Total pages in book: 173
Estimated words: 174632 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 873(@200wpm)___ 699(@250wpm)___ 582(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 174632 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 873(@200wpm)___ 699(@250wpm)___ 582(@300wpm)
Not when all they wanted was to watch over Maggie. Fuss over her.
Jack was carrying something in his arms. A large blanket.
“Baby. Hey.” Jack crouched next to the chair where she sat. She turned slowly toward him. As though it hurt to move.
Ian clenched his hands into fists so he didn’t yell at her.
That isn’t helping anything, asshole.
“This is a heated blanket. I’m going to put it around you. Can you stand for me?”
“I don’t want to go home.”
“No one is making you go home.”
Ian let out a pained noise and Jack sent him a look.
“Not yet,” Jack added. “All right?”
As she stood, she seemed to stumble and looked like she would fall. Jack grabbed her, holding her against him.
“Always falling for me.” He grinned down at her.
To Ian’s surprise, she smiled back. The tension eased out of his shoulders. Moving to her, he helped hold her steady as Jack wrapped the blanket around her.
“Ian, sit in the big recliner,” Jack directed.
Ian moved to the big leather seat in the corner of the room. Jack picked Maggie up.
She made a noise of protest, trying to wiggle out of his arms.
“No.”
That was all Jack said, but Maggie stopped immediately. Ian guessed she wasn’t used to seeing Jack’s Dominant side. It was there. He just didn’t show it to many people.
“That’s my baby girl,” Jack murmured. He carried her over to Ian and placed her in his lap.
“What are you doing? I want to sit by Uncle Willy in case he wakes up again.”
He’d woken up twice since Ian and Maggie had entered his room. But each time, he’d only said a few words before falling asleep again.
Ian was worried about that. Nurses were constantly in and out checking on him. But was it normal for him to sleep this much?
Jack crouched in front of her. “If you want to stay here, then you need to rest. You’re no good to anyone, especially your uncle, if you get sick from lack of sleep. So your choice is to cuddle on Ian’s lap and have a nap or to go home and sleep in your bed.”
“What happened to easygoing Jack?” she asked.
“When it comes to your health and safety, he becomes less easygoing and more demanding.”
“Have you been taking lessons from Ian?”
“Nope. This is all me, baby. Now, a nap here or at home?”
“Here.”
“Good. Close your eyes and snuggle in.”
Ian was grateful that Jack was letting him hold her. Already, he could feel his stress levels dropping. The other man stepped back and took the seat closest to William.
“Ian?” she whispered.
“Yes, Little girl?”
“I needs Ziggy. He’s in my handbag.” She buried her face into his chest after telling him that.
Ian ran his hand up and down her back soothingly. She didn’t have to be embarrassed about her needs around him. Or around Jack.
“Jack, can you get her handbag?”
“Sure.” Jack grabbed her handbag and brought it over. “Does she need some painkillers or something? Does she have a headache?”
“She wants her toy zebra.”
“Ian!”
“You don’t need to be embarrassed. Jack doesn’t care if you sleep with a stuffie, do you, Jack?”
“Nope. I think it’s cute.” Jack winked at her with a smile and Ian felt her relax against him.
He sent Jack a grateful look. The other man shrugged as she pulled Ziggy from her handbag. Then she turned into him, holding Ziggy. Glancing down at her, he saw that she’d slid her thumb into her mouth. He pulled the blanket slightly higher to shield her in case someone came in.
Not that anyone in this hospital would ever say something to her about sleeping with a toy or sucking her thumb.
Not if they wanted to keep their jobs anyway.
As she fell asleep in his arms, satisfaction filled him.
This felt so right.
Like she was meant to be his.
He glanced over at Jack, who nodded at him.
Theirs.
He nodded back. Not the moment to tell her. And they needed to talk to Jameson first and sort things out. But Ian wanted her. So did Jack.
If Jameson didn’t . . . well, maybe it was time to think about finally moving on from his dream of where the three of them shared the same woman.
22
Maggie woke up feeling warm and disorientated.
Why had she fallen asleep sitting up? And why did she feel so safe? So cozy?
She shifted her head, looking around. Tension filled her. Where was she?
“You’re all right, Little girl,” Ian told her. “You’re safe. You’re at the hospital. Remember? William fell down the stairs.”
She gasped, sitting up straighter and pushing at the blanket.
“Easy,” Ian soothed, pulling the blanket off. “Everything is all right.”
“Uncle Willy?” She glanced over at the man still asleep on the bed. Why wasn’t he waking up? “How long was I asleep?”
She shouldn’t have fallen asleep at all. What had she been thinking? What if he’d woken up needing her?