by Kayce Kyle
“A-fucking-men,” Stormie grumbles from the corner she’s in. “My little guy or gal is almost four weeks early. Clearly as impatient as his or her father. This is certainly not how I’d planned on giving birth, and I really hope they get to us before I deliver in your closet, Jenalyn. Oh, and Vanna, I love you, I really do, but all those pamphlets you gave me on natural childbirth are getting burned if I ever see them again. I need fucking drugs!” Stormie declares before she’s hit with yet another contraction as she clutches her stomach.
“It’s not for everyone, I just like to help keep y’all informed on the possible side effects,” I tell her.
“Yeah, well right now I don’t give a flying fuck if I give birth to a unicorn, because honestly, I actually think I might be!” Stormie answers me back.
Jenalyn rubs my back and I look at her. “Don’t feel bad or take it personally. We all know you meant well. Trust me, right now she’s feeling like she’s on the brink of death, and during this process I’m not sure we’re in control of any of our faculties anymore. We either just want to die, get drugs, or get the baby out,” Jenalyn says, whispering to me.
“I can hear you,” Stormie tells us in an unpleasant exorcist-type voice.
“Now that’s a growl to rival Justice’s any day of the week,” Jenalyn responds and we all giggle.
Jenalyn
We’ve been in here now for nearly two hours. I’ve collected most of Justice’s shirts to help soak up some of the water that is slowly leaking through the ceiling and coming in through the underneath of the door now that the towels are sopping wet. His are plain shirts, and well, if I can salvage any of my clothing I’d like to.
Sidney does another pelvic exam on Stormie, and she’s another centimeter dilated, bringing her to seven now with extremely consistent contractions. I’m definitely beginning to panic inside the further along she gets and we have no way of knowing when help will arrive.
I decide I’m going to hand the kids over to Tess and venture out of my closet at least since the heavy winds have died down. Who knows, maybe I can get a signal outside of this closet? Just as I do, the loud roar and rumble crashes into and throughout my house and it begins to tremor again. Are we having earthquakes, or is this another tornado? I mean we can’t seem to catch a break here, and so help me God when this is all over I’m going to squeeze my man so hard, and then bust his balls big time. Why do we bother having a generator if the fucker doesn’t work?
Tess and I begin to change our boys’ diapers and the unexpected sound of my phone ringing serenades us, as does Tess’. I barely have time to look and see Justice’s name before I accept the call. Placing the phone between my cheek and shoulder while I change Leo, I answer, “Babe! Babe, can you hear me?” My question comes out frantic and relieved before an unexpected amount of tears begin to stream down my face.
“Jen! My fucking God, is everyone okay?” he asks me with a sense of urgency.
“Yes! We’re…” My response is abruptly ended by the interruption to my signal once again.
“Mine dropped before I could make out what Ace was saying,” Tess tells me and the glistening of her own tears shine as they fall down her face.
Defeated, I finish changing Leo and Cami before I slump completely to the ground with my children in my arms. A full-blown breakdown feels imminent, when Stormie’s high-pitched scream causes me to jump.
“The pressure! Fuck! Help me it burns so fucking bad!” Stormie cries out, causing the children to begin crying all over again.
I am useless to them right now because Cami doesn’t want Vanna and apparently neither does Leo. “I’m sorry I can’t help!” I pull my babies in so close trying to protect them from this second round of weather, and the torment coming from Stormie. I’m doing the best I can with two sets of little ears and only having one hand apiece for them. Honestly, at this point, I think it’s safe to say the only one probably not screaming and crying is Sidney. There’s too much noise, it’s hard to decipher whose scream and cry belongs to whom.
“Girls, I need help and I need it now!” Sidney declares.
Clara and Vanna are the obvious choices, and Clara hasn’t left Stormie’s side since this all began.
“Clara, I need you to hold the flashlight steady. Vanna, I need you to get the sutures, thread, and scissors from the first aid kit ready. We’ve got all the towels right here and ready. I’m probably going to have to break her water since it hasn’t broken yet, but hold the flashlight steady, Clara, while I have another look,” Sidney says to them.
“No! No need to break my water,” Stormie begins as she’s shouting and screaming out each word. “It just did, or I pissed myself!”
“Oh!” I think I hear leave Clara’s lips.
“Stormie,” Sidney tries to get her to stop screaming long enough to focus, but fails. “Stormie, dammit!” she shouts and aside from the wind and rain beating down on my house, we all shut up. “Now that I have your attention, I need you to look at me! Focus on me. Can you do that?”
“Yes! It hurts so fucking bad, just get the baby out!” Stormie tells her.
“I know, and your baby’s head is right there! I want you to push when I say push, but do not give it your all. I’m trying to keep you from tearing too badly,” Sidney explains.
“I’m going to be sick,” Stormie declares.
“That’s fine, and completely normal during this stage. Now, on my count of three, I want you to give me a tiny push as I count to five.” Sidney’s ability to sound calm and confident in this moment amazes me, and also reminds me just how much I never want anymore children.
Before Sidney can begin her count, the sound of a pop, followed by an enormous screech from Stormie echoes throughout the closet causing my heart to drop a little. I’m not sure what happened just now exactly, but whatever it was sounded like it nearly killed Stormie. If she survives this one, Joker is a dead man.
A gasp comes from both Clara and Vanna, which cause both Tess and I to sit up anxiously awaiting to hear something.
I can see Sidney hold her hand up toward Clara and Vanna, silently ordering them to hush.
“What? What’s happening?” Stormie’s frantic plea to know has my heart racing and nervous as hell at the brief silence.
“Everything’s fine. The head is out, Stormie. It’s almost over.” There’s a subtle shift in Sidney’s tone that has me worried, and I notice Stormie fall backward to take a break.
The lighting is minimal, but I peek my head a little closer and notice some relief across Stormie’s face. After I glance at her, my pure curiosity gets the best of me, and I glance down and notice what had Sidney’s voice shift after Clara and Vanna gasped. The umbilical cord is wrapped around the baby’s neck.
This can’t be happening.
To be continued in book 3
Dedication
It is so exhausting trying to decide who to dedicate a book to considering how many eyes and hands play a part in making this possible. Having said that, I’m dedicating this book to my sister, Liberty Parker. You see, the friendships and sisterhood these fictional women are forming could very easily be compared to the love and lasting relationship I have with my own Sister. Like them, we live, laugh, and love together. We’ve also been there for each other through some of the toughest times in each other’s lives, yet we lean on one another and somehow prevail. I simply cannot imagine this ride without having her by my side. Honestly, I wouldn’t know what to do without her in my life, and I’m glad that whoever’s watching up above chose me as her sister. I love you, Sissy!
~Kayce Kyle
Acknowledgements
I want to thank #mytribe for always being there for me.
My family, for loving, and supporting me, through all the endless days and nights I dedicate to my work.
My sister Kayce, for always being willing to put yourself out there, and be my backbone through all of the good times, and the bad. I love you, Sister!
Darlene Tallman, you h
ave become one of the best friends I’ve ever had, and my confidant. You support me, and always have an ear available to listen, when I need to vent. There aren't many out there with your dedication and loyalty. You are a diamond in the rough my friend. Thank you for your endless friendship and support.
Erin Osborne, thank you for always answering the phone when I need to talk, for not thinking I was crazy when I wanted FOUR of us working this project together. It hasn’t been easy, but then, life never is. Love you lady.
My PA Nicole Lloyd - you need a special thanks for always taking on my projects, and not making me feel bad, for taking up as much of your time as I do. I throw this, and that, at you and you take it and run with it….no complaints, thank you for that.
Liberty’s Luscious Ladies - You are the best support team a gal could ask for. Love each and every one of you.
To our readers - thank you for your endless support and devotion to our characters and stories, without your love of reading, they wouldn’t exist.
~Liberty Parker
The hardest part about acknowledgements is I always worry I’ll forget someone and it will forever be immortalized, so I’ll put that out there - if I forgot someone, it’s on me. So many projects, so little time and all that jazz. That being said, I have to acknowledge the other three ladies I wrote with on this project because, well, each means a helluva lot to this transplanted Yankee!
Kayce, Erin, Liberty - I’ve spent so many hours on the phone with y’all, either all together or separately that I’m grateful we no longer have to watch “minutes” we use because otherwise? I’d need to sell body parts on the black market or something.
Kayce - From our very first phone call way back in 2016 when I was beta reading your first book baby and we were on the phone for like what, four hours? A girl doesn’t forget that kinda thing. Or the fact that we were on the phone when my second book went live and how you screamed as your screen showed it was “go” when mine was still saying “publishing.” Love you hard, woman. Your words, your support - all of it mean the world to me and I’m grateful you’re now a part of my life.
Erin - I think the two of us are the only two who are often up in the middle of the night and when life is going wonky at three in the morning, I know I can usually find you and call. And no, I’m not moving back to New York. It’s cold as Alaska there during the winter and I’ve lived through my fair share of lakeside effect blizzards. At my age, I’d probably blow up with all the eating I’d do out of boredom. But, a visit? Yeah, I can see that for sure! Love you, my friend.
Liberty - I’m so thankful that you said yes when I put it out there for us to co-write. I know things have exceeded any kind of expectation that I have and believe it’s “us” that’s causing that to happen because we feed off one another so darned well. And yeah, it was hard as hell to leave Texas and your sunporch and you that day I headed back home. Because when you finally find someone who gets you, you just want to stay. Love you to pieces and can’t wait for all the stories we’ve got planned in the future to find their way onto the page.
Melanie, Kat & Joanne - Y’all have been with me since the beginning. Since I got that push to publish. Your eyes on my words makes them better for the unsuspecting public who has no clue whether I will kill someone off or wipe out a town or have multiple pregnancies. The fact that all three of you were willing to help us with this “secret squirrel project” only solidified in my heart and mind the kind of women all three of you are and I’m grateful I can call y’all friends.
Nicole Lloyd and Michelle Thomas - y’all are two of the hardest working women I know, always promoting and pimping the authors underneath your wings. Not only that, but you both also do what you can to help authors you enjoy reading as well and for this chick, it means a great deal. Thank you for putting up with our quirky, crazy selves. We love y’all bunches.
Chad - You’ll probably never see this and that’s okay, but I honestly could NOT devote the time and energies to writing if you weren’t my roommate. I’ve lost count of the times you’ve brought in a plate of food and handed it over during writing marathons. Or how you’ll run around the corner for more smokes or diet coke when I’ve been buckled down trying to edit or write. The fact you willingly take care of my babies when I go out of town for signings? Bonus! Thanks for all you do in this crazy, mismatched household of mine.
The readers - Y’all know without you, there’d be no “us” right? I love when a reader becomes a friend, reaching out to tell me what they liked about a book or story. I love when I get to meet y’all at a signing and put a voice to the face I’ve seen on Facebook. And I love how you fiercely claim your book boyfriends, sometimes before the rest of the world gets to read the book itself! We write because the characters in our heads demand we tell their stories, but without you, all they would be is a bunch of dusty notebooks.
~ Darlene Tallman
First and foremost, I need to thank all of the readers that have supported me and gotten my name out there. You have chosen to follow my characters and let them bring you into their world. So many of you have sent me messages asking about certain characters or when other books are coming out. It means the world to me that you have chosen to let the members of the Wild Kings MC and the Phantom Bastards MC into your world.
Next, I have to thank my family and close friends. You have supported me and given me the time I need to get work done on my books. Since the very beginning you have given me encouragement and support, shown love, and helped me with whatever I needed to get done. My kids have shown me patience when they wanted to do something, and I was writing. They let me get done what I was working on while they did homework before my time was devoted to them.
My amazing PA, Michelle, has been supportive, encouraging, and done whatever she could to help me since the very beginning of my career. Without you keeping me in line now, I don’t know that I’d have made it through the past few months. You are one of my best friends and I’ll never be able to thank you for everything that you have done to help me. I’m here for you whenever you need me for whatever reason. Forever!
I have to thank the other authors that have brought you, the readers, another look into the worlds that we have created. Kayce, Darlene, and Liberty have opened the doors up to let our readers get another viewpoint into the worlds that we have already created to bring back characters that you have fallen in love with.
Kayce, you are my partner in crime and someone that I can talk to about anything. Thank you for everything. From writing these stories to developing our own, new, world for readers to fall in love with. You are one of my best friends and I can’t wait to see where we both go from here. Thank you for all of the support, including in my personal life, and never giving up on me. You have pulled me up when I wanted to give up!! Love you!!
Darlene, you have been there since the very beginning of my career and now we get to add collaborating on an amazing new look into our worlds. I can’t thank you enough for the support and friendship you have shown. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!! My kids love you and you always take time to talk to them when they want to tell you a story. You are forever in my family!! Love ya!!
Liberty, you have also been there since the beginning and are now helping begin a fresh and new look into the Wild Kings and the rest of our characters. I can’t wait to see where these stories take our characters! Thank you for being a friend and for the support. Love ya friend!!
~Erin Osborne
