Page 44 of Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

“She was seven pounds, three ounces, has little sprigs of bright red hair, and she came into this world screaming up a storm according to the guys. They named her Tori Ashlynn Waters.”

“Aw, are we going to see her tomorrow?”

“In the morning if you’re okay with that?”

“Of course, I am. I can’t wait to hold her!” I squealed the last sentence. I might have loathed Amy and her antics that didn’t stop with her banishment from the clubhouse, but I couldn’t wait to get my hands on that tiny little baby.

I didn’t miss the funny look Tango was giving me when I started gushing about snuggling up to her and smelling that baby smell, and hearing her coo, and how I wanted to rock her and sing to her. Okay, so I may have caught a little baby fever, but I totally had it under control.

“Soon as the house is ready, babe!”

“What?” I asked, clueless.

“You, me, and a baby of our own.”

“Oh!”

“Yeah, oh!” He moved over so that he was standing directly in front of me and placed his hands on my flat tummy then moved them out further into the space that was between us. I can’t wait to be standing like this and touching that belly that holds our baby. You’re already gorgeous, that’s just going to ramp you up beyond perfection.”

“Well, hell, if you wanted into my pants, all you had to do was say so, T. I’m ready and willing, but you can keep the compliments coming anyway. I like them.”

“But do you like the sound of all of it?” There was a slight hesitation in his question, and I relieved it with a smile and my promise.

“I promise you, as soon as the house is ready, I’ll be ready too.”

~ Tango ~

The next day we went to the hospital to see the guys and their precious new daughter. They were in a special room reserved for mothers who had just given birth, but the mom was suspiciously absent from this one.

“Where’s Amy?” I asked the question right away, because if we were going to have any issues I wanted to know up front so I could get Liza out of there. She could see the baby another time when the guys took her home.

Whiskey hung his head, shaking it back and forth in disbelief. Fox was the one to speak up.

“She’s gone. Took off as soon as they’d release her this morning. The little one gets one more day in the hospital for observation and then she gets to come home with us.”

“Will Amy be heading there too, or did she decide to do it?”

“She did it, man.” That was from Whiskey. “I can’t believe she could look at this sweet little face and just walk away, but she did.”

“She signed, and everything?”

“Yeah, man, lawyer was here to tidy it up and everything.”

“Can I see her?” Liza asked Whiskey in almost a whisper.

“You can hold her,” he informed her as he stood from the chair he’d been occupying. “Wash your hands first, and no kissing on her face.”

Liza smiled at him then. “Aw, look at you already being the protective daddy. That’s adorable.” Liza washed up and then took the seat Whiskey had just vacated then she held her arms out waiting to take the baby from him. I watched in awe as my woman cradled the infant in her arms like it was the most natural thing in the world to do. Then she grabbed a tiny little baby bottle that Whiskey handed her and started feeding her.

“Looks like Tori might have a cousin sometime soon,” Fox teased. Fatherhood was already looking good on him. His grumpy demeanor had sloughed off as he helped Whiskey prepare for their impending child. We all saw it happen; like this light switched on behind his eyes and suddenly he knew what happiness was. Most people wouldn’t understand, because they already knew it wasn’t his biological child, but that didn’t matter to him. Tori was his daughter just as much as she was Whiskey’s.

“What?” I finally asked, because it had just dawned on me what my buddy had said.

“I saw the way you were just watching Liza with Tori. It won’t be long before she brings Tori’s cousin into the world.”

I chuckled lightly then. “You’re not wrong. I already told her as soon as the house is ready.”

Fox nodded.

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