Free Lullabye (Rockstar #6) by Anne Mercier Page A

“How are you feeling?” I ask quietly.
    “I’m good,” she replies, pulling back. “How are you?”
    I smile, genuinely, and she smiles back. “I’m good.”
    “You have a nice trip?” Ben asks.
    I nod. “I did.”
    “Want to talk about it?” he asks.
    “Nah, but thanks. Almost there, Benny boy. We’re almost there.”
    “Because that’s good news, I won’t slam my fist into your gut for calling me Benny again.”
    I chuckle and lift my shirt revealing my toned stomach. “Abs of steel, baby.”
    Meggie hoots and hollers. “Damn, Xander. You are looking good. ”
    “I know it,” I agree and grin when Sera rolls her eyes.
    “Where are my babies?” I ask, searching the room. I spot them sleeping in portable cribs and head over. They look so fucking cute in their tiny holiday outfits. Nothing formal, just cute Christmasy onesies. Speaking of—
    “I’ve got some presents for the babies.”
    Jesse and Lucy both groan.
    “Stuff it,” I scold and grab the two boxes I put in the corner before I left. I hand one to Jesse and one to Lucy. They look at one another and I roll my eyes. “They’re not bombs. They’re for the babies. ”
    Lucy rips into hers first. She opens the box and there’s a stack of onesies inside—each set of four has three blue and one pink.
    Her eyes flick to mine. “This is so sweet!”
    “They’re special. Read what they say.”
    “Oh hell,” Kennedy mutters and I hide my grin.
    “It’s great to be out. We were running out of womb,” Lucy reads aloud with a laugh.
    “Nice, man. Real nice,” Ethan says.
    Lucy looks back in the box, pulling out the next set. “I was a surprise. So was I. Me too. I was unexpected.”
    Sera snickers and Meggie lets out a loud snort.
    She pulls out the orange one and Jesse groans. “I just did nine months on the inside.”
    Ethan laughs and laughs and laughs. Apparently that one tickled his fancy.
    “Xander Mackenzie!” Lucy scolds, holding up the next one.
    “You may as well just think that for each of the rest.”
    “Oh boy,” Lucy mutters. “I’m proof mommy puts out.”
    Sera snorts and Mama snickers.
    “Mama!”
    “What? What? It’s funny,” she answers and I nod.
    Lucy holds this one up. It’s got a sperm character on it with a #TBT hashtag.
    “Cute,” Anthony admits.
    “See? Your parents get it!”
    Lucy rolls her eyes.
    “Oh, this one is cute! ‘Uh oh. I shizzled in my dizzle’,” Lucy snickers.
    Lucy cuts me a glare with the next one. “I’m what happened in Vegas.”
    That gets everyone hooting and hollering.
    “Last one,” she announces. “Oh God. ‘Made in Vachina’.”
    That gets laughs all around too.
    “Jesse’s turn,” I say.
    “Lucky me,” he replies. He chuckles at the first one and holds it up. It’s got arrows pointing at each arm hole and the word arm with each arrow. Ditto for the legs. In the middle it says You can do this Dad.
    “I could use that sometimes,” Ethan admits.
    “Me too,” Kennedy agrees.
    Jesse cuts me a glare. “My daddy is an arrogant bastard.”
    More laughs and I’m feeling pretty damn proud of my purchases.
    “K Quads,” Jesse announces with a laugh. “Nice.” He raises a brow. “Last ones?”
    I nod. “Yep.”
    “Rollin’ down the street eatin’ cheerios, sippin on a box of juice, LAID BACK, with my mind on my mommy and my mommy on my mind,” Jesse sings.
    “You can’t not sing that!” Lucy exclaims.
    “Those are very thoughtful, Xander,” Mama tells me. “I knew you’d find something fun for them.”
    “Always, Mama. Always.”
    Lucy picks up the wrapping paper and organizes the boxes under the tree.
    “Flight okay?” Jesse asks.
    “Yep. Long, but I got another one of Lucy’s books read,” I admit.
    “Which one?” she asks.
    “That Ginger Scott chick. I gotta say, Luce, that Reed dude was pretty fucked up for a while there.”
    “Right?!” she agrees.
    “Nolan’s got some staying power. You gotta admire that,” I