Second Sets Omnibus

Bonus Chapter

“She’s mine. I can feel it…” Rad trails off, rubbing my enlarged stomach with one hand. “So mine,” he murmurs in my ear with certainty, pulling my back against his front as we rest on the long sectional couch taking up the living room, cuddled up together.

I relax into him, humming at the light touch of Callum’s fingers dancing over my feet. It’s the first night in our new house—the one we designed and built together on the same property as my other two houses—the band house and my first home in East Point.

I’m still knuckles deep in my business with West Records. Continuing the tradition of taking bands on the brink of destruction and turning them into gold. Or turds. Their choice, really.

And so are Kieran, Callum, and Rad. We all work together in harmony now. Well, as much as married people can work so close together and then live together. The bickering will never end. But at the end of the day, we’re at peace with where our lives are now.

Callum and Rad were hired to scope out talent at local bars, watching for the next big thing. They even help run the yearly Battle of the Bands with Seger and Zeppelin that helped rocket Whispered Words to stardom. My brothers call them the dream team. And they’re not wrong about that. They’re my dream team, too. Because boy, do those men really know how to work me over together. Phew.

Kieran forced his way into becoming my assistant after what happened with Kat and the way Van used her to stalk me. And I do mean forced. The fucker followed me to work and refused to leave. Even kicking his feet up at my desk with narrowed eyes and harassing anyone who dared to enter my office without permission. It’s like I took a bulldog to work and released him on my unsuspecting coworkers. They got used to it. Eventually. God, he even answers my damn phone with a smug, possessive grin, refusing to let anything happen to me. Especially now that I’m pregnant. I swear he’s been foaming at the mouth for the last nine months, growling at anyone who came within one hundred yards of me.

Asher remains at home with Lyric, soaking up being a stay-at-home father. I swear I’ve never seen anyone so at peace playing carpool with other parents, setting up playdates for Ly, and ensuring her homework is done. Every night, when we all get home from work, dinner is done and on the table. I even caught him wearing an apron once while attempting to make a pie. It burned, by the way. Because while I was jumping his bones in the bedroom and ripping his clothes off, the pie was neglected. Oops.

So, yeah. We’ve all been committed for nine months with our vows, but I think our future holds something brighter than we ever imagined.

My life has never felt so damn complete.

It’s hard to believe how our story started—falling hard and fast until we were decimated at rock bottom. I was alone with Ly for so long. Then, these fuckers burst back into my life like a fucking bomb going off and setting me down a winding, twisted path of rediscovery and love.

Now, here we are.

“There were three other participants,” Callum grumbles, digging his thumbs into the bottom of my feet. “She could be mine, too.” He levels Rad with a deadly glare. A glare Rad doesn’t seem to register when he grins, brushing his comment off.

“Right there,” I moan, relaxing further into Rad’s hold.

“Just you, me, and Asher pounding the front together and Kieran in the back. No pussy for you.” He side-eyes Kieran with a smirk, knowing exactly what our deal was. Kieran flips him off with a huff from the kitchen.

Rad, Asher, and Callum wanted to try for a baby of their own, starting before we got married. We knew we would walk down the aisle?not that it meant anything more than committing ourselves to each other further—but they still wanted a giant diamond on my finger and a baby of their own in my belly. Kieran already had Lyric. So he either suited up for the occasion or stuck with the back door. He agreed, wanting them to have the opportunity, too. He never complained?not once.

“Shit. Can you believe we stuffed you full of three dicks at a time, Pretty Girl?” Pride fills his voice with the memories of our time together. “Ah, it was magical.” A dreamy look crosses his expression as he loses himself to it.

I shiver, falling into the memories of those moments. Definitely a magical time to be alive. The five of us on the bed. Their dicks were fighting to enter me at the same time. The stretching. The orgasms. Oh, God, the orgasms brought me back to life.

And then knocked me up again.

Good times.

“Besides, my dick is the biggest. Therefore, I win,” Rad gloats with a smirk, eyeing the other two over my shoulder.

I snort, leaning back into him without saying a word. I’m not inserting myself into their dick-measuring contest.

Ever.

“You don’t have the biggest dick…”

“That’s not how that works, dude…”

“Idiot…”

I groan so loudly when Callum hits a small knot in the arch of my foot that I nearly cum from the experience. If that’s possible, anyway. For me, though? It probably is. Considering I’ve been shattering the moment they touch me or enter me. I’ll get pregnant a million times over if they promise never to stop this pampering. Or two more times.

That’s the deal, anyway.

These idiots somehow managed to convince me they each needed a tiny human. Four in total. And me? Well, I’m the incubator of our creations. Don’t get me wrong; I’m over the moon. We’ve settled into this life as a married five-some with a bundle on the way, raising Lyric and more in the future. I could probably explode from all the happiness.

“Nah. My balls are tingling. It’s like they know a little piece of them is right here,” Rad hums confidently, rubbing my stomach more vigorously. “Don't you, boys? Yes, you do."

"That's fucking stupid," Kieran quips, walking into the living room with a plate full of Chinese food, shaking his head. "And stop talking to your sack like it's a dog."

The smell of the glorious takeout he handed me hits my senses. My mouth waters. Fuck their argument. I'm starving. But that's life when you're nine months pregnant. Not that I ever go hungry. Nope. My men keep me comfortable, loose, fed, and fully satisfied. Everything I want, they get.

I’m a spoiled-ass princess, and I’ll never complain.

Like last night when I was craving ice cream. I mentioned it in passing. Not really thinking about it. And then? Callum jumped on his bike and rode to the store, grabbing me a few pints of my favorite cookie dough ice cream. And when he returned, he fed it to me like I was his princess.

“ You'll never have to feed yourself again, Little Star,” he murmurs, dangling the spoon over my lips. “Anything you need. We'll provide.”

How'd I get so lucky to have them?

I longed for this princess treatment during my first pregnancy with Ly. I begged and pleaded for them to come back and help me but was cut off from the moment I found out about her. I was miserable on my own. Lonely. Cranky. Desperate. Granted, I had Ode and Korrine to help, but they weren't them—the men I needed.

Now, my prayers have been answered. Here, I stare at the piping hot General's Chicken and shrimp with Crab Rangoon and lots of egg rolls. This is the next best thing since I can't have the sushi I crave.

They spoil me.

"Rude. It is not!" Rad huffs, kissing my head as I lean back against his bare chest. "Tell him, Pretty Girl. It's not dumb. My balls get this tingling feeling deep inside that I'm the one who did this." He rubs my belly again, suddenly stopping. "See, she's kicking! She agrees. Don't you, Extra Pretty girl," he coos over my shoulder, gently kissing my cheek.

"Yum!" I rejoice, sitting up and away from the grabby hands of Rad. I rest against the couch, leaving him to pout beside me. "And she's kicking because I'm finally giving her what she's been craving." All day long, through work and coming home, I've craved delicious Chinese food.

Between the contractions, that is. My eyes linger on each of the guys. I've never seen them so damn happy and carefree. They've finally come into their own despite giving up their dreams.

“We didn't give up our dream, River Blue. We lived it. Breathed it. Everything. But you're more important. Lyric is more important. Being away from you would have been hell.”

“So, you'd rather be my assistant?” I ask, nibbling my bottom lip.

Kieran smirks, pulling my front flush against his. “You know how fucking hot it is to watch you put these nitwits in their place? I want to fuck you over the conference table after you've sent them to pack.” A shiver runs through me, and I grin when he kisses my lips roughly. “Now, let's show this band who is boss. You. I'm just here to support you and protect you. No one will ever fucking hurt you again.” He slaps my ass, grabbing onto it as we peer through the two-way mirror. A position I was in years ago, watching his band with tears in my eyes and fear in my heart.

"I could feed you, Pretty Girl." Rad bats his eyelashes at me. "Let me shove this food or co… Umph! What the hell, Asher, my dude?" Rad groans, rubbing at his shoulder. He plops down beside me and wraps an arm over my shoulders.

"She can feed herself. Can't you, Little Brat?" Asher murmurs, tucking my hair over my shoulders and out of my face.

"I can. Now, shut up. I'm starving," I groan, grabbing the plate from Kieran and digging in.

"I could watch you eat all day long," Rad hums, reaching toward my plate with a grin.

"If you value your fingers, you'll back the fuck up," I say through a mouthful of food.

Why are they always stealing my food? First, it was Leon's nachos back in Central City, and now, Rad can't keep his grubby fingers to himself.

"There's more in the kitchen," Kieran says, slapping Rad on the back of the head with a grunt. "Hands off her food."

"My savior," I murmur, locking my gaze with Kieran's mismatched eyes, loving the heat simmering there.

"Dude!" Rad yelps, jumping to his feet. "Hitting is not nice." He points a finger at each of them, giving them the stink eye before grabbing his own plate of food. The couch dips beside me again as he settles there, shoving food in his mouth.

"Neither is stealing your pregnant wife's food," Asher quips, handing me a napkin with care.

"Facts," I hum, tuning out their fight.

There will never be a time when these guys don't argue. Well, in the bedroom, they're pretty in sync. Especially when I'm the center of attention and horny; I've been that much lately and can't contain myself.

I eye Kieran and sink my teeth into my bottom lip when he catches me.

“Not happening,” he quips with a crooked grin. “You’re about to pop.” Well, he does have a point there. I’m due in one week, but I’m not sure I'll last that long. Not with this one, at least. Ly was two weeks late and made me miserable. This one will definitely make an appearance sooner rather than later.

“Isn't that the best way to promote labor?” Callum asks with heated eyes.

“Hey! I read about that!” Rad grins. “Lyric is with your brothers for the weekend.” His hands rub together as his wicked mind comes up with a plan. “I'll grab the handcuffs, lube, and whipped cream.”

Mmm. Whipped cream. I lick my lips, making a dirty plan of my own.

“You have that look,” Asher comments, taking a bite of his dinner with his brows raised.

“What look, Daddy?” I grin when he chokes.

“For fuck's sake,” he grumbles through a cough, chugging his water. “What did I tell you about that fucking word.” That he likes it too much, and it gives him an instant boner.

“Don't call me fucking daddy unless I'm balls deep inside you,” he growls, gripping my throat against the bathroom wall.

Water drips from our bodies after a quick romp under the hot steam of the shower. Even after getting me all to himself and getting off, he's still hard.

“Why is that?” I ask innocently, batting my eyelashes until his fingers grip me tighter, sending a thrill through me.

He leans his forehead against mine. “Because it does things to me.” Bad, bad things he doesn’t want to say.

“Whatever you say, Daddy,” I quip again, earning a warning glare.

“Warm up the fucking handcuffs. She deserves to be tied to our fucking bed,” Asher growls through clenched teeth as he adjusts himself in his jeans.

Yup. There’s that instant boner I was talking about. I swear I’d be horny if it weren’t for the slight contraction currently trying to rip my insides out, but it passes quickly. Like the rest have today. No biggie. I’ll ignore that for now. If I admit I might be a teensy-weensy bit in labor, they’ll take my food away from me. And that’s a no from me, dog.

“Add in a few spankings for antagonizing you,” Kieran quips, shoving the rest of his dinner in his mouth.

I shrug. I don't mind.

“We'll have to be careful,” Callum says, eyeing me with worry.

“You can take it, can't you, Little Brat?” Asher says with a smirk, discarding his plate on the end table beside him.

Yes. Yes, I can. I can take anything they have to dish out. The rougher, the better. I open my mouth to agree. Because yeah, I can take their punishments like a champ. Not that they're really punishments. Oh, nooooo, they're tying me up and using me like a fuck doll! What a damn shame. Insert sarcasm.

My stomach cramps. Harder than before, shooting pain straight through my abdomen and stealing my breaths. Damn it, that one really put me in my damn place for the first time today, stopping all my movements. I blow out a breath, running a hand along my hardening stomach, counting the seconds it lasts.

Okay, this one is a lot stronger than the ones before this. Shit. A lot stronger. Like—full-blown labor—intense.

Something on my face must give away my feelings because the room stops. The air thickens with their worry, nearly suffocating me.

“Little Star?” Callum whispers, grabbing the hand on my stomach and replacing it with his. His entire body stiffens. His eyes roam over my tightened expression. “It’s happening, isn’t it?” he murmurs.

I roll my lips together. Bastard. He's always been too perceptive for his own good. I'm almost sure I have at least twelve more hours before this bundle of joy shoots out of my vagina.

Or not.

That's why I haven't let them know I've been having contractions since I woke up. They were small and nothing to worry about. I even made it through a workday, dropped Ly off with her cousin, visited my brothers for a minute or two, and came home to eat.

Now, I'm not so sure.

“Wait? What’s happening?” Rad asks with narrowed eyes.

I breathe, reaching for Rad’s hand and holding tight, squeezing with all my might. I swear his bones crackle under the pressure, and he winces but doesn’t say another word. The contraction completely wrecks me. Stealing my breath and curling my toes. Until it tapers off into nothing, I fall limp into Callum’s side.

“I really don’t remember it being this bad.”

Well, maybe that’s a lie. Having Lyric was hell on earth. The magic of birth was a lie, and then, she was in my arms after two weeks of being late. I forgot about all the pain and suffering I endured to bring her into the world. It was the look on her little face when she was placed into my arms.

Until now. Now, I remember the pain it took to get her out of me.

“Does this mean it’s time, Pretty Girl?” Rad leans over, excitement displayed on his face. “Is my baby having a baby? Alert the presses! Grab the bags! Load the fucking car! We’re having a damn baby!” Rad shouts, jumping to his feet and pulling at his hair. “What do we do first? Holy shit, why aren’t you guys moving?” he shouts, turning in circles and staring at everyone.

Kieran snorts, taking another bite of his food. “How long have the contractions been happening, River Blue?”

Well, hell. He sends me a scathing look like he’s peeled back my flesh and knows everything.

“Seriously, Little Brat?” Asher grunts, shaking his head.

“Look at her face.” Kieran clicks his tongue, getting to his feet unhurriedly.

Remind me why I got into a relationship with four men. Oh, right. The amazing dick downs. But now isn’t the time to think about that.

“Know it all,” I grunt, shoving another bite of food in my mouth. If I’m full of food, then their bossy asses can’t demand shit out of me.

“Answer the question,” Asher demands with a mean ass look. I swear to God, one day, he’s going to choke me so hard I pass out. On second thought….

I chew slowly despite four sets of eyes staring daggers into me. “Lyric took hours despite being two weeks late. I swear it was two days of labor.”

Maybe that’s an exaggeration, but it felt like forever. And I did it mostly on my own. Ode was there by my side through the entire thing. My brothers, too. Hell, Booker even closed Dead End so he could be by the phone to hear the news of Lyric’s arrival. I offered to fly him out with Odette and Korrin, but he refused—always such a hard worker and a worry wart, too. So, I wasn’t alone when Lyric was born. I had my support system. It just wasn’t the support system I was craving. And that’s not to say I wasn’t grateful for everyone else being there.

But the heart wants what the heart wants, despite the circumstances and betrayals.

“So, all day, huh?” Kieran clicks his tongue at me again and sighs. “All right, boys. Looks like we need to get a fucking move on.” he stands, collecting plates—including mine.

“I wasn't done, assface!” I protest, watching as my plate disappears into the kitchen and is placed in the sink. Fuck me. I knew this would happen. The moment these contractions got terrible, I knew they’d steal my precious food away from me. “This will take forever. I need the food as fuel,” I whine, puffing out my bottom lip.

“Quite whining,” Asher grumbles, getting to his feet. “You're about to push out a human being. The books say you shouldn't eat.”

“The books are a fucking lie,” I hiss, squeezing my eyes shut.

Yup. More fucking pain. Maybe my plan to hide this until it became real was a bad idea.

“You timing this shit?” Kieran's voice filters through the pain, and I feel him kneel before more. His gentle fingers work up my thighs, working over my muscles until the pain ceases. “You're doing good, River Blue,” he whispers, pulling me into him. “Your stomach is like a damn rock.”

“Contraction,” I breathe out.

“I got it!” Rad wheezes, throwing my packed hospital bags into the middle of the living room before turning around and sprinting up the set of stairs toward the bedrooms. “Getting it all!”

“I texted your brothers. They're keeping Ly for as long as we need.” Asher looms above me with furrowed brows, eyeing every twinge of pain. “You're going to be okay, Little Brat,” he whispers, leaning over to kiss my hair.

“Okay!” Rad wheezes, entirely out of breath. “Let's go have a baby!”

“She's gorgeous,” Rad breathes, peering down at our dark-haired beauty. “And so mine. You can't deny this hair. It comes from the best.” He grins, flicking the mullet he refuses to shave off or grow out. It's still as perfect as it was years before. Never changing. Not that I’d want him to change. My Rad can stay the same for eternity, and I’ll always love him.

He’s right, though. Looking down at her, she’s got the same swoops of curls and dark hair. I'm not saying that won’t change as she becomes older because it will. I mean, Lyric came out with those beautiful, mismatched eyes and lighter brown hair.

“There were three more participants,” Callum grumbles again, running a finger along her chubby cheeks. “Besides, she looks just like River.”

His hazy eyes find mine as I lie in the hospital bed, completely worn out. A nap sounds nice right now. The months ahead will be chaotic at best, as I will balance a newborn, Lyric, and all my other responsibilities. It has my head spinning. But I have to remind myself that I’m not alone in caring for her this time. I have her fathers here with me to take on the mental, physical, and emotional tolls it’s going to bring.

I’ll be okay. We’ll be okay.

Kieran snorts from beside me, gently stroking my hair. “He has a point,” Kieran snarks, earning the middle finger from Rad.

“My turn,” Ash says, holding out his hands. He grins when Rad, ever the stingy father, hands the baby over with a grumble of protest.

A look of awe takes over Ash's features. Tears fill his eyes, eventually running down his cheeks.

Since we’ve grown up and forgiven each other for the past, we’ve settled into an almost perfect relationship. Of course, having five people as a unit can get messy. It does, believe me. But we’ve worked through it, and they’ve become the best they can be.

“You did so good, Little Brat. She's gorgeous,” Ash sniffles, carefully walking toward me with our bundle in his arms. She coos against him, attempting to root around with a few grunts, aching for her first taste of milk.

“I…I'm sorry we missed this with Lyric,” Kieran softly says. Shame coats his expression as he watches Ash and our baby, who doesn't have a name yet. “We missed all the firsts, River Blue. Her birth. Birthday. First steps.” He chokes up a little, bringing his fist to his lips.

This isn’t the first time Kieran has apologized with tears in his eyes about all the things they missed with Lyric. They’re making up for it now, though.

“But you were here for this one,” I say, gently squeezing his hand. “And you’re here now. That’s all that matters. Ly loves you guys so much.”

“It doesn't feel like enough,” he mumbles. “If we had known…if…”

“There's a lot of ifs in there, Rock Star. You didn't know because your mom was a cunt and a half. Everything that happened was her fault.”

I’m so glad that dirty, lying bitch is rotting away in prison for all the money she stole from Kieran. Oh, and so much more. Who would have guessed that Gloria was such a thief? I did. But that’s beside the point.

“You know that's not true,” Asher sniffles, resting on my other side. Gently, he kisses our baby's dark head of hair. “It was me, too.” My heart hurts at the guilt clouding his features. He’ll forever feel terrible for what he did when he was a desperate kid trying to get away from the abuse of his father.

I know how sorry he is because he’s shown me time and time again what I mean to him.

“We've been through this,” I say, shaking my weary head.

“Yeah, well, some people don't think we did everything good enough,” Rad scoffs. “Can you believe that? We got on our knees for you. We stepped up. Said we were sorry. We showed you through our actions how much you mean to us. And some people, not naming names.” Rocco. He means Rocco thinks they didn't grovel enough. “Still, I thought we made it up to you so well. I mean...” He wiggles his brows, earning himself a slap from Callum. “Rude,” he mutters.

“The past is in the past, right? We know we're in a good place. You guys more than made it up to me.”

“We love you, Little Star,” Callum murmurs. “You're the light to our darkness. And you've given us one of the best gifts around.”

“I did,” Rad quips with a goofy grin, pointing to himself. “I gave you that gift.”

“You do realize once we've DNA tested, and it proves you're the father. When we go to do this all over again, you're kicked to condoms and back door only.” Kieran raises a brow when Rad's face falls, and his lips pop open.

“That's not fair!” he hisses, shaking his head.

Kieran rolls his eyes. “Play by the rules. I had to.”

Rad pouts, crossing his arms over his chest. “Fine! We’ll be the condom, backdoor bros from here on out.” He rolls his eyes, muttering about how unfair it is under his breath, and then sighs, “Well, maybe we should pick a name.”

“Here,” Ash says, gently handing me the baby as she begins to cry softly. “I think she's hungry.”

Kieran helps me sit up and covers me as I bring my breast out, and she latches on without a fight, perfectly sucking the first streams of milk from me.

“Okay. Did you bring our list of names?” I ask, cradling her head.

Rad nibbles his bottom lip. “I had one come to me that wasn't on the list.”

“What is it?” I ask, watching as he nervously twitches, which is beyond his usual. Rad is the most confident guy I know. He's never afraid to spill what's on his mind.

“Lyrics come from the heart, but melodies are all around us. Like air. Like Aria. It means melody and tune.” He swallows hard, stepping forward. “I want to name her Aria West. If everyone agrees?”

“Aria,” I murmur, running a finger through her dark curls.

I picture her life in the future, full of dark curly hair and big brown eyes. A mini Rad, running around and getting into trouble. Her name being yelled through the large backyard because she’s out after the sun has gone down. Her digging through the mud in her clean dress. Her with a mischievous smile on her face after doing something naughty. And it fits. Every fucking piece of it seems to suit her perfectly. Aria West.

“I...I love it,” I whisper, unable to hold back the tears in my eyes. Damn you after birth hormones for making me cry at the drop of a hat.

“It's a good name, dude,” Cal says, slapping Rad on the back.

“I like it,” Kieran and Asher agree with a nod.

“Then it’s settled,” I say, lifting my gaze from Aria. “Her name is Aria Jenny West.” I smile when Cal sucks in a breath, squeezing his eyes shut.

It’s a middle name we’ve talked about for months now. It was a way for him to honor the sister he held while she passed away?the girl who was robbed of her life by a simple plane malfunction, leaving Cal with no one but his friends for support.

Kieran takes out his phone in a hurry, tapping away at it. A smile crosses his lips when he looks up at me. “Ly's here.” Placing his phone in his pocket, he stands from his chair and stretches slightly. “She’s going to be a pistol today,” he chuckles. Well, he’s not wrong there. “I’ll be right back. Your brothers are in the parking lot with her. They said they’d visit today, but they have the boys now. Said something about wanting to give us some alone time.” He walks out the door and disappears down the hallway.

“She's going to be so excited to meet her finally.” Ash smirks.

That's a fact. Ly has been counting down the days until her little sister emerged. Every day, she'd mark it off on the calendar, telling me how excited she was to be a big sister finally. It’s like she was made for this role.

Not even five minutes after he left, a squeal happens in the hallway outside the door before it crashes open, and Hurricane Lyric slips through with messy hair and a wide grin.

“Is my baby finally here?” Lyric asks, running into the room with Kieran on her tail. He grins, lifting her into his arms and holding her above the scene. “Mommy,” she says, wrinkling her nose. “Why is the baby on your boobie?” I have to let her stop watching TV. She recites whatever she finds. Not to mention the terrible, scary movies Rad seems to love to turn on in her presence.

“We talked about this, Little Pretty Girl. That's where the milk comes from. Remember?” Rad says, hiding his smile behind his hand.

“I knows that,” Lyric huffs, looking down at Aria with a grin. Her mismatched eyes light up. “I've got my shirt on, too.” She puffs out her chest, displaying a “Finally a Big Sister” shirt Odette made for her just for this occasion.

“It's beautiful,” Kieran says, wrangling her in his lap as he sits again. “Now, remember. We have to be extra careful with Aria.”

“Aria?” she questions, trying the name for the first time. We decided to keep her name a secret. Or, well—we weren’t exactly sure what to name her. “It's pretty. Just like hers. Can I hold her?” She bats her Kieran eyes at me, grinning when I chuckle. “I wants to hold my baby.”

I smile. Her baby. That’s what she’s been calling the little bean named Aria for months now. Since the moment we told her she would be a big sister. I’m sure she won't be so accommodating in a few years when Aria is chewing on her dolls or drooling all over her toys. But for now, Lyric lights up, watching everyone with wide eyes.

“Why don't you sit on the couch over there? Daddy will help you hold her.”

Lyric doesn't waste a second, squealing with delight as she scrambles away from Kieran. With hurried feet, she makes it to the couch and plops down. Her arms spread wide, signaling for them to bring Aria to her. Kieran chuckles at her eagerness.

"All right, you think she's ready?" he asks, peering down at Aria, who no longer suckles any milk out. Her lips stopped moving a few minutes ago, and her breaths evened out. She’s only been on the outside for a few hours and needs a nap, probably from all the chaos happening around her.

"I think so. You want to burp her before you hand her off?" Asher grins, picking up a burp rag from the small bassinet, nods, and puts it on his shoulder. He gently takes Aria from me and places her over his shoulder as I recover my chest. His hand works softly against her back, patting her until a small burp erupts from her tiny body.

"Daddy, what are you doing?" Lyric asks with impatience, pouting slightly.

"When babies drink, they need help to burp," Callum gently explains, sitting beside Lyric with a soft smile. His fingers move the hairs from her face. "So, Daddy is gently patting Aria's back and helping her get rid of the gas."

"She'll puke on you if he doesn't," Rad chimes in, coming to sit beside my bed.

"Ew," Lyric recoils. "Puke?"

I give her a sleepy grin. "Babies are so much fun, Ly. Your sister is so blessed to have you. But they're so messy." Messy is an understatement; I don't think any of the guys are prepared for it. Poop. Spit up. Peeing while a diaper is off. They're in for a world of hurt when Aria becomes a toddler and refuses to wear a diaper.

Oh, the joys of parenthood.

Asher finally gets another small burp from Aria and then gently hands her to Lyric. "Okay, put your arms like this. And put her head here," he says in a patient voice, moving Lyric so she's properly holding Aria's head. "That's my girl."

"Girls!" Lyric says with a grin, staring down at Aria with heart eyes.

"She's right. They're our girls now," Kieran says, gently squeezing my hand from the other side.

"Knock, knock!" Rocco's voice echoes through the door before he's barreling through it with a grin on his face, peeking through his fingers covering his eyes. “Oh, good. You’re decent. I was hoping none of your girly bits were out.” His expression softens when he removes his fingers, staring down at my ragged appearance. He’s seen worse. "There she is. My tired bestie and her gang."

"Gang?" Rad snorts. "You know, Pretty Boy. Sometimes I wonder about you."

I roll my eyes, too tired for their antics. "Hello to you, too!" I say, waving as his husband Christian and their girl Kat follow him in.

Kat offers me a timid smile, holding a bouquet of beautiful pink flowers. "We got you these," she says softly, placing the vase on my bedside table. "Congratulations," she murmurs so softly I can barely hear her.

Even after her trauma of being with Van, she’s still a timid girl. But Rocco blasted his way into her life, taking his husband Christian with him. They’ve been living as a throuple for a while now. Slowly but surely, I’m seeing the remnants of the Kat that Van left behind when he decimated her trust and put her through Hell. Through West Records, she got an assistant job back with my brothers. They’ve been easing her back into work. Of course, Rocco told her to stay home. Stay naked. And never leave their apartment. But that’s a whole different story I don’t even want to think about.

Christian looks around the room with worried eyes, glaring at every surface. He keeps his hands in his pockets and only then offers me a small smile. "I made you some chicken noodle soup whenever you're home."

"Don't let him be so modest, Doll. He made you an entire month's worth of dinner. All your favorites, too." Rocco beams at his husband, who blushes at his words.

"Thank you," I say with a soft smile. "I really appreciate it." And I do. Christian is a chef and lord; I couldn’t live without the treats he makes me.

"You made those nachos, right?" Rad perks up, staring at Christian with a hopeful look. "Come on, Chrissy! Tell me..."

"Yes," he clears his throat. "I made you the nachos." His brows furrow with the shyness he always displays, and then he says what I expect him to say. "Please, don't call me Chrissy. We've discussed this." He tries to send Rad a scathing look, but it really doesn't do anything.

Christian is the kindest person you’ll ever meet. How he hooked up with Rocco, I’ll never know. As Rocco says, he went into Christian’s restaurant for dinner and came out with an obsession. It was rocky initially, but they’ve come forward in their relationship.

Come to think of it, Rocco has always had obsessions. Christian. Kat. Damn, he goes after what he wants, doesn’t he?

Rad grins. "Thanks, bro. I'm going to need those nachos to fuel me for what’s to come.”

Christian blushes again, nodding. "Of course." His dark brown eyes find mine, and he smiles more. "Anything for you guys."

"So, where's my baby?" Rocco asks, looking around the room with a grin.

"Right here!" Lyric says softly. "But shh, Uncle Rocco! She's sleeping." She levels Rocco with a warning stare, making him snicker at her attitude.

She’s a very protective girl.

"Well, aren't you doing an amazing job, squirt," Rocco says, standing beside Asher, who offers him the seat next to Lyric. He peers down at them with tears in his eyes.

"She's gorgeous, Doll," he says, his voice cracking with emotions. "You make some pretty babies."

I snort. "I sure do."

"She's mine!" Rad adds on with ownership, leaning back in his chair.

Asher sighs with exhaustion, shaking his head. "Biologically, maybe," he mutters with exhaustion.

"Why don't you go home and get some rest?" I say to him, reaching out and catching his hand in mine.

"Because it's not home without you," he murmurs, leaning down to kiss my hand. "I can't leave you girls here."

Insert swoon. I swear my heart restarts at the sound of his words. Despite our past and everything we’ve been through with each other, I’ll never stop loving each of them. They’ve given me everything I’ve been desperate for.

A family.