I hold the door for her and call in, “Everyone decent?”
“Fuck yeah! Get in here!” Tonk calls back with a smile in his deep voice. “Look what I found.” He holds up his baby girl. Swaddled in a pale pink blanket, she sleeps in his arms. Since he’s like a giant, she looks extra tiny and fragile.
“Your arms are as big as her body,” Luna smiles, staring down at the little thing. She touches the baby’s forehead and then goes to Carmen. “How are you?”
“So happy!” They talk about what’s been happening since we left, but I tune it out.
Tonk glances up like looking at this little girl is the only thing that matters. But then he sees my face. I’m doing my best to look normal, but man-to-man…he sees it. His eyes darken and his eyebrows cock up. Silently I nod, letting him know he’s reading it right. There is no happy ending for me.
Then Carmen says something that’s interesting enough to grab my attention. “Will I see you at the house, Luna? Please!?”
Luna blinks quickly to me and sees me watching. It’s not subtle how quiet the room just got.
So I rescue her, because…I’m not a dick, that’s why. “She’s got some things she wants to do on her own, Carmen. This is goodbye.”
“At least for now,” Luna tells the young girl who looks at her like a hero. “I’ll get Tonk’s phone number and call you all the time. We’ll still be friends, okay?”
Carmen is crushed but she nods before she steals a worried look at me. “I wish you’d stay, Luna. I won’t know anyone.”
“You’ll have me, baby,” Tonk tells her as he walks to the other side of the bed with their daughter. “And you’ll have Celia.”
Carmen reaches for her baby, smiling at her sleeping face. “We named her after my grandmother.”
“It’s a beautiful name, Carmen. I love it,” Luna smiles. She leans in to see the baby and reaches gently to touch her forehead again. “She’s so…” The words trail off and she rises up and turns away.
Tonk exchanges a look with me. Carmen’s too young to know that Luna just got a little jealous.
I could punch that fuckin’ gypsy in the mouth for what she said to her.
And the thought of another man proving it wrong is too much for me stomach.
“Let’s get on the road.”
Tonk stiffens, then pulls out his keys. “You know how to ride?” he asks her.
I’m half-expecting her to turn me down and say she’s not gonna do it. But she nods. “Yup.”
It’s a long pause as he holds the keys over her open, waiting palm.
“Tonk.”
He frowns at me. “Alright. Fuck.” Then drops them.
Luna’s fingers wrap protectively around them and she reassures my fellow Cipher, “You’ve got nothing to worry about.” Turning to Carmen, she leans in and gives an awkward hug. “How long before you get to go home?”
“Two days. They need to make sure the cut in my stomach is healing.”
Luna nods. “Have fun on the train ride you guys.” Our arms brush as she passes me and she glances up at the contact like she felt the same shock I did. “Ready?” she whispers.
I clasp arms with Tonk and silently thank him for his sacrifice before I give a wink to his future bride. “Glad this worked out for you guys.”
Carmen watches Luna leave and I can tell she wants to tell me something, so I linger for a second.
On a sweet smile, the new mom whispers, “Don’t give up.”
Her thighs are barely touching mine and she’s holding onto my waist on the ride back to the Inn to get our things, Tonk’s Harley, and take off.
She was fuckin’ wrapped around me on the ride here.
I’m getting the message.
We collect our things in our own rooms and while I have a minute to myself, I walk over to the open front door and shut it. Pulling out my phone I call Scratch.
“’Bout fuckin’ time you checked in,” he grumbles.
“Carmen had a baby girl.”
“Holy shit.” He lets out a long whistle. “How’s Tonk?”
“Lovin’ every second.”
Scratch tells me in his deep vibrato, “Finally gets to have the family he’s always wanted. You coming home now?”
“That’s what I called to tell you. Yeah.” The bed stares back at me with images cutting into my head of Luna and I lying on each other. “Just me and Luna for now. Tonk’s takin’ the train back with the baby – Celia – so we should be pulling in tomorrow at the latest.”
“Luna’s comin’ with ya? Guess all that waitin’ around paid off.”