Page 139 of Manny

He gives me a look. “Is that really happenin’?”

Men can be so clueless. “My lips are sealed.”

We stop by the florist and pick up flowers and a huge teddy bear. When we get to the hospital, of course, everyone is already there. I hug the girls. Every one of them is excited. Halo is fully showing now and soon it’ll be their turn. I can’t wait to be an aunty. Riot never really mentioned anything about kids until Halo came along. They’re good for each other.

Manny embraces me as I fold into his arms. “This is such good news.”

He kisses my hair. “So good.” He pulls back to look down at me. “You look tired. You sure that firm aren’t workin’ you too hard?”

“Thanks for saying I look tired.” I shake my head. “But yeah, it’s been busy. The firm likes me, though, and everyone has been really great. I think I’ll be happy there.”

He smiles. “Good.”

“Shouldn’t wear those pencil skirts around us,” I hear Bandit behind me. “A man could get ideas.”

“She’s so fuckin’ hot when she’s dressed for the office,” Manny agrees.

“You two behave,” I chastise. “We’re here for Priest and Bella.”

“Manny! Lace!” Eli comes running up, waving a stuffed hedgehog at us. “Look what I got for the baby!”

I cuddle him, kissing the top of his head as he shows us proudly. “That’s so cool, bud, I think he’s gonna love it.”

“Would I be allowed to hold him?”

“We’d have to see about that,” Bandit says. “Gotta remember he’s super small and only a few hours old.”

Bandit’s eyes meet mine, and I see the pain there. We’ve talked about this a lot; how Eli came into the world and how difficult that was for him. I know hospitals make him nervous, and I hate that. I pull him in for a hug, too.

“You okay?” I whisper.

He nods. “I’m fine.”

Eli walks the hedgehog up Manny’s chest and bops him in the face with it. Manny proceeds to take it off him and then chases him around the waiting room, getting disapproving looks from the staff as they go.

“He never really grew up,” I sigh.

Bandit puts an arm around my shoulder. “He probably never will.”

“Would we really want him to?”

He smirks. “Definitely not.”

“He’s so good with Eli.”

“So are you.”

I look up at him. “Do you want more kids?”

He swallows hard. “Maybe someday, I’d never keep that opportunity from you if it’s something you wanted.”

“How would that work? I bite my lip. “I mean, how would we know whose kid it is?”

He smiles. “Well, I’m sure some people find out. Others don’t because it doesn’t matter, but we can do either, when the time comes.” He pops a brow. “Is that time comin’?”

I give him wide eyes. “No!” I put a hand to my heart. “Uh, I mean, someday, but not anytime soon.”

Manny comes back out of breath as Eli takes off to play with some other unsuspecting biker in the waiting room. “He’s fast.”

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