Just as fast, I am up, and my hand is over the gun she’s holding. At the same time, we hear Jane settling Eli down and cooing at him, telling him to come eat.
“K-Love, I think he’s okay. Finish getting dressed and go out there with them.”
She looks a little confused and ashamed at the same time. She puts her long hair up in a messy bun, then slips her bra on. Before stepping out, she looks back and asks, “Are you not coming?”
“Yeah, after a cold shower. I was ready for you.”
Kat’s gaze flicks down to my rock-hard dick and back up to my face. A smirk covers her face because I’m still butt ass naked from last night. “You’re going to need an ice-cold shower.” She leaves me alone with no remorse in her tone whatsoever.
“And a fucking hand to take care of it,” I mock out loud to no one but myself.
After a quick a shower, I find Kat at the table with a sad face. I look around and realize why. It is ten in the morning. We slept in while Jane and Danny were up taking care of Eli. He was crying for a snack, breakfast was long gone and he was all cleaned up.
I pretend that I don’t see it and start on some scrambled eggs for us. Kat makes Eli a quesadilla and cuts it into little triangles, and she tries damn hard not to let the disappointment shine through. This little boy breaks her down like no one else on this earth could.
It hits home to me that everything she held so close was for him. I can’t blame her for the things she did. More than likely, had I been in her situation, I would have done the same.
Taking our plates and coffee to the table, I pass one of each to Kat and kiss her temple. She looks down at the food and then to me, and moisture coats her eyes. Rapidly, she blinks away the tears and concentrates on eating. My hand rubs her back in long slow strokes. Her lungs take in a long inhale and then a slow exhale, releasing the emotion with it. Her heart’s basic needs have been ignored for so long. Has she ever had someone to show her love and care? I doubt it very much.
Eli’s anxious little hands reach for my eggs. “Bro,” I laugh at him, “Noted. Never make food for just two. It is two-point-five people. Just so you know,” I explain while giving him some of my eggs, “I don’t like to share. But you’re a growing boy, so I’ll share with you.” I wink at him before swiping a piece of the quesadilla off his plate.
Kat’s body slightly chuckles next to me. “What, it’s what families do, share.” She freezes on the spot. “Momma,” I kiss her forehead and sit back. A stunned woman blinks back at me. Apparently, love is the best way to shut this woman up. Huh, I’m filing this tidbit away for later.
“Momma,” Eli repeats after me several times. This time, Kat is unable to hold back from hiding herself away. She puts her hands over her face and tries her damnedest to control herself.
“K-Love,” I call to her, “A mother does what is right for her baby. You did that.” She shutters a breath out and looks up at me. “You are his momma. Yeah, we slept in today because we didn’t think ahead because we never had to before. Like everything else, you will kick ass at this, and we will figure the rest out together.”
I glance to the side and Jane gives me an approving nod from where she’s standing by the kitchen sink, right before Eli ruins my moment of pure greatness.
“Ass,” he parrots and Jane’s eyebrows hit her hairline.
I glare at him, “We need to talk about the words you repeat after me. Of all the things I just said, Junior, that’s what you pick to repeat? Low, little dude, really low.” I shake my head at him, and he throws his scrambled eggs at my chest. “Don’t waste food, Eli,” I reprimand. He does it again.
“I see we are going to need a lot of team building here.” I pick up a piece of egg from my shirt and pop it into my mouth.
Jane chuckles on her way out, and I whisper to Kat, “Lil’ momma, he’s been living with those missionaries for too long. He throws food!”
Together, her and I clean up the mess and take Eli for a short hike to a lake nearby, for a picnic. There is a trail leading from the cabin and winding through the trees. With a backpack full of sandwiches and drinks, I follow behind the two of them. After about five minutes, Eli starts to run out of steam and slows down.
“Come here, bebé,” Kat holds her hands out and he runs to her excitedly. “Poor little handsome man,” she cradles his body to her chest. “Mi nene lindo, my handsome boy.” He folds his little arms around his belly and rests his head on her shoulder.
Cutest damn thing I have ever seen, to watch the love between the two of them growing.
We make it to the lake and start building castles out of dirt and twigs, out by the water, that he just steps or sits on. The three of us throw rocks into the water and hunt for birds. Another thing this little man needs to be taught. He’s a horrible hunter. But it makes my heart smile.
After we eat our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and chips, Eli and I lie down on a blanket. Both of us are exhausted from the day so far. He snuggles into my chest and curls into my body underneath the tree, in the shade.
Kat
It is not surprising to find Tank snoring within minutes of lying down, with Eli right behind him. My ovaries explode into dust at the sight of them.
Setting my sandwich down, I take the moment gifted to me, and snap a few pictures of them with my phone. I’m not able to resist, and I lie on the opposite side of Tank to watch Eli sleep. Memorizing this flash in time. It may be all that we have. This perfect moment as a little family.
The future is still unknown. None of us knows what will happen. It will be a fight to keep this and keep us all together. We can do anything as long as all of us make it out alive.
My fingers run through Eli’s hair, pushing it away from his perfect face. I love his chubby cheeks and little nose. I will do anything to keep him safe.
Tank called me momma all day long. The sweetest thing he has ever done for me. He is teaching my son who I am. Every time he repeats it to Eli, it cements a little more for him that I am his mom. A gift I can never repay, but I will try.
I’m not sure how long I lie there before Tank wakes up. He swallows and coughs a little. I’m sure it was dry from all the snoring.
“Hey, Kat, everything okay?” he asks with a raspy voice.
“Perfect day,” I respond and sit up to face him. “I would be lying if I told you that I wasn’t scared, Tank, for the future and what would happen.”
“Me, too, Kit Kat, but let me worry about you two. I will be here for you both.”
“I’m sorry, Tank, for the things that have happened since I walked into your life. The things that I have done to you and us,” I confess my fear that he won’t understand what I did. “I’m not good at telling you everything. The life I lived before was not that way. I was trying to do what was right for Eli, and I ended up hurting us in the process.”
I tell him about how I thought I could kill Matias by myself and save us all. About the plans I had to come back to him and be able to start fresh again.
“I was a fool to believe that it would be that easy. I took advantage of your easy-going nature and didn’t see the repercussions of my actions. I just assumed you would be okay because it is you. Strong, funny and loving.” My hand runs over his head and beard. “Will you forgive me? We won’t play games, there will be real forgiveness there?”
Laying my heart out there for him hurts because he could just as easily trick me or say no.
“Kat,” he pauses. “In case you didn’t know, I have been obsessed with you since our first night. I love you and Eli. I chased you for a long time, way before I knew who you were. I knew you were crazy as hell when you came back. I’d chase you again for as long as I needed to.”
“Love you.”
I place my fingers over his lips, not wanting the words back in this moment. I just want Tank to know my feelings, that these words were for him. He kisses my fingers and smiles under their pressure. I move my hand and kiss his full lips, unable to stop myself.
/> His hand gently holds my head and our faces are inches apart. “Kat, no more secrets between us. Promise me that you will include me in your decisions and choices. We are a team. Let me hear you say it.” Of course he goads me into humility.
“I promise to give you everything, my heart and all my secrets.” Leaning in, I kiss his nose.
“Good.” He smirks like a king and his laughter wakes Eli up.
“Time for a piss.” He takes Eli’s hand and walks over to a tree where he helps him out of his diaper, tossing it back at me. “No more of these, K-Love, he’s a toddler, not a damn baby. What else did those missionaries do to him that I am going to have to fix?” he hollers at me.
Eli just watches, stunned, not sure what they are doing together when Tank stands and pulls his jeans down, explaining everything in detail as he goes. “Point your dick at the tree and not me. You piss on another man, you’re gonna end up in a fight. Now, hold your dick like this, take aim and let it happen.”
Tank starts pissing on the tree, and, sure enough, Eli copies that too and they pee together, marking the tree. Tank looks over his shoulder and smiles like a proud father. “He’s a natural, babe. And not a bad size for a little guy.” He pulls his pants back up, then helps Eli with his.
It dawns on me that I have another Tank on my hands, and, God, I don’t know that I am ready for that, or the club.
The boys decide that it’s hot enough for a swim and strip their clothes off, except Tank leaves his boxers on. He jumps in and swims with Eli for a few minutes, splashing in the water.
The mountain lake water is freezing and it doesn’t take long before they are cold enough and come out of it. I dry Eli off with the blanket we brought, then dress him. This time, on our way back, I take the backpack and Eli rides on Tank’s shoulders.
I hope that this is where we end up, after the battle of our lives.
Fighting for forever.
Chapter 10
Tank
The crisp mountain air lingers with the dense moisture surrounding me in the backyard. The morning dawn shines through the forest and cascades a beautiful picture around me.
Sipping on my coffee, my mind trails off over the past few weeks and the events that led us to today. We’ve settled in up here, at the cabin, for about a week now, after Kat and I reunited. She has taken the time to spend with her son. A little more peace has settled in and calmed her down, something that Kat never had before.
She and I have talked the events over, and I understand better now how we got to where we are to today. I’ve made my peace with her past decisions because I knew what I was getting myself into with her. I knew she was a wild card. And I would have done the same to protect Eli, a hundred times over.
It’s a complicated mess we have entangled ourselves in. It is moving forward, and that’s what I am the most concerned about. Can I forgive my brothers for them not telling me about her plans and keeping that from me when they knew my intention was to brand her as my own?
My gut feels unsettled and my nerves are on edge with the dramatic changes in my world. The biggest of all is killing her husband. He will always be in the background of not only the MC but our lives if he’s not killed. That brings me to Kat. Will she back off and let me take care of her and Eli? Sure, we made up, but will she let me protect her? These things need to be settled and, once again, I hate that, in this moment, I can’t lean on my brothers for support.
One thing is clear though. I can’t keep Kat and Eli here and do what I need to do. I have to take them back to the clubhouse to protect them. If they are found up here, alone and unguarded, then I could lose them both. At least, at the club, there’s an entire army ready to protect them, and not just myself.
Walking into the wolves’ den is going to be an epic showdown because we have a score to settle. Jane and Kat may not agree, but they are going to have to get on board with it.
Walking in, Eli comes running to me on wobbly baby legs. He makes me laugh and has lightened up my world so much.
“Tank!” he belts. I pick him up, tossing him high into the air. His soft black hair floats behind him. His squeals are a sound that is pure joy. He lands in my arms and makes himself comfortable.
“C’mon, little dude, we have some ladies to piss off.” He lays his head on my shoulder and wraps a tiny little arm around it, holding onto my shirt. He makes me feel like a hero. I snicker because it’s going to get ugly here in a few seconds.
“Excuse me,” I stand in the living room, addressing Kat, Jane and Danny. “Us men of the house have an announcement to make.”
Right on cue, my mini me pops his head up in support. “We have to pack our stuff up and head out to the clubhouse.”
Jane’s mouth opens and she’s about to protest, but I hold my hand up. “Jane, I can’t protect you guys here and do what I need to do. You and Danny should come with us. I can’t make you, though, it is your choice, but my lil’ man and woman are going, period.”
Kat’s eyes narrow at my choice of words, but she knows them to be true. This isn’t a secure location to do what we need to.
Danny fights a smile because, if I have noticed anything, Jane doesn’t get ordered around. She’s a great woman, just too prissy for me to take.
“Tank, thank you, but I think that, for the sake of everyone involved, it is time that Jane and I moved on.” Danny stands and shakes my hand.
“You won’t need help?”
“No, I have several contacts in California to get us to where we need to go to be safe. We are heading to Europe for a two-year mission. You won’t need to worry about us.” He helps Jane up and leads her to their room.
An hour later, we load ourselves into my truck and the Hoffmans into their van. Cuervo drove it up here and helped us load and lock up the cabin.
Kat and Jane spend a long time talking and saying their goodbyes. Danny plays with Eli and tells him he will be back to check on him later. A very un-churchlike, sour looking Jane says her goodbyes to me as well. I still have no clue what I ever did to this woman to earn her dislike. Not that I really care, because the feeling is mutual, and Europe isn’t far enough away.
After a long hug from Jane to Eli, we separate. For good, I hope, because, let’s face it, that kind of woman was no good for my son.
I don’t even say a word on the drive to our destination because, when I arrive, we are going to have a Church meeting like we never have before. Shit is about to go down.
We pull up to the clubhouse and, for the first time in my life as part of the club, I feel an uncertainty of being here. The anger and resentment run through my veins.
“Kat,” I pull her to me and kiss her head, “After we get situated, it may get ugly. Keep Eli in the room, love.” She knows exactly what might go down, and, what I love the most is that her face gets an edge to it at hearing my words. If I asked her to, she would face them with me, us against them. She’s that crazy for me.
The clubhouse quiets, a deadly silence hovering over the room as the three of us walk in. Some stare stunned because Kat is alive, while others, I’m sure, thought that I was dead as well. And a lot of it has to do with the kid that clings to her. They’re wondering who he is and how we ended up with a toddler.
Before I leave, I help situate Kat and Eli in my old room, then kiss Kat on my way out in search of my brothers. Blade, Spider and Axl are waiting for me already in the bar area. We are in a standoff and stare at each other.
I took the week and then decided that we either find a way to fight through and work out our differences or, at the end of this, we part our ways. But there is only one way to find out.
Blade, the Prez, points to the room we hold Church in to talk. Four best friends walk in that have always had each other’s backs. I don’t know that we will come out this way afterward. No one else is invited to our meeting. It’s not a typical meeting to discuss business, this will be personal.
The door is locked behind Axl and he goes to stand next to the other
three. Spider looks unaffected, like he saw this coming, and, to a degree, I guess he did. Blade assesses me for a second before breaking the ice.
“Brother, I’m just happy that the three of you are okay.”
“Physically, we are just fine,” I bite out because the memories and ache are still fresh from what happened.
He nods at me, “Why exactly are you pissed at us?”
Ignoring his question, I focus on what I came here for. My hands clench and I relax them.
“I need to keep them here with me until we have this shit settled. We have the same problem, and we can take out the Cartel together.”
“Bro, what is going on?” Axl looks puzzled, probably because he hasn’t heard the whole story yet. “Why wouldn’t you be here with us to work on this together?”
I thought I could do this calmly but I guess my anger is still there. “Because the whole time, these two,” I point at Blade and Spider, “Have been calling the shots without the rest of us knowing what they were planning.”
Blade’s eyes squint at my words. “You know that you are not privy to all club business. None of you are. You knew that Kat came in to work with us.”
“That was before I claimed her, and you didn’t even think to tell me,” I hit a fist to my chest, “What she was planning on doing. Blade, would you have allowed Vegas to die and kill Johnny on her own for what he had done to her?” My voice rises higher as frustration and anger seep from every word.
“No,” he answers, knowing the truth. “Kat has been and always will be different from Vegas. Kat had always held the cards and bargained with us for information or work since she came here. Vegas was hurt because of us. Don’t you dare talk about her, the circumstances are very different.”
Fighting for Forever: Tank & Kat's story, Part 2 (Battle Born MC Book 6) Page 5
