Conclave (Devil's Night 3.5)

by Penelope Douglas

  I finished removing the last two nails and pulled the two by four off and tossed it to the side, getting rid of any evidence he did any work here today.

  “He’s temperamental, but he’ll compromise,” Kai explained to Bryce. “We’ve been through this before.”

  “Compromise?” Bryce whined. “He threw an ax at my head!”

  “If I’d thrown it at your head, I would’ve hit your head,” I growled low.

  There was silence, and then I heard Bryce’s voice. “I’m outta here, man.”

  I knelt down, pulling up the nails on the next board he’d fucked up.

  “Bryce, come on.”

  “Let him go,” I told Kai.

  The door swung open again, hitting the wall, and the rest of the crew around me cleared their throats, getting back to work as Kai loomed. Why was he even fucking here? If I couldn’t have Will handling shit out there, then I wanted one of the girls. Michael and Kai stressed me out more.

  “How are you going to get anything done?” Kai demanded, and I noticed a stack of papers crunched in his fist.

  “A lot better without that idiot around.”

  “Damon…”

  But I shook my head. Just fucking stop. I needed to get the framing done on three more treehouses before the baby came in like nine days, not to mention finalize the design on the fountain in front of Meridian City’s new library and figure out what the fuck a she-shed was, because Catherine O’Reilly just loved her son’s new treehouse and thought I could build her something of her own. She was paying double to rush it before the snow started in a few months, so I couldn’t say no.

  Photographers were coming by all week to get shots of “work-in-progress” for the new website that Alex was handling, and thankfully doing everything to get us set up online. I just wanted people to leave me alone in the warehouse. I moved faster without help here.

  But part me knew I was part of my own problem, too. The Langston kid wanted a treehouse, but once I found out he was obsessed with pirates I chucked everything that was already done and started a design for a tallship instead. What the fuck was I thinking?

  I looked over at the bow and masts already constructed, feeling a smile tug at my lips. It was going to look fucking fantastic when it was done, though. It was worth it if he loved it.

  “You are running on fumes,” Kai told me. “You just got back from Washington, and then California before that, you have a baby on the way, projects are piling up…” He trailed off, and I felt him inch closer. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think you should start smoking again.”

  I arched an eyebrow. I hadn’t entirely quit, actually. I probably never would.

  Lifting up the first frame, I leaned it against the wall and then moved to the next one.

  “You don’t need employees, you need a team,” Kai said, following me. “I’m not taking any more orders until we get this place in shape. With a regular staff. I’ve already put word out at the university that you’re recruiting.”

  I shot him a scowl. He wasn’t wrong. I just didn’t have time to deal with it.

  But Kai went on, “You need an office manager, you need a design team, and you need a receptionist, and that’s not me. I have enough on my plate.” He rubbed his neck. “Everyone is scrambling to keep you covered, but you’ll be a lot less stressed if your home base is running smoothly.”

  “Fine, whatever” I snapped. “Just take care of it. I need to stay ahead of schedule.”

  Just do what you want, and don’t bug me with it. I knew they were all doing me a shitload of favors, and I was grateful they were here, because I wasn’t cut out for a lot of this. I just wanted someone else to be the face of the business and for me to stay in the background, designing and building and being left alone. If Will was here, he could do it. He’s be happy to do it.

  But he wasn’t here a lot lately. He’d come home for a couple months and then fly off again, itching for space he never seemed to need before. He, Alex, and a few others were backpacking around Scandinavia over the summer, but when they came home, he stayed there, and I hadn’t seen him in weeks.

  Although, he checked in regularly.

  I think he was feeling left out. He saw Michael with Rika, Kai with Banks, and me with Winter, and struggled to feel like he belonged. He had Alex, but she wasn’t what he needed, and he just kept running away again and again, so he wouldn’t think or…feel. Or deal.

  Kai turned and headed back for the lobby, but then stopped, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

  “Ah, shit,” he said. “Where’s your phone?”

  “Why?” I grumbled.

  “Because it’s time.”

  “Time for what?”

  He stared at his phone, smiling to himself. “I guess your girlfriend likes to stay ahead of schedule, too.” And he looked up at me. “She went into labor two hours ago. Where’s your fucking phone?”

  My heart leapt into my throat. What?! I patted my jeans, looking around me.

  Shit!

  I spotted it laying on a pile of boards and darted over, swiping it up. Pressing the power button, it didn’t light up.

  “Fuck, it’s dead. Where is she?” I barked.

  Two hours. She’d been in labor for two hours?!

  But he just laughed. “At the hospital. Let’s go.”

  Why was he laughing? Maybe he forgot how frantic he was when his kid came a few months ago.

  I charged out of the room, hearing Kai tell the guys to lock the place up at five, and we hurried out of the building and into my car.

  We rushed into the hospital, knowing Labor and Delivery was on the third floor from when Banks had her kid in May. I didn’t even know Winter was in the city today. What the hell’s the matter with me? She probably texted, but I’d forgotten to charge my phone last night, and I didn’t know how long it had been dead.

  We went up the elevator and bolted out as soon as the doors opened, heading for the nurses’ station, but I immediately spotted Banks sitting on some chairs, holding her and Kai’s son.

  Madden.

  Mads, for short. Mads Mori. Poor kid sounded like an assassin.

  I brushed her face as I walked by, and she smiled big, excited for me. Mads gnawed with his toothless mouth on her jaw, making cute sounds and shit.

  But then a scream pierced the air and a gasp, and I heard a man’s voice and Alex’s coaching. “I’ve got you!”

  Without waiting, I burst into the room, my heart jumping into my throat. I’d never heard Winter sound like that before. Jesus. Was it supposed to sound like that?

  She laid on the bed, and I rushed up to her, helping Alex hold her up as she pushed for the doctor.

  “Six, seven, eight…” the nurse continued counting.

  “Baby,” I breathed out, kissing her.

  “Damon,” she gasped, realizing I was here.

  “Nine, ten,” they finished.

  And Winter let out a breath, sucking in air.

  “I was so scared you weren’t going to be here,” she said. “My water broke while we were shopping, and he’s coming so fast.”

  “I was with her,” Alex told me.

  I steeled my arms around Winter and kissed her forehead, cheeks, and lips, making sure she felt me close.

  “Thanks,” I told Alex.

  Winter shook, and I studied her face, seeing her biting her bottom lip and tears hanging at the corner of her eyes.

  And just like that, she was eight again, our fingers hanging on by a thread in the treehouse, and I couldn’t stop what was happening to her.

  “Why is she crying?” I barked at the doctor.

  “Because it fucking hurts!” she yelped, answering for him.

  “Well, give her something!”

  “It’s too late for that now,” he mumbled through his mask and then peered over Winter’s legs. “Plus, you wanted natural childbirth, right?”

  “What the fuck for?” I burst out, looking down at her like she had three heads.
“We didn’t talk about that.”

  She growled and pushed back up on her elbows.

  “Alright, deep breath and push!” the doctor said. “One, two, three, four…”

  “Ahhh!” she gritted through her teeth, her whole fucking body tense and rigid, and I wanted to look, but I didn’t want to leave her.

  “Five, six, seven…” they called.

  Winter looked flushed and sweat beaded her brow.

  “Eight, nine…”

  Her face twisted up, and she let out a small scream, and a tear fell, and I tightened my fists, unable to take my eyes off her. Jesus, fuck. Why the hell would she turn down perfectly legal drugs?

  “Ok, the head is out!” the doctor told us.

  My lungs emptied, and my stomach somersaulted. I moved to look, but she pulled me back. “Don’t leave me.”

  I leaned back down and kissed her, but I started to laugh, and I couldn’t help it.

  I didn’t know why I was feeling what I was feeling, but it was incredible. Whatever it was.

  “I’ll bet it’s a boy,” she said, sucking in deep breaths.

  “If you’re wrong, you have to do that bathtub thing for me,” I remind her of our bet.

  We hadn’t found out the sex of the kid, wanting to be surprised.

  But she just laughed despite herself. “I do it for you anyway. You know that?” she shot back.

  “Ok, one more push,” the doctor told her.

  Alex and I lifted her up again, and she took a few deep breaths, and then inhaled one more and held it, squeezing her eyes shut and pushing as the count began.

  “One, two, three…”

  I stared at her face, so much shit washing over me as I watched her, but most of all I just wanted to hold her close. I couldn’t believe this was happening.

  “Four, five…”

  I was going to be such a screw up. I’d do so many things wrong with her and this kid.

  “Six, seven, eight…”

  But fuck, I was going to love them. I didn’t care about being perfect. I just wanted to be everything my father wasn’t. I wanted this with her a million more times, and no matter all the shit that still lived inside me, I already knew I was better than him.

  “Nine, ten…”

  The doctor pulled back, Winter collapsed, and I heard a shrill cry fill the room.

  “It’s a boy!” the doctor said.

  I looked over, seeing red, little arms and legs as they cleared out his mouth and checked him, and then I watched as they brought him over and put him on Winter’s chest with a little blanket.

  She smiled but started crying, wrapping her arms around him, and I just stood there, unable to breathe for a minute.

  “A boy,” she said. “Told you.”

  “Jesus Christ.” I smiled, lightly touching his head, almost afraid to touch him. “Holy shit.”

  I checked his fingers and counted his toes, holding one of his long legs as he kicked.

  “Twenty-two and three-fourths inches long, eight pounds and eleven ounces,” the nurse said somewhere behind us.

  “That’s big,” the doctor commented. “He’s going to play basketball, Damon.”

  I smiled but didn’t take my eyes off my girl and my kid.

  I kind of wished we were fucking married now, but with the business, Winter’s dancing, and the pregnancy, we decided to take our time and do it right. I wanted to have it our way.

  Alex left, probably to tell everyone waiting that he was here and healthy, and then I remembered that Will wasn’t here.

  I faltered. He should be here for this. Out of all my friends, he should be here.

  “What does he look like?” Winter whispered up at me, her voice raspy.

  I smoothed my hand over both their heads. “Like next year he’ll be running around in the fountains with us,” I told her. “He’s perfect, baby. Black hair, a little pissed off…”

  She snorted, and I thought about what he’d look like in a year when he was walking and running and laughing and playing. I wanted the noise. I wanted it all over the house. I wanted it filling our lives from here on out.

  “Congratulations,” the doctor said as the nurses cleared up.

  I kept my eyes on my kid. “How soon can she get pregnant again?” I asked the doctor.

  “Damon…” Winter laughed under her breath.

  I heard the doctor chuckle. “I think he likes being a father,” he said to Winter.

  But I just turned my head and locked eyes with the doctor, and his face fell.

  “Oh, you’re serious,” he said, realizing I wasn’t laughing.

  He opened his mouth to speak, but it took him a few moments to find his words. “Um, within a few months, I’d say,” he finally answered. “It was a healthy pregnancy. But she needs time to heal.”

  And then he said it again, slower and firmer, sounding like a warning. “You should give her time to heal.”

  The corner of my mouth tipped up, amused.

  Did he think I was a monster?

  The night passed as they transferred Winter into another room and took the baby to get washed. When they returned him, we all held him for a while, and Banks, Kai, Michael, and Rika finally left, but I asked Alex to stay in case Winter needed something, and we didn’t want to leave her alone. I stayed by his bassinet, watching him breathe as mother and son both slept, but after not being able to get any myself, I needed to stretch my legs.

  I walked over to Winter, pulling my phone off the charger as I whispered in her ear. “Going to get some air,” I told her. “Be right back.”

  She moaned softly and nodded, and I left, closing the door behind me.

  I went down the elevator and made my way outside, the balmy August air thick and heavy on my skin as I stretched my arms over my head and yawned. I breathed in the smell of hot asphalt and fresh bread from the bakery down the street and dialed Will, but it went straight to voicemail.

  I shook my head.

  I almost hung up, but then a rush of sudden anger made me lash out. “You knew my kid was coming this month,” I snapped. “Why aren’t you here? You missed it. You know, you’re just really fucking…”

  But I stopped and hung up, grinding my teeth together, because I didn’t know what to say.

  Asshole.

  But after a moment, I felt bad. I had no right to lose my temper with him.

  I dialed him back, waiting for voicemail to pick up again. “I miss you,” I said. “We all miss you. We need you, okay? My son needs you. You’re his favorite. I know it already. Just…”

  I shook my head again and hung up.

  I shouldn’t be angry. I’d done my fair share of shit I thought I needed to do.

  This was just important. I wanted him part of this memory.

  I turned to go back inside, but a twinge of something else hit my nostrils, and I paused. Realization hit, and I smiled to myself, forgetting Will for a moment.

  Turning my head, I saw a cloud of smoke drift from behind a corner and walked toward it, spotting Rika sitting on a parking stump with her legs outstretched and ankles crossed as she smoked a Davidoff.

  I walked up next to her, staying standing, and without looking, she handed me the pack and lighter as if expecting me.

  What was she up to? She’d been awkward as fuck the past several months, and I was half-tempted to kidnap her again, steal Michael’s yacht, and take her to sea until she had it out with me. We hadn’t gotten a chance to speak earlier, but she was clearly back for a reason.

  I took the cigarettes and dug one out, lighting the tip and reveling in the welcome, familiar taste. I took another puff and blew out the smoke, handing the cigarettes and lighter back to her.

  “I’m going to tell her she has a grandchild,” she stated, still staring ahead.

  So that was why she was sitting out here at four in the morning? Trying to figure out how to handle a situation that was none of her damn business?

  “Tell her whatever you want.”

&nbs
p; In the months since I’d found out that Rika’s mother was also mine, I’d neither spoken to nor reached out to Christiane Fane. She saw to my freedom after my father was killed, but as far as I was concerned, she owned me that much, so no, I wasn’t grateful. Screw her.

  Winning wasn’t important, but the fight was, and she didn’t fight for me at all. Having her around would bring absolutely nothing to the table.

  But Rika continued to protest. “Damon, you can’t do this to her. She deserves to be in his life.”

  “Do you really believe that?” I asked her even though she still wouldn’t look at me. “What if my father had never told me the truth? Would she have? It didn’t look like that was her plan.”

  “Maybe once she learned he was dead, that was exactly her plan,” she shot back. And then she stood up and looked up at me. “The truth is, she wanted you. She didn’t abort you or give you away. And she wasn’t the best mother she could be, but she never hurt me. She never raised a hand to me, and she loved me.”

  I shook my head, not caring.

  Or trying not to care.

  An image of Christiane played in my head, though. Young, crying, holding me in her arms before my father snatches me away. I couldn’t imagine the pain.

  But I blinked and shook my head. No. I was a parent now, and I knew, without a doubt, nothing would stand between him and me. She was weak for far too long. My kid didn’t need someone like that.

  “She’s not the only family you have, either” Rika pointed out. “She comes with an army of relatives in Africa and Europe. Don’t you want that for your children?”

  “No,” I retorted without hesitation. “My children will have Winter and me.” And then I looked over at her. “And you.”

  She narrowed her eyes on me.

  “And Banks, Alex, and the guys,” I added. “And they’ll have your children. This is their family. It’s exactly the family I want for them.”

  And before she could argue any more, I flicked the cigarette off and walked away, back toward the entrance.

  “I will win this,” she called out, threatening me.

  And I turned around, unable to hide the smile from my face. “I look forward to seeing your next move,” I taunted.

  And I spun back around, heading into the hospital.