Chapter 18 Vegas, baby! #5
Tyler slid on the ring effortlessly and it was a perfect match with her chocolate hair and her gold lion’s tooth chain necklace.
“This is the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen, baby!”
He interrupted her with a kiss, and they dove into each other’s arms.
The solo waiter clapped in the far corner of the restaurant.
“Thanks, my man!” Tyler shouted.
“Come, let’s go get those two and start celebrating the good news, huh? I’m going to order the most expensive Champagne in the place!”
“Wait!” Nicki shouted, pulling his hand.
“What is it?”
“Don’t you want your birthday present?”
“That was my birthday present, baby, I told you, just you!” he teased. “Why do you think I asked you to marry me on my birthday? So that you would feel bad saying no!”
“No, I have something for you. Um, well, I, I had something for you, but it seems irrelevant now, but, and, I don’t know what the return policy is on this, so I really hope you like it,” Nicki said nervously and reached into her evening purse for the gift.
She took out a gift pen box with a pre-affixed bow.
“Here. Uh, happy birthday.”
Tyler kissed her cheek. “Baby, I told you, I don’t need anything from you,” he said smiling, and took the box from her hands.
He uncovered the cardboard lid.
He stood there, buffering. Eyes processing.
A pregnancy test with the “pregnant” category spread across the screen, along with a + symbol, just to be sure.
He looked back to a hopeful Nicki, exposing her teeth nervously.
“What?” he whispered.
“I mean, honey, I’m honestly shocked that this didn’t happen sooner—”
“OH MY GOD!” Tyler screamed, before falling to his knees and kissing the tops of Nicki’s feet in her high heels.
“Baby, stop!” Nicki shouted, laughing from the tickling sensation.
Tyler shot up. “Is this for real? It’s not like a birthday prank or anything? It’s real?”
“Yes! I just took it now, when I felt sick. I took three just to make sure! Here, look! They’re all positive!”
Nicki reached into her purse and pulled out the other two tests. Each from different brands, all with a clearly visible positive result in the little screen.
Tyler was too stunned looking at them all. His heart broke open.
“Are you happy?” she asked just to confirm.
“Are you fucking joking me, baby? This is the best day of my life! I’m going to have a baby with you? I can’t believe it! Yes, I’m so happy!”
Tyler picked her up.
“We’re going to fucking celebrate! We’re going to my birthday dinner, where you will eat the biggest steak you can fit, because my baby will only eat the best, most expensive, organic, grass fed everything—”
“Oh, here we go,” Nicki teased, nearly folded over his shoulder.
“And then we will go home and have ourselves a fucking family!”
“Congratulations, my man!” the waiter shouted as Tyler carried Nicki out of the restaurant.
“Thank you, brother!” Tyler shouted back, turning back, approaching the waiter quickly and taking out a wad of hundreds from his pocket. He stuffed them into the waiter’s hand.
“Ummm…” the waiter was left stunned.
Tyler pulled Nicki close to him when they got into the elevator.
“Look at you, so gorgeous, in that dress, in that ring, with my baby inside of you. FUCK! I’m so fucking happy!” Tyler screamed with a growl in the elevator.
“Baby! You have to calm down!”
“I’m sorry, my angel, I’ll try to behave. I’m going to tell Tommy right now!”
“Wait! Just about the engagement, right? I don’t know if we should share the baby news, it might be too early!”
“You can’t be serious thinking I can hold this in.”
“OK, fine! Just tell him not to tell anyone, OK? I’ll tell Tiffany just about the engagement. Meet you out here in five minutes for dinner?”
“Perfect.”
The couple high-fived.
Tyler banged on Tommy’s door. He rushed through it as soon as he opened it.
“Where the hell were you, man?” Tommy asked, taking a sip of his second waiting-around whiskey.
Tyler wasted no time, and grabbed a bottle for himself from the penthouse bar. Top shelf.
He beamed.
“Wait, did you do it already?”
Suddenly the brothers heard both Nicki and Tiffany excitedly scream from the room next door, which answered Tommy’s question.
Tyler took a big gulp and poured himself another one.
“Bro, congrats, man!” Tommy said.
Tyler walked over to him with the bottle and refreshed his drink.
“She said yes.”
“I’m happy for you, brother,” Tommy said, clinking his glass. “See? Worried for nothing.”
Tommy hugged his brother with a big slap on the back.
“But brother,” Tyler turned his voice down to a whisper. “Next month? The third and final delivery?”
“Yeah?” Tommy asked, confused.
“We’re not going to be giving the Leemans anything. We are taking our fucking gun empire back. The whole fucking operation.”
“Fuck yeah, we are, brother! Fuck those maggot Leemans!” Tommy shouted. “What brought this on?”
“I want our empire back. I want our territory, our business, I want everything back. The gun game. It’s fucking ours.”
Tyler leaned in closer to Tommy. “We are building a dynasty, brother. The Dorien Dynasty.”
Tommy looked at him perplexed.
Tyler leaned in closer, unable to hide his wide grin any further.
“Nicki’s pregnant.”