Surprise
Savannah
I sat at the dining room table next to Skyla, my two-year-old daughter, when Catalina wandered out from her old room. She was here on a two-week break before starting her medical residency. Thanks to an accelerated medical program at her school, she’d finished med school in three years, though I think that took more of a toll on her than she’d ever admit. Still, she had an incredible amount of drive that I admired, and I wished Mom had been around to see her accomplishments.
She’d told me and Punc not to throw her a party, saying, “It’s just one step on the way to residency. I’m not a doctor yet.”
Punc and I disagreed, but she didn’t know that. Yet.
“Cat-cat!” Skyla said when Catalina sat down.
“Good morning, princess. How’s that cereal? Did you save some for me?” Cat asked.
Skyla held up her bowl for Catalina.
“No, sweetie. Auntie Cat will get her own bowl,” I said.
Catalina sat back in her chair. “Or I might opt for eggs. I’m not sure yet.”
“Are you sure you don’t need anything else before you leave again? I can’t believe the first week of your break is almost over.”
A small grin tugged at Catalina’s lips, and she shook her head. “It’s fine, Savannah. I have all next week to get my stuff packed. The better question is whether you need help with your anniversary party?”
We’d told Cat we were having an anniversary party as a sort of ruse. With the help of Abby and Suzy, we were throwing a huge party the next day for Catalina. I mean, a three-year wedding anniversary party seemed like a weird idea, but the Riot MC never needed an excuse to party, and Cat had learned that years ago.
The fact she finished med school so close to our anniversary was dumb luck.
“Where’s your husband?” Catalina asked.
“He’s at the clubhouse. Why?”
Catalina exhaled. “I didn’t want him to overhear us.”
Skyla frowned at her cereal. “Mommy, I done.”
“Are you sure?” I asked.
She nodded enthusiastically.
I stood and took her out of the booster seat. “Okay, honey. Go play. We’ll read some books in a few minutes.”
Skyla toddled off to her play corner in the living room.
I sat down and looked at Catalina. “What don’t you want Punc to overhear? This seems unusual.”
In the past six years, Punc and Cat had grown remarkably close. He never played the role of a father figure to her, but he was very much the older brother she’d never had.
“I wanted to know if Brian is going to be at your party tomorrow.”
Shit. This party was more for her than us, and I didn’t think Punc had reached out to Brian…but something in Cat’s voice made me not want to fib.
“I’m not sure if he’ll be there, Brian responded to Punc. I can ask—”
Cat’s eyes widened. “No. I don’t’ want you to ask him.”
My head tilted. “He was our best man, is there a reason… you seem like you don’t want him here.”
She shrugged. “I do and I don’t.”
I arched my brows. “Okay, explain because it’s rare you’re this wishy-washy.”
She sighed. “We hooked up.”
“You did? When?”
“After the reception.”
My eyes went wide. “You’re kidding! No wonder you didn’t want Punc to hear.”
She smiled sheepishly. “Yeah. For saying he wasn’t going to be fatherly, Ted got uber protective really fast.”
I nodded. “Why do you want Brian to be there tomorrow? I get not wanting to see him, but are you looking for another hook—”
“No. Maybe. I don’t know,” she cried, driving her fingers through her hair. She stared past me for a beat. “I figure by now, he’s settled down, and I don’t want to be confronted with that.”
Brian hadn’t settled down. He’d popped the question to a woman, but apparently, she wasn’t ready for that kind of commitment. That was his business though, so I wasn’t going to share that with my sister and potentially give her false hope.
I shook my head and focused on my sister. “Life’s funny like that though. It’ll give you what you think you don’t want exactly when you need it most.”
“Bite your tongue. This isn’t one of those times. Ted will lose his mind if he finds out what we did.”
I grinned. “Maybe. Or maybe not. I should wait to tell you, but Skyla is going to be a big sister.”
She gasped, clapped her hands together, then stood and came around the table to engulf me in a hug. “That is fantastic news!”
“What’s fantastic?” Punc asked, coming in through the front door.
I ignored Catalina’s alarmed expression and smiled at Punc. “I’m surprised we didn’t hear you. Where’s your Harley?”
Punc drew closer to me and gave me a kiss. “Hey, babe. Had to give the ol’ Honda some exercise as they say.”
“What time does the party start tomorrow?” Catalina asked.
Punc shifted to give Cat a hello hug. “Told everyone four, but I’m sure some of the brothers will be here earlier.”
“I’d expect the opposite – fashionably late,” Cat said.
Punc chuckled. “You don’t understand how much some of them love to drink my booze.”
Cat smirked. “To be fair, I enjoy drinking your booze.”
Punc grinned. “Yeah, but you know your limits, and you aren’t changing the subject. What’s fantastic news?”
Cat paled.
I slid my arm around Punc’s waist. “I shared our news, even if we’re waiting to tell everyone else.”
The most satisfied smile lit up my husband’s face. “Yeah. Can’t wait to meet our son.”
My lips quirked to the side. “We don’t know what we’re having.”
His eyebrows rose. “I know you aren’t green in the gills like you were with Skyla.”
“Every woman is different, every pregnancy is different, and every child is different, Ted,” Catalina said.
He looked at Cat. “Did they teach you that in med school? Because I could have told you that,” he muttered.
“Daddy!” Skyla yelled and beelined into the room.
Punc picked her up and gave her a small toss in the air. For some reason he was far more cautious with her than he’d ever been with his nieces.
“Hey, sugarbear. You doin’ good?”
Skyla nodded. “I want you to color with me.”
Punc perched her on his hip and looked to me. “You need me to handle anything for tomorrow?”
I glanced at Cat and shook my head. “No. I should be good. You two go create masterpieces.”
***
Four hours later, Punc found me in the kitchen prepping meats and cheeses for charcuterie boards I planned to serve tomorrow.
“Where’d your sister go?” he asked, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge.
“She went to the beach. Her friend Bella had the day off.”
“She still thinks the party’s for us?”
I nodded. “She does. Is Skyla sleeping?”
“Yep.”
I covered the tray of food with plastic wrap. “Is Brian on the guest list?”
Punc leaned his hips against the counter. “Why would he be? He moved across the state five months ago.”
“I was just curious,” I hedged.
My husband’s blue eyes narrowed. “The last time they saw each other was at the wedding.”
I nodded. “Yep.”
He stared at me for a beat. “Did you want to know about Brian? Or did Cat?”
I stepped closer to Punc and slid my hands up his chest. “It doesn’t matter, honey. He’s not coming, so it’s all good. Since our girl-wonder is sleeping, I’m gonna go take a nap, too. Wanna join me?”
He wrapped his arms around my waist. “If I join you, we won’t be sleeping.”
I grinned. “If we’re quick, we can sleep after.”
“There are no quickies with us, but I’ll take care of Skyla if you’re sleeping.”
My grin grew to a smile. “I love you so much, Punc.”
***
Punc
Punc woke up before Savannah or his daughter. He eased himself out of bed, so he wouldn’t wake his wife.
He wondered why Brian’s name had come up earlier. Maybe Catalina still had a crush on his friend, but his gut said this was likely something more.
At this point, it wasn’t his business. Catalina was in her mid-twenties now. Brian had left Jacksonville months ago.
Those two weren’t meant to be.
Still, he didn’t like the idea of his sister-in-law harboring feelings for his buddy.
His phone rang, and Rita’s name lit the display. He grinned and took the call. “Hey, Rita.”
“Hey, yourself, Punc. You’ll be pleased to hear, Mr. Dellacour paid his invoice in full this morning.”
Punc dragged his lower lip through his teeth and nodded. “Pleased but not surprised.”
“I tell Savannah this all the time, but I should have partnered with a biker years ago. Would have saved me a whole lot of headaches.”
He chuckled. “You’re not allowed to partner with any other biker but me, Rita. My other brothers bring their own headaches to the table.”
“Yeah, yeah. Likely story, are you sure about this surprise you have for our girl?”
“You aren’t trying to run off with our puppy, are you?”
Rita laughed. “Not a chance. I don’t have the energy to keep up with this rascal, but I’m gonna have to find a mellow labradoodle of my own. I’ve never met such a sweet dog.”
Punc shook his head. “I’m pretty sure most labradoodles are high-energy, Rita. You’re gonna be searching for a while.”
Rita made a humming noise. “Right, and that’s why I’m concerned. You and Savannah are gonna be exhausted once your next bundle of joy arrives. Taking care of this pooch might be a bridge too far.”
He grinned. “Nah. We’ll make it work. Not sure who I want to surprise more tomorrow, Savannah or Skyla.”
“Well, I’m ready to play my part. I’ll see you three tomorrow.”
***
Savannah led her sister out to the back patio and threw her arms out wide, before she hollered, “Surprise!”
What had Punc hustling to snap a picture on his phone was Skyla standing next to her mom in a carbon copy pose and yelling, “Surprise, Auntie Cat!”
A group of a dozen of Catalina’s friends rushed out from the around the side of the back yard and started cheering.
Catalina looked slightly annoyed, but stooped over, putting her hands on her knees. “I’m so surprised, Skyla! Did you help?”
His daughter ducked her head in a rare show of bashfulness. “No.”
Catalina picked her up. “Oh, I bet you did!”
Punc sidled up to Catalina with a margarita in hand. “I’ll trade you. Go let your hair down, Cat.”
Catalina’s eyes were watery. “I knew you two were up to something. Thanks, Ted. You really didn’t need to do this.”
Skyla launched herself into Punc’s outstretched arm, and Cat took her drink.
Punc nodded. “Lucky for you, we wanted to do this. You’re gonna make a damned great doctor, Cat.”
Someone cranked the music louder and Catalina wandered away.
Punc heard a sharp whistle from the back gate and he saw Yak peeking over the fence. He aimed wide eyes at his MC brother who shook his head in response.
“Don’t get pissed at me, man. It’s not like we can take this in through the front door. There’s a reason they tell you to assemble a crib in the room it’s gonna be in.”
“Lower your voice,” Punc said when he drew closer.
“Whatever, man. It’s in the bed of Razor’s truck.”
Punc nodded. “Is Rita here yet?”
Yak shook his head. “How the hell should I know? You got like fifty cars out here.”
Punc opened the gate and joined Yak along the side of the house.
“Hey, Skyla,” Yak said, giving Skyla a tickle at her neck.
His daughter giggled and shoved her face in Punc’s neck.
They trudged down to the end of the drive, where Razor’s truck was idling.
The rear passenger door opened, and Lisa hopped out. “Oh, my God, give me that little girl! Now, you can help them get the crib down.”
He handed Skyla over to a very pregnant, Lisa. “Be careful. Rage will kick my ass if you hurt yourself.”
Lisa aimed a dry look at him. “He thinks everything is going to hurt me just because I’m pregnant. And, really, he wants to kick your ass for making me build a crib when our own kid doesn’t have one yet.”
“Except you built one last week, didn’t you?” Yak asked.
Lisa grinned. “Not as far as he knows. That was all you and Punc.”
He and Yak went to the end of the truck and saw Rage and Razor maneuvering the crib to the edge of the bed.
“You ready for this?” Razor asked.
Punc shrugged a shoulder. “Not really, but this is gonna have to work.”
Ten minutes later, the four men had the solid oak crib resting in the driveway next to the garage door.
“What now, genius? You gonna have your next kid sleeping outside?” Yak asked.
“Not a chance, Yak. Rita has the other part of the surprise.”
Catalina came around the side of the house. “Do you need some help?”
Punc sighed. “This is your party, Cat.”
She nodded. “Yeah, and this obviously isn’t for me.”
“Hello! Sorry, I’m late. Your neighborhood wasn’t designed for your kind of party, Punc,” Rita said, hauling a puppy carrier at her side.
“Dear God, Rita! What are you carrying? You’re like seventy, you can’t be—”
“Bite your tongue, Catalina. I’m sixty-eight, and weight training is good for a woman my age.”
“I’m gonna take this little lady back to the party. I’m guessing there’s a surprise in store for her, too,” Lisa said.
Punc nodded and aimed a pointed look at Cat. “She’s right, how about you join her. In fact, take Rita with you. It’ll distract your sister.”
Catalina crossed her arms on her chest. “Rita knows her way around our place.”
Punc matched her stance. “Should we talk about Brian?”
Catalina stared at him for a long moment. “Fine. Let’s go, Rita.”
“What’s the deal, Punc? You gonna drag this furniture through the grass or some shit?” Razor asked.
“No, we’re gonna carrying it to the back patio, with the dog in the crib,” Punc said.
“You are one weird motherfucker,” Yak muttered. “But, I’m gonna trust you know what you’re doing.”
The moment Punc and Yak led the way to the patio, he saw Savannah turn their direction.
Her eyes rounded in amazement and she cried out, “What in the world?”
The crowd went quiet because who brought a crib to a graduation party?
“What’s in the crib?” Savannah said when she came to his side.
“A surprise for you and our girl. Know how much you’ve missed having a dog around…so, we’re adding another boy to our family before our little boy gets here.”
She peeked up at him through her lashes. “It could still be a girl, Ted.”
He unlatched the carrier door, and a poof of chocolate brown fur waddled out of the carrier.
“Ohmigod!” Savannah squealed and scooped up the puppy.
She turned around at locked eyes with Skyla. “Honey, we got a puppy. Come here!”
Lisa set Skyla on her feet and she beelined it to Savannah, who crouched down.
She put the puppy down, and Skyla pet the dog with the biggest grin on her face.
Rita came to his side. “You did good, Punc. Now, how are you getting that crib in the house?”
He chuckled and looked down at her. “Through the french doors, of course. If we can’t get it into the other bedroom, I’m sure I can take it apart and put it back together later.”
Ten minutes later, Savannah stood and made her way to Punc. She was smiling, but the gleam in her eyes was one he hadn’t seen before.
“Were you surprised?” he asked, once she slid her arm around his waist.
“Very. You’re a very sneaky man, Mr. Chisholm.”
“It’s not easy to get anything by you, Mrs. Chisholm.”
She went up on her toes and brushed her lips against his. “I love you. Thank you for making today so great for my sister and for me.”
“You’re welcome, baby.”
“Did you name our puppy?”
He arched a brow. “No. Wanted to leave that to you, though, this is your chance to name him Metro.”
She gave him a squeeze. “I don’t know. Nome has such a great ring to it.”
“Your call, baby.”
“But I think he deserves his own name,” she murmured.
“Look at all these curls,” Catalina said, holding the puppy and coming closer.
Savannah smiled up at him. “How about Curly?”
He pressed his lips together. “Can’t go wrong with The Three Stooges.”
Savannah locked eyes with her sister. “Don’t make fun of Curly’s curls!”
Catalina frowned. “You’re naming him Curly? That’s so…” she looked down at the pup. “Appropriate for this sweet boy.”
“Let him run around the yard, Cat. You need to enjoy your party,” Punc said.
Catalina set Curly down. “So bossy. It’s good Savannah likes that about you.”
Savannah shifted and pressed her front to his side. “I don’t like it, I love it. And if you’re lucky, one day you’ll find a bossy man of your own.”
Cat made a skeptical face. “Gonna be a while on that, Savannah. But in case I forget, thanks for a kick-ass party.”
“You’re welcome, Cat. I love you,” Savannah said.
“Love you, too, sis.”