Page 50 of The Devil’s Detail (The Greystone Family: Greystone Brothers #2)

Our progress is slow, and with the kids back at the house, I can see Tarron standing with Rio, watching us creep step by step up the beach. My panic starts to ramp up with each inch we cover, reaching a fever pitch as Evie is sweating, her hair soaked. Even Kasey is finally looking worried.

Her contractions are coming thick and fast. Tarron disappears into the house, reappearing a moment later and shouts that the car is waiting to go to the hospital and he’s called Kell and Xander. Fuck. If something happens to her, we are all dead men

“I don’t think it was this painful with Rio,” she gets out between pants.

Well that’s not good.

My heart rate is through the roof. Jackson is trying to contain his emotions, but, poor man, they are written all over his face. And they only get worse as Evie is breathing and crying as each contraction hits her one after the other.

Then she utters the fatal words: “Jackson, I need to push.”

He’s so scared, he picks her up in a honeymoon carry and runs for the house. I run behind them, leaving Kasey in the dust. Valentina takes all the kids, including Rio, to the other side of the house in case Evie starts to scream too loudly.

Jackson dumps Evie onto a settee in the big lounge and immediately leaves the room. Evie’s on all fours, swaying in agony. I watch as she looks around the room and starts laughing to herself. What the hell is wrong with her?

“Are you alright, Evie?” I ask. I’m sure worry is lining my face. “Do you need anything? What’s so funny?”

“Just thinking about all the antics this room has seen over the years. And now this, our lives come full circle.” She grins at me, sweat running from her brow.

Jackson rushes back in with cool towels and places them on her head and neck, soothing her while he works to cool her down. “Kasey, call an ambulance. I don’t think a car is going to be enough at this point,” he orders. “Do you need anything else, Evie?”

“I need to push, Jax,” she tells him through her clenched jaw.

“The ambulance is not here, Evie. You can’t push yet.” His pleas appear to be falling on deaf ears, but I’m one hundred percent with him on this—both of us are desperate for her not to want to push.

“Jackson.” She’s trying not to scream, probably trying to keep the kids from freaking out. Hell, I’m freaking out. “I need to push you better get someone on the phone Xan did it you can.” Her words come out in one long stream of pain and frustration and then she starts to strip.

Kasey’s eyes get bigger, and he gasps out in horror at my side.

“Kase,” she grits out, “I can’t deliver with my knickers on. Leave if you can’t hack it.” She’s a general commanding the troops. Deal or leave. These babies are coming.

Oh my god. I see the agony, I see the pain, I see a drop of blood.

That’s it. game over.

Jackson

My fiancé has just fainted at the slightest drop of blood.

He’s an A-list actor, battled aliens, taken down the bad guys.

But clearly none of them bled. And to be honest, they probably don’t look like they are in actual agony.

Or sound like it. Not like my sister, who is about to give birth in her own living room.

“Jackson, please, I need to push.” She’s begging me, as I step towards the prostrate man who looks asleep on the floor. “Leave him, I need to push.” She’s gritting her teeth, settled into a squatting position.

“So ruthless, Kitten.” I grin at her. Can’t help it. “Right, my military training should get me through this.”

Tarron Barclay has made his way back into the room and is trying to wake up Carter. Maybe best to leave him there. It’s only likely to happen again.

“Kasey, hang onto me please. I need you to hold me up here.” Evie is commanding everyone around her. She would have made the best military leader ever.

Kasey has gone from a doctor in a drama to a rabbit in the headlights.

But he nods obediently and gently threads his arms under Evie’s, holding onto her with everything he has.

His face next to hers, I can see every emotion in it.

I give him a look, and he shutters what I saw written there.

I’m not sure he is going to survive my sister either.

“I’ve got you, Kitten, always.” He kisses her forehead, and smirks at me. He’s playing a dangerous game. But I don’t think he actually cares what anyone thinks of him. Then I hear him whisper to her, “Let’s do this, my love.”

I glance at him, so he knows I’ve heard him, but again he just smiles. Kissing her hair, talking to her, telling her how great she is, breathing with her—I actually think he’s doing really well. He seems to know the breathing patterns, and is panting out and counting.

I get the briefest glimpse of the jet black hair of a little Barclay, and my nephew plops into my arms. He opens his eyes, and I gasp. They’re sky blue. He looks directly at me, and into my heart. I’m transfixed, the flow of love and protective feelings oozing from me is incredible.

A heartbeat later, our newest addition proves he’s certainly got a great pair of lungs.

The baby’s newborn cry seems to wake Carter up.

Carter looks like a newborn himself, staring around in surprise.

But he makes a great recovery as he helps Tarron direct the arriving paramedics.

I hold the boy up, and am about to hand him to Evie, when one of the paramedics pushes his way in and tells me we need to cut the cord.

“Jackson, you and Carter do it.” I look up to see Evie smiling at Carter, who looks like he might faint again. But he steps valiantly forwards as I hold the boy, the paramedic handing me what looks like scissors and showing us what to do.

Carter holds the scissors as I hold the baby, and I place my hand over his. We cut my nephew’s tether to my sister, I kiss the boy's head, and hand him over to Carter. Who looks like he’s been struck by lightning.

“He’s so beautiful, Jackson,” he breathes out. “Hey, sugar, I’m your Uncle Carter. Let’s get you taken care of, honey,” he coos at the baby, and moves with him towards another paramedic who’s about to check his vitals.

“Should we move to the ambulance?” Kasey asks as he brushes Evie’s wet hair from her forehead. “Can you move, Kitten?”

We’re answered by a gritted response from Evie. “She’s coming, I don’t think we’ll have time.”

“Just like her mama,” I grin. “Never wants to be left out.”

I want to deliver my niece, so join the paramedic now squatting at Evie’s side. “You ready Kasey? You got her?” I ask the Hollywood A-lister—who’s looking a little pale now—and I can see the tears drying on his face. He takes a deep breath and nods at me.

Bending his head down, he infuses confidence into his tone. “Right, my Kitten. Last one and then we’re done.” He kisses her forehead again, he can’t seem to stop.

As he holds my sister up, we deliver her second baby, twin sister to the little boy.

The same jet black hair, but when she opens her eyes, it’s my sister looking back at me.

Eye colour exactly the same as Evie’s. But in her daddy’s face.

She announces herself with a healthy cry, and I hand her to her mother, Kasey Becker crying tears of pure joy as he holds them both up.

“Kasey, would you like to cut the cord?” My sister looks up at the man, who clearly is head over heels in love with her. He looks like he might die of happiness.

“I’d be honoured,” he manages to gulp out. With much ceremony, he cuts the baby girl’s tether. “I’ll never forget this, Kitten.” He looks down at the baby in his arms. “She’s so beautiful, and she has your eyes.”

I stand and help my sister. We sort out the afterbirth, with both twins being held by Carter and Kasey. They both look shell-shocked. They’ll each dine out on every chat show in America with this drama.

The paramedics have clocked who they are. And although they’re trying to play it cool, it’s not every day you have two Hollywood A-listers delivering twins.

“I think we should call this little beauty Beau, as it’s the start of a beautiful life,” Kasey states, warming up to his idea.

Evie smiles at him, totally indulgent. “Beau it is then. Will you be godfather, Kasey?” Evie is clearly overemotional. Her husbands are always trying to get rid of him, not include him more. He nods, for once at a loss for words.

“Carter, will you be godfather with Jackson for my boy?” Evie asks him.

She’d already asked me to be godfather for them both, and I’m incredibly honoured, but being in this with Carter… So fitting, so special.

Carter’s eyes fill with tears. My man is so emotional, I go over and put my arm around him, kissing his face.

“He's so gorgeous,” he murmurs. “It would be the honour of my life, Evie. Has he got a name?”

Evie looks at Tarron Barclay. “I want to call him Angus, after your father, Tarron.” She sounds emotional, and he comes straight over to her. Hugging her.

“That’s a fine Scot’s name.” He has his hand on his heart. “I love you, my daughter.” He bows his head, collects the twins from Kasey and Carter, and brings both Beau and Angus to her to feed.

I stand, holding the man I love in my arms, as the dads land back at the house.

It’s total mayhem. Kell is in shock, and on the verge of tears.

Xander looks dazed. But all this stops the instant they walk into the room and see their wife and their children.

I pull Carter and Kasey, who’s hovering, out of the way.

The room will be a madhouse again soon enough as all the kids are jumping around in the hall waiting their turn to go see the babies.

I drag Carter to a quiet corner of the garden, into a small summer house. Spinning him around, he says, “I’m sorry for fainting. She was in so much pain, and I saw the blood and poof, I?—”

I stem his words with a kiss. It’s hard and it’s fierce. Pushing him back towards the wall, I press my body against his. I don’t let him up for air. I drink my fill, and finally let him go. He looks thoroughly kissed and fucking gorgeous.

“I don’t care if you fainted. You care so much about my family, and I fucking love it.

I can’t wait to marry you. I love you, Carter Maywood.

” I kiss him again, and it feels as if our bodies have become one.

It’s as if I’ve handed over my heart’s share to him.

And he’s accepted it. Taken it in fully, and with love.

“The only stipulation is that all my family can come. Every single one of them. Kids, the lot. Because I fucking love you, Carter Maywood. Everything I love was in that room today, and you are at the top of the list, baby.”

He looks thunderstruck.

“Sugar, I would have settled for top five. I love your crazy family, and I love all the children. I know you all come as a package deal. But wrap ‘em all up, cos with you I feel it’s Christmas everyfuckin’day. In fact, let’s get married at Christmas. We can do the snow, fly everyone to Italy.”

He’s getting excited about the whole thing already, and I grin from ear to ear.

“What’s your family motto?” he asks

“Family above all,” I answer automatically. “And I can’t fucking wait for you to be my family.” I touch his hair, his face. His eyes blaze back at me. Kissing me with so much love, his lips are like silk on mine. I smile into his face saying, “Welcome to my family, Carter Maywood.”