Page 108 of Never Stop

CHAPTER TWENTY

Easton

When my marriage started to fail with Dana, I never thought I’d have more children. Hell, I was certain I would never marry again. Now, I was married—happier than I’d ever been—and talking about having another Peanut. I nicknamed Cheyenne after I saw the first ultrasound. Cheyenne was the size of a peanut, and so that was what I called her before I even found out she was a girl. Since Brooke and I were about to start trying for a brother or sister for Cheyenne, I needed to come up with another name.

As I drove to the gym after dropping off Cheyenne at school, I thought about new names:

Bean—No.

Bud—Um, no.

Buttercup—Possibly depending on if it were a girl.

I needed a boy’s nickname. I was determined to have a boy this time so I could carry on my last name and all that. Plus, someone to roughhouse with.

Lad—No. Who called their son lad?

Monkey—I could work with that name.

Tiger—We could name him Anthony and then I’d call him Tiger. Tony the Tiger. He’d be gr-r-reat!

I was losing my mind apparently. I hoped the nickname would come to me the moment Isawhim… or her for the first time just like it had when IsawCheyenne.

When I pulled into the parking lot at the gym, I was ready to start making a baby. Granted, part of it was because I was dying to fuck my wife without anything between us. It had only been a year of me going bareback, and not gonna lie, I was addicted. When I sank into her warm, wetness, I was in heaven. Full blown floating in the clouds and shit.

“Yo.” Avery tipped his head at me as he leaned against a locker. “Why am I always here before you?”

“Because I live with two women who take forever to get ready.”

“Is C.C. still not wanting to go to school because of that Tucker fucker? You know I can help.”

I chuckled at the name I’d given this kid. Avery was all about nicknames and ate that shit up when I told him. “First of all, pranking some punk isn’t going to do shit. And second of all, I don’t want to talk about it.” I threw my keys, wallet, and cell into an empty locker. I really hoped Brooke and I had a boy because all this female bullshit was going to put me in an early grave.

“I’m not planning on pranking an eleven-year-old kid.” I cut my eyes to him because he’d pranked ten-year-old girls not that long before. “Man, boys are different. They won’t care about stupid phone calls. I’m thinking meeting up with him on the playground.”

I laughed sarcastically. “You want to go to jail for hurting some kid?”

He clucked his tongue. “Nah, that’s not what I’m sayin’. I’ll just threaten him. You know, if he ever hurts her again then I’ll talk to his parents.”

“You don’t think I can handle it?” I shut the locker and glared at him. This wasmydaughter we were talking about.

He shook his head. “And that’s not what I’m saying either.”

We started to leave the locker room to head to the treadmills. “You’ll understand once you have one. You tryin’?” I desperately wanted to change the subject.

Avery frowned. “Nope, Nic’s still not ready.”

“I can understand that.” I stepped onto the empty treadmill and out of habit went to put my phone in the cup holder. During my conversation with this jackass, I’d left it in the locker. “Damn, I left my phone in the locker. Now I gotta talk to you while we work out like we’re chicks or something.”

“Fuck that. I have my phone and about to start my music.”

“Whatever. So, as I was saying, I can’t wait to start trying. You know how horny pregnant women are.”

“Nic never got to that point.”

I looked at him and then started to speed up the machine. “You’ll get there one day.”

“Yeah, except my girl was excited to have our kids grow up together. Like the ultimate dream or something. Now you have to go and spoil it.”