Page 25 of Stripping Keys (Devil’s Riot MC Tennessee #6)

MARLA

TWO YEARS LATER . . .

“That’s it, baby, you got this,” Keys says, brushing hair out of my face.

“Shut up before I kill you,” I snap, squeezing the hand in mine tighter and pushing.

“I told you that she wasn’t going to be happy not to have the epidural,” Marley says from my other side. “She doesn’t do pain well.”

“Oh shut up,” I tell her and squeeze her hand as well.

The two of them were helping me through this, and no one else. Well, except for the doctor between my legs.

“Come on, Marla, with this next contraction, I want you to push as hard as you can, your baby is almost here,” the doctor says calmly.

On the next contraction, I do as she says. It hurts. Sweat coated my face, mixing with the tears from the pain. Marley was right, I don’t do well with pain. But I didn’t want to have the epidural. I wanted to do this naturally.

I wanted to change my mind, but I made Keys swear to me he wouldn’t let me. Dumb move on my part.

Moments later, the nurse places a little baby on my chest. “Congratulations, you have little . . .”

Another contraction hits me, and I feel the need to push all over again.

“Oh my, looks like we have a surprise in here,” the doctor says. “Sorry, Marla, but gonna need you to push again.”

The nurse takes the baby from my chest, and Marley lets my hand go to follow her while Keys and the doctor coach me through pushing through the contraction.

“That’s it, baby, you got this,” Keys says, kissing the top of my head.

Relief fills me when the room is filled with the sounds of baby cries. Both babies.

“Congratulations, Marla, you have twin boys.”

Twins.

Boys.

I’d gone through my whole pregnancy thinking I’d have just one baby, instead, there were two.

After the doctor finishes with me, she leaves the room.

I look up at Keys to see him beaming down at me.

“You’re fuckin’ perfect, baby, you know that?” Keys murmurs and leans down to kiss me.

In the past two years, we’d gotten married and moved into a house close to Nines. Since Keys found out they were blood brothers, they’ve gotten even closer and wanted to live near each other.

I decided when I found out I was pregnant to stop working for Calyx, he understood and was proud of me for the decision. That didn’t mean I didn’t help out from time to time in the research department, but my main focus was going to be my family.

Now, Keys and I had two little boys instead of just the one. I didn’t think to ask how it was possible. It didn’t matter. I was just grateful to have them both safe and sound.

The nurse and Marley brought both babies to us. Keys takes the one from my sister, and I take the one from the nurse.Looking down, I fell instantly for a child I knew I loved.

“You never told us what you were naming him, or well, now them.” Marley laughs quietly, eyes going between both babies.

“We had two names picked,” I tell Keys, “We could just use both.”

“Works for me,” he agrees and looks at Marley. “Their names are Brick and Michael.”

Keys and I had chosen names for our families.

We just couldn’t pick which name would be first or middle.

Now, we get to use both. Brick was Nines’s real name.

He named his son Brock after Baller, their dad.

So, Keys wanted to give our son his uncle’s name.

I wanted him to have that, but I’d also wanted to use my dad’s name.

We just needed to figure out which would be Michael and which would be Brick.

Marley excused herself, leaving us with our sons.

Our sons.

Our little family.

To think if we hadn’t shoved the past away, neither of us would have what we have now. And we have a whole lifetime ahead of us.