Joy (Hell's Handlers MC 7)

With a soft smile, Shell stepped close and cupped Izzy’s face between her hands. “You’re the toughest woman I’ve ever met, Isabella. You’re gonna rock labor.”

Shaking her head, Izzy tried to ignore the wet pants, now turning cold and extremely uncomfortable. There were far more pressing matters at hand. “I’m not scared of labor,” she whispered. “I’m not sure I can be a good mom.”

“Isabella Monroe, you listen to me and you listen good,” Shell said in a commanding voice Izzy had no choice but to focus on. “You’re an amazing friend. And amazing ol’ lady. And a fucking stellar all-around person. You can rock any goddamn thing in this world. Including being a mom. Are you gonna be queen of Pinterest and head of the PTA? No, but who the fuck cares about that. There’s not a single doubt in my mind you’ll be a kick-ass mom.”

Izzy swallowed down a lump of emotion. Since she’d been pregnant, they’d been running rampant. Mostly impatience and anger, which surprised no one, apparently, but the warm-fuzzies came much more frequently as well. It was past time to get her body and personality back.

And add a tiny human to her little family.

With a nod for Shell, Izzy said, “Thank you. I love you too. Now, let’s go. I’m ready to rock this labor shit.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

TONI

“Honey, you have to try to relax,” Jazz said as she pointedly stared at Toni’s fingernails drumming on the counter over and over and over again.

“Huh?” Toni flattened her palm against the cool surface. “Sorry.” Problem was, now she could feel her pulse hammering out of control. At least when she’d fidgeted, she had something to focus on besides the rapid pumping of blood through her system.

“You okay?” Shell asked as she came up behind Toni. Her friend rubbed her back, soothing away…well, nothing. Toni was too far gone down the tension rabbit hole to for a simple touch to level her out. Not that she didn’t appreciate the gesture. Her girlfriends were the best. Neither would judge her for becoming overly involved with a teenage girl she might not be able to save.

“Sorry, guys. I don’t mean to make you as batty as I feel. It’s just been two days since Lindsey has come around. I’m really worried about her.”

“Maybe she really does have a family,” Shell suggested softly, still rubbing Toni’s back. “I know we were all skeptical and didn’t really believe her, but maybe it’s true. And maybe they had plans or went somewhere for the holidays.”

“Uh-huh. I’m sure you’re right.” Toni said, though none of them really believed it. The words were empty platitudes by a friend trying to keep her from going out of her mind. With a nod, she ground her heel into the floor, keeping her leg from bouncing. “I need to chill out. Besides, it’s early. She might still show today.” The clock on the wall read nine in the morning, the day before Christmas Eve, and the diner was the quietest it had been in ages. Tomorrow they’d be open, but Toni planned to spend Christmas morning in bed with Zach rather than at her place of business. Since her staff more than likely felt the same—about their own families, not Zach—she planned to close for the entire day. “One of you distract me with some juicy gossip.” Anything to keep her mind from spiraling further.

“Well, I talked to Jig about five minutes ago. Izzy just passed twelve hours of labor,” Shell said with a sympathetic grimace.

“Oh, man, poor Izzy.” Jazz shook her head. “I do not envy her.”

“Yeah, it’s no fun,” Shell said with a dramatic shudder.

“Oh man, poor Jig is more like it,” Toni said as she mimicked Shell’s wince. “Can you imagine being trapped in a room with a laboring Izzy for twelve hours? Think I’d rather be the one in labor.”

The three women laughed together behind the counter until a family of four walked in and sat at a table in Shell’s section.

“Looks like I’m up,” Shell said as she pulled her order pad out of her pocket. She patted the shoulder of the prospect assigned to babysit them as she passed by his table. Tex was what the club called him. Toni wasn’t sure if he actually hailed from Texas, but he sure looked like it. Cowboy boots, wranglers, hell, sometimes he even wore a Stetson. Usually made her chuckle to see him in all that getup while wearing a prospect cut as well. Today, having him in a booth all morning only served as a reminder of what was out there. The potential dangers for Lindsey.

“I’m gonna go get that dry goods order in so I’m not stuck waiting until after the holidays,” Jazz said. She lightly squeezed Toni’s shoulder. “You good, hon?”

No. Far from it, but what could she do? She knew nothing about the girl beyond her first name and age. If they were even real. “Yeah, yeah, I’m solid. Go. Work. Earn me money.”