Mancave (Wild Men 3)

“Bun in the oven?”

“Yeah.” He beams at me, so proud, and it turns my fucking heart over to see him so happy. Zane’s my younger brother as much as Kaden is, and this kid’s been through a lot. He deserves the best in life. “You, too, from what I hear? When were you gonna tell me, fucker?”

“Tell you what?”

“That you’re gonna be a dad again. When’s the baby due?”

“In four months. Yours?”

“Still some way to go. Six months to go, I guess. Boy or girl?”

I rub the back of my neck, smirking. “We don’t know.”

“Man. Why the hell not? You know what this means, don’t you?”

“What?”

“The kid will be born, and you’ll be calling him or her “Baby” and “Bunny” for the next two fucking years.”

I laugh. “That’s some bullshit.”

“I swear to God. I’ve seen it happen all the goddamn time. What’s up, Kaden?”

“We’re good.” My brother’s shaking his head. “Know what? I’ll leave you two to catch up and get back to work. We could go for drinks later, what do you say?”

“Fine with me,” Zane says, and I nod.

“So how long are you staying?” I pull him into the office. “And you’re sure everything’s okay at home?”

“Yeah, no worries. Told you, everyone’s fine back in Madison. We’re expanding.” He chuckles. “We’re repopulating the city. Many babies all around. What about your kids, and Octavia?”

“Fine.” I think about yesterday, and how the day ended. “Yeah, fine. The garage, too. We’re getting another mechanic to help us out, an old friend of mine.”

“And Octavia’s family? She has a brother and a sister, right?”

I fold my arms over my chest, thinking about those two, and Octavia’s long convo with Gigi yesterday. I only caught some odds and ends about a girl, Sydney, and lots of boys… exactly what’s been worrying me when it comes to Gigi.

And then there’s Merc—pensive, quiet, kind of lost, with the occasional explosive fit of anger, like when he beat Ross up back when we lived in Destiny.

“I think we’re all gonna be okay,” I say eventually, when Zane looks about to speak. “Yeah, we’ll be okay. Now tell me how everyone is doing. I want details.”

“Fucker…” Zane laughs, and perches on my desk. “Where to start… Ask me and I’ll answer, how about that?”

It’s a deal.

* * *

Speaking of Merc—he walks into the garage later in the day, after I’ve sent Zane back to Kaden’s where he’s staying with a promise to meet later.

He stops a few feet away, pulling off his enormous earphones, his usual fixture, and running his hand through his blond hair that’s sticking up in every direction. I pull myself out from under the car I’ve been working on, and he starts, stumbling backward.

What’s up with him?

“Merc.” I get up and resist the urge to lift my hands, show I’m not holding weapons. “I didn’t know you were coming over today. Let me wash my hands.”

“Yeah, sure.” He musses his hair again. “I mean, you don’t have to stop on my account.”

“You were just passing through to here?” I give him a sharp grin, and he frowns.