by Sam Crescent
“It’s going a little rough. Morning sickness is the worst. Murphy’s amazing. He’s rubbing my back and being the perfect husband to me. I’ve got nothing to complain about.”
“What are you not telling me, honey?” Eva asked. She’d known Tate long enough to know when the other woman was lying.
Tate looked down at the floor. “It’s nothing.”
“Don’t lie to me.”
She listened to the younger woman sigh. “Fine, I’m scared. Everyone is always tense when Gonzalez is mentioned. All of the other enemies the club has faced the guys, they’ve made jokes. I know there has been a certain amount of teasing, but this is different. It scares me.”
Drawing Tate against her side, Eva kissed her head as she often had while Tate was growing up. “Everything will work out in the end. You’ve got to stop fearing what’s going to happen.”
“You can’t deny this is different from all the other times before.”
Eva remained silent.
“Please, Eva, for once tell me the truth of what’s going on.”
“There’s nothing you need to know. Your father knows what he’s doing. You need to relax and learn to trust him.” Eva released Tate to hold onto Simon tighter as the young toddler started to wriggle.
“Fine, I’ll leave you to it. I’ll pick him up later.”
“I look forward to seeing you. Have fun,” Eva said. She closed the door behind her stepdaughter and started walking back upstairs.
Tabitha and Miles hadn’t stopped playing.
“Here you go, Simon, have some fun.”
Simon padded off toward the other two. Letting out a sigh, she took the time to simply watch them. She loved being around children. They were so adorable, charming, and made her love them all the more. Blowing out a breath she stepped toward the bedroom and started going through the washing she’d been doing all day.
Folding the washing also helped to calm her nerves. She didn’t know why as washing always seemed to be a curse for a lot of women.
Whistling to herself, she checked on the kids several times. Halfway through the washing the doorbell rang. After another quick check on the kids, she walked downstairs to the answer the door.
She didn’t have to be constantly there to watch the kids as she’d child-proofed the entire room. There was nothing there to cause them any harm or pain.
Looking through the key hole she saw Angel standing on her doorstep.
“Hey,” Eva said, opening the door.
“Hey. I heard you were the one on babysitting duty, and I wanted to come and offer my services to help you.” Angel’s blonde hair blew freely in the wind. Her son Anthony giggled as he tried to catch the length.
“You don’t have to if you want to do something else for today.”
She closed the door behind Angel, loving how natural the other woman was with her kids. Eva had seen many women lose their temper when kids pulled their hair. Angel didn’t respond. Being with Lash, she imagined Angel would be used to a little hair pulling.
Been around the men far too long. Too much information to know about one brother.
“I’ve got nothing to do. Lash is back at the club dealing with business. I’ve packed away from our vacation.”
“I thought Lash told you to make a decision of where you want to go next. You’re not going to be home forever.” Eva took the bag from Angel’s shoulder, and together they made their way up toward the other kids.
“Lash can pick where we go. I’ve looked at too many brochures. All the resorts and hotels are starting to look the same. I don’t care where we go, so long as Lash is happy. Anthony is always happy.” Angel bent down to place her son on the floor.
Eva laughed as he charged away. Out of all the kids Anthony was the quietest, taking after his father. Lash was quiet for the most part, but if someone threatened him then he was one of the deadliest men Eva had ever known. She heard about what happened with how Lash snapped Angel’s father’s neck without straining. From what she heard, the bastard deserved it as he’d tried to sell Angel to whoever would have her.
Angel stepped away. “He’s growing up so fast.”
She glanced at the other woman. She wore a long pastel pink skirt with a matching top.
“Lash still refusing to have another kid?”
“Yeah, he doesn’t like how bad the pregnancy was with Anthony. The moment I held him, all the pain dissipated. I want another kid, but I don’t want to upset Lash. He means the world to me.”
The biggest problem with Angel was that she was too trusting and too submissive for Lash. She was sweet, but she wouldn’t fight for anything.
“Maybe it’s time for you to speak up for what you want.”
“Nah, it’s okay. We’ll have another child when we’re ready. Right now isn’t the right time. Gash is back out of prison, poor man. Lash told me what happened. Could you imagine? Being put away for crimes you didn’t commit. I feel sorry for Gash,” Angel said.
Eva snorted. “Don’t. If I know Gash, then he’ll be seeking revenge before you know it.”
“He’s a nice man. I like him.” Angel moved around Eva to fill the kettle. Grabbing milk from the fridge, Eva took over making them a drink. She placed the baby monitor on the counter for them to watch their kids. Tiny had installed a small CCTV camera in the room, and with a little rewiring, Whizz made it even more baby proof. Eva could see the kids anywhere in the house.
“Be careful around Gash. You’ve not known him long, and he’s just gotten out of prison.”
“What do you mean? Gash wouldn’t do anything. I’m Lash’s woman.” Angel took a seat, her gaze on the camera of the babies.
“Before you turned up at The Skulls, Gash was a massive player. Prison changes everyone, and no one knows if it has affected him yet. Give him time, and don’t be around him until you know.”
Angel smiled. “You sound as protective as Lash does. He always worries about me. I don’t know how to convince him not to.”
Stirring the tea, she placed one in front of Angel.
“You’ve been hurt a lot because of the club. I know all the men feel awful over what happened to you.”
The shirt she wore revealed one of the scars near Angel’s chest from the bullets she had taken, which had been intended for Zero. Another was near her spine and another close to it. For several days it had been touch and go. The whole club had to wait for her to come out of coma to see what the extent of the damage was. The doctors at the time had warned Angel might not be able to walk or if the damage was too severe, she wouldn’t come out of a coma. Yeah, it had been one of the worst times for the club.
“I’m not the only woman who’s been injured because of the club.”
“You were the first one who died on the operating table. We were all there. You jumped in front of Zero to protect him. He was nothing to you, yet you jumped in front of him. Did you even know they were shooting?”
Angel stared at the monitor for several seconds. Eva had never brought this up before. She tried not to relive old, painful memories. Angel was too damn sweet and didn’t need reminding all the time.
“I saw the gun, and it was aimed at Zero. I don’t know what came over me. Lash was talking, telling me what he wanted to do to me when we got home. I saw the gun and knew I couldn’t let Zero die. He does mean something to me as he’s part of the club. Lash told me the club came first and he’d do anything to protect the club. I had to play my part, and letting a man die is not who I am.”
Eva reached out to take Angel’s hand. “You’re Lash’s first priority. The club no longer comes first to Lash. You do.”
“I don’t care. I thought I did, but I don’t. I love Lash and the club. You’re all my family, and I have to say, I see Tiny as the father figure and you as the mother. I know, it’s strange but it’s true. When I see you both, I know everything is going to be okay.” Angel withdrew her hand. “I’m not going to stop helping the club, even if it means jumping in front of bullet
s.”
“It’s dangerous.”
“The guys don’t want us in danger, yet all of their enemies know where to hit The Skulls. Everyone knows that the club loves their women. We’re always the target. They need to learn to help to defend us rather than leaving us blind.”
For a short time the guys had taken them to the warehouse where Nash had gotten over his addiction, and the women had started training. That soon ended as life changed, they had to take out another enemy, and before she knew what was happening they hadn’t restarted their training. Lash took Angel off to Italy, and nothing had happened since they got back.
“We can start up the training once again if you voice your concerns,” Eva said.
“I asked Lash. He doesn’t want me to do it.” Angel sighed.
“Why not?”
“He doesn’t think it’s necessary.” Angel looked sad as she looked at the monitor once again.
Eva took a sip of her hot tea wondering what to say to her.
“I don’t mind. Let’s not talk about training and everything else.” The doorbell went interrupting Angel talking.
“Give me a moment, and I’ll see who that is.” Eva moved toward the door. She found Rose waiting for her with a bottle of wine in hand.
“Hey,” Eva said, shocked to see the red haired woman.
“I know. I’ve been out of it for some time. I thought we could have a bit of bubbly, some girly chat, and catch up.”
“Angel is here, and I’ve got the kids.”
Rose stepped inside. “That’s great. We can have some bubbly, watch the kids, and chat. I love Angel. I don’t have a problem with her unless she doesn’t want me to ruin your day.”
Shaking her head, Eva let her in. “There’s nothing to ruin. It’s just us girls and hopefully some fun.”
She followed Rose into the kitchen. Angel embraced Rose before they took a seat.
“I’m not drinking tea,” Rose said. “I want to drink wine and not deal with men or anything else.”
“What’s up?” Eva asked, grabbing a wine glass for Rose.
“Nothing is up. Hardy is busy with the club, and I don’t want to be around that many cocks.” Rose poured herself a healthy glass of wine. “Besides, it’s an anniversary of sorts.”
Just then Eva’s cell phone went.
“Here we go, Hardy’s checking up on me.”
In all the years Eva had known Rose and Hardy, she’d never seen the couple like this.
“Hello,” she said, answering the call.
“Is Rose there?” Hardy asked.
“Yeah. She’s drinking wine and talking about an anniversary. What’s going on?”
“Don’t ask him that. He doesn’t like that, do you, Hardy?” Rose sounded like she’d been drinking already this morning.
“Fuck, please, keep her there. I’ll be by later to pick her up.”
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing. It’ll be fine. I promise. Just, don’t let her leave.” Hardy hung up the phone, leaving Eva with so many questions.
“Let me guess, you’re not allowed to let me leave and I’m pretty much to stay here until he comes and picks me up?” Rose asked.
“Yeah.”
“Typical male. He’s bossing us around.” Rose looked toward Angel. “You should know all about that. I have to say, your man is a keeper.”
Frowning, Eva looked at Angel at the same time as she looked at her.
“The secrets, they all suck. Do any of you want a drink? I’m going to consume this whole bottle, and I can promise you, it won’t be my last today.”
“What secrets?” Angel asked.
“Oh, honey, I can tell you so many secrets about Hardy.”
“You and Hardy are perfect for each other. You’re a wonderful couple.”
Rose started laughing, and once she started, the other woman couldn’t stop.
Eva thought about the time she spent with Rose. Not once could she recall ever seeing her like this. However, Hardy always made sure that Rose took some time away from the club.
“Honey, we’re not the perfect couple. In fact we’ve had problems just like everyone else.” Rose took a large gulp of her wine, raising a finger toward them. “In fact, it has been ten years exactly today when our marriage was the fucking worst. Usually, Hardy keeps me locked up in our house for me to have my sob and cry. Shame he’s busy and he can’t keep me in one place.”
Eva had a feeling she didn’t want to hear the rest. For the most part she liked to think Hardy and Rose’s relationship was solid. What she was witnessing was telling her otherwise.
“Rose? Are you okay?” Angel asked.
The humor left Rose’s eyes, and all that was left was pain. “Yeah, I’ll be fine.” For several seconds no one spoke. “Ten years ago Hardy started to act differently. He was spending more time at the club and rarely came home. Sex was a chore to him. He stopped wanting to have anything to do with me. So, I decided to spruce things up. I put on the sexiest, sluttiest outfit I could find, and I went to the clubhouse. No one stopped me as I made my way toward Hardy’s room. No one knew what was happening, and neither did I until I opened that door.” Rose took another large gulp of wine. “I watched him fucking one of the sweet-butts that hung around the club at the time.”
Angel gasped while Eva just felt sick. This was not something she wanted to be hearing. All of her illusions about Rose and Hardy were flying out of the window.
“Yeah, that’s right. He cheated on me with a fucking slut who slept with all the club members.” Rose chuckled. “I left his ass, and he came crawling back to me, not giving me a chance to really leave.”
“What happened? I mean, you had to take him back because you’re together,” Eva said.
“I did after he begged and begged. No one at the club knows what happened. I stayed away for the longest time. I wouldn’t talk to him. We lived in the same house, but I wouldn’t talk to him or let him touch me. Then, we started talking, and he apologized. He begged me to take him back. Hardy wouldn’t leave me alone. He wouldn’t divorce me. For days he’d beg me to take him back, to talk to him at every chance. I caved and started talking to him. I’m not happy with my weakness. Slowly, we started to get back together.” Rose was crying harder. “The bitch turned up three months later pregnant with Hardy’s kid. Everything we’d been building was torn from us because she came back for me. I wondered if I was even supposed to be giving Hardy another chance. I mean, what kind of woman takes a cheating asshole back?”
Eva looked at Angel.
“I don’t know.” They both answered in unison, neither knowing what could be the right answer.
Eva felt for the other woman. This sudden revelation was more than she could stand. Rose had been hurting for years, and she’d never known.
“What happened?” Angel asked.
“I can’t have kids, so I offered to be the mother to the kid providing she stayed away,” Rose said. “She didn’t make it. Seven months pregnant she got into a car accident, killing herself and the unborn child instantly. I’d gotten the nursery ready, read all the books. I was happy, or as happy as I could be. This is the anniversary of a lost dream.” Rose raised her glass for them to join in.
Angel had tears streaming down her face. Eva swallowed down the lump.
“I’m celebrating everything I’ve lost, and I’m tired of doing it in private. Hardy is with me most of the time, but as usual the club comes first. Well, guess what, secret is out,” Rose said.
For the rest of the day, Angel and Eva comforted Rose as she sobbed and laughed, mourning her life. They took her up to be around the kids. Watching Rose with their children, Eva’s heart went out to the woman. Today’s revelation just went to show how little she knew about some of the members.
Angel left with Lash when he came to collect her, taking her son with her.
Hardy arrived with Tiny. By the time her husband turned up, Rose was back to crying. The moment Rose saw Hardy, she started t
o attack him.
“I fucking hate you!”
“What the fuck?” Tiny asked.
“Don’t,” Eva said, placing a hand on him. “This is between them.”
“It’s over, Rose. Ten years now. You’ve got to let it go or let us adopt.”
“You hurt me,” Rose said.
“I know, but I love you. There has not been another woman since. You own me,” Hardy said, picking her up in his arms. The other man looked tired. The cracks in their marriage had been long in coming.
****
Closing the door behind Hardy, Tiny turned to his woman.
“Tate picked up Simon an hour ago. She wanted to murder Hardy over what happened,” Eva said.
“I don’t doubt it. How did Angel take the news?”
“How did you know?”
“Hardy told me when he turned up with a red face from Rose slapping him. I’ve never known her to be like this.” Tiny banded an arm around Eva’s waist.
“They kept secrets from the club.”
“It was personal secrets. I didn’t need to know that Hardy had cheated on his woman. It sucks.” Tiny led her into the kitchen where the remains of Rose’s drinking lay. “Makes me wonder if she danced because he liked it or to make him jealous.”
“They’re a complicated couple.” Eva moved out of his arms to put the bottle in the recycle trash can and clean up the glass. “Are you hungry?”
“Yeah, starved. Have the kids eaten?”
“Yep, they’ve eaten and they’re settled for the night. Rose calmed down a little when we got her to help. I’ve never seen a woman so desperate for a child before.” Eva started to make him up a sandwich.
He watched her working, feeling the need to fuck her come over him. It had been a long day, and all he wanted to do was sink inside her warm cunt.
“Lash said Angel came here?”
“We were talking about the club. She likes Gash, thinks he’s a nice guy.”
Tiny chuckled. “It took four sweet-butts to calm him the fuck down. I kid you not, they were going in and out of his room, taking turns.”
“Did you get anything done today?” Eva asked, turning the conversation to a more serious matter.
