Cocktales

by The Cocky Collective

  He grabbed a bagel.

  I watched with amusement as he pulled one out, the entire hole was cut out like it needed to make room for something. I snorted into my coffee, completely out of character for me when he continued to stare at it like he’d purchased defects from the grocery store.

  “What the hell?” He looked over at me. “Do I even want to know?”

  “I’d probably throw that one away.” I nodded seriously, “Then again maybe you’re into that sort of thing, I try not to judge.”

  “I miss grumpy Chase.” He tossed the bagel into the toaster completely against my advice.

  “Yeah well,” I sighed, “He’s still in there so I’d watch your back.”

  “Trust me, I know, you could smell the bleach from ten miles away.”

  I just shrugged. “I protect what’s mine.”

  “But is it completely necessary to dissolve their bodies with acid?” He wondered aloud.

  “Necessary? No.” I sighed. “But it’s a fucking joy hearing them scream.”

  “Monster.” He seemed amused.

  “Thank you.” I smiled and then walked to the door, opening it just as Sergio was about to knock.

  He scowled. “Stop being creepy.”

  “Are those joggers?” I pointed down at his black and white Adidas pants with my coffee cup.

  He glared like he was seconds away from putting a bullet through my chest. “I was in bed you jackass, and Val was naked, as in no clothing on her perfect body so if your wife isn’t actually in labor I’m taking one of your thumbs just to remind you that I’m still scary as fuck.”

  “Noted.” I gulped knowing he would do it, but he’d have to actually get through me first, and I’d been doing all the fighting lately while his fighting took place online.

  Sergio stepped in the contemporary one level house we’d moved into a few months back. It was a stark contrast to what I’d been living in.

  Everything reminded me of life.

  From the white marble floors to the high ceilings and wood beams to the indoor garden that I surprised Luc with so she always had herbs to cook with.

  I inwardly smiled as Sergio looked his fill and then headed down the hall toward the master suite.

  The same one that had a connecting plunge pool, jacuzzi, and floor to ceiling windows that pulled back to give Luc access to the backyard.

  She never asked for any of it.

  I could have moved her into a one-bedroom shithole, and she would have found something beautiful about it.

  But I wanted to give her it all.

  She cried for two hours when she saw our master bedroom. I was in agony thinking she was upset when she was just so thankful that when her tears ran dry, she jumped me so hard and fast I nearly got a concussion from the marble floor.

  “Luc,” Sergio smiled brightly down at her.

  She had that effect on people.

  And pregnancy only made her more… beautiful, caring, just… good. Fuck she was so good.

  Her hair was longer trailing down past her shoulders in healthy waves as she sat up and puffed out air between her teeth. “I’m so sorry Sergio, I’m probably being ridiculous.”

  “Never apologize.” He cupped her face like she was an angel as if he hadn’t just threatened me downstairs, then again, she had that calming effect on everyone including Nixon who seemed more pissed off than normal now that the De Langes were refusing to cooperate. The man was ready to raise Hell, and I was more than happy to oblige him.

  “Where does it hurt?” Sergio asked, she explained the contractions, he started timing them and then gave me a weird look.

  “What?” My heart thudded to a stop. “What’s wrong?”

  “Well, I think she’s in labor, but… she must have a really strong pain tolerance because those contractions are extremely close together.” He felt her stomach. “I need to see how far she’s dilated.”

  “Like hell you will!” I roared.

  “Chase,” Luc gripped my arm with her hand, tears in her eyes. “Please?”

  I pulled out my gun pointed it at Sergio’s head and said through clenched teeth. “You look, then you touch only as long as you need to touch, anything suspicious and I shoot off your right ear, got it?”

  “Not my left?” He rolled his eyes as Luc tried kicking off her shorts.

  I gently leaned down and helped her pull the silk past her ankles and then put the blanket over her body and did the same with her lacy underwear. I really shouldn’t be getting turned on, but my body was more than ready to help that baby come out by any means necessary.

  She winked at me while I tried to keep myself in control of every sexual instinct I had when it came to her smooth skin.

  “All right,” Sergio was all business as he lifted the blanket, “I need you to pull your knees up a bit to your chest, yup just like that,” He ducked his head, and I literally saw his blood on my hands, wanted to end his life while I waited. He reached. She moved and hissed out a harsh breath.

  His expression went from calm to something I couldn’t really identify. “Chase,” he said in a low voice. “The hospital, her doctor, it’s a thirty-minute drive in early morning traffic.”

  “I know this. Why are you telling me this?”

  He eyed me and then her. “She’s dilated to a nine.”

  “Really?” She perked up like she was proud of herself while I was ready to slam my face and his through a wall. “See I really am mafia.”

  I gave her a pleading look and then waited for Sergio’s next words.

  “I’ll deliver her.”

  Yeah, knew it was coming.

  “Her?” I repeated. “It could be a he?”

  “You’re right, but I keep praying God curses you with a girl who drives you insane and tries to sneak out on her sixteenth birthday, he owes me one so fingers crossed.”

  “As long as the baby’s healthy,” Luc said in a dreamy voice while I made a mental calculation of all the things that could go wrong.

  “Grab one of the med boxes.” Sergio quickly stood and went over to the bathroom to wash his hands.

  I grabbed a med box from the closet and propped her up on a few pillows. “Are you okay? Do you need anything right now?”

  Luc’s eyes filled with tears. “Do you remember our wedding?”

  I sighed touching my forehead to hers as Sergio grabbed the box and moved around the room, I heard the sound of metal supplies, the ripping open of packaging that I knew he’d use to make an IV for her, all the things I didn’t want to happen were happening. And I had no control over it.

  “Of course I do,” I whispered, trying to keep the fear out of my voice even though I knew she could see it in my eyes. I was supposed to be strong. But it was a lie. She was my strength, and now she was going to be in pain and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

  I gripped her hand so tight she winced, then relented. “It was perfect.”

  “You cried.”

  Sergio snickered.

  I gave him the finger with my free hand and then kissed her forehead. “I thought you looked like an angel, and I was ninety-nine percent sure you were going to run the other direction when you saw the devil at the end of the aisle.”

  “I second that,” Sergio whispered under his breath.

  I ignored him. “I couldn’t believe that you kept walking, all I could focus on was the silk fabric wrapping around your legs with each step, kissing your skin, the plunging neckline of your dress,” I touched the middle of her chest with my finger and drew it down the front of her tank top. “The way your smile lit up the church,” I swallowed, then touched her stomach. “And the fact that our little baby was already making an appearance. I didn’t think you could get more beautiful. Clearly, I was wrong.” I kissed her belly.

  Tears streamed down her face. “Chase…”

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m glad I married the monster — I love him so much more than I could ever love the prince….”

 
“The story’s backward.”

  “It’s exactly how it’s supposed to be.” She wrapped one arm around my neck while Sergio grabbed the other and told her to hold still as he put in an IV.

  He worked fast.

  “I didn’t mean to step on your dress.” I kept trying to distract her, “But it was so long, and then all I could think about was getting you out of it.”

  “Which you did in the bathroom before the rehearsal dinner.” She pointed out.

  Sergio coughed.

  I just grinned and said, “Twice.”

  Her laugh was like music to my ears.

  “Oh, and before I forget, Vic found the bagels.”

  She paled and then burst out laughing. “You mean the bagel bagels?”

  “I think he ate one.” I wiped a tear from her eye.

  “Chase!”

  “What? When you’re hungry, you’re hungry,” I pressed a kiss to her neck. “Am I right?”

  “Never eating a fucking bagel again,” Sergio said under his breath and then Luc nearly came off the bed as she gripped my hand, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

  “That was a big one,” Sergio said casually.

  “You think!” I roared at him, gripping her hand while she tightly gripped mine right back.

  “I see a head.”

  I wanted to look.

  I really wanted to look.

  I wanted to see life.

  I’d already seen so much death in my years on this earth. I didn’t mean to release her hand. She nodded to me though, and it was all I needed to squat down by Sergio.

  The baby’s head was crowning.

  I was used to blood, gore. I expected the same.

  Not this.

  Just not this perfection.

  “All right,” Sergio looked up at her. “I need you to push once you feel the tightening of the contraction again okay?”

  “Got it.” She nodded and then. “I’m pushing.”

  “We know,” I whispered as baby’s head popped through, the crying was immediate.

  “Two more pushes and this is going to be the easiest labor I’ve ever seen,” Sergio said encouragingly.

  She pushed again.

  And again.

  And then suddenly I was moving Sergio out of the way, gently of course, and holding the baby, my baby girl.

  I laughed.

  Sergio joined in as he took the baby from me wrapped her up in a towel then handed me scissors, I cut the cord, she had lungs on her, shit did she have lungs on her.

  Sergio handed her to Luc she burst into tears immediately.

  I couldn’t stop smiling.

  It was probably the first time I’d smiled longer than ten minutes since Mil’s death, the first time I literally wasn’t sure I would ever be able to wipe the smile from my face.

  It felt damn good.

  “Life.” I croaked.

  “Life.” She repeated. “She’s so beautiful.”

  She had inky black hair and a wail fit for a queen. Perfect.

  “What are you guys going to name her?” Sergio was still working on Luc, cleaning up and because I read all the manuals I could I knew what came next as she kissed our girl one more time and handed her over to me.

  “Violet.” I whispered, “We said Violet for a girl.”

  Sergio pressed down on Luc’s stomach as the rest of the embryonic sac came out along with enough fluid to make a lesser man pale.

  Luc winced and then said through clenched teeth. “Violet Emiliana Abandonato.”

  Stunned, I just stared at her.

  Luc, with tears streaming down her cheeks, looked over at me and smiled. “I can’t hate the woman who gave me you. And you shouldn’t hate the woman that gave you this.”

  And just like that, the final piece of my hatred dissipated as I looked down at my daughter and for the first time in a year whispered a thank you, and a prayer for my dead wife.

  Maybe, just maybe, there was room for her in Heaven after all.

  And I could have sworn in that moment I heard her laugh

  Not one of mocking.

  One of pure, joy.

  And the first tear fell from my eyes onto my daughter’s ruddy cheeks.

  And I knew…

  I knew.

  I would protect this love, this very real love, with my life.

  And I would kill endless people to keep it safe.

  “I love you Violet.”

  Chase

  My hands shook as I held my baby girl in my arms. It had been six weeks of pure hell, of being so paranoid of something happening to my child, my wife, that I decided it was in everyone’s best interest for me to stay awake and watch everyone in my house sleep. Gun in hand, cocked, ready to go.

  I had a hard time eating and my eyes burned.

  The floor creaked near the door.

  I held up my gun and pointed it just as Sergio walked in, hands in the air. “It’s just me.”

  I lowered my gun and wiped my face with my left hand. “What the hell do you want?”

  “I’m doing great thanks for asking.” He crossed his arms and leaned against the door. “You need a break.”

  “Don’t tell me what I need.” I rasped.

  “Fuck you’re even more miserable to be around, and you have every reason in the world to be happy,” Sergio muttered and looked into the crib and smiled. “You’re lucky she looks like Luc.”

  “Did you need something?”

  “Me? Not at all I just drove my ass all the way over here to make small talk.” He grinned. “I’m here to babysit.”

  I shot to my feet. “Bullshit.”

  “I shit you not.” He winked. “Val and I decided to give you guys a date night in. And before you start listing off all the reasons why you can’t — let me just remind you that you have a very pretty wife who’s been put through hell this last year… she was willing to die for you — the least you can do is stop with the paranoia and live for her.”

  I hated it when Sergio lectured me.

  I also hated it when he was right. Which was usually ninety-nine percent of the time.

  I hung my head. “I really don’t feel comfortable with—”

  “—Ready!” Luc was standing in the doorway wearing the tightest black dress I’d ever seen — it barely covered her ass, and I suddenly thanked God that she was breastfeeding because there was nothing decent about the way her breasts poured out of that thing.

  “You have a bit of drool,” Sergio pointed to his chin.

  I flipped him off and stood. “You look…” I didn’t have words. “Beautiful.”

  Luc’s cheeks went bright pink as she sucked in her bottom lip and took a step toward me. “Thanks for agreeing to do this, Chase.”

  “Agreeing,” I repeated then looked behind her to Sergio who was staring up at the ceiling. Bastard. “Why don’t I just go get dressed then?” I was still in my jeans and a t-shirt I hadn’t washed for days because I was so freaked out over leaving Luc and Violet defenseless.

  Luc grabbed my hand.

  I started to sweat when she tugged me out of the room.

  Sergio put his hand on my shoulder as I walked past him. “It’s going to be fine… Val’s like a baby whisperer and I’ll shoot anyone who walks into the room or breaks in through the window, ya?”

  “Shoot first ask questions later.”

  “Always.” He pulled out his Glock and turned off the safety then went to where I was sitting and started rocking back and forth. Huh, either the best babysitter on the planet or the creepiest.

  Is that what I looked like? Just staring at the crib with my gun in my right hand, and my cell in my left ready to call in for reinforcements? He looked so out of place I almost laughed.

  Val swept by me. “I brought books!”

  “She’s six weeks old.” I pointed out.

  She sniffed the air. “You smell. Go shower and change and—” She made a face. “Maybe do something about your hair.”

  Luc snorted. />
  “What’s wrong with my hair?”

  “The proper question is what’s right with it.” She winked and then dropped all the books on the table next to the crib and reached in to grab Violet who’d just started to fuss. “Who’s a pretty, pretty, mafia princess!”

  Violet giggled and looked so fucking beautiful at six weeks that I decided then and there that she was never leaving the house, and I would track down every last guy who asked to date her and shoot him in the dick.

  “Hey,” Luc squeezed my hand. “Stop dreaming about killing her future boyfriends.”

  “I’m not—”

  “—Chase…” She pulled me in for a hug. “I know this is hard for you… it’s hard for both of us… it’s scary when you think that something so defenseless relies solely on you for life — but it’s also beautiful. You need to relax. I love that you care, I love that you’re forcing me to sleep in and taking care of her so I can heal, but right now, I need you. I need my grumpy husband. And I need you to put down your gun for at least five minutes so you can shower. I cooked.”

  I perked up. “You cooked?”

  She pressed a kiss to my cheek. “Think of it as foreplay.”

  “Cooking’s how you got pregnant… I kept walking in on you with that wooden spoon….”

  She backed me up against the wall and rubbed her body against mine. My cock sprang to life so fast I had to clench my teeth and hold onto her shoulders to make sure I didn’t lift that tight dress and decide to get naked in the hallway, mere feet from everyone.

  “Wow, you feel…” Luc wrapped her arms around me and stood on her tiptoes then covered my mouth with her lips sliding her tongue into my mouth with slow strokes. “Good.” She finished. “Hey here’s a thought…”

  “I’m not sure my brains functioning past that dress right now…” I fisted it in my right hand and jerked her against me, grabbing her ass with my left and picking her up. “This needs to come off before I rip it.”

  “Yes.” She breathed as she slid down my body.

  I moaned when she sauntered ahead down the hall and into our bedroom. She kicked off her high heels as I shut the door behind me.

  And then she was facing me hands on hips, breasts sensitive, heavy. I took a step toward her, but she held up her finger. “Weapons off please.”