AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My heart is so full that I can’t respond. “I don’t know what to say. Why?” Why would these women put together a baby shower for me and Hope? What happened in the past week? “I don’t get it.”
Kelsey and the girls come over to me. “We didn’t welcome you the way we should have, and we’re sorry for that,” she says, rubbing her pregnant belly. “That’s not who we are, I swear. So, with a little bit of help from Amazon Prime, we were able to put together a party to celebrate you and baby Hope.”
Tears slide down my cheeks. I’m overwhelmed by this level of apology. Josie steps up beside me and Tank is on the other side, Hope now resting in his arms. “Uhm, thank you, ladies. This is more than I could’ve asked for.”
“This is who we really are,” Kenna says to me with a baby boy on her hip. “You caught me on a bad day, and it’s no excuse. I’m sorry. We’re family and we have to look out for one another, and that family now includes you and Hope.”
It’s still totally unbelievable because they don’t know me, not really. But here they are, showing me an act of kindness and celebration. “Thank you. I mean it, this is just wonderful.”
Letty steps forward with an apologetic smile. “Congratulations on your beautiful baby girl. Can I see her?”
I nod, swiping the tears from my cheeks. “Of course. She’s perfect.” And that one small act seemed to shift something between me and the rest of the women.
“I made you a cake,” Maven says with a beaming smile. “Tank says you worry about that killer figure, so I made it with beet sugar. Let me know how you like it. I’m always looking for new items to add to the menu.”
“Thank you,” I tell her in a shaky voice, hugging her to cover more tears. Where in the hell are these hormones coming from when my pregnancy is over? “Sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Kelsey assures me. “I cried at the drop of a hat for about three months after I gave birth.”
“I still cry all the time, and Ryder’s almost seven months old,” Kenna adds with teary eyes.
“Damn, girl.” Josie laughs and wraps her arm around me. “Now you’re part of the biker bitch mommy brigade. Do you guys have jackets or something?”
The women laugh, and Kenna taps her chin. “No, but I like the idea of the Mommy Brigade and matching jackets. I’ll look into that.”
Kelsey rolls her eyes. “See what you started?”
Josie shrugs. “That’s me, mistress of chaos. Sorry, not sorry.” She grabs me by the waist, leading me to the throne, but not before tossing a sash across my chest. “Ready to be the center of attention for the next few hours?”
“Not at all,” I grumble to myself. “I’m a hot mess.”
“You’re my hot mess, and you look beautiful,” Tank assures me, kissing my cheek before he disappears with the rest of the men. Whatever they’re up to weighs heavily on my mind.
The baby showers got all the trimmings, but beneath the streamers and the congrats balloons, I wonder what it really means to bring a child into this biker world.
CHAPTERTHIRTY
Tank
“How’s fatherhood?” Shades smiles at me from his spot at one of the picnic tables behind the clubhouse, legs crossed at the ankles and a shit-eating grin on his face.
“Great. Perfect,” I answer with a wide smile. “Terrifying as fuck.”
“Ain’t it?” Coop agrees with a smile just as wide. “Amazing, too, though.”
Ace nods. “It’s like Basic Training, terrifying and exhausting, and you wish you hadn’t done it, but then you’re grateful as fuck that you did.” He’s shaking his head as though even he can’t believe the shit coming out of his mouth.
“That’s it exactly,” I agree. I haven’t been a father all that long, but every decision I make is about what’s best for my girls. “What did I miss?”
And that one question flips everyone back to MC business mode. Wild Man is there with his laptop open on the table and a cigarette hanging from his lips. “Thanks to your friend Riot and crew, we’ve got intel on the motherfuckers who went after Sophie. With their help, I managed to retrace the steps and track down the vehicles to their starting point.”
I’m holding my breath, full of anticipation and annoyance. “And?”
Wild Man grins like he’s enjoying teasing me. “Patience, man.” I lunge forward, and the pretty motherfucker smiles again. “Calm down, dude. It’s the old man, Arturo Rojas. He’s been working with the Latin Mafia since he’s been locked up. They followed Sophie after she tried to visit you in County and passed the info along to him.”
“Son of a bitch.” Sophie and Hope will never be safe until the old man is dead and buried. “I thought we were getting rid of him.”
Ace nods. “It’s not as easy as we thought. The good news is we now have a guard in our pocket. And he’s not cheap.”
