CHAPTER SEVENTY-NINE

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The 300 miles between Naperville and Des Moines are split by our stop in a mall literally in the middle of the planned trip for lunch at some tiny little place called Coral Ridge. Even though the days' drive was just short of 5 hours by the time we reach Des Moines we're all glad to be back out of the cars again, all of us apart from Opie and Jax who walk so slowly away from the Viper I seriously think that they're considering sleeping in it.

The hotel that Cam booked for the night turns out to be a fairly average place, the advantage being the Laundromat that's four doors down. Donna and I both take the few items of dirty clothes that we have already worn down to it and wash them while everyone else sorts out rooms and scopes somewhere for dinner. Returning to the hotel 2 hours after we left Jax and Opie both jump to their feet.

"We thought you'd gotten lost." Opie says to Donna, holding her phone out to her "And you forgot your phone so we couldn't check on you."

I roll my eyes towards the ceiling and pull my phone out of my pocket "Well, no one rang me, and we were only down the road. Did you not think about coming and seeing if we were okay?"

Opie shakes his head, looking a bit like a dog that's been told off "No, we didn't. But we did find where to go for dinner. Well, we found two places and it's up to you two to pick which one."

Donna and I glance at each other and nod "Okay, what are the options." Donna says, setting the bag down on the floor.

"One place is called Exile and the other place is called Wig and Pen." Opie tells her, picking the bag up and moving it to one of the chairs.

Al chuckles "Exile is a brewery, serves bar meals and microbrew beer. Wig and Pen is a pizza place. And before you ask, yes they did both get picked cause of their names."

Donna and I share another look before laughing "Exile." We both say at the same time, everyone shakes their heads till Donna looks at them with a raised eyebrow "Pregnant woman and laughing at her aren't a good mix."

Everyone instantly shuts up which makes me giggle, looking at Opie biting his lip with his shoulders shaking I burst into laughter.

Donna blows a raspberry at me and attempts to stomp off, which lasts till she gets to the door and realises she has no idea where she's going. Turning around she narrows her eyes "Where's my room and what time is dinner?"

Cam gets off the bed and hands her a key "You're in the room two to the left of us. Dinner is whenever we get there."

Donna nods once "Right, I'm going to have a nap then. Wake me at 6."

Glancing down at my watch I see it's only a little after 4 I nod silently. As the door clicks closed behind her everyone else starts laughing. Opie drops his arm across my shoulders "I don't remember her being that bad with the twins."

Attempting to shrug, my shoulders barely move under the weight of his arm "She was for the first coupla months that coupled with the fact that she would burst into tears at the most random times made you a bit scarce. I think that's what she's waiting for. Go make sure she's okay."

Opie looks down at me, frowning "How do you know?"

Smiling up at him I tug his beard lightly "Easy, she's been my best friend for 10 years. The only person I know better than her is myself, and sometimes that's debateable."

Opie chuckles as he opens the doors "Come on monsters, let's go check on Mommy, get the ice cream for her."

The twins run to the tiny fridge in the corner of the room, pulling two miniature tubs of ice cream out they each carry one carefully following their dad out the door.

Jax chuckles as he pulls me to sit down on his lap "Ope made Cam google where to get Ben and Jerry's from and then went and got it while you were gone."

I snicker slightly and curl into his arms, enjoying the contact "That's good; you better take lessons for when we have kids. Where's Abel?"

Jax jerks his head towards the corner of the room "Sleeping in his pushchair, this place didn't have a port-a-cot we could borrow."

I frown "Why don't we just go get one. I don't want him to be uncomfortable for the rest of the trip home. And it can go out to the cabin when we get back."

Jax shrugs "Didn't think of that babe. Do we have room for it?"

Looking over at Cam she nods "We should, as long as you get one that folds flat. There's actually still a bit of room in the boot of my car."

Jax helps me to my feet and walks towards the door "You guys okay looking after him while we go cot hunting?"

Al nods "Sure, go. Bring me back something."

Rolling my eyes I grab Jax's hand "Sure we will. Keys please?"

Cam tosses her car keys towards us, Jax catching them a couple of inches from my face with a slight scowl at her "Trying to remove her brain with car keys?"

Cam laughs "That would mean she has a brain to start with."

Poking my tongue out at her Jax squeezes my hand making me laugh "Love you too Cammy-ron."

It only takes Jax and I an hour to find a baby store, buy a fold up cot and the linen to go with it and get back to the hotel. Jax collects our room key from Cam and opens the door between their room and the one that Donna's in, which is obvious by the semi-stifled sounds of the twins, laughing coming from within the room. Pulling Jax's phone from his pocket I send off a text to Ope which ends up with him and the kids coming into our room a couple of seconds after the jingle of the text hitting his phone sounds through the wall.

Opie sits down on the chair in the corner and shakes his head "The walls in the place are so thin I think I could hear you breathing."

"Oh great." I groan "Remind me to tell Cam and Al no sex."

"Heard that!" Cam's voice comes through the wall "Opie, you're right. This place sucks, should we move?"

"No!" Al's voice is closer to Cam's then I would have expected, the sound of both of them laughing coming through the wall as well.

Jax and Opie work out how to put the cot together, threading the pieces through the material and screwing it all together with the screwdriver kit that Jax grabbed as an afterthought, pushing the mattress in the bottom I make it with the cute race car sheets and blanket I found and smile.

Looking down at my watch again as I sit down "How's D?"

Opie looks towards the wall and lifts one of his hands "She's okay. She thought about telling her parents that we're having another baby, that's what had her upset before."

I nod, resting my head on Jax's shoulder after he sits beside me "It's their loss. Her parents will realise one day the brilliant human beings they are missing out on cause of their narrow mindedness."

Opie nods "Couldn't have said it better myself. She'll be okay in a couple of days I'm sure. When we get home and she gets to tell Pop and everyone else."

"Can the kids stay here while I go wake her up?"

I nod and he gets to his feet, walking towards the door "We'll be back in 10, then dinner I'm sure."

Waving my arm at the door I chuckle "Go wake up D. I'll get the kids into their shoes which seem to have come off for some reason."

Opie laughs as the door swings closed "They weren't wearing them when they came in. I'll bring them back with me."