Chapter 3 #2
I smile, leaning against the couch. For a moment I just stand there watching them.
Johnny crouched beside the playpen like a tiny bodyguard, narrating everything that’s going to happen today to the twins like they can understand every word.
Madison has already discovered the plastic ring toy and is happily banging it against the side of the playpen.
Maddy is chewing on the ear of a stuffed bear like it personally offended her.
Their little red-and-white Minnie Mouse dresses puff around them as they crawl and bounce, the tiny bows in their hair bobbing with every movement.
My chest warms at the sight.
Two years ago, life felt like it was still settling after everything Mason and I had fought through. Now the house feels full—loud and messy and alive in a way I never imagined it could be.
The low rumble of a motorcycle somewhere drifts faintly through the open living room window. The sound makes me glance toward the clock hanging above the television.
My stomach drops a little.
“Shoot.”
Johnny looks up immediately.
“What?”
“It’s already after ten.”
10:07 a.m. That means Bella and Stryker will be here soon. They told us they’d come early to help decorate before the rest of the club shows up. That gives us…I mentally do the math.
“An hour,” I mutter.
Johnny tilts his head.
“An hour until what?”
“Until your Aunt Bella and Uncle Stryker get here.”
Johnny’s face lights up like someone flipped a switch.
“UNCLE STRYKER’S COMING?”
Madison squeals from the playpen like she agrees. Maddy claps her hands against the side.
I laugh softly.
“Yes, Uncle Stryker’s coming.”
Johnny jumps to his feet.
“I’m gonna show him my dinosaur!”
“You can do that after we finish setting up.”
Johnny pauses mid-run.
“…Setting up what?”
I push away from the couch and walk into the hallway closet. Inside are several plastic storage bins stacked on top of each other. The top one is exactly what I’m looking for. Bright red with Minnie Mouse stickers along the lid. Party decorations.
I pull the lid off and peek inside. Streamers. Balloons. Paper plates. Tablecloths. Little Minnie Mouse centerpieces. Everything I spent the past two weeks tracking down.
Johnny appears behind me like a shadow.
“Whoa.”
I glance over my shoulder.
“You want to help?”
His eyes widen.
“YES.”
I grab the bin and carry it into the living room. Mason walks in from the kitchen just as I set it down on the coffee table. His hair is still slightly damp from the shower and he’s wearing a clean black T-shirt and jeans now instead of the powder-covered disaster from earlier.
“What's all this?” he asks.
“Party prep.”
He looks at the clock.
“…Already?”
“Bella and Stryker will be here in less than an hour.”
He groans quietly. Johnny, on the other hand, is already digging into the box like a pirate finding treasure.
“BALLOONS!”
He holds one up triumphantly.
“Careful,” I say quickly. “We’re decorating, not launching a balloon war.”
Johnny nods seriously.
“Okay.”
Then immediately grabs three more balloons. I hand Mason a bundle of red and white streamers.
“You and Johnny can start hanging these.”
He looks at the streamers like they might bite him.
“You trust us with decorations?”
“No.”
I smile sweetly.
“But Bella will fix whatever you mess up when she gets here.”
Johnny is already dragging a chair toward the wall.
“I can reach!”
“Not on the furniture,” Mason says immediately.
Johnny sighs dramatically.
“Fine.”
Mason walks over and lifts him easily by the waist, setting him near the doorway while handing him the tape.
“Assistant decorator,” Mason says.
Johnny beams with pride.
I watch them for a second as Mason holds the end of the streamer while Johnny tries to tape it to the wall.
It goes on crooked. Very crooked. But Johnny looks incredibly proud of it. Good enough for now. I glance back toward the clock.
10:19 a.m.
“Alright,” I say. “You two keep working.”
Mason raises an eyebrow.
“And where are you going?”
“To take a shower before the house fills with bikers.”
He nods in agreement.
“Smart plan.”
Johnny doesn’t even look up.
“I’m decorating!”
I laugh softly and head upstairs. The house already sounds different behind me. Tape ripping. Johnny talking nonstop. Mason trying to keep him from climbing on furniture.
In the bathroom, steam fills the air quickly once I turn the shower on. The hot water feels amazing against my skin, washing away the smell of breakfast and baby powder and the lingering chaos of the morning.
For a few minutes the house fades away. Just warm water and quiet.
When I finally step out, I wrap a towel around myself and wipe the fog from the mirror. Downstairs, I hear Johnny laughing loudly. Mason says something I can’t quite make out.
Then—The doorbell rings. A second later the front door opens. And two very familiar voices fill the house.
“Well damn,” Stryker says with a chuckle. “Looks like we have a lot to do before the circus gets here.”
Bella laughs softly.
“UNCLE STRYKER!” Johnny yells.
The sound of Johnny’s excited yelling carries through the house as I quickly pull my shirt over my head while smiling to myself. Downstairs I can hear boots on the hardwood floor and the low rumble of Mason and Stryker’s voices. Bella’s soft laugh floats up through the stairwell, warm and familiar.
I run a brush quickly through my damp hair and twist it up into a loose knot before heading out of the bedroom and down the stairs. The closer I get to the living room, the louder the conversation becomes.
Johnny’s voice is the loudest of all.
“UNCLE STRYKER YOU HAVE TO SEE MY DINOSAUR!”
“I will, kid,” Stryker says with a chuckle. “But you gotta give a man five seconds to breathe.”
I round the corner into the living room just as Johnny is dragging a large plastic dinosaur across the floor toward him.
Bella stands beside the couch, her bright red hair pulled over one shoulder, her hands resting lightly against her stomach. The moment she sees me she smiles.
“Well look who finally decided to join us.”
I laugh and walk over, pulling her into a quick hug.
“I had to shower before the house was filled with bikers,” I tell her.
“Smart woman.”
When we pull apart, my eyes drift automatically down to her stomach.
Her belly is impossible to miss now, the soft curve of it stretching beneath her shirt as she rests her hands against it without even thinking.
She’s a few months away from meeting her baby, and it shows in the way she moves—careful, steady.
Stryker’s arm wraps around her waist, his hand settling protectively over her stomach.
My smile softens.
“How are you feeling?”
“Pretty good actually,” Bella says. “Still tired all the time, but the nausea finally stopped.”
“That’s a blessing.”
I glance between the two of them.
“Do you know what you're having yet?”
Bella shakes her head.
“Not yet. We’ll find out at the next doctor’s appointment. We wanted to wait but the waiting is killing us. So, we’re going to ask at the next appointment.”
Johnny pops up between us like a jack-in-the-box.
“I hope it’s a boy!”
Bella laughs.
“And why’s that?”
“So he can play dinosaurs with me.”
Stryker ruffles Johnny’s hair.
“If it’s a girl, you’re still playing dinosaurs.”
Johnny considers that seriously.
“…Okay.”
I shake my head with a smile before glancing around the living room. The decorations Mason and Johnny put up earlier are… something.
Red and white streamers stretch across the walls in wildly uneven lines. One of them dips so low it nearly touches the back of the couch. A cluster of balloons is taped near the doorway in a way that makes them look like they’re trying to escape.
Johnny’s crooked masterpiece still hangs proudly across the entryway.
Well. At least they tried.
Mason walks over and drops a roll of tape onto the table.
“What?”
I cross my arms and look between him and Stryker.
“You two need something to do.”
“That sounds suspicious.”
I grin sweetly.
“Why don’t you and Stryker go outside and get the tables and chairs set up before the rest of the club gets here?”
Stryker nods immediately.
“Good idea.”
Mason glances toward the back door.
“Yeah, we should probably get that done.”
Johnny gasps.
“OUTSIDE?”
I point toward the door.
“You’re going with them.”
Johnny pumps his fist.
“YES.”
Mason laughs.
“Come on, kid.”
Johnny grabs his dinosaur and sprints toward the door like it’s the start of a race.
“Wait up!” he yells.
Stryker chuckles and follows after them.
“I’ll make sure they don’t break anything,” he calls over his shoulder.
“Good luck with that,” Bella mutters.
The back door shuts behind them, leaving the house suddenly much quieter. Bella and I stand there for a moment. Then we both slowly turn to look at the decorations.
The crooked streamers. The uneven balloons. The tape hanging loose from the wall. Bella presses a hand to her mouth.
“Oh no.”
I try to keep a straight face. I really do. But then I notice one streamer that somehow runs diagonally across the room like it’s trying to escape the wall.
That’s it. I start laughing. Bella joins me a second later, the two of us leaning against the couch while trying to catch our breath.
“They tried so hard,” she says between laughs.
“I know.”
I wipe a tear from the corner of my eye.
“But every single one of these has to come down.”
Bella nods, still giggling.
“Every. Single. One.”
I grab the edge of the crooked streamer and pull it gently away from the wall.
“Well,” I say with a smile.
“Good thing they’re outside.”
Bella grins.
“Let’s fix this before they come back.”