Page 8 of Quadruplets for the Vipers (Never Just One #3)

Leah

T he day has finally come when we’ll find out if the implantation was successful. If not, we’re out of tries and I’m shit out of luck.

In the two weeks I’ve been working at the clubhouse, I’ve grown fond of the Steel Vipers, who have welcomed me with open arms. Although I still largely try to avoid Axel, Knox, Jace, and Rider, and they avoid me, we inevitably cross paths.

We’ve all been on our best behavior. Knox and Jace flirt outrageously, but I think that’s just their way.

Axel still more or less ignores me, and Rider and I haven’t spoken more than a few words.

The conversations that we’ve had have been generally friendly and interesting.

If there weren’t such blatant sexual chemistry between us all, I would say that we could become good friends.

Of course, the sexual tension could be entirely one-sided.

They might think I’m some sad, horny girl with a pathetic crush.

I try not to listen to that self-judgmental voice too much these days.

Either way, things have been going well.

I don’t want to leave, even if I had someplace else to go; I like it here.

We’re currently at the doctor’s office, where they’ve taken my blood to see if I’m pregnant. The wait is agonizing.

Zeus and Donna cling to each other, their love so evident that I feel like an intruder watching, and I look away.

They so desperately want this baby. They’re good people who have been nothing but kind to me.

I hope I can give them the child they are yearning for, to help bring back a piece of the son they lost too soon.

“Will you tell me about him, your son? And his wife.” I ask, trying to distract us all and genuinely curious about the people whose child I might be carrying.

Zeus smiles, the expression softening his rugged face.

“He was one of a kind, our boy. Strong, smart. He did well in school and was great at sports. He was no pushover; he always stood up for what he thought was right and didn’t let the big kids pick on the little ones.

When he was seventeen, he enlisted in the army.

Served two tours. He won medals for his bravery and for saving his squad’s lives.

He lost a leg saving a little boy’s life, a civilian. ”

“He sounds like a true hero,” I reply.

“He was,” Donna says proudly, tears in her eyes.

“I can’t imagine how hard things must have been for him, losing a leg.”

Zeus shakes his head reverently. “Nothing stopped Levi, he kept right on living life to the fullest. It didn’t even stop him from riding his bike.”

“Nothing would have,” Donna adds. “April used to kid that the only thing that boy loved more than her was his motorcycle.”

“What was April like?” I ask, curious as to the woman who won this man’s heart.

“She and Levi were two peas in a pod. They met in high school, and I think it was love at first sight. Levi was a good-looking young man. All of the girls wanted to date him, but he only had eyes for April. They were childhood sweethearts, married when they were both nineteen after he returned from his first tour. He said he was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen,” Donna relays, her eyes misty as she loses herself in her memories.

“They desperately wanted to start a family and had been trying for years without luck. They’d just started creating the embryos for IVF when they had their accident.”

“I’m so sorry for your loss,” I reply, offering the empty platitude we all say when we don’t know what else to say. “They sound like wonderful people.”

“Thank you, honey,” Donna replies softly, her voice sad, and I wonder if I shouldn’t have brought them up at all.

I allow her and Zeus a moment of privacy as they hold each other close, heads bowed as if in prayer.

The door opens, and we all look up with bated breath.

“Good news. The IVF implantation was successful,” the doctor announces.

“You mean…” Donna starts, not allowing herself to voice her deepest hope aloud.

“We’re having a baby,” Zeus says, pulling his wife into a bear hug as they shed tears of joy.

“Yes. The blood work confirms it. Leah is pregnant.”

I zone out as they start to discuss the next steps.

When we can have the first ultrasound, how frequently we need to come for checkups, and how best to ensure a smooth, healthy pregnancy.

I know I should listen—it’s my body, after all, but I’m doing this for someone else, so I’ll just go with the flow. I’m just so thrown by the words.

Leah is pregnant.

I’m pregnant.

But they’re not my babies. They never will be. I’m just the vessel.

The magnitude of the situation fully sinks in. I know I wanted to do this, want to do this. But I didn’t really ever consider if it was something I could do.

There are so many things that could go wrong. I know women have been giving birth for as long as humanity has existed. But that doesn’t make knowing that you’re solely responsible for another life growing inside you any less daunting.

I’ll have to care for this baby, let it use my body as an incubator for nine months, then go through hours of agonizing pain as they’re torn from me, only to have to give them up.

It’s only been two weeks, but I’m already feeling like I’m part of the family at the Steel Vipers.

Once I’ve outlived my usefulness, will I be discarded like trash?

They said I’d get lifelong Steel Vipers protection, but Donna and Zeus might not want me hanging around, I’d be a reminder of the fact that their daughter-in-law wasn’t the one who gave birth.

Perhaps they won’t want the baby to know me.

It already has a mom. Will I lose everything and be all alone again and at the mercy of my ex?

I try to hide these swirling thoughts as Donna and Zeus embrace me, thanking me. I try to share in their joy and summon some of their excitement.