We’ve been going in and out, looking at the different buildings on the property. Damon told the girls he’s hoping to convince the club to put a pool in, saying it would be great to boost morale. He’s really good with kids, and while Danica loved talking to him, it wasn’t the same for Bridget. She’s far more nervous around men than her sister is.
Ivy has been trying way too hard to keep us cooped up in the clubhouse for the last couple hours, which means one thing— she’s up to no good. I’ve been giving her a few looks that show her I know she’s got something up her sleeve. She keeps playin’ it off like she hasn’t done anything but I know that’s bullshit.
The clubhouse isn’t anything you’d find in an architectural design magazine, but they have decorated it beautifully. Arriving here on Christmas Day was somewhat of a gift in itself. I can only imagine how the girls feel, putting everything behind them.
“The tree is so pretty,” Danica says, skipping over to it. She jumps up and down, staring at the beauty of all the bright lights.
Ivy gets up from her seat on the couch and goes over to her. “Yep, it sure is. They wouldn’t let me get a pink tree, but I’m thinking next year we’ll have to get one. What do you think, Danica?”
“Can we put unicorns, kittens, and rainbows on it?” She looks up to my best friend with the biggest smile I’ve seen from her to date.
“Yep, we sure can.”
Danica squeals and starts to run around the clubhouse, turning straight into Hawk, who bends down and starts up a full conversation with her. Ivy heads back over in my direction and motions for me to come with her, so I do.
I follow her out of the clubhouse and she hands me a pair of keys. She leads me up to a door and I put the key in, open it, and walk inside. What I walk into is enough to shake me at my core into an emotional wreck.
I didn’t just walk into a trailer with a few things. I walked into a home. There’s a large sectional with a matching coffee table, TV stand that already has a TV, some sort of video gaming console, and a speaker system. There’s a massive tree in the corner of the room with a boatload of wrapped presents underneath it. “The purple ones are for Bridget, and the pink are for Danica. We didn’t want to let the girls think Santa forgot about them,” Ivy says with a wink.
Taken over by emotion, I hug my best friend and fight back tears. “Thank you so much for doing this. You didn’t have to.”
“Oh, stop it. We were going to do this for you. You’ve all been through so much.” She releases me and goes into the kitchen, silently urging me to continue on.
“We?” I ask, wanting clarification.
“Yes, we. The entire club made this happen, Raven. You’re our family. We don’t let family struggle. Instead, we lend a helping hand when we can.” I walk further into the house and discover the entire kitchen is fully equipped, and there’s already a cozy dining room table here too.
I go down the hallway and see there’s a laundry area tucked in a small room, and behind that is a master bedroom with a huge walk-in closet and bathroom. Ivy shows me the other end of the house where there is a bedroom and bathroom attached to it as well. Only, it’s super personalized because it’s been painted purple and pink with beautiful geometric designs on the wall. “This is amazing,” I say, not sure where to look.
The entire room is already filled with furniture, drapes, two beds, stuffed animals, books, and so much more. “Dixon painted the room for the girls. Cobra went and grabbed all the stuffed animals, and Kade kept fighting with him saying how they needed books. The guys may not always get along, Raven, but boy did they come together for this. It was beautiful to see.”
“I’ve never been treated like this, ever. Thank you all so much.” I further give her my thanks, pulling her in for another hug.
If one thing’s for certain, it’s that the Reapers are our home.
Even more than that— we’re all going to be just fine.
Epilogue
From the first moment that we touched, your arms felt like home.
John Mark Green
Hawk
6 weeks later . . .
“You’re such a cliché right now,” Dixon mutters beside me as we stare into the clear display glasses in a local jewelry store.
I jab him in the stomach with my elbow. “Oh, shove it. I’m doin’ somethin’ amazing for the woman I love more than anything, and the two beautiful girls that come along with her.”
I never thought I’d ever be tying a woman down, pickin’ up an engagement ring. Especially one I had made custom for her. I didn’t want to make when I propose special for just her, but for Danica and Bridget too. In my eyes, I’m making a commitment to these two unique ladies too. I’m not only promising to love their sister for the rest of my life, protect her, and cherish her, but I’m also makin’ an oath to them. I will be their rock when they need me to, I will beat the shit out of any little twatty boyfriend they bring to my door, I’ll take them to the zoo, and do everything in between. The truth of the matter is, I don’t just love Raven. I love these two kids as well.
“What did you get the girls?” Dixon asks, finally curious about somethin’.
“I got them each a necklace with their birthstone. Figured it was easier than getting them both rings they wouldn’t be able to wear in a couple years.”
Dixon raises his brows. “Shit, you do have a heart. Damn, man. You’re goin’ soft on us.”
I want to argue with him, but I can’t. “Yeah, a little bit. A good woman will break down your walls, soften your mold, and make you hard in all the right places,” I say with a wink, gettin' a cackling laugh in response.
“Yeah, I don’t see that happenin’ for me until a few years from now.”
“You never know, brother. Raven and I met by chance. Hell, I’m thinkin’ we’re all on a love streak or some shit. Booger, Widow, Kade, and now me. I’m wonderin’ who’s up next.”
“Hmm, I’m gonna say Mouser.” Dixon chuckles.
I raise a brow, “The prospect? Why do you say that?”
“He has the googly eyes for one of Onyx’s girls, the brunette.”
“You mean he’s ogling over her,” I correct him.
“Yeah, that’s what I said.”
I shake my head, chuckling. “No, it’s not.”
“So, you decide when you’re gonna propose yet?” Dixon inquires.
Oh, I know what he’s doin’.
“Nope. You don’t get to ask me that. Not when you’re only doin’ it so you can drop hints to Raven and try to spoil the surprise. I wanna make it special for my girls, brother. This isn’t somethin’ you get to clown around with.” I press my hand to his shoulder and shove him.
“I’m not clowning around, bro!” Dixon replies, but I don’t believe him. He’s a complete jokester. Fuck, he’s worse than Kade.
“Oh, is someone a funny guy?” Indra, the jeweler, comes up and asks. She has the boxes for all the pieces I ordered open, showin’ me all the beauty on display. Each of these jewels is perfect for every single one of my girls.
“Dixon thinks he’s funny,” I mutter, lookin’ at the beautiful details on each item. I had Indra add a special clasp to the necklaces. They’re definitely not standard. Instead of the typical clasp, they’re both in the shape of the infinity symbol. I want it to represent I’ll be here for the girls for whatever they need.
I peer up from gettin' a good look at the jewelry to see Indra staring a little too long at Dixon. He doesn’t see it, but I sure as hell do, and boy . . . I didn’t know a black girl could blush until I just caught her. It seems like someone else in our club might be gettin' tied down, and I have a feelin’ it won’t be Mouser.
I hand Indra my card. “Here you go, Indra. Thank you so much for helpin’ me out with this. Hopefully, I didn’t cause you too many headaches.”
She giggles lightly. “Oh, no. Not at all. Honestly, it was my pleasure. If any of your buddies need any jewelry for the special ladies in their lives, please send
them my way.”
I smile devilishly. “I will be sendin’ them your way. I know two of them who could really use sucking up to their girls right now.” Dixon might not know it, but I’ll be settin’ him up with Indra. I’m just gonna take this ride slow and steady.
Authors Note:
Dear Readers,
I appreciate each of you sticking with me through thick and thin. As some of you may know, I was severely ill last month. Mentally and physically I haven’t been myself, not until I started writing this book. In a sense, it’s caused me to find myself again. If I could reach out and hug Hawk and Raven —I would— but they’re fictional characters so I can’t.
I don’t think I’m ever the type of writer who constantly has the same voice. The first time I ever experienced that was a couple years ago when I wrote Blackjack, Reign and Tough as Steele at the same time. Since then I’ve come a long way as a writer. So much so that I finally understand how your characters change your artistic voice, writing style and overall vision.
I truly hope you all have enjoyed reading this story. As always, there might be a couple things that have been left unanswered. If you’ve been reading me for this long then you know it means I’ll touch base on it. Basically, it also guarantees I have a master plan.
Bull’s book is up next. I’m hoping to release it in late November, after Thanksgiving. However, I have to finish up Forbidden Love (Mackenzies #1) which will be exclusively released in the Leave Me Breathless: Black Rose Collection. This is the series that made me want to start writing professionally in the first place. Irish mafia to the core, angst, forbidden romance and so much more are within the pages of what I’ll finish writing next week. Thankfully, I’ve already gotten a head start on the book.
Pre-Order it here for only .99 cents: https://bit.ly/2qcePWZ
As always, thank you so much for your loyalty to me as a writer.
Much love,
Liz
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Steele Brothers
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Prologue
Logan
I couldn't seem to keep my focus as I looked down from our spot in VIP, noticing a woman dancing down below. I was with my two brothers; Christian, my younger brother, and Jordan, my twin. We were supposed to be taking advantage of our seclusion at Illusion, a club that Christian owned in downtown Atlanta, to talk business; the seedy kind. It was about the business that kept the Steele name synonymous with power and money, and it was my job to keep it that way, even if I didn’t necessarily agree with the way my father had set it up for me.
But down below us was a woman I knew nothing about but knew that I needed to. She was thin, but not the kind that made you worry about her eating habits. Her hair was light blonde, falling down in loose waves that framed her face in just the right way. I kept willing her to look up and see me for some reason. It was like I expected a connection with a total stranger. It wasn’t like me, but she didn’t look like just anyone else either.
"You know we are going to have to take the damn guns apart, separate the muzzle and the breech at the very least to get them to the Irish mob. They are coming to us from the suppliers fully locked and loaded, and I don’t think we are going to get them to where they need to go like that with all of the new security going on in Europe," Jordan announced. Though, I was only half listening. I was mesmerized by the angel on the dance floor, moving her body expertly to the beat of the music.
"The Irish mob is preparing for a war; gotta be the only reason they need all this ammunition so badly," Christian piped up in speculation.
"Shut up until we know anything definitive about that. I don’t want rumors flying form our mouth to make it worse," Jordan warned.
I saw the woman in the tight, black dress smile as she danced all her worries away with some other women. What was it that had made her smile? Then, my twin brother's voice cut through the trance he was in.
"See something you like down there, Lo?" he asked. I looked up to Jordan, and it was like looking into a mirror. His dark brown hair and eyes were the same as mine. It had always been that way. The only difference was how we dressed most of the time and that he preferred a clean-shaven existence while I liked to keep at least some stubble.
I nodded in the direction of the blonde for my answer. Jordan chuckled, turning his gaze on her as well. "She is a stunning piece. I think I am going to go down there to make a move on her." Jordan moved just one step before I put my hand out in front of him to stop him. I couldn’t let that happen.
"The girl is mine, whether she knows it or not." Both of my brothers were shooting me a curious look. It wasn't like me at all to call dibs, especially on some girl whose name and number I didn’t know. I knew nothing about her, and I wanted her. I had to have her. I wasn’t that type of man, never in my life, but I guessed with whoever she was, I was.
I turned to the man behind us who was sitting quietly. Reggie was my security detail, always just a step behind me to be sure I was safe, but he had become so much more than that. He was my right-hand man and best friend. He was an equal to Jordan and Christian in that regard. "Find out everything you can about that girl." I pointed down at her as Reggie came to see. He nodded and walked away, going to use whatever channels and connections he had to get me what I wanted. I knew he wouldn’t fail me.
I turned back to my brothers, noticing how there were a few women lingering in the VIP section as well; the kind that paid their way up there. They were not close enough to hear anything we said, but they kept looking us over. No, not us, Christian. Either they knew he owned the place, or they were more drawn to his buff look, blonde hair, and blue eyes. He was a good looking young man but did not look anything like Jordan and I, not in an obvious way. It was lucky, though, because things got complicated enough with Jordan and me. We didn’t need a third man looking like us.
"You know, there is a red head back there undressing you with her eyes," I told Christian, pointing my drink in the direction he needed to look. Christian turned to look for a moment, a sly smile coming across his face. He liked his women just as much as the rest of us. He hadn’t really been in love just yet, so there was no baggage or heartbreak to hold him back from anything. He would have his day, though, I knew it. Then, none of us would ever hear the end of his pining. My little brother was going to fall hard and not know what hit him. The thought made me wonder if I was about to do the same.
I looked down at the dance floor again and didn’t see her anymore. I doubted she had left so early. She had probably gone to get a drink, and I hated the idea that some other man may have been trying to buy one for her right at that moment. But it didn’t matter. Once I found her again, I would make sure she saw no one else.
When Reggie finally came back to me, I was all ears. My mind had been consumed by all thoughts involving that woman, and I couldn’t even focus on why I had come there. It was just as well, because my brothers had gone off to make the most of their time at the club, leaving him alone in his seat.
Reggie sat down next to me with a cool but smug smile on his face. "Her name is Brooklyn Harper. She has a younger brother, and her mother passed away. There are rumors that her father is-"
I put my hand up to cut him off. That’s not what this was about. "Tell me the good stuff."
Reggie nodded. "She's developed an all-natural makeup company and has been looking for investors for quite a while." I couldn’t help but feel an internal hilarity at this. The legitim
ate part of my business was being an investor. It was the front I used for all of the Steele family's success, even though, behind the scenes, the biggest reason had to do with the gunrunner dealings.
Christian came up behind me, clearly done with whatever woman he had been dancing with and slapped me on the back, playfully. "You sly dog! I know exactly what you have up your sleeve. You’re going to have a meeting with this girl, aren’t you, brother?"
That was a good idea. "Reggie, find out where Brooklyn likes to hang out."
Hawk: Reapers MC Book #6 Page 14
