Working For It

by BJ Harvey

  My head spins around, pulling my body with it, my wide eyes bugging out at the soft, demure voice of my girlfriend. It’s like she has a superpower—the ability to sweet-talk mothers-in-law like a pro.

  “Oh, so polite. You’re perfect for my Ezra.” Mom beams. Cohen chuckles behind me, and if he were any closer, he’d be earning an elbow to the gut right about now.

  “I like to think so. But most importantly, he seems to like me just as much as I do him, so we’re both lucky.”

  I step forward and give Mom a hug and a peck on the cheek. “Hey, Ma.”

  “Hi. Come in, all of you. Almost everyone is here now. I think it’s just Ronnie and Jaxon left, but they had a late afternoon OB appointment, so we already expected them later.” She steps back and waves us in. “Everyone is spread out between the kitchen, dining, and living room. We’ve just opened the doors up to make the room big enough. There are quite a lot of you all now.”

  “And we’re not just talking about the pregnant ladies,” Cohen says with a snicker. “Ouch, brat. What was that for?”

  I look over my shoulder to see Co rubbing his bicep, Skye grinning proudly. “One of those pregnant women is right there, dude.”

  Gilly’s shoulders shake against me. “In my defense,” Co continues, “I meant that three pregnant women also means three babies, not that they’re any big—”

  “Quit while you’re ahead, Co. it’s safer.”

  “And what do you mean by that, Mr. Baker?” Gilly asks, turning her head and arching a brow.

  “Nothing, Ms. Nelson.” I dip my head to touch my lips to hers. “Absolutely nothing.”

  Mom sniffles and holds her hand over her heart. “So cute, Ezzy.”

  “Ma…” I groan. “Not in front of the girlfriend,” I whisper teasingly.

  I feel a short, sharp pinch at my ribs. “Stop embarrassing your mother, Ezra Kane Baker.”

  Mom’s eyes widen before shimmering with pride. “You come with me, Gilly. I think you and I are going to become really good friends.”

  “Don’t forget allies, Mrs. Baker. Someone has to keep these men in line.”

  “Call me Patricia. Or Mom,” she says, shooting me a wink. “Mrs. Baker is my mother-in-law, and she’s a grumpy mole of a woman.”

  “Mom!” I admonish.

  My mother shrugs, her lips twisting up. “What? She is. I’m lovely.”

  Gilly steps out from under my arm and holds her hand back for Skye. “C’mon, Skye. You’re one of us too.”

  “Heaven help us,” I mutter to the ceiling.

  “And that’s a sign for us to go find the men to replenish our testosterone levels,” Cohen says with a resigned sigh.

  “Toodle-loo, boys,” my mother says, taking Skye’s arm in hers and walking down the hall toward the kitchen. Gilly goes to follow, and I gently tug on her hand, stepping forward to bring my chest flush with hers. “You can come with me if you want, but Mom has been shopping up a storm ever since I told her we were having a boy.”

  Gilly’s expression softens. She lifts up on her toes and kisses me, eyes locked with mine, the tip of her tongue darting out to touch my lips briefly. “Go, replenish your testosterone. You’ll be needing it later,” she whispers.

  “Maybe… maybe not,” I say with a smirk as she moves away.

  “We’ll see about that, Ezzy.”

  My eyes narrow, and I shake my head, unable to stop myself from grinning at her. “You’ll keep.”

  “Yes, yes I will.”

  Cohen hooks an arm around my neck and drags me toward the living room. “C’mon baby daddy. Mrs. Baker won’t hurt her… much.”

  And just like that, my mom has stolen my girlfriend, and I’m being pulled away to commune with the male brethren.

  That went way easier than I’d thought it would. Then again, my mother is a sweetheart, and Gilly is one of the best women I’ve ever met.

  Now I have to hope they don’t gang up on me. That would be just my luck. I’ll be shut out of nursery-decorating decisions, and my son will have a crazy middle name like Edgar or Edmund.

  I’m soon distracted by a bottle of beer being shoved in my hand by Mr. Cook—which I quickly swap out for a cold bottle of water—and I’m talking shop with the guys, all the while doing it with a smile on my face.

  I’m happier now than I have been in a while, and I pray to God that it’s a sign of good things to come.

  A few hours later, after everyone has arrived and we’ve demolished the—as always—fantastic food, Gilly and I are sitting on a day bed in the dining room, the rest of our family and friends spread out around the large open space and taking up half my parents’ ground floor.

  Five years ago, I helped Dad draw up plans to redesign the bottom floor to drag it into the modern era, which means with a few opened doors, the kitchen, dining, living area, and Dad’s den all become one room.

  “Where have you been?” Axel asks, appearing in front of Gilly and me with his hands on hips.

  “Hey, Ax. Did you miss me?” I ask. He huffs, and I swallow back a laugh.

  “No.” Jamie’s son looks between Gilly and me. “Mom and Dad say Gilly is having a baby, like Aunty Ronnie and Aunty Faith.”

  I nod and grin at him. “She is. We’re having a boy just like you.”

  Axel sighs and turns to Gilly, who’s now cradling her bump. It’s something she seems to do subconsciously, and I love it. She gets this soft look on her face that I want to see every day for the rest of my life, which scares me as much as it thrills me.

  When you’re already two strikes down in the marriage department, you do get kind of apprehensive when thinking about trying again.

  “I guess that means you can’t be my girlfriend either?” Ax says to Gilly, his voice full of resignation.

  She reaches out and strokes his head. “Sorry, Axel. Ezra beat you to it.”

  “I’m used to it by now. Besides, I’ve got two girls at school who keep giving me food and wanting to sit next to me at recess.” He rolls his eyes. “It’s kind of stressful.”

  My eyes widen, looking at the almost nine-year-old boy and wondering where the pizza-stealing, swear-jar-wielding con artist has gone.

  Gilly rests her head on my shoulder and giggles. “You’ve got plenty of time for girls, Ax.”

  He looks between us again, then to Gilly’s baby bump. “How did the baby get in there anyway? I asked Dad, and he said to ask Mom. So I did, and she looked really surprised and then poured a drink of wine. They told me about birds and bees, but that’s not human babies, so I didn’t believe them.”

  I reach out and place my hand on Axel’s shoulder. “You should go ask Uncle Cohen and Aunty Skye. They work in ambulances, so they’ll definitely know how babies get in their mommy’s tummies.”

  “Really?” he says excitedly. “Okay.”

  And quick as a flash, he’s gone, running through the crowded room to where Skye is sitting in Cohen’s lap.

  I dip my head and bring my mouth to Gilly’s ear, my hand running over her small bump to cover hers. “Watch this,” I say, turning my eyes to see what the baby Cook brother does.

  I’ve never seen Cohen go as white as he does the moment Axel opens his mouth. Luckily for him, Skye reaches for Ax’s hand and pulls him in close, dipping her head and whispering in his ear.

  “Dammit,” I sigh while Gilly giggles beside me.

  I slowly spin my head and narrow my eyes. “You don’t understand how much we live for the moments when we can mess with each other.”

  “Oh, I do. I’ve been around you all for a little while now.”

  “And you’re going to be stuck with me for a lot longer,” I say, my lips tipping up.

  She lifts her hand to her chin as if to think about it. “Hmm, maybe.”

  I slowly arch a brow. “I think definitely.”

  I rub my hand back and forth over her bump. She grabs my arm and jerks it to one side of her stomach. She presses her palm over my knuckles and holds me in place as s
he watches me. For a moment, I have absolutely no idea what’s going on.

  Then I feel it—a faint, but very much there, knock against my skin.

  “Holy shit!” I stage whisper as it sinks in that there’s a real baby in there. “That’s our son.”

  “Yeah, baby daddy, and he’s strong and just going to get stronger.”

  I look back down as our boy kicks again, my eyes wide with wonder. “That’s amazing. You’re amazing.”

  She blushes and looks down at our joined hands, her soft pink lips curving up. Something about her reaction touches me. I lift a hand to her jaw, angling it up as I lean in, giving us a small shroud of privacy in a room where there is none.

  “I don’t care if we’re alone or surrounded by thousands—I’ll always take the chance to put that smile on your face.” I press the pad of my thumb to her mouth and watch as I draw her puffy bottom lip free from her teeth. “And if you bite that lip again, I definitely can’t be held responsible for what I might do.”

  She grins against my finger, her eyes sparkling with sexy mischief.

  I pat her bump. “Not in front of our son, baby mama.”

  She giggles at that. “Sorry to tell you, baby daddy, but he’s with us twenty-four/seven for the foreseeable future.”

  I sigh dramatically, but my grin belies it. “Lucky I love him,” I say, my gaze dropping to our hands again as I feel another undeniable knock against my palm. Lucky I love you, too, Gilly, I don’t dare say it. Not yet. I’ll show her in my actions, in always being there when she needs me—even if she thinks she doesn’t—but I’ve always been the one to say it first and this time, I don’t want to risk our relationship. It’s not a case of self-preservation. I just don’t want to jeopardize what Gilly and I are building by being impulsive.

  I have long-term plans, and I want to be sure we’re both on the same page before I lay my heart on the line.

  The sound of clinking glass grabs everyone’s attention. Dad and Mr. Cook stand in front of the living room’s fireplace, all eyes now on the two patriarchs of this large and rather crazy family.

  “So, we know it’s getting late, and it’s a school night,” Mr. Cook says, pointing at Axel with a poor attempt at a stern expression. Growing up, the two dads could switch from pal to paternal pariah on the flick of a dime. They were jokey and were forever making us laugh, being enablers whenever one of us kids got a hare-brained idea—one our fathers knew would end in disaster for one or all of us—but one thing they’ve always had is our respect. That’s something that has never changed, and it’s knowing I have role models like that to emulate that has stopped me from freaking out too much about having a son.

  Mr. Cook grins and continues, “But since we’re all growing up—”

  “Speak for yourself, old man,” my dad says, jibing his best friend.

  “Okay. Since the kids are all too busy with their own lives to visit their parents…”

  “Good guilt trip, Rick. Keep it up,” Marcy calls out to her husband.

  “That’s what she said,” Cohen says, earning a mix of groans and laughter.

  “If I needed him to keep it up, I’d just get him Viagra, Co,” Marcy jibes back. Skye stands and leans over, holding her hand up to Mrs. Cook for a high five.

  “Anyway,” my dad says. “We’ve got so much going on, and there’s a lot of news to tell too. So, since Ezra likes to make a scene at family gatherings…” He looks my way, “…why don’t you start, son?”

  I shake my head at my father, an older but undeniable mirror image of me.

  Giving Gilly a squeeze, I stand and look around the room. I suck in a big breath and scrub my hand over the back of my neck. I scan the ground, drawing out the moment before slowly lifting my eyes to my dad. As hoped, his eyes are wide with surprise and anticipation, until I drop the bomb.

  “Yeah, sorry everyone. No news here. I figure our scene at the baby shower will last for at least a year.”

  “Or until you freak out when you realize you have to actually hold your baby and not screw up its life for eighteen-plus years…” Jamie says with a shit-eating grin.

  “Oh, I’m not worried about that. I’ve got Gilly to make sure I don’t stuff up. It seems the Nelson girls don’t have any hesitation in speaking their mind.” I turn to Jax, and he smirks.

  “Especially when it comes to their parents,” he adds with a laugh.

  Both Nelson sisters grin at each other with a shrug.

  “They don’t need their parents. They’ve got us now. Isn’t that right, Gilly?” my mom says.

  “Yeah Patricia,” Gilly replies.

  It seems like thirty minutes communing with the moms is all it takes to be welcomed into the inner sanctum.

  “Oooh, you’re stuck with her now, Baker,” Jax says with a wink.

  I sit down and hook my arm over Gilly’s shoulder, pulling her into my side and meeting her eyes. “That’s what I’m hoping.”

  Cohen makes gagging sounds loud enough to be heard from across the room, earning him my raised middle finger.

  I quirk a brow. “Okay then, Cass, let’s see you do better.”

  Cohen looks to Skye questioningly. She nods and slips off his lap onto the arm of the couch where they’re sitting, their fingers still tangled together.

  “Skye is going to be donating another egg to Dion and Vinnie to give Penny a brother or sister via a surrogate.”

  A cheer goes up. Marcy jumps to her feet and gives Skye and Co a big hug each. “That’s amazing news.”

  “Wait, Skye has a daughter?” Gilly whispers for my ears only.

  “Yeah. She couldn’t act as a surrogate due to her age and not having children of her own, but she could donate the egg to be used by another surrogate. So Penny is almost five, and Cohen and Skye see her quite a lot.”

  When Gilly burrows deep in my side and buries her face into my chest, I chuckle because sure enough—as if right on cue—she starts sniffling and muttering about “dumb pregnancy hormones.”

  “Okay, well, that’s all the news I know about,” Mr. Cook says, but Jamie stands beside his father and gives him a grin.

  “Well, since we’re all trying to outdo one another with announcements, Axel has something to tell everyone.” He glances down at his son, whose face is the picture of confusion.

  “I do?”

  “Yeah, buddy. Remember?” Jamie and Ax exchange a look, then the boy’s eyes light up as he jumps to his feet from the floor.

  “Oh yeah. We’re getting a new brother or sister for me from the foster shop.”

  April bursts out laughing, the rest of us soon quietly joining her. Jamie reaches out and hooks an arm around Axel’s neck, pulling him into his side affectionately.

  “What he means is, we’ve started fostering classes, and once we’ve finished, we’ll look at securing a boy or girl younger than Ax to foster, with the aim to adopt permanently in the future.”

  A round of applause soon becomes deafening. Axel bows like we’re the audience commending him on a good show well done.

  Marcy walks over to her husband. “Rick, whatever are going to do with all these grandchildren?”

  Not missing a beat, Mr. Cook grins down at his wife. “Well, I know some guys who are into renovating houses. I’ll give you their number,” he replies with a laugh.

  All eyes turn to Abi and Cade, and their son Harry squirming on his father’s lap. Abi sticks her hands up in the ear. “Oh, hell no. Unless you count Cade having the big snip last week, there’s absolutely no other baby-related announcements coming from us ever again. This uterus has done all the reproducing it’s ever going to do.”

  “You do make good babies though,” Marcy teases.

  Mom snickers and shakes her head. “C’mon, Marce. You’ve had twins. Were you ever the same after those two hulks you gave birth to?”

  “Hey!” Jax and Bry say in unison.

  “We really don’t wanna hear about any damage we may or may not have done to our mother after birth
, okay?” Jax says with a grimace.

  Bry nods, looking equally grossed out. “Especially when we’re both not far from going through a similar experience with our wives.”

  “To be fair,” Ronnie says, pointing her finger between the twins, “you two won’t be doing anything. Faith and I will be the ones pushing a watermelon out a hole the size of a garden hose.”

  Marcy’s eyes soften. “Well, it’s not that size afterward.”

  “That’s what she said,” Cohen retorts, earning an elbow to the ribs from Skye.

  “Ouch, brat. Twice in one night? That demands retribution,” he warns ominously.

  “Keep it in the bedroom, baby brother,” Abi calls out with a smirk.

  “Says the one member of the family who’s been interrupted more than anybody else,” Jax retorts with a laugh.

  Instead of blushing, Abi pulls her shoulders back and beams. “That is a badge I wear with pride.”

  “Unless it’s Harry walking into the bathroom when he shouldn’t,” Cade mutters under his breath.

  Abi swings her glacial glare to her husband.

  Cade just grins, and dips his head, kissing Abi’s sass away. Her brothers and I groan, not liking the idea of seeing one of the ‘sisters’ doing anything with a man—husband or otherwise.

  “Okay,” my father says. “Now, are we done?”

  Like clockwork, we all look to the corner couch where Bry and my very pregnant sister, Faith, and Jax and an even more pregnant Ronnie are sitting.

  “I’m getting induced tomorrow!” Gilly’s sister announces. “And thank fu—” Her eyes drift to Axel who’s sitting up, rubbing his money-making hands with glee. “—fudge for that.”

  Axel’s face falls, obviously realizing he’s just missed out on a swear jar payday.

  “Don’t worry, Ax. Aunty Ronnie will be saying a lot of bad words tomorrow, so I’ll keep track of them for you,” Jax says.

  “Yesssss,” the boy says with a fist pump.

  “Um…” Faith says, her brows bunched. She looks to Bry, whose expression mirrors hers. I shift forward in my seat, watching my sister closely.

  “Bakes?” I ask, using her childhood nickname, but she doesn’t respond.