Page 45 of Lips On My World

Gauge seems to catch on this isn’t supposed to happen like this. He grabs at his head. “What do we do?”

“I don’t know!”

Tank comes into the room, his eyes wide. “The fuck? I thought we were waiting five more weeks?”

Gauge looks at Tank. “How the hell you hear about it?”

“Punk spilled the beans to Jared and me two weeks ago. And Atlas must have told you.”

Ebony, Candy, and Red clomp down the stairs, eager to join in the festivities. They give me hugs, congratulating me on having fast swimmers, before sending up blessings to heaven that it isn’t them knocked up with twins.

Jim comes running with Stella. “Is it time? Are we doing this?”

“YEAH!” My men shout with excitement.

Jim rips open his flannel, buttons ricocheting everywhere. He reveals a tee-shirt underneath reading ‘Proud Grandpa of Two.’ Stella dons an apron saying, ‘Grandma’s Cookie Monsters.’ Everyone cheers while Reaper blasts the Bluetooth speaker with Kings of Leon’sKnocked Up.

You know the feeling you get when you sense you’re being watched? Yeah, I’m sure I’m being stared at. I raise my eyes to the stairs’ upper landing and see my beautiful Pixie standing there, her face void of emotion. Jared stands beside her, his head shaking side to side.

Punk stands behind her with his hands covering his cheeks, his mouth open in a surprised Pikachu face. “Noooo! I was supposed to reveal it!”

Josephine’s eyes sweep the room before landing on me again. It nearly kills me when I see moisture track down her glowing cheeks. Gut punches deliver less pain than her tears.

Instead of running away like she used to, she turns slowly on her heels, retreating to our suite.

I’m left standing here, like a schmuck, with an unlit cigar in one hand and a peanut butter banana sandwich in the other.

---