Karma - Forbidden Hearts Series Book 3

1| Seeing Ghosts

"Rock, paper, scissors."

"Are you kidding me?" Ayden whined. "No. You're a cheater. It's your turn. You do it."

"Nope. Rock. Paper. Scissors."

Ayden let out a puff of air. "I saved your life."

"I hooked you up with my sister," I shot back even though the reminder grossed me out. I mean...she was my little sister.

"You both are children!" Lanie exclaimed as she walked in on our bickering. "I'll do it."

Ayden and I had been in the nursery arguing over who was going to change Little Nate. He was six months old now and I loved the little guy more than anything. But as cute as he was...sometimes he delivered the most toxic dumps that can make any soldier run away in fear.

Ayden stepped in front of Lanie, blocking her path. "Hey, Goddess. We got this under control."

She crossed her arms over her chest and looked from one of us to the other. "Oh, really?"

"Yes," we both answered at the same time.

It was a lie. I wanted more than anything to hand Little Nate over to Lanie and go lock myself in my room for awhile. But I would never hear the end of it from either of them.

"Fine," she said with a knowing smile. "I'll be in the kitchen then. Good luck, boys."

Yeah, she knew we were talking out of our asses. My sister was a fucking psychic. Ever since she fell in love and had this amazing child, her psychic-ness was back in full force. But I was grateful. I was so fucking grateful that she was happy. And alive. When she got into that car accident, it wrecked me. I felt the same way I did when I got the call about my parents dying.

When I first had the idea to set up Ayden and my sister, I was reluctant. I knew she would probably push him away, not just becasue he was my best friend, but becasue he was a soldier. I knew she was terrified of being with someone who had a greater risk of getting injured or killed. Since Ayden was in the special forces, he was more at risk than others. But it turned out my gut was right. They were meant to be together.

"So how should we do this?" Ayden asked, drawing my attention to the little bundle on the changing table.

"Tag team?"

Ayden nodded. "I'll dismantle the bomb, you go in and do the cleaning."

"Deal."

Ayden made quick work of getting everything we needed ready and within our reach. He grabbed a diaper, wipes, and cream to help with diaper rash. We both too a deep breath when Ayden opened the diaper. Even that wasn't enough.

"God, how does that come out of him?" I groaned.

Ayden quickly threw the old diaper away and I cleaned up Little Nate and applied the cream. Two minutes later...he was good as new. I looked down at him and smiled. I playfully tickled his belly and he cackled in the most adorable way.

He was absolutely perfect. He looked just like his father and had Lanie's eyes. We were all terrified when he was born premature. I stayed at the hospital almost ever day while he was there. Lanie got discharged first after she recovered. Of course, she refused to go home herself. It was no surprise. Lanie wasn't the type of mother to go home with her son in the hospital. And Ayden wasn't the type of father to do that, either.

I made runs back and forth from our house to the hospital. I got them clothes, food, and anything else they asked for. It was a rough few months, to say the least. Little Nate had a few close calls. He had a lung collapse during his time in the NICU and we almost lost him. Now, he was happy and healthy.