ONE
Karla Wolfe didn’t know if it was pregnancy hormones or what, but she spent her days crying, trying for her mate not to know what was wrong with her. She’d been living with him, loving him, and now carrying his children for months. Yet, she felt as though she was missing something.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The knocking pulled her out of her daydreaming, and she glanced down at her belly. Almost time. Her babies were going to be there at any moment now. Dear god. Any moment now. She had no idea how she could stop the feelings of fear over being a mother. Her own had not been the best at it, so how could she be any better? What if it was in her genes?
She grabbed the leather hanging from the ceiling and tugged herself to her feet. Nate had realized she’d gotten to a point that it was almost impossible to stand without someone helping her up. So he’d gone ahead and installed a chain that hung from the ceiling and had a leather handle attached, so she could haul herself up and out of her sofa without needing anyone there.
Grumbling about feeling like a giant blue whale, she waddled—yes, she waddled—her way to the front door. By the time she got there, she was out of breath and ready for a nap. Upon opening the door, she found her brother Kel standing there with a wide smile on his face.
“You look exhausted,” he frowned, the smile sliding from his lips. “What’s wrong?”
She shook her head and waddled her ass toward the kitchen. “Nothing. Want some coffee?”
“Sure,” he replied, following behind her.
She had made a fresh pot earlier for Nate. The poor sucker had no idea she’d been giving him decaf. Screw it. If she couldn’t have caffeine, then he was going to be deprived along with her. Who knew pregnancy could make a woman so bitchy? In fact, Kel could also have decaf while at her house. She filled another mug.
“So, what’s wrong?” he asked again. “I can tell something’s wrong with you. You have these two little lines that show up between your brows when you’re stressed out. Not really a frown, more like nerves.”
She lifted her brows and blinked. “You’ve been studying my facial features?” she asked, her voice full of surprise. “Who are you, and what did you to do my brother?”
He laughed, taking the mug out of her hand. He passed her, going further down the counter to grab the sugar and cream. “Nothing happened to me. But I have noticed the further along you go, the quieter you get.”
She bit her lip. He was right. She’d refused to tell anyone other than Nate about the anxiety attacks plaguing her. She’d sound like such an idiot telling her friends that she was stressed out because she wanted to be a good mom.
“I’m just tired,” she grumbled, trying to sound convincing. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m carrying around triplets. Life is anything but fun right now.”
Life was more like stressing her the fuck out. She had nightmares on a daily basis that she had three kids crying all at once and she couldn’t get them to stop. Not just that, she had all kinds of self-doubt when it came to being a mother.
“I know you, sis. You’re not telling me something,” he said, closing the distance between them and giving her a side hug. He made sure not to touch her belly, because he knew she was weird about people touching her. Maybe she was crazy. Other women raved about wanting people, even random strangers, to caress their baby bumps, and she felt like they were invading her personal space. Not to mention anyone touching her belly felt all kinds of wrong. Nate was the only person she didn’t mind doing that.
“I’m just tired, Kel. Tired and still unsure about this nursery.”
“You guys still haven’t made up your mind?” he asked, raising his brows high.
“Don’t sound so surprised. Not like I’m due to give birth for another few weeks. I still have time,” she said more to herself than him. Trying to convince her
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