Page 41 of Single Mom’s Undoing (Lucky Lady Reverse Harems #1)

CLARA

O nce the doctors are done with the tests and ultrasound, I find myself breathing a sigh of relief as I sit up on the edge of my hospital bed. Matty is sound asleep in the chair by the window, wrapped up in a soft blanket.

I light up when Carter and the guys come in.

“Hey.”

“Clean bill of health, I hope, for you and the little ones?” Damon asks.

“Yes, sir. We got lucky.”

“Good, then you can have this,” he says and holds up a box.

In it is a hot ginger tea and a freshly baked bear claw. Instantly, my appetite returns with a vengeance, reminding me that I haven’t eaten anything since yesterday.

“Oh, thank you,” I reply and take a slow sip of the tea before I proceed to scarf down the pastry in a few measured bites. “My God, this tastes like heaven. ”

“We need to make sure you’re fed and taken care of,” Damon says with a gentle smile, then looks over to Matty. “I brought him a bag of Sour Patch Kids, but I guess we’re saving it for later.”

“Little man’s exhausted,” Jace chuckles.

“I can’t blame him,” Carter says, then sits beside me. “How are you feeling, Clara?”

I look up at him, allowing myself a moment to get lost in those gray-blue pools of his, to find comfort in his presence and safety against his chiseled body. “I’m much better now. My mind is clearer. My heart is focused. Physically, I’m good.”

We look at each other for a while, without saying a word.

But there is a conversation that we can no longer avoid. Not if we want a future together now that a future is possible, once again.

“Clara, I understand what my father did and the impact it had on you,” he says.

I allow a heavy sigh to leave my chest. “It’s okay that you left.

I promise. We’re not mad. I’ll never hold it against you because I really do understand.

Maybe I would’ve done things differently, but I could never know for sure because, well, I’m not you. ”

“I would’ve done things differently had I known then what I know now,” I reply.

“We can’t change the past,” Damon says softly. “But we can change the future.”

“Just promise that you will trust us,” Carter says. “The three of us are here to stay, Clara. For you, for Matty, for the little one you’re carrying. What we started is beautiful and strange and rarely heard of. It’s complicated as hell, but it also works.”

“It does work,” I say. “I promise, Carter. I promise all of you.”

He smiles and pulls me into his arms, kissing my lips with feverish want and need.

“You’re not alone anymore,” he says. “Clara, we’re in this together, and whatever life throws our way, you know we’ve got you.

I love you like I’ve never loved anyone before, and Matty, dammit, he’s a piece of me. We made him.”

“We sure did,” I smile softly as I glance back at him.

Jace comes closer and cups my face, then plants a kiss on my lips. I can feel his love pouring through me, filling my very soul.

“I love you so much, it fucking hurts, Clara. No matter what happens, you need to understand that we belong together. So no more running away if things get tough, okay?”

“Okay.”

“We’re going to build a life together,” Damon adds. “The four of us, with Matty, Shiloh, the bun in the oven. We’re going to make it work. And there won’t be anyone to stand in our way. We’re stronger together, baby.”

They’ve proven that much in moments of dire need.

They saved me.

Not just with Bill and his henchmen. They saved me when I thought I had no other choice, no better life ahead. They chose me. They forgave me. They made me a central part of their existence, and running away from them felt like tearing out a piece of my very soul .

As Damon kisses me, I’m reminded of a simple but powerful truth—nothing beats the strength and determination of a man in love.

Let alone three men in love.

“What happens next?” I ask, my head resting on Carter’s shoulder.

“We get you home, back to the cabin,” he says. “We’ll need to liaise with the Feds regarding my father and his crimes. It will be a long and messy process, but they’re doing most of the legwork from here on out.”

Jace nods in agreement. “We did our share and then some. We provided them with evidence, leads to follow, and so on.”

“What about my testimony?” I ask.

“When you’re ready, Agent Whitfield will ask you to come down to the field office for that. It will be recorded and sent over with the motion to exhume Stephan’s body,” Carter says.

“And Elizabeth?”

Damon scoffs and shakes his head in genuine disappointment. “Well, she’s in even deeper trouble now, obviously. Assault, battery, accessory to kidnapping, attempted murder. She’s looking at time in prison, too.”

“She’ll never come near Shiloh again, right?”

“The judge made sure of it. She’s out of our lives for good, Clara. I assure you.”

“Good. Let’s get home because this bear claw barely calmed my appetite. I could eat the entire Wendy’s menu right about now, then wash it down with half a dozen strawberry milkshakes,” I say and get up, giving myself a moment to make sure I’m able to walk.

The adrenaline has worn off, leaving nothing but exhaustion.

Carter raises an eyebrow at me. “I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to eat healthier now that there’s another baby on the way.”

“And I’m pretty sure I’m the one carrying said baby, and I get to decide what I eat less than an hour after being rescued from near death,” I reply with a cool grin.

“Wendy’s it is then,” Jace quips and raises his hands in a defensive gesture.

“I could go for a double cheeseburger, anyway,” Damon says.

I smile. I’m right where I need to be. Right where I belong.

Carter, Damon, and Jace have more than proven themselves for me to trust their ability to protect me, to love and cherish me the way I deserve. They’re right. I’m not alone anymore. Matty and I are no longer on our own.

I might as well start living accordingly.