“Why didn’t they tell us she was out?” Easton asked.
“I don’t know. Apparently, she’s been out an hour or so. They said they’re waiting to move her to a room.”
“An hour? And no one told us?” I stood up. This was bullshit!
“Baby, sit down,” Avery said. “Nothing we can do about it. Let’s think of the positive. Brooke made it out of surgery and everything went fine.”
I stared at him for a few beats and then sat back down. “You’re right. It just pisses me off that we’ve been waiting here.”
“Me too. Did they say how long until she gets into a room?” Easton asked.
“No, but they said they would come and tell us,” Bailee replied.
“Yeah right,” I huffed and crossed my arms. “I’ll be checking in every thirty minutes. This is bullshit.”
We waited another hour for the nurse to finally say that we could see Brooke. We all got to go because she was finally in a room. When we walked in, she was sleeping and all I wanted to do was hug her. She had IVs running on both hands, machines watching her heart rate, and a drainage tube coming from her side where her tumor was.
We weren’t able to stay long as visiting hours were over and the room that Brooke was in wasn’t her permanent room, so none of us were allowed to stay with her. Easton stayed at my place and Bailee stayed at Brooke’s.
“When are you coming back?” I asked Bailee.
“Maybe after finals. I haven’t decided if I’m staying after graduation.”
“I have a feeling you’ll need to move to New York.”
“Why?” Bailee asked.
“Well, I’m moving to New York and things are really serious between your sister and Easton now.”
“Well, that gives me something to think about. I’ve always wanted to live in the city.”
After we dropped Bailee off at the airport, Avery went back to New York. Monday, I made an appointment with a doctor to make sure everything was okay with our baby and to see how far along I was. They wanted me to wait a few more weeks, but since I was friends with one of the nurses, she made an appointment for me to ease my worries. It seemed that it took a long time for everything to happen, but now everything was going too fast.
“Nicole’s going to the doctor today,” I said as I stepped onto the treadmill at the gym for my morning workout with Easton.
“Do you want her to be pregnant?” he asked.
“Well, I didn’t plan it to be this way, but I love her and I do want to have kids.”
“So are you going to propose?”
“I don’t want to propose just because she’s pregnant… I mean, I do want to marry her, but I don’t want her thinking that is the reason.”
“Understandable.”
“How’s Brooke doing?” I asked, matching my speed with his.
“Better. They’ve been taking X-rays daily and everything seems to be healing. She’s doing well on the breathing treatments, so she shouldn’t get pneumonia or anything like she was worried about.”
“That’s good. Doc think she can still go home on Wednesday?”
“Yeah, he didn’t say otherwise.”
“Let me know if you need anything. I could fill in at practice if you need me to.”
“If she doesn’t get out on Wednesday, I might take you up on that.”
Easton’s phone dinged and he got off the treadmill. I stayed on mine, running and thinking. Nicole was going to call me and tell me if my life was really going to change. Home tests could be wrong, but I really did want her to have my baby. I didn’t care that we’d been together for less than two months. I just knew. I knew she was the one. I could feel it in every fiber of my being and it was like a sign sent from God.
I was lost in thought when my phone started ringing. It was my girl. This was it. I’d wanted to be there for her when she went to the doctor, but Easton and I both needed to be back in New York for work and Cheyenne. I couldn’t ask him to cover my shift and Nicole understood.
“Nicole’s calling me,” I whispered to Easton, motioning to my phone. “I’ll be back.”
I walked towards the locker room for some privacy. “Well?” I asked, smiling and not even bothering to say hello.
“Yep.”
“You’re really pregnant?” I asked, still smiling.
“Yep.”
“Can we tell people now?”
“No.” She laughed. “Doctor said I’m five weeks. We shouldn’t tell people until I’m at least thirteen weeks.”
“Five weeks?” I did a mental calculation. “So you did get pregnant our first night?”
“Pretty much.” I heard her laugh on the other end of the phone.
“Damn, my little guys were just waiting to break through that condom,” I teased.
“You’re such a man.” She laughed.
“Well, I’d hope so.” I laughed back.
“Anyway, she’ll be here sometime in January.”
“She’ll?”
“Well, we can’t tell if it’s a girl yet, but it sounds better than it.”
“He, she, it. I don’t care as long as it’s healthy.”
“Good response.” She laughed again.
I was going to be a father. Shit just got real, but I wanted this. I couldn’t wait.
Nicole had to go back to work and I had to finish working out, so we said our goodbyes. When I stepped out of the locker room, I saw Easton on the leg press.
“Well?” he asked.
“I really am going to be a father,” I said with a shit-eating grin on my face.
“Shit, dude. Congrats!” Easton stood, walking over to give me a quick “bro hug” and then we both sat back down and started lifting weights. “Don’t tell Brooke, yet. Nicole is going to tell her next week.”
“Yeah, no problem.”
Since Brooke was doing well in the hospital, Nicole and I planned to tell her this weekend that we’re pregnant. Nicole hated keeping the secret from her and maybe telling Brooke our good news would be just that; good news.
We only had to wait three days. I only had to wait three days to see my girls.
I’d worked the day shift and all I wanted to do was go home, Facetime with my girl and count down the hours until I could hold her. But instead, I got a text from Easton.
Easton: Hey, They had a rough time at practice tonight and doesn’t want to go to our folk’s. Can you come over and watch her while I go to work? Maybe talk to her?
I texted back without hesitation.
Avery: Yeah, I’m on my way.
I arrived before Easton and Cheyenne, but before I could get out of the car, I saw them pull up. I got out and Cheyenne stormed past me, not saying hello.
“What’s wrong with her?” I asked.
“I don’t know. Some girls were giving her a hard time at practice and I think she’s pissed off.”
“Why?”
“I have no idea. Just make her laugh and try to stay off the phone with Nicole until Cheyenne is asleep.”
“All right. Have fun working,” I said with a smirk.
“Fuck you. You work tomorrow night, fucker.”
“Oh…yeah. I can’t wait until this doesn’t happen anymore.”
“Me too. We should hire two more managers. A day one and a floater.”
“Yeah, we should.”
“Let’s talk about it later. I need to call Ma still and get there to relieve Bethy.”
Easton left and I went into the house. This was going to be good practice for when I had my daughter.
“C.C.!” I shouted, closing the door behind me.
She didn’t answer.
I walked towards her bedroom. The door was closed, so I knocked. “C.C., talk to me. What’s up, buttercup?”
“Just leave me alone!” she shouted behind her closed door.
“That’s no way to talk to your favorite uncle.”
“You’re my only uncle.”
“And that’s why you should come out he
re and keep me company. I’m lonely.”
“Go call your girlfriend.”
“I don’t wanna. I wanna hang with my favorite softball player.”
“I don’t want to talk about it, okay?”
“All right. If you want to talk about it, I’ll be in the living room bowling on the Wii.”
“Courtney’s coming over, okay?” she said as I started to walk away.
“All right.” Whatever would work to get her out of her mood.
I left and walked to the living room. It was only a matter of time before she came out of her room. She’d be hungry and I knew she couldn’t pass up a chance to beat me at her favorite game, especially with her friend watching.
While the game loaded, I texted Nicole.
Me: At East’s taking care of CC. I’ll call you when she goes to bed. If you’re asleep, call me on your lunch tomorrow. I love and miss you more than you know!
I picked my Mii on the game and my phone buzzed.
Nicole: Practicing your parental duties?
I smiled.
Me: Something like that.
Just as I was about to bowl my first frame, Cheyenne came out of her room and walked over to the front door, letting Courtney in.
“Girls.” I nodded and picked up the Wii controller.
“How can you start without me?” Cheyenne asked, crossing her arms and shooting daggers with her eyes.
“You think I’d start without you?” I laughed. “You’re next.” I pointed to the screen. I’d already added her to the game. I knew she couldn’t pass up playing.
Cheyenne cracked a smile and then replaced it with a frown. Something was really eating at her.
“Want to play too?” I asked Courtney.
“No, I’ll just watch.”
We bowled a few frames before I set in to find out what was wrong. “So…how was practice?” I asked.
“Daddy told you?” Cheyenne asked, obviously annoyed.
“Told me what?” I asked, pretending I didn’t know anything.
“That I was mad after practice.”
“No,” I shook my head, lying. “I could tell by the greeting you gave me when you got here.”
She stared at me for a beat. “I don’t want to talk about it.” She turned and bowled half of her frame. I looked at Courtney and she shrugged, giving a tight smile.
“Come on, C.C. You know I can help you with some moves if you want.”
“That’s not it.” She turned and bowled her other half of her frame.
“Then what is it? You can tell me.”
“Just…two girls on the team are really mean to me.”
“What’d they do?” I asked, then took my turn, bowling a strike. Usually I rubbed it in Cheyenne’s face, but this wasn’t the time.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Okay. Want to get them back?”
Her eyes widened. “How?”
“Do you have their numbers?”
Damn kids these days. All of them had cell phones.
“Yeah?”
“Ever watch The Simpsons?” I asked, looking between Cheyenne and Courtney.
“No?” they said in unison.
“I have the perfect plan.” I smiled, tapping my fingers together like it was a master plan. It totally was.
We stopped our game. I was winning, but I didn’t want to point that out either. Cheyenne got lucky this time. Next time, I was going to rub it in her face like we always did. It was our little banter we always had with each other; it was our thing.
“Who’s up first?” I asked, sitting at the dining room table with both girls across from me.
“Lisa,” Cheyenne said, handing me her phone.
Lisa’s contact info was on the screen. I blocked my number on my phone and dialed Lisa’s number. Cheyenne finally smiled as I put my phone up to my ear.
“Hello?” Lisa answered.
“Amanda Hugginkiss?”
“No?”
“Yeah, this is Amanda Hugginkiss.”
“No, it’s not.”
The girls were covering their mouths, trying not to laugh. I was trying not to laugh myself. “Yeah, it is. This is a man to hug and kiss. Amanda Hugginkiss.”
Lisa gasped. “Who is this?”
I hung up and we all laughed until we had tears.
“All right, who’s next?”
“Sara.” Cheyenne replied, still smiling.
“Hello?” Sara answered.
“Ivana Tinkle?”
“No?”
“Yeah, this is Ivana Tinkle.”
“Who is this?”
“Ivana Tinkle. Get it? I wanna tinkle.” I hung up.
We laughed again. “Okay, who’s next?”
“That’s it. Just those two.”
“All right, we’ll call Lisa back first.”
“Hello?” Lisa answered.
“Anita Bath?”
“Who is this?”
“Anita Bath—I need a bath!” I said and hung up.
“Uncle A, you’re the best.”
“I know I am, C.C.” We laughed. “Sara again?”
Cheyenne nodded.
“Hello?” Sara answered.
“Eura Snotball?”
“No. Who is this?”
“Eura Snotball. You’re a snotball!” I said and hung up again. “More?” I asked Cheyenne.
“Oh yeah!”
I dialed Lisa again.
“What?” she said, not bothering with the hello.
“Ahmed Adoudi?”
“Seriously, who is this? I’m gonna tell my daddy!”
“Tell your daddy. Tell your daddy Ahmed Adoudi’s on the phone. Get it? I made a doodie?”
“Stop calling me!” she yelled and hung up first.
We laughed again. “That one was my favorite,” Cheyenne said.
“Okay, one more time for Sara and then we need to eat. I’m starving!”
I dialed Sara.
“Whoever this is, you need to stop calling me!” Sara said.
“I’m looking for Bea O'Problem.”
“Who?” she asked, falling into the trap.
“Bea O'Problem. You have a B.O. Problem!”
I didn’t even bother to hear her response before I hung up. The three of us were laughing too hard and I couldn’t chance that Sara would hear Cheyenne. Maybe it was wrong to prank ten-year-old girls, but man it felt good to stick up for Cheyenne—even if I didn’t know what I was sticking up for.
Courtney went home, pinky swearing with Cheyenne that she wouldn’t tell anyone that we pranked Sara and Lisa. After we’d eaten chicken strips and chocolate milk, Cheyenne took a shower and went to bed. My parental duties were over. I dialed Nicole.
“Hey, Baby,” she answered.
“What are my girls up to?”
“Just about to go to bed.”
“Will you always be this tired?” I asked, propping my feet on the coffee table as I sat on the couch.
“No. It turns into a horny state.”
“Oh…when’s that?” I smiled.
“Probably in about five weeks.”
“I can’t wait. You’ll be all moved in and horny. I think my dreams just came true.”
“You’re so bad.” She laughed. “Is Brooke there yet?”
“Here?”
“Yeah, she left to go to New York after her doctor’s appointment today.”
“No, she’s not here.”
“Maybe she went to Halo.”
“Yeah, probably.”
“The doctor told her she has to have radiation for six weeks.”
“Shit,” I groaned. “Really?”
“Yeah. The tumor is a type that is known to grow back so they want to use radiation.”
“Poor Brooke,” I said, shaking my head.
“I know.” We were silent for a few seconds. “So what do you want to do this weekend?” Nicole asked, changing the subject.
“You.”
“Besides me.�
� She laughed.
“That’s all I want to do.” I smirked.
“No, seriously.”
“I don’t know. Maybe go to Cheyenne’s game.”
“Oh, that sounds like fun.”
“I think Easton and I are going to play again.”
“Really?”
“I think so. We talked about it a few weeks ago.”
“I can’t wait to see you in those tight pants.” She groaned.
“I’m not sure if we’ll wear baseball pants. It might be a co-ed league and we only need to wear sweats.”
“Fine,” she huffed.
There was a knock on the door. “Baby, hold on. Brooke’s here.” I opened the door. “I’ve been waiting for you.” I stepped aside so Brooke could enter. “Nic said you were coming. I was starting to worry.”
“I went to Halo first.”
“I was sure you would have wanted to wait naked in E’s bed.”
“Shit, why didn’t I think of that?” Brooke asked and we laughed.
“Baby, I’ll call you back,” I said, returning the phone to my ear.
“Don’t tell her I’m pregnant.”
“I’m not—”
“Saturday we’ll tell her.”
“Yeah, Saturday.”
“Okay. Good.”
“I’ll call you back.”
“I’m tired. I’m going to go to sleep.”
“Fine, I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
“Night.”
“Night.”
“What’s happening Saturday?” Brooke asked as I clicked the End button on my phone.
“Noth… Oh, um… Nic’s coming.”
“Oh, I thought she was coming Friday?”
“Right, Friday. I must have misspoke,” I said, looking down at my feet. Damn, I couldn’t wait until Brooke knew about the baby.
“Okay… Anyway, so I went to Halo first and made a hundred bucks.”
“Easton made you work?” I asked, laughing.
“No.” She laughed. “I bet some chick with bleached blonde hair that I could get Easton to leave with me.”
“Holy shit, really?”
“Yeah, it was hilarious!”
“I bet it was. Let’s not make it a habit because word will get out that we’re taking advantage of our customers,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.
The Halo Series Boxed Set Page 41
