“Fuck Noxx, you aren’t going to believe this, Mack’s water just broke,” I relayed to my brother, leaving out what Daxx was doing, for the time being, Noxx was on edge enough, Mack needed him focused not running off to throw up.
“I fucking knew it! Didn’t I tell you, Hendrixx!” Noxx yelled excitedly, running back to his car full pelt and shouting out to me over his shoulder.
“Come on mate, we will call Fenixx and Mal on the way to the hospital.”
I could hear multiple voices in the background through the phone, Blake laughing, Daxx giggling and Mack screaming that she wanted Noxx’s balls in a vice.
Maybe going to the hospital was not a good idea, I mean, I desperately wanted to be there for the birth of my niece, but Mack still scared me. I could only imagine how that was going to intensify during delivery.
Walking quickly to the fancy SUV, I pondered staying here hiding out, but Noxx quickly nixed that idea.
“You have to be there, Drixx,” Noxx pleaded, “you, Nixx and Mum. We all missed seeing Daxx being born, not just me.”
My brothers and my mum meant the world to me, letting them down wasn’t in me.
“Wouldn’t miss it, Noxx,” I assured him, whatever my family needed, I would be there.
***
The tiny, little baby girl, wrapped snuggly in a pink and white, mink blanket snuggled deeper into my arms, and my heart practically burst out of my chest.
“My God, she is perfect Mack, an absolute stunner,” I marvelled, in a soft, hushed whisper, running one finger gently down the bridge of her tiny nose.
“She really is,” Mack agreed tiredly from her spot on the hospital bed, “she is the perfect mix of her Mumma, Daddy and big brother,” Mack said proudly, her head laid against my brother’s shoulder, his smile a mile wide, his eyes trained on his daughter in my arms. That look in his eyes, identical to mine, spoke nothing but love and protection for his little girl.
“Well, if Hendrixx would stop hogging my niece, I could see that for myself,” Fenixx grumbled, throwing me a death glare, which of course, I ignored. Other than a burning need to get back to Blake, there was no force on this earth that could force me to hand over my niece to anyone until I was goddamned good and ready.
“I’m older than you wanker, so shut up, sit down and wait.”
Staring at him, I noticed for the first time that Mal wasn’t in the room any longer.
“Where is Mal? Why isn’t she here fighting me to hold onto—” raising my eyebrows, I looked back at Noxx, “are you going to name her or will we just keep calling her gorgeous, little stunner for the rest of her life?”
Makena beamed up at her husband and gave him a nod, obviously giving Noxx the honour to announce their daughter’s name.
Giving Mack a kiss that was inappropriate for a woman who just gave birth, he cleared his throat.
“Family, I would like you to meet Onyxx Victoria Hott. We chose to continue with the double x in honour of Mum, and Victoria after Makena’s mum.”
“Onyxx,” I whispered, holding the precious bundle up to my face. “Welcome to the family, baby girl. You are so loved by your uncles, and I would like to apologise for your aunty, sometimes you have to have weird and crazy relatives whether you like it or not,” I joked, referring to her aunt Mallory, not her aunty Blake.
“I better go call Blake, let her know about this little cutie, and see how things are going with Daxx.”
When Noxx and I got Makena into the car back at the Triple H, Makena asked Blake to look after Daxx. Blake loved the little boy and was more than happy to stay at the farm with Daxx rather than try to keep him entertained in a hospital waiting room. It didn’t sit well with me though that Blake wasn’t here, she was family, my family, and she should be here with me.
“Oh, Mal is on her way there to pick up Daxx so he can meet his little sister, I’m sure she will tell Blake,” Makena informed me without a hint of a smile, but I knew she wanted to, her tone dripped with innuendo and humour. She fucking set this up behind my back, but why? Blake and Mallory have at best tolerated one another, both for very different reasons. The two of them alone together was like taking chocolate-covered marshmallow from a very pregnant Makena.
Goddamn and fuck it. This was not good, not good at all.
BLAKE
When I first said yes to Daxx’s request to look for some of his dad’s and uncle’s old toys from when they were kids, I didn’t consider that our hunt would span five rooms and end up in the upstairs attic. The homestead wasn’t a two-storey dwelling, and technically it wasn’t an attic in the true sense of the word. It was more like an extra space where Lillian could throw all the old things she couldn’t bear to part with away. You could not stand up in the area, and it only went halfway across the roof space, but Will did have panels put down so the weight of the boxes wouldn’t fall through down into the lounge room.
“Daxx, are you sure you don’t want to go play with the bulls?” I asked, hopefully as I shimmied on my knees past yet another overflowing box of old paperbacks.
“We haf ta find Dad’s old toy box, Blakey! Granny tolds me it is here!” Daxx shouted over his shoulder at me, and then the little brat burst into a fit of giggles when he saw how I was following him, on my knees and forearms creeping slowly and very gingerly. I swear
