Blake, Abby - Keen Inclination [A Bride for Eight Brothers 4] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever) Read Online Free PDF

Earth, but the closer that time came, the more she seemed to withdraw into herself. Of course a vitamin D deficiency would probably exacerbate those emotions.
    Brock ran his hands down his face and made an obvious effort to try to pull himself together. “We’re booked on the next sky-pod to California. Hopefully spending time with Tracey will help.”
    Lachlan nodded and went to say something when the proximity alarm started howling again. “Damn, the raiders are getting bolder and far more stupid. This is the third group today. We’ve started wearing protective gear just so we don’t end up splattered in something unpleasant.” He gave that last word a whole lot more meaning just by the way he said it.
    Brock nodded, seeming in control once more and closed the connection. Lachlan had barely a moment to consider his brother’s uncharacteristic behavior as he headed to the communications room to gather his equipment and find out where the raiders had landed.

    * * * *

    It was probably really silly considering that Mikayla had eight husbands, but arriving at Tracey’s home made her feel like she finally had someone she could lean on for a little while. Her men were very supportive, but it felt awful to lean on them when it was her own fears causing the problem. It would seem, however, that the doctor’s theory was proving correct because the more time she spent in the sunshine the more she felt like herself.
    Tracey took one look at her and pulled Mikayla in for a hug. How she managed to get John and Brock to leave the room was a mystery, but leave they did. They hadn’t left Mikayla alone for a single moment since they’d boarded the cruiser back on the jungle planet. She understood what they were doing, and she was somewhat annoyed by it, but she wouldn’t give them grief for trying to help her.
    “What’s going on?” Tracey asked immediately.
    Mikayla tried to smile reassuringly, but when Tracey gave her a knowing look, she said, “Just working through some stuff in my head.”
    “Stuff?” Tracey asked. “What sort of stuff?”
    “I’m just being silly. Everything’s okay. I’m fine really.”
    “I know you,” Tracey said with a wag of her finger, “you’re not fine, and the last thing you would’ve done is lean on those husbands of yours, so explain to me what this stuff is about and we can work through it together.” Mikayla smiled slightly. Yes, Tracey did know her. She knew how Mikayla sometimes struggled to retain her sense of self when faced with eight very large men with personalities to match. She loved them dearly, desperately even, but it would be very easy to stop being herself and become the helpless, pathetic female she’d always despised. As much as she enjoyed their coddling, there had to be a limit.
    “So talk to me, Mikayla?” Tracey asked slowly as if she was measuring every word. “Is this about getting pregnant again?”
    Mikayla shrugged, trying to hide just how scared she felt. When she’d learned she was pregnant, she’d been so excited, but that high had dived to a new terrifying low when she’d miscarried. Time hadn’t made things less painful. In fact, the passage of time had just made the memories more powerful. She closed her eyes as if by admitting the truth without seeing anything it would somehow make it less damning.
    “I don’t think I can go through it again,” she said, nearly whispering. The tears leaked out of her closed eyes and Tracey made a sympathetic noise.
    “Do your husbands know how you feel?”
    Mikayla shook her head but added, “I think they suspect it, though.”
    “Good,” Tracey said, sounding for all the world like an avenging angel. “It’ll save me time if I don’t have to kick their asses. You need time to heal—emotionally as well as physically. Take a year or two off from planning a family. Just enjoy being married and forget about babies for a while.”
    Mikayla nodded, feeling a guilty relief that someone else shared