The Bad Boy's Dance (54 page)

              “Don’t be cute when I want to kill you!” Ivy wailed as her muscles contracted.

              “One more, Ivy! You can do it!” the doctor shouted.

              With a pinch that would have put most lobsters to shame, Ivy threw her head back, lifted her hips, and pushed. After the ringing his ears from her unearthly scream faded, he registered another cry. A high, reedy cry that was like music to his ears and a balm for his sore ass.

              After a lot of wiping and a nurse removing the umbilical cord (Asher could never bring himself to cut it), their baby was swaddled in a pink blanket.

              “Pink,” Ivy gasped, reaching up to grab Asher’s arm. “Does that mean…”

              Asher kissed his wife’s sweaty forehead as the nurse walked over to them. “Mr. and Mrs. Grayson, say hello to your little girl.”

              Asher laughed incredulously, and Ivy’s eyes welled with tears. She took the tiny bundle from the nurse and cradled the baby to her chest.

              “Asher,” she whispered, tears coursing down her cheeks. “She’s so beautiful.”

              He crouched beside them and gently lifted his daughter’s fingers. “That’s because she looks just like her mom.”

              “She has your eyes,” Ivy sniffed, kissing the baby’s little fingers.

              Asher chuckled. “Her eyes are closed, sweetheart.”

              “I can just tell, okay?”

              Asher wasn’t about to argue with the woman who’d just birthed his kid. “Got it.”

              “You said if it was a girl…”Ivy trailed off, lifting her face to beseech him with that puppy-dog look of hers.

              Asher sighed. He’d been worried about this, but fair was fair. Secretly, he wasn’t even opposed to their deal. He just enjoyed getting a rise out of her.

              “I know what I said,” he sighed dramatically.

              Ivy smiled, and his heart melted. She’d captured him in her spell from the minute she’d stomped on his foot outside Principal Henderson’s office, and Asher never wanted to wake up.

              “Cassidy Luna Grayson, say hi to your Mommy and Daddy, baby girl,” Ivy murmured. She peered at one of the nurses. “Could you please call our families in?”

              The doctor nodded her approval to the nurse. “Alright, but not for too long. You need your rest.” She squeezed Ivy’s shoulder. “Congratulations.”

              With that, the medical personnel exited. The door had barely closed before it was bursting open. Through it came Paul, Annie, their kids, Jodi, Spencer, Ivy’s parents, Dex, Dana, Caleb, Kyle, his Mom and Dad, and his son. Asher held out his hand for Henry, who hesitantly approached the bed. Ivy beamed down at their son. His small hand squeezed Asher’s nervously.

              “Henry,” Ivy said. “Meet your little sister.”

              Henry’s eyes were huge as he regarded the bundle of pink currently opening and closing her mouth. “She’s tiny,” he breathed. “I might break her.”

              Asher ruffled his hair. “No, you’ll be there to make sure no else does.”

              Henry puffed up like a canary. “I can do that.”

              “I know you can. My strong, handsome boy.” Ivy was positively glowing. She turned her attention to their many visitors. They crowded her bed, each vying for a good view of the baby.

              “Get your elbow out of my jugular!” Spencer huffed.

              “Victor, get your son out of my way!”

              “Hey, that’s my granddaughter too! Move!”

              “EVERYONE!” Asher boomed. “Settle the hell down or I’ll kick you out. Ivy doesn’t need a headache.”

              After some more grumbling, they quieted. Ivy turned their daughter so everyone could see her. “Guys, this is Cassidy Luna Grayson.”

              “What a beautiful name,” Asher’s Dad murmured, wrapping his arm around his wife. “So lyrical.”

              Paul tilted his head. “Cassidy Luna…
luna caseum
…oh my God. Ivy, did you…Did you really…” Paul trailed off, speechless.

              Dex and Spencer stopped their kissy faces at the baby and turned to him. “What?” Dex demanded.

              “
Luna casuem
means moon-cheese in Latin. Cassidy Luna?
Luna caseum?
Get it?”

              Dana laughed hysterically. “That’s my girl!”

              Caleb elbowed aside Jodi, who kept trying to tickle the baby’s feet. “Sorry Phoebe couldn’t be here, Ives. She got stuck babysitting everybody’s kids.”

              Ivy waved her hand. “I feel her in spirit.”

              “I can’t believe you named your daughter after a dairy product,” Dana chortled, wiping her eyes. “Good thing she’s got the best parts of both your DNA.”

              “You’re one to talk, Tinkerbell. Your kids’ names have the originality of vanilla ice cream.”

              Dana gasped in outrage. “Take it back!”

Ivy rolled her eyes and lifted her baby back to her chest, rocking her back and forth as she gurgled. Henry climbed onto the bed beside her and laid his head on her arm.

              Asher folded his arms and took in the scene before him. The room was bursting with noise and activity, with everyone they loved. He rested his hand on top of his wife’s head and closed his eyes briefly.

              He’d never imagined that he would have this. He never thought he would be lucky enough to have a family. He must done something right to earn his beautiful wife, a woman he knew was his soul mate, a cheesy notion he hadn’t believed in until he’d had a revolutionary kiss in a dance studio. He had not one, but two amazing children he couldn’t wait to watch grow up.

              Asher grinned when Dex took a swing at Spencer and had to be pulled away by Kyle.

              They had friends who were more like family and little nieces and nephews who’d take care of his kids, be there for them when they felt like no one in the world would understand.

              Ivy met Asher’s gaze and read the emotions there. She tilted her chin up, and Asher obediently bent to kiss her.

              “I love you, poopsy-bear,” Ivy breathed.

Asher rolled his eyes. “I love you too, angel.”

They turned to their loved ones, watching as they fought over the baby’s attention. Hayden and Victor were caught up in an intense law debate, and Asher almost laughed. Their friendship should have been ludicrous, or at least bizarre. The lawyer and the ex-con.

But it was strangely perfect.

Dana wrapped her arms around Kyle’s waist, not bothering to wipe the tears on her cheeks. “Cassidy Grayson.”

“Cassidy Grayson,” Jodi sighed happily.

Spencer squeezed Ivy’s shoulder. “She’s adorable, sis. I have a baseball bat you can use if you need to fend off the boys, Asher.”

Asher snorted. “Believe me, I have much more effective methods.” He ignored Ivy’s scowl.

Spencer rubbed his neck. “Seeing as you can’t move, I have a confession to make.”

Ivy eyed him suspiciously, absently swatting Dex’s hand away when he reached for the baby’s arm. Asher shrugged at his affronted expression. “Only thing she’ll let you touch is the feet.”

“What is it?” Ivy prompted.

Spencer took a deep breath. “I’m dating Brenda Curtis. Or plan to, anyway.”

Dana, Caleb, Kyle, Ivy stared at him blankly. Asher had to bite down his laughter at their expressions of horror.

“WHAT?”

“HOW DARE YOU?”

“SATAN!”

“ASHER, HOLD THE BABY!”

Asher carefully lifted the baby from Ivy’s arms as Spencer was raked over the coals. He gently caressed his daughter’s cheek and smiled. She cooed and wrinkled her nose.

“Welcome to the family, Cassidy,” he whispered.

“It’s going to be a wild ride.”

Acknowledgements

            
 
I’m a very confusing person.

              This is something I’ll readily admit to. For this reason, I’ll always be grateful to my parents and my siblings for tolerating and loving me. To my sister Hend, for reading my stories since I started writing and not smothering me with a pillow when I would lose interest halfway through. To my brother Yusuf, for putting up with my constant tangents about vocabulary and the importance of reading. To my little sister Hanan, for pulling me out of my writing haze and reminding me that I needed to actually leave my room and socialize. To my Mom and Dad, for having the patience and trust to let me make my own mistakes and always bragging about my writing to anyone who would listen.

              My friends, without whom I would probably have had an awful high school experience and never gotten around to writing this book. Life has a way of changing everything, but it can never touch our memories. Meeting you guys was a blessing, and I can’t wait to see where our futures take us.

              To Wattpad, for giving me an outlet to share my stories and connecting me to some of the most loyal, wonderful readers and people I’ve ever virtually met.

              Finally, and most importantly, I’d like to thank God. If it wasn’t for Him, I probably would’ve given up on myself and my dreams a long time ago. He gave me the strength to get back up. He gave me the courage to realize I don’t have to have all the answers. At least, not just yet.

  About the Author

              Vera Calloway lives in Sunny California. Her life essentials are a laptop, a cup of coffee, and a good book. She’s currently pursuing a career in medicine, but who knows?

              After reading so many books that she was banned from the library in fifth grade, Vera ventured into the realm of writing. Wattpad was the first time people besides family or friends read her works.
The Bad Boy’s Dance
is not Vera’s first completed work, but it is the first that she actually bothered to edit.

              Look for Vera at your nearest coffee shop. She’ll be the one with the oversized coat and six coffee cups.