“You didn’t ruin anything, angel. But you need to keep those plans fresh in your mind for next time.”
I don’t tell him that with the way I’m feeling right now, the next time might be days away. I’m hopeful this mood will shift fast and I’m back to normal soon.
“I thought of some names today,” I say as I wiggle onto my stomach and rest on my elbows.
He glides a finger over my shoulder and down my arm. “Does this change in subject mean you’ve already forgotten those plans?”
“It means I want to talk about our baby.”
He gives me one of my favourite things in life, his smile, and I fall for him all over again if that’s even possible. God, this man is everything to me. “Tell me the names.”
“I really love Ella and Theo. Oh, and Oscar. Do you?”
“Ella and Theo, yes. Oscar, no fucking way. It makes me think of Sesame Street. If we call our kid that, I’ll always imagine a green furry creature that lives in the rubbish.”
I laugh at the thought and smack him playfully. “Well you’ve just ruined that name for me now, thank you very much. I really loved it before that.”
“Hey,” he says, holding his hands up defensively, “you asked if I like them; I just gave you what you asked for.”
“Don’t you know that husbands are supposed to pretend they like things at first and then somehow later get out of whatever they agreed to while keeping their wife happy? Seriously, I’m going to need to start some hubby training here, I think.”
“Baby, there ain’t no fucking way I’m ever agreeing to a name I don’t like with the intention of getting out of it later. I figured out a long time ago the things I can get out of after the fact, and this wouldn’t be one of them. Once you have your heart set on something and I agree to it, I’m fucked if I want to change my mind.”
I grin. He’s right. And I love that he knows this about me. Leaning forward, I kiss him before saying, “Fine, but I’m keeping my eye on you, Winter Morrison, and if we need some hubby training, I’m instigating it.”
His strong arms come around me before I realise what’s happening, and he pulls me closer so I’m half on him. “How about some wife training? There are things that could definitely do with some improvement.”
I roll my eyes. “Let me guess, you wanna train me to suck your dick more often.”
“That’s not a bad idea, but I was thinking more along the lines of getting dinner on the table earlier at night.”
I smack him again. “Bullshit. You were thinking of your dick, and we both know it.”
The lines around his eyes crease as he chuckles and kisses me. “You know me too fucking well, angel.”
I do. Just like he knows me too well. But holy hell, I hope he’s ready for the me that he’s going through IVF with. Something tells me she’s not going to be the woman he knows this well.
7
Winter
* * *
I step through the doors into the airport and remember why I dislike coming here. Too many people in a hurry to get somewhere with little care for anyone while they do it. I’m only five steps in and I’ve already been run into twice. Thank fuck I’m just here to collect my brother and not here checking in for a flight.
The noise makes it hard to hear King, who I’m in the middle of a conversation with. Pressing my phone harder to my ear, I say, “I missed that, King. Did you say he came back to you with a deal?” It’s been four days since we met with Torres and there’s been no word from him. King had to return to Sydney yesterday, pissed off having not heard from him.
“Yeah, he called this morning. They dropped the price. It’s still slightly higher than what we wanted, but it’s workable so I’ve agreed to their terms. The first shipment will be here in a month. You’ll coordinate with Torres going forward.”
I locate the gate information for Max’s flight and head towards it. “How soon do you want to head north?” We finalised our plan the other day for the distribution of this coke and it involves a trip up the coast to meet with other Storm chapters. I’m not keen to leave Birdie at this time, but I knew this was coming and have prepared her for my absence because this isn’t something I can get out of.
“Next Tuesday. That good for you?”
“Yeah.”
He gives me some details for the trip, and we end the call. I’ve almost reached the gate to meet Max when Hunt calls.
“Any luck?” I ask when I answer the call. I’ve been waiting for information from him about the place we’ve been watching in the hopes of locating Zenith.
“It’s a bust. Not their warehouse.”
“Fuck. And we don’t have any other leads, do we?” This fucking gang is slippery. They run a slick operation; we haven’t been able to track them or figure out where they operate from. We don’t even fucking know for sure who runs the gang. Zane, a guy I served with who now has his own security firm, has tried to hunt them down for me with no luck. If he can’t find them with the sophisticated surveillance software he uses, I’m not sure who the fuck can.
“No, nothing, but I’m working with Axe and Zane on it. I’ll keep you updated.”
“Thanks, brother.” I spot Max. “Is Ransom with you?”
“Yeah.”
“Can you let him know I won’t be back today. Tell him to call me if anything comes up.”
“Will do.”
We finish the call and I shove my phone in my pocket as Max comes to a stop in front of me, a grin on his face. “Happy fucking birthday, brother,” he says before pulling me in for a hug.
Fuck, it’s good to see him. While we talk often, there’s nothing like seeing someone you love in person. “You need to visit me more often,” I say as I let him go.
He nods. “Yeah, I do.” He looks around like he’s looking for someone. “Where’s Birdie? I thought she was coming with you.”
“She got called into work this morning. You’ve got me for the afternoon.”
“Fuck. She let me down. An entire afternoon with just you.”
I shake my head, grinning, too. My brother’s friendship with my wife is something special. Something I wouldn’t change for the world. Jerking my chin, I say, “Come on, let’s get out of this place. You got a bag to collect?”
“Nah.”
Fifteen minutes later, we’re on the road heading towards home. Glancing at Max, I say, “You wanna grab some lunch at the pub?”
“Yeah and I’ll have some drinks for you since you’re still on the baby-diet. How are you going with that?”
It’s been just over three months that I’ve been following a clean-eating, no-alcohol diet while also trying to get a decent amount of sleep each night, and the truth is I feel in the best shape of my life and surprisingly don’t miss the booze much. I start to answer his question, but his phone rings.
Holding it up to show me the caller ID, he says, “Your wife loves me almost as much as she loves you.”
Fuck, I love her for this.