The last thing I do is pull out the pictures that will cover the walls in our nursery. One of them is a picture of all the club members with the ol’ ladies sitting in front of them. There are a few others of different club members in candid shots. I also have three shots of Killer and I. Two of those will be placed above each crib so they know we’re always watching over them. The last one will go just over the rocking chair. I’ve got the boppy pillow resting on the side of the rocking chair so it’s there when I need it to breastfeed. We have their swings set up in the living room so they have something down there. Two bassinets are in our room for when we first come home with the girls.
“It looks good in here, momma,” Fox tells me once they’ve got the pictures on the walls and the totes are emptied.
I grab the diaper bag we got and load the stuff for the hospital in it. If I can’t fit everything in there, I’ll just add it to mine. It’s not a big deal. I’ll also pack a bag for Killer because I know my husband won’t be leaving our sides once I deliver our daughters. I know it’s probably too early for most to pack the hospital bags, but I want everything to be ready and not have to worry about it at a later date when I really won’t feel like doing it.
“What else are we gonna do today?” Rich asks me, walking in front of me down the stairs while Fox follows me.
“I’m going to start making dinner for Killer. You guys are more than welcome to eat. Fox, why don’t you grab Kim and bring her over. She can relax on the couch while I make dinner?” I ask him, wanting my sister to come over for a while.
“Okay. Do you need anythin’ besides a shake while I’m out?” he asks me.
“No, I think we got everything I’ll need to make dinner,” I assure him as he walks to the door and heads out.
Rich keeps me company in the kitchen while I pull the chicken I’ve been marinating all day out of the refrigerator and get ready to put it in the oven. I’m also making home fries, sauteed mushrooms, and steamed vegetables. Placing the pan of chicken in the oven, I have at least a half hour before I have to finish preparing the rest of our dinner. So, I walk in the living room and sit down on the couch before turning on the TV. I hand the remote off to Rich as my eyes slide closed.
I wake with a jolt. Rich is no longer by me on the couch. Kim is sitting in the recliner with a smile on her face as she notices me wake up.
“Morning sleepyhead,” she teases me.
Turning my head as I flip her off, I see Rich and Fox in the kitchen. Killer is home and he’s finishing our dinner while I get up off the couch.
“I’m sorry baby,” I tell him. “I wanted to do this for you tonight.”
“Don’t worry about it, Sparrow,” he tells me, pulling me into his side. “I love what you did to the place while I was gone today. Those pictures are awesome.”
Killer’s eyes land on the picture above the fireplace. At the same time, Stryker walks in the house. He takes in the pictures lining the walls now and the blankets I have over the couch. There are now little touches all over the house.
“Place looks like a home now,” Stryker comments, placing a kiss on my cheek. “Love the pictures.”
Killer and I finish making dinner while our guests sit at the bar in the kitchen and talk amongst themselves. My husband and I work together in the kitchen as if we’ve been doing this for years instead of only a few months really. Every chance he gets, I get a smack on the ass. I squeal out and glare at him every single time he does it. Killer simply looks at me while waiting to see what I’m going to do. He’ll have to wait until everyone leaves and then I’ll get him back for this.
We’ve had people at our home every night since we moved in. I love having a place we can have our family and friends over. It will be better once I’m not so tired from the pregnancy and can actually hang out with them. Right now, the only thing I want to do is sleep and get as much rest as I can. I won’t today though because it’s not a good day for my sister and she still made the trip over here.
Kim and I make our way to the living room. We sit on the couch and turn on one of those sappy chick flicks while Killer puts the finishing touches on our dinner. Once everything is ready, Killer and Fox bring us in our plates of food. We dig in while the guys make their way downstairs. Kim and I laugh our asses off because we knew they wouldn’t sit here and watch movies with us.
“That was too easy,” Kim says between fits of laughter.
“Yeah it was,” I agree with her.
As soon as I’m done eating and drinking my shake, I set the plate and cup on the table in front of us. Grabbing one of the blankets off the back of the couch, I cover up and curl into the arm so my sister can stretch out if she needs to. I hate her being in pain and there not being anything we can do to help her.
Once again sleep is my enemy and my eyes close and I pass out on the couch with a full belly. Kim isn’t far behind me as she covers up and passes out on the opposite end of the couch from me. I see her when Killer wakes me up to go to bed. Fox kisses my cheek and lets me know they’re staying here since she hasn’t been sleeping the best the last few days. He doesn’t want to wake her up so she’s up the rest of the night. Offering a quiet goodnight, I cuddle into Killer’s chest and let my eyes slide closed once more.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Killer
EVERYONE IS AT the clubhouse today. We’re all just hanging out and spending time together. The women were here while we had church a little while ago and now we’re all in the common room. Gwen is sitting on my lap and I have my hand resting on her belly. Our baby girls are moving around today. I can feel them pushing against my hand where it rests. I can’t keep the smile off my face as they grow and show us every day how strong they are.
Our little girls are going to be just as gorgeous as their mother and have the strength she possesses. I’ll still be there every step of the way to protect them and make sure no one hurts them. The guys and I will teach them everything they need to know about protecting themselves. Our women will teach them how to love, keep them innocent and sweet, and when to give their man the strength he needs but won’t ask for. I never believed that saying it takes a village to raise a child until the men and women of Phantom Bastards begin having them. We all have a hand in their care and upbringing. I wouldn’t change my life for anything as I sit here and look around at my family with the kids playing on the floor between us.
Slim ordered pizza and we’re just waiting on it to arrive so we can eat. Of course, my wife will have her chocolate shake as we eat. We should just buy a damn milkshake maker so no one has to run out and get them all hours of the day. When I told Rich and Tommy that, they laughed and decided to do something about it. So, we now have a shake maker in the kitchen with plenty of ice cream stocked in the freezer. The fridge is also stocked with all the vegetables Gwen could eat.
I get an alert on my phone as it vibrates in my pocket. Shifting my wife on my lap, I pull it from my pocket and see it’s an alert from the security system at our home. Fox has installed them in each house and hooked it up so we can see exactly what’s going on. Tapping the screen, I see someone has breached our back door and is walking through the house.