“Hey man! How in the hell did you manage to get uglier while we were gone?” Dancer says, and I throw him the middle finger.

“Fuck you,” I joke, slapping him on the back. Dragon comes in, carrying Nicole, and I just shake my head. He’s always carting her around. I think if it was up to him, she’d never walk. “Jesus, did you knock her up again?”

Dragon stops and smirks at me. Nicole is sound asleep in his arms. Behind him, Gunner who picked them up at the airport, comes in holding Little D—Dragon and Nicole’s baby boy. He holds the door open for Carrie, and she comes in holding her and Dancer’s little girl. She’s a cute little thing with her mommy’s red hair.

At one time, the sight of Carrie holding the baby might have hurt me. Now, all I can think about is Skye, and what it would feel like if she were holding my baby—our baby.

“Hey man, everything going okay?” Dragon asks.

“Yeah, it’s been quiet since the hospital man,” I tell him, reaching for Jazz.

Faith Jasmine Blake is a beautiful little baby who looks just like her mom, and very little like her dad. Well, maybe his eyes, but she’s her mom made over. We all call her Jazz, since the name is after the sister that Dancer lost. Dancer also named her Faith, because he said it was Carrie’s faith in him that helped him to survive.

“There’s my girl. Come give your Uncle Bull some love. What a pretty girl you are. Thank God you look nothing like your daddy.”

“I can’t say anything but amen to that,” Dance agrees. “She’s her mom made over.”

“She has your eyes Jacob,” Carrie interjects, walking to me and putting a pacifier in Jazz’s mouth. “Hey, Dorian, you’re looking better,” she says, leaning up, and kissing me on the cheek.

If I was still hung up on her, that would have killed me. I’m pretty sure it could make Dancer kill me now. Carrie is too naïve to know what it would have done to me, and she laughs off the way Dance gets jealous. She’s young, she has a lot to learn. Skye isn’t much older, but she’s been seasoned by life. I’m starting to realize just how well she fits me. I also hate when Carrie says my name. Despise it. I could kill Dancer for letting her know my real name. Skye instinctively settled into calling me Bull. We just click. Fucking hell, do we click!

“I’m good, Carrie. I’d be even better if you guys would just give it up, and give me little Jazz here.”

“Not on your fucking life.”

“Jacob! Don’t use that language around the babies!” Carrie admonishes.

“Yeah, stop it,” Nicole mumbles. Dragon sits down, and Nicole curls in his lap. She’s awake now, but she has her head on Dragon’s chest, and she looks like she’s about to go back out at any second.

“Hey little Mama,” I tell her, ignoring Dragon’s scowl.

“Hey, Bull. Did you have a good Thanksgiving? I wish you had come with us,” Nicole says.

“Damn it Nicole, I have to have some men here watching shit,” Dragon grumbles, but I grin.

Even if there wasn’t a reason for it, he’d rather I be far away from Nicole. We grew pretty close when he pretended to be dead. We are only friends, but any reminder of that time pisses Drag off. It’s fun sometimes to fuck with him about it. Truth is, I wouldn’t have left either way. I would never think of leaving Skye. I would like to take her and Matty to see Crush and Dani someday though.

“Dragon! Stop with the language! Dom’s first words will get him kicked out of preschool!”

“Damn it woman, he can barely gurgle. I doubt he’s going to wake up and say, ‘Fuck you, mommy,’ any time soon.”

“If you don’t stop using those words, you will wake up someday soon, and you won’t get to fuck mommy for a very long time,” she warns him.

“You wouldn’t dare,” he growls.

“Try me,” she replies, sounding deadly serious.

“I’m going to smack that ass when we’re alone.”

“Always with the promises,” she sighs, snuggling back down in his lap.

Dragon kisses the top of her head.

“This crew is crazier than heck fire, little Jazz,” I coo at the baby.

“Heck fire?” Gunner speaks up, still holding Dom. “I swear my balls are going to shrivel up if I hang around here much more.”

I laugh. “One of Skye’s words. It must be a mom thing, she doesn’t like to use bad words around Matthew either.”

“Oh, how is the, pretty Doctor?” Gunner says.

“Fuck you. You best stay away from Skye!” I growl.

“Bull!” Carrie and Nicole say at the same time.

Dancer and Dragon laugh, and finally I join in, after I shoot Gunner a look that I hope does make his balls shrivel up.

“Any more threats against your woman?” Drag asks, once it dies down.

“Nah man, it’s been quiet. Skye has been a little more cautious since the thing with her brakes, but nothing else has really happened. She wants to believe it’s over now.”

“But you don’t think so?” Dancer asks, pulling Carrie into him and looping his hands around her waist.

“My gut tells me it’s more.”

“Is there anything in her life that could come back to bite us all in the ass?” Dragon asks, and I know he’s thinking about Dani, and all of the hell we went through. Nicole must know the same because she kisses him on his neck, hugging him tighter.

“Nah, Skye doesn’t have contact with her family anymore. They cut her off when she got pregnant with Matthew.”

“What fuckwads,” Nicole says, and everyone turns to look at her. “What? Some people require cursing,” she huffs.

She’s not wrong.

“What about the kid’s dad?” Dragon continues.

“He’s never been in the picture. Never wanted anything to do with Matthew, even signed over all rights to him.”

“Damn,” Nicole murmurs. I agree, but I’m glad it turned out this way, because I’m more than happy to be the man, his ass wouldn’t be.

“She’s been having trouble at work,” I tell them. “I handled one asshole, but she’s got a meeting today about some shit with another doctor.”

“What about that nurse?” Carrie pipes up.

“She’s still MIA. No one has seen her since I kicked her out of the club the other night.”

“That doesn’t seem like the Melissa I know,” Dragon says.

“Just how well do you know her?” Nicole huffs.

“Calm your ass woman. I’m innocent here. Bull’s the one who spent time sticking it to her.”

“Don’t remind me,” Skye says, coming towards me.

I didn’t see her come in. I am fucking glad to see her, but I kind of wish she had picked a different moment to walk in. I’d rather she had missed this portion of the conversation. I don’t want to remind her of what an idiot I was. I decide it’s okay, because she walks straight to me. I open my arms, and she steps into them, wrapping her arms around me, and holding me close. I return the favor, breathing in her sweet scent. A man could get used to this. I kicked one addiction, but I can admit that I am addicted to this woman. I’m pretty sure, she’s an addiction I’ll never be able to quit.

“Hey, Doc,” I tell her, and her lips softly. Not the kiss I want to give her, but I can’t resist a small taste.

“Mmmm…” she says, as our lips break apart. Then, she buries her head into my chest.

“That bad, baby?” I ask, worried about her, because I can feel the stress rolling off of her.

She lets out a large, frustrated growl.

“Walter put me on administrative leave, pending an internal investigation.”

“That fu……..”

Skye’s hand clamps over my mouth. “Bull! There are babies in here!”

“Jesus Christ!” I’m going to go out and shoot shit or something. Hell, anything! It’s too fucking girly in here. I need something to make hair grow on my balls,” Gunner grumbles, handing baby Dom over to Dancer.

Skye pulls away to look at Gunner while everyone starts laughing. She’s been to the club a few times now, and she likes to give Gunner a hard time.

“Women don’t like hairy balls,” she informs him.

“They’ll like them, and they will suck them when they get a look at what comes with them.” Gunner winks, before he leaves the room.

“Goddamn it! Stop talking about sucking balls around Jazz,” Dancer yells.

“What’s wrong, Daddy? Worried some fucker is going to get in her pants, like you did her mama’s?” Dragon jokes.

“Fuck you,” Dancer growls, in spite of Carrie giving him the stink-eye.

“You should have had a boy like me,” Dragon says.

“Funny, I don’t remember you going through labor,” Nicole says quietly.

Dragon must decide to ignore her. “With Dom, all I have to do is sit back, throw condoms at him, and pat him on the back.”

“The hell you do! No son of mine is going to be the horn dog that you were, Dragon,” Nicole argues.

“I didn’t hear you complaining, Mama.”

“Then you didn’t see me punching one of your freaking Twinkies. Our son will save himself for someone special.”

“Fuck, you’re trying to turn him into a pussy,” Dragon says, and he sounds sick already.

“Whatever. You two just make sure you keep your boy away from Jazz,” Dancer says.

“Oh! Carrie! Can you imagine if Dom and Jazz fell in love?” Nicole asks, sounding way too excited.

“Oh, wow!” Carrie cries.

“That’d be amazing!” the girls say together.

“That’d be a fucking disaster!” the men say at the same time.

“Fuckin’ A, now I need a drink,” Dragon grumbles, standing up and letting Nicole slide to her feet. He kisses her gently, letting his thumb brush against the side of her face. She smiles at him, and just like always, it seems as if the world fades away for those two.

“C’mon boys, let’s have church,” Dragon orders, heading off to his office. Dancer hands little Dom to Nicole to follow after Dragon.

“Carrie?” Skye whispers. She has a strange look on her face, and I got a feeling this is not going to be a good conversation.

“We’ll talk later, Doc. You get to know Nic and Carrie, and I’ll be back.”

I see how she wants to argue, but she doesn’t. I promise myself that I’ll make it up to her later.