Page 9 of Tav
“Yup, Patience’s first night as a free woman we introduced her to Blanche. The two grumpiest women in the world fell in love over bitching about us,” Dom grumbles.
“Fell in love is right. Loved her so much I stole her name,” I add, wiggling my brows at Lovely.
She looks down at the tiny bundle in her arms, running a finger over her little brow, and down her button nose. She straightens her shoulders and looks up at me.
“You asked me last night what her name was. I’d like to name her after the aunt that saved her.”
“Patience? Look, it didn’t work out the last time. Maybe think of another name, Lovely,” Chris says, his eyes darting to me, probably waiting for a nut punch.
“Ew no, not Patience. I meant Blanche. Blanche is the name of a strong woman. I want my baby to be strong and tough and not put up with any poop,” she says, chin tipped in defiance.
“Baby Blanche is it. But I’m gonna call her Bee because I already have enough Blanches in my life.” Vic says, smiling down at the baby as he places a glass of juice in front of Lovely.
“Is that OK with you?” Lovely asks me, her fork hovering over her breakfast.
I take in my new sister and her infant. She had enough guts to realize that Royal is a piece of shit and wanted a better life. Going so far as to beg me to take her girl if I couldn’t take both of them. She’s a lot stronger than she seems and she wants her baby to grow up with the name of two very rough, crotchety women. Who am I to stop her?
“It’s OK with me. It’s a tough name for a tough little girl.” I nod, noticing all my brothers smiling softly at the exchange. In return, I flip the bird.
“Baby Blanche, Bee, you’re going to grow up strong, and tough and kind,” Lovely’s eyes flick to mine, and she smiles.
“Not once, not even in the Keep, have I ever heard Blanche referred to as ‘kind’,” Chris says, almost inhaling his breakfast. That’s what happens when you grow up with two older brothers.
All four of us are a year apart, and if my mother was still alive I would give her a medal. That poor woman would have been pregnant for five years straight. I shiver at the thought.
“If Blanche wasn’t kind, she wouldn’t have saved me. Us. If she wasn’t kind, she would have left the Keep and never had a second thought about the people in there needing help. Instead, she is out at night meeting women like me, women who need help, saving, and she does it without complaint,” she huffs.
“Well, looks like little sister might have some claws,” Dom says with a smirk.
Vic nods his head in agreement, “Yup. I was wondering what would push a sweet girl like you to leave. I see it now. You’re not that much different from our Blanche here.”
“Stick with us, kid. You’ll be a badass in no time,” I tell her as our brothers groan about “another one”.
Lovely drops her head to look at her daughter, and I can see a little smile playing on her lips.
“Well, I think later on to celebrate your arrival, Lovely, we should take you to the diner. Blanche passed away a few years back, but I’m sure there are other grumpy old women to name yourself after,” Chris says, the rest of us nodding in agreement.
“Or you could keep your name,” I suggest with a shrug. “I changed mine because Patience never suited me and I wanted nothing to remind me of that place. You, though, I think you suit your name.”
A thoughtful look crosses her face before she looks around the table. “Did you all change your names?”
“Nah. We aren’t that imaginative. Victory, Wisdom and Christian,” Vic answers, pointing to himself and then our brothers.
Lovely bursts into giggles, a little snort escaping before a belly laugh rips out of her, jostling her baby.
“Give me that baby before you deafen her, sheesh!” Dom says, swooping in to take Bee from Lovely’s arms, allowing her to hold her stomach as she laughs more.
She takes a moment to settle, taking deep breaths before looking up at us. “Sorry, I’m sorry. I just never really thought how silly our virtue names sounded until now.” She wipes a tear from the corner of her eye.
“Well, get used to it little sister, a couple of days in the real world and you’ll realize how nuts the Keep really is, and you’ll vow never, ever to go back.” I smile at her, knowing that this is the first day of the rest of her life. And if I have my way, it’ll be one hell of a life.
Chapter 3
Tav
“Iknow you said we’d ride together so you could do your sponsor duty and all that, but does that include talking? Because it’s been half an hour and you haven’t said a thing,” I side eye Tank to make sure he’s awake. Maybe he fell asleep and I’m talking to myself.
Instead, he grunts in reply. “I’m working through my thoughts.”