Page 29 of Rowdy & Kat

“They’re so beautiful, Rowdy,” Bebe said, getting teary-eyed again. “It was so cute to see how identical Kat and Maria are and then imagine the same for Cavan and Colson.”

Pax nodded. “I like how Kat suggested the middle name Roy. I always worried you’d pick a disobedient wife.”

Bebe shot a frown at Pax, who chuckled at her irritation.

“I don’t want to whine,” I mumbled through yawns, “but I’m tired as fuck. I need to take a shower and sleep buck naked for at least six hours. Then, I plan to devise a list of what needs to happen and when. Kat will be in the hospital for a few more days. I’ll need to stay in Little Rock until she’s ready to travel. But the details can wait until I crash.”

“Not to shit on your happy plans, but what about Goblin?” Pax asked.

“I’ll have him stay with Clint and Ivy until I get back.”

“What about when you move your woman and her two cats to your place?”

“Worries for another day,” I said and sighed with relief at the sight of the hotel up ahead. “I need to clean up and rest. I want to be on the top of my game when I return to the hospital tomorrow. Maria said Kat might be in more pain. I need to be Superman, so Kat can trust me and rest.”

“You’re a good boy,” Bebe said, admiring me in that way she had since I was little. “I can’t explain it, but I want Kat to be the right woman for you. Something about her clicked for me. But I worry that she might turn cold because she kept the pregnancy a secret.”

“Kat said she came to Little Memphis more than once to talk to me, but she chickened out. I must be scarier than I thought.”

“People let her down,” Bebe said and nodded at her own comment. “I couldn’t rely on anyone for a long time, either. I had friends, but they were also struggling. I was lucky to meet Shay. She introduced me to Darby, who was the kind of woman I’d never known before,” Bebe said, mentioning Joker Curran’s first wife. “I suddenly found myself surrounded by good people. Oh, and your dad was there, too.”

“I was the best part of that story,” Pax muttered. “But I understand why you didn’t want to share the sexy details with your son.”

I grinned at my parents’ teasing. Their love remained strong, even after decades together. Pax had been an asshole when they met. I’d heard all about his successes and failures to win Bebe’s heart.

After falling for her, Pax became a devoted dad to Lula. My parents had three more kids. Our house was always filled with noise and drama. We moved into the bigger house at the Sleepy Eye Community with many other members of the Little Memphis Motorcycle Club, including my uncle Ford.

Lula built a house next door to our parents. My cousin Clint planned to build a house there one day. I would need to do the same if I wanted to give my boys the kind of backyard that I enjoyed growing up.

As we arrived at the hotel, my mind raced with ideas about painting the second bedroom, convincing Kat to move to Little Memphis, and building a forever house. I entered my room and went straight to the bathroom. A hot shower later, I couldn’t settle down despite my exhaustion.

Crawling naked under the blankets, I made myself stop replaying every moment of the last twenty-four hours. Instead, I closed my eyes and imagined I was in my condo. Kat was cuddled next to me. I could smell her fruity shampoo in the dark room. Downstairs, in the finished color-coordinated nursery, I pictured Colson and Cavan sound asleep. My badass guard dog Goblin was curled up in his large cage by the windows.

With such a relaxing image in my head, I drifted to sleep after one of the longest days in my fucking life.

KAT

My first night at the hospital proved to be awful. Once the C-section incision began to hurt, the medicine did little to alleviate the pain. I also got incredibly mopey after the babies went to the nursery for the night.

Curled up in bed, I kept my misery to myself to avoid waking Maria. Though I tried to think positive thoughts, negativity dominated my mind.

I felt guilty for not breastfeeding. I began doubting the boys’ names. I felt guilty for sending the babies to the nursery so I could rest. I resented how much weight I had gained during the pregnancy. I felt guilty for not taking more pictures and videos today. I regretted not being friendlier to the Reed family. Mostly, I wished I had told Rowdy the truth earlier in my pregnancy.

Despite having reasons for my choices, I second-guessed them all tonight.

Eventually, my exhaustion forced me to sleep. Staying in one position for hours ended up decreasing my pain. I’d probably moved around too much earlier. The next dose of pain medication helped much more.

I dozed off again, smiling at how smart Maria was to suggest the boys stay in the nursery overnight. We wouldn’t be able to enjoy such luxuries once we were home.

The nurse brought Cavan and Colson into the room just after dawn. Maria told me to keep resting. She had slept over eight hours and could handle the boys until breakfast. Dozing off again, I dreamed of Rowdy and me shooting basketballs.

Waking up to the smell of breakfast, I smiled at Maria. She looked well-rested and bright-faced. With her help, I used the bathroom. The face looking back in the mirror wasn’t as sunny as Maria’s, but I was happy to have moved past my mopey phase.

I checked on the boys to find them as adorable as I remembered. I still hadn’t adjusted to the idea of them being huggable now. I still felt huge and pregnant, but my babies were now in the world for me to touch and admire.

The scrambled eggs and toast were nothing special, but I was extremely hungry and enjoyed every bite. Maria ate her breakfast next to me, smiling often and frequently glancing at the boys.

“They’re such handsome boys,” Maria said, smiling tenderly. “Their blond hair is so fair, and their eyes are such a light blue. They look a lot like Vanessa.”