Page 37 of Interception

“Can we just wait on the girls? I’m too tired to spin you a line right now, and I’m worried about my girlfriend. Is there any world in which I can go and check on her without your wife tearing me a new one? She can be pretty scary when she’s being protective of Zee.”

“Yep, she’s a little spitfire. I’d leave them to it, they’ll come out when they’re ready. In the meantime, you can fill me in on what’s going on with the Titans.”

“Not much to tell, bro. Everyone is just doing their thing. The new guys are settling in. Yada, yada, yada.”

“You don’t sound too enthused.”

“To be honest, I’m not. It’s not the same since you quit on me.”

Hunter rubs his eyes, exaggerating every movement. “Boo-fucking-hoo. You miss me? When did you have your vagina installed?”

“Fuck off. You know exactly what I’m talking about. The Titans have had their golden era. We were it. There’s just not the same kind of vibe and thirst for the win. Plus, you always made me feel like a fetus, old man river. Now I’m one of the oldest on the team. That shouldn’t be a thing… feeling old at twenty-nine.”

He rubs his thumb and forefinger together. “Do you hear that? It’s the world’s smallest violin playing for you. You do realize that you’re complaining about being in your twenties, injury-free, on a multimillion-dollar contract. Wise up and enjoy the ride because pretty soon, it’ll be over. A distant memory.”

“Do you miss it?”

“I used to before I met Faith. She has a very distinct way of… diverting my attention to other things.”

“She’s a chaos magnet.”

He lets out a little chuckle. “She sure is. How are things with you and Zee? She still trying to ditch you in public? That’s got to put a dent in that massive ego of yours.”

“You don’t know the half of it. I swear I need therapy after being rejected so many times. I’m not exactly used to it. I mean, look at my face. I’m pretty fucking handsome.”

“And truly humble,” he jibes.

“Bite me, Vaughn.”

Faith reappears with Zee following close behind. She shoots me a quick glance, and I know straight off the bat that she’s struggling. If she were a cartoon, she’d be green right now.

“Are you sure it’s food poisoning, Zee? If you have the plague, and we all get sick, I’m going to be pissed.”

“Trust me, Faith, you’re not going to catch anything from me. I’m certain of that.” I stand and pull the chair out for Zee to sit down. She seems so fragile at the moment, and all I want to do is make it better for her.

Hunter is quick to cut to the chase. “So you invited us over for dinner when Zee is feeling sick from ‘food poisoning.’ What’s going on, guys?”

I look to Zee. She said she wanted to be the one to tell Faith, so I guess we’re not getting to eat dinner before this goes down. “Do you want me to tell them?”

Faith looks worried. “Okay, what the hell is going on? You’re freaking me out now.”

“I’ll tell them,” Zee says with a reassuring squeeze of my thigh under the table. “I’m up the duff with this guy’s spawn.”

“You really touch my heart with your heartfelt words, Zee. How could I not want to father your babies?”

Faith jumps up from the table, sending a full plate of chicken chow mein flying into the air. “Oh my God!” I don’t know if she’s happy or horrified. “You’re pregnant? Are you kidding?”

“Nope.”

“How? When? I mean… I know how. Holy crap. This is huge, Zee.”

“Oh, and there’s something else. It’s twins.” My girl really knows how to drop a bomb. I slip my hand into my back pocket and pull out the scan picture.

Faith and Hunter’s jaws literally drop at the sight of our tiny offspring. Faith grabs the picture and examines it closely. “I don’t see babies. These look like potatoes. We’re having potatoes?”

“Yep. Two little Danford potatoes.”

“I think you meant to say Porter potatoes. Has a better ring to it.” Zee chuckles at her alliteration, but it causes my heart to drop into my stomach. I want my kids to have my name. I want Zee to have my name.

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