Page 8 of Rowdy & Kat

“Kat needs to change,” Maria said after the nurse left to organize my discharge papers.

Rowdy smiled at me. “Someone will need to learn to share.”

Maria frowned at him before putting on a smile for me. In my life, only one person had ever been reliable. Right now, she wanted Rowdy to leave. I saw that fact written all over her face.

Yet, Maria still said, “I’ll share once Kat’s home and resting. Now, get out, so I can help her dress.”

Rowdy smiled at me. “I’ll be right outside. After you’re discharged, I’ll follow you to your place. We can discuss things in a nice, calm way. Oh, and while I’m in the hallway, I’ll warn my family not to be too loud when they arrive.”

“Wait, what?”

“Oh, they’ll no doubt follow me to Little Rock. But I’ll get them to put on their best indoor voices.”

If I was still wearing the blood pressure monitor, the damn thing would likely show a spike.

Last year, Rowdy had proven to be capable of great tenderness when we were together. I believed we might get around my lies and build something real.

However, the Reed family was bound to be an entirely different obstacle.

ROWDY

My head was spinning as I forced my feet to move me out of the hospital room. Katarina Darville! Man, I had a huge crush on her back in high school. She liked me, too, but the girl was so damn shy that I couldn’t get her to agree to a date. Then, Katarina and Mariana moved away.

At the Fire Hooch, I had known Katie looked familiar. Even more so, she felt familiar like we’d shared space before. But I had no reason to doubt Katie when she said we’d never met.

Standing in the labor and delivery hallway, I caught a few nurses giving me the once-over. Were they worried I’d rob the place or did they hope I’d pay them attention?

Ignoring their gazes on me, I looked over the messages from my mom, dad, and sisters. When I called up Bebe, she put me on speakerphone.

Pax quickly announced, “We’re on the 40 now.”

“Bummer,” I replied. “I need you to turn around and come back in a week.”

“No dice, bucko,” Pax said immediately. “We’re planning to throw an intervention like we had for Elle when she was horny for that biker.”

“Aww, you care,” I cooed. “But seriously, take the next exit, turn around, and go home. I’ll let you know what’s happening once you’re safely back in Little Memphis.”

Sabrina hollered from somewhere away from the phone, “Tell us now!”

“Stop yelling in the car,” Bebe said in an exasperated voice.

Sabrina hollered at our mom, “Someone needs to be outraged, and you’re too chill!”

“Roy, baby,” Bebe said in her mom tone that always turned me to mush. “Just tell us what’s happening.”

I gave my family the quick details before finishing with, “So buzz off while I seduce my very pregnant baby mama into loving me forever.”

“This bitch is a lying whore!”

“Sabrina, stop yelling right next to my ear,” Vanessa whined. “Why am I in the back seat?”

“It was that or tying you to the roof,” Pax answered.

“I should have brought my own car.”

“Let’s stay focused,” Sabrina snarled, and I imagined her teeth showing like a pissed ferret. “This chick can’t be trusted.”

“It’s Katarina Darville from high school,” I said as if that ought to answer everything. “The situation is complicated, but I think she might be the one for me. She’s also super pregnant.”