Page 71 of Tats

Snake asks, "So you bought her a cut?"

I would have snorted if I didn't feel like my whole world was crumbling around me.

I close my eyes, listening to Iron and Snake brainstorm ways to keep Jayden in the club.

"He's ordered a cut, so he's caving…. Maybe we can handcuff Vi to this bed and refuse to give him the key?" Iron offers.

"Iron, no, that's a stupid idea. He'll just cut the cuffs…." Snake replies. He's quiet for a minute, then speaks again. “I know. Instead of a cattle farm, what if the club helps fund a medical clinic? We can build one in the back fields and create a driveway opposite his house. Doc can help, and it's something Vi could do when she passes her boards."

Iron blurts, "Fuck, that's actually a good idea. She'd be on his land, close, and by the time it's built, she would have finished school and could work alongside Doc for her residency. And, of course, there will have to be a contract involved…."

I feel Jayden shake his head. Their ideas continue to spin around when, I swear, I feel something.

I furrow my brows as flutters, like bubbles popping in my belly, appear.

I squeeze my eyes shut, trying my hardest not to sob, my mind going crazy, thinking I can feel the baby.

The sensations stop, and I squeeze Jayden's tank top, causing him to put his fingers through my hair, fisting it. I gasp when the feeling happens again, and I hold my breath. The feeling doesn't stop.

Is it…?

I turn my head and sit up, wincing with the pain, and the men stop their conversation to look at me as I place my hand on my belly and wait.

"Violet?" Jayden questions, but I shake my head, close my eyes, and focus.

The feeling comes again, and I know I feel it, and I know it's not in my head. I let out a sob before looking at Jayden and rasping, "We-we need Doc…."

29

Tats – One Week Later

I sigh and lean back in my chair as the brothers look at me expectantly.

We're in church, and when I say “we're”, I mean the whole fucking brotherhood, and it's a tight fit. And all eyes are on me.

What a way to make someone self-conscious. It's a good thing I'm a hard ass, right? Yeah, no, this fucking sucks. My skin feels itchy.

I sigh and order, "Alright, brothers, stop fucking staring, will ya?"

Snake chuckles before banging the gavel. "Okay, let's get this meeting started. I know why you're all wondering why we're in here and not the common room. Well, it's simple—" he nods my way, "—this fucker over here wants his woman close and, apparently, down the hall isn't close enough."

I expect the brothers to laugh, but they don't. Instead, they all nod seriously, and my respect for them builds.

Sniper stands, taking over. "Right, we're here because those fuckers—" he points to the old timers, "—treated our brother like shit growing up because of who his birth mother was."

The brothers all flinch but don't back down. They know they fucked up.

Breaker stands next, looking at me. "We're all here because we know time is running out."

Tech stands and states, "We know you want to hand in your patch. We all know you've had one foot out the door for years."

Doc stands next, and my eyes tear up when I realize what they're all doing: uniting as one to get me to stay.

He looks at me and says, "Until five years ago, we didn't know. If we'd had known, we would have fought for you, we wouldn’t have let things get as bad as they did. You're our brother, our enforcer."

Smokey stands, looks at me, and says, "Our Violet, she's an amazing woman. Not only did she call Snake to inform him of your decision to leave the brotherhood, that the words you said were years in coming. But she made you realize what love is, and she helped you see how much we," he spreads his arms out wide, "fucking love you. She helped you see that we're your family." He drops his arms, and I look down to control my emotions. A throat clears, and I turn my head to see my father looking just as emotional as I probably am.

"Finding out Snatch was trying to trap me with a baby was difficult. I thought abortion was best because we knew Snatch would use her position as an old lady to create havoc in the club. She'd fucking destroy us and our livelihoods. When she refused the abortion, we knew we had to tread carefully around her. I took the DNA test first, and when you came back mine, I was fucking scared. I wasn't ready to be a father, and because of that, I failed you. When you were born, I struggled to be around you, and not because I didn't want you like you thought. I struggled to be around you because I had that instant connection with you, only for me to remember that I asked her to abort you."

Source: www.allfreenovel.com