"So, by this point, he had alienated her from her friends, taken care of the mother. And because Grace wanted to protect the only friend she had left, she was trapped. I'm also assuming she had her daughter by this time, which made her even more dependent on the motherfucker," Quinn interjects with anger in his voice.
Looking around the table at my brothers they all are wearing a look of anger on their face. No judgment or snide comments about how Grace could have been so naïve. I knew my brothers would give Grace nothing but love, support, and protection.
"What about the kid?" Gabriel asks. "This fucker put his hands on her?"
"No," I'm quick to answer. "Grace said she made sure her husband never touched Remi. My guess is she stepped in and took the punishments that were meant for her. She said as Remi got older she learned how to stay out of her father's way. She learned the rules of the house and followed without protest. It's because of her daughter Grace finally got the nerve to escape."
"What do you mean?" Logan inquires.
"Grace overheard her husband and his father talking. They wanted to start grooming Remi. At the time she was only ten, but her marriage was already arranged. Remi was to marry the son of another prominent Irish family. The two were to join forces, and Remi was the ticket. She would be groomed and marry as soon as she turned eighteen. Later Grace confronted her husband, and that is when he beat her bad enough to land her in the hospital. That's when she met O'Rourke."
"Fuck, Prez. His own fuckin' kid?" Logan grits out as he lights a cigarette.
Pulling out my chair and sitting, I light a cigarette of my own and take a drag before I continue. "I didn't ask Grace for details. I don't think she's ready. It was hard enough to give me what she did. I will tell ya, that by my observation of Remi over the past couple of days is that bastard has an old-school view of a woman's place in the home. I made the kid breakfast, and she sat at the table with her plate in front of her and wouldn't touch it. She was waiting and watching me. Like she wasn't allowed to eat until I did or some shit."
"Damn, Prez, that's fucked up," Quinn remarks.
"Yeah it is, but I talked with her. I told her that's not how things work around here. She understands, but I'm sure it will take some time to break out of those old habits." We're all quiet for a few minutes absorbing the information I just handed. And when my eyes land on Reid he's watching me intently. My brother already knows what's coming next. "I need you on this man."
"You got it, Prez." Reid nods.
"Thanks, son."
"In the meantime, I want you all to stay vigilant. Grace is home today with Remi, but if I know my woman she's going to want to get back to doing what she loves, and that's the bakery." I turn my attention to Quinn. "I want you with Grace whenever I'm not. If she's at work, then that's where you are. I'm countin' on you, son. Can you handle this?"
"You know you can, Prez. Don't worry; I got Grace and Remi." With that I slam the gavel down, ending church.
10
Grace
Jake's place is beautiful and secluded, which I enjoy, but I'm starting to feel a little restless. It has nothing to do with being back or nerves. I'm feeling great now that I'm home with my daughter under the same roof as me. Now that I've given myself a few days to adjust to being back home and living in Jake's house for two days all I can think about now is getting back to work. I have lazed around and relaxed along with my daughter by my side. When Jake is not home, the two of us don't venture too far from the house. One, because of the fact Ronan is still a threat to us and two we don’t know the area well. Jake lives so far out from town there happens to be a lot more wildlife we could run into like black bears.
Keeping his promise to Remi, Jake has taken her out the past two mornings to see his friends horses, and in the evening the three of us have walked the property, because Jake is adamant we learn every square inch of it, and I agree.
I've talked with Glory every day since I've been back, and I'm feeling a bit uneasy about her being alone. Glory uprooted her life to help me. She's so close to her family, and for two years she's kept little contact with them for us. I know her parents were supportive of the sacrifices she made, but it doesn’t change the fact that she won't be able to go back home until Finn has the evidence he needs to put Ronan behind bars. Finn is good at keeping us informed and the last we heard Ronan was still actively looking for me. In the beginning, Ronan and his goons harassed Glory's parents by grilling them on where his family was and accusing them of hiding us. In a way, they were. They didn’t know where we went or where their daughter went but they knew part of the reason why. After they had a restraining order filed against him, Ronan resorted to having men stand outside across the street, sometimes for hours at a time watching her parents place until they finally moved on. I don’t have my parents anymore, but I have Glory's mom and dad, and I would do anything to make sure they stay safe. They shouldn’t have to suffer because of my poor choice in a man.
I'm enjoying a soothing cup of chamomile tea when Remi comes bounding down the stairs. "Mom, these clothes are awesome. Have you seen the stuff your friends picked out for me?" She beams. Jake thought the best way to introduce Remi to everyone was all at once, and I agreed, so, the club is having a cookout later today as a welcome home party for my daughter and me.
I love that she hasn’t had any problems settling in since we got here. "I haven't, Bella and Alba will be happy to hear you like what they picked out. You can tell them in a few hours when you finally meet them," I remind her.
"I'm a little nervous," she climbs on the barstool beside me at the kitchen island and snatches a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie from the plate in front of her.
"Peanut, there is nothing to worry about. All of Jake's family are good people. Trust me, they'll love you." I try to reassure her while grabbing a cookie.
"Do I really have to go to work with you tomorrow?" she jumps straight into a new subject altogether while slumping her shoulders.
"Yes, and it's not open for discussion either, Remi," I remind her for the third time since yesterday. I know she wants to be a regular kid and go to school, but I don’t think it would be possible. It's one thing for me to go around using a fake name to get by but to enroll her in school I would have to have more than a false photo ID. Having had enough mother-daughter time she snatches another cookie from the plate and retreats upstairs to her bedroom.
A few hours later Remi and I are buckled into Jake's truck and on our way to the clubhouse. Reaching over, I grab Jake's hand that’s resting on the center console because touching him soothes me. When we arrive at the gate a new guy, I've never seen before lets us pass. "Haven't seen him before?" I comment.
"His name is Grey, he's a newbie lookin' to prospect for us," Jake explains, then pulls his truck alongside Bella's car. "Ready?" he asks as he turns off the ignition.
"Ready," I smile with confidence.
As soon as we step out of the truck, you can smell food cooking on the grill and kids laughing. The three of us proceed to walk through the front door of the clubhouse. I've never been out here or inside Jake's club before. The large room we walk into has a bar on one side, and a few pool tables, couches and small round tables with chairs spread out amongst the room.
"This is the common room. It's where the guys hang out," Jake explains then points to some stairs, "those go up to the second floor where the bedrooms are."
Remi being inquisitive asks, "People live here?"
"Sometimes," Jake answers her.
"Cool," Remi remarks, causing a smile to appear on Jake's handsome face.
He walks us through a door that leads us into a kitchen where Lisa is standing at the stove, "Something sure is smelling good in here, woman," Jake's deep voice calls out startling her.
"Jake," she looks over her shoulder. Noticing Remi and I standing beside him she gasps, "Grace." She wipes her hands on a towel and lays it on the counter beside her before making her way towards me with her arms outstretched
, "Welcome home," she hugs me, "and this must be Remi," she looks to my side.
"That’s me," Remi tells her and holds her little hand out.
"Oh, honey, this family likes to hug. Would it be okay if I hug you?" Lisa asks her permission. Bobbing her head yes the both of them hug it out.
"Well, the rest of the gang is outside," Lisa warns. "The ladies have been chompin' at the bit waiting for you two to get here." She adds.
I can imagine how they’ve been since I've been back home and stowed away out in the middle of nowhere. I'm thankful they understood Remi and I needed a couple of days to breathe and root ourselves where we belong. I've missed their faces and friendships more than they will ever know. I grab Remi's hand, "No better way than to jump right in," I swing our arms and walk towards the sliding glass door, pull it open and step outside. No one spots us at first, which gives me a second to let my eyes sweep the yard. The first person to notice us is Bella. Her hand goes to her mouth, and she starts jogging across the yard. Bella and I became the best of friends over the two years I lived here. Despite what Bella has been through she still chooses to see the positive aspects of life. Bella also knew I was falling for Jake, and yet she didn’t meddle. Like Glory, she could read me and knew how much to hold back and when not to.
The closer Bella gets to me my eyes zone in on the noticeable baby bump she is sporting. "Grace," she wraps me in a hug.
Embracing her I blurt out, "Something you wanna tell me?"
Pulling back, Bella looks down at her little bump and rubs it, "We're expanding the family," she proclaims. "I'm so happy you're home, Grace." she hugs me one more time.
Before I can dive into further details with her, a crowd has gathered behind Bella's back.
"Wow, you have a big family, Jake," my daughter voices.
Bella refusing to let go of my hand and looks at my daughter, "She looks so much like you, Grace," she gushes.
Jakes steps up behind Remi and puts his hand onto her shoulders and faces everyone. "Everyone, this Spitfire is Remi." Jake looks down, "Remi," she tilts her head back giving her attention to him, and he tells her, "This is your family."
Consumed by the love standing around us, I lose it. Tears spill from my eyes with Jake's declaration to my daughter, claiming us in front of everyone. Alba joins her sister along with Mila, and even Emerson falls in beside her. Remi slips under my arm and wraps an arm around my waist, "You feel it?" she asks.
"I feel it, Peanut," I kiss the top of her head. Love.
* * *
Yesterday was an emotional day. Most of the day we spent with everyone catching me up on things I had missed. It's incredible how much I'd missed in the few months I was gone. Bella being pregnant is one of them. I watched her struggle along with the rest of her family and friends to start a family. Bella and Logan got to adopt the sweet baby she fell in love with while volunteering at the hospital and they are now expecting a little boy. Watching all the little ones toddle around and play started to tug at my heart, and I started thinking about when Remi was a baby.
I also got to watch my daughter be carefree-be the kid she's supposed to be. Remi got along well with Sofia and ended up hanging with her most of the day, and I think her favorite club member is Quinn. It probably has something to with the fact they both have a quirky sense of humor, and she was keeping up with his little zingers dishing them out as quick he was delivering them himself. All PG, of course.
It's early, just before sunrise and my daughter and I are on the road heading towards town with Jake following behind us. Once we make it to the bakery, I park out front, and Jake pulls alongside me, turns his bike off and dismounts. Remi and I climb out my car, and the three of us walk to the front door.
"Let me know when you guys are ready for lunch and I'll take my break with the two of you," Jake motions for me to hand him my keys and he unlocks the storefront for me.
Stepping in first, he flips the overhead lights on and sweeps the room before letting us walk the rest the way in. I find it comforting that he does the maneuver almost every time we enter any space. One of the things Jake insisted on before I came back to work was getting Reid to install a state of the art security system in and around the bakery. Previously, I only had the one camera inside, but now several small cameras are placed throughout. Now Jake can have access to live feed and check on Remi and me anytime he wants, but of course, he is still having one of the club members, Quinn as a matter of fact, hang around all day to help keep an eye on things. The good thing about the location of my store is I'm on main street which is a block from Kings Customs, so Jake won't be too far away.
Standing in front of the empty bakery glass windows, I reflect back to the first time Jake walked into the store. I had been open for almost a week at the time. New town and all, I was nervous. It would be the first time I'd be running a place solo. I had spent the whole day before plus that night baking for my grand opening in the morning. I'm in an excellent location; next door is a clothing boutique and on the other side is a small grocery store.
I'd been open for a couple of hours when Jake walked in with a menacing look on his face like someone had just messed up his morning. He had to have seen the look of worry on my face because his entire demeanor shifted and his face softened. Jake quickly apologized for his grumpiness. It turns out he walked up on some guy giving a young lady a hard time near the alleyway of the grocery store, and he had just taken care of the situation before stepping through my doors that morning. He was stopping by to introduce himself, said he liked to get to know everyone in town. My lips turn up in a smile, as I slip my apron over my head and secure the tie around my waist. Nearly every day after that one, he came in to buy doughnuts. He swore he and his guys couldn’t get enough of them. He was either working out extra hard or fibbing because his fit physique never once showed signs that he was packing away that many calories.
"I see those wheels turning. What has you lost in thought, Little Bird?" Jake's voice rumbles, as he comes to stand in front of me and pushes my wild curls from my face.
"I was thinking about the ridiculous amount of doughnuts you've bought from me the past couple years," I tell him and slip my hand under the hem of his shirt letting my palm skate across his abs.
Jake's large hand wraps around the base of my neck, causing me to lift my gaze from his chest and connect with his smoldering stare, "Kiss me, woman," he rasps, before his mouth settles heavily over mine.
"See, this right here is one more reason I should be in school-a real school with other kids my age," Remi sighs.
Looking around Jake, I see her standing by the register with her arms crossed. "Peanut," I warn.
"Mom, come on please. We passed the school on the way here, and it's close enough I could walk there. You need to focus on work, and I want to have friends. I can't make friends if I'm stuck in here with you all day. I want to be normal," she begs.
I feel bad. I know she hasn’t had normal for a long time. And she's been homeschooled her whole life because of Ronan, but she needs to understand it's for her own good. It's so I can keep her safe. I don't know what else to do.
"If I could offer a solution, babe?" Jake interjects.
I rub my temples with the tips of my fingers, "I'm willing to hear what type of solution you could have," I tell him.
"Let me talk with Reid; maybe he can do for Remi what O'Rourke did for you. If I can find a way to keep her hidden and safe would you consider letting her try school?" He rubs the sides of my arms as he speaks to me.
It’s a huge risk. "If Reid can come up with all the required documents for Remi to be enrolled, then I will consider letting her go to public school," I state.
Hearing the rumble of a motorcycle draws our attention towards the window to see Quinn backing his bike alongside my car.
"If you need me, you call, and put Quinn's ass to work doing something," Jake leans in to steal one more kiss.
11
Jake
Riding down main st
reet behind Grace, I spot Quinn sittin' on his bike in front of the bakery smokin' a cigarette. Grace parks in her usual spot next to the alley as I pull in next to Quinn. Getting out of her car Grace makes her way toward me while Remi jogs over to Quinn and begins chattin' with him. Remi has taken a shine to Quinn. Kids are drawn to him. He says it's his easy going and charming personality. I suppose it's because he acts like a big fuckin' kid all the time and they see him as a peer. All the brothers give Quinn shit from time to time, but we wouldn't want him any other way.
I turn my attention back to my woman when she wraps her arms around my middle, and her scent invades my nostrils. "Will you be here at closing or is Quinn following me home today?"
"I'll be here. I'm going to go see Reid and we're going to find a solution for getting Remi in school." When I see apprehension flash across Grace's face, I tilt her chin up forcing her to meet my eyes. "Whatever we come up with, I promise you your girl will be safe. The club won't let anything happen to Remi. I want you to trust me on this, Little Bird." Taking a shuttered breath, she runs her fingers through my beard, something I've come to love, and nods. "Yes, Jake I trust you. It's just, Remi is my life. I'm always going to worry. But I know this is going to be good for her. I want her to have a normal childhood."
Kissing her on top of her head and then again on her lips, I murmur. "She will." Slapping her on the ass, "Now get inside. I'll see ya later." Turning on her heel in the direction of the bakery's front door, I watch the sway of her hips as she walks inside before I then turn my attention to Quinn who is wearing a goofy ass grin on his face. "What," I gruff narrowing my eyes.
UNBREAKABLE: The Kings of Retribution MC Page 8
