ROWDY
After Maria went with Farley and Ivy to the store, I convinced Kat to walk with me down to the condo’s indoor pool.
I sensed she would rather spend time with Bebe.
While I didn’t blame Kat for attaching herself to my mom, I wanted time alone to talk.
I also sensed Kat should get out of the condo for a short time.
Despite my reasonable request, Kat couldn’t hide her discomfort. As soon as we reached the manicured courtyard, she acted like a vampire treading into the sunlight.
I stroked her hand in mine and explained how most of the condos were owned by Crimson Guard members. A few were owned by LM Jokers members.
“Only the original members of the Jokers live here. Tricky and Jagger plus a few other kids of the old Little Memphis club members. None of the troublemakers from Baton Rouge are allowed to live here.”
“But those troublemakers are friends with the men who live here, aren’t they?” Kat asked as we walked along the edge of the courtyard toward the common areas.
“Yes, but Tricky and Jagger ordered the assholes not to visit the condos since the Crimson Guard might jump them.”
“Would you jump them if they showed up right now?” Kat asked, sounding scared despite how she smirked at me. “I’ve never seen you get angry before.”
“I’m like a Tasmanian devil,” I replied and kissed her head. “I seem so harmless, but I’m a fearsome beast.”
Kat laughed and squeezed my hand. “Harmless isn’t a word anyone would use to describe you.”
“Aww, you know my worth,” I said and wrapped my arms around her body and gave her butt a little thrust. When Kat attempted to squirm away, I murmured, “You’re so hot that I lose control of myself.”
“I don’t feel hot. Every time I look at Maria, I remember when I was thin like her.”
“It’s temporary.”
“You say that because you’re already at your sexiest.”
Opening the door to the pool room, I insisted, “I feel I could be sexier.”
“No, you’re why my panties need replacing several times a day.”
I grinned at her comment and waved at the indoor pool. “There’s a gym next door. We also have a game room.”
“You live in a very upscale condo building.”
“I wanted you to see how you could work out in the future until you feel better about your body. We can work out together and then work out more in bed. But working out and fucking will need to wait until you’ve been given the green light by the doctor.”
Kat’s amusement faded. “My doctor is in Little Rock.”
“We’ll drive down for the day to get that done and pack up more of your stuff.”
Kat looked around the pool room and sighed. “I can imagine us bringing the babies here to swim. Maria and I swam a lot when we were little.”
“Why do you sound sad?”
“I don’t know. I feel restless.”
“Because you’re missing the boys, or are you suffering from Maria withdrawal?”
“Both, maybe,” Kat said and began to breathe faster. “I’m also picturing Maria and me packing up our stuff in Little Rock and putting it in storage.”
“It’s only temporary,” I said and wrapped her against me. “We’ll eventually move to a house and mix your things with my things until there’s only our things.”
Kat looked up at me with panicked green eyes. “Why aren’t you more freaked out about everything changing?”
“Babe, I’m insanely freaked out, but my natural swagger hides my fear.”
Kat’s expression warmed. “You do have excellent swagger. Doesn’t it bother you that I don’t have any swagger?”
“No, dum-dum, why would I want to compete with you?” I said and kissed the top of her head. “Marrying myself would be insufferable. I want to be with someone who possesses the qualities I lack, like patience, artistic skills, and school learning.”
Finding her smile, Kat murmured, “I remember when you’d follow me around school, tugging at my hair and asking me to tutor you.”
I chuckled at the memory. “I had the smoothest moves as a teenager.”
Kat grinned wider. “You were so sexy, like you’d skipped all the gawky things most teenagers struggle with.”
“You were sexy, too.”
“Not really,” Kat said, growing pouty. “I was chubby.”
“No, you had a smackable ass and bodacious boobs. Those are winning qualities in a chick.”
Kat laughed. “I wonder what would have happened if we dated back then?”
“I would have fallen in love with you. Then, when you moved away, I would have cried. No one needed to see that.”
“So, I did you a favor by saying no?”
“You saved me from crying myself to dehydration. Now, we’re together without any of the drama.”
After rolling her eyes at my description of the situation, Kat glanced at the door. Suddenly her face pinched, and she whimpered, “I miss the babies.”
Kat’s sudden tears made me flinch. “We’ll go back to the condo. It’s okay. Don’t cry.”
“I feel like they’re too far away,” she sobbed. “What if I miss something important?”
We hurried across the courtyard, past Rock and Tricky who stopped talking and gawked at us, and inside the building. Once in the elevator, I hugged Kat to me, but she couldn’t settle down until we were back in the condo.
Bebe sat on the couch, holding Colson while Cavan wiggled in a nearby bassinet. My mom’s dark eyes flashed to us in alarm at the sight of Kat’s tears.
“Mama bear missed her cubs,” I explained, making Bebe smile.
Kat’s angst ended once she picked up Cavan and sat next to Bebe.
“I’m not ready to be away from them,” she said as I cuddled on the other side of her.
Bebe said softly, “I still feel that way from time to time about my kids.”
Kat stared at my mom like a lost child. I couldn’t imagine how different I’d be if I had lost my mom as a kid. Kat and Maria also had a shitty dad. Losing Bebe as a kid would have crushed me, but Pax would have kept the family together.
The thought of Kat dying sent my heart racing. Her mother had died from complications related to childbirth. What if Kat got sick in the same way? I studied her at my side and searched for signs of illness. Kat didn’t look pale or weak. In fact, she glowed while playing with a very alert Cavan.
As my fears eased, I sank into that comfortable warmth I’d enjoyed since we brought the babies home from the hospital.
Without a doubt, I was a different man now. I could never be the Rowdy from before Kat’s pregnancy text. I’d watched my boys enter the world. I’d fallen in love with Kat. My heart beat differently now, and nothing could compete with the peace I felt.