“Why are they walking around like that?” Bailey cried. “The babies will fall out and I’m not cleaning anything.”
Cooper grabbed his sister and forced her to sit next to him and Farah. “Calm down.”
“What if she’s in pain forever and the baby’s head get stuck and they use a vacuum cleaner and the baby’s head is ugly and I laugh and people think I’m mean? I don’t need that pressure in my life right when I’m getting the hang of being nice.”
Sawyer sat on Farah’s lap and showed her the gum wound in her long locks.
“Mom and Pop are on their way,” Bailey muttered, glancing at the room where Maddy was settling in. “She’s going to suffer all night. I read somewhere that babies can make a mom suffer for days before they come out. Why would they do that, Coop?”
My gaze met my friend’s and we smiled at his sister’s panic.
“All damn night,” Bailey said again.
Just then, Tucker’s head popped out of the room. “Scarlet’s here. Seven pounds and something ounces. I wasn’t really listening. She’s fucking adorable too and has hair. Anyway, she’s here.”
Tucker disappeared back into the room and I noticed Bailey relax against her brother.
“Hey, that wasn’t so bad. Maybe I’ll have a kid one day after all.”
“Yeah, that’s what the world needs,” Cooper teased, one arm wrapped around his sister’s shoulders, the other around Farah. “We’ll populate the world with many amazing bikers and a few stupid kids to even things out.”
“Our baby won’t be stupid,” Lark whispered against my neck. “It’ll be smart and brave and gorgeous like its daddy.” Lark lifted her head and looked into my eyes with her bright green ones. “I see things better now because of you and I’m not scared. Well, not of failing. I see me better because of you and I know everything is going to be perfect.”
Studying her face, I memorized her expression so I could draw it later. I wanted to remember that look until I was old and gray. Even after the memories faded from my mind, I would have the pictures I created. A million snapshots of every beautiful moment with my muse.
Chapter Forty Two - Lark
The double wedding in Vegas was perfection. Raven even came along with the rest of the crew. The only one not with us was Vaughn who couldn’t leave Kentucky. We sent him photos of the wedding and he sent us photos of his topless one night stands.
For the wedding, Judd and Tawny showed up in jeans and matching Harley tees. I wore my favorite pink and white polka dotted dress while Aaron was in his best khakis and plaid shirt. After our vows were performed by an Elvis impersonator, Tawny threw her bouquet at a waiting Bailey. I threw mine at Raven who dodged it. Instead, Bailey caught my bouquet then screamed and danced like she’d scored a touchdown.
Becoming fast friends, Raven and Bailey ran wild the whole trip. Meanwhile, Cooper and Farah spent most of their time swimming or in bed. After the wedding, Judd and Tawny ditched the group for the rest of the trip. I spotted them at a poker table once, but Aaron was in a hurry to see Cirque du Soleil where we met his parents. We didn’t see the newlyweds again until on the way back to the airport. Tawny and Judd were silent, yet smirking like they were in on a fun secret. Their smiles likely had something to do with the big roller suite Cooper said they moved into after the first night.
For our honeymoon, Aaron and I played tourists. We visited casinos, saw shows, played in the themed pools, and ate like pigs. After our three days in Vegas, I swore off eggrolls. A promise I kept for two weeks.
A lot of young people would have hated their in-laws hanging out on their honeymoon, but Maryann and Dick made me feel special. The four of us explored the city and took a million pictures we would one day show our kids. While Aaron played it cool and his tats made him seem like a rough guy, his eyes danced on our trip.
After all, I was his muse and he was my cobra and we were creating an amazing life together. Vegas would be just the beginning.
Epilogue - Aaron
After a difficult pregnancy, Lark delivered our twins early. Not long into the emergency c-section, Lark began hemorrhaging. Phoebe and Leo were whisked away to neonatal unit while I watched my muse fade away.
Having no faith in fate, I was certain I lost my love. I sat in the waiting room as the doctors fought to save her life. The whole time, I imagined someone emerging to give me the bad news. I wasn’t even certain the twins were healthy. Sitting with my friends and family, I waited to see if my dream would die.
Instead, he appeared nearly an hour later to say Lark was recovering. The babies were doing well too. Fate had finally played along.