by Mallory Funk
“How could she do this to me?” I sob harder. I have been alone for so long, with no family to speak of, and my father wanted me this whole time.
“I don’t know, baby girl. I wish we could get the answers we were looking for, but you are here now, and I want to get to know my baby girl. Can you tell me about yourself? Some of the brothers here have been members as long as I have, and have been searching for you too. Give us a chance to get to know you, okay?” he whispers in my ear. I nod my head. I take a couple minutes to collect myself before I am able to look at anyone in the eye. I think they know this since they are making conversation between themselves.
I turn to Damien who looks worried about me. “Are you okay?” He puts his hand on my back, and rubs up and down. I take in the comfort he is giving me.
I nod my head and wipe my eyes. “Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry, I just I never expected this to happen today. I came here worried that your brothers wouldn’t like me. Instead, I end up finding the family I never knew I had.”
He gives me a small smile, and grips my fingers in his large ones giving them a squeeze. I give him a small smile in return.
The two guys from earlier come up to me looking me up and down. “So, this is our sister,” the one on the right remarks.
“It’s about fucking time we met,” the other one says.
“I’m Torch, the oldest. You and I are only a couple months apart. This is Steal, he’s the baby.” The guy on the right points to himself, and then to the man beside him. Brothers. I can’t believe I have brothers. This is a lot to take in.
“And I’m Lily. You are a beautiful young woman. I wish I could have gotten to know you all these years.” She comes up between Derek and I, and Derek automatically puts an arm around her waist. I notice that their eyes are filled with unshed tears.
“Well it’s nice to meet everyone,” I tell them, and a couple of tears end up dropping down my cheeks. I give them a wobbly smile.
“I hate to ask this, but what happened to your husband?” Derek asks.
I feel my lip tremble, and I bite it to stop. I can already see the sympathy in their faces, so I know that Damien must have told his President that there wasn’t a husband in the picture.
“Well the day we left the clinic after we had just found out I was pregnant…” I pause and clear my throat. My voice is already shaky, and I can’t stop the tears falling down my face.
“We were happy that I was finally pregnant, and we weren’t looking where we were walking. The second he stepped on the street, a truck had come out of nowhere and hit him. He died instantly,” I tell them. I know that I’m practically sobbing now. Derek, my dad, wraps me up in his arms as I cry for the second time today. I never thought I would have this. Taking comfort from someone who’s my family and I instantly feel a connection with. I feel a hand on my back rubbing. I already know that it’s Damien’s.
I don’t know how long I sit like that, but I start falling asleep. The emotions from this day have finally caught up to me and I feel completely drained. I feel like I could sleep for days.
It is only when my dad stands up that I notice I’ve fallen asleep. He picks me up and carries me down one of the hallways. I can barely open my eyes to see where I am going. I am put on a bed, and a blanket is placed over me. Then, there is a kiss on my forehead and a voice telling me that I’m not alone anymore. I fall asleep instantly. I haven’t fallen asleep feeling this safe in a long time.
Damien
Seeing the woman carrying your baby break down is something else. I can’t describe the ache I felt in my chest when everything she knew about her father came crashing down. I was so fucking angry with Bianca for doing that shit. These two people wanted to be in each other’s lives. It’s clear that she has asked about him, or why else would she think that Prez wanted her mom to get an abortion.
When she told all of us what Bianca had said, I could feel anger coming off of everyone in the club. I knew without looking that most of the brothers were clenching their fists trying hard not to yell in front of Ella.
When I was waiting for her in front of the club, I was worried that she wasn’t going to like my life and try to keep my baby from me, but it turns out that she’s Vicious Snakes through and through. Being the president of the club’s daughter means she was born into it as a princess. That automatically puts her under our protection, even if she already had it because she was carrying the VP’s baby. Now she’s going to be a part of the club life because I know that there is no fucking way that Prez will let her go.
The situation I am already in with Ella was messed up to begin with. I don’t fucking know her at all, but to find out she is the daughter that Prez has been searching for all along just messes it up even more.
She grew up in fucking foster care when she could have had this whole fucking family at her back. Her mom knew that, and knew where the Vicious Snakes were; yet even when she knew she was dying, she couldn’t bring herself to fucking get in contact with us so that we could take her. That just sends rage through me.
Prez had laid her in his bed so that she could rest. I’ve never seen someone genuinely break down before. I mean you have women who break down in fake hysterics to get your attention, but only prove instead that they’re fucking crazy. Then, there are the women who swear they never fucking cry and they break down the moment the door shuts. They never stop and think that the door isn’t sound proof.
The way Ella lost it fucking gutted me and my brothers. This woman, fuck. She’s fucking strong. She sat there clueless while Prez read the letter, but she looked around curiously. Not once did she turn her face up in disgust. I knew then that she was going to give this a shot- give me a shot, and not judge me for my club. Then her world fucking changed.
I couldn’t help but admire her. She lost her mom, the only person she knew as her fucking family, and then went into foster care. She is just now going through the loss of her husband which sounds fucking painful. By the way she broke down talking about him, I could tell that she really loved him. Fuck, being in the club, I see the killing and torturing of those that deserve it, but to watch the one you love, the only family you have, die? Fuck, I couldn’t imagine the pain of that. To top it all off, she ended up with me, and then met her father she thought never wanted her. She needed to fucking break down. I ignored the part of me that wished she broke down in my arms instead of Prez’s.
We walk back outside. Everyone else is silently waiting for us. I know that everyone needs to get it all out there.
“Fuck, what are the fucking chances?” Torch asks as we sit down in the same spot that we were at before.
“Fuck, I don’t know. I’m so fucking pissed, but also so fucking happy that I have my questions answered, and I have my daughter here in my club where she has always belonged,” Prez says while Lily leans against him. He puts an arm around her shoulder, and kisses her on the head.
“If Bianca wasn’t fucking dead already, I would fucking kill her myself. I can’t believe she fucking said that shit so that Ella wouldn’t look for you. You know that’s why she did it,” Bear says. Everyone nods in agreement.
“Fuck, you’re right. I know that’s why she did it. She knew that if Ella thought that her father never wanted her then why would she come looking for me,” Prez says with a pained expression.
“It’s alright now, brother. We have her here. What are the odds that the woman carrying Damien’s baby is your daughter,” Bear says and then laughs.
“Shit’s weird, but I’m more than fucking happy to add her into our club. You’ve been president of this club a long fucking time. That makes her our club princess. I’m just fucking glad we found her before someone found out she had ties to you or this club. She may not have been raised here, but she was born into it. It wasn’t her choice to not be a part of the club. Sure, she looks sweet and innocent, and probably shouldn’t be around us bikers, but we will all protect her with our lives. We were going to protect her anyway knowing that sh
e was carrying VP’s baby, but now she’s extra special, you get me? She not only means something to Prez and VP, but now she means something to the club. Shit, she is carrying the next generation of Vicious Snakes’ prince or princess. We all know we have a lot of enemies that would love to fuck with us, so we need to stay on watch now that we have something precious to us here,” Blade says to everyone with the most serious expression I have ever seen.
Blade is the oldest member of the club. He says that he would never retire or leave because once a snake always a snake. He is the most loyal brother anyone could ever fucking have. I know he has taken many bullets for brothers and would keep doing so no matter how old he is.
I look around at everyone and see them nod their heads in agreement. “You know, Damien, if you fucking hurt her, we are going to have to kick your ass,” Torch says loudly, and everyone chuckles. I nod my head because I know how important she is now even if she doesn’t. This is about to get interesting.
Chapter Eight
Ella
One month later
It had been an interesting month to say the least. After I had my nap on the day that I found out who my father was, I was told everything that being his daughter meant. They didn’t want to overwhelm me that much, but I could tell that there were things that I needed to know since my dad was the president of the club, and I was carrying the VP’s baby.
I was supposed to be born into the club, and raised here. No matter who my mother was, I was still the President’s daughter which meant that I was their club princess. I had to get them to tell me what that meant because it sounded important. I just wasn’t sure how much more I could handle.
They had told me that meant that I was precious to everyone in the club, but that I was extra special because I was carrying the VP’s baby and my child would be the next prince or princess of the club. It didn’t sound so bad until they told me that they had enemies. They said that there were people out there who wouldn’t hesitate to fuck with the club, and the best way to do that would be through harming the club princess. Damien and my dad had asked me to take it seriously. They don’t want anything to happen to me. If anyone would have found out whose kid I was before I found them then it wouldn’t have been pretty.
I know I ended up puking a couple times, and I couldn’t tell you if it was because of the baby, or from the information overload. It was a lot to process and take in, but I knew that I didn’t have a choice. I had promised myself that I would give Damien the chance to be the father he wants to be. Now that I know that my father’s chance was stolen from him, I feel even more strongly about my decision. I also wanted to know my dad and my brothers - the family I never had, but had always wanted.
It took a while to convince Stacey that I was making the right decision. I told her that it wasn’t a choice I had to make; I knew what I had to do. She was reluctant to believe that this was good for me.
She wasn’t convinced until one night, a bad date had followed her home and tried to force himself on her on my front porch. She told me that he was crude and extremely forward on their date. She said that he had bought her a drink and asked her if she wanted to fuck, so he didn’t have to waste money on dinner. When she told him that wasn’t happening and left, he caught up to her in the parking lot and tried to kiss her. She pushed him away and slapped him telling him to get lost. She was able to get into her car and drive away, but she never thought that he would follow her home. When she had got out the car and went to unlock the front door, he came out and started groping her. He pushed her against the wall, and someone came up and ripped him off of her. She looked up and saw one of Damien’s biker brothers beating the shit out of the guy. She said that she was both scared and awed at the sight. The guy got one hell of a beating. I woke up to the sound of more bikes showing up. When Stacey had told me what happened, I was thankful for them. I knew that they were watching me, so I was never scared when I went to sleep. I was very thankful that something didn’t happen to Stacey on my front porch. After that incident, she had changed her tune on bikers. I knew that she had realized how bad it could have been.
Damien came over every other night, and slept on the couch. After Stacey’s attack, he said that he wasn’t taking any chances.
The first night he spent over at my place, I woke up to him without a shirt on. All I can say is “wow”. This man is ripped, and he has so many tattoos that I wanted to trace with my finger. I couldn’t help but have my eyes slowly survey his body. When I reached his eyes, he arched an eyebrow at me, and had an amused expression on his face. To say I flushed in embarrassment was an understatement.
I tried to get to know him as best as I could. I was a complete and nervous wreck around him. He made me feel things that I wasn’t ready to feel, but it’s not like I could ignore him or avoid him. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Jeff- he was my rock. We were all each other had, but was that it? I never knew what true passion was like, but my relationship with Jeff always just seemed to work and to fit. I saw myself growing old with him, and ending up with a number of kids and grandkids.
The way I feel around Damien is something completely different than what Jeff made me feel. I get butterflies when he is around, or when he enters a room. Sometimes I catch him giving me small smiles. I haven’t seen him really smile yet, and I am beginning to think that he doesn’t smile often. I find myself blushing every time he talks to me. I never had that happen before.
Right now, it’s three am and I’m starving. Tomorrow, I will be twenty weeks along and we will have our ultrasound in the afternoon. We both decided to find out what we were having so that we could decorate the baby’s room. The whole club is excited for the baby to come. Every time I’m in the room with an old lady of the club, they rub my little baby bump. The men always ask how I am doing, or if I need anything. It’s sweet, but sometimes I would like to be left alone. I know that won’t happen anymore, and I don’t know how I really feel about that.
I creep into the hallway, careful not to wake Stacey or Damien. I don’t know what this baby wants, but I am seriously hungry and can’t go back to sleep until I cure this craving. I pass the doorway of the living room before I head into the kitchen. I look at Damien asleep on my couch. He is way too big for it, but he never complains about that. His feet are hanging off the couch, but he has a blanket around his waist. The top of his body is exposed, and he’s not wearing a shirt. I wish I had the guts to go up there and see them up close, but I don’t want to risk waking him. I let out a soft sigh before I head to the kitchen.
I’m looking through the cupboards and fridge looking for what I want to eat. I can’t decide what I want, and I stop caring how quiet I am being when I start to get frustrated. I am looking in the cupboard when a deep voice startles me.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Damien grumbles with a sleepy voice that I am currently denying is extremely sexy. Who am I kidding, his voice is sexy all the time.
I jump and turn around putting a hand on my chest. “Holy shit, you scared me!” I yell at him.
“Again, what the fuck are you doing?” he asks in a stern voice. Shit, he’s not a happy person when he is woken up.
“I’m uhh… well… I’m hungry…” I tell him avoiding looking at his face.
I hear him sigh loudly, “It’s three in the morning.”
I look at him, and he’s rubbing a hand over his face acting like he didn’t just state the obvious.
“I know… but I can’t sleep because I’m hungry, and I can’t decide what I want. Sorry for waking you,” I tell him and turn back to look through the cupboards.
“Fuck, what are you hungry for?” he asks me with an annoyed tone.
“Don’t worry about it, just go back to sleep. I will try to be quieter,” I tell him waving a hand dismissively.
“Just tell me what you want. It’s my baby that’s making you hungry at this fucking hour. If you want anything that’s open at this time, I will go get it for you. If you want me to cook, I
will cook for you. I’d rather you sit down before you attempt to climb the cupboards.”
“I don’t know what I want!” I cry as I throw my hands in the air. I feel tears stinging my eyes. I have never felt so frustrated before. Being hungry and not know what you want while you are pregnant is frustrating!
I put my face in my hands to hide the fact that I am crying. The tears don’t seem to stop. Soon, I am sobbing into my hands yelling at Damien how hungry I am. I can barely hear him curse and I think he is on the phone with someone, but I can’t even pay attention to what he is doing. It’s official, I have lost my mind, I think to myself as I continue to sob.
Damien
I really don’t know what the fuck happened. I was sleeping, and I heard something in the kitchen. There was a lot of banging, so I decided to go and check it out. As I expected, there was Ella going through the cupboards, banging them, and groaning in frustration- not caring if she woke me up. Then she had told me that she was hungry and couldn’t sleep, and I knew that it had to do with the pregnancy. I offered to go get whatever she wanted to cook so that I could get back to sleep. That was when she burst into tears crying that she was hungry and didn’t know what the fuck she wanted.
At first, all I could do was stare at her in horror. Once the shock wore off, I called three brothers. That’s right, I called three. I told them each to bring something different. Their chuckles filled my ear when they heard Ella sobbing in the phone saying, “I’m just so hungry.” Holy shit, I didn’t think that I would have to witness hormones. The other brothers who have kids warned me over the month of the dreaded hormones. I just shrugged it off not really believing them. Fuck was I wrong.
Gone was the sweet innocent woman I had met, and in came this crying mess in front of me. I couldn’t risk walking out of there because then maybe it would make her cry harder, and then I would have to kick my own ass for making her cry.
