Page 33 of Flirt

“How long do babies take?” Ally asked Carly, making me grin.

“Well, some come quickly, and others take a while. It depends on how bad they want to come out and meet everyone,” Carly answered her.

“Well, if they don’t want to come out, why did they go in there in the first place, Dad?” Paxton looked up at Coast from his seat between him and his brother, Tracker. The look he gave my brother was one that said he trusted Coast as if he held the answer to everything.

I sat down beside my brother. “That’s new,” I commented as I nudged Coast’s shoulder with mine.

Coast and Mac had filled out adoption papers almost immediately after they started fostering Tracker and Paxton. They had kept it from the boys, though. Coast hadn’t wanted to jinx it. He had said that if they shared with the boys and then gotten denied, he feared it would set back the progress they were making with them.

Three weeks ago, right after the holidays were over, the call came through. Not only had they been cleared, but they had also been given a date for the four of them to appear before the judge to make it official.

In the courtroom, we all sat and witnessed Coast and Mac legally become Tracker and Paxton’s parents. The ICWA social worker from the reservation smiled and congratulated them. She’d been a big supporter of the adoption for the two young boys.

It hadn’t hurt either that the boys had thrived living with Mac and Coast. Tracker’s grades in school were excellent and above average. Paxton was also doing just as well in first grade. It had helped that he attended the same elementary school as Ally and where River taught.

“Yeah, it happened last week: no fanfare or anything. Saturday morning Paxton got up and came downstairs. Mac and I were in the kitchen, and he looked at Mac and asked,‘What’s for breakfast, Mommy?’She spilled her coffee all over the table, and while she was wiping it up, trying to hold herself together, Tracker walked in and asked,‘What did you spill, Mom?’That did it, brother. She shoved the rag at me and told me to finish, then said she would be right back. I finished cleaning up, then got the cereal and milk out. Gave the boys each a bowl and spoon and went to find her. She was in our bedroom crying her eyes out. By that evening, they were calling me dad. I am not ashamed to tell you a lump formed in my throat when they first said it. Best feeling, brother.”

“I’m happy for you and glad everything is working out,” I said and meant it. Coast was relaxed, and no one looking at him or listening to him would miss the happiness on his face and in his voice.

“Thanks, brother.”

“No thanks necessary. You deserve it. You chased the woman long enough,” I said and chuckled.

Coast snorted. “I had my doubts on more than one occasion whether I was going to catch her. It sank in at River and Jag’s wedding after both you and Dad asked why I wasn’t going after what I wanted. But I will be honest, I ended up with more than I ever thought I would have.”

“I’m sure the others feel the same way with their women,” I said and glanced around the room. No way my brothers thought when we came home from the military that their lives would change so drastically.

“Still can’t believe Sami and Luna went into labor on the same day. The shit is crazy,” Coast said and shook his head.

“It is. Was Mac worried about Luna being early?” I asked. Ghost had lost his first wife and son in a car accident, coming to meet him at the base after he and I and our SEAL team had come back from a mission. We left the military together, and he joined Black Hawk MC to work on healing from his loss. I had worried my friend might never make it back but running into Luna had healed the last of his emotional scars.

“She told me on the way here that it isn’t uncommon for twins to come early. She came in a little bit ago and informed us both Sami and Luna were doing great. She said the twins were okay, and she didn’t foresee an issue with Luna’s or Sami’s deliveries.”

“Damn, I’m glad.”

“Dad,” Paxton said, and Coast looked over at the boy.

“Yeah, Pax?”

“I asked why babies go in there if they don’t want to come out?” Paxton asked again since Coast hadn’t answered the first time.

I chuckled. “Yeah, why do they do it, brother?”

Coast turned his head back to me and glared. “Seriously?”

“You aren’t going to be able to put it off much longer. Not with the way the women around here are dropping them,” I said and grinned.

Coast had shared with us at the shop one day that Paxton asked Mac how she gets the babies out of their mommies. She explained birth to a seven-year-old in a way he would understand, but when he followed up and asked how they got there in the first place, she distracted him with cake and told Coast that was his job to explain to Pax. It had been weeks, and evidently, he still hadn’t sat Paxton down for the talk.

“I’ll get to it. Don’t worry about it,” Coast grumbled and turned back to Paxton.

“Mommies and daddies get together, and their love puts a baby in the mommy’s belly,” Ally piped in.

I knew then the conversation was going to take a turn for the worse. And no sooner than I thought it. It happened.

“They don’t have to love each other. He just has to stick his dick in—” Tracker stopped without finishing when Coast shoved on his shoulder.

“You complete that sentence, and I’m going to take the Xbox,” Coast said.

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