Page 76 of Released

My shoulders tense once again when I hear a commotion outside, a harried woman’s voice sounding in the hall.

“You can’t go in there, miss!”

“Fuck off!”

“Is that Lilly?” Kai asks in a confused tone, but before we can answer, the door to the room bursts open, and in strides the woman herself, looking exhausted but beautiful in her wildness.

“Loki!” she exclaims, rushing across the room and practically pushing me out of the way as she flings herself on top of him.

He lets out a pained groan, but what makes me really pause is what sounds like the cry of a baby.

“Oh, poppet, I’m so sorry, shhhh,” Lilly coos, pulling back and rocking the bundle in her arms that I’d somehow missed when she came in.

“Lilly?” Loki asks, his eyes wide as he, too, takes in the squirming bundle she's holding.

“Loki, guys,” she says, her eyes swimming with tears as she looks around at our stunned faces. “This is Violet, our daughter.”

She pulls the blanket away to reveal a beautiful baby with a shock of red hair on her head. I stare, stunned at the perfection of this infant, a wave of such intense love almost bringing me to my knees.

“Here,” Lilly says, placing the baby in Loki’s good arm, and a moment of panicked terror flashes across his face before he looks down at his daughter and he just fucking melts.

“S–she’s perfect,” he whispers, bringing her in close and nuzzling her hair. “Look at her hair!”

“I know,” Lilly beams, and I wrap my arms around her from behind, taking her weight as she sags into me.

“Fuck, Baby Girl, you should be resting,” I scold, trying to direct her to my chair, but she resists.

“Jax, I just spent the past few hours sitting in a car, feeling like my fanny was going to fall out every time we hit a bump, I really don’t want to sit down right now.”

I wince at her description, my respect for this woman increasing tenfold when I think about her having to give birth without us, or without full medical attention.

“But you’re okay? Nothing went wrong?” I can’t help but ask, pulling her closer as my heart beats wildly at the thought of her pain.

“I’m fine, fucking exhausted, but fine,” she tells me, her arms wrapping along the length of mine. “More to the point, Loki, how are you and why the fuck did you get yourself shot?”

“It wasn’t a choice, Pretty Girl,” Loki murmurs back, not taking his eyes off Violet. “But I think I’m okay.”

“He’ll be fully recovered in a few weeks with some physical therapy,” Ash answers softly, coming round the bed to draw Lilly into his arms and out of mine.

As much as I don’t want to, I let her go and watch with a warm feeling in my chest when she nuzzles into him and he kisses the top of her head.

“I’m so fucking proud of you, Princess,” he says, pulling away slightly to look into her eyes. “You are incredible.”

Violet makes a little squeak then, and Lilly steps away from Ash, taking her from Loki, planting a quick kiss on his cheek, and then turning around to face us. She steps close to me, holding her arms out, and automatically, I take Violet from her, feeling a little awkward with this tiny bundle in my huge arms. She looks so small and breakable, but Lilly helps me to support her head, then steps back to give Kai a hug.

I look down, Violet’s eyes closed, yet when I bring my finger up to her hand, her fingers grasp onto mine with a tight grip.

“She’s strong, just like her mother,” I marvel, my throat tight as I look up into Lilly’s tired gaze, her lashes damp with tears but her smile wide. “Perfect like her too.”

“I’m sorry you weren’t there, to help with her birth I mean,” Lilly says, her mouth downturned, Kai’s arms wrapped around her from behind like mine were moments before.

“I’m sorry too,” I say, and fuck, I hate that we weren’t there when she needed us. One look at my brothers and I know they’re feeling the same.

“D–did it all go to plan?” she questions, looking at each of us, settling on Loki last. “Well, apart from Loki getting shot.”

“Yeah,” Ash answers, taking a step towards me and brushing Violet’s hair back, placing a soft kiss on her tiny head. “Everything else went to plan, and Chad and my father are in police custody.”

Reluctantly, I hold Violet out for him to take, and he reaches for her with a gentleness that surprises me. None of us are soft men. We are hard and full of scars, our bodies built to hurt and take life, not to nurture it, but maybe we could be something more than what we were raised to be.

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