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“That’s all right, Starla. It’s best that little Brigitte meets her aunt and uncles now. She’s going to be seeing a lot of them after all.”
“Brigitte?” Starla asks, her eyebrows raising.
I can see the way Winter’s face drops as she prepares for another person to slaughter her idea for a baby name.
But tears of understanding spring to Starla’s eyes. She knew my mother, after all. “I love it,” she breathes. “A beautiful way to honor such a good person’s memory.”
Clearing my throat, I fight my own emotion in front of the guys. She’s right. Winter knew just the right name to pick, and I love her for it.
* * *
“Welcome home, Baby Brigitte,”Winter coos as we cross the threshold of our front door.
Of course, our little girl is snuggled close to her mother’s breast, sleeping soundly, completely oblivious to the world around her.
Starla follows us through the door, and we all creep down the hall. This moment somehow feels momentous. The start of our new lives. Next weekend, we have a party in the books to welcome Brigitte into the world. Until now, it was a tentative date Starla had set up, but she will get everything in order this week to ensure we celebrate our new baby in style. Today is all about letting Winter relax and learning all about little Brigitte.
She’s already been fed. Winter tried breastfeeding for the first time in the hospital, and our little girl latched on like a pro. Now she’s making little gurgling noises as she sucks on her tongue, her eyes closed in the most innocent and peaceful expression I’ve ever seen.
We settle into the nursery, Winter practically groaning as she lowers herself into the rocking chair with our baby. I put things away before joining them so I can simply watch our little girl sleep. She has her mother’s fine nose and full lips, but it looks like she’ll have my color of hair. We won’t know what color eyes she has for up to another six months, apparently, but I hope she has her mother’s stunning green ones.
Winter rests her head back against the rocking chair, her eyes closing. She looks so tired after all her hard work, and I brush her hair back from her face.
“Why don’t I take her for a little bit? You can catch a nap.”
Winter’s eyes open, and she looks up at me blearily. “That sounds wonderful. But I just want to hold her for a few more minutes.”
I smile down at my wife, running the backs of my fingers tenderly across her cheek. I’m going to have to fight for my fair share of time with our baby. I can already tell. I love how maternal Winter is naturally. She’s going to be the best mother, and I can’t wait to see it.
30
Winter
Two monthslater
Since having the baby,it seems we’ve had a constant flow of visitors, the guys swinging by at odd hours just to spend a bit of time in the presence of our little girl. They also need to talk business some of the time, seeing as Gabriel has largely left the club in Dallas, Rico, and Knuckles’ hands while we’re getting used to waking up at all hours of the night. Suddenly, our lives revolve around our little bundle of joy, and somehow I couldn’t be happier.
It’s Sunday, and the boys have come over for a little get-together on Starla’s last day in town. I’m going to miss the heck out of her when she’s gone. She’s been a godsend the last two months, willing to help with Brigitte whenever we need it but not so overbearing as to offer us unsolicited parenting advice.
Rico’s taking his turn holding Brigitte on the couch as we chat, and it’s nice to see him looking so comfortable with a baby in his arms. Despite his bristly exterior and regularly negative Nancy mood, Rico softens into the cutest uncle with Brigitte in his arms. He’s going to spoil our kid rotten, and I love it.
I’ve been taking the spare moment to snuggle up to Gabriel. It’s been two months since I had Brigitte, and in all that time, Gabriel and I haven’t been intimate. It might just literally be killing me. I feel as though my body’s ready to snap with the intensity of my need for him. The doctor has finally cleared me for sex, so once this party is over, nothing will stop me from taking my husband to bed.
“I’ll be right back,” Gabriel says, pressing a kiss to my forehead before he rises from his spot next to me, extracting his arm from around my shoulders. I miss his warmth as soon as he’s gone.
That’s when I realize I haven’t seen Starla and Dallas for a minute. I glance at Rico as Knuckles coerces him to hand the baby over.
“It’s my turn, man. Look, she’s pointing at me. She wants her uncle Knuckles.”
Rico puts up a defensive elbow and keeps a firm hold on my daughter. “I only just got her,” he objects. “Besides, you stink. She doesn’t want you to hold her.”
I suppress a smile. They’re fine for the moment. Rising, I head toward the kitchen to grab my single cup of coffee I’m allotted in a day. But as I reach the corner of the wall separating the kitchen from the living room, I hear murmured voices. I can’t help my curiosity, and I pause there as I note Starla’s hushed tones.
“I can’t, Dallas. Besides, I’m going home today. It wouldn’t have worked out anyway.” Her tone is almost tearful, and I wonder what she can’t do.
“Please, Starla?” he insists, his tone pained.
Suddenly, I wonder if I’m eavesdropping on a breakup of sorts or if it’s something else. Starla’s been a closed book about her feelings for Dallas over the past two months, though I can see it as clear as day. They’re crazy about each other. While the other boys have teased Dally about losing his virility since he’s no longer fucking the club girls, and he hasn’t even tossed his hat into the ring when it comes to the ridiculous competition for Shelby’s affections, I’ve seen the truth of it. He’s in love with Starla. But whether anything has happened between them, I don’t know.
