“If you weren’t already pregnant, that little episode certainly would have rectified that,” he retorted.
I smiled. “You won’t be happy until you have twelve of your spawn running around, will you?”
“They’d be your spawn too, honey.”
“That’s not actually comforting.”
He laughed and I took my purse from him, pulling out the spare pair of panties and stepping into them.
“Cheater,” he said.
“Preparer,” I corrected. “I’m not walking back into the club with your cum running down my legs, Knox.”
“Jesus, woman, everything you say is sexy as hell.”
“And that’s a problem because…?”
“Because I constantly want to take you into a back room and fuck the living daylights out of you.”
I giggled. “Again, the problem?”
“No problem for me, Welly, but you’re the one who doesn’t want to be barefoot and pregnant for the rest of your life.”
I grinned, wrapping an arm around his waist. “I have two words for that.”
“Yeah?”
“Tubal ligation.”
“No.”
I sighed. “It’s gonna happen, Knox. Wrap your mind around it.”
“I’ll get snipped before you have major surgery, Quin. Wrap your mind around that.” He locked my car and we moved toward the front door of the compound.
“No way in hell. When I’m ready, it’ll be because I never want to be pregnant again. But if something happened to me, you should still have the chance to move on and have more kids if you want them.”
He spun to face me and scowled. “Don’t ever say that again.”
“What?”
“That something might happen to you.”
“Okay—”
“No, hear me on this, Quin. If, God forbid, anything did happen to you, there would never be anyone else. I wouldn’t want to move on, and there’d be no way in hell I’d want to have kids if it wasn’t with you.”
I blinked back tears. “Knox.”
“What?”
I looped my arms around his neck. “I love you.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Then no more talk of you dying or me moving on, got it?” He slid his hands to my butt and squeezed. “We go together or we don’t go at all.”
I smiled. “I vote not going at all.”
“Okay, baby, I’ll start looking for a vampire to ‘turn’ us.”
“You get on that,” I retorted and he kissed me.
Then we went inside and joined our family. Kinsey and Alfie had long since gone to bed, so we hung out with everyone for about an hour before heading upstairs ourselves. Even though my nausea was all but over, I was still tired at random times, and after our intense evening, I was ready to sleep for a while.
Badger had other ideas.
After helping me with my zipper, he lifted my dress up over my head and kissed the back of my neck before turning me to face him. “I love you.”
I smiled. “I love you too.”
“I want you to marry me.”
I cocked my head. “I thought we were doing that on Monday?”
“I’m fuckin’ this up,” he breathed out, then went down on one knee. “Quinlan Marie Slater, will you do me the great honor of marrying me?”
He held a velvet box up and opened it. I gasped. A pear-shaped diamond surrounded by tiny diamonds in a pear-shaped halo sat nestled in the dark blue satin. It was total perfection. “That’s the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen,” I whispered, reaching for it.
He pulled it back. “You have to say yes first.”
“Yes, honey. But the honor’s mine.”
He grinned, slipping the ring on my finger and standing to kiss me. “Do you like it?”
I studied the ring. “I love it, Knox. It’s like you read my mind on what I wanted in an engagement ring.”
“I’d planned to do this at dinner, but we got a little sidetracked.”
I grinned. “Yeah, we did.”
He stroked my cheek. “We’ve done things ass-backwards, huh?”
“Depends on who you ask.”
“Can’t wait to make this permanent.”
“Me too, honey.”
“Let’s check on Kins and then we’ll hit the sack, okay?”
I nodded, kissing him again, then following him into Kinsey’s room, grabbing a T-shirt on the way.
Quinlan
A SCRUFFY FACE nuzzled my neck and I chuckled as I came awake.
“Morning wife.”
I grinned, scooting my butt back toward Badger as he spooned me. “Morning husband.”
We’d gotten our license last week and Doc had married us three days later. It was a small ceremony, just the club, and then we’d had a night away alone in downtown Savannah. Now we were home and making the most of our mornings together.
“Happy two day anniversary,” he said.
I rolled my eyes and turned to face him. “Are you going to do this every morning?”
“Well, no, I can’t do it every morning.”
“How come?” I challenged.
“Because tomorrow morning will be our third day anniversary.”
I chuckled. “Goof.”
He grinned. “I gotta get to the shop. I’ll drop Kinsey off on my way. Pick you up for lunch and then we’ll head to the doctor?”
“Perfect,” I said, and kissed him.
We’d cut back Kinsey’s daycare days to just one or two a week, since I was feeling so much better, but I was having a well-check today, so Kinsey was going to hang out at Willow’s. She’d begged for some one-on-one time with my daughter, and who was I to deny her?
“What am I going to do with myself all morning?”
“Whatever the fuck you want.”
Badger kissed me, then I got up to make breakfast for my family and ushered them out the door. I took some extra time in the shower, then rummaged through some of my old maternity clothes that were in a box in the closet. I found a pair of jeans that fit, then pulled on one of Badger’s T-shirts and a pair of my low-heeled boots. I felt cute, which bolstered my confidence and I felt like I could take on the world.
“Quin?” Badger called out.
“Laundry room,” I called back. I checked my watch and realized it was almost twelve. The morning had flown by.
“Hey, baby.”
I closed the washer and turned it on, sliding into his arms. “Hey, honey.”
“You look adorable.”
“You think so?”
Badger grinned. “Always.”
“I think I need some new maternity clothes. These are a little tight on me.”
“We’ll hit the mall after the doctor.”
I raised an eyebrow. “A real date and the mall? Who are you and what have you done with my husband?”
“I fuckin’ love that.”
“Me too.” I gripped his cut. “Now, husband, let’s go find out what we’re having.”
“You want to know?”
“Definitely. Don’t you?”
“I don’t know, honestly. I like surprises.”
“It’ll be a surprise either way,” I pointed out. “And the planner in me can prepare.”
He smiled. “Okay, Welly, we’ll find out.”
“I could always kick you out of the room.”
“You’d never be able to keep that secret, Quin.”
I sighed. “You say that like you know me or something.”
He chuckled. “I would never.”
I grinned and kissed him. “Feed me, Seymour.”
“Come on.”
I followed him out to my car and we headed to lunch.
* * *
I smiled at Badger as we walked through the maternity department at Target. He looked a bit like a deer in the headlights and I couldn’t stop a quiet laugh. We’d just been told we were having a boy and I could tell he was overwhelmed. In a good way, but def
initely overwhelmed.
“Can’t believe we’re having a boy,” he said for the umpteenth time.
“I know,” I said. “I can’t wait to meet him.”
“Me too, baby.”
I dropped a pair of maternity jeans in the cart and wrapped my arms around him. “Are you okay?”
He frowned. “Yeah. Did you think I wasn’t?”
“You just look stunned.”
“I am.” He grinned. “But I’m so fuckin’ happy, baby.”
“Good.” I gave him a squeeze. “Me too.”
“You almost ready?”
“I want to make sure I’m the cutest pregnant woman in Monument,” I explained. “So, no, not almost ready. I have to be your arm candy.”
We were leaving in three weeks for the giant get-together and I was excited, but I was also scared to death. I was used to a few bikers at a time, but close to five hundred? I wasn’t sure what to expect.
He chuckled. “Baby, you’re the most beautiful woman on the planet. Even in a burlap sack, you’re my arm candy.”
“Charmer.”
“You gonna try any of that shit on?” he asked.
I shook my head. “You can return it for me if it doesn’t work.”
“Oh, I can return it, huh?”
I kissed him quickly. “You’re welcome.”
He chuckled and we made our way to the checkout lines. After grabbing fast food, we picked Kinsey up and headed home.
Total domestic bliss was suiting me just fine.
* * *
It was the third Saturday of the month, which meant it was a family get-together at the club, and I’d woken up in a shitty mood. Which was inconvenient because I loved family nights at the club.
“Mama?”
“Yeah, munchkin?”
“Cookie.”
“No cookie,” I said. She’d asked six times for a cookie in less than ten minutes and I was about to rip my hair out.
I was standing in the kitchen trying to make pancakes, and my daughter was working my last nerve.
She patted my leg and I glanced down at her. “Yes, baby?”
“I wuv wu, Mama.”
“I love you, too, munchkin.”
“Cookie?”
“Jesus,” I hissed, dropping my head back. “Knox!” I called.
“What?” he returned.
He was in our bedroom doing God knows what.
“I need you.”
He walked into the kitchen and I licked my lips. His jeans were slung low on his hips and he was bare chested, and barefoot. “What’s up?”
“I need a terrorist wrangler.”
Knox grinned and knelt down in front of Kinsey. “What are you doing, baby girl?”
“Cookie?”
I shook my head.
“No cookie,” Knox reiterated. “Mommy’s making pancakes.”
“Cookie,” she whispered.
“I can’t,” I rasped. “I just can’t this morning.”
“Baby, I got her,” he promised, and I took a few deep breaths.
“You okay?” he asked.
“No, probably not.”
He picked Kinsey up and kissed my cheek. “We’ll unpack it after breakfast.”
“Or I can just be in a bad mood.”
Knox raised an eyebrow and pulled Kinsey closer. “Nope.”
“Nope!” Kinsey mimicked, then giggled.
Knox grinned. “Exactly. No bad mood for Mommy.”
“Cookie,” Kinsey said, and patted Knox’s face.
“Be strong, honey,” I ordered.
“Let’s go play with something while Mommy finishes breakfast,” he suggested.
“She needs to get dressed,” I countered.
“We’ll do both.”
He carried Kinsey away and I went back to breakfast. Once we ate, Kinsey dragged a few of her toys out to the front room and Knox set her up on the sofa, Moana playing quietly on the television.
“Break it down, Quin,” Badger said, dropping a plate into the dishwasher.
“I don’t know if I can.”
“I have faith in you.”
I rolled my eyes. “I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed, honey. I don’t think you need to psychoanalyze me.”
“So, the fact you ‘woke up on the wrong side of the bed,’ has nothing to do with the fact it’s our anniversary?”
It was the anniversary of our first kiss. The same day cops had dragged him away from me in front of all of our classmates.
I leaned against the counter and sighed. “I’d like to point out that it’s weird you remember shit like that.”
He chuckled, wrapping his arms around me. “We’re good, baby. You’re married to your dream man and our daughter is thriving. Not to mention, our son is growing in your belly.”
“I feel like the other shoe’s going to drop.”
“The first one didn’t. In fact, there are no shoes, period.”
I dropped my head to his chest. “God, I hope not.”
“We’re gonna go hang with our family, Kinsey’s gonna get spoiled rotten, and you are going to relax.” He grinned. “While I drink.”
I nodded. “I can’t wait.”
“We’ll stay at the compound tonight, okay?”
“What about the house?”
We were looking at a house near Alamo and Jasmine in the morning, and it was closer to here than the compound.
“We can still look at the house, baby.”
“Promise?”
He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, Quin, I promise.”
I smiled. “Pajama party at the compound sounds good, then.”
“You trust me to pack a bag?”
I snorted and he raised an eyebrow. I chuckled, covering my mouth with my hand. “Oh, that came out way worse than I intended.”
He laughed. “I’ll finish the dishes, you go pack a bag.”
I nodded, but didn’t release him.
“But we can stand here for a minute or two.”
I snuggled closer. “Thanks, honey.”
“You feel better?” he asked after a few minutes of holding me.
“Yes.”
He kissed me gently. “Love you more than the world.”
“More than the universe,” I said, then sighed. “Even though I’m annoyed you know me so well.”
He patted my butt. “Go pack.”
I went and packed.
And tried not to worry.
* * *
Walking into the compound, Knox took our bags up to our rooms while I took Kinsey back to the kids’ room. Sage was on kid duty today and I adored her. She was the middle daughter of Grinder, one of the OG’s of the Dogs. He’d actually been the original President of this charter, until he retired and handed it off to Doc, but he was still around for advice and to back the club up.
“Kinsey!” Sage exclaimed, hunkering down in front of her and holding her arms out.
Kinsey flew into her body almost knocking her down, and wrapped her arms around her neck.
“How’s my favorite three-year-old?” Sage asked, lifting her as she stood.
“She’s in pure terrorist form,” I said.
Sage grinned. “I happen to love tiny terrorists.”
“Moana,” Kinsey demanded.
“Please, munchkin.”
“Pwease,” she said, and gave Sage her million-dollar smile.
“Oh, lordy, who could resist that?”
I chuckled. “No one. That’s the problem.”
“Well, you go have fun and I’ll keep little miss occupied.”
“Thanks, honey. We all very much appreciate it.”
I headed back to the great room where Knox was standing at the bar with Grinder, a beer in one hand, a soda in the other. I made my way to Knox and slid against his body.
Without pausing his conversation, he wrapped an arm around me and pulled me close.
“Hey, Quin,” Grinder said.
“Hi. I just dropped Kinsey off with your
girl.”
He grinned. “Good deal.”
“It’s sad she can’t join in the fun, though,” I said.
“No it’s not.”
I cocked my head in question. “It’s not?”
“Keeps her away from all these degenerate assholes.”
“Ahh,” I murmured. There it was.
It made sense, Sage was gorgeous, so I could see why her dad would want to keep her away from more than a dozen sexy, horny bikers.
Grinder’s wife, Cynthia, wove her way through the crowd toward us and I melted a little as Grinder’s eyes softened as she approached. She was in her late fifties and a little stuck in the eighties, style-wise, but she was still a knock-out. Big bleached hair, lots of makeup, tonight she wore leather pants, knee-high stiletto boots and a Harley shirt she’d cut up for maximum skin viewing. Grinder held his arm out for her and she pressed herself against him, kissing him deeply before turning to me and Knox. “Hey.”
“Hey, Cyn,” Knox said.
“You look gorgeous, Quin,” she said.
“Thanks.” I tipped my soda toward her. “You too, sexy.”
She chuckled. “I’m feeling my age today, so thanks for that.”
“I’d suggest you keep that shit talk to a zero,” Grinder said, frowning at his wife.
Cynthia rolled her eyes, but leaned closer to her man as she did it.
“Grinder!” Doc bellowed. “You’re up.”
“I’m gonna go school a kid,” he announced and kept his arm tight around Cynthia as they walked toward the pool table.
I slid my hands under Knox’s cut and smiled up at him. “You’re delicious, did you know that?”
He chuckled, leaning down to kiss me. “Yeah, as a matter of fact, I did.”
“Get a room,” Jasmine retorted as she stepped to the bar.
I grinned, hugging her. “I have no problem with that. You want to be on call if Kinsey needs anything?”
She laughed. “I kind of set myself up for that, huh?”
Valen wrapped an arm around her from behind and kissed her neck.
“What can I get ya?” Stump asked, having just walked behind the bar.
“Wine, please,” Jasmine said and faced us. “Mo said you were looking at the Martel’s old place.”
“Yeah,” Knox said with a sigh. “Not sure it’s going to be worth it, though.”
“You know they’re trying to get it on the registry,” Jasmine said.
“Really?” I asked.
She nodded. “Yes. It’s over a hundred-fifty years old. The Martel’s owned all the land surrounding it, and it’s one of four structures still standing in the area. I’d grab it while you can. It’ll be worth a mint when it’s fixed up.”
Redeeming the Biker's Past (Dogs of Fire: Savannah Chapter Book 3) Page 10
