Page 23 of Rowdy & Kat

Bebe smiled warmly and cuddled Cavan. I glanced at Colson and wondered if I could hold him.

“You baked this baby for almost a year,” Rowdy said and gently scooped up our sleeping son. “You shouldn’t deprive yourself of snuggles.”

Maria smiled at how he handed me the baby. “Are any of these bikers sweet like you?”

Pax snorted. “Sweet.”

“I happen to be very sweet to certain people,” Rowdy said full of swagger. “Only the very best people get to enjoy it. And to answer your question, Maria, I’ve got plenty of sweet club brothers. And to answer my father’s question, no, I wasn’t thinking about Rock. He’s got no heart for love, unless it involves his mommy.”

Cuddling Cavan, Bebe said quietly, “Let’s stop trashing Rock and return to the babies’ middle names. I like that they’ll be named after Rowdy.”

“I’ve already forgotten their names,” Pax said and shrugged. “I didn’t sleep well last night.”

“Neither did I,” I said, making Maria snicker.

Pax gave me a wink. “Tell me their names again, and I’ll record everything on my phone. That way, I won’t keep asking.”

“Cavan Roy Reed and Colson Roy Reed.”

Rowdy exhaled in a dreamy way, and I felt him thinking about the future. I held his gaze, wanting to say a million things that I couldn’t share with an audience.

ROWDY

Despite the chill mood in the hospital room, I was wary about leaving my parents alone with Kat and Maria. My dad might start pushing weird names again. Or my mom could get flustered over Kat’s earlier secrets.

Despite my concerns, I forced my ass into the bathroom to clean up. After a long ride yesterday and a wild day today, I felt grimy in a way that didn’t make cuddling with Kat or the boys very fun.

I tried on my new clothes, appreciating the soft fabric of the faded-blue T-shirt. I washed my face and fixed my hair before slapping a nicotine patch on my bicep. Returning to the room, I found everyone in the same spots as when I left.

Kat cuddled Colson. Bebe rocked Cavan. My dad was texting people in between taking pictures. Maria looked like she needed a nap.

“Ford is jealous,” Pax announced and shoved his phone in his pocket. “I doubled up on grandkids in one day. He’ll never catch up.”

I grinned at Kat. “Thank you for helping us win against my uncle.”

“It was my pleasure,” Kat said and stroked Colson’s little cheek. “But Elle had a baby, and you said she’s living with the baby’s father.”

“Yeah, but she won’t want more,” I replied, winning a nod from Pax. “She’ll be finished with her two sons. My cousin Clint’s wife is super tiny. I can’t imagine she’ll be able to birth more than a baby or two. With Lula looking to make her second kid, and my twin bonanza, we’re crushing my cousins’ output.”

Bebe rolled her eyes. “It’s not a competition.”

“No, it’s not,” Pax said and strutted over to kiss the top of her head. “Because we already won it. This thing’s over. We’ve defeated my brother for another generation.”

Sharing a smile, Kat and Maria whispered to each other in twin speak. Or maybe they were speaking another language. Either way, they seemed amused by my father’s triumphant stance.

“Your sisters are on their way over,” Pax announced. “They didn’t want to wait until later. They can pick up food if you don’t want to survive on hospital crap.”

Kat smiled at me. “I can’t eat anything heavier than clear soup yet, but Maria is likely hungry.”

“Do you like pot pies like Kat?” I asked, winning identical grins from the twins. “I’ll take that as a yes. Isn’t there a soup place with pot pies somewhere downtown?”

After Pax found a place with the right food for the twins, my sisters agreed to pick up our order.

“Will you feel bad if I eat a large sandwich in front of you?” I asked Kat as I sat on the end of the bed and adjusted Colson’s blue beanie.

“I feel a little nauseous, so a large sandwich doesn’t interest me,” Kat said, holding my gaze in that hypnotic way she did back at the clubhouse. “However, I’ll be happy to know you and Maria are well fed and comfortable. You’ve both taken such good care of me today.”

The surgery shifted things between the three of us. The edgy hostility between Maria and me was gone. I felt protective of both women, and they often looked at me as if I were the best guy in the world.