Page 18 of Whiskey

“Vivi, one more push and I believe Little Tot will be here. Whiskey, do you want to get behind Vivi and help her sit up a little more?”

Whiskey carefully lifted her up and scooted behind her. While Stella checked her when they first arrived, Whiskey had jumped in the shower, then put on clean shorts and a t-shirt. His warm arms wrapped around her, one sliding over her belly.

“You can do this, baby,” he whispered and kissed the top of her head.

She could do this. Their baby would come into the world loved and protected. She felt the pain and heard Stella’s instruction to push. Whiskey’s arms and chest helped her lean up as she grasped her thighs and bore down.

As the pressure finally released, a baby’s cry filled the air.

“Mom and Dad, you have a little girl,” Stella announced, wiping the baby’s face, then placing the baby on Vivi’s chest. Vivi’s hands reached to hold her. Whiskey’s arm stayed around Vivi but reached to touch their little girl.

“She’s perfect,” Whiskey whispered.

Vivi leaned back against Whiskey, knowing this child would not be bartered to someone in marriage. Whiskey’s awe at their daughter reassured her that Whiskey and she would ensure that their daughter chose who she loved and what she did with her life.

“Dad, do you want to cut the cord?”

Whiskey let go of her hand before wiping his cheeks. His husky voice croaked yes before reaching for the scissors. After he did, he immediately grabbed the small soft towel they’d gathered ahead of time to hold the baby with. He covered her and kissed Vivi’s cheek.

Vivi basked in the feeling of knowing she and her baby were safe. Stella guided her through delivering the afterbirth while Tasha did the Apgar test. Tasha also guided Whiskey through cleaning up the baby. Stella and Tasha worked like a well-oiled machine, having Whiskey, Vivi, and the baby settled back in a clean bed in no time.

“Whiskey, your phone was going off, so I checked it. Your dad would like me to repeat this verbatim so forgive the language around your new little one: Son, we’re finding a way to be there in under three hours. We’ll be taking some special turns to ensure we’d don’t lead anyone to you. We’re so excited for you, Vivi, and Ezra. If you let anyone besides Ezra and you both hold my grandbaby before I get there, you’ll fucking think the laundry fiasco was a vacation. See you soon. Love, Dad.”

Whiskey chuckled, then belly laughed, shaking Vivi and the baby. “Only my dad could congratulate us on the baby while threatening us at the same time.”

Whiskey kissed the top of Little Tot’s head. Since they’d gotten back in bed, he’d been holding them both.

“What’s the laundry fiasco?” Vivi questioned.

“We were all in middle and high school. We had a schedule for laundry. First Hennessy didn’t do his day. Then I think Gaines was next and refused because he would have had to do two days’ worth. It continued through all of us until there were nine days of clothes for all twelve of us, which was massive. Between sports and jobs, everyone wore more than one pair of clothes a day. School started the next day. Dad and my uncles sat us all down and informed us the clothes in our rooms were the only things we’d be wearing for the first week of school. All of our good clothes were dirty. We were so mismatched. Heck, I had football practice and ended up washing clothes in the sink and hanging them up overnight so they wouldn’t smell too bad. They’d locked the laundry room so no using the washers and no cleaning the clothes you had. That weekend, instead of attending first week of school parties, we did laundry. Even with two washers and dryers, it took us a week to catch up. None of us ever skipped our laundry day again.”

Vivi laughed and leaned against Whiskey, fighting to stay awake. Little Tot had nursed a little while they waited for Winnie to drop off Ezra. She wanted to see her son’s face when he saw his little sister.

“Mom, Dad, where’s the baby? Is it a little brother or little sister?”

“Come in here, son.” Whiskey motioned Ezra closer, pulling him onto the bed with them, his arm enfolding Ezra into their bed.

“It’s a little sister.”

Ezra reached over and ran his finger across her forehead, lightly tracing her nose. “Does she have a name?” he asked softly.

Vivi smiled at how quiet her son was. He’d become so exuberant while they were with Whiskey, to see him choosing to be quiet for their daughter was so sweet.

“We thought we’d go with the name you suggested. That way she’s a type of Whiskey too,” Whiskey’s words had Ezra beaming.

“Can I kiss her?”

Vivi nodded. She fought tears as Ezra leaned over and kissed her forehead. “I love you, Bailey. I will always protect you like Dad protected Mom and me.”

Whiskey sniffed beside her. She was an emotional mess from the hormones, but she’d never felt happier. Today, she had everything, and she’d never take it for granted.

Chapter Twelve

Whiskey tucked Ezra into his bed. Tonight was six weeks from Bailey’s birth and their first night back at their home above the bar. While they’d stayed in Bluff Creek, the bar had been upgraded with bullet-resistant glass and other safety features.

They’d upgraded their security with more cameras. No one could approach the bar without them knowing.

He brushed Ezra’s hair off his forehead. “Light on or off?” Sometimes Ezra read at bedtime, but he’d been yawning for the last hour. It had been a busy day moving back to the bar without anyone seeing them.

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