by Joanna Blake
I nodded.
“He’s never happier than with children hanging off him. The man is a human jungle gym.”
I smiled to myself.
“Of course, no one is a better jungle gym than my Jack, but don’t tell Callaway or Whiskey I said that. They both pride themselves on being the fun uncle.”
“Said what?”
I rolled my eyes as Callaway walked in and scooped Molly up into his arms. He kissed her long and slow and deep. I cleared my throat.
“Keep it PG, please. There are children present.”
“Where?”
“Well, class starts soon, so there will be children present. Soon.”
He grinned at me and kissed her again, grabbing her ass and squeezing it. Then he lifted her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
“Any chance I could steal her a little early today?”
“I was supposed to help with the flyers!”
I shook my head and sighed but I was smiling.
“Okay, Callaway, you can take her. Remember what I said, Molly. Okay?”
She nodded and waved at me over Callaway’s shoulder as he carried her out.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Callaway
“Okay, you can open your eyes.”
I lifted my hands away and watched her reaction. She clearly didn’t know what was happening. She gave me a tentative smile.
“Um.”
I pulled her into my arms for a quick kiss. I couldn’t keep my hands off her. I was already dreaming about getting her back to my place tonight.
“Welcome home, baby.”
“Home?”
I held out the keys. She inhaled sharply and I smiled.
“She’s ours.”
She looked at the house, then back at me. I took her hand and led her down the path.
“I know it’s a little rundown, but I just paid for it today. I’m going to fix it all up for you, sweetheart. For you and Tommy.”
She didn’t say a word as I unlocked the door and gestured for her to step inside. I flipped on a few lights and looked back at her. She looked stunned.
“What do you think?”
She wrapped her arms around herself. “I don’t know. I mean, it’s a nice place.”
“Nice? This is home, baby! This is where we’re going to live happily ever after.”
She looked worried so I stepped closer and pulled her against my chest.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart? You don’t like it?”
“No, that’s not it.”
“Then what?”
She stepped away, looking annoyed. Actually, I was pretty sure it was the first time I’d ever seen that particular look on her face.
“You didn’t even ask me.”
My jaw must have hit the floor, I was so shocked.
“You’re mad?”
“I don’t know. I’m not jumping for joy.”
“But . . . you promised to move in with me.”
“Yes, but . . . don’t you think I should have seen the house?”
I stood there, a terrible feeling in my gut.
“It’s not that this isn’t sweet or generous. It is. It’s just . . . well, I want to be consulted on things. Like the baby thing.”
My voice was deadly quiet.
“What about the baby thing?”
“I barely even had time to think about it. You just sprang it on me.”
My jaw started ticking and I saw black. Not red. Black. She didn’t like the house. She didn’t want my baby.
“You don’t want to move in with me?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Then what?”
“You should have asked me! About everything! About anything!”
“You don’t think I ask you anything?”
“Well, you don’t! You tell! It’s arrogant and it makes me feel like a passenger. It’s not right!”
I closed my eyes. She was about to end it. I knew it. I couldn’t face up to it right now. Maybe if I gave her some space, she’d love me again. Not that she’d ever told me in words.
“I’d better take you home. Let us both cool down.”
She stared at me. “You don’t want to talk about this?”
I shook my head slowly and she deflated a bit. She’d been riled up and now she just looked sad. Like she was disappointed in me. I’d let her down in my hurry to get us set up. It hurt my heart to see her look at me like that.
But nothing hurt as much as hearing she didn’t want to have my baby.
“But we live together.”
It was true. I’d gotten her out of that flea trap and into my place. There was even room for Tommy if he was ready to leave the skilled nursing facility before the house was ready. I’d thought everything was set. Planned. My timeline was in order.
• Move In Together
• Buy House
• Take Care of Tommy
• Have Babies
• Live Happily Ever After with Mols
Now all those plans felt like a house of cards in a stiff breeze.
“You stay there. I’ll find someplace to crash.”
“Callaway . . .”
She reached for me but I stepped away. I’d borrowed Whiskey’s car to drive her over here. I could just drive her back, drop off his car, and walk to the clubhouse. There were rooms there for the guys to crash and do ‘other things’.
Not that I wanted anything other than a stiff drink or twenty.
“Come on.”
I knew the look in Molly’s eyes would haunt me for the rest of the day. Maybe longer. She was hurt and I was the one who had done it.
But it didn’t change a damn thing.
She doesn’t want my baby.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Molly
“Have you guys heard anything?”
I sat on Kaylie’s sofa, staring at my friends. My new friends, who had done more than just merely embrace me. Sallie, Kaylie, Becky, and of course, Janet, were more than just friends. They had welcomed me like one of their own.
They were like sisters to me, and that meant a lot. I hadn’t had much in the way of family. I had one now.
But I was afraid I was on the verge of losing them.
Even worse, I was certain I had already lost Callaway.
The thought of that big, intense, sexy as all get-out biker running around thinking he was a free man . . . well, it was enough to make my blood run cold. If he was with another girl, I didn’t think I could bear it.
“You mean, is he under a pile of women right now?”
My lip quivered, but Janet wasn’t being unkind. She was just plainspoken. She put her hand on mine and squeezed.
“He’s not. Jack is keeping an eye on him.”
“Whiskey too.” Becky leaned forward, her pregnant belly making her look like some sort of round doll. She was so pretty and sweet. “He said he’s never seen anything like it.”
“Like what?”
“Callaway is ignoring all women. Has been ever since he met you.”
“Really?”
She nodded. “Yes, and I’ve been making him stay late to keep an eye out.”
“You need him at home.”
She raised an eyebrow. “You need him there more.”
“Dev’s been there a lot too. Probably a good thing, considering how soon he’s going to be a daddy.”
“What about Dev?”
A handsome dark blond biker was leaning against the doorframe to the living room. Kaylie jumped up with a squeal, launching herself into his arms.
“Hey, baby girl.”
“Hi.”
She sounded almost . . . shy. I sighed wistfully. Callaway made me feel like that. Each and every time I saw him, it was special. New.
And I’d gone and thrown it all away.
I was gutted, and at one of the best times in my life. I had my brother back. I had amazing new friends. And . . . I had him.
I forced myself to smile as Devlin waved and said, “Hi, l
adies.” before disappearing into the house. We all giggled. Even a tough guy like him was intimidated by this much girl power in one room.
My smiled faded pretty fast though.
“I’ll be right back.”
Kaylie hurried after Dev. She still managed to be graceful, but there was a bit of a sway to the way she moved. She called it her ‘waddle’ and even quacked sometimes when she said it. She was surprisingly funny for such a sweet girl.
She was back in a flash, sinking gratefully into the couch.
“He says Callaway is definitely not messing around. He’s just drunk and belligerent but completely ignoring the club girls. They’re all pissed about it, apparently.”
“How drunk?”
Kaylie rolled her eyes. “Three sheets to the wind.”
Janet nodded. “That’s good.”
“It is?”
“Yes, it means he’s upset, not trying to get over you.”
“Oh.”
“So, you want to tell us what happened?”
I nodded, swallowing nervously. I was sure they would all think I was a jerk. I told them everything, from the conversation I’d had with Janet to the whole ‘surprise house’ thing. They all sympathized, with Janet blaming herself for the pep talk she’d given me right before the fight. I told her not to be silly. She’d been right, after all. Callaway was being heavy-handed, and I hadn’t known how to deal with it.
I just needed time to come around to his way of thinking. To process all the new changes for myself. And I had. Now I needed to get him to believe it.
The girls had ideas of what to do. Show up at the clubhouse looking hot was at the top of the list. It had worked for Janet. Actually, that seemed like it had worked for all of them.
I shook my head. I needed to do more than that. I needed to prove to him without a doubt that I wanted to be with him for good. I leaned forward and told them I had a plan.
My plan was simple. And it would work. I hoped.
But it was extreme.
I took a deep breath and laid it all out for them.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Devlin
“This is bad, D.”
I shook my head, watching as Callaway slumped over the bar. Jack and Donnie’s cousin, Mac, were on either side of him, standing guard. Lucky stood behind Callaway, casually making sure he didn’t fall backward off his stool.
We’d had plenty of guys lying drunk on the floor, of course. Sometimes, they got stepped on. It was a bit of a ritual around here to take a piss on anyone who passed out too early. Not that anyone would dare to fuck with someone high-ranking like Callaway at the clubhouse, but they stood guard all the same. Donahue was worried about Cal. We all were.
My phone pinged and I saw that Kaylie had finally written back. I’d asked her earlier what she wanted from the store, and the list she’d sent back made me grin.
Ice cream
More ice cream
Pickles
Salt and vinegar potato chips
More ice cream
Seriously, if you don’t bring at least three pints of ice cream, there will be bloodshed.
Xoxox
“I’m going to head out. You think he’s nearly ready?”
“Do you know their plan?”
“We just need to get him to his shop. He can’t be totally wasted.”
“He’s definitely sobering up since earlier, but he’s miserable.”
“Yeah. Pretty sure I saw tears falling into his beer.”
Donnie stifled a laugh. We’d all been through it with our women. It wasn’t always easy getting them roped in, but it was worth it. We all expected Callaway and Molly to get back together.
Even Lucky tried to control his snark for once.
I was damn grateful the women had gotten involved. They were always the ones to come up with the best, most devious plans. I stepped outside to call my old lady. Her sweet voice always did something to my innards, somehow rearranging them so that I felt warm and settled inside.
“Did you get my ice cream?”
“That’s how you greet your husband?”
“Well, did you?”
“Not yet but I will, babe. Promise. I’m actually calling because they’re taking Callaway to his shop.”
Her voice changed immediately. General Kaylie was in full effect. I grinned as she went from sweet girl to dictator. The woman was all-business when it came to executing one of her plans.
“Excellent. I’ll mobilize the girls. Is he drunk? He can’t be too drunk.”
“Whiskey is feeding him coffee. And Donnie and Mac cut him off the hard stuff early. He has had about fifty beers in the past few days though.”
I heard her sigh. She was worried about Cal too. Kaylie might be younger than the rest of us, but she acted like a den mother to all the guys. And Cal was special. Even though he was wild, he was fiercely loyal. His artistic streak made him a bit eccentric compared to the average biker, but in a good way. He was a special guy and we loved him. He was family and you worried about family.
Every damn one of us was worried.
The guy deserved some happiness. Callaway was crazy about the girl. And Molly loved him. She was a good influence, too.
I could tell by the way they acted together. They gravitated toward each other, just like Kaylie and I did. My wife was pretty much a heavenly body. That’s how deep the pull was.
“Has he said anything?”
“No. Just that she didn’t want him.”
“She does. He just caught her off guard. He was steamrolling her.”
My stomach clenched, remembering the time I’d caught Kaylie off guard and made decisions without asking her. I’d thought I’d lost her. It was the worst pain I’d felt in my life. I never wanted to feel that way again.
“Don’t worry, babe. It’s gonna work.”
“I hope so.”
“I’ll see you soon. Keep that little bun toasty for me.”
“Be safe.”
“I will. You too. Love you.”
“I love you too.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Becky
“Okay. You ready?”
I glanced at the quiet girl in the passenger seat beside me. Her knuckles were white as she clutched the rolled-up piece of cardstock in her hands. She’d sketched it herself, with a little help from Jack and Mac, who both had a fine drawing hand.
They were the only ones who knew the details other than us girls. Jack had looked at Molly with a look of solemn respect when he’d seen what she was up to. It turned out the big man had a very soft heart.
We were lucky to have him. Whiskey told me he wanted him for our second baby’s Godfather. Devlin was Petunia’s Goddaddy, though Callaway was her honorary uncle. Sometimes, it seemed like all the guys were expecting to be a Goddaddy.
Truth be told, that made me wonder.
Did he expect me to have a baby for each of the inner circle so everybody could be a Godparent to one of our brood? That was a lot of babies, especially now that Lucky was back from active duty and Mac was joining the club. He was already family to Donnie and Sally, and now he was going to be official club family.
I groaned at the thought of all those babies and rubbed my belly. I was nowhere near ready to pop. Kaylie was way ahead of me on that. But the thought of having three more after, or even four if Whiskey wanted Mac to be a Godfather too, well, that was too much to contemplate.
Like all the guys, he loved kids, our kids in particular. Only Jack and Janet had multiples, though we were next. And we were hoping Sally and Donnie might have another, lord willing. They’d been trying long enough.
“Are you alright?”
I patted her hand.
“I’m fine, sweetheart. You’re the one who needs support, not the other way around.”
“I’m good.” She nodded, as if convincing herself. “I can do this.”
I exhaled and nodded. I was going in with her, just to make sure it was okay to leave
her. I knew Whiskey was in there, and it wasn’t like Callaway would ever hurt a woman, but I didn’t want to let her go in there alone if he was upset and out of his mind drunk. Especially if he wasn’t receptive to the little reunion we’d planned.
Callaway’s tattoo parlor was only open part-time. At least a couple of days a week, he worked onsite at the clubhouse, where he had his own setup. This place could have made a killing if he trusted someone else to use his equipment. Maybe he would someday. It’s a very cool setup, I thought to myself. He’d found an old barbershop that he’d barely changed other than the lettering on the glass window that read Callaway Ink in dark blue and gold lettering.
It looked amazing, truth be told. Retro and cool. Better suited to Brooklyn or West Hollywood than here. But Callaway had always been artistic. He wasn’t just tracing patterns. He only freehanded his designs, sometimes making them up as he went along. His talent with skin and ink was beyond anything I’d ever seen before. He was a good guy, deep down, even if he’d been a crazy playboy for a long time. I wanted things to work out for him and Molly.
I just hoped he was sober enough to hear what she had to say.
Or rather, what she had to show him.
We got out of the car and looked at each other. Molly nodded, even though I knew she was scared. We pushed open the door and went inside.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Callaway
“More.”
“Uh?”
“Open your mouth . . . that’s it. Drink!”
I groaned, trying to push away the hands. Whiskey’s big ass hands were trying to force me to guzzle water. Eventually, he gave up and dumped it over my head.
“Hey!”
I was pissed, but he had succeeded in waking me up. I must have been taking a little cat nap. I blinked at him. It was early in the evening and I’d been at the clubhouse for days. Somehow, I’d ended up in my shop, where I had a comfy couch in the back.
When you partied as hard as I did, you needed a variety of places to crash. Crib. Shop. Club. Any would do. Especially when you didn’t have someone to go home to.
