Page 66 of Hard Corps (Selected Sinners MC 7)

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Early Winter 2014, Austin, Texas, USA

The entire group paced the hospital waiting room floor, waiting for an answer. Ripp insisted on being alone with Vee during the birth of their child, and that the sex of the child be a surprise. After over two hours of no news whatsoever, the crowd was growing weary.

I walked to the car seat, gazed down at Casey, and shook my head. “Get that little Marine out of that shit you got him wrapped in Kace, you’re smothering him.”

Kace stopped pacing and turned to face me. “Keep your hands off of him, Alec. He’s sleeping. You can hold him later.”

She turned toward Shane. “How long are they going to be in there? I popped mine out in like ten minutes.”

He might have been sleeping, but he looked uncomfortable. It appeared she had him dressed for a Canadian vacation, and although it was technically winter, it was winter in Texas, and the temperature outside was 65 degrees.

“I know he’s hot, he’s got to be,” I said as I reached into the car seat.

Kace stopped pacing and pressed her hands to her hips. “Stop it Alec, you’re going to wake him up.”

As I pulled him from the seat his eyes opened, closed, and opened again. After a few more sessions of opening and closing, he opened them, did his best to focus on me, and gazed up at me with one eye looking directly at me and the other looking toward the wall.

“Stop that, or they’ll stick,” I said with a laugh as I wiped the tips of my fingers over his eye lids.

When they opened again, his eyes were right where they should be.

“That’s more like it. Now, let’s take a walk,” I said as I walked to Katie’s side.

“You ready to be an aunt?” I asked as I leaned forward and kissed her.

“I feel like I already am,” she said. “But yeah, I’m pretty excited.”

I nodded my head and smiled as I bounced Casey in my arms. After a few seconds, he began to fuss.

“He needs me to sing to him, I’ll be right back,” I said.

I walked to the windows, tilted him to the side so he could see the street lights outside, and began to hum.

“You ready for our song?” I asked.

His eyes said yes.

“Here we go…”

As we paced the floor, I began to softly sing the Marine Corps Hymn.

“From the Halls of Montezuma…”

“To the shores of Tripoli…”

“We fight our country's battles…”

“In the air, on land, and sea…”

“First to fight for right and freedom…”

“And to keep our honor clean…”

“We are proud to claim the title…”

“Of United States Marine…”