Coby said nothing, he just acknowledged Charlie’s comment with a smile. ‘Good to see you, Charlie.’
He held out his hand for Charlie to shake, but Charlie pulled him in for a hug instead, slapping him on the back. ‘Come here. You get my daughter pregnant, you get more than a handshake.’ He let go of Coby, putting his hands back in his pockets. The two men looked at each other, silent messages passing between them that Lexi was, thankfully, too distracted to notice. ‘Good to see you, too, Cobe.’
Coby threw Charlie another look, to which Charlie responded with the tiniest of nods. ‘I guess it’s time I said hello to the little guy, huh?’ Coby said, turning to see Lexi plant the biggest kiss on their son’s cheek. ‘Do I get to hold him now?’
Lexi looked up, her tearstained face breaking Coby’s heart as he once more felt the weight of guilt crush him; all those years they’d lost. The time with his son he’d missed. The way he’d left her to deal with Ozzie all on her own because, even as a man in his forties, he’d refused to grow up.
‘Do you want to meet your daddy?’ she whispered, gently kissing Ozzie’s cheek again. ‘He can be a bit grumpy at times, but he gives the best cuddles, I promise you that.’
Coby moved closer, until he was right there in front of her. And before he took Ozzie from her he reached out and gently brushed her tears away with his thumb, leaning over to kiss her. ‘I have never loved you more than I love you now, kid.’
She smiled, kissing him back. ‘Say hello to daddy, Ozzie.’
Coby took him from her, his big hands carefully holding his tiny son, cradling him in the crook of his arm. ‘Oh, Jesus, Lexi…’
‘Shit! Don’t start crying, Coby. You’re gonna ruin every fantasy I’ve ever had about you if you do that.’ She slipped her arm around his waist as he leant over to kiss his baby boy.
‘Hey there, little guy. You don’t know who I am right now, but, I promise you one thing, you are gonna have one hell of an exciting life here with me and your mum.’
‘Not too exciting, I hope,’ Charlie muttered, starting to walk towards the clubhouse. ‘Come on. We should get him inside.’
Coby slid his free arm around Lexi’s shoulders, pulling her in against him and Ozzie. ‘Thank you,’ he whispered, kissing her, loving her, needing her more than he’d ever needed anything before in his life. He needed this; his family. His reason for doing what he was about to do next. It was for them, for their future. It was for this club that he loved with all of his heart. It was for everything he’d ever wanted.
‘We really are gonna be okay, aren’t we, Coby?’
He kissed her again, a little longer this time, his hand clinging tighter on to their son as he nestled in his daddy’s arms. ‘Yeah. You bet your fucking life we are.’
***
Angie looked up as Charlie walked into the clubhouse, her heart almost stopping in her chest as she looked at the man she hadn’t seen in almost two decades. The man she hadn’t seen since she’d betrayed him twenty years ago. A man who was still as handsome and strong as he had been back then with his dark, slightly greying hair, which he wore just that little bit shorter than he had done back when they’d been together; his deep, dark eyes. He was still one hell of a good looking, rough-edged bastard and for the briefest of seconds Angie remembered everything about him that had made her fall in love with him. From his deep northern English accent to his take-no-crap attitude. She’d loved him so much. Once. Until Tay had come over to England that summer on club business. And all that shit had gone bad.
‘Still looking good, my beautiful biker queen.’ Charlie grinned, standing by the entrance, that cocky arrogance he’d always carried coming out in full force now. But, he ran the Mother Chapter. His father had created this club. This was his dream. So if anyone was afforded some arrogance, it was Charlie Hart.
Angie couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across her face as she walked slowly over to him. ‘Who the hell invited you into this clubhouse, huh?’
‘Well, if that man over there says I’m not welcome then I’ll turn on my English heels and get the hell out of here.’
Tay turned around, his hands in his pockets, a slight smile on his face as he joined Angie, reaching out and pulling Charlie in for a hug. ‘Come here, you Geordie bastard!’
The two men embraced, something which, on the outside, looked genuine. But Angie couldn’t stop a wave of something she could only describe as apprehension from sweeping over her.
‘Really good to see you, Tay.’
‘Yeah, you too, Charlie. Been far too long, brother.’
‘And where’s my boy, huh? Kip! Get your arse over here and say hello to your old man.’
Kip pulled himself up off the couch, saying something to Jesse before he walked slowly over to Charlie. His relationship with his father had always been somewhat strained over the years, even though Charlie had never done anything except love and support his son, even from all those miles away. It was just that Kip had turned to Tay for most of the time, sometimes shutting his own father out completely. And that’s what had hurt Charlie. What continued to hurt him even now.
‘Hey, Dad.’
‘You look like you could do with a good wash, son,’ Charlie said, before bursting out laughing, the rest of the clubhouse erupting into a barrage of catcalls and whoops all aimed at Kip. ‘Jesus, come here. You’re never too big for a hug off your old dad.’
Angie watched as her son and his father exchanged a few words, even laughing together. It wasn’t something she’d ever thought she’d see again. But then, she’d never really thought she’d see Charlie again – that she’d have to see Charlie again. He might be the man who, to all intents and purposes, ran everything as far as this club was concerned, but he hadn’t set foot in California for over twenty years. Not since he and Tay had bought the land to build this compound.
She watched as he was introduced to new members of the chapter, and greeted those men he already knew. She watched as he made himself at home, but for how long was anyone’s guess. And Angie wasn’t sure that a long visit from her ex-husband was something she wanted. Or needed.
‘Is he gonna be in California for a while?’ Angie asked Tay, slipping her arm around his waist. She suddenly needed the safety and comfort he gave her.
‘Not sure. He didn’t really say… where are Coby and Lexi?’
‘Still outside. We should probably leave them for a bit, they’ll come in when they’re ready.’
Tay leant over to kiss Angie, squeezing her waist tighter. ‘You okay with him being here?’ he asked, looking over at Charlie who was by the bar talking to Kip and Jesse.
‘Are you?’ Angie threw back.
Tay chuckled quietly, letting go of her. ‘He wouldn’t be my first choice of visitor. But I’ve always respected Charlie. None of us would be here if it wasn’t for him. But I wasn’t married to the guy.’
‘You were his best friend.’
Tay took a swig of beer from the bottle he was holding. ‘Like I said, I wasn’t married to the guy.’
Angie looked over at Charlie again. ‘I’d rather one of the others had brought Ozzie over. I mean, it’s one thing talking to him on the phone, but… coming face-to-face with him again after all this time… it’s strange.’
‘Yeah,’ Tay sighed, indicating to one of the Prospects behind the bar to get him a whisky. The beer wasn’t having any effect. ‘I know.’
‘Anyway…’ Angie tore her eyes away from Charlie, ignoring the smile he’d thrown her way. ‘I’d better go sort out the apartment. For some reason Lexi wants to stay over at the clubhouse tonight, with her boys. I’ve had Cain and Luca set up a crib in the bedroom, I’ve made sure there’s plenty of formula in the kitchen and Blake’s spent all day in the garage customizing a stroller for the little guy.’
‘But you’d rather she was bringing Ozzie home with us, right?’ Tay took the glass of whisky Red held out to him as he walked past.
‘She wants to be with Coby.’
‘They’re a family now, baby. You’re gonna have to get your head around that.’
‘I know, Tay, but… Look, I know she’s thirty-five years old, but she’s still a new mom. And she needs her own momma at a time like this.’
‘Don’t put any pressure on her, honey, okay? Let her spend the night here, with Coby and Ozzie, and Christ knows who else who decides to crash here. Because you can bet your life they won’t be alone. Just let them have tonight. They need this. The past few weeks have kicked everyone’s asses, but those two, especially, have been kicked harder than most.’
Angie sat down on the arm of the couch, letting out a sigh that was heavy with a mixture of relief and frustration. ‘Is he gonna be a good dad, Tay? Is Coby gonna be what my grandson needs? What Lexi needs?’
‘All I know is he will do anything in his power to look after his boy; to look after his girl. He’ll do whatever it takes to make sure they’re both safe. But sometimes I think you forget how tough that daughter of yours is.’
‘She’s not as tough as she thinks she is.’
‘She was away from here for eight years, Angie. And she walked back into this compound after all that time like she’d never been away, despite everything that had happened. That took balls.’
‘She should never have gone,’ Angie said quietly, standing up, pushing a hand through her hair. ‘If we’d dealt with everything here, when it had happened, then I wouldn’t be going into that apartment to make up a bed for her and Coby. I wouldn’t be making up bottles for their baby… I wouldn’t be wishing none of this had happened.’
‘But it has.’
She looked straight at Tay, right into his eyes. ‘And there’s no law anywhere, even within this goddamn club, that says I have to like it.’
Twenty-Eight
‘Tea? Coffee? Whisky?’
Lexi slowly opened her eyes, blinking rapidly a few times to try and get some focus as she pushed herself up into a sitting position, pulling the sheet up over her naked breasts.
Kel was sitting on Coby’s side of the bed, smiling at her, nudging his head in the direction of the three drinks sitting on the bedside table. ‘Didn’t know what you’d be in the mood for this morning so the guys suggested giving you a choice.’
‘Yeah. You’re all hilarious,’ she said dryly, stretching out, and then quickly realising she needed to keep one hand on the sheet that was covering her.
‘We try our best.’
‘Where’s Coby?’ She leant over to grab the mug of coffee.
‘Showing Ozzie the compound. He’s already changed his diaper and given him his breakfast. Having kids of my own I’ve been showing him the ropes, so to speak. He’s a pretty fast learner.’
She couldn’t help smiling. ‘Thanks, Kel. We’re probably gonna need all the help we can get for a few months, until things have settled down. Until we all get used to everything.’
Kel smiled again, reaching out for her hand and squeezing it gently. ‘You’ll be fine. Because you won’t be on your own.’
She took a sip of coffee before replacing the mug back down on the table. ‘Well, I guess the days of being woken up by my man’s incredible hard-on are well and truly over, then.’
‘Not necessarily, kiddo,’ Kel said, standing up and retrieving the mug of tea and glass of whisky. ‘Like I said, you’re not on your own. There’s a clubhouse full of babysitters out there all ready and willing to help out. We’re family here, remember?’
She smiled, hugging her knees to her chest. ‘Yeah. I know.’
He smiled back, opening the apartment door. ‘Want some breakfast? Blake’s on kitchen duty and you know he does a mean fry-up.’
‘Any bacon on the go?’
‘I’ll put your order in.’ He turned to leave, but then turned back around to face her, one eyebrow raised as he threw her a questioning look. ‘ Incredible?’
She lay back against the pillows, stretching out again. ‘Fucking amazing!’
Kel raised both eyebrows, then left her to it, closing the door behind him. Lexi kicked the covers off, heading into the bathroom to pee and brush her teeth before she hurriedly dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, pulling on her faithful battered biker boots.
‘Jesus! How many of you lot stayed over here last night?’ she asked as she walked into the living area of the clubhouse.
‘Everyone except Jesse, Kip and Tay,’ Blake replied. ‘They all went back to your mom’s.’
‘Looks like we’ve been frigging raided,’ she said, looking around at the mess – empty beer and whisky bottles, half eaten plates and bowls of food; blankets, pillows and clothes strewn all over the place. ‘You might want to think about tidying up a bit before Angie gets here. She’ll throw a shit-fit if she sees the state of this place.’ She leant back against the bar, folding her arms. ‘Anyone seen Coby?’
‘He’s in the garage showing Ozzie how to strip a Harley,’ Luca grinned, piercing a sausage with his fork before taking a huge bite out of it.
Lexi looked at him. ‘Oh, you lot are killing me this morning.’ She turned her attention to Blake and his frying pan. ‘I’ll be back in a bit for that bacon. And don’t hold back. I’m starving.’
She started to make her way out of the clubhouse.
‘Hey, Lex?’ Luca shouted after her. ‘You breastfeeding by any chance?’
She gave him the finger without turning back around.
Coby was sitting on a table outside, pushing Ozzie’s stroller back and forth with his foot. ‘What’s going on in there?’ he asked, looking up at Lexi.
‘They want to know if I’m getting my tits out.’
‘Huh?’
‘Breastfeeding. What did you think I meant?’ She crouched down in front of the stroller, reaching out to touch her sleeping son’s cheek. ‘Is he okay?’
‘He’s fine. Just been showing him around. Getting him used to the place.’
She sat down on the table next to him and he grinned at her, reaching out to cup one of her breasts with his hand. ‘So, is the little fella here getting the pleasure of these puppies? Or are they still all mine?’
She smiled, leaning in towards him, closing her eyes as he kissed her, his hand squeezing her breast. ‘Oh, they are so still all yours,’ she breathed, her fingers stroking his scarred cheek.
‘Good. That’s good.’ His mouth stayed close to hers as he spoke. ‘Because I missed them this morning.’ He looked down at Ozzie, who was still fast asleep, his head covered by a tiny black beanie hat bearing the Lone Riders colors. ‘But it was kind of worth it. To spend some time with him. Something I should have done a long time ago.’
Lexi slipped her arm around his waist, laying her head on his shoulder. ‘We’re together now. All three of us. And that’s all that matters.’
He turned his head slightly to kiss her quickly. ‘I’m so sorry, baby. For all the shit that happened. All the crap I put you through. For walking out on you like that… for not coming back when you needed me.’ He kissed her again, a little longer, a little deeper. ‘I love you so much, Lexi. So fucking much. I probably always have. Right from that very first second you stood there and… Jesus! All the times we fucked-up, kid. All the fucking times…’
‘Sshh, hey, come on. What happened, it’s happened. And we can’t change it, none of it. Yeah, we fucked-up. Big time. But look what we’ve got now.’
Coby stared down at his sleeping son again, a wave of pain and regret and fear tinged with a shot of hope flooding his tired and bruised body. ‘It took you walking back into this compound to make me realize that the life I was trying to forget existed was the life I really wanted.’
She gently stroked his hair, tucking it behind his ear. ‘You’re actually quite romantic when you want to be, aren’t you, soldier?’
‘Yeah, well, let’s keep that quiet, huh?’ He smiled, winding his fingers into her hair as he kissed her again. ‘My head’s still all over the fucking place, Lex.’ His thumb lightly stroked her cheek as he looked
deep into her eyes. ‘But things are gonna be okay. Things are gonna change, I promise you that.’
She smiled, too, kissing him again, his fingers wrapping around hers. ‘Yeah. Maybe they are.’ She rested her forehead against his, reaching out to touch his cheek again, running her fingers along his scar. ‘What happened the other night, it scared the shit out of me, Coby.’
‘I know, baby. But we are out of all that crap now. We’re out of it.’
She closed her eyes for a second, squeezing his fingers tight. ‘I hate being weak,’ she whispered, keeping her eyes closed as she felt him kiss her forehead. ‘But I need you now. We need you.’ She opened her eyes and looked into his. ‘You’re no use to us if you’re in jail. Or dead.’
‘That isn’t gonna happen, baby.’
‘You don’t know that. The shit you get involved with, don’t sugar-coat this crap for me, Coby. I’ve lived this life all my life.’ She looked down at Ozzie, his sleeping face beautiful and peaceful. So tiny and innocent. ‘Is this what he’s destined for?’ she whispered, letting go of Coby and crouching down beside the stroller. ‘Is this what we’ve signed him up for?’
‘If you don’t want this life for him, Lexi…’
She stood back up, her hands in her pockets, her head suddenly starting to spin as everything that had happened over the past few days caught up with her. ‘I just want you safe, Coby. I want us all safe.’
‘And that’s all I want, too. Believe me.’
‘Everything okay out here?’
Both Lexi and Coby turned to see Charlie approaching. He was wearing his cut now, over the familiar black biker jacket he always wore, his dark, slightly greying hair pushed back off his face.
‘You brought it with you, then?’ Coby smiled, indicating Charlie’s cut.
Charlie returned the smile, crouching down to take a look at Ozzie. ‘Never leave home without it. My grandson all right?’
‘Fine,’ Lexi replied. ‘He seems to be settling in okay.’
Revolution (The Lone Riders MC Series Book #1) Page 27
