is ‘chicks before dicks.’”
Four’s gaze narrowed playfully. “You haven’t answered my calls in six months,” she said, reminding me that I’ve been a total bitch. “It’s whatever I say it is.”
“Fair enough.”
River started to fuss, kicking his legs and wiggling his tiny body just as Four jerked her head back, wrinkling her nose. “Uh…Tyra?”
“Yeah, he totally pooped on you just now.”
After showing Four how to change a diaper at her request, we spent the next couple of hours catching up as we waited for River to fall asleep again. Once his eyes drifted closed, we wasted no time hurrying back downstairs to Wren and Lou. I would have taken him with me to meet his aunt and uncles, but he wasn’t allowed out of NICU. Not for another two weeks.
I was in the middle of praying that Wren was awake when the elevator’s doors opened, and we stepped onto the floor. I didn’t make it more than a couple of steps before I found my back slammed against the nearest wall and my next breath impossible. The people passing by gaped in horror as Vaughn held my throat in his hands, his face and neck bearing the scars from the vase I had broken over his head, and his green eyes burned with rage.
“Did you or did you not have my fucking baby?”
BEFORE TYRA COULD ANSWER ME, I felt myself being pried off her, not by hospital security but by my best fucking friend.
“Come on, man. Let her go. This isn’t you.”
On the contrary. Ever had no idea who I was anymore. None of them did. Least of all Tyra. It must be why she continued to test me. “Answer the question,” I demanded after I wrestled free of Ever. Tyra’s only response was to claw at the skin on my hand, so I tightened my grip. I wasn’t even hurting her. Not yet, at least. “Fucking answer me!”
“Sir,” one of the doctors called the moment he stepped from the emergency room and saw me. “I’m going to have to ask you to take your hands off that young woman or leave the premises.”
I met the older man’s gaze, ready to tell Captain-Save-A-Ho to fuck off when I caught the hopeful gleam in Lou’s eyes as she stared at him expectantly. Piecing together that he must have been Wren’s doctor, I reluctantly let Tyra go. Her dramatic ass sucked in huge gulps of air as tears streamed down her cheeks. Four immediately went to her side as Tyra’s angry glare promised retribution. Bring it the fuck on.
I was two seconds from tearing this hospital apart to find the kid she’d hidden from me. There was no excuse for it. None. I didn’t give a damn how many of her sisters I fucked. I’d already done the math. Tyra was no longer pregnant, which meant she had to have just given birth.
He’s still here.
Or she. The sex didn’t matter to me. The kid was mine, and so was she.
The doctor was visibly relieved when I turned away from Tyra and stuck my hands in my pockets. He didn’t need to know that it was to keep from bashing his skull in. The fact that he’d just saved my friend’s life gave him a one-time free pass.
“Wren is stable,” he began, making Lou’s knees buckle. I wanted to reach for her, but Ever was already there. “We managed to remove the bullet. Luckily, there was no damage to his organs, but he’ll be in pain for a few weeks. It’ll be manageable as long as he remains on bed rest and takes the medication we prescribe.”
I would have snorted at that if it wouldn’t have got me gutted by my friends. Wren wasn’t the type to lie around, which is likely what had gotten him shot in the first place. Yeah, good luck with that, Lou. Then again, if she wanted to keep him in bed, she wouldn’t have as hard a time as one might think—if they could manage it.
“So, what happens now?” Four anxiously asked when Lou remained silent.
“We’ll monitor him for a few days before sending him home for bed rest.”
“Can we see him?” Ever spoke this time.
“Sure, but please,” he said, throwing a pointed look in my direction, “keep it peaceful, or I’ll ask you all to leave.”
I just barely resisted the urge to flip him off. The doctor showed us to Wren’s room, and then he was off. As soon as we all crowded inside, Wren’s eyes