Chapter 19
CHAPTER NINETEEN
QUAKE
A smile tugged my lips up as I watched Rommy touch up Eve’s red hair with the dye. She was rambling on about the time she was on a school trip to the Ballarat Wildlife Park when all the kangaroos were in heat or something because there was a lot of action happening around them.
I was going to miss her so fucking much.
In two days, she’d be gone.
Eve laughed at something, but I was only half listening while I watched them together. They gravitated towards each other all the time. Hell, I was even under their spell to be close and touch in some way.
Like now, I was on my side lying along the couch with Rommy sitting in the crook of my waist, and Eve was on the floor between Rommy’s legs with her arms slung over each of Rommy’s knees.
She was one of us.
Rommy belonged at the Diamond MC. Hell, even Tech and Saint would agree. Their praise for her the other day when they’d come back from dealing with those fuckers was high. They adored her. Thought of her as a sister.
She should stay.
But we couldn’t ask her to give up her family just for us.
Christ, they looked gorgeous together.
I could imagine Eve tipping her head back and Rommy leaning down to kiss—
Abort that fucking thought immediately.
Rommy was close enough to my junk she’d feel my dick grow.
But hell, I’d admit it wasn’t the first time I’d thought of something like that.
BANG.
A door slammed hard in the hallway. We all looked to one another before scrambling to rush out. Something was happening downstairs. As we rushed down, Rommy held her gloved hands up, so she didn’t get the dye on anything.
In the common room, Death barked, “Where’s Lucas?” His hands were on Raya’s waist, and there was a puddle on the floor.
“What the fuck?” I asked. Rommy and Eve slapped their hands back at me. But only Rommy left a big red handprint on my tee.
She cringed. “Oops, sorry.”
“Raya’s water’s broken,” Eve said. Then she gasped. “What do we need to do?”
“Fuckin’ find Lucas and get him here.”
“He’s not here!” a prospect yelled from upstairs. Maybe it was him banging the doors while frantically looking for Lucas.
“Let’s relax,” Rommy tried.
“No,” Death snarled. “Hospital now.”
Raya laughed. “Honey, I might not give birth for a while yet.”
“What do you mean?” Death demanded.
Raya sighed. “Did you listen to anything in those birthing classes?”
“Sure,” the idiot said with a lot of hesitancy.
Raya scowled up at him. “Take me to your room so I can get changed,” she demanded just as the kitchen doors swung open and Torch held up a jug of water and tea towels. “This is all I can find.”
“What are you gonna do with them?” Rommy asked.
Eve groaned. “It needs to be towels and warm water.”
Rommy snickered.
Footsteps pounded down the stairs, and the pale prospect with an armful of towels yelled, “I have towels.”
“I’m going to get changed,” Raya snapped, but then gripped her belly and moaned, scrunching up her face.
“What? What?” Death demanded.
“Another contraction,” Rommy told him. “I’m going to wash my hands.” And she headed off to the kitchen like nothing was the matter.
“I’m going to wash my hair out,” Eve said.
“Don’t leave me,” I yelled, but she was already near the stairs and zooming up them.
The prospect moaned, like he was in pain, and sat on the bottom step.
A door opened, and Wrenley raced in. “I’m here.” She rushed up to her sister’s other side. “That’s it. Breathe through it.” They both started panting together as Wrenley took Raya’s free hand and arm in both of hers.
“Goddamn, if this is what it’s like, I don’t want any other children,” Raya snapped. “Why did we decide this? We should have stuck with not having kids. This shit hurts.”
Death looked like he wanted to kill someone for the pain Raya was in. “Not havin’ more. This is the only one.” He gently brushed her hair from her forehead. “I’d take the pain if I could, darlin’.”
She nodded. “I know.”
The door behind us slammed open again. “I have him,” Saint yelled, running into the room with his brother over his shoulder.
“Zion, I swear I’ll let Wade beat you up for this,” Lucas snapped, hitting Saint’s back.
Wreck stalked into the room as Saint put Lucas on his feet and faced his brother at Raya. “Fix her,” he demanded.
Saint dropped his hands from Lucas just as Wreck yanked him back and threw him to the floor. He stood over Saint. “Never fuckin’ do that to him again.”
“Oh God, here comes another one,” Raya let out a pained noise and gripped Wrenley’s and Death’s arms.
Lucas rushed close. “Someone’s water’s broken,” he commented.
Wreck took in the puddle and blanched. “Fuck.” He turned back to Saint and helped him to his feet.
“Damn you and your dick, Leland,” Raya snarled.
“Now, darlin’.”
“I’m going to cut it off.”
Shit. Eve and Rommy aren’t having babies.
Wait—
“I’ll blend it up and….” She let out a breath and straightened a little. “Okay, that one was rough.”
“How far apart are your contractions?” Lucas asked.
“I didn’t count,” Death said.
Wrenley shook her head.
“That’s okay. We’ll do it with the next one,” Lucas said glancing at his watch.
“I want to get changed,” Raya whined.
Lucas smiled. “Then let’s go get some other clothes. Do you want me to check how far you’re dilated?”
“No,” Wreck barked.
“That’s doctor business,” Death said.
We all looked to Death. I cleared my throat. “You forget Lucas is a doctor?”
“Not one for the pussy,” Death clipped.
Jesus.
I wanted to laugh, but then again, if the shoe was on my foot, I’d be uncomfortable about a brother’s husband looking between my old lady’s legs.
Lucas patted Death’s arm. “It’s fine. I don’t have to. We can get her to the hospital.”
Death’s jaw clenched, and he nodded.
Raya sighed. “Can I just get changed first?”
Lucas followed as they helped Raya to the stairs where the prospect jumped out of the way, clutching the towels like they were a lifeline.
“I’m back,” Rommy announced.
“Raya’s gettin’ changed and then headin’ to the hospital,” I told her.
She snorted. “I could hear everything since you all where near shouting.” When she got close, she wrapped her hands around my upper arm and shook it. “This is so exciting!”
I screwed up my face. How she thought this was exciting was beyond me. I definitely didn’t think it was.
She cackled. “From the look on your face, you don’t think so.”
“She’s in pain, and it made me realise how useless men are when it comes to this type of situation.”
“Prospect, clean this,” Saint called.
The prospect gagged, covering his mouth with the towels, and shook his head.
Saint glanced to me. “Didn’t this kid help clean Snake’s knife wound the other day?”
“Yep.”
“Why didn’t you gag over that, yet you are over a little water?” Saint asked him.
“Then you do it, brother,” I said to Saint.
“Fuck off,” Saint snapped. “You do it.”
My gut rolled. “No way.”
Rommy rolled her eyes, laughing. “Prospect, can you grab me a bag, paper towels, and a mop, please?”
He quickly rushed off.
“Thanks, Rommy,” I said, reaching out to hook my arm around her neck and give her a side hug.
She rubbed at my back and looked up at me with humour in her gaze. “You know you’ll have to do better when it’s Eve’s turn, right?”
“I—”
“Thank fuck I like dick. Kylo and I ain’t havin’ kids.”
“Where is everyone?” Eve asked as she walked down the stairs with her damp hair.
Rommy told her, “They took Raya upstairs to get changed and then they’re taking her to the hospital because Wreck and Death refused to let Lucas look at Raya’s vagina.”
Eve stopped and then laughed.
The prospect rushed from the kitchen with paper towels and a bag under one arm, while he wheeled the bucket and mop over.
“What’s this?” Eve asked, stopping beside Rommy and me. It was then I realised I was still hugging Rommy. I dropped my arm and looked to Eve, but she didn’t seem to care.
She just listened to Rommy when she said, “These lot are scared to clean up Raya’s juices.”
“Rommy, fucking hell, don’t say it like that,” Saint barked.
As I groaned and pressed a hand to my gut, the prospect gagged again.
Eve cackled along with Rommy.
Rommy took the items from the kid and started cleaning. Eve quickly went to help and asked, “We’re heading to the hospital, right?”
Rommy gasped. “Can we? I want to meet the baby after.”
They both looked to me. I didn’t want to sit around a hospital, but for those two, I would. “Yeah. We’ll go.”
* * *
The waiting room was packed with brothers and family. We’d been here for eight hours, and it was nearing midnight. Goddamn made me uneasy thinking that Raya was going through that pain this whole time.
I had Eve and Rommy asleep on each side of me. Both rested their heads on my chest, and I had my arms wrapped around their shoulders.
It was weird at how this wasn’t strange.
I enjoyed having both close.
Tech caught my gaze and nodded to both women.
What was he trying to say? I didn’t have a clue. I just tipped my chin his way, and he rolled his eyes, smirking, and shaking his head.
It was then Rommy’s phone rang.
She sprang up and fumbled it out of her pocket to squint at the screen. She gasped. “Video chat.” And she quickly hit Accept. “Hey, hi, hello, bro. Oh look, Mum and Dad are on here too.”
Eve stirred and stretched. “What’s going on?”
Rommy faced the screen our way. “Video chat.”
“Is that our ray of sunshine?” I heard a male voice off to the side of Texas, who sighed, and then someone stole the phone from Rommy’s brother.
An older man, with greys at his temples, smiled into the screen.
“Pumpkin pie, how goes it overseas? Dodge, you handsome man, and the gorgeous as ever Low. When are you three coming home?”
“Very soon, Julian,” Low replied.
Rommy showed Eve and me the screen. “Julian, this is Quake and Eve.”
“Spank me hard and call me God. They are stunning. Hello, sexy people.”
Eve and I grinned and waved.
Julian looked off to somewhere. “You can’t have the phone back. I just got it…. Low, your boy is being mean.”
Low snorted. “Julian, you know I love you, but we’ll see you soon.”
Julian sighed. “Fine.”
Texas was on the screen again, and he faced the camera to the living room where there was a hell of lot of people.
Rommy leaned close and quietly rattled off some names.
“That’s Talon. He’s the head guy for the Hawks.
Next to him is Zara, his woman. That’s Coyote, their son, and his woman, Channa.
Drake, he’s another son, and his woman, Swan.
Ruby is a daughter to Talon and Zara, but her man, Dillon, must be working, or he’d be there.
Nancy is the grandma, and her man is Gamer. Julian and Mattie.”
“All right, quiet please,” Texas called. Everyone settled. “Maya has somethin’ to tell you.”
Zara placed a hand over her mouth.
“We’re pregnant,” Maya shouted.
Screams started, and most of them jumped up and around congratulating them. Zara stole the phone. “Low, oh my God, we’re catching up as soon as you’re back.”
“We’re shopping as soon as I’m back, girl.”
Zara grinned. “Totally.”
A door opened near the delivery room, and Rommy gasped as Wrenley stepped out. Rommy quickly said, “Got to go. Love you all, bye,” then hung up.
Torch went straight over to his tired-looking woman, supporting her back with his arms around her waist and his nose buried against her neck. He’d hated being away from her for so long.
Wrenley gave us a weary smile. “They’ve had a healthy baby boy. His name is Phoenix.”
Cheers went up, but Eve and Rommy just leaned back against me, both grinning at each other and then up at me.
Christ, they were beautiful.