His pep talk changes their outlook. My brothers play baseball for years and never get much better. Other kids laugh at their crappy skills, but the boys don’t give a shit.
Watching Ford with my brothers is incredibly sexy. He’s solid and calm most days, but willing to scare the crap out of them when they go through their hormonal drama-filled teenage days. His ease with the boys encourages everyone to hound us about having our own kids. I remind them how raising school aged kids is a hell of a lot easier than babies and toddlers. No one cares especially the club women. Oh, they’re much more interested in seeing big Ford holding a little baby.
I admit the sight of him holding Clint is staggeringly beautiful. Our son is born nearly five years after Ford and I meet. Clint’s a sweet little baby with a head full of hair. Big at ten pounds, he manages to seem tiny in Ford’s arms. I look at my two guys and fight tears. My battle is lost when Pax announces, “I’ll be damned. Look at the giant ears on the kid.”
Even sobbing and tender from the C-section, I manage to slap Pax when Ford is sweet enough to bend his brother over so I can reach him.
“I meant that giant ear thing as a compliment,” Pax says, rubbing his face.
“He looks like me,” Ford says, ending any speculation that Clint isn’t gorgeous.
Elle comes along less than two years later. I’m relieved to see her ears are normal, yet Ford stares at her like she’s an alien. Yeah, he takes being a dad to a little girl much harder than with our boy. Suddenly afraid he’ll drop her, he nearly refuses to hold Elle. The first few months, he keeps his distance, but I don’t lecture him. He’s never had a sister and treats Lula with kid gloves. The guy clearly isn’t comfortable with tiny women. Ford gets over his issues once Elle decides his lap is the best frigging place in the world.
Our family complete with Elle, we settle into a two-story house with more space. The kids’ rooms are upstairs while the master is downstairs for more privacy. Yeah, even done making babies, we need plenty of privacy.
Despite the passing years, Ford still surprises me with a kind gesture or sexy move. Sometimes, it’ll simply be a smile I’ve seen a million times. My heart still races like when we first met. He can make me feel special with a wink and calm me by caressing the back of my head. Knowing Ford like I do now only makes him more amazing.
Epilogue
Ford
Playing dad with Donnie and Devin never turns out to be a pain in the ass. They’re good kids and grow into solid men. By the time Donnie is ready to finish high school, I know the boys won’t join the club. Instead, they’re hooking up with the Navy.
On the other hand, Clint is headed for club life. The kid is born confident. By the time he can walk, Clint follows his mom around all over. He helps load the dishwasher, take out the trash, work in the yard, and anything else Shay does. He’s her shadow, but no mama’s boy. Like me, he loves Harleys and grins whenever an engine roars. The way Clint exudes strength makes me doubt he’ll be an enforcer. No, my boy won’t take orders. He’ll give them. Clint has future club president written all over him.
Wanting a girl after Clint, Shay gets her wish. I’m fine with whatever we have until I hold Elle in my arms. She’s a tiny version of Shay, delicate like Clint isn’t. Where my boy quickly soothes himself, my princess needs help. Shy and timid, Elle cries a lot. Loud noises, new people, unexpected changes, everything sends her into tears. When Elle’s miserable, only daddy can get her to smile. Like her mom, she always makes me feel untouchable.
Shay and I decide we’re done after two kids. I never wanted a big family. Hell, I never pictured having any kids, so two feels like a lot. There are times though when I think of Clint being club president one day. He might not take over in Little Memphis. Might start his own club and shove mine out of business. I can imagine the kid doing it, yet Clint will do it without a brother watching his back. When I think of him alone at the top, I worry because I always had Pax. Clint’s cousins might watch out for him or he could have solid friends. A brother is special and he’ll never have one.
Shay offers to have another baby and pray really hard that it’s a boy. She usually says this while grimacing and holding her gut where the cesarean scars hide. Having a third baby with the hope that it’ll be a badass and watch his brother’s back is ridiculous. Our family is solid with what fate handed us.
Like many weekends, I play family man with a backyard barbecue. As I flip burgers, Shay walks around on the deck in her heels, making me crazy. The kids play various games in the big backyard.