“Moose, you could never hurt the baby, never. Look at the information that Wilson gave you. We’ll be fine. There are ways. I’m going to put one of those ways to use. I’ll be on our bed with a pillow below my pelvis, waiting for you to satisfy me. If you don’t, I’ll be forced to do it myself.”
“God,” he growled. “When did you get so demanding with sex?”
“When you filled me with your man-child,” she grinned. “Read all that information that Wilson gave you. You’ll discover that pregnant women often have an insatiable appetite for sex.”
It was the fastest orgasm Moose had ever given or received. He was worried about Jennifer asleep in the living room. He was worried about his son in Erica’s belly. And more than anything, he was worried about his wife. But damn him to hell, he couldn’t refuse her, and he didn’t want to. Her body did things to him that he’d only dreamed of. He would never be able to say no to this woman.
By the time they showered and dressed, it was close to dinner time. Moose lay on the floor, gently waking Jennifer from her nap. The minute she saw his face, she smiled, hugging her DaDa. It was his favorite time of the day. When she would wake from the night or from a nap and reach for him, hugging him, calling him DaDa.
The noise of the cafeteria always made Jennifer more excited. All her favorite ‘uncles’ were in the room. Now toddling at a faster clip, she would walk a few steps, fall, get back up, and head straight toward Rory, Noah, Max, or Titus. She seemed to enjoy the height of the other men, perhaps because she enjoyed Moose’s height.
They would lift her, toss her into the air a time or two, then pass her to the next man. Even the younger kids seemed drawn to her magical smile. Pierre, Hayes, Mattie, Victoria, all of them. They just loved the newest member of their family.
“Any word from Ece?” Moose asked Hiro.
“Nothing yet, brother. But we know that she’s in the city.”
“How do you know that?” frowned Erica.
“Oh, uh, well, we have a lot of interesting technology that’s been developed here. Most of it from G.R.I.P., our research and development firm out on one of the islands.” Erica continued to stare at Hiro, and he squirmed a bit. Hearing Moose chuckle, he knew it was okay to reveal some of the information to her.
“We’ve developed technologies that can tap into most telephones, computers, security cameras, just about anything remotely.”
“You don’t have to be near it or touch it?” she asked.
“No. Absolutely not. A few months back, we adopted a number of children that had been taken and used because of their advanced intellect,” said Hiro. “Victoria, Hayes, Nigel, Spencer, Brady, Marilisa, and Monroe all have IQs that are much higher than the average person’s. They have no families, no one that wanted to take them in. We were concerned about putting them in the system or with someone who might use them again.
“So, members of our own family adopted them. Brady was adopted by Noa and Kelsey; Marilisa is now with Trev and Ashley; Nigel and Spencer insisted that they are brothers, so they were adopted by Fitz and Zoe; Monroe was adopted by Jax and Ellie; Victoria was adopted by Mo & Ophelia; and Hayes was adopted by Scout and Hoot. Victoria and Hayes are older and would have probably aged out of the system, but we felt like they needed us.”
“That’s remarkable,” she smiled. “So, do the children work here?”
“No. Absolutely not,” said Hiro. “They attend school, participate in anything they like, music, art, sports, anything, and in their spare time they can help at G.R.I.P., but only if they want to. The older kids are taking college courses virtually, sometimes live.”
“That must be terrifying for them,” said Erica.
“It was, initially. Then, the parents all worked out a schedule where they would accompany the kids to their classes. Problem solved.”
“When Jennifer is old enough to attend school, will she do that here?” asked Erica. Moose nodded.
“We have a private elementary school here on-property. When the kids are older, we send them to a private school outside the grounds that’s open to all kids in the area. The school is owned and operated by Matthew and Irene. Teachers are interviewed, vetted, and screened by us. We have so many kids here at any given time, we can practically fill a school,” said Moose.
“It’s how I grew up,” smiled Patrick. “What’s up, Moose?”
“Not much, man,” grinned the big man.
“As you know, I’m a triplet,” said Patrick. “Christopher, Sadie, and I went to school here on the property, then to the private school. All our friends did as well. It was like having instant friendships and family on your first day of school. Not a lot of kids get that.”
“No, they don’t,” frowned Erica. “I didn’t. I went to a school of my father’s selection when in North Korea, except for the musical education I received. That was all my mother and, now I suspect, my grandfather.”
“Well, our little Jennifer and the little man, Bear, will get a choice,” said Moose. “Not for elementary school, but they can choose whatever college, university, or branch of the military they desire.”
“Even Jennifer,” smirked Erica. “I mean, what if she wants to be a Marine?”
“A Marine?” frowned Moose. “Come on, a Marine?”
“Careful, big man,” growled Rory. “I like your kid, but you I can get rid of.”
The table laughed, light-hearted and feeling comfortable with the banter. For Erica, she realized just how far she’d come these last few months. Recognizing what her father had done in forcing her to be with a man she didn’t love, having his child, extricating herself from his life, then the death of her father was a lot. But to be kept safe by Moose, falling in love with the man was almost too much to even dream.