Jaxson (Black Devils MC Book 1)

by K. J. Dahlen

  “Well, that’s a place to start,” Deke said. “I’ll get Zipper on his trail as soon as he gets here. In the meantime, how about we all go see the house?”

  Cassie broke away from Deacon and wiped her tears away. “My goodness, I’m a mess. I hate crying.”

  Deke smiled. “You look beautiful. Let’s go see our new home, then we can deal with finding your sister. I know Zipper will help. He can work his magic on the computer. I bet he can find her, even after this long.”

  “At least, I know where I was born anyway,” Cassie said.

  “Your mom was buried there too. In Quincy I mean,” Deacon told her.

  “Will you take me to where she’s buried someday?”

  “Anytime you say the word, sweetheart.”

  Cassie smiled then gazed at Deke. “Let’s go see the house. I hope you put a nursery in it. This baby isn’t going to wait forever.”

  Deke grinned. “Well, because I didn’t know if the baby was a boy or a girl until this morning, she’ll have to settle for green walls. I figured green would be a safe bet.”

  “You’re having a girl?’ Reva looked excited.

  Cassie nodded. “Yes, I got pictures yesterday.”

  “Well, let’s see them,” Gator insisted.

  Deke took the photos out of his shirt pocket and handed them to Gator.

  Gator studied the pictures carefully before handing them to Reva. He looked at Cassie’s belly then to Deke. “Are you sure there’s only one baby?”

  Deke frowned. “What do you mean only one baby? How many should there be? The pictures only show one.”

  “Are you sure about that?” Gator asked. “Cuz it looks like two different babies to me.”

  Cassie frowned. “The doctor didn’t say anything about twins.”

  “I could be wrong,” Gator admitted as he shrugged. “I ain’t no doctor.”

  Cassie glanced at Deke but didn’t say anything.

  He reached out and grasped her hand dragging her to the back door. Once outside, he led the way to the new house behind the clubhouse. It was a huge building, all one story. When he opened the front door, he motioned everyone inside.

  They found themselves in a huge living area. To the right was an open kitchen and laundry room. Beyond the laundry room was a door that led to the three car garage.

  To the left of the living room was a hall. As Deke led the way, the hall opened up to several large bedrooms. The master bedroom was at the end of the hall. The room itself took up the entire end of the house. The furniture was light golden in color. The huge king size bed was on one side while the dressers and wardrobes took up most of the outside walls. In the other corner, there was a huge wooden desk and file cabinets behind the desk. A laptop computer took up one side of the desk and a phone the other side.

  The walls were painted a muted grey and the room was accented in dark grey and cream colors.

  Cassie went back down the hall and found the baby’s room. The soft green walls complimented the crib and changing table. She rubbed her belly and couldn’t wait for her daughter to be born.

  Deke joined her and wrapped his arm around her waist. “What do you think? Will she like it?”

  “She’ll love it,” Cassie agreed.

  “And does her mama love it?” Deke asked. “I tried to get everything you wanted.”

  Cassie’s eyes sparkled. “I can’t believe all of this. It’s beautiful. This is everything a home should be. I can’t wait to live here.”

  “I’ll have our stuff moved over today. We can sleep here tonight,” Deke assured her.

  “I’d like that,” Cassie whispered. She hesitated then asked, “Could I ask Peaches to be my maid of honor when we get married?”

  Deke grinned. “Of course you can. Maybe it will give Iceman ideas of his own.”

  Cassie smiled. “I hope so, Peaches is so much in love with that man.”

  “I think your uncle is in love with Marnie too,” Deke told her. He waited to see her reaction.

  Cassie smiled softly. “I hope he is, cuz she’s sure in love with him.”

  “And you don’t mind? I mean he is your only family.”

  Cassie’s smile widened. “Of course not. He deserves to be happy. I’m happy for both of them.” She hesitated then whispered, “He isn’t my only family, you know. You and the baby are family too. Family doesn’t mean just sharing the same blood.”

  “I’m glad to hear you say that baby girl,” Deacon commented as Marnie and him joined them. “Because I want to marry this woman before our child is born. You are going to have a cousin, by the way.” He turned to Deke and said, “She’s right you know…family isn’t always just by blood.”

  Deke nodded.

  Cassie laughed. “Good, I can’t wait. I’ve always wanted a family and now, my dreams are coming true.”

  Deke reached out and shook his hand. “Looks like you’ll be adding on to that small cabin of yours too.”

  “Looks like it.” Deacon grinned. “Oh well, it’s all good.”

  ~* * * *~

  Hours later, Deke had Zipper working on locating Paige Ryan and Max Portland. He had called Leon Vincinti and asked if he had heard Paige’s name mentioned in any of the paperwork they’d taken from Janelle’s house. Her name was not one listed, so Deke assumed she hadn’t gone through Janelle’s kiddy ring and that was a good thing.

  Zipper ran the name Max Portland and came up with a man still living in Quincy.

  Cassie’ phone rang and when she hung up after a three minute call, she seemed worried. She glanced at Deke. “That was my doctor’s office. He wants me to come back in to repeat the sonogram I had yesterday.”

  “Did he say why?”

  Cassie shook her head. “No but he made an appointment in an hour or so. Will you go with me?”

  “Sure will.” Deke nodded.

  An hour later, Cassie and Deke made their way down the hall of the clinic into the sonogram room. Her doctor, Doctor Simon Peters sat there waiting for them. He shook hands with Deke and motioned for Cassie to sit down on the exam table. “I asked you back after reviewing the photos we took yesterday, because there was something we found that puzzled me. I just wanted to double check.”

  “What bothered you?” Deke asked.

  “I’d rather wait to answer that question until after we have another look.” He laid Cassie back on the table and gelled her belly. When he added the wand and began moving it around, a picture began to form on the monitor.

  They could clearly see a baby’s head and upper body. Deke was amazed at the picture that began to form right in front of him. A head…then shoulders…then a chest. As the wand went downward, he could see a hip and legs. The baby had toes and fingers and was rolling around. Finally, the camera showed its tiny little butt. Deke almost chuckled but instead, continued to watch as the wand moved around.

  Doctor Peters moved the wand around and that’s when they saw another head and shoulders.

  Cassie gasped.

  Doctor Peters laughed quietly at the findings. “That’s what it was. I thought my mind was playing tricks on me.” He glanced over at Cassie and Deke. “When I looked at the scans from yesterday I thought I saw two different faces. Now, I know why. You’re having twins.”

  “Are they both girls?’ Deke felt some shock, but was very curious.

  “Let’s find out.” Doctor Peters smiled. Moving the wand around, they could see the two separate babies. One was a girl and the other was a…“Well, there you go.” The doctor nodded. “It looks like you’ll have a girl and a boy.”

  Deke stared at the monitor. He’d been amazed at the pictures she’d shown him earlier but now he was looking at them first hand. It was a new experience for him, this wonder of life. He watched in awe as the babies moved around inside her. He turned to Cassie and noted her expression. “What is it?”

  Cassie grabbed his hand. The frown on her face deepened. “Are you okay wit
h this?”

  Deke laughed with joy and grazed his lips across her knuckles. “You’re giving me a son and a daughter. I fucking love this!” He lifted his gaze to stare at her. “Are you okay with this?”

  “It’s a little scary,” she admitted. “I’m almost afraid something bad is coming and it’s gonna suck all the happiness I’m feeling away from me and I’m gonna be left with nothing. I’m almost scared to believe all of this is real.”

  Deke pressed her hand in his. “I won’t let anything happen to you or those babies. Nothing is gonna take you or them away from me. Do you hear me? NOTHING. You and they belong to me, Spitfire.”

  Cassie smiled as tears welled her eyes. “I hear you big guy.” She turned to the doctor and asked, “Can we get a new set of pictures?”

  Doctor Peters smiled. “You bet.” He printed them off and handed them to Deke. He gave her a towel to wipe off the gel then left them alone in the room.

  Deke watched her as she sat up and straightened her clothing. She studied the pictures the doctor handed her. He cupped her chin and brought her face up to his. “What’s wrong?”

  Cassie shrugged and tried to lower her eyes to hide what she was feeling.

  Deke wouldn’t let her. “What is it?” he asked again.

  “I’m scared,” she whispered. “Every time when something good happened in my life, something bad happened and ruined the good. For the first time in my life, I dared to hope that things could be different. I met you and I dared to hope my life could get better. Then Robbie found me and nearly took everything I had away from me. I saw my dreams for Redemption House come to life and so far, that’s going really good, but in the back of my mind, I’m waiting for the axe to fall. I found my uncle and I’m praying he’ll stay in my life. Now, I’m having a baby and in a few months my life will change again. Will I be a good mother or has my past been too warped by hatred that I may not be able to love my child? Now, I find out I’m having twins? Can I love them both? Can I protect my children from the fears I’ve been forced to live with?”

  Deke pulled her close and patted her on the back.

  She continued, “What about the sister I just discovered I have? What has her life been like all these years? Does she remember me at all? Does she feel the same hole in her heart that I’ve felt during the darkest times in my life? When I was in that basement at Janelle’s house, lying there broken and bloody, I felt something I never understood before. In my darkest times when I was alone and ready to give up the fight, I felt someone next to me. I always thought maybe it was my mother but now, I’m not so sure. Could the other being I felt have been my sister?”

  Deke had never felt this helplessness before. He couldn’t give her the answers she was looking for but he could give her hope. “I don’t know what to tell you sweetheart, but I do know this much, you aren’t the scared little girl you once were. You aren’t alone anymore and you will never be broken or left bleeding ever again. You have people who love you, who will love you for the rest of your life. I’ll never turn my back on you and neither will Deacon. He’s been looking for you for a very long time and now that he has you back in his life, he’s not letting you go.” Shrugging he continued, “As far as the kids go, you aren’t alone there either. Those are my kids too and what’s mine I protect. Nothing will ever happen to them or to you.”

  Cassie sighed and leaned her head toward his. “I love you so much,” she whispered.

  “I love you too.” Deke pulled back and stared at her. “As far as your sister goes, we will find her and bring her home with us.”

  Cassie nodded. “I know…it’s just that I have so many doubts and questions with no answers. It all overwhelmed me for a moment.”

  He gently brushed her hair away from her forehead. “I wish I could take all your fears away but I know I can’t. I can tell you we will find her. We won’t stop until we do. As far as the babies go, you aren’t alone there either. You have me, Gator, Reva, Deacon, Marnie and the entire club looking after them. Not to mention everyone at Redemption House. These babies are gonna be so loved, they will never know what its like to be alone.”

  “You forgot about Peaches.” Cassie giggled. “She thinks the babies belong to her too.”

  Deke smiled. “There you go. The babies will be very much loved.” He hesitated then said, “I know you’re scared but it’s gonna be okay. I know you love these babies. I’ve heard you talk to them late at night, when you think no one else is listening. While we’re laying there in bed I’ve heard you whispering to them.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me you heard me?” Cassie blushed.

  “Because I felt you needed something of your own. What you told the babies was wonderful but it was your and yours alone to say to them. You spoke of your dreams and prayers for the future, you told them everything you wanted for them. How much you loved them and how much you loved me. You made me so proud.”

  “Can we go home now?” Cassie whispered.

  Deke grabbed her hand and didn’t let go until he helped her into the truck. All the way home, neither of them said a word. As he pulled into the parking area, he reminded her, “We still have to choose a name for our son.”

  “My grandfather’s name was Sam,” she told him quietly. “I never got to know him but Sam is a good name, isn’t it?”

  “Sam is a very good name,” he agreed halfheartedly.

  “Samuel Deke would be even better,” Cassie hinted.

  Deke shook his head. “Can’t do that sweetheart. Sam is bad enough but if we add the Deke then he’ll get a whole other title.”

  Cassie turned to him and frowned. “I don’t understand?”

  “My full name is Samuel Deke Tory Jr. If we name the baby after me, then he’ll be a Third and no child deserves that.” He shrugged. “I go by Deke so as not to confuse between me and my dad.”

  “Your name is Sam too?” She looked surprised. “What is it then? You don’t get along with your dad?”

  Deke shrugged. “I never knew him until I was twelve when he took me away from my mother. He’s not an easy man to live with. He belongs to another club over in Maine. We don’t see each other all that often and it suits us both better that way.”

  “Would you rather not do Sam then? We can find another name,” Cassie offered.

  “We can do the Sam, my dad’s known as Bones anyway. Neither of us go by Sam, just not Samuel Deke. Okay?”

  Cassie looked disappointed, be she only nodded and they turned and went inside the clubhouse.

  ~* * * *~

  Zipper waited until the hubbub of viewing the sonogram pictures died down then approached Deke with his news.

  “What’s all this?” Deke asked as he took several pages from the other man.

  “I did a background on Max Portland.”

  “And what did you find?’ Deke asked quietly.

  “Max Eugene Portland married to his wife Peggy for the last twenty three years. They had no children until they acquired two year old Paige, eighteen years ago. By all accounts, they raised her good. I found her high school graduation photo.” He pointed out the last page of the bundle he handed to Deke.

  Deke pulled it out and stared at the woman on the paper. She looked an awful lot like Cassie. She had the same color eyes and the same mouth and nose. The only difference he could see was that while Cassie had red hair this young woman had dark brown hair. “What is she doing now?”

  “She still lives at home while she’s going to college,” Zipper replied. He waited for a few minutes then asked, “Are you going to tell her?”

  Deke nodded. “Yeah, I am. She deserves to know.”

  “How do you think she’ll take the news?”

  Deke glanced over at Cassie. “I think she’ll be okay with it.”

  Zipper just shrugged and walked away.

  Deke stared at the photo again. The young woman gazed out with confidence. Her skin was clear and unblemished by worry or pain. Al
l she had in her future was hope. Deke was worried. Would Cassie resent what her life could have been if Flynn had taken her instead of Paige to Max Portland? Or, would she be okay with it?

  Cassie joined him before he noticed her. When she saw the picture in his hand, she gasped. Reaching out, she took the picture from him and gazed at it. “She looks like me doesn’t she?’ she whispered.

  “Yeah baby, she does.”

  “Where is she? Did Zipper find her?”

  “Yeah, he did. She’s still living with Max in Quincy. She’s going to college.”

  Cassie looked up at him. “Can we go see her?” Her voice quivered with excitement.

  “If you like…” Deke paused, then plunged in, “….You know her life was normal don’t you?”

  Cassie closed her eyes. “God, I hope so. I hope that girl has never known the pain and hurt I did. I hope her life has been so boring, she did something crazy like get a tattoo for her birthday. I hope she remembers every birthday party and Christmas with nothing but the good.”

  “But it could have been you not her,” he whispered.

  “Then I’m glad it was her,” she whispered back. “I survived but I’m not sure she would have. I know Peaches would have died without me and I would have died without her. We survived together. I know I’m tough but I’ve had to be. I pray Paige never has to be that tough.” She stared down at the picture in her hand again. “Can we go see her?”

  Deke couldn’t believe such a person as Cassie could exist. So selfless and loyal to those she cared about. How did he get so lucky? “Any time you want sweetheart, any time you want.” He smiled at her.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Deke drove the van down to the last house on the block and pulled over to the curb. The house itself was a simple ranch style dwelling. It had an attached three car garage and a flower bed along the front. The home itself was painted blue and had grey trim. There was a pickup in the driveway.