Inferno Part 2

~163~ Are We Safe?

Taylor's POV

All of the men get our families settled in their hotel rooms, and then we all have a meeting.

"I'm going back. If Alex knows what's good for him, he will wait for me to get there."

"I want to go too," Liam says.

"Take it up with your dad," I say. I'm not getting in the middle of that.

"I'm going, Taylor. Let's go," he says darkly.

I sigh. He can be as stubborn as Ellie when he wants to be.

"Can you guys check on Ellie in a bit?"

They all nod.

Liam and I leave, and I'm seriously upset.

"I wonder how long those bugs have been there," I finally say.

I feel sick to my stomach.

Liam shakes his head. "I don't know."

"Man she heard some crazy stuff." I say, chuckling at the thought of her listening to us having sex. We can get pretty crazy. I'm sure the kids have all heard us at one point too.

Liam doesn't say anything.

"What's wrong, kid?"

He sighs and shakes his head.

"Come on. Talk to me."

"Depending on when those bugs were put in, she now knows some pretty heavy stuff. Stuff we haven't been able to tell you guys yet."

"Like what, buddy?"

He sniffs and shakes his head. "I can't even bring myself to say it right now, Taylor."

I pull over and stop the car. Then I look at him.

"What are you carrying, son?" I ask softly.

He looks at me, and immediately starts sobbing.

"We know the gender of the babies," he cries.

"That doesn't sound heavy," I say softly.

He shakes his head. "That's not the problem. They think one of them is going to be born with a heart defect," he sobs.

My own heart is feeling like it's getting torn out of my chest. I pull him into me and let him sob.

When he finally pulls away, he looks tortured.

"I didn't want two babies, Taylor. This is all my fault."

"Not your fault," I say, pulling him into another hug.

He sniffs and wipes his eyes. "Identical twin girls. Baby A is perfect. Baby B has something wrong with her valves."

I sit there and hold his hands. "She has you and your mother's blood running through her veins. That makes her strong."

"I'm not strong. I've never been strong," he says, looking out the window and crying again.

"You were a single dad for years. You flew across the country to claim a girl you didn't even know. That takes strength."

"You became a firefighter, and you run into burning buildings all the time to save strangers. That takes strength."

"You are a loyal, good husband. A good friend. A good son. A good dad. You are kind. You are forgiving. That takes strength."

"I'm not strong enough for this. Not for this."

"Then you have us to lean on."

He just nods and wipes his eyes. "Taylor?"