Page 89 of Grumpy

One day, Grumpy would be strong again, and on that day, he’d make Jigsaw pay. Maybe by using a nail gun to fasten his dick to a plank of wood and dropping him into a crocodile-infested pond. That sounded sufficient enough.

The only good thing, if Grumpy even dared to call it that, was that Jigsaw did not need to be forced to take responsibility. As soon as the paternity test came in, he asked Maddie to marry him.

Maddie, though, declined the proposal on the spot. Maybe some fathers might encourage her to reconsider or try to push the marriage, but Grumpy didn’t. He respected Maddie’s decision, proud of her for not leaping into a loveless relationship because of social expectations and pressure.

And he made sure she was aware that his love and support for her and her babies did not rise or fall based on her marriage status.

Jigsaw was also in talks with Demo and Cage about figuring out the next place the club could start developing houses, since Grumpy had already claimed the last plot on the Square. Maddie already stated that she was not going to live with Jigsaw, which did make Grumpy feel better. He’d only just gotten her back in his life, and was not ready to have her leave just yet.

Three weeks after the tornado, the club was back in Mount Grove. It had been a hard journey back, but the relief everyone felt upon their return was worth it. Unfortunately, the first stop was not the clubhouse—where Maddie, Kelly, Grumpy, and Ruth would be residing for the foreseeable future—but Mount Grove Memorial Hospital.

Grumpy was so fucking sick of hospitals. At least now he could say so without his jaw feeling like it was going to break off.

Splinters was also with them. There were no words to describe how grateful Grumpy was to the younger man. He’d succeeded where Grumpy had failed, and Grumpy owed him Maddie’s life. Splinters could do no wrong in Grumpy’s eyes, or eye. And it escaped no one’s notice that, though Maddie never allowed herself near him again, Splinters was never far from her.

Things might get messy in the future, but Grumpy knew where he stood. Where he would always stand, between the world and his girls. He may reach out to his father someday. With Kelly’s and Maddie’s influence, it was a high possibility. He’d lived forty-one years without a father or father figure in his life, and he simply had other priorities at the moment. Maybe once he got his strength back, he’d call Johnathan Morris, but until then, any energy Grumpy had would be spent healing for his future.

Squeezing Kelly’s hand, he let the warm metal of her wedding band soothe his soul. She glanced down at him, love shining brightly in her cobalt eyes, and Grumpy knew there was no better sight in the world. Taking her hand, he bent down her middle and ring fingers and twisted her wrist so the hand sign was facing up towards her.

Kelly pressed her lips very gently against his. “I love you, too.”

Feeling the truth of her words in the marrow of his bones, Grumpy smiled.

* * *

Six Years Later

“Fuck, Kell Bell, baby,” he groaned against her mouth. “I can’t get enough of you.”

Torturously slow, Kelly sank her way down his length. She was a sight to behold. While her naked body was incredibly sexy and one of his favorite sights in the world, it was her confidence that made her shine. Kelly had gained so much self-assurance since the first time they made love in that hotel bathroom that now she radiated with it. And watching her take control of her own sexuality, to chase her pleasure with him was enough to make Grumpy lose his ever-loving mind. His need for her sparked a fire in his soul that demanded release.

Their feverish kiss took his breath away as she rolled her hips agonizingly slowly. They both knew how sweet the torture was going to be. Grumpy bent his knees, a silent offering to help her balance if she needed them.

As their tongues battled for dominance, two very important facts flared through Grumpy with absolute and unequivocal certainty. First, Kelly was made for him: mind, body, and soul. There would never be another equal to her in his world. And second, he was more in love with her today than he’d been yesterday, and knew without a shadow of a doubt that he would love her more tomorrow than he did today.

Sparks flew and ecstasy reigned as they succumbed to the gentle rhythm of hard flesh and soft touches. His wife was everything, and he was not shy about telling her that every single fucking day for the rest of their lives.

* * *

“Don’t you dare! Come back here!”

Kelly didn’t bother trying to cover up her giggles from her position on the couch as she watched her man chase their firstborn grandchild around their house. For a man who could barely walk on the day the twins were born, he certainly had some speed to him now. And his stamina… Kelly swallowed hard, recalling the night before and the promise of the repeat once their house was no longer swarmed by miniature humans.

Hearing her, Grumpy paused in the doorway of the living room, his trademark scowl bearing down on her. “Do you mind? I could use some help here?”

Kelly cradled Declan to her chest, nuzzling her five-year-old grandson’s cheek with her own. “Can’t,” she feigned a pout. “I’m too busy cuddling my favorite man.”

Grumpy’s eye twitched. The scars on his face and body would never go away. To this day, people stared. It pissed Kelly off to no end, but Grumpy literally turned a blind eye to them. He didn’t give a shit what people thought, and that was always a trait Kelly would forever be jealous of.

Pointing an accusing finger at her as screaming continued behind him, Grumpy growled accusingly, “She gets this from your side of the family.”

Kelly threw her head back and laughed, happiness and joy filling her to the brim as Grumpy leapt back into action. Waving a pair of little girl panties in the air like the threat Remi treated them as, he raced after their very naked granddaughter.

Kissing Declan’s cheek, she ran her fingers through his pitch black hair. His devilishly good looks were his father’s while his black hair and blue eyes were all his mother’s. The twins couldn’t have been more opposite if they tried. A boy and a girl, Declan was quiet, sweet, and loved to read even at such a young age, while Remi was a hellion hyped up on too much sugar, attitude, and pizazz. Declan hated being undressed and even struggled with potty training because he hated being on the toilet. In contrast, Remi had practically potty trained herself, and unfortunately had been taught by her uncles that peeing outside was “fun”. More than once she’d tried to drop her pants in public to water a bush.

“We’re going to be late,” Kelly called out. Declan’s little tux was perfectly pressed with not even a wrinkle or piece of lint on it. His mommy, Bubbe Kelly, and Bubbe Ruth always had a spare lint roller on them for when Declan needed it.

There was a thump from the other room, and a loud, triumphant “Gotcha!” A series of growls, thuds, curses, and indignant child whines followed. By the time Grumpy came back in with his hellcat of a granddaughter, he looked like he’d just come back from a war, not getting ready to go to a wedding. It was a good thing that Kelly had kept his dress shirt and cut nice by the door. Experience told her that Remi would not get into her flower girl outfit easily. While Declan was proud to serve as the ring bearer, Remi had openly protested anything that had to do with flowers—until she’d been bribed with a glitter cannon and being in charge of passing out Nerf bullets to the guests as they arrived to take their seats.