Damaged and the Cobra (18 page)

Bailey sat on the edge of the couch and fed Maddy
grapes. The very swollen mommy-to-be initially complained about being fed like
a pet. Eventually, she gave in and enjoyed the attention. Not to be outdone, Sawyer
turned a fan towards Maddy and was painting her nails.

I watched them baby her and wondered about when I
would be that big and uncomfortable.

“I’m in no hurry to have a baby,” Tawny said, maybe
for the tenth time since arriving. “Not in any hurry at all.”

Farah grinned from where she was cutting carrots into
little perfect sticks for dipping.

“Coop is obsessed with getting me pregnant. First,
his little brother is about to have a baby then his best friend. I swear
whenever we’re alone, he’s inside me,” she said then her smile grew. “It’s
awesome.”

“Huh,” Tawny muttered. “Judd is in me all the time
too and not because he’s trying to plant his flag or lay his seed or whatever.”

“Jealous?” Farah asked and Tawny fake glared at
her.

“Sometimes, my sister irritates me too,” I said and
they both laughed.

“I’m going to brush the baby’s hair,” Bailey
announced to no one in particular. “When she’s old enough, I’m going to put
those little barrettes in her hair and make her wear headbands and turn her
into a doll. Then when she cries, I’m giving her back to Maddy.”

“Yeah for me,” Maddy whispered with her eyes
closed.

“Are you suffering?” Bailey asked. “Like should I
do more for you to ease away the horror of how huge you’ve become?”

Opening her eyes a crack, Maddy muttered, “Stop
charming me.”

Bailey grinned. “Seriously, you look pretty
miserable today.”

“I’ve been having those Braxton Hicks contractions since
yesterday.”

“Is that bad?” Sawyer asked, looking up from her
meticulous work on Maddy’s toes. “Is it like hemorrhoids?”

When we laughed, Sawyer beamed, even though she
likely had no idea what was funny.

“They’re like practice contractions,” Maddy
explained. “They don’t hurt much, but they’re uncomfortable.”

Bailey frowned. “How do you know all this stuff?”

“I read a book.”

“Yeah, I did that once. Not a fan.”

“You guys don’t have to hang out here,” Maddy said.
“The guys are out having fun and you’re pampering me. You could go to the
movies if you want.”

“No,” Bailey said quickly. “I need to be super nice
because I had a dream that being nice will lead to a handsome awesome guy who
is the fucker. I want that guy. He belongs to me and I’m sick of waiting, so
shut up and let me be nice to you.”

“Sure,” Maddy said, sighing. “This is nice, but I’m
going to have to pee soon.”

“Do you need me to carry you?” Bailey asked.

“Maybe. Ask me in a few minutes.”

Smiling, I turned back to the sisters who were
slopping peanut butter on slices of celery.

“I’m thinking about getting married in Vegas,” I
said, hoping Tawny wasn’t mad.

“Please, do. I need the attention off me. Judd
doesn’t want anyone bugging him either. We wouldn’t invite anyone of you to
come along, but I want Farah there and she comes with an entourage.”

“I heard that,” Bailey called out as she cut the
grapes in half to make it easier for a sleepy Maddy to chew.

“Anyway,” Tawny continued, “I just want to get
married and play poker and the slots and goof around. I don’t want it all
serious and pretentious like when Farah got married.”

Smiling sweetly, Farah swiped a dab of peanut
butter on Tawny’s nose. “Be nice or I’ll have the dogs lick it off. You’ll be
trapped under their tongues for hours.”

“I prefer to be trapped under Judd’s tongue.”

“Are you two having a ‘who gets fucked more’
competition?” I asked.

“Yep,” Tawny said, cleaning off her nose. “The guys
started it. You know, right after they whipped out their dicks and measured.”

“Man, too bad I missed that.”

“Need to pee,” Maddy announced and the Johansson
sisters helped her to her feet. “I can waddle on my own, but thanks.”

Bailey watched her go then joined us in the kitchen
while Sawyer tried to convince a dog to let her do his nails.

“I’m going to be a great mom one day,” Bailey said.
“I just have this natural way with children. Like this morning when Sawyer got
her hair stuck in the door, I opened it and freed her. I did that without
anyone asking me to. Natural talent.”

A part of me figured Bailey knew she was full of
shit. Yet, another part wondered if she had a clue. It was always tricky to
tell.

“Hey, guys,” Maddy muttered, waddling back into the
room. “I think those were real contractions.”

“Ew, did your water break?” Bailey asked. “Gross.”

“No, but I’m bleeding. When the mucus plug falls
out and lining thins for delivery, bleeding happens. This is it.”

Bailey patted Maddy’s cheek. “I’m really excited
for you, but that’s so gross and I never want children. At the very least, I’m
buying them on the black market so I don’t have to do that gross delivery
shit.”

Farah and Tawny rushed over to help Maddy to the
car while I grabbed the hospital bag she took with her everywhere. Bailey
called the Johanssons while Sawyer spun around and got her hair caught in a few
things. I freed the child without anyone telling me to, so based on Bailey’s
way of thinking, I would be a great mom one day.

Soon, we were on the road. In the backseat, Farah
sat with Bailey and Maddy. I was up front with Tawny who showed off the evasive
driving tricks Judd taught her. Sawyer sat between us and chewed on gum that I
sensed would end up in her hair.

Tucker had created the Thunderdome in Ellsberg.
Well, except no one died. Otherwise, the dunce had come up with an idea,
executed it, and found success. I hadn’t been so proud of Cooper’s stupid
little brother since that time he figured out the slot on the front of the
jeans was for pissing.

Cooper was impressed too, but he tried not to show
it. Tucker tended to get too big for his britches from any compliment. Bad
enough his girl was having a baby before Cooper’s. The Thunderdome was bound to
make the idiot unbearable cocky.

“I love this fucking place,” Vaughn said, ignoring
the pact to avoid complimenting Tucker. “I heard you’re adding girl on girl
fights. Man, I’ll pay extra to see that.”

“Oh, and you will,” Tucker yelled over the crowd of
people cheering for the next fight.

“How rough will you let the chicks get?” Judd
asked, sitting down in the box seats for us important fucks. “I don’t know how
sexy it’ll be to see them spitting up teeth.”

“They’ll wear teeth guards and shit. It’s more for
fun. The guys know not to beat each other too badly. I mean, they want to come
back and fight again, not sit in a hospital.”

Cooper nodded. “I’d so do this shit, if Farah let
me.”

Vaughn made the sound of a snapping whip and the
whipped guys frowned at him. He just smiled. “Ah, having control over my balls
is so wonderful. You boys should beg your women to let you have them back for
the night. Maybe if you promise to do the dishes or wash the floor or some
other shit job, they’ll agree.”

“Vaughn,” Cooper said, giving his enforcer a dark
glare, “when you meet a girl and lose your mind over her, we’re going to enjoy
mocking you. I mean, it’ll be a fucking sport and we’ll trip over each other to
be the next one to screw with you.”

“Hell, if I ever lose my mind over a girl, I’ll be
too fucking stupid to care what you assholes say. Likely, I’ll have suffered a
brain injury or some shit. In that case, you’ll be mocking a disabled man and
that’s not cool.”

“He has a point,” Tucker said like he was sensitive
now.

“You’re all idiots,” I muttered. “It’s rather
frightening how any of you will carry on your defective genetic material into
the future generation.”

“Said the guy who got his girlfriend pregnant on
accident,” Vaughn said and high fived Tucker. “Yeah, I’m sick of listening to
all the crap about babies and weddings and other ballfree shit. Just shut up so
we can watch the fight.”

“Nick?” I said, catching sight of the tattoo I’d
worked so meticulously on the last few weeks.

Reacting negatively whenever hearing that
particular name, Cooper immediately tensed. We watched as both fighters readied
for the battle.

“Nick is one of the guys?” I asked Tucker who
avoided Cooper’s glare.

“He’s a hardass. Takes a punch and keeps coming.
The crowd loves him because he just bleeds and never stops. They call him the
dragon. Nice tat, by the way, Aaron. Very popular with the girls in the
stands.”

Hearing Nick was fucking other chicks and no longer
planned to mess with his, Cooper lost interest in kicking ass.

“I love when you do a back piece like that, man,”
he said to me while grinning. “You really shine. I should have had one done
instead all of the smaller ones. I blame you for not suggesting it.”

“Shut the fuck up is all I have to say on that
matter. You’re the one who keeps getting new tats. I told you to pace yourself,
but no one listens to me.”

“I like my tats,” Judd muttered, focused on the
impending fight. “I like how each one tells a story. Now, what the bald guy
said. Shut the fuck up. I’m trying to focus.”

“He must be quiet the charmer in bed, huh?” Vaughn
teased, causing Judd to nearly shove him off the bench. “Man, he goes an hour
without fucking and what a bitch.”

Laughing at their bullshit, I noticed Cooper
watching me.

“Things are solid?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

“You got a girl, a baby on the way, and her sister
living with you. A lot of shit. Just wanted to make sure you weren’t putting on
a cool act for the world.”

“And you thought the best time to have a heart to
heart was at an organized brawl with hundreds of people around us and these
idiots probably listening?”

“Yeah, I figured we’d be less likely to cry and hug
with an audience.”

Elbowing him, I smiled. “I’m good and thanks for
asking. I know that couldn’t have been easy with your ferocious jealousy of my
amazing sperm.”

“Fuck you. Farah is probably knocked up right this
very second.”

“Or not. You have a good life and weak sperm
doesn’t change anything.”

“I’m going to knock your face in.”

“Fight’s starting. Kick his ass later,” Tucker
said.

We quieted down as the crowd roared to life. As I
watched Nick stand casually in the middle of the cage, I now understood where
he got the money for the tattoo. Having seen the scars on his back that were
now covered by the dragon, I also figured he wouldn’t mind a few more from
these fights.

When the first punch was thrown and Nick took it
then barreled at the other fighter, Cooper hooted.

“He’s a wily fuck. Did I ever tell you that it took
me a whole five minutes to get him to stay down? That might be a fucking record
for me.”

“Yeah, you’re a hell of a fighter,” I said,
refraining from the urge to mock his weak sperm.

Cooper knew what I was thinking though and glared
at me. “You’re lucky your parents paid me to be your friend when we were kids
or I would so kick your ass right now.”

“Shh,” I said, placing my finger to his lips. “Save
your strength for another failed attempt knocking up your wife.”

Cooper grinned. “Laugh it up. My kids are going to
kick your kids’ asses too.”

“Your kids?” I asked, returning my gaze to the
fight where Nick wore down his bigger opponent by fighting past the pain. “I’ll
believe that when I see them.”

Cooper looked ready to hit me when Tucker screamed
like a girl next to him.

“My baby’s coming!!!!”

“Save your pillow talk for Maddy,” Vaughn said,
rolling his eyes.

“No, she’s going to the hospital. The baby is
coming. My little girl is coming. Shit, every way I say that sounds pervy.”

“You’re going to be a dad,” Cooper said, patting
him on the back. “Let’s go break a few speed limits and scare some hospital
staff.”

Ten minutes later, after roaring through town and
flipping off a few patrol cars who would have chased had they not known the
owners of those middle fingers, we arrived at the hospital.

Bailey was yelling at a doctor and threatening him
with bodily harm.

“Don’t worry,” Tucker said, hurrying past his
sister. “I already threatened him. He’s solid.”

“Oh, well, okay then.”

Tucker followed a nurse into a room while I joined
Lark who looked freaked out.

“She was acting so normal and now a baby is coming
out of her vagina. I hope we have more warning.”

“I love you too,” I said and she grinned. “You
okay?”

“Yeah. Bailey’s been threatening people since we
got here twenty minutes ago.”

“So you’ve had entertainment.”

Lark got up from her chair and curled up in my lap.
“Tawny said we can get married with them in Vegas. She’s actually excited about
it.”

Smiling, I looked at where Tawny stood with Judd.
They both looked awkward in the hospital with all of the laboring women
waddling by.

“Why are they walking around like that?” Bailey
cried. “The babies will fall out and I’m not cleaning anything.”

Cooper grabbed his sister and forced her to sit
next to him and Farah. “Calm down.”

“What if she’s in pain forever and the baby’s head
get stuck and they use a vacuum cleaner and the baby’s head is ugly and I laugh
and people think I’m mean? I don’t need that pressure in my life right when I’m
getting the hang of being nice.”

Sawyer sat on Farah’s lap and showed her the gum
wound in her long locks.

“Mom and Pop are on their way,” Bailey muttered,
glancing at the room where Maddy was settling in. “She’s going to suffer all
night. I read somewhere that babies can make a mom suffer for days before they
come out. Why would they do that, Coop?”

My gaze met my friend’s and we smiled at his
sister’s panic.

“All damn night,” Bailey said again.

Just then, Tucker’s head popped out of the room.
“Scarlet’s here. Seven pounds and something ounces. I wasn’t really listening.
She’s fucking adorable too and has hair. Anyway, she’s here.”

Tucker disappeared back into the room and I noticed
Bailey relax against her brother.

“Hey, that wasn’t so bad. Maybe I’ll have a kid one
day after all.”

“Yeah, that’s what the world needs,” Cooper teased,
one arm wrapped around his sister’s shoulders, the other around Farah. “We’ll
populate the world with many amazing bikers and a few stupid kids to even
things out.”

“Our baby won’t be stupid,” Lark whispered against
my neck. “It’ll be smart and brave and gorgeous like its daddy.” Lark lifted
her head and looked into my eyes with her bright green ones. “I see things
better now because of you and I’m not scared. Well, not of failing. I see me
better because of you and I know everything is going to be perfect.”

Studying her face, I memorized her expression so I
could draw it later. I wanted to remember that look until I was old and gray.
Even after the memories faded from my mind, I would have the pictures I
created. A million snapshots of every beautiful moment with my muse.