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She punched him in the face in the middle of a giant cookout. It was pretty awesome. Atlas had some fucked-up story in his head about Fiona becoming a drug addict while he was in the army, and it had resulted in their lengthy estrangement.

None of us were thrilled when we learned the details about their relationship, and we were even less eager to work with Atlas on Seph’s Trail. As Road Captain, though, he was a huge part of the project, which made things strained for a bit. Atlas kept trying to get info about Fee that none of us would give.

At the end of the day, when Fiona needed him most, he showed up. They were slowly trying to build some sort of a relationship, and him coming out to help with the pregnancy and baby were big steps.

Speaking of, Atlas’s broad form was taking up space as he stared blindly into the fridge.

“You gonna pick something or just let the cold air out?” I asked, grabbing an apple before sitting on one of the stools at the island. With a sigh, he shut the door, running his hands through his hair as he turned to me.

“Trying to quit smoking. Can’t do it around the baby. Plus, Fee hates the smell. Reminds her of our parents. But I’m going fucking crazy. I’ve got the patch and shit on, but I don’t know…I guess I was hoping some food might distract me.”

“What about candy? Read somewhere that sour candies can cause a sensory shock that helps distract from the cravings.” Standing up, I headed for a cabinet most of the brothers didn’t know existed. It contained spices and cooking ingredients, but I knew Bull kept some candies back there. Mofo had a sweet tooth like no other. Grabbing a bag of Jolly Ranchers, I tossed them to Atlas, who caught them easily.

“Thanks.” He grunted before ripping the bag open and rushing to unwrap one.

“How’s Fee doing?” I asked.

“Annoyed. Uncomfortable. It’s the first time I don’t feel like I’m the only one she’s pissed at, though, so that’s been nice.”

I snorted. “How long do you think you’re gonna stay?” We all had mixed feelings about Atlas, but since Fee was giving him a second chance, we were trying to as well. I knew what it was like to grow up a certain way, that it affects how you view other people and especially yourself. So, as long as he wasn’t upsetting Bash or Fee, I could play nice.

“I’m not sure. Know fuck all about babies except that they’re tiny and exhausting. I don’t know how much help I’ll actually be, but I figure at the minimum, I can run errands, get groceries, do some laundry. Whatever they’ll let me do.”

“If you wind up with too much free time, we can always use help with Crow. Got two more spots to check out, based on some rumblings down in Memphis.”

“Yeah? I mean, I’d love to. Let’s see how things go. I can always check something out on my ride back to SC.” Before I could reply, the door to the kitchen was slamming open.

“THAT ASSHOLE.” Charlie blew in like a hurricane, Match trudging in behind her.

“What happened?” Atlas asked, looking worried.

“Oh, great. Another asshole asking dumb questions!” she jeered before slamming around the cabinets. I got up and opened the top one, where the cookies had been moved to protect them from Fiona.

“Here. What did Bash do to piss you off?” I asked as I handed her the packet. With a loud sigh, she ripped it open. As she separated the cookie from the filling, she looked at us.

“What did he do? How about he stole my best friend, knocked her up, and then became her fucking shadow? Won’t let her piss without him near. And then this asshole has the audacity to claim that I’M stressing her out! Kicked us out of the house and said we can’t come back till the baby gets here!” Charlie’s voice rose as she continued, Match nodding along in fervent agreement. “We weren’t even doing anything! He was the one annoying Fee. We made her laugh, and he got all freaked out. I mean…Even if laughing did cause labor, don’t they want that? She’s already late.” Match looked curious, as if working out the semantics in his head. “You can’t go into labor from laughing, dumbass. He’s just having a panic attack about the baby getting here and has lost his goddamn mind,” Charlie said, a bit calmer as she chewed on her fourth—or eighth—cookie.

“Why is he panicking?” Atlas asked. Charlie shot him a look that would have turned others into stone. “Because he loves Fee and doesn’t want to see her in pain? Because he wants to meet his baby, but he’s terrified of what being a dad means? It’s not something you can really plan for. You saw all the different protective shit. That psycho car seat contraption he got. Bash likes control. A newborn baby under his protection is foreign territory,” Charlie said. We all nodded. That made sense to me. The need to be the one in control was something I was quite familiar with.

“They’re both going to be fine. They just have to meet the baby. You can plan and prepare all you want, but from what I’ve heard, it goes out the window once the kid is actually here. They’re both smart, capable people. They’ll figure it out in their own way, on their own time,” Atlas replied as he popped another candy into his mouth.

“Gee, Dr. Phil. That was actually quite insightful,” Charlie replied, the closest to a compliment Atlas would hear from her. Before he could reply, the door was swinging open again with even more force than before.

“Her water broke! They’re heading to the hospital now,” Bull shouted, looking a bit flustered, as if he had run to tell us. With a glass-shattering screech, Charlie was out of her seat, Match and Atlas on her heels. Bull held the door open, watching me.

“You coming?” he asked. I shook my head. I didn’t want to crowd Bash and Fee, especially with everyone else who was going to be there.

“You sure?” Bull asked, looking surprised.

“Yeah. Gonna go visit Mom. Keep me posted, though, yeah?” I asked. He took a minute to study me before nodding.

The ride to Mom’s was a nice way to clear my head and get my thoughts in order. I was happy and excited for Bash and Fee. With Guard and Cece as his parents, Bash had a great support system and role models.

At the same time, Fiona’s darker history had only pushed her harder to succeed. I had no doubt the same would come to motherhood. There wasn’t going to be a single thing that kid wanted or needed for.

Once again, my mind drifted to Lilah. What are her parents like? Does she talk to her sister? What did canceling her wedding have to do with talking to her family?

There were so many questions I wanted to ask, so many things I wanted to know about her. Every time I thought my curiosity was satiated, another question or mystery popped up.