Page 60 of Viper

I move into the doorway, though no one in the room pays me any attention. King and Sage are standing facing each other, only a few inches apart, and clearly pissed at each other, while Stone is holding Syn close and murmuring to her. Syn looks nervous, but also relieved. The room is a mess of drywall being pulled off and on to the floor, wood from the floor being pulled up, and even some furniture disassembled. Before I can ask what’s going on, Sage says, “Of course I want to have your baby, but just not right now. We have a hell of a lot going on, and I’m going to be traveling a lot this year and I won’t leave a baby behind for that. So, yes, I want kids with you, King, but I want some time with us.”

“So why the hell are you pissed then?” King demands.

“Because I was scared, you idiot,” she snaps. “Scared that everything was going to change, or that you wouldn’t be excited and hate me for missing out on taking my birth control that one day and feeling trapped. We’ve never talked about having kids. And when Syn said she thought she was and took her test, and I realized I was a couple days late, I panicked. But the test was negative, and I finally started my period an hour ago, so I guess we’re in the clear.”

His anger dissipates and his face softens. He reaches out and hauls her in to him, “Goddess, I want as many babies as you are willing to have with me. Whether that’s now or in the future. But you never have to worry about you trapping me. I love you, and when you’re scared about shit, you need to come to me. Don’t freeze me out, because I can’t fix shit if I don’t know about it.”

My mouth drops open and I look over again at Stone and Syn, who are in their own little world. Well I guess that answers the question of why Syn hasn’t been feeling the best and why she’s so tired.

“Okay,” Sage says with a smile, laying her head on his chest.

“Uh, hate to interrupt,” I say with a grin, drawing all their attention. I move toward Syn and Stone, and even though Stone glares at me, I gently pull Syn into my arms and give her a gentle hug. “Congratulations, babe,” I say with a smile down at her, which makes her smile back. “Just make sure your kids know they can have their own toys and not the chew ones,” I tease, making her laugh.

“Give me back my woman, asshole,” Stone grumbles, pulling her out of my arms and back into his.

“But now the better question,” I say with a grin. “Who is going to tell Rose?”

They all freeze and look at each other. Then Syn laughs. “How about we wait until I can get to the doctor?” she asks with a pointed look at me.

I cross my fingers over my heart. “Your secret is safe with me.”

“Just think, there’s going to be a mini-Shadow, and a mini-Stone running around here soon enough,” Sage snickers.

We all grin, except Stone who rolls his eyes. Then he looks at King. “If I leave this for you, are you alright? I want to take Syn home. She needs the rest.”

“Oh God, it’s already starting,” Sage groans. “Before you go full neanderthal, just remember that pregnant women have worked and walked normally up until they give birth.”

Stone ignores her and looks at King and I. “I’ll stay to give a hand,” I assure him. “You two go home and relax. And I’ll cover for you if anyone asks where you went.”

“Thanks, brother,” Stone says gratefully. He and King exchange a quick hug, and then Sage hugs Syn tightly, murmuring something in her ear that makes Syn’s eyes water before she pulls away and nods. Then they’re heading out of the room and I grin at King, who grins back at me knowingly. There is no way in hell that they’re going to be able to keep it from Rose for long. Not to mention she’s going to lose her shit and probably shout the clubhouse down.

“Twenty bucks says Mom knows about it before morning,” King bets.

I chuckle. “I’ll take that bet and say at least tomorrow night.”

“You guys are idiots,” Sage groans. “Rose probably already knows and is waiting for the two of them to take their heads out of their asses and figure it out.”

That gives us both pause. “She has a point,” I agree. King nods.

“Of course I am. Look, I’m going to go and hang out in our room and get some editing done while I wait for you to finish in here.” She gives King a quick kiss, me a quick hug, and then she’s off.

Once she’s out of earshot I ask King, “You good, brother?”

King turns and heads back to where the bed was and kneels down. “Not going to lie, brother, I’m a bit worried Sage is starting to doubt us,” he finally admits.

That surprises me. “Really? The two of you never are far apart from each other, and the way she watches you, there’s no doubt she loves you, man.”

King sighs. “I know that in my head, but hearing her say she was panicked about having our own kid worries me.” He looks at me, and it’s been a long time since I’ve seen King look so unsure of himself.

I move over to where Stone was working on the drywall near the closet, and start hauling on it. “When it comes to relationships, you’re both always going to have doubts about something,” I finally tell him as I toss a chunk to the opposite side of the room onto the growing pile. I realize pretty quickly I need some gloves to take the insulation out. Thankfully, I find Stone’s lying on the floor and slip those on. They’re a bit tight, but they’ll do. “And sometimes, that shit is going to be big stuff, and other times it’s going to be something stupid that you were both worried over for nothing. Kids are a huge game changer in any relationship. You think Syn and Stone aren’t panicking right now? Hell, Stone will be back here tomorrow shitting his pants realizing he’s about to be responsible for another person for the rest of his life. And I’m sure Syn was never planning on having kids this early with him. Hell, they only really just got their shit together and now they have this to deal with? They’re going to either figure it out, or they’re going to let their own worry and panic let it all crumble.”

“Stone won’t allow that to happen.”

“I agree, but there are two people involved, and Syn’s not like Sage where she blurts everything out when she thinks it. She internalizes it, and that means she’s worrying on her own. But, I have no doubt Stone will do whatever it takes to make her realize he’s in this with her, no matter how scared she is. Just like you’re there for Sage. And Sage, she’s not Syn. Sage has a large career, as does Syn, but unlike Syn, hers takes her all over the place, and she’s probably not quite ready to give that up yet. I don’t think she doubts you, King. She probably is doubting herself and worrying you’re doubting her too.”

“Then she’s an idiot.” But there’s no heat behind his words. Then he groans and looks up at me. “And I’m being one too, aren’t I?”

“Yep.” I haul another chunk of insulation away, pull out my phone, turn on the flashlight for extra light, and look between the studs to see if there is anything hiding.

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