Page 31

Bones convinced me there was no reason to shut myself in the house, especially when we were safe on the compound. After yesterday’s nightmare run-in with Deon, I wanted to hide in the house. I had come home, cried myself to sleep, and then slept for the next twelve hours.

Bones was being a sweetheart. He let me relax and did everything he could to wait on me and make me feel better.

He ensured I ate and took my vitamins. There was no excuse to get around that.

I was plied with the water he insisted I drink.

He bribed me with tea and other things that I liked to drink to get me to consume the water.

I laughed and told him to wait until he had to do that with the girls when they got older.

He chuckled and said that it was a good thing I was giving him practice.

After spending the day in the house, he talked me into going to the clubhouse this evening.

We still had to share our good news, and it was killing us to keep it quiet.

He told me about last night’s all-male meeting while I was asleep.

And how they asked what the news was about.

Making sure I looked presentable, he and I made our way there around eight that evening.

Everyone should be there or close to it.

I was excited to share our news and then start shopping.

Now that I was almost twenty weeks pregnant, at the halfway point, I was growing more excited and nervous.

There was so much to do and get prepared for them.

That was true of one baby, let alone two.

Bones had presented his plan for the babies’ room to me.

I balked at first because it would require tearing up his house, but he said it wouldn’t be much work.

The room next to the owner’s bedroom was the laundry.

A bedroom was on the other side of the laundry, but you’d have to go through the family room and around to get to it.

However, his solution was to put a door in the toilet area of the master bath.

It would open into the full bath for the other bedroom, and then you could pass through it into the babies’ room.

We could keep the door open or close it when we needed.

When we no longer needed it as a nursery, it would be easy to cover it up and make it a wall again.

I knew we’d need privacy, and while the babies should be close and easily accessible, they didn’t have to be in the room with us. I was coming around to his idea. And with it, he was eager to paint and decorate after we got the door in.

Entering the common room, we were hit by a loud wave of voices.

There was talking, laughing, kids yelling, and a baby crying.

It was the best sound in the world. I wouldn’t give it up for anything.

It was Saturday night, so everyone, at one point or another, would likely be here.

As I scanned the area, it appeared that this might be all of them. I was doing an internal head count.

We were spotted, cheers erupted, and we were told to join this or that group.

Others told us to get a drink and relax.

Bones navigated us to an open table. As soon as I sat, the other women who had been scattered around the room converged and asked if they could join us.

Another table was pushed over to make a large rectangle, and they sat.

Some of the guys joined as well. Bones had gone to the bar to ask Soren for something to drink.

I’d made him stop wasting bottles of water.

I hated using so much plastic, so I began to carry a tumbler filled with water with me.

“We heard about what happened yesterday. We’re so sorry. How are you?” Eliana asked.

“I’m still shaken, but I can’t hide, and we wanted to see everyone and find out what you were up to,” I replied.

“We’re up to no good, you know that,” Pyro teased and winked.

“I believe you are. Tell me. Did anyone have anything fun or exciting they did today, or even ordinary work?”

We were talking about what everyone had been busy with.

Bones brought me a ginger ale. The brand they had didn’t have caffeine.

I swore he asked them to stock it. I thanked him with a kiss.

Bones sat next to me and listened to the conversation.

About twenty minutes later, a loud three-two whistle burst, bringing everyone’s attention to Agony. He was staring at Bones and me.

“I’ve held out as long as I can stand it. Damn it, you made us wait last night, Bones. Tell us what you two learned at the doctor’s office, or we’ll have to get rough,” he growled as he pretended to crack his knuckles. The adults chuckled.

“Daddy bear,” Zavian, his son, shouted, then growled. Agony made a realistic bear growl that sent Zavian, his twin sister Zoe, and the older kids into a laughing fit. It took a few minutes to settle them.

Bones smirked. “I don’t know. Should we tell them, Firefly? Or let it be a surprise?” he taunted.

“I would tell them, especially if you want help making that door into that room,” I reminded him.

“Damn, you’re right.”

“What door where?” Spartan asked.

Bones quickly explained his idea. It seemed the men thought it was perfect, and more than one volunteered to help with painting or whatever, but only if we told them what we had discovered. Bones took my hand and raised it to his mouth to kiss my knuckles. He gave me a loving look.

“This woman has cursed me. She has done the worst thing imaginable to me,” was how he started. I gasped and tried to pull back my hand, just to mess with him, but he hung tight.

“No, don’t say it,” Twisted shouted.

“It can’t be,” Cyclone muttered.

“I’m afraid it is. And I’ll need all the help I can get. We’re having daughters. This compound was already in trouble with the girls we have, but she had to hit me with two,” he grumbled.

There were hugs, congratulations, and all kinds of teasing.

Once that was through, I discussed the baby furniture I liked with the ladies.

Jessamy had asked if I knew how I wanted the nursery to look.

I told them I thought it would be fine until they were older to have them share a crib, but Bones said no.

They each deserved their own. And he’d shown me a round one that was so pretty and girly a week ago when he thought we might have one girl. Today, he said we’d get two.

They told me what they got that was nice but not necessary, like the changing table.

It was only convenient if you happened to be in the nursery.

Otherwise, you laid them down wherever and changed them.

Eventually, the talk turned to names. We were asked if we had any in mind, and I told them not yet.

While we were discussing baby names, Branson, Dare, and Joli’s son, who turned three about two weeks ago, came up to his mom.

Bran had been playing with his cars. He smiled at her, leaned down, kissed her belly, patted it, and said clearly, “Baby.” After he did, he walked away.

The room got quiet. All eyes were on Joli and Dare. Finally, Agony asked, “Is there something you two want to tell us, VP?”

Dare waited until Joli nodded before he answered. “Yeah, we do. We were waiting, not wanting to steal Bones and Blythe’s thunder. But our son has been watching and listening more than we realized. Yes, we’re having another baby.”

“Congratulations!”

“Oh my God, I knew it.”

Other responses followed, but all were happy and positive. I got up and hugged her like the other women. The question wasn’t asked until we settled.

“When is the baby due?” Natalya asked.

“I’m just over two months along, so March second,” Joli admitted.

We heard a groan, and it came from Nitro. He was rubbing his jaw.

“What’s wrong?” Dare asked.

“You know what this means? We’re turning into Dublin Falls and Hunters Creek. There have been six of you to fall, and the babies are coming left and right. That means give it a few years, and we’ll all be shackled and have kids,” he said.

“Let me guess, you don’t want someone special or kids,” I asked.

“Oh no, I don’t mind that, but it’s got me wondering when it’ll happen. I hate waiting for anything. And then I wonder what he or she will be like?”

“You want your head to spin, Nitro. What if you end up in a relationship like Tiger, Thorn, and Neriah?” Hazard asked.

“Shit, you’re right!” he groaned.

“Who are they?” I asked Bones.

“They’re from Dublin Falls. Tiger and Thorn were club brothers and best friends, but then we found out they were bisexual and were into each other.

They found a woman named Neriah and fell in love with her.

They have both of them together and with her.

Steel and Hammer have Regan, but the guys aren’t sexually involved with each other.

In the case of Bandit and Coyote, they’re together, and there’s no woman.

Their club kinda led the way to everyone being more open about their sexuality. Some were hiding it, like Nitro.”

“I think that’s wonderful. So many people are prejudiced or make life hard on people because they don’t live or love the way they do. If they’re all happy, consenting, and adults, I don’t care what they do,” I told him.

“Amen, same here,” Joli said.

As the night progressed, my spirits rose.

I was with my family. They’d accepted me from the start, and I’d felt nothing but welcome.

I had a man who loved me and would love my daughters.

My life was changing for the better. If only I didn’t have to worry about Deon destroying it.

Every time I thought of him, my happiness dimmed.

My gut kept hurting, and I waited for his next move. No way would he let it go.

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