Chapter 365: Little Devil
*Remember when you were a kid and I told you that you would have a child just like yourself? – Lilly*
Lilly and Steele arrived at Ciara’s apartment two days after the baby made its sudden appearance. With mother and child in the hospital for a few days, Pagan was back to being a single dad. He quickly remembered how hard it was.
Cookie and Karan had been his fall back for quite a while. But they had a baby of their own now.
Priscilla was starting her own life with Leo and college classes.
Camille was in Louisiana for college.
Molly had started staying home more and more and Toad never questioned when the man suddenly started missing church. Suddenly all the Lowery’s were acting strange, but no one would say anything.
Ciara was seeing someone, he was certain of it, but she refused to say anything.
When his mom showed up at the door to the house above the old funeral home, he welcomed the intrusion. Shiloh also welcomed her in-laws into her house. She was still tender and moving very carefully.
“You make beautiful girls.” Shiloh said as she gently sat on the couch with her extra pillow underneath her. “But damn, the boys you make are pure Satan.”
“He’s not that bad.” Pagan grinned as he carefully placed the breakfast tray over her lap.
“You’re only saying that because his hooves, claws and tail didn’t destroy your-“
“Oh yes he did.” Pagan leaned in and kissed his wife. Moving to her ear, he let his voice drop to just above a whisper. “That pussy is still mine.”
“Don’t even. You’re never getting near it again.” She warned him. With their son being less than a week old, Shiloh could be pretty certain that it would be a long time before Pagan even got close to her pussy. Or, as he insisted, his pussy.
“Pagan, leave the poor girl alone.” Steele ordered his son as he came down the stairs with Alyssa on his back. “Down you go, little girl.”
“But Pop Pop!”
“No ma’am.” Shiloh and Pagan both said at the same time and Alyssa slid to the floor.
“Have you two settled on a name yet?” Steele asked as Alyssa guided him to the table where breakfast was already waiting for them. “And please tell me you’re not still calling him Satan.”
The couple looked at each other and tried to stifle their laughs.
“The Under Lord is back in his bed.” Lilly said as she came down carrying the bottle.
“Actually, I thought of something while I was soaking in my tub because of the Under Lord himself.” Shiloh said as she broke off a piece of bacon. “Sticking with the A names, what about Antonello?”
“Is that kind of like the Italian version of Anthony?” Steele asked as Ashlyn joined them. He leaned over kissed the top of her head. “Good morning sweetheart.” He barely caught the small nod from the new mom as she ate her breakfast.
“Hey, Pop Pop.” Ashlyn hugged him before sitting in her regular chair at the table.
“You know, you don’t have to use an A name.” Pagan told Shiloh as he brought her a glass of juice.
“I know.” She smiled at him and then her eyes drifted over to the girls at the table with their grandparents. “But I want all our kids to feel included. I don’t want them thinking that I love one over the other.”
Grasping her chin, he turned her face to his and kissed her soundly on the lips. “I love you, Shy.”
“I love you too, Pagan.” She whispered back, unable to speak louder with her heart in her throat.
“Can we call him Tony?” Steele asked, imitating the Sopranos.
Shy laughed. “Nico will love your enthusiasm.”
There was a small warning whimper from the video baby monitor before the room was filled with the cries of a newborn. Lilly started to stand up from her chair at the table, but Pagan waved her off.
“I’ve got the Under Lord.”
“I think I’m going to tell Toad to order a patch with that name on it.” Steele laughed as his son headed upstairs to his own son.
“What name would you give me?” Alyssa asked her grandfather.
“Really, my little Monster?” he asked with a grin.
She smiled broadly. “I was born this way.”
With his booming laugh echoing around them, he pulled both his granddaughters to him with his beefy arms. “You certainly were, my little Monster.” He kissed the top of her head and then her older sister’s head. “And my little Barbie, I love you both.”
“Pop Pop, how long are you going to be here?” Ashlyn asked as she looked up the man.
Lilly grinned broadly as her husband smirked at her before turning his attention back to his oldest granddaughter.
“I think, we might stick around for a while.” He admitted. “Your Momma Lil wants to stick around for the shit show.”
“What shit show?” Alyssa asked innocently and both grandparents laughed.
“Your daddy was a little demon himself when he was growing up.” Lilly told them. “I always told him that he would have a child that would make him pay for all the hell that he put us through.” She smiled at the two girls. “But then he had two little angels.”
Pagan snorted his response to that as he came back down the stairs and headed for the rocking chair. “Where are these angels when they are destroying each other’s toys?”
“We haven’t done that in a while.” Ashlyn pointed out and both her parents looked at her.
“Really?” Shiloh asked with an arched eyebrow. “And why was there a blue leg in the trash this morning?”
Both girls squirmed in their seats.
“And the mutilated Barbie head that was with it.” Pagan added and both girls squirmed more.
“Are you sating that my sweet grandbabies are not as perfect as I think they are?” Lilly asked her son.
“Far from it.” He replied.
“I don’t believe it.” Steele winked at his wife.
“Besides,” Lilly added with a little smile, “I’ve missed having you girls around.”
“You guys can stay here as long as you want.” Shiloh told her in-laws as she watched her son snuggle against his dad’s chest in his sleep.
“That’s sweet, hun.” Lilly smiled at her unusual daughter-in-law. Even in her loose t-shirt dress with Jack and Sally on it, surrounded by her gothic styled living room, Lilly could tell that Shiloh was exactly what Pagan and his girls needed.
“So, I hope you don’t mind us being close.” Steele grinned. “We’re moving into the carriage house and going to run the big house as a bed and breakfast.”
“Short term rental.” Lilly corrected. “They have to do their own cooking.”
“Here, here.” Shiloh agreed as she tried to move the tray.
“Stay there.” Steele ordered as he stood up and approached the couch. He took the tray from her and sat it on the coffee table. “You need anything else?”
“Just like your son, you’re trying to do everything for me.” She grinned as she held out her hand and he gently helped her to her feet.
“That’s not a bad thing.” Steele replied.
“No. But just like I told your son, you’re not putting a toilet in my living room.”
“That’s good. I suck at plumbing.”
