Page 12 of Tuesday

“You’ll make a great Ol Lady one day.”

Her cheeks pinken and she shakes her head, “Oh no, I think of you all as brothers,” a sly smile comes over her face, “although I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t wondered what Fox and Nitro get up to in the bedroom,”

I choke on spit. Or air or anything else you can choke on and my body heaves with a coughing fit as Lovely giggles, rummaging around for the bits and pieces she needs.

“Lovely! Holy fuck! You almost killed me!” My voice comes out as a wheeze and she throws her head back and cackles.

Once she calms down she smiles at me softly. “Truly, you’re all like family to me.”

“Every one of us?” I ask, brow raised.

Her cheeks darken and I know I’ve got her so I beam at her.

“Oh shush you! Just get back to building your UFO seat,” She huffs good naturedly, before spinning to the door when TumTum and Chef enter. “Good! You’re back, let’s do this!”

In no time we have the crib fully set up, and the UFO seat rotating weirdly in the corner. I have no idea what age our kid will be, but I’m hoping it’s too old to use the seat because it kinda creeps me out.

“OH LUCY! I’M HOOOOOOME!” a voice calls and I’d be lying if I didn’t get straight up and run to the common room.

Just before I hit the end of the hall I slow down to a stride. I mean, I don’t wanna look too desperate! Walking through the doors my eyes scan the room, searching for my woman. The one who fucking completes me.

Standing there, just inside the doorway, Moss Davies behind her, is Chewy. My fucking reason for being. In her arms a little girl, head full of dark curls with a goddamn gator stuffy clutched to her chest. She turns her little head, her green eyes meeting mine and right then, right there I know that she is the one. She’s our daughter.

Chewy beams at me, holding eye contact as I make my way across the room to them. I gently run my hand over our daughter’s curls before leaning down and taking my woman’s lips in a chaste kiss. Moving my gaze to the girl in Chewy’s arms, I give her a smile.

“Hi there, little one, I’m Rhodie.” She stares up at me before giving me a small smile as we stare at each other, taking each other in.

“Hey guess what?” Chewy’s excited voice breaks my gaze with the little one in her arms.

“What, babe?”

“Me and Moss are friends!”

Pops

Ah shit. My eyes are wet. I blink them a few times to clear them. Can’t show too much emotion around these fuckers, it’ll ruin my street cred. But shit, watching my baby girl walk in that door with another little baby girl in her arms? That right there is enough to bring a tear to the eye of the toughest bastard around. A heavy arm drapes across my shoulder before I shrug it off, Tav’s chuckle letting me know which of my grandsons is beside me.

“She did good, Pops.”

I clear my clogged throat. “She sure fucking did, Son.”

It’s not like it’s on everybody’s list to have a kid, and truth be told, I never thought Chewy would. I’ve known her limitations and struggles since she was a little girl and I just never thought that motherhood was in the cards for her, and that was fine. Not all women want to grow up to be mothers and shit. Some want a career or to spend their life doing what they want. Chewy, though, Chewy has always, on some level, wanted to be normal. And in her own way, she got it. She went out there and made friends, she has a man who would fucking die for her, and she gave me a grandchild. I mean, sure, so he’s a gator? Still, she loves him with all her heart and is the best gator mom anyone could ask for. But watching her step through those doors with a little girl held to her chest, one that looks like she did as a child? All wild hair and wide eyed? Well, that did something to this crusty old man’s heart.

I feel Gus and Jules step up alongside me and Tav, and I gaze across the room. I see the grin on Chewy’s face, the awe in her man’s eyes, and pride blooms in my chest. More than I usually feel for her. When she was little and struggling with wanting to be like the other girls I’d talk her through it. Tell her that other little girls are boring and will all grow up to be married to boring men and have boring children. I’d tell her she was meant for more, and she fucking proved me right.

“She’s gonna need us,” Jules says in a low voice. “She’s gonna be feeling a fuck load of things and it’ll be overwhelming.”

“Oh, speaking from experience, Jules?” Tav teases.

Jules doesn’t say a word, just hits him with his asshole look, which Tav throws right back, before grinning.

“On the upside,” Gus starts, “At least Chewy is self aware and listens to advice,” he says drily, shooting a look at his brother.

“Yeah, yeah,” Jules says, dropping a kiss on Juno’s head.

Tav and Gus shuffle a little and I feel a small, soft hand slip into mine. “Aw look at her, Sydney.”

“I know baby,” I press a kiss to Debs’ hair, and we watch as Rhodie lifts the little girl out of Chewy’s hold, placing her on his hip as Chewy hugs one of his arms to her, staring up at the little girl with curiosity rather than wonder.

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