Page 90 of Not Part of the Plan
“And kicking ass,” Evan added.
An “ooooh” echoed around the table.
“What? Beckett says I can swear up here as long as I don’t tell Mom or do it at school.”
“I like this kid,” Niko said, jerking his thumb in Evan’s direction.
“I’m telling you. Kids are fucking magic,” Carter grinned, swiftly dealing the cards.
“And fucking monsters,” Beckett said, winking at Evan.
“Magical monsters,” Carter corrected. “It’s not something anyone can prepare you for. If I were to tell you that starting a family is like the best worst thing I’ve ever done, you wouldn’t get it until you were staring at your sleeping baby who spent the last four hours screaming and vomiting on everything you own.”
“It’s the challenge,” Beckett agreed. “Like ‘no, I’m not letting this tiny person break me.’”
Niko glanced down at his cards and tossed more chips into the pot. “I’ve never really thought much about having kids, starting a family,” he admitted.
“Joey and I have been on the fence about it, too,” Jax admitted.
“Really?” Donovan interjected. “I thought you two would end up with a family big enough to require one of those cargo vans.”
Jax shrugged and took a swig of his beer. “We’re not baby people. Give us an Evan and an Aurora, and that’d be awesome.”
“Thanks, Uncle Jax,” Evan said, raising his bottle of root beer in a mock toast.
Jax winked at him. “I think that’s why we’re adjusting pretty well to Reev and Cale. But looking at Puke-a-saurus Rex over there?” he said, pointing to the drooling, unconscious baby strapped to Beckett’s chest. “That terrifies me to my very soul. Besides, can you imagine Joey pregnant and not being allowed to ride?”
Carter shuddered. “You’re right. Don’t do it. We can’t take over the stables and riding program for her.”
Nikolai smirked at the Pierce banter. “So does no babies mean no family?”
Jax frowned. “Not necessarily. Before all this, we hadn’t really talked about anything other than how gross babies are and how awesome it is to sleep in and not be covered in someone else’s puke. You should know we’ve been gloating about how superior our lives are since the twins and Lydia came,” he grinned.
“You paint such a romantic picture of parenthood,” Beckett snorted. Lydia chose that moment to throw up on him in her sleep. “Shit. I hate when Uncle Jax is right.” He reached for his napkin and started mopping up his daughter.
Evan snickered.
“Is there any news on their mom?” Carter asked.
Beckett and Jax shared a quiet look.
Donovan took a drink, set his bottle down. “We tracked her to a motel in Virginia Beach a week ago and then poof. Into the wind. She’ll turn up eventually.”
“What happens in the meantime?” Niko wondered.
Jax cleared his throat. “We’re talking to Mr. Mayor here about drawing up guardianship papers.”
“No shit? Are you serious?” Carter demanded.
“Early talks yet. And we haven’t brought it up with them yet. They may want to wait it out for their mom, or they may not want to stay with us. But Caleb’s learning to ride, and he’s really into cars. Reva’s Joey’s freaking right hand in the stables, and she’s doing better in school now that she’s not trying to support her brother on her own.”
“What made you guys decide to make it permanent?” Niko asked.
Jax ran a hand over the back of his head. “Honestly, we thought our lives were perfect before. Awesome sex life, my career’s great, the breeding program is off to an epic start. But the longer they’re there, the better it feels. They just kinda fit. And they fit in this space that we didn’t even know was empty.
“Plus, and this is really important, neither of them has ever puked all over me,” he grinned.
“Asshole,” Beckett muttered.
