ROWDY
Despite the chill mood in the hospital room, I was wary about leaving my parents alone with Kat and Maria. My dad might start pushing weird names again. Or my mom could get flustered over Kat’s earlier secrets.
Despite my concerns, I forced my ass into the bathroom to clean up. After a long ride yesterday and a wild day today, I felt grimy in a way that didn’t make cuddling with Kat or the boys very fun.
I tried on my new clothes, appreciating the soft fabric of the faded-blue T-shirt. I washed my face and fixed my hair before slapping a nicotine patch on my bicep. Returning to the room, I found everyone in the same spots as when I left.
Kat cuddled Colson. Bebe rocked Cavan. My dad was texting people in between taking pictures. Maria looked like she needed a nap.
“Ford is jealous,” Pax announced and shoved his phone in his pocket. “I doubled up on grandkids in one day. He’ll never catch up.”
I grinned at Kat. “Thank you for helping us win against my uncle.”
“It was my pleasure,” Kat said and stroked Colson’s little cheek. “But Elle had a baby, and you said she’s living with the baby’s father.”
“Yeah, but she won’t want more,” I replied, winning a nod from Pax.
“She’ll be finished with her two sons. My cousin Clint’s wife is super tiny.
I can’t imagine she’ll be able to birth more than a baby or two.
With Lula looking to make her second kid, and my twin bonanza, we’re crushing my cousins’ output. ”
Bebe rolled her eyes. “It’s not a competition.”
“No, it’s not,” Pax said and strutted over to kiss the top of her head. “Because we already won it. This thing’s over. We’ve defeated my brother for another generation.”
Sharing a smile, Kat and Maria whispered to each other in twin speak. Or maybe they were speaking another language. Either way, they seemed amused by my father’s triumphant stance.
“Your sisters are on their way over,” Pax announced. “They didn’t want to wait until later. They can pick up food if you don’t want to survive on hospital crap.”
Kat smiled at me. “I can’t eat anything heavier than clear soup yet, but Maria is likely hungry.”
“Do you like pot pies like Kat?” I asked, winning identical grins from the twins. “I’ll take that as a yes. Isn’t there a soup place with pot pies somewhere downtown?”
After Pax found a place with the right food for the twins, my sisters agreed to pick up our order.
“Will you feel bad if I eat a large sandwich in front of you?” I asked Kat as I sat on the end of the bed and adjusted Colson’s blue beanie.
“I feel a little nauseous, so a large sandwich doesn’t interest me,” Kat said, holding my gaze in that hypnotic way she did back at the clubhouse. “However, I’ll be happy to know you and Maria are well fed and comfortable. You’ve both taken such good care of me today.”
The surgery shifted things between the three of us. The edgy hostility between Maria and me was gone. I felt protective of both women, and they often looked at me as if I were the best guy in the world.
“Do you have any family to help you?” Bebe asked after moving her chair closer to the bed to see Kat, Maria, and Colson better.
“We have a complicated family history,” Kat said as she rested Colson against her chest. “It’s only Maria and me.”
A dubious Pax asked, “Complicated how?”
Exhaling uneasily, Kat didn’t answer. Maria rested her cheek against her sister’s shoulder.
“Our mother was a mail-order bride,” Maria explained.
“Maybe not literally, but she came to the US to marry him when she was eighteen. We don’t know much about her family back in Estonia.
Lora died when we were eight. Our father was much older than our mom and decided he couldn’t raise two kids alone.
He chose to rehome us to someone he knew. ”
“Rehome like people do with pets?” Bebe asked, frowning in her mama bear way.
Nodding, Maria explained, “We went to live with a new mom and dad. When we were eleven, they got divorced. We bounced back and forth between them for a few years. Then, when we were fourteen, they decided they couldn’t raise us and gave us to our uncle and aunt.
That Mom and Dad got divorced a few years later.
That’s when we lived in Little Memphis. We had finished our junior year when that particular mom decided to relocate to the West Coast with a new man and gave us to her mom in Little Rock. ”
Maria smiled at a sad Kat before continuing, “We lived with our grandmother for years. First, she paid our bills. Once we got older and started working, we helped pay her bills. When she died, we inherited her house. That’s how we bought our townhome.
Her family didn’t like how we inherited anything since we weren’t blood relatives.
The final court hearing was the last time we saw them. ”
Kat sighed. “Like I said, it’s complicated.”
In that moment, I understood why Kat had struggled to trust me. Maria was the only reliable person in her life. Everyone else either died or ditched her.
A quiet moment passed as the Reed family claimed these lost twins.
My mom watched the women like they were now her responsibility.
My dad, who had spent most of his life in foster care, looked pissed at how people had done Kat and Maria wrong.
Before the family got overly mushy, Sabrina entered the room to break the spell.
My sister’s dark hair was up in a bouncy ponytail, giving her a fun, harmless vibe that her mouth was likely to ruin. Before she barfed out complaints, Pax shushed her.
“Don’t make the babies cry.”
Sabrina zeroed in on Kat and frowned. “I have things to say to you. Cruel, aggressive statements meant to break your spirit and leave you in tears. But since you’re holding a small baby and likely went through a horrifying vaginal experience, I will save my cutting words for another time.”
“I had a C-section,” Kat replied. “My vagina is unharmed.”
“Well, that’s good, but I assume my brother damaged it a little when he put these crotch goblins inside you.”
Gasping dramatically, I warned, “Don’t you dare call my sons such a deplorable name.”
“You just called Elle’s kid a crotch goblin.’
“Yeah, because I’m not her son’s father. These kids are mine, so behave.”
Sabrina was in the process of a massive eye roll when Vanessa and Lula entered the room.
“Why did you run ahead of us?” Lula asked Sabrina.
“So, I could get all up in Rowdy’s face before you did.”
Lula smirked. “How’s that working out for you?”
“He’s using his newborn sons as shields, so I’m not doing well at all.”
Lula set the food on the side table and dug into her purse for antibacterial gel. She smiled at both sets of twins before her gaze settled on Bebe cuddling Cavan.
I made the introductions while my sisters sanitized their hands. Vanessa tied her blonde hair into braids as she stared fascinated by the babies.
“Are you sure they’re both boys?” Vanessa asked. “Could the plumbing be wrong?”
“I’ve checked their dicks more than once.”
“Too bad. You could have gotten a boy and a girl with one swoop.”
I smiled at Kat and Maria, who watched Vanessa like she was weird. They smiled in unison when her gaze fell on them.
“Which one of you gave birth?” Vanessa asked, having a lot of trouble keeping up today.
“Did you not sleep well?” I asked my sister and hugged her against me. “You’re dumber than usual.”
“I had to share a bed with Xandy since she couldn’t fit comfortably with Sabrina and Moe. Let’s just say, she’s used to fondling the people in bed with her. So, no, I didn’t sleep well.”
“You’re lucky to have my woman fondle you,” Sabrina said and wiggled her fingers at me. “Let me hold one of them. I don’t really care which one.”
“I’m already holding this one,” Lula said and then added, “Cavan is a nice name.”
Kat smiled at Lula. “Your daughter’s name is Dillon. Rowdy told me that she’s a great student.”
Lula smiled warmly at me before her expression shifted to annoyance. “When did you tell her this exactly? You claimed Kat was a hookup that you hadn’t spoken to since last summer.”
I smiled at Kat. “But I kept in touch by texting her updates on my hopes and dreams and my family and what I ate.”
An amused Kat announced, “He texted once to share how he ate a bug while riding his motorcycle.”
Chuckling, I stroked her head. “I kept Kat informed of the important stuff, like eating bugs and Dillon’s good grades.”
Lula's warm brown eyes flashed between the twins and me. “I’m choosing to view that bug thing as charming.”
“She can’t help herself,” I told Kat and Maria. “All my sisters worship me.”
Sabrina gave me a little snarl while Vanessa nodded and dropped into the chair vacated by our father.
“Where are your women?” I asked Sabrina while Bebe helped Maria with the food.
“Moe had a nightmare that your babies were aliens. She decided she didn’t want to meet them and get attached until she knew they were biologically yours.”
“Huh, so her theory is that an alien banged Kat around the same time I did?”
“Honestly, she thinks you’ve gotten yourself scammed,” Sabrina said and narrowed her eyes at Kat. “We don’t know this broad.”
“Well, I trust her,” I said and rested my hand on Kat’s shoulder.
Kat placed her hands on mine and smiled up at me. “I appreciate that, but we should do paternity tests. Even if you have no doubts, other people might. This way, you’ll have proof.”
“You’re so smart.”
Though Kat continued to smile at me, I felt her putting on a show. My family overwhelmed her. If they weren’t here, she could snuggle with the babies without answering questions or pretending to be unbothered.
Soon, as Kat sipped her soup broth, I shared my sandwich with Pax. My dad stood at the windows with me, keeping an eye on the women and babies.
“What the fuck happens next?” Pax muttered quietly to me.
“I hang out for a few hours before taking a rideshare to the hotel. Tomorrow, I’ll come back. Eventually, Kat, Maria, and the boys will go home to their townhome.”
“Then what?”
“I’ll talk them into visiting Little Memphis. Once I have enough time with Kat, she’ll realize how she can’t live without me. I’m fucking great, you know?”
“Oh, I’ve heard,” a smirking Pax replied. “But what about her sister?”
“I was serious about hooking her up with a club brother. There’s got to be a guy in the Crimson Guard who interests her.”
“Set her up with Tricky and give him something to obsess over rather than Zodiac and the Black Rainbow.”
Shaking my head, I grumbled, “I don’t want to double date with Tricky.”
Pax rolled his eyes. “Stop being selfish and use Maria to neuter Tricky.”
“He’s still into Cher and would never treat Maria right.”
“You’re so shortsighted. The savvy move would be to get your future sister-in-law married into the Curran family. Maybe dose her drink before they meet, so she won’t notice his flaws.”
I started to argue with Pax before realizing he was fucking with me. Grinning, I nudged him and let my gaze wash over the room full of people.
“So, you knew this girl in high school?”
“She asked me to the winter formal.”
“You didn’t go to the winter formal.”
“No, when she asked, I thought she was kidding and laughed. But she wasn’t kidding and wouldn’t give me another shot.”
Pax smirked. “How did you handle that?”
“I followed her around, acting like a seductive jerk.”
“As you’ve heard before, I acted like a jackass with your mom when we first met. Reed men don’t know how to seduce women. That’s why I ordered your mom to live with me, so I could keep her close without needing to flirt.”
I admired my mother nearby, standing between her daughters and the twins. “Well, your plan worked out.”
“Sure, and knocking up this nurse seems to have worked out for you.”
“Exactly how I planned.”
As we shared a grin, I struggled against a building fatigue. The day was only half over, and I was already overwhelmed.
Taking a deep breath, I settled down by recalling how comfortable I felt last night in bed with Kat. She felt like an old friend and the sexiest woman in the world wrapped into one amazing package. This morning, she gave birth to my two boys. I believed I loved her.
I imagined us back at her townhome. The boys were asleep in the crib. I was cuddled with Kat. Maria was in her room. Wicked and Witchy were sneaking around, plotting like cats tended to do.
When I imagined that one quiet image, my future with Katarina Darville felt like a done deal.