Page 327 of Second Sets Omnibus
“Does this mean it’s time, Pretty Girl?” Rad leans over, excitement displayed on his face. “Is my baby having a baby? Alert the presses! Grab the bags! Load the fucking car! We’re having a damn baby!” Rad shouts, jumping to his feet and pulling at his hair. “What do we do first? Holy shit, why aren’t you guys moving?” he shouts, turning in circles and staring at everyone.
Kieran snorts, taking another bite of his food. “How long have the contractions been happening, River Blue?”
Well, hell. He sends me a scathing look like he’s peeled back my flesh and knows everything.
“Seriously, Little Brat?” Asher grunts, shaking his head.
“Look at her face.” Kieran clicks his tongue, getting to his feet unhurriedly.
Remind me why I got into a relationship with four men. Oh, right. The amazing dick downs. But now isn’t the time to think about that.
“Know it all,” I grunt, shoving another bite of food in my mouth. If I’m full of food, then their bossy asses can’t demand shit out of me.
“Answer the question,” Asher demands with a mean ass look. I swear to God, one day, he’s going to choke me so hard I pass out. On second thought….
I chew slowly despite four sets of eyes staring daggers into me. “Lyric took hours despite being two weeks late. I swear it was two days of labor.”
Maybe that’s an exaggeration, but it felt like forever. And I did it mostly on my own. Ode was there by my side through the entire thing. My brothers, too. Hell, Booker even closed Dead End so he could be by the phone to hear the news of Lyric’s arrival. I offered to fly him out with Odette and Korrin, but he refused—always such a hard worker and a worry wart, too. So, I wasn’t alone when Lyric was born. I had my support system. It just wasn’t the support system I was craving. And that’s not to say I wasn’t grateful for everyone else being there.
But the heart wants what the heart wants, despite the circumstances and betrayals.
“So, all day, huh?” Kieran clicks his tongue at me again and sighs. “All right, boys. Looks like we need to get a fucking move on.” he stands, collecting plates—including mine.
“I wasn't done, assface!” I protest, watching as my plate disappears into the kitchen and is placed in the sink. Fuck me. I knew this would happen. The moment these contractions got terrible, I knew they’d steal my precious food away from me. “This will take forever. I need the food as fuel,” I whine, puffing out my bottom lip.
“Quite whining,” Asher grumbles, getting to his feet. “You're about to push out a human being. The books say you shouldn't eat.”
“The books are a fucking lie,” I hiss, squeezing my eyes shut.
Yup. More fucking pain. Maybe my plan to hide this until it became real was a bad idea.
“You timing this shit?” Kieran's voice filters through the pain, and I feel him kneel before more. His gentle fingers work up my thighs, working over my muscles until the pain ceases. “You're doing good, River Blue,” he whispers, pulling me into him. “Your stomach is like a damn rock.”
“Contraction,” I breathe out.
“I got it!” Rad wheezes, throwing my packed hospital bags into the middle of the living room before turning around and sprinting up the set of stairs toward the bedrooms. “Getting it all!”
“I texted your brothers. They're keeping Ly for as long as we need.” Asher looms above me with furrowed brows, eyeing every twinge of pain. “You're going to be okay, Little Brat,” he whispers, leaning over to kiss my hair.
“Okay!” Rad wheezes, entirely out of breath. “Let's go have a baby!”
“She's gorgeous,” Rad breathes, peering down at our dark-haired beauty. “And so mine. You can't deny this hair. It comes from the best.” He grins, flicking the mullet he refuses to shave off or grow out. It's still as perfect as it was years before. Never changing. Not that I’d want him to change. My Rad can stay the same for eternity, and I’ll always love him.
He’s right, though. Looking down at her, she’s got the same swoops of curls and dark hair. I'm not saying that won’t change as she becomes older because it will. I mean, Lyric came out with those beautiful, mismatched eyes and lighter brown hair.
“There were three more participants,” Callum grumbles again, running a finger along her chubby cheeks. “Besides, she looks just like River.”
His hazy eyes find mine as I lie in the hospital bed, completely worn out. A nap sounds nice right now. The months ahead will be chaotic at best, as I will balance a newborn, Lyric, and all my other responsibilities. It has my head spinning. But I have to remind myself that I’m not alone in caring for her this time. I have her fathers here with me to take on the mental, physical, and emotional tolls it’s going to bring.
I’ll be okay. We’ll be okay.
Kieran snorts from beside me, gently stroking my hair. “He has a point,” Kieran snarks, earning the middle finger from Rad.
“My turn,” Ash says, holding out his hands. He grins when Rad, ever the stingy father, hands the baby over with a grumble of protest.
A look of awe takes over Ash's features. Tears fill his eyes, eventually running down his cheeks.
Since we’ve grown up and forgiven each other for the past, we’ve settled into an almost perfect relationship. Of course, having five people as a unit can get messy. It does, believe me. But we’ve worked through it, and they’ve become the best they can be.
