Page 18 of Crazy In Love (Love & War #2)

FOX

“You doing okay?” I glance across in the dark, but for the streetlamps above, as Chris pulls his truck off the road and into the hospital parking lot. We hit potholes and bounce, the squeak of the truck’s chassis the only sound we hear besides Franky’s mouth-breathing.

He’s nervous as hell, clutching the cute pink teddy he picked out for his sister with shaking hands and eyes that swing in every direction at once.

I know he’s anxious. That much is expected.

But Chris… well, while I fully expected a mental breakdown due to his routine being tossed out the door and different is in, he merely presents as cool and collected. He’s relaxed, if not a little eager and fidgety.

He grabs the keys from the ignition, fists them in his hand, and meets my eyes. Then his lips curl up, and his gaze drops to the hoodie he tossed in my face not ten minutes ago.

It’s wildly too big, and comfortable as hell, but best of all, the fabric on the inside is neither pilly, nor cheap. This is a nice hoodie. Quality threads and an expensive finish. Which seems almost counterintuitive, considering it’s a Love & War gym-branded hoodie.

Surely, there was a cheaper option for them to offer their customers.

“I’m doing okay,” he murmurs over the top of Franky’s head. “Kinda excited to meet the baby. Do you know her name?”

“The baby’s? No.”

“Tommy and Alana said they picked it out ages ago, but they’re keeping it a secret. ”

Together, we peer down at Franky.

He only shakes his head. “I don’t know it either. She’s just ‘ the baby ’. Do you think she’ll like the teddy I got her?” He lifts the stuffy, thoughtfully staring at its little black-thread eyes. “It’s kinda dumb, don’t you think?”

“No, honey. I think it’s wonderful.” Carefully, I take it in my hands and brush the silky fur back.

It’s softer than a brand-new baby’s peach fuzz hair.

And since I get the feeling Franky isn’t moving until I do, I turn and push my door open.

I slide onto the blacktop and tuck a fraction of the bottom of Tommy’s hoodie into the top of my shorts.

If I don’t, people will think I forgot my pants.

“I think this bear is the greatest, most special gift your baby sister will ever receive.” I lean back into the truck and take Franky’s shaking hand in mine, gently tugging him my way, while on the other side, Chris opens his door and climbs out with a frown.

“She’ll cherish it. I just know it. Not only because it was given to her the day she was born, but because it came from you . ”

“Maybe she won’t even like it.” Dropping to his feet and closing the door, he takes the teddy again and stares down at it. “Maybe she’d prefer a different bear.”

“Or maybe she’ll be as obsessed with you as you already are with her?” I slip my fingers into his hair and tug him in until his shoulder tucks beneath mine and his cheek rests against the top of my ribcage. “When she’s the age you are now, you’ll be all grown up. Doesn’t that sound crazy?”

“Maybe she’ll think I’m too old to hang out with.”

“Or maybe you get the best of both worlds because you’re old enough that you get to help your mom raise her.

You get to feed the baby if you want to and hold her while she sleeps.

Regular brothers and sisters are usually younger when they get a new baby in the family, so they’re not big enough to help.

You’re lucky because you’re old enough to remember the early days but young enough that you get to play with her, too.

And when she’s two or three years old, running around and getting into all sorts of things, she’ll look for her Franky first. Even before she looks for your mom or Tommy. ”

While Chris walks ahead of us, leading the way with his hands in his pockets and his shoulders bowed forward, Franky peeks up, sliding his glasses along his nose. “You think so?”

“I know so. Honestly, there’ll probably come a point when you think she’s a bit annoying, so try to remember this moment right now, where you’re excited to meet her and kinda nervous, too. Later, when you’re cranky because she’s noisy or messy or whatever, remember how much you love her.”

“This way.” Chris strides through the hospital’s front doors and grabs the loose-fitting sleeve of my hoodie, drawing me and Franky around a corner. “We don’t really have a maternity ward.”

“There’s no oncology ward. Or any kind of ward,” Franky adds. “There’s just a ward, since our hospital isn’t very big.”

“That means everyone gets to hang out together.” Silver linings and all that. “Separation is fun for no one.”

“Unless you have meningitis,” he quips. “Then you should be separated away from the babies.”

“Right.” I massage the back of his head, right where his skull meets his spinal column, and follow Chris around another corner and through a password-protected set of doors—not sure how he got the password.

“She’s going to love her gift, honey. As long as you give it to her with love, she’ll feel that love for the rest of her life. That’s the true gift, don’t you think?”

“So I could’ve given her a bottle cap? If I gave it to her with love and all that…”

“Sure. But a bottle cap is a choking hazard, so I’m glad you chose the bear.” Snickering, I make a silly face and hope it helps the kid whose entire body trembles. But then Chris grabs my sleeve again, drawing my eyes up and dragging us to a stop.

Then he lifts his chin. “Next room along,” he whispers. “They’re in there.”

“Why are you whispering?” I tease, whispering . “Don’t tell me you’re getting cold feet now.”

“No, I—” He gnashes his teeth. “Of course not. I figured you’d?—”

“Take over and steal your thunder?” I set my hand on his hip and gently nudge him forward, forcing him to move one step, then another.

He and Franky are too alike, too excited and yet, horrifyingly nervous to meet their newest family member.

So we become a chain of humans, where I push one and pull the other, and I’m just the idiot stuck in the middle.

“She won’t bite.” I keep my voice low, since the other rooms beep and hum with life, too.

“I mean, she won’t bite yet . Not until she’s about a year old and getting her new teeth. ”

Stunned, Chris whips his head back. “What?”

“You’ll be fine. It’s Alana and her boobs that need to worry.” I hook my hand around the back of Franky’s neck and dig my thumbnail into Chris’s hip—tactical encouragement—and moving them along the all but silent hallway, I work on slowing my pounding heart. My cartwheeling organs .

I don’t have the luxury of freaking out.

I bring them all the way to Alana’s door, holding on when I know they want to turn and run. But I feel the tension drain from their bodies. Rigid muscles, softening in the very same moment Alana sits up in her bed and looks this way.

Messy hair, rosy cheeks, and a hospital gown that falls from her shoulder.

She’s never been so beautiful.

“Hiii.” Her lips quiver and her eyes glitter with happy tears. The bright blue orbs latched onto her sweet Franky and the bear he clasps between his hands. “Oh my gosh, honey. It’s so good to see you.”

“Are you okay?” He steps into the room, ignoring Tommy while he holds his bundled baby to his chest. The new dad stares down at her face, smiling and smitten, but when Franky stumbles on his way in, Tommy still manages to catch him.

It’s a silent exchange, a hand on the boy’s shoulder until he’s steady, a wink when their eyes meet, then Franky releases a hiccupped breath and runs the rest of the way, pressing his face to Alana’s chest and hiding the tears that sparkle against his cheeks. “Are you hurt?”

“I’m okay, honey.” She shifts to the side and makes room for her first baby to climb up, so when he does exactly that, she wraps him in her arms and kisses his temple. His cheek. His head. “Everything is okay, I promise.”

“We named her Hazel.” Tommy’s eyes come up to mine. Then Chris’s. Then, strolling across the room, he stops in front of us both and lowers his arms to reveal the sweetest, chubbiest, most beautiful baby girl that ever lived.

Damn if his hazel eyes don’t glow with pride. “Alana insisted,” he rasps. “She figures me, Chris, and Franky, being men, got the green eyes. So since she has blue, and the baby, being a girl, might also get blue?—”

“She wanted to honor you with the name.” I move onto my toes, all so I can get a better view of the beautiful girl. “I think Hazel is an amazing name. It totally suits her.”

“Hazel Fox Watkins.”

Oxygen stops in my throat, collapsing my lungs until I’m not sure they’ll ever expand again. My stomach swirls, and my heart kicks painfully inside my chest, but I swing my eyes up and stop on his beaming smile.

“What?”

“Hazel Fox.” He kisses her chubby cheek.

“We wanted to honor you, too. Of all the women on the planet and all the allies Alana could’ve met when she needed one the most, she met a strong, confident, independent woman who loves without reservation and gives her heart to those who deserve it.

You’re kind…” But then he pauses and chuckles, “except to my brother.”

“I’m not unkind to him! I’m just…” Frantic, I search for the right word. “It’s a growth exercise.”

“You’re gracious,” he continues. “You’re silly and fun and smart. You’re all of the things I wish for my baby, so when Alana wanted to honor me and Franky and Chris with the first name and to honor you with the second, I couldn’t see a single reason to say no.”