Joy (Hell's Handlers MC 7)

Both Izzy and Holly laughed. “Settle down there, big guy. I can appreciate the cutest baby in the world without needing one of my own. Your sperm is safe…for now.” Her voice had grown unnaturally high while she said the words cutest baby in the world, and she’d bounced the little bundle gently in her arms.

LJ was staring at her as though she had three heads. Clearly, the man hadn’t had much baby time in his life.

Time to steer this conversation back to something that wouldn’t give her man hives or have him running for the hills. “So, what time was she actually born?” Holly asked.

Jig smiled a cheesy, beaming grin Holly wouldn’t have thought possible from the typically serious man. Maybe it was the scar, but something about Jig had always had her keeping her distance. Just seemed as though the man had an ever-present scowl. Or it had until his baby girl was born. “Two forty-one in the a.m. A Christmas Eve baby,” he said.

An invisible fist squeezed Holly’s heart, stealing her breath and causing a pang in her chest. Duller than usual for this time of year, but still there. She had LJ to thank for lessening the pain, though it’d probably never fade entirely.

“Oh,” Izzy said. “That reminds me. Happy Birthday, Holly. The big two-five, right?”

Yes, in just a few hours, Holly would turn twenty-five, which meant she’d officially lived more years without her twin than she had with her. Were this last year, the grief would have consumed her. Her biological family hadn’t been worth much when it came to providing comfort. But this year, LJ and her new family had done a fantastic job of keeping her too happy and satisfied to wallow in the tragedies of the past. Plus, she had someone new in her life. A man who was very quickly becoming important to her. Travis refused to let her feel guilty over his past imprisonment. Rather, he felt he owed her a debt of gratitude for his recent release. Holly didn’t want his thanks, and he didn’t want her guilt, so they’d settled on giving each other something they were both lacking in their lives.

Family.

“Yes. Twenty-five today.” Holly smiled, though the lump in her throat made it difficult to speak. “And thank you.” She cleared her throat as the room grew quiet. Everyone knew of her past and how her twin sister had been brutally murdered at the age of twelve. “Anyway, uh, you haven’t even told us what this cutie’s name is. Please tell me it doesn’t say “Baby Girl” on her chart.”

Izzy’s face softened as her attention fell to her daughter. As with Jigsaw, this gentle easiness was a side of Izzy she hadn’t witnessed yet. It was nice, knowing the woman so often hard and fierce had a special side reserved just for her man and her daughter.

“No,” Izzy said. “We gave her a name.”

“What is it? No, no, let me guess,” Holly said. “Xena? Or is it Shera? Maybe Lagertha?”

A loud snort came from Jig, followed by a terrible attempt at hiding his smirk.

“Seriously? Those are your guesses?” Izzy rolled her eyes. “I think I should be offended.”

The baby stirred, letting out another of those adorable squeaky sighs before conking out once again. Man, Holly couldn’t get enough of this. She foresaw a lot of babysitting in her future. “What? Those are all badass females. Nothing wrong with those names.”

“I bet you went with Izzy Jr.,” LJ said, laughing as Izzy flipped him off.

“You two are a barrel of laughs,” she said.

“Okay, I’m serious now. What’s this princess’s name?” Holly asked. “What’s your name, princess?” She couldn’t stop the high-pitched baby talk to save her life.

“First of all, if you ever call her a princess again, I’ll kick you in your teeth.”

Ahh, there was the Izzy they all knew and…feared. “I’m not sure I want to know what the second thing is.”

“The second thing is her name, which is Joy Mary Miller.” Izzy stared straight at Holly as she spoke the words.

The moment the word Joy left Izzy’s mouth, time seemed to slow. The rest of the words flowed from her as though traveling through thick mud. Holly blinked. “Joy?” she whispered. “You named her Joy?”

LJ moved in behind her, wrapping his arms around her, careful not to disturb…Joy.

“We did,” Jig said. “And Mary is the name of my daughter who was taken from me.”

Izzy had yet to add anything. Holly turned her attention to the woman. With her hair in its customary Dutch braid, she appeared ready to go to battle, not like a woman who’d just suffered through hours and hours of labor. Though the dark rings residing under each eye gave away her fatigue.

Holly’s hands began to tremble, so she stepped out of LJ’s embrace and returned Joy to her mother before leaning against LJ once again. If there was ever a time she needed his strength behind her, this was it. As though he sensed her inner turmoil, he wrapped her up tight and kissed the top of her head. “But why? You don’t even—”