Page 58 of The Knockout

Leo

Yeah. You’re gonna have to share Henny, Evie.

Gracie

Ummm . . . Hello . . . We've got dibs on Henny.

Hendrix

Why are you on this text chain?

Everly

Damnit. Dinner was supposed to be a surprise.

Nixon

Might not want to text the group chat with her in it next time.

Everly

Fuck off. You have no clue what baby brain does to a person.

Leo

What?

Hendrix

Holy Shit!

Gracie

OMG!

Nixon

Dad’s gonna lose his shit.

My twin sister is having a baby . . .

Wow.

Kerrigan and Jaxon are Cross’s kids from a previous relationship, but as far as anyone is concerned, Everly is their mother. She adopted them once they were married. I never got to hold either of them when they were born.

I’m missing it all.

Ares

“God of war,” Everly calls out from where’s she’s sitting on the porch swing on their back porch.

I pop my head through the open glass doors and laugh when I see the same book in her hands that Gracie had on the plane this morning. Jesus. Was that only this morning? Jet lag is a bitch when you’re going backward. London is five hours ahead of us. So even though it’s eight o’clock our time, my body thinks it’s midnight, and it’s been up and going since stupid early o’clock.

“Did Cross tell you we’re doing dinner soon?”

“Yeah. Is your whole family coming?” There’s a fuck-ton of them.

“No. Just my brothers and Gracie and you and Bellamy... I think Caitlin was going to hang with Maddox, Callen, Brynn, and her brother tonight.” She sips a sweet tea and frowns.