Page 286 of Wild Card

I bite my lip, but no one else does as a round of cackles echoes enough for others to peer our way.

“You didn’t want to know?” April’s beam lessens and I can’t let her happiness slide.

“I didn’t have a choice. Talon was on the verge of losing his sanity.”

“Oh?”

“The sonographer made a small slip of the tongue and belted out ‘she’ at our appointment. Talon took the pronoun to the farthest level. He contacted our contractor and had quotes sentover for a fence. Not just any fence; he wanted to barricade our entire property.”

“He didn’t.”

“Then he went to Robbie and Finn directly since they both have daughters. When he came home, he immediately declared our daughter was attending an all-girls school.”

“A little overboard.”

I nod, laughing outright at the panic he held on to for a full day. “The man can chase the thrill of walking into hostile situations every day. But the thought of a baby girl unnerved him.”

“You know he would have gotten used to the idea, right?”

“He did, it didn’t take too long and he was ready to be a girl dad. This included martial arts and artillery training.”

“Oh my,” she covers her mouth.

“I had to be sure. The doctor ran all the tests and it was very obviously a boy.”

“How’d he take that news? He didn’t tell his dad and me any of this.”

“He saw the ultrasound picture and knew immediately. Then he canceled the eight-foot atrocity he planned around the house.”

“What happens if you ever have a girl?”

“He says it’s different because of the big brother aspect.”

“My son needs a slap upside the head.”

“Can you reserve that slap for my husband?” Rowan asks. “We’ve known this is a boy and Ford keeps insisting on proof every visit.”

“Too bad there isn’t one little girl in the mix.” Mom sighs wispily, gazing at me with adoration. “Girls are fun.”

This happens a lot lately, especially since my most perfect and marvelous wedding that went off without a hitch. Cruzwas phenomenal in keeping things on track, but Mom was the architect behind the opulence and glam.

Stacy Richards knows how to get things done and no one wants to disappoint her.

She was making my day special but at the same time repairing the last shredded thread of betrayal.

Chase and Wyatt welcomed her back into their lives fully, my grandparents mended the fences, and Dad had the proof he needed that her priorities were back on track.

The wedding was over, but her devout attention was stronger than ever. She was going overboard making up for the year of her discretions.

Once a week, she insists on making us dinner, feeding all of our crew. We do lunches often, spa appointments, and shopping trips.

Good God, I forgot how much my mom likes to shop. And now with a new house and a baby, it’s become her fixation.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spot a small crowd approaching.

Bex’s parents, Lucas, and my grandparents duck behind the far side of the dugout.

My heart speeds so fast I have to catch my breath.

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