35. Duke
THIRTY-FIVE
DUKE
Kate
Please tell me you’re not too drunk. I sent an SOS out to the guys—YOU’RE ABOUT TO BE A DAD!
The words flashed across my screen, and I was mid-laugh when I checked it. The rumble died in my chest, and my brain failed to comprehend my sister’s message. When my head whipped up, Lee was grinning like an idiot, Beckett was gathering our jackets, and Wyatt was pulling out his wallet.
Lee’s hand landed on my shoulder with a thud. “Party’s over. You’re going to be a dad, dude!”
Wyatt sauntered up, entirely too calm for my liking. “Lark called. Sylvie’s water broke while they were having girls’ night. They’re taking her to the hospital now. Annie stayed behind to clean up and make sure Ed was put to bed, but she’ll meet us up there. Let’s roll.”
Wyatt walked toward the door, but my feet were cemented in place. Beckett came up next to me. “Can’t just stand there, man. She needs you.”
She needs me. Sylvie needs me.
I swallowed hard and nodded. Thank fuck I’d had only two beers, because I absolutely was not expecting to welcome our child into the world today.
My brothers had planned for a drink or two at the Grudge to publicly humiliate me with bar games , and then we’d settle in for the night for a beachside bonfire at Beckett’s beach house.
Feedback buzzed from the speaker as the band suddenly halted mid-song. “Hey, yo!” My head turned to see Lee on stage, grabbing the microphone. “My big brother Duke is about to be a dad! Lift your glasses for Duke and Sylvie!”
I shook my head as the bar erupted in a cheer. Only in this town.
Lee leaped off the stage and ran toward the exit. I hurried to catch up with my brothers but stopped short. “They should know. Her family.”
I looked around the bar but didn’t see any of them. Beckett nodded. “I’ll take care of it. You go, and I will see you up there.”
I reached out to shake his hand but pulled him into a hug. “Thank you.”
Beckett nodded and patted my back. I rushed outside to load myself into Lee’s truck. He drove like a bat out of hell while Wyatt quietly texted in the back seat. “No news yet. Lark is giving me the play-by-play, but they’re taking care of your girl.”
I had never been more happy that the women in my family never listened to a word I said. They were there, by her side, when Sylvie went into labor.
Lee bounced in his seat as his foot slammed on the accelerator, zipping down the dark country road. “This is so exciting!”
August Kingston Sullivan was born just shy of midnight.
“You’re sure about the name August, huh?” I lay curled around Sylvie, watching our son sleep on her chest. Nothing and no one existed apart from the two of them.
“I think it’s perfect.” She gently stroked a fingertip down his little upturned nose. Exhaustion was settling in, and I inched impossibly closer. “I think the name August is a perfect way to honor the little boy that your mother had loved so much.”
I was so overwhelmed with emotion, I could barely choke out a response. “I was thinking of Kingston for a middle name.”
Her eyes lifted from our son. “Kingston?”
“Mm-hmm.” I nuzzled into her hair. “You’re a King, but so is he. He should know that he is loved. All parts of him. Just like his mama.”
Sylvie exhaled a wobbly breath. “August Kingston Sullivan. It’s a mouthful.”
I chuckled. “I’m sure he’ll get a ridiculous nickname eventually.”
She laughed softly. “I guess you’re right.”
Baby August blinked his eyes open as he yawned, his mouth forming a tiny O. His irises were bluish gray, but I held out hope that the tiny flecks of green and gold would deepen to match his mother’s.
I nuzzled closer to her. “Everyone is still waiting to hear about him, but I don’t want to leave you.”
“They’re all here? Together?” Sylvie patted August’s butt after he started to fuss.
I shrugged. “Pretty sure half the population of Outtatowner came to show their support.”
Sylvie smiled down at our son. “You should go. I’ll try feeding him, and then maybe a few people can meet him?”
“If that’s what you want.” I unfolded myself from behind her and rose from the too-small hospital bed. With my back to her, I paused. “Our timing has always been off, but there’s something I need to tell you.”
I turned, and Sylvie’s eyes were already shimmering with unshed tears. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my mother’s ring. “Sylvie King, you deserve so much more—you deserve a helicopter ride or some grand gesture that proves my love for you.”
I dropped to my knees at her bedside. “But I’m here, on my knees, begging for the honor to call you my wife.”
My mother’s ring sparkled in the fluorescent hospital lighting. Sylvie’s arms wrapped around our newborn as her tears fell. “Yes. A thousand times yes.”
I scrambled to my feet and climbed back into the bed next to her, careful not to crush her or the baby. I openly cried, relief washing over me that she and August would be mine to protect. Mine to love. Forever.
I put my forehead to hers. “I choose you over anyone else, in any circumstance, for the rest of my life. You will always know what it means to be loved by a man like me. I promise.”
We kissed and cried and kissed some more until August made it clear he was not happy waiting to eat.
Sylvie laughed as she adjusted her gown to feed our baby. I was completely enraptured by my future wife and our beautiful son. My everything.
I wiped the tears from my face as I stood tall. I grunted to clear my throat and attempted to gather myself. “I’ll give you a few minutes, and then we’ll let the parade begin.”
Sylvie smiled down at little August. “I can’t wait for them to meet him.”
The waiting room was packed. A quick scan revealed dueling sides of Kings and Sullivans, much like the Grudge.
Old habits die hard, I guess.
When I walked through the door, everyone stood in curious silence.
I clapped my hands together, trying—and failing miserably—to keep my emotions in check. “Healthy baby boy.”
It was all I could get out before the waiting room erupted into cheers, and I was pulled into a hug by my aunt Tootie.
In a blur of handshakes, hugs, and congratulations, I was enveloped by the townsfolk of Outtatowner. My brothers took turns hugging and patting my back, offering their congratulations. Collectively, the women cried and swooned when I showed them a picture of newborn August.
“Congratulations.” Royal King stood with his hand outstretched to mine. I wasn’t a fool enough to think that my relationship with Sylvie would unravel generations of contempt, but it was a start.
“Thank you.” I shook and nodded. Abel, Whip, and JP followed suit, cordially shaking my hand and offering a word of congrats.
Abel rocked back on his heels. “I want to apologize for my father.”
I swallowed. “Yeah.” I nodded. “I think it would have meant a lot to Sylvie to have him here.”
“It’s not just that,” Abel continued. “We know you went to him for his blessing before asking Sylvie to marry you.”
My jaw clenched at my anger toward their father—not because he flat out told me he would never condone our marriage but rather that he felt his daughter deserved to marry a Sullivan. As though that was some kind of eternal punishment.
“Took a lot of balls for you to come to each of us after that.” Royal crossed his arms and watched me with assessing eyes.
“Felt like the right thing to do,” I finally admitted. Despite our past, Sylvie loved her brothers, so I had sought out each of them and let them know my intention of marrying their sister. To my surprise, each offered their congratulations and best wishes with varying degrees of surprise.
“Can we meet him?” Annie asked as she clung to Lark’s arm, barely containing her excitement.
I smiled at the pair. “The nurse said only two at a time, but yeah. She’s ready to have a few visitors.”
The duo squealed before making their way to the nurses’ station to visit Sylvie and the baby.
JP walked up to me. “Got a minute?”
Tension between us was taut as a tightrope. I had irrefutable proof he was the one who’d been looking into mineral rights on Sullivan land. “What is it?”
“I have something for you.” JP reached into his suit coat pocket to pull out a slim envelope and handed it to me.
“My father uncovered this tidbit of information during one of his backdoor business dealings. For years he has been using Bootsy Sinclair to quietly gather information. Information he held close to the vest, even from me, so he could use it to his advantage. I learned he plans to let the mineral rights on your land expire and then scoop them up and leverage that against you and your family.”
I opened the envelope and stared down at the paper, my eyes scanning the information. It was all the information I would need to ensure mineral rights for Sullivan Farms were protected. “Why are you giving this to me?”
JP shrugged. “It’s just business. Figured it might come in handy one day.”
I harrumphed a noncommittal noise as I looked over the paperwork a second time.
I didn’t love the implication that I’d owe JP King a damned thing, but it was hard to deny he had done me a solid.
JP walked away with arrogant strides, but I had a sneaking suspicion he wasn’t as heartless as he’d made himself out to be.
“Duke?” I looked up at MJ as she walked back into the waiting room. She was dressed in scrubs, and clearly her position as a fellow nurse had allowed the maternity ward staff to be flexible with the only two visitors rule. “She’s asking for you.”
I tucked the envelope into my back pocket and sucked in a breath. My entire world was waiting for me. As I walked toward her room, I smiled as I thought about my mother. Everything could change with one decision if only we were brave enough to make it.
My entire world was beyond that hospital door, and right there I made a promise to my mother that I would be brave enough to love Sylvie and our children—to love them out loud, without hesitation, and with every last shred of my soul.
One night had changed everything, and what a perfect night it was.