Sonny's Surrender: Devil's Wind - Book Three

by D. D. Galvani

  “How’s tomorrow after work sound?” he asked.

  “Sounds like a plan to me,” I answered.

  “We can grab dinner, and you can regale me with all the girly stuff that needs to get done to make it livable. I can call in Dolly to help; she’s the one that does the interior of the houses the club flips, and she’s damn good at it.”

  “Girly stuff? Dolly? Oh, yeah, this is getting better and better.”

  He squeezed me and lightly tapped my ass. “I should spank you. I know your brain is going a mile a minute. Dolly is married, and her husband is a friend of the club. Her taste is impeccable, and that’s all there is to it.”

  “Yeah, yeah, kiss me and let me go to bed. I’m tired, and my boss hates it when I’m late to work.”

  He chuckled but complied, and when he let me come up for air, my head was spinning. I opened my eyes slowly and watched as his lips descended on mine, kissing me quickly before he released me and stepped back.

  “See you tomorrow, Gia. Thanks for coming with me today; I couldn’t have done it without you.”

  “You’re welcome, Sonny. I really enjoyed myself today. It was worth it to see Maria smile.”

  I watched him mount his bike and ride away with a wave of his hand. I heard Jiji come out on the porch and sat back down in the chair.

  “Need to talk, girlfriend?” she asked.

  “Jiji, how can I help him make this adjustment when I don’t have any kids myself, and I’m biased because I was in the system for a good part of my life?” I asked her.

  “Gia, honey, it’s because you were in the system that makes you uniquely qualified to help Sonny settle these kids,” she replied.

  “We are so new, Jiji. We haven’t figured out what’s ahead for us, and I’m afraid that our relationship will be placed on the back burner—and rightly so. These kids need to be first in his life, but I’m selfish enough to want his attention too.”

  “Ahh, so now we get to the heart of the problem. That’s not being selfish, that’s being realistic. It’s also called being human. Those little ones need both of you, and I for one think having them will bring you closer as a couple because you need each other’s strengths. You’re good at some things, and he’s good at others; by combining those things, it can only make the bond between you stronger.”

  “How did you get to be so wise, young one?” I teased her.

  She winked at me. “I can’t tell you all my secrets, then there would be no mystery,” she retorted.

  I slung an arm around her shoulder and hugged her hard. “Thanks for listening and being honest, Jiji. It’s just what I needed to hear.”

  “Anytime, girlfriend, just don’t think it’s going to get you out of telling us about Sonny and his impressive physical attributes.”

  I laughed, I couldn’t help myself. The girl just didn’t quit! I hefted her out of the chair. “Go find your man and work out some of that tension you have going on there. If he was keeping you satisfied you wouldn’t be harping about what my man’s packing.”

  “Oh, you’re in trouble now! I’m going to tell him that you dissed his package.”

  “Yeah, I don’t think so, because then I’d have to tell him you were asking about my Sonny’s, and I don’t think that would go over so well.”

  “Bitch!” she yelled.

  “Whiner,” I retorted.

  She stuck her butt out and wiggled it as she walked away. “You could kiss my patootie, but I’d rather have Breech do it. Bye, Felicia,” she said as she stepped inside.

  Gathering the cups, I followed her inside. In the kitchen, I washed the mugs and put them on the drainboard, then set the coffee maker for the next morning. When I hit the bed fifteen minutes later, I thought I’d toss and turn, but I felt better after talking to Jiji and within a couple minutes was out like a light.

  Twenty-Five

  Nine Months Later...

  Stella was in the kitchen with Maria, Sarah, Petey, and her two kids, Ryan and Kyle. The kids were all seated at the table having breakfast while Stella finished making lunches. Four of the five would be catching the bus soon for school, and the house would be quiet for about five minutes.

  Thinking back over the last few months, I can’t imagine my life before these kids plowed their way into it. The club has had my back the whole way, and I don’t think I’d have gotten this far without them.

  They helped me track down Momma and her boyfriend, and with the information we found on the jump drive, we were able to get her arrested and sentenced for fraud after proving she’d been taking payments for children that didn’t exist. We also pressed charges against both of them for child abuse for beating Maria, and although none of us would lift a finger against a woman, we knew what they did to child abusers in prison and had no problem branding them with that scarlet letter before they reached their home for the next 20 years.

  Every time one of my children laughed, I knew I’d do anything to hear it again and again. Maria was the toughest nut to crack. She was the most reserved of the three of them, and she had separation anxiety, which the doctors said should dissipate with time and attention. Sarah was the loving one. She had blossomed, gained some weight, and loved going to school. Her teachers said she was gifted in math and science and had a bright future ahead of her. Petey quickly settled in, and he and I became best buds. He wasn’t around Momma and her crew long enough for it to have affected him like it did the girls. Plus, they shielded him as much as they could, even taking his punishments to spare him the pain.

  I was jolted out of my introspection by a little body hugging me from behind. It was Ryan. “Sonny, why don’t your kids call you Dad?” he asked me. The sip of coffee I had just taken got caught as I inhaled and I choked as it went down the wrong way.

  The room was suddenly so quiet, and all eyes were on me. I wheezed a bit and wiped my streaming eyes, but before I could say anything, Maria spoke up. “He’s not related to us, Ryan; he gets paid to watch over us and make sure we don’t screw up.”

  “Is that what you think of me, Maria? That I take care of you guys just for the money? That makes me sad that you think that,” I said.

  Sarah came over and hopped up on my lap. Taking my head between her two hands, she said, “I know you don’t take care of us just for the money. I know you are Petey’s real dad, but not me and Maria, so is that why don’t you want us to call you Dad?” she asked matter-of-factly.

  “Sarah, I would be honored for all of you to call me Dad. Yes, Petey is my son, but that doesn’t make you or Maria any less important to me,” I said.

  She let go of my face and flung both arms around me. “I love you, Dad, thanks for loving us back.”

  I patted her back, hugging her little body close while I gathered my self-control. The other two didn’t wait, though, and they piled on ‘til the four of us were huddled together.

  A horn beeped outside and the kids scrambled to get their lunches and backpacks and went slamming out the screen door. I watched from the kitchen window as they darted for the bus. Maria got there first and made sure the other three got on okay before she turned to get on herself, but before she did she turned to where I was watching and, using both her hands, formed a heart. She smiled at me, turned, and boarded the bus.

  I felt Stella rub my back. “Sometimes they make you catch your breath; it’s moments like this that makes all the bad stuff worthwhile.”

  “Thanks, Stella; you’ve been a godsend to the kids and me. I never would have survived those first few weeks without you, and I will never forget it,” I said, bumping her shoulder.

  She smiled at me. “You’re welcome, Sonny,” she said, bumping me back.

  Kyle came running up at that moment. “Mommy, I gotta potty,” he said, running off towards the bathroom.

  “Duty calls,” Stella said, fol
lowing him down the hallway. “See you later, Sonny,” she called over her shoulder.

  Shaking my head at what my life has become, I went out to my bike and rode to the clubhouse. Walking to my office, Dana and Gia both greeted me as I passed them. I set my bag down, and Dana walked into my office with a cup of coffee and an armful of files. She set both down on my desk and left. Gia came in a couple of minutes later with a stack of messages and a notepad. She sipped her coffee quietly in between taking notes as I went through the messages, starting with the most pressing issues. We worked for about thirty minutes, her taking notes and me addressing the most pressing issues, stopping only when my cell rang.

  “Yo Dukes, what can I do for you man?” I said as I answered the phone.

  “We have the foster care ride coming up, and we need to get the girls to plan out the barbecue so we get those folks that sign up fed.”

  “We are working on it as we speak, Dukes. We have the permits for the park grounds, the guys have the grills being cleaned, and food has been ordered.”

  “I knew you would be on top of it, Sonny, I’m just touching base. Lani is very excited about this one. She is pushing everyone she knows to show up and just think about it. We are going to do our damnedest to find as many homes for these kids as we can. You started a trend, and it’s one of the best ones I can think of, my man. I’m thrilled to see how happy those kids are in your home and how much you’ve thrived having them with you.”

  “Thank you for pushing me to take them and make them my family, Dukes. I hope everyone coming can see what a blessing these children can be. My mission in life has changed, and as much as the Devil’s Wind is close to my heart, these kids have become my priority and will remain so ‘til they put me in the ground.”

  “We are right there with you, Sonny. This group of guys has taken on this mission, and we will continue to spread the word and get as many of these kids placed as we can. Keep me posted on the party and let me know if you need anything else.”

  My phone clicked off, so I dropped it on the desk. Gia had been listening, and she looked up and said, “He’s right, you know; you have thrived with those kids, and it’s damn good to see, Sonny. I love how natural your smile is and how the little stuff just rolls off your back. Those babies don’t know how lucky they are that you found each other. Thank you for letting me be a small part of this.”

  Reaching out, I circled her waist and pulled her down on my lap. “I couldn’t do any of this without you, Gia. I’m not a public person, but I will damn sure do what I have to do to get the word out about fostering and adoption. I’m damn glad you’re in this with me for the long haul because I have no intentions of ever letting you go.” Dipping my head, I kissed her, and she responded immediately, pressing her body against mine.

  But before we could really get intimate, the door opened, and three little bodies came hurtling into the room, jumping around and whooping. Gia threw her head back in laughter, and the kids joined in. I just took it all in: my job, my girl, my kids.

  Yes, this was my life.

  About the Author

  D.D. Galvani was born and raised on Long Island, New York. She moved to Florida in 2002 and lives there today with her husband of 37 years.

  She has two children and one beloved granddaughter, who she spoils as much as she can.

  She is an avid reader and crafter and decided to put those two loves together—and Swag by NaNa was born.

  After working around authors for a few years, she asked a couple to look at a story she had written, and was blown away that they liked it. They pushed for her to finish it, and her first novel—Fighter’s Claim, an MC romance—came to be.

  She writes strong alpha males and sassy, intelligent women.

  Welcome to her world!

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