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I lean my head back and rest it on the swing as we sway. We have a little house off the beach. It has two bedrooms, an open living room encased in glass for the perfect view, and a porch that wraps around the front with a porch swing. My favorite part.
“What’s the matter, baby?” Lucas asks, dragging me from my thoughts.
“Nothing. I was just thinking.” I give him a weak smile.
“About him?” His eyes are soft.
I feel he’s come to terms with things too in a sense. He agrees that the baby should know about her dad and how powerful he was, and he knows I still love Teddy. I’m sure it hurts him in a way, but it’s not something I can change. Teddy was my first for a lot of things. He gave me confidence, made me believe in myself, and showed me what love was and wasn’t. Because of that, he will always hold a special place in my heart.
I nod honestly, then try and change the subject. I don’t feel the need to voice my thoughts all the time. It’s just nice to have someone who understand when I do. “I finally picked a name.”
His eyebrows raise as he strokes my swollen belly. “Oh yeah? You finally caved with knowing what she was, and now you’re caving on the name. I thought you weren’t going to decide until delivery.”
I roll my eyes. “The name is too perfect. It’s already stuck in my head.”
He drops his smile, doing his best to be serious. “Lay it on me.”
“Blake Lucia Hale.”
“Kind of has a ring to it.” He smiles.
I nod and place my hand over his. “Yeah. I wasn’t going to give her a middle name. Just keep it Blake Hale for my dad and Teddy. But you’ll be here helping me with her. Loving her, telling her about her dad and badass uncle. I felt it was only right she have a little piece of you too.”
His smile grows. “I can’t wait to tell Julius. He’s going to be so fucking jealous.”
I laugh. Not much has changed in the past five months between them. They still talk their shit and have disagreements, but I feel the distance has helped in a way. They each have their own space and live by their own rules. No one is controlling them anymore or telling them what to do.
Once we settled in, we adapted a new routine with my bed rest. I’m allowed to be up and about for two hours every day, so I use that time to shower, stretch, and anything else I may want to do. But once a month, we make a trip to Northridge Heights to see Carl, Julius, and Teddy. It’s nice to be able to go see them and make sure all is well, but it’s even nicer to leave and not have to worry about the dealings going on there.
With Sebastian running the gun and drug supply now, things seem to be smoother. Maybe it’s just because we don’t have that burden anymore. He’s kept his word thus far and is doing shit pretty clean. After Emil’s guy came for us, we had suspicions it was Sebastian who sent him, but he’s never admitted to it. Normally, we’d keep pushing, but what’s done is done. And we haven’t heard about any murders or turf wars, so I guess he’s doing something right. He even offered the casino to Julius, but he turned it down. None of us want to be in his debt in any way.
And Julius has done phenomenal with the club. Things kind of went downhill after Teddy’s death, but he’s revamped it and turned it back into the hottest spot in Northridge Heights. I’m sure he’s doing other things, maybe even running some rackets, but he won’t confirm or deny it.
My new motto is ignorance is bliss. If I don’t know about it, I don’t have to worry about it. I feel confident Carl is keeping him in check when it comes to things, and he also has Cat for support. All in all, everyone seems to be doing great, and that’s all I’ve ever wanted.
Lucas stands and grabs my hand, pulling me up. “You ready?”
I nod and slip my flip-flops back on. “This will be the last time we can visit for a while. I don’t think she’ll last too much longer in here.” I bounce my fingers over my stomach.
“I don’t either,” he chuckles.
