Machine was off to the side speaking to Amber, our new club manager. His hair was a little longer on the top than his usual military hairstyle and he looked a lot healthier than he had a few months ago. As soon as he saw us enter, he hugged us both.
When he let her go, Evelyn gave me a pleading look. “I need to pee.”
I gave her a nod before she grabbed Badger’s hand on her way to the bathroom. I would never understand why women always went in pairs.
“You good, bro?” I asked Machine as she walked away. He seemed a bit distracted.
Machine took a sip of his whiskey and looked away from the hallway that the ladies had just left through. “Yeah, I’m good.”
SEVENTY-FOUR
EVELYN
Oh hell no. This wasn’t good. As I sat on the toilet, I felt my entire stomach tighten before a wave of liquid came out of me. Thank God I was on the toilet. I would have definitely made a fool out of myself.
“Badge?”
“Yeah, babe?”
“Um. I think my water just broke.”
I heard the sound of something plastic fall onto the countertop. “Wait, what?” Her voice sounded frazzled.
A contraction hit. The pain was overwhelming and intense.
“Yeah… definitely in labor,” I panted out. I cleaned myself up as much as I could before opening the stall door. Badger helped me to the bench that sat near the mirrors and sinks.
“Stay right here. I’ll be right back!” she assured me, turning toward the door, her voice full of panic.
“No, stay!” I cried while my stomach clenched and I breathed through a contraction.
Badger let out a curse under her breath before taking out her cellphone, presumably to call Kade.
“Hey it’s me, you need to get to the ladies’ room,” she said into the phone, then hung up without waiting for a response.
Kade and Machine burst through the bathroom door just as Badger was placing a damp cloth on my forehead.
I met Kade’s eyes with a pained smile. “Ready to be a daddy?”
His eyebrows raised up to his hairline. “Hell yes. Bring it on. Baby girl is ready to meet us.”
SEVENTY-FIVE
KADE
I looked at the mother of my beautiful healthy baby girl. She was asleep on the hospital bed, looking at peace. After a gruesome twenty-eight-hour labor, Evelyn deserved the rest. She had been such a trooper through the entire thing. Of course, that was no surprise seeing as how she had bigger balls than most men I knew.
A knock sounded on the wooden door before Buddha peaked his head in.
I narrowed my brows. “How did you get past security?”
Buddha gave me a broad smile. “I look like security. Didn’t take much. Told them I was meeting my boss to take up a post outside Evelyn’s room.”
I rolled my eyes, fully understanding why the young receptionist would believe that to be true. He walked into the room with a bouquet made out of balloons and marshmallows.
My phone vibrated with a message. I picked it up and saw a text from Buddha in the newly made groupchat.
Buddha:
