Los Angeles

by Carlan, Audrey

  “We’ll figure this out,” Parker assures Bo, speaking low enough so only the four of us can hear.

  Bo shakes his head. “Nuthin’ to figure out, man. I knew it was coming. One day the curse would hit. It’s my legacy. Happened to my father, his father, and his father before him. No matter how many times I wrapped it, there was always a chance I’d end up right here.” He taps the top of the bar with his index finger. “Should have gotten a vasectomy. Tried once, but the doctor said I was too young. Wanted me to wait until I was thirty. Well, fuck you very much! I’m turning thirty this year, and wha’ d’ya know, I’m going to be a father.”

  “It will be okay, brother,” Royce rumbles in that deep baritone all women love.

  “Naw, man, it won’t. It will never be okay again.” Bo scoots off the stool and heads for the door. Mick stops him with a hand to his chest when Bo reaches the door of the bar, preventing any exit.

  “You’re not driving. We’ll take you wherever you need to go.” Mick’s voice is a command, not a request.

  “Not driving. Just gonna take a walk. A long fuckin’ walk.” He pats Mick’s chest and pushes past him and out the door.

  As he leaves, Kendra comes in and shakes her head. I guess she couldn’t catch up to Baylee.

  Cathy Ellis bustles around our friends and then claps her hands. “Okay, now I know that was a bit uncomfortable, mostly for Bo and Baylee, but let’s move on. This is a party, for crying out loud, and we’re celebrating Skyler’s birthday, and my baby is getting married! I think it’s time for some pulled pork!” She raises her hands in the air like a cheerleader.

  I love that woman, and more so, my mother would love her. And she’d love Parker, but she’d love Parker for me above all.

  Parker sits at the stool, and Royce takes the seat next to him. Since I’m standing behind the bar, I grab another three shot glasses and pour us all a shot of tequila.

  “Thanks,” Parker says.

  “Baby girl.” Royce dips his chin.

  The three of us shoot the fiery liquid back.

  “So what do you think?” Royce asks Parker.

  “I think we’re going to have another interesting year,” Parker responds flatly, not sounding very excited that more drama is on the horizon.

  Royce smiles wide and glances over his shoulder at Kendra, whose hazel eyes are lasered on the three of us. “Brother, I heard that.”

  “At least we have each other’s backs.” Parker pats Royce’s. “Looks like we’re going to need it.”

  I wait until there’s silence between the two guys and pour us all another drink.

  “So . . . I’m guessing it’s too soon to be excited that two of our extended family are having babies?” I clap just my fingers together.

  Parker chuckles and Royce groans.

  “You hooked your star to a handful.” Royce laughs for Parker’s benefit and winks at me.

  Parker’s gaze lifts to mine, his blue eyes dark and intense as love seeps out of them and straight at me.

  “I definitely hooked myself to a star. To my dream girl. My future wife.” Parker nods his head to me and spins on his stool. Royce follows his lead. I come around the bar and curl into Parker’s side. He squeezes my hip, and we take in the room.

  Our friends and family are laughing and carrying on. Cathy and Wendy are dishing out plates piled high with food. Momma Sterling is cackling away with her daughters and Paul and Denny. Rachel and Nate are canoodling in the corner when they think no one is looking. Gabriel kisses Sophie sweetly while always keeping her close. Mick watches his woman like a hawk, seemingly unhappy about her carrying plates, which I can only imagine he thinks she shouldn’t do in her condition. My buddy Rick and his girlfriend are shooting the breeze with Geneva and Elliott.

  There’s one woman who doesn’t look as happy as everyone else—Kendra. She’s sitting next to Annie, but her gaze shifts to Royce every couple of minutes. Parker told me that Royce confessed he’d been sleeping with her on and off but that their relationship seemed more explosive and combative than anything else. According to Parker, I am definitely not supposed to ask Kendra or Royce about it, nor am I allowed to get involved. I figure I’ll wait this out until Wendy gets back from her honeymoon, and we’ll put our heads together and come up with our approach, regardless of what Parker said. We’re family, and when one or two of us is hurting, it’s our job to pitch in, help lighten the load.

  First up, however, has to be Bo and Baylee. Neither of them seems pleased that she’s having his baby. Besides, what do we really know about Baylee? Her name. That she’s a sweet, beautiful woman who hides behind boxy shirts and ill-fitting jeans. She’s hardworking, has been instrumental in keeping Lucky’s afloat alongside Bo, but what else? I don’t even know where she lives. Never met any of her family. She doesn’t have any friends come in the bar to visit, which, when I think about it, seems really strange.

  I tap my finger against the shot of tequila I’m sipping. More than ever before I feel the need to wade into another person’s life. Another few persons. I smile and catch Wendy’s gaze as she comes up with two plates of food.

  “Here, take these before Mick kills me. He thinks they’re too heavy for a pregnant woman.” She rolls her eyes. “I told him he could suck it.”

  Parker chuckles. “How’d that work for you?”

  She grins coquettishly. “Very well. I’ll be blowing him in the limo on the way home as punishment.” She smacks her lips and dips a shoulder before sauntering away in impossibly tall, knee-high leather stilettos paired with a cotton T-shirt dress that stylishly accentuates her thin body.

  I snicker and kiss my guy on the temple.

  Parker nudges my side and lifts his chin. “You happy?”

  “Happiness is a choice. And I choose all of this. Everyone here.” I run my hand down his face and cup his cheek. “Most of all, I choose you, because you’re what makes me happiest.”

  “We’re going to have a beautiful life together, Peaches.” He says it low and deep, a promise I’ll cherish forever.

  I lift my arm, showing him my leather bracelet. He does the same so that our wrists are next to one another, our bracelets touching, engagement rings gleaming.

  “We trusted our hearts and lived our truths,” I whisper against his lips.

  “Yes, we did, and it brought us to this very moment.” He cups my cheek and locks his gaze with mine. “You’re my truth. You’re my heart.”

  “And you’re mine.”

  EPILOGUE

  Three years in the future . . .

  I’ve never seen a more beautiful sight in my life, and I’ve been enormously blessed in my thirty-three years on this planet. Not even the moment my dream girl walked down the aisle toward me in her white dress tops this one.

  Skyler looks up as I stand in the hospital doorway holding a desperately needed cup of coffee. A tired but glamorous smile slips across my wife’s lips before she looks back down. I shut the door softly and walk over to sit at the end of her bed, not wanting to disturb her. She’s cradling our world to her chest, softly stroking his rosy-pink cheek as he suckles from his mother’s breast.

  A tear slips down Skyler’s cheek, and her voice is but a whisper when she says, “I never thought I could love another human being as much as I love you, Parker. Until now. How is it possible that I’ve known him an hour and have so much love for him bursting inside of me I don’t know how to contain it?” She glances at me, tears running down her face unchecked.

  I set the coffee cup down on the nightstand and shift my body so I can wrap her and our son in my arms as he feeds. She sighs against me when I press my lips to her temple.

  “I think that’s the way the big guy intended it. When you’re given such a precious gift, you cherish it. He’s a product of you and me, the best thing we’ll ever do until we give him a brother or sister down the road.” My voice cracks as I reach my hand out and cradle my son’s head to my wife’s breast. After a minute or two, his puckered lips
falter while his breathing relaxes.

  “No, my love bug, the nurse says you need to stay awake to eat,” Skyler admonishes lightly, so I tickle his cheek, and he picks up the suckling once more.

  He’s amazing. Just like his mother.

  Together we watch our son feed for the first time until keeping him awake is impossible. Skyler slips him off her breast and hands him to me so that she can adjust and get up to use the bathroom.

  I take my boy for a little walk around the small hospital room and pat his back until a small burp leaves his mouth, but he doesn’t wake.

  While she does her business, I share a moment with my son, taking in his dark hair and long lashes. I dip my face to his neck and chest area and inhale deeply. I close my eyes as his baby scent imprints on my soul for eternity. I’ll never, ever forget the scent of my son. Sweet, a little powdery, with a hint of his mother’s peaches and cream wafting at the edges like a protective coating.

  My son.

  Montgomery Sterling Ellis.

  Named after the two extraordinary men we’ve chosen to share our lives with as family.

  “You are loved, son. More than I can ever say, but I will spend my entire life showing you just how much.”

  Five years in the future . . .

  “Monty, your mother and I have someone we want you to meet!” I hold on to the small bundle in my arms and watch as my ma stands from where she was playing blocks with our son. My father is holding down the fort at the couch, looking on at his wife and grandson playing. He too gets to his feet when we enter.

  “Momma! Da-Da!” Monty dashes his little toddler legs over to where Skyler crouches.

  “Mommy missed you, love bug. So, so, much . . .” Skyler kisses our son’s face anywhere she can reach. He tries to cling to her so that she’ll pick him up, but after having just had a baby, it’s impossible for her to lift his weight right now. “Let’s go over to the couch. We want to introduce you to someone, sweetheart,” Sky instructs.

  My mother helps Skyler up and ushers her over to the couch. My father leans on his cane, resting some of his weight on it but otherwise standing strong. “You look happy, son,” he says with pride in his tone.

  I grin wide. “Every time I think it can’t get any better, life hands us another blessing.”

  “Absolutely. Felt the same when your mom and I brought you and Paul home. Though I gotta say, there’s nothing like seeing my son bring home his own children, my grandchildren. Proud of you. So damn proud.” My father wipes at his eyes quickly, dashing away the flood of emotion as fast as he shared it.

  “Da-Da!” Monty squeals, sitting next to his mother.

  “Okay, little man, you ready to meet your baby sister?” I bring my precious load over to Skyler and hand off my sweet girl.

  Skyler takes our daughter and lifts her own chin. I dip down and kiss her softly. Monty leans over and kisses us both messily on our cheeks and pats our faces. He never misses an opportunity to share in the love.

  I cup the back of my son’s neck. “Now be careful, Monty. She’s delicate. Remember how Mommy taught you with your baby?”

  Monty’s eyes widen, and he scrambles off the couch and rushes over to his toy area, where there’s a baby doll in a basket. He grabs the doll’s hand and brings it over. “Baby!” He shows me the doll and then hugs it to his chest.

  Maybe the doll wasn’t a great idea. He’s not supergentle with it now, and I don’t want him thinking he can pick up his newborn sister that way.

  “Cuddle baby,” Skyler urges.

  Montgomery gets up on the couch next to his mother and cuddles the doll in his arms as softly as a two-year-old can manage.

  “Good, love bug. Now look . . .” She maneuvers our daughter so he can see her face.

  His little lips open wide, and he claps his hands together. “Sissy!”

  Skyler beams. “Yes, it’s your sissy, my love. Your baby sister, Jillian Catherine.”

  Behind us my ma makes a choking, sobbing sound. It’s the first time she heard the middle name. We wanted it to be a surprise for when she could meet her granddaughter. We had my folks stay home with Monty since he’s so small, and we thought introducing him at home where he’s comfortable would be better than amid the busy nature and strange antiseptic smells of a hospital.

  My mom is just barely holding back from barging in with grabby hands for her newest grandchild, but so far, my father’s arm is around her waist, and they’re enjoying watching the show.

  I glance up at them and smile at my mother. “We named her after your grandmas, little man. Jillian, after your grandma Jill in heaven, and your grandma Cathy.”

  Monty looks at his grandmother and points. “Memaw Cay!”

  “That’s right, little man. Memaw Cay.”

  “Sissy!” he squeals, and leans down and kisses his sister on the top of her head. “Wuv sissy.” He kisses her again.

  I clear the emotion in my throat and wipe at the tears building in my eyes. “Yeah, bud, we love your sissy. And we love you.”

  Monty reaches out his arms toward me, and I pull him off the couch and rest his precious weight against my chest. He squeezes my cheeks. “Wuv Da-Da.”

  “I love you, son. So much.”

  He kisses me sloppily on the mouth and then kicks his feet to get down.

  I look over at Skyler, and the joy on her face is unmistakable.

  “You’ve done well, Peaches. One of each. We’ve finally got it all.” I inhale full and deep, feeling completely relaxed now that my entire family is home.

  She grins and looks up at me. “Oh no, we’re not stopping at two.”

  The floor falls away from beneath my feet, and I have to catch the arm of the chair to sit my ass down. “Uh, I thought . . .”

  She shakes her head. “No way. I want more.” She purses her lips. “I’m thinking two more.”

  My mother raises her arms in the air and looks at the ceiling. “Praise the Lord!”

  “Peaches . . . ,” I attempt, but she leans her face down toward our daughter and kisses her cheeks.

  Her chocolate gaze lifts away from our girl and meets mine, stealing my heart all over again with just a glance. “We’ll talk about this again in six weeks.” She winks.

  “Fuck me,” I groan.

  She’s going to use sex to get what she wants. The beast stirs in my pants just thinking about how it’s going to be a stellar reunion. In the meantime, I’ll become familiar with Lefty over the coming weeks.

  “Tuck me, tuck me, tuck me.” Monty stomps around, cursing in baby speak.

  Skyler’s head shoots up. “Honey . . . ,” she says in warning, her brown eyes now blazing with frustration.

  I move over to my little man and scoop him up. “How’s about we go play with Midnight and Sunny? Wanna go throw the ball?”

  “Ball, ball, ball, ball!” He pounds on my back as I hold him on my hip.

  I point at Skyler. “We planned on two,” I remind her with a stern tone, not that my woman ever listens to my serious voice.

  She shrugs and lifts our daughter, pressing her nose to her little forehead. “Jilly Bean and Monty need another playmate or two.” She kisses our girl again, and my heart implodes.

  “You’re lucky I love you, woman,” I say while Monty tries to grab my face.

  Skyler smiles wide. “I know. I’m the luckiest woman in the world.”

  Ten years in the future . . .

  The sun is high and warm as I watch the horde of children play in our large pool, their uncles and grandparents making sure everyone is safe. Monty is long and lean at seven years old, diving into the pool like a mini-Olympian in the making. His dark hair is curly on top like mine was as a kid. My sweet baby girl, Jillian, is on her uncle Paul’s shoulders hitting the ball back and forth with her cousin, Paul and Denny’s daughter, Paula, who’s just a year older. The two are inseparable when together.

  After we had Monty, Denny got the baby bug, and bad. He would not leave Paul alone about having
a child. And as the Ellis men are prone to do, Paul set about giving his man what his heart desired.

  Paul found a woman who was widowed and needed the money in order to take care of the three young children she already had. Denny wanted a child with his husband’s characteristics, so they determined that Paul would be the biological father. She got pregnant through in vitro and gave them a little girl they named Paula. The situation worked so well with the birth mother that she agreed to have another child for them two years later, using Dennis as the biological father this time, giving them their son, Luca. Since the children are related by blood to Paul and Dennis, as well as to their birth mother’s three children, they have added Sheila and her three kids into their lives. They share birthdays and holidays together, and Paul takes care of the handyman duties in her home while Dennis is her best friend, but as a job, she runs a day care center and watches Paula and Luca. The three adults make it work smashingly, and in the Ellis clan, the more, the merrier.

  Off to the side, Rachel and Skyler sit on a sun lounger playing a game with our three-year-old twins. We named Randi Lynn after my father, Randall, and Wendy’s middle name, Lynn, then our son Pritchard Steven after Mick, and Skyler’s father.

  Man, the twins were a whopper of a surprise. When the doctor told us we were having fraternal twins, I laid down the law with my wife. No more. Four children were more than enough. Twins with a four-year-old and a two-year-old in tow had me seeing stars, as in I got dizzy in the doctor’s office and almost passed out. Skyler has taken it all like a champ. She exudes motherhood from every ounce of her being. Me, I got a vasectomy after the twins turned one to ensure my wife’s charms couldn’t win me over again. Don’t get me wrong, my kids are my life, but four are more than enough for anyone.

  Once Monty was born, Skyler quit the big-screen jobs and focused her attention on building an activity center in Boston for the less fortunate. She’s since hired a program director and some staff to run the place so she can focus on her four children. She says she might go back to acting one day, but for now, her life is with her family.