I need to sign. “We will turn this into a legacy for our children. Mr Z has actually done the hard work of securing all the land between the main building and the schools. The only place he couldn’t get until just before his death was the high school. I don’t know how he managed it, but it’s all yours now.”

“It’s all so overwhelming, but I trust you. I promise I will be up to speed soon.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it. You need to focus on school and the babies. I will run everything by you. Mum and Dad have helped a lot, and we are almost fully staffed again, so I will have some free time soon. When I do, I plan to take you out. But right now, I have to video call my dad and see if he managed to convince a very big investor to throw a heap of money at us. Remodelling is going to cost a small fortune, but the children deserve the best. They are a long-term investment for this company.”

“Have I told you recently that I love you?”

“Maybe, but I always like hearing it.”

A knock at the door has us both turning around, and Case stands in the doorway. “I ran you a bath.”

It’s my night with Case. They keep rotating days, and occasionally, they will share. It seems to work well for us so far.

“Thank you. My feet are killing me.” I turn back to look at Brennan.

“Go, I will make us breakfast in the morning.”

“You’re the best,” I reply, pressing a kiss to his lips.

I waddle over to Case, and we walk out towards the bathroom. The only issue down here is the one bathroom. I know some of the guys still shower in the main house, with the renovations happening on only one side of it for now. Creed has plans for the other side before the babies are grown up, but that is a long way off. Whoever made this bathroom didn’t skimp on the bath, though. It’s free-standing and overlooks a fake window, and you can even pick the scenery you can see, which helps to make it feel like you’re not underground.

Case has candles burning, and the bath has dried rose petals in it; he must have added a bath bomb. He helps me undress and get in, and the warm water starts to relax my muscles straight away. Case strips off and gets in behind me, and I lay back in his arms, enjoying the moment.

A swift knock on the door and the door opening isn’t new around here; locked or shut doors don’t stop anyone.

“Hey,” Creed says, popping his head in. “Just wanted to say goodnight. A body is coming in.”

“One of ours?” Case asks.

“Don’t know, I haven’t checked the report. I’ll fill you in tomorrow.”

Case nods, and Creed gives me a smirk before he leaves, closing the door behind himself. No one else interrupts us for the rest of our bath. Once I’m out, I throw on one of Marlow’s shirts—they’re the only thing I can wear and not feel constricted—and sit on the end of Case’s bed as he towel dries my hair and runs a brush through it. As soon as he is done, we both slip into his bed.

I wait for him to make the first move, but that’s the thing with Case—he will wait for me to show him it’s what I want. He shivers as my fingernails run down his stomach slowly until my hand slips under the waistband of his boxers. Softly palming his dick, I move my hand slowly up and down, while running my thumb lightly across his head, being careful not to hook it on his Prince Albert. Case leans over, placing a soft kiss on my lips that quickly turns feverish. I remove my hand, throwing a leg over his waist as he rolls onto his back. The momentum has me straddling his waist.

“I’m so glad you came back,” he says as I grab the hem of my T-shirt and pull it up over my head.

“Ditto,” I reply, dropping the shirt over the side of the bed. “Now we are even and won’t ever be doing that again, because I might just unalive you if it happens again.”

“Never again, Wildflower.” His gaze roams my pregnant body with such intensity it’s almost like a physical caress. “Someone would need to put a bullet through my heart to keep me away from you.”

I don’t even bother removing my underwear. I need him in me now, so I pull it to the side once I have his cock out, sliding down onto him slowly. He sucks his lip ring into his mouth with a groan as his eyes roll back in his head.

I place my hand on his chest and grind against him, making sure my clit rubs on his pubic bone. His hands fall to my hips as he sits up, pulling our bodies close. Case’s lips nip and suck at my neck while our bodies move sinuously together.

He thrusts up as I move down, totally in sync with me. Being the same height, our noses almost touch. Case has us as close as we can get, but neither of us talk, and the only noises in the room are the sounds of our bodies joining. Our hands trail each other’s sweat-covered skin until I’m finally whispering his name against his lips as we come together.

I love that all my guys fuck differently. Case takes things slow, but he cherishes every single second, as if he blinks, he might miss it all. I don’t know what I did in a past life to deserve him, but I’m sure as shit not going to question it. He is mine, and I’m never letting him go.

Case pulls me into his arms and places his hand on my stomach. “I know Mr Z was a crazy motherfucker, but I’m so happy he’s done this. I can’t wait to be a dad.”

If Case had said that even a few weeks ago, I would have thought he was the crazy one, but I have to agree with him. I love these babies so much already and will do anything to protect them.