41
Vegas
After sending a picture of my daughter to Rooster to share with the crew, I was bombarded with messages of congratulations and promises to buy me a drink to celebrate. If I actually let them, they’d get me hammered, but I still loved how they all cared enough to message me and check in. And then came the requests from the old ladies. They wanted to visit, but they didn't want to overwhelm us, so I spent some time working out a schedule with Skylar, who shared it with the rest of them.
Prez and Maggie showed up first, both of them hugging Sierra and congratulating her first before coming to me, as they should have. She was the one who did all the work. If she hadn’t told me to stop thanking her because it kept making her cry, I’d still be smothering her with my appreciation.
“Congratulations, brother,” Prez said, pulling me into a back slapping hug. “I should’ve known your kid would cause me as much stress as you do. Glad everything turned out okay.”
I chuckled, hugging him back. “Yeah, she gave us a hell of a scare, but the doc said she’s totally healthy. 6 pounds twoounces, nineteen inches, and apparently she’s a champion eater. All the nurses keep talking about it.”
He chuckled, leading the way over to the bassinet where my daughter slept. She had reddish brown hair like her mama, but her pale blue eyes were all mine. I still hoped she’d grow to look just like Sierra, but I loved seeing that piece of me whenever she blinked open those big blue eyes.
“Think you’ll have another?” I asked Prez quietly, both of us staring at the bassinet.
He hummed, his smile soft. “We’re going to try, but Maggie’s had issues getting pregnant in the past. It might take some time and effort for her.”
If their next kid was anything like the first, it’d be worth it. Zoey was a sweetheart and she loved babies. She was always begging to hold Ryder. She deserved a sibling.
“If you need anything from me, let me know,” I offered.
“I think you’ll be a little busy,” he chuckled. “I was actually going to offer my help first. Mel told me you were going to buy her house. How about we move you in while you’re here? Let you focus on your girls.”
I wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth. “I appreciate that. Did you see her name?”
He looked back at the little card taped to the top of the bassinet. “Melanie. That’s cute.”
“Yeah, we’re gonna call her Mel.”
He sucked in a breath, taking it in for a moment. Mel was his sister after all. “Does she know that yet?”
“Not yet.”
He huffed a laugh. “Can I be there when you tell her?”
Prez didn’t stickaround all day, he’d had to go home to his kid at one point. Mel was actually the last old lady to come for a visit. She’d worked a forty eight hour shift when she stayed to help us, so she needed the rest. She showed up with pizza and a box of chocolate donuts for Sierra, Wraith and Xander following behind her.
“I bring treats,” she said brightly. “How are you feeling?”
“Hungry,” Sierra answered honestly. “I thought once I had the baby, I wouldn’t be starving all the time.”
That made Mel snort as she set the pizza on the table and plated a slice, handing it off to Sierra. “Nope. You’ll actually be more hungry because you’re feeding two of you. So eat when you need to. You’ll burn off a lot with breastfeeding.”
Once she made sure Sierra was comfortable, she swung around to coo at the baby. “And how about you, sweetie? Have you been eating well?”
“Every two hours,” I replied, lifting my chin in greeting to Wraith. He did the same, moving close enough to quietly pass off the gift I’d had him pick up for me for Sierra. I slipped it into my pocket, squeezing his shoulder in thanks.
“Sorry I stole your old lady for a little while. She was a godsend.”
He smirked and shrugged it off. “I knew when I claimed her I’d have to share with the hospital. We’re good.”
I jerked my chin toward the little card, catching Mel’s attention. “We finally picked her name. What do you think?”
She’d missed it, too busy scooping up the baby for cuddles. She glanced at it and smiled, which was the same reaction I got from everyone else until I explained our reasoning.
“We’re going to call her Mel.”
Mel froze and sucked in a breath, staring at the name card like she couldn’t comprehend what I’d said. When her bottom lip trembled, I had to take the baby from her so Wraith could pull her into his arms.
