Chapter 36 – Keyshawn
Chapter Thirty-Six
Keyshawn
The Gender Reveal Party
I said yes. Of course I said yes to Deacon. I have a deeply fucked up attachment to this man that I never want to change. Deacon confesses something after we get to a hotel that first night. I want to have a gender reveal party for the baby…
He’s the one forcing me to do all this doctor stuff and I don’t care what gender my baby is… I’ll find out eventually! Newborns all look like adorable Tamagotchi pets. I already got yellow and green clothes. But Deacon insists and I can’t bear to say no, even if he says that I have to agree to tell everyone that I “forced him” to have a gender reveal party.
I don’t know who the fuck he thinks will believe it’s my dream to fire an M-16 at a model deer that blows up with colored smoky powder that indicates our child’s gender. But who am I to argue?
Deacon made me call Tazara that first night after we left Ruger’s place, forcing me to face the fact that I am always going through some embarrassing, crazy shit once more. Tazara doesn’t judge me. She’s happy that I’m safe and says that my man “has a sexy voice”, which is a compliment I appreciate. (And she’s totally right.)
The grenade situation prevented us from moving back into the house I honestly was growing attached to before Zayna tossed her grenade in there. I thought we would move somewhere far away from any potential future attackers, but Deacon’s solution is even crazier than that.
He has several businesses to run nearby, and apparently protecting me is his utmost priority. He buys five large houses on a little over a hundred acres of land for hunting and currently, for our gender reveal party. The model deer with “Buck or Doe” painted on the side has its own hilltop until Deacon and I blow it to smithereens later.
Deacon chose our house out of the five he purchased based on the size of the basement.
“I have big plans for both of us,” was all he said about the basement.
I have bigger problems than Deacon’s future playrooms, honestly. I am pregnant enough to burst at any moment, hungry all the time, and I have to fire a semi-automatic weapon at a deer in about an hour. Luckily, I don’t exactly have to host the party on my own, since I have help on the way.
Zayna doesn’t have party planner energy, but she knows some of the other women affiliated with the Barbarians, and assembles a team of women who planned everything, even if they don’t even know me. Our house and patio are completely decorated for the event, with a clear view of the model deer.
The head of the planning committee, Tylee, arrives first. She barks orders at the kids who pile out of the Toyota 4Runner holding a cake and cookies. Deacon sips a beer as he sits on the front porch, watching.
“Are you pregnant too?” Tylee barks at him. “Get your ass up and build a bonfire.”
“We don’t even have guests yet. Can’t I enjoy a beer?”
“No guests? Fine. Go rub Keyshawn’s feet.”
I don’t even want a foot rub, but there’s something entertaining about watching Deacon of all people let someone boss him around. He turns red and I lean back on the opposite porch swing while I receive the best foot rub of my life. Deacon gives me a mean little look like he’s going to punish me for that later.
Considering how long it’s been since we were last in one of his sex dungeons, I have a lot of punishments coming my way.
Wyatt and his wife Anna show up next with their kids, and Juliette shows up with Hunter a few minutes later, three kids in tow. Ruger and Zayna work the room basically glued together. Saraya is only a couple months old. They won’t be able to stay long, but Zayna apparently insisted that they get out with the baby for some fresh air. Ruger glares at any of the other bikers who get too close to them.
Tamiya and Gideon sent a gift because they’re occupied with their newborn. The diaper tower is seriously the biggest I have ever seen. Our little one will have enough to last at least a year, although Tamiya’s card mentioned that I would go through them in less than two months. I hope she’s not serious. Can something that small produce enough poop to fill a diaper tower worth of diapers in a couple months?
Motherhood feels a little less scary with them all, even if this is the strangest group of rough, redneck ass bikers and black women of various shapes and sizes that I ever met.
Ryder shows up about half an hour after the party really gets going with his wife, who I’ve never met before. I didn’t know he was Hunter’s twin brother, but when he walks in, I get that little ‘identical twin jump scare’. His wife is tiny, mixed race with black, but I can’t tell the other race. Ryder introduces me to Joslin, who has a pretty smile and a posture like a dancer.
It feels like I stumbled into a family like one I’ve never had before. I wish Tazara could be here… Although, how would I explain this life to her? The bikers are crude, rough around the edges, they drink like crazy, half of them gamble…
But there’s just so much love in their club that I want to soak it all up.
Not everyone in the club can make it to our shower, but there are enough folks here that I feel genuinely celebrated. I never thought I would be in this type of situation – from getting pregnant in the first place to this – a group of people who genuinely give a crap about me enough to celebrate me and my baby.
After mingling with our guests, playing a few crazy baby shower games, and snacking on some delicious baby-themed treats, it’s finally time for the big moment. Tylee gets the attention of all our guests and Deacon holds the small of my back as he guides me outside for the news. The situation makes me excited to find out even if I never cared before.
The large wooden crate sits in the distance as the sun starts to set, making it eerily beautiful considering we’re about to blow something up to find out our child’s gender. Deacon can’t contain his excitement.
“I’m suspicious this whole thing was his idea,” Hunter mutters to Wyatt right before Deacon and I separate to get to our shooting spot. This is the part of the party planning I left to Tylee…
She straps us up with ear muffs – each of our guests got ear muff party favors they can reuse after our insane reveal – and hands Deacon the rifle. We crouch down together like we practiced during the rehearsal. Deacon holds the weapon, I pull the trigger. As our bodies slide closer together, my heart races with new excitement to just… celebrate.
Sure, maybe the gender of your baby “doesn’t matter”, but when you’re pregnant and never thought it would happen for you, there’s this strong desire to celebrate every moment that unfolds.
My finger hovers over the trigger. Deacon steadies the muzzle and I pull it, trying not to fly back too far into Deacon’s torso from the kickback. The box explodes and it’s hard not to ride that wave of exhilaration. I want to jump up and down before I even recognize the color. Once shards of the wooden box fly apart, the plumes of colored powder in the shape of thickly formed smoky clouds fill the air around the box in a giant mushroom…
Blue.
It’s a boy…
It’s a boy! Deacon tosses the weapon to Tylee and we throw off our ear muffs, no need for us to exchange words. We throw our arms around each other and kiss. Hard. Deep. In front of everyone.
We’re going to have a boy!