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He knew. Deep in his gut.
She wasn’t temporary. She was here to stay.
And his father was right. CPS was not getting their claws in his daughter.
No one was.
She was blood.
He’d never abandon his blood. Not like his mother did.
He would just have to grow a set and play with the hand life just dealt him.
But still, he needed to wait for the results to be sure. Because his gut instinct had been wrong before.
Once or twice.
“Aww, shit,” came from Deacon who stared at his cousin, Judge.
The big man shook his head, not happy at all.
“You think she’ll do it?” Deacon asked. “Basically you’re askin’ her to be a house mouse. For that reason alone, she might rip you a new one.”
“Yeah,” Judge grunted. “That’s why I’ll do it over the phone and not in fuckin’ person. I ain’t dumb like you.”
Deacon grinned. “Just ‘cause you say it don’t mean it’s true.”
“Are you talkin’ about who I think you’re talkin’ about?” Trip asked, not hiding his surprise.
“Who the fuck are you all talkin’ about?” Cage shouted, getting impatient with this secret talk. “Spit it out.”
Judge’s nostrils flared. “Jemma.”
Cage blinked. Judge’s baby sister? Last time he saw her, she was like five. Just a baby herself.
“Ain’t she an RN?” Rook asked.
“Yeah,” Judge grunted.
A nurse? She might be perfect.
“Then why the fuck would she take a spot as a house mouse?” Dutch groused.
Fuck, Cage knew it was too good to be true. His father was right.
“Normally, she wouldn’t,” Judge answered. “But like I said, she’s between jobs and was talkin’ to Lottie about comin’ home for a bit ‘til she finds somethin’ else.”
“What the fuck happened to her job she had in...” Dutch tilted his head. “Where was it?”
Judge snorted. “The last one? Cleveland.”
Dutch made a disgusted face and spat on the ground. “Cleveland. Fuckin’ suck-ass Browns. They need a real football team.”
“Christ, can we stay on topic?” Trip barked. “Think Jemma will do it? What happened to her job?”
Deacon smirked. “She was workin’ with Doctor Handsy and he made the mistake of cornerin’ her in a closet.”
“Fuck,” Rook groaned behind Cage.
“Oh yeah,” Deacon said with a grin which quickly turned into a grimace. “Someone got their nads knocked out of alignment.”
“Fuck!” Rook groaned louder.
Then everyone took an automatic moment of silence in memory of it happening to them. Not one of them there didn’t know what it felt like when their nuts got knocked hard enough to make them crumple to the ground. Maybe even whimper a bit, too. Once they could breathe.
“What the fuck? She got fired for protectin’ herself?” Whip asked behind Judge.
“Doctor owned the hospice center.”
“Hospice?” Cage asked. “What she know about babies?”
“More than you, asshole,” Judge told him.
Cage couldn’t argue that. And beggars couldn’t be choosy. Or however that saying went. “When she comin’ home?”
“Was ridin’ out her last month’s rent where she was, while puttin’ out resumes in Cleveland hopin’ somethin’ came up in the meantime. She only planned on comin’ home if nothin’ panned out.”
“Can I afford her?”
Judge snorted. “A mechanic payin’ for an RN? Fuck no. She’s gonna have to do it as a favor while job huntin’.”
“A favor to who?” Cage hardly knew her. He’d seen her a few times when she was just a little slip of a kid but that was it. They didn’t go to the same school or hang with the same crowd growing up. He couldn’t imagine she’d do a favor for him.
“Guess to me. And then you’ll owe me a fuckin’ favor.” Judge lifted one eyebrow. “A big one. That’s if we don’t skin the fuckin’ colors off your back for fuckin’ up.”
It might be worth owing the big guy a big favor because, right now, Cage was in way over his head. In fact, he was sitting at the bottom of the deep end of a pool holding a cinder block. And the baby had only appeared a few hours ago. He had a feeling things wouldn’t get better, but only worse.
“But ain’t havin’ her come home early ‘til you know this kid’s yours. ‘Cause if she ain’t, the state will probably take her.”
Nobody said anything for a long moment as they all considered the truth Judge said last. Most of the men standing near the picnic table had shitty childhoods, no one wished that shit on anyone, especially an innocent baby. Not if it could be avoided.
“Just let me know as soon as you do,” Judge said.
Cage nodded, his lips pressed together. He had no idea what he was going to do in the meantime.
“Then once we know,” Trip began, “gonna call an exec meetin’ and deal with the broken rule.” He looked at Cage. “You won’t be in this one. Judge will let you know the consequences after we vote on it.”
“I got any say in it?” he asked Trip.
