Page 55 of Iron Rogues: Vol 1

“Wow. He’s so…um…”

I expected her to say something like “cute” or “adorable” or some other sweet thing, which was typical of our soft-hearted daughter.

But instead, her nose scrunched a little, and she finished with, “Wrinkly.”

Dahlia looked away, her lips mashed together and her shoulders shaking. I wasn’t as successful at suppressing my laughter, causing Violet to look up at me with deep blush on her fair skin.

“I mean…he’s cute—sort of…and um…”

“Wrinkly,” I replied with a grin. “You’re right, sweetheart. Most babies come out looking like that. It will go away soon.”

She looked so relieved that another laugh escaped my lips.

Jett had moved to stand directly next to the bed so he could see the baby. “Oh good,” he sighed. “It would hurt my street cred if my brudder was ugly.”

“Good grief,” Dahlia muttered.

I rolled my eyes, thinking that Jett needed to spend a little less time with Deviant, who found it hilarious to teach my son ridiculous bullshit.

“Time to switch,” I told the kids, and we rotated them so that Jett was snuggled up to his mother, holding his tiny brother.

Molly chose that moment to pop her head into the room. When we told her to come in, she slowly walked inside, followed by her old man, Maverick. Mav had an infant baby girl cradled in his arms, and he nodded to me in greeting before his eyes returned to the bundle he was carrying. He looked down at her with the same expression of awe that I was sure was on my face whenever I looked at my newborn babies.

“We figured we’d bring Aurora to meet her cousin, since they were born on the same day.” Molly had been induced earlier that morning, and Dahlia had gone into labor ten hours later. Tryp had been anxious to leave the womb and had made his appearance less than an hour later.

It was quite a coincidence that they’d had these babies on the same day since they’d given birth to our first kids days apart. Although, Mav and Molly had their son Chase in between.

Violet skipped over and tugged at Mav’s vest to indicate that she wanted him to come down to her level. He squatted down to show her Aurora, and Violet’s eyes narrowed as she turned to glare up at me. “You said all babies came out wrinkly,” she accused.

“I said most, baby girl.”

“Aurora wasn’t born the same way as Tryp,” Molly informed her. “They had to cut her out of my tummy, so she looks a little different.”

Violet’s narrow-eyed gaze swung back to her little brother before returning to her infant cousin. “Wanna trade?”

Molly giggled and shook her head. “Sorry V, I’m set on keeping her.”

Violet’s shoulders drooped. “You sure? Cause my friends will be totally jealous of a pretty baby sister. Not an ugly brodder.”

Dahlia sighed as her sister burst into laughter. “Tryp will be just as handsome as Jett and your dad someday.”

Violet peered at her suspiciously, then asked, “Promise?”

Molly nodded solemnly. “I promise.”

“If not, do I get Rora?”

“You’ll have to put in that order with your dad, sweetheart,” Mav told her with a wink.

“Kay,” she agreed, before pivoting and marching over to me and dropping her head back. “I wants a pretty sister next time.”

“Uhhhh…”

4 years later

Violet pouted as she looked through the nursery window at her new baby brother, Calvin. “This is not what I ordered, daddy. You need to try again.”

EPILOGUE