TKO: Total Knock Out (TKO 1)

I brushed Garrett’s tears away with my thumb. Hand in hand, we follow Howard into the room where Whitney is holding a baby in a pink blanket. I try to contain my excitement but I immediately squeal, thrilled to see she’s had a girl. Garrett’s eyes light up as he asks to hold her. Howard grabs the tiny infant, placing her in Garrett’s hands. He seems scared at first but as he listens to her breathing, he relaxes and places a kiss on her tiny forehead.

“What’s her name?” he asks.

Whitney’s eyes fill with tears. “Her name is Randi Lynn. After Mom and Dad. We added the ‘i’ at the end of her name instead of a ‘y’ to make it feminine.”

That’s all it takes for Garrett to start crying. He hands the baby to me so he can wipe his eyes. I stare at little Randi Lynn, lying there peacefully in my arms. She doesn’t know it now, but she has the best parents in the world, and her uncle already loves her more than life itself.

“She’s beautiful, Whitney.” I smile, kissing Randi before handing her back to her mom.

Garrett stares out the window, looking up at the sky. I knew this day was going to be emotional for them. He doesn’t look at me, but I can see the tears shining in his eyes. He pulls my hand into his for comfort while I take my free hand and begin to wipe those tears away.

“You know, I wish they could be here,” he begins. “I just want to know they’re proud of Whitney and I. I wish they could see their granddaughter and love her the way they loved us. I know they would have loved you, Raegan.”

I pull his head onto my shoulder, holding him tight. I hate to see him upset, especially today. I say nothing, just let him have his moment. Eventually he begins to smile; I love seeing him happy. He holds Randi Lynn again, this time he talks to her, telling her he plans to spoil her, and how she’s the luckiest baby ever. She really is.

We spend all day at the hospital, long enough to see Lance come by. He’s too nervous to hold Randi Lynn since she’s so tiny. Once Howard gets hold of her, she has to be pried away from him. He’s the proudest daddy I’ve ever seen. Whitney is exhausted; continually dozing in and out. Poor thing needs her rest.

She fights to keep Randi Lynn in her room for the night, but Howard convinces her to get as much rest as she can before they head home. I think if Garrett could’ve stayed the night to help watch after his sister, he would. That one took Howard, Whitney, and I to convince him she would be just fine. The nurses would be in to check on her.

Lance calls later that evening trying to convince us to go out. I groan, wondering how the hell they used to do this all the time. Well, Lance still did it all the time. Being the nice person I am, I fix myself up to make an appearance. Joe’s is pretty slow tonight so it was easy to spot Lance standing by the bar with the brunette next to him. I nudge Garrett with my elbow trying to conceal the surprised look on my face.

“Raegan, so glad you could get out of bed and drag my best friend out tonight.”

I open my mouth to make a smart remark, but Garrett interferes, probably worried I’d scare this poor girl away.

I turn to face the brunette. She’s dressed in a cute denim skirt and orange stripe tank top, with wedges to match.

“Since genius here isn’t going to introduce us, I’m Garrett’s girlfriend, Raegan.”

Her smile shows her nervousness; if this girl is timid she is definitely with the wrong guy. “I’m Hilary. Nice to meet you.”

Garrett leans over the

bar, ordering four shots to break the ice. He passes them out, raising his in the air. “To Randi Lynn, my beautiful niece.”

We clink our glasses together in unison. “To Randi Lynn!” The liquid was gone in a matter of seconds.

Everyone stood around talking. The more we talked, the more Hilary seemed to loosen up. It was sweet the way Lance put his arm around her. It was a strange sight, seeing him so tame. Whether she knew about his famous stunts or not, she didn’t seem to care. I think of Lance like a brother, so I just want the best for him. If Hilary makes him happy, then I’m all for it.

But it never fails, just when I think I have it all figured out and things are perfect, the DJ plays the damn Dougie. Just like old times, Lance grabs my hand and hauls ass to the dance floor, leaving Garrett and Hilary standing by the bar in a fit of laughter. Lord have mercy.