“It’s about damn time,” he huffs. I reach over and pat his knee with my hand. He gives me a ‘don’t patronize me’ look and I giggle.
Claree gently places the box in my lap and I start tearing into it. Maxum, not one to be outdone, rips at the tissue paper until a powder pink cut can be seen. “It’s a girl, Maxum!” I holler out.
“A girl, fuck my life. Axe, get the shotguns prepared!” His face has paled some, but I still see the excitement in his eyes.
“I didn’t use one on you,” Dad hollers out to him.
“That’s because I’m awesome,” Maxum replies. “But are you seriously telling me that a granddaughter with your daughter’s looks will be safe from all of the boys in town?”
“Cara, we’re leaving here and hitting the gun store,” Dad responds and the women all roll their eyes.
“There will be no shooting little boys, Braxton,” Mom scolds him.
“How about tasers, can we taser the little fuckers?” Smokey asks.
“Oh, my God!” I put my face in my hands to hide the laughter from them. There’s no need to encourage their behavior.
“Pepper spray works too,” Bandit announces.
“Somebody save my daughter!” I cry out through my hysterical laughter.
“You survived growing up with a bunch of overprotective, macho men, she will too,” Mom encourages.
“She might, but no snot-nosed little fucker with a penis will,” Maxum states.
“I’m taking our daughter and going into witness protection,” I announce.
“Oh, love, you can’t hide from me,” Maxum says. “No matter where you go I will find you… both of you.” He places his hand on my stomach and my eyes begin to water. “I’ll never let either of you leave me.”
Maxum
This time, I don’t freak out when the tears flow from her eyes, sliding down her cheeks. This isn’t pregnancy hormones or a hurt cry, this time it’s for love.
“Maxum,” she whispers before her lips crash down on mine.
“Get a room,” Tig hollers out.
“No!” I hear all of my brothers shout in uniformed synchronization. Lily and I chuckle with our lips still glued to one another’s. As we stare into each other’s eyes, a feeling of euphoria wracks my body. She’s what I’ve always needed, she’s saved me from my past. I love this woman more than my own breath.
She is my everything!
It’s been three months since our gender reveal party. We’ve since had a baby shower, decorated our daughter’s room and have not had one day of peace from the old ladies. Every day there’s been a shopping excursion; decorating the baby’s room more than it already was, washing baby clothes, picking out her future day care… yes, that’s really a thing, apparently. If they’re not doing any of those listed items, then they’re just sitting around, gossiping like a bunch of old hens. Now, I understand what my brothers have been bitching about for all of these years.
“Maxum, I think I’m in labor,” Lily says, breaking me out of my reverie.
“Say what now? It’s too soon!” I holler, standing up and rushing over to where she’s standing in the mouth of the hallway. “How do you know?”
“I’ve been having contractions off and on for the last hour. It hurts, Maxum,” she whines, face planting into my shoulder. I can hear her huffing and puffing. I hate seeing her in distress, labor is no joke.
“I’ll call the doctor on the way to the hospital. Let’s grab your bags and hit the road.”
“I’m not ready,” she cries.
“Me either.” I wish I could join her in tears, but only one of us can break down at a time. The other needs to be strong and keep focused.
“Braxton Hicks,” Dr. Sandoval says.
“Braxton whata?” I ask, perturbed at the outcome.
“It’s Lily’s body’s way of preparing for childbirth. This could go on until the day she delivers, or sporadically come and go,” she goes on to explain.
“This is just practice! Does that mean the pain will be worse later on?” Lily asks her and I see fear plastered all over her beautiful face.
“I’m not going to sugarcoat things for you, Lily. They will be more intense, and you’ll feel them much more than you are now.” Well, thank you, Dr. Sandoval! Now, I’m gonna have to deal with a somber Lil, who’s always worried about the day labor comes on. She’s gonna freak the fuck out!
“Great, that’s just fabulous news,” she pouts.
“I’m going to discharge you so you can go home and get some rest. The day is quickly approaching and you’ll need all of your rest now. Once that baby comes, your days of sleeping in are over.” Fucking hell. Seriously? I wonder if it’s against protocol for me to duct tape the doctor's mouth shut.
After the belt thingies that allow us to hear our daughter’s heartbeat are unwound from Lily’s belly, they discharge her. I’m holding her hand in mine as we exit and a shadowy figure, hiding in the darkness, catches my attention. I turn my head in an attempt to see if I recognize whoever is standing there, only they’ve disappeared. Weird. Shaking my head, I pull Lily closer and hurry us to the car. Right now, she’s my priority. I’ll ignore the strange frisson of dread that shivers through my body.
16
Maxum
It’s been two weeks since Lily’s false alarm with the Braxton-Hicks contractions. I’m lounging on the bed waiting for her to come out of the bathroom so we can watch one of the damn Hallmark movies she loves when I hear, “Maxum? I need you!” I jump up and rush to the bathroom door and fling it open, not bothering to knock since she hollered for me.
“What’s wrong, baby?” I ask, looking around the bathroom. My eyes widen when I see the puddle of water beneath her feet at the sink. “Lily?”
“My water broke, Maxum. I think it’s really time,” she states calmly while stripping out of her wet nightgown. “Can you help me get cleaned up before we go?” I’m halfway out the door when her words stop me in my tracks. Cleaned up? We’ve got our daughter on the way, there’s no fucking time!
“Lily, baby, we don’t have time,” I insist as I go back to grab her hand to drag her into the bedroom in order to dress her.
“Maxum! Yes, there is, dammit. I’m not even having any contractions that I can feel. Don’t you remember the classes? First babies can take longer and I refuse to go anywhere like this! Shit, it’s still leaking. I’m taking a shower first, then I’ll be getting dressed. I’ll wear a fucking pad or stuff a towel down there but I will be clean!” She’s a pain in my damn ass sometimes. I don’t know why she wants to get clean, only to get dirty again, while she labors.
Deciding not to argue with her, I start the shower, strip myself down, then get us both inside. I quickly wash us both then pull her out and have her dried off before she realizes what I’ve done. “C’mon, Lily, our little girl is coming,” I say, rushing to her dresser and pulling out some clothes. When she doesn’t move fast enough for me, I start dressing her, but stop when I hear a noise. Glancing up, I see she’s laughing so hard that tears are pouring down her face. “Why are you laughing?”
“B-b-because you’re acting a tad bit crazy right now! It’s going to be okay, Maxum. Women have babies every single day. Now, get dressed, I think I can finish from here.” Maybe women have babies every day, but this is a first for my woman and I want her where she can get help with the whole thing, not standing here bare ass naked.
I don’t bother with my boxers. Instead I slip on jeans, socks, my boots and my cut and start toward the closet to grab the suitcase we’ve had packed for weeks now. “Aren’t you forgetting something?” she sweetly asks.
“What?”
“Umm, maybe a shirt?” she teases, sitting down on the end of the bed so I can help put her shoes on. I glance down and see my bare chest and grin.
“Guess I’m a bit excited. Nervous as fuck, too, if I’m being honest,” I reply. I don’t want to see her in that kind of pain, but the stuff they use might possibly interact with
her other medicines, so she decided, against my better wishes, mind you, to go as natural as possible.
“I’m ready, honey,” she says. “Well, once you help me up, that is.” My woman is all baby in the front and gets off balance. I hold out my hands and once hers are in mine, gently lift her to her feet before deciding, fuck it, and scooping her into my arms. “Maxum, I’m way too fucking heavy at this point,” she chastises.
“You’ll never be too heavy for this badass biker,” I tease, leaning in and kissing her nose. “Now, c’mon, we’ve got a daughter to meet.” I make quick work of getting us out to the truck then run back inside and grab the suitcase. It’s baby time.
Okay, maybe this labor shit is longer than I thought it would be. We’ve been here for hours now. I keep running back and forth between the waiting room and Lily, to give the progress reports to our family. Dr. Sandoval was thankfully already at the hospital, delivering another baby when we arrived. She’s been checking Lily frequently as she progresses. Despite the contractions increasing in strength, Lil is being a trouper. “Lily, are you sure you don’t want any pain medicine?” I question after a particularly brutal contraction.
“No! It’s not that bad,” she lies as she slumps against the pillow.
I wipe her face, then move to her upper chest, wiping her down with a cool cloth. Then, I place a gentle kiss on her temple. “You’re lying, Lily. Please tell me it’s not worse than your headaches.”
“It’s comparable,” she admits. Another contraction hits and she says, “I think we need the doctor, Maxum. I feel pressure down there, like I have to push.”
Panic grips me when I see her clutching the sheets in her hands so hard that her knuckles turn white. “Nurse!” I bellow, running for the door. “Need some help in here. She wants to push.” Several nurses, as well as Dr. Sandoval, rush into the room and I find myself relegated to the spot near her head.
Feeling clueless, I automatically do what I’m instructed and after what feels like an eternity has passed, but is in reality mere minutes, I hear the sweetest cry and Dr. Sandoval says, “Welcome to the world, baby girl!”
Lily
Torn between the agony happening between my legs and watching Maxum’s face, I finally feel the pressure release as I push out our girl. I lose it when I see tears slipping down his face. My man has come so far, thanks not only to Dr. Graves and his brothers, but also his sheer determination not to repeat the cycle of abuse and neglect he endured. “Look at her, Lily,” he says reverently, reaching out a finger and gently stroking her cheek. “She’s beautiful.”
I glance down but they placed her face down on my stomach so I can’t really see anything except a naked, gunky baby. “How can you tell? She’s ass up,” I tiredly tease.
The nurse chuckles and Dr. Sandoval bursts into laughter. “That’s one thing I never tire of hearing,” she states. “New parents looking over their baby for the first time. How about we let the nurse take her and get her cleaned up and weighed, then we’ll bring her back in to you, Mommy?”
I nod, suddenly exhausted. “Maxum, go with her and take lots of pictures,” I plead.
“Have you decided on a name?” the nurse asks as she swaddles the baby.
“We have but are waiting to share it with our family,” I reply.
“That group of bikers out in the waiting room?” she questions. I don’t like the look on her face, but figure I’m just overly emotional from delivering a baby.
“My family? Yes, that’s them.” I put a little bit of a bite in my tone and she gives me a look I can’t decipher.
“Then let’s get this little one cleaned up so they can meet her. You coming, Daddy?” The nurse changes her tune from that of a judgmental tone to that of a sweet, caring individual. Fucking cunt, she has no room to judge my family based on their leather cuts alone. I hate when I have to put someone in their place. Judge a person by their appearance and you’re missing out on who they are on the inside.
Oh, I don’t like her, not one bit. She’s batting her eyelashes at Maxum and practically ignoring me. Before I can say anything, Maxum leans down and kisses me before he whispers, “Thank you for this beautiful, earth-shattering gift, sweetheart. I love you.”
“I love you too, handsome. Hurry back, please. I want to hold our girl.”
After what feels like an eternity, Maxum, the nurse, and our baby come back. Thankfully, another nurse came in and got me cleaned up and moved to another room where I’ll stay until we’re discharged. Because if I know my family, they’ll be taking tons of pictures and I don’t want to look like a sea troll. “You ready for this?” he asks. When I nod, he sends a mass text so he doesn’t have to leave, and we wait for the onslaught. Mom and Dad are first through the door, followed by Layne, Landon, Luca and Gypsy. Then the rest pile into the room until everyone is surrounding the bed.
“You going to tell us her name?” Dad asks, his voice gruff with emotion. Maxum and I grin at each other. We spent a lot of time tossing around names until we found one we both liked. It mimics mine in a way.
“Grandma, Grandpa, meet Violet Cassarah Bass,” I say, lifting her slightly. I watch my dad’s eyes grow wet as he reaches out and runs a finger down her cheek. Mom, however, bursts into tears before reaching for Violet.
“Let me see you, precious,” she croons, cradling the baby close. “Oh, Lily, she’s got your nose!”
“Gun shop, now,” Luca growls out looking over Mom’s shoulder. “Maybe you should consider reinforcements of some kind at the clubhouse, Dad. No sense taking chances. Can we put a chip in her? Lucy has one so if she ever gets lost, we can find her.”
I roll my eyes at my brother’s absurdity. “Luca, I am not chipping my daughter like a dog, for fuck’s sake.”
“Why not? It works, Lil. You should see the animals that are returned on our local discussion page because they’re chipped.”
“Who the fuck are you and what have you done with my badass brother?” I tease. “Because trust me, you are not acting like yourself in any way, shape or form.”
“He’s always been protective, Lil,” Rae states. “But even I have to agree, this is a bit too much.”
I glance around the room and see the women agreeing with me, while the men appear to be seriously pondering his suggestion. “No, just no. She’s not getting microchipped. Nothing will happen to her, especially not with all of y’all keeping watch. Her daddy won’t allow anyone to get that close.”
“No, I won’t,” he advises.
“Nothing in this world is certain. You can’t keep your eyes on her twenty-four hours, seven days a week, brother,” Bandit adds. “I’ll purchase her a bracelet and put a tracking device in it. She can wear it on her ankle or wrist, whichever you prefer.”
“This is getting out of hand,” I sigh.
“Now, that’s something I could agree to,” Maxum turns his attention to Bandit and states.
“Maxum,” I gasp. “Please don’t jump aboard the crazy train.”
“Think about it, Lil. It would give us peace of mind and I wouldn’t go gray worrying over her.” Maxum is begging and pleading with his eyes for me to agree.
“No, absolutely not. I will not have my daughter being tracked and traced by you Neanderthals! She’ll never get to go away with her friends without one of you tracking her every move. I won’t allow y’all to strip her independence from her and have her growing up fearful that if she takes off the bracelet, something bad could happen to her. She’ll be paranoid every day of her life. It’s not happening, Maxum.”
“She’s a newborn, she doesn’t have friends yet,” Luca says.
“Not helping, Luca,” I growl out, glaring at him. He grins at me as he crosses his arms over his chest. Fucking bikers!
“How about we enjoy this sweet girl and not worry about shit that’ll never happen,” DJ interjects. I grin at her; she’s now my favorite.
17
Maxum
I stare down in awe at Violet. She’s having a
hard time latching on, or some shit that I don’t understand, plus she’s developed jaundice, so she has to stay in the hospital a few extra days. Lily cried and pleaded to stay as well, but my insurance denied it since there was nothing wrong with her. Fucking bureaucrats. We’re here for every visiting hour, and I probably have more pictures of my woman holding her than anything, but who the fuck cares?
I put a call in to Dr. Graves to give her the news and when she asked me how I was feeling, I was honest. I’m scared shitless that somehow, I’ll become like my father, but both she and Lily have reassured me that already I’m different. The emotion that welled up inside when I first saw her and held her was almost overwhelming. Unconditional love, that’s what Dr. Graves says it is, and it’s something that my sperm donor apparently lacked.
“She looks better, doesn’t she?” Lily whispers, taking Violet’s hand in hers.
“She doesn’t look as yellow, that’s for sure.” It freaked us both out when they brought Violet to us later that first day and she had turned a shade of yellow. The pediatrician explained that it happens and that they would put her in an incubator with a special lamp. Lily giggled the first time we saw her with her tiny blinders on to protect her eyes.
“When do you think we can bring her home?” she asks the nurse. I don’t like this one because she seems a little too attentive, but try to shrug it off since I’m sure I’m in super-protective Daddy mode.
“Probably in the next day or so if her numbers continue to improve,” the nurse replies.
“Good, I’ll be glad to have both my girls under the same roof,” I mutter. It still freaks me out that she’s here by herself. Dr. Sandoval, upon hearing our concerns, showed us the bracelets that all new parents and their babies wear. It has a code on it so that’s given me a measure of peace. It’s still minimal at best because I’m not the one with my eyes on my precious girl.
Maxum & Lily: Rebel Guardians Next Generation Page 11