Fall To Pieces: Broken #2 (The Broken Series) (20 page)

*****

Kyle

It t
urned out we were only a thirty minute drive from Jefferson Central Hospital, and only two hours away from home.

After both Lee, and the baby were examined and checked out at Jefferson, the doctor had agreed-
it had taken a hell of a lot of pressure
- to have them transferred immediately to St. Luke’s Hospital in Boulder.

I needed Lee around her own doctors
, that knew her medical history.

Lee slept the whole ride back to the Boulder
, and she’d only woken once, in the three hours we’d been back, and that was to nurse.

I was sitting in the chair beside Lee’s bed cradling my daughter in my arms when there was a tap on the door.

“Hey,” Cam whispered quietly as she stepped inside and walked over to me. 

From the way she was hovering over me, I knew she was dying for a cuddle, but I wasn’t ready to give her up just yet.

I didn’t think, I ever would be.

“Have you guys picked a name yet?” Cam asked, stroking my sleeping baby.

I shook my head. “No, we haven’t had much time to talk. We had a couple of names picked out, but mostly boys names.”

I stretched out my legs in front of me, and nestled her into the crook of my arm.

“Hope.”

I turned around to find Lee awake and smiling at me.

“Hope?” I asked, tossing the name around in my head.

Hope
.

“Hope sounds pretty
, damn perfect to me,” I agreed, smiling.

She pulled herself up in the bed, stretching stiffly. “I mean, it’s your decision too, of course. But Hope just feels kind of fitting, considering everything we’ve been through. Maybe it’s silly, but the name’s kind of stuck in my head. Of course, we could go with something else if you would prefer?”

I stared at Lee, drowning in the emotion I felt for her.

Leaning over
, I kissed her softly, before looking down at my daughter. “Hey, baby girl. Mommy and Daddy finally picked you a name, and it’s something you represent to us.”

“Oh Kyle, please, I can’t wait anymore,” Cam whined, holding her hands out to hold Hope.

Lee chuckled and nodded encouragingly.

“Fine, but sit down so you don’t drop her,” I said, standing up carefully.

Cam glared at me, but sat quickly in the chair I vacated.

“Support her head,” I instructed, placing Hope into Cam’s arms.

“Wow, overprotective much, dad?” Cam muttered under her breath.

Choosing to ignore her, I settled myself down on the bed, pulling Lee into my arms.

She sighed happily as I kissed her head.

“Hello, baby girl,” Cam crooned. “I’m your Aunt Cam. I’m the cool one. Mommy and Daddy are pretty cool too, but Uncle Derek is a douche. Yes, he is. Oh, we’re gonna have so much fun, Hope Bennett.”

“Carter,” Lee corrected, and my heart stilted. 

“You’re sure?” I croaked.

Lee nodded, and leaned over to stroke my cheek.

“Absolutely,” she replied.
“Besides, look at those dimples. Apart from my hair, she is all you, Kyle Carter.”

“I hate to admit
it, but Lee’s right,” Cam added, not taking her eyes off Hope. “You’re packing some pretty powerful genes, in your
jeans
.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Lee

Hospitals were becoming a habit of mine. But this time, it was for all the right reasons.

Hope had just had her six week checkup with the pediatrician, who confirmed she was perfect.

I’d to practically wrestle the buggy from Kyle this morning, eventually using emotional blackmail in a bid to get him to go to work.

“Do you not trust me with our daughter,” I’d asked, pretending to be upset.

Kyle had immediately conceded, apologizing repeatedly.

It was p
retty terrible of me, but Kyle was obsessed with being involved. He was like a clucking hen, fussing over me, as well as Hope.

I
also wanted to pick up something special for tonight.

Dr. Ashcroft had cleared me with a full bill of health, which meant, my man was getting some tonight.

The sun was throwing out some serious heat, as I walked down 11
th
street, towards the hotel.

I’d fed Hope and settled her before leaving the hospital earlier, and was looking forward to a coffee and catch up with Cam.

We usually met here, since she and Derek were uncomfortable around each other and I refused to go to Mike’s apartment.

I loved Cam
, and couldn’t be too angry with her, for her choices. But I still couldn’t believe that she was with Mike.

It was so crazy.

Derek was so perfect for her, I didn’t understand how Cam could walk away from a man who was so deeply devoted to her.

And Derek, oh
, poor Derek…

Derek was carrying on with things, joking around as always, but I knew he was hurting. I could see i
t in those lonely green eyes of his.

Cam had wrecked him. I didn’t know if he would ever get over the betrayal.

I knew how he felt, except, that when Kyle had destroyed me, he’d fought for me, and he had kept fighting, until he won me back.

It was so much worse for Derek, because Cam didn’t want him back.

I felt incredibly loyal to Derek, therefore, I wasn’t speaking to Mike. I knew it took two, to tango, but what Mike had done, first to Kyle, and then to Derek, in my opinion, was downright unforgivable.

I
couldn’t condone what they had done, so I refused to visit Cam at Mike’s apartment, where she was living…

Plus, I couldn’t wait to show off my gorgeous baby
at the hotel.

I gushed to myself, as I stared at her
, sleeping soundly in her forward facing buggy.

She looked incredibly cute, in a yellow dotted sundress, with a matching headband and white socks and cardigan.

I didn’t look too bad either.

I was still carrying a little bulge around my middle
, and I didn’t think my hips would ever go back to their
not so former
glory, but I was happy. So freaking happy right now, that even in my khaki capris and black vest, I felt completely at ease with my body.

I guess it didn’t hurt that Kyle complemented me every chance he got.

That boy was something else.

I was clo
ser each day, to asking him to repeat the question.

Not yet. But someday real soon…

I reached the entrance of the hotel, when a hand snagged me back roughly.

“I hear
,
congratulations
, are in order.”

My mouth dropped open in surprise.

“What the hell do you want?” I snarled, pulling my arm free.

Rachel towered over me, her face contorted with malice.

I thought she was supposed to be in hospital?

“It’s quite simple, really,” she said coldly. “I want what you stole from me.”

Her gaze slipped from me, to Hope. “Well, what you and your bastard, stole. You couldn’t have done it without the runt.”

“Fuck you,” I ground out, moving in front of Hope’s buggy to block her from Rachel’s twisted sneer.

“Walk away,” she threatened. “Pack up your kid, and get the hell out of Kyle’s life, or I will bury you both.”

I shook my head in disgust. “My god, you really are sick,” I whispered.

Stepping forward, I measured up to the red head.

“You need help, Rachel. Kyle doesn’t want you. He never has and he never will. You need to get yourself a really good psychiatrist
, because the last one obviously didn’t work. If you come within a hundred yards of my daughter again, I will have you arrested and your ass tossed in a jail cell.” 

“He wanted
me before. He will again. Maybe he stills wants me, and it’s my face he sees every time he’s with you.”

“That’s funny,” I chuckled darkly. “Because that is exactly what Kyle told me he used to do
when he was with you; visualize my face.” 

The stunned look on Rachel’s face was priceless as I turned on my heel and headed inside to meet Cam.

The tiniest flair of guilt burned in my conscience, but I quickly doused that feeling.

I had nothing to feel guilty about.

That girl had made my life a living hell for almost a year.

She’d poisoned my dog and called my beautiful baby, a bastard.

No, screw my conscience, Rachel could go to hell.

*****

Kyle

“Dude
, how do you fly around the country, run twenty hotels, babysit the kid and still kill it at school? It’s not fucking fair,” Derek grumbled, as he buried his head down on his text book. “I haven’t slept in a month.”

God, he was so fucking dramatic.

I’d hardly call the summer cooking class he’d roped me into going to,
school
.

Dropping my culinary studies book on Derek’s head, I switched Hope’s bottle into my other hand, before continuing her feed.

“Ouch, Kyle, what the hell was that for?” Derek accused, sitting up straight.

“Exactly. What the hell? As in, what the hell are you bitching and moaning about? You’ve clearly stated how easy you have it, so just suck it up, dude, and study,” I said quietly.

“And by the way,” I added. “For future reference, it’s not called babysitting if the child is yours.

I’m her father
, Derek, and taking care of my own baby is not called babysitting, it’s called parenting.”

Derek waved a hand at me. “Dude, you are so fucking touchy. I
f I hadn’t seen Lee pop her out with my own two eyes, I would swear you grew a vagina and gave birth to Hope, yourself.”

“Don’t say the F-word around my daughter,” I warned.

Sitting down at the table, I pulled Hope’s bottle from her mouth and set it aside.

She immediately started to cry and scrunch up.

“You gotta slow down, baby girl,” I soothed. “Shh. Daddy’s got you.”

Setting her on my knee
, I leaned her against one hand and patted her back with the other.

Hope answered with a loud burp.

“That’s my girl,” I praised, shaking my leg a little and she let out another loud, milky burp.

I grinned like an idiot.

It was incredible how something as small as getting Hope’s wind up, gave me such satisfaction.

I couldn’t help
but lean down and kiss her curly hair. She was so adorable with that milky-filled, sleepy look.

She yawned widely and began to doze off in my arms.

Tucking her against my chest, I looked up and caught Derek’s baffled gaze.

“What?” I asked a little defensively.

Derek held up a finger towards me. “Firstly, she’s like six weeks old. She doesn’t have a clue what ‘fuck’ means.”

“Derek,” I warned.

Ignoring me, he held up a second finger. “And secondly, I can’t figure out who has you whipped more, Lee, or Hope?”

The front door banged loudly, and I winced.

Thankfully, Hope was good with noise. She hardly stirred in my arms.

“Hey,” Cam said strolling into the kitchen, looking between Derek and me, before settling her attention on Hope.

“How did her checkup go?” she asked, making a beeline for my sleeping baby.

“Great, she’s perfect” I muttered
, standing up quickly and slipping past her to the door.

Derek beat me to the door, slipping out of the room quietly.

Cam couldn’t help herself, she’d wake Hope up for a kiss and a cuddle every time she visited, and Lee and I’d be left with a very cranky, overtired baby.

“I’m just about to put her down for the night.”

“Fine,” Cam huffed. “But you can’t hog her forever, Kyle.”

“Can’t I,” I muttered before leaving the room.

*****

Switching on the baby monitor in Lee’s room, I tucked Hope in, before pulling out the door, leaving it cracked slightly.

I couldn’t keep the grin off my face as I slipped inside the bathroom quietly.

The sight of Lee’s naked body
, all soaped up, caused my dick to harden so much it was painful.

“Is she okay?” Lee asked, sitting up in the tub, revealing those amazing breasts of hers.

“Fed, changed and sleeping like a baby,” I replied, pulling my shirt over my head as I walked over to her.

I watched her watch me.

Her nipples hardened. My cock twitched. I wanted her so bad. Needed to be in her, buried inside her warmth, so deep I’d never resurface.

My desire for this tiny
woman, was limitless.

She sucked me deeper with every breath she took.

“Is it time I repeated the question?” I asked, crouching next to the tub.

“Not yet,” she teased.

“You drive me fucking crazy,” I growled, dipping my hand under the water and running it up her thigh.

“Likewise,” she sighed, spreading her legs wide for me, signaling the green light I’d been waiting forever, for.

“I love you,” I whispered, brushing my fingers over the lips of her sex.

I watched her eyes flutter
closed; her head fell back against the tub.

“I love you more,” she breathed, as I slipped a finger inside her folds to touch her heat.

Her back arched, as I rubbed the pad of my thumb over her clit in a slow rhythmic circle, sliding in and out slowly.

I hoped like hell this was okay for her, because I was about to combust with need.

Her mouth fell open, a low moan of arousal escaped.

“Marry me,” I whispered, pr
essing my thumb harder against her tender bulb of nerves, slipping another finger inside her pussy.

I leaned over and took a hardened nipple into my mouth, teasing the puckered bud with my tongue, before rolling it between my teeth.

“Oh god. Yes, don’t stop,” Lee cried, bucking and clawing at my back as she tried to pull me into the tub with her.

Kneading one of her full breasts with one hand, I used my mouth on the other as my fingers pumped her hot little pussy.

She squirmed under my touch, pressing her hot pussy against the heel of my hand.

She was close, I could
feel it. The walls of her core clenched around my fingers as she thrashed her hips wildly.

I stopped moving before she could come and Lee cried out in frustration.

“Why’d you stop?” she asked breathlessly.

Leaning back on my heels, I stared into her lustful gray eyes.

“Marry me?” I asked again, my voice thick with emotion.

Lee sighed deeply, shaking her head.

Her chest was heaving, her arousal clear. “Is this your new plan? Finger fuck me into submission?” 

I raised my brows in surprise and smiled.

“Dirty words, princess,” I teased, leaning forward to place a kiss against the fluttering pulse in her neck. “If I wanted to fuck you into submission, I wouldn’t be using my fingers.”

****

Lee

I was coiled so tight
, I thought I’d explode if Kyle didn’t touch me.

I brushed my fingers over his cheek.

“I like your fingers,” I whispered, feeling bold.

Kyle groaned, and thrust his tongue into my mouth, tasting me.

I knotted my fingers in his hair pulling him closer, teasing his tongue with mine.