My spiral quickens, but it quickly dies when the waiting room doors crash open.
Maverick storms in like a freight train. His face is streaked with tears, his shirt half untucked, and his hair sticking out every which way. He’s still clutching that damn jar of olives.
“I’M A DAD!” His voice cracks, echoing through the sterile room. “Holy shit, I’m a dad!”
Catalina jumps to her feet, covering her mouth with both hands as tears start to flow. Carter wraps a firm arm around her waist, holding her steady as she trembles with emotion.
Maverick’s pacing, laughing, and crying at the same time. “They’re both fine. Amelia’s… Jesus Christ, she’s unbelievable. She swore at me the whole time, threatened to break my hand, and then she held him—” his voice fractures, his chest heaving, “—and I swear I’ve never seen anything more fucking perfect.”
He drags a hand down his wet face, grinning through the mess. “His name’s Leo Maddox Hayes.”
Catalina breaks into new sobs as Carter kisses the top of her head. My chest tightens, pride swelling in a way I don’t bother trying to hide.
Maverick laughs again, shaking his head as if he can’t believe it. “He’s so damn small. Got Amelia’s nose, my ridiculous lungs. And he already looks at me like I don’t know what I’m doing. He’s right.”
I shake my head with a smile, despite myself. That’s Maverick—loud, chaotic, and full of heart.
My phone buzzes in my pocket.
Layla
Did Amelia really have the baby?? Catalina is blowing me up, but you know how she exaggerates.
A warmth spreads through me, cutting through the antiseptic hum of the hospital. My thumbs move slowly.
Reed
Yeah. Baby boy. Leo Maddox Hayes. Both doing perfect.
Her reply comes fast.
Layla
Leo!! Oh my god, I’m crying in my apartment like an idiot. Tell Amelia I love her. And that baby better know I’m already his favorite aunt.
A quiet laugh escapes me. I tuck my phone back into my pocket, feeling lighter than I have in years, and look at my brother—loud, messy, crying with joy.
Work, sleep, repeat.
That’s been my routine. But tonight? It’s different. Tonight, it’s about family. And thinking of Layla, miles away, crying happy tears into her phone, makes me think, I want more.
layla
. . .
The soft hum of my laptop is the only sound in the apartment. I’ve been glued to my screen for hours, trimming clips from Ruby Ridge, Reed’s bar glowing under string lights, the laughter spilling from Boots & Bourbon, the sound of my own voice talking about its decor, the mechanical bull, and other parts of his bar that I found fascinating.
Reed’s voice echoes faintly in one of the clips, “You got the shot you need, sunshine?”
My fingers hover over the keyboard, replaying it once, twice, until the door clicks open behind me.
“Hey, baby.”
Brian’s voice sends a chill through me. I snap the laptop shut, my heart slamming against my ribs.
He’s standing there with a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. A bouquet of white tulips dangles from his fingers. “What’s this?” he asks lightly, gesturing to the laptop.
Tulips, I fucking hate tulips.
