by L. Wilder
“Bull,” Bishop called. Bull’s attention was immediately drawn away from the work Gavin was doing on his bike. “Gonna need you and Otis to make a run to Kentucky this afternoon.”
“Sure thing. Where we headed?”
“Over to London. Should be able to get there and back by tonight.”
“No problem. I’ll go round up Otis.”
“Here are the directions. There’ll be two cars, so take the thirty-five foot trailer.”
Bull took the paper and shoved it into his back pocket. “We’ll get it taken care of.”
“Knew you would.”
Once he was gone, Bishop peered over Gavin’s shoulder, noting the large shorty exhaust that he was installing. “Damn.”
Gavin smiled. “Yeah, we’ll be hearing him from miles away with these things.”
“We’ll have to keep his ass in the back of the line from here on out.”
“No doubt about that.” Gavin took a step back, admiring his work. “But you know what they say about chrome… It won’t get you home, but it might get you laid.”
“Shit.” Bishop chuckled as he turned and started back towards the clubhouse. “Got some things to take care of in town. Let me know if you need anything.”
“Will do.”
As Bishop headed back into the clubhouse, his mind was bombarded with all the things he needed to get done and how little time he had to do it. Things were piling up, but he tried to think of it as a good sign. Busy meant money, and lots of it.
On his way to his bike, he walked through the bar. He thought the room was empty until he spotted Sunny sitting quietly over in the corner. She had several books sprawled out across two of the tables, and she seemed completely focused on her work as she typed away on her laptop. He stopped for a moment to look at her, remembering how she had looked only a year ago. It did him good to see her trudging away at her school work. After quitting her job at Hidden Creek, she’d started taking classes at the local community college and had made plans to attend one of the state schools in the spring. He’d done everything in his power to help her, and she’d been making real strides in getting her life back together. He couldn’t have been more pleased to see her doing so well after all she’d been through.
As a kid, she’d always had a smile on her face and a knock-‘em-dead attitude, and it meant a lot to him that she was good to Wyatt whenever he was over at her mother’s place. She was a sweet kid, and for a long time, he’d worried she’d never get past the night she was attacked. When Glenda, Sunny’s mother, had called that night to ask Bishop and the brothers to check on her, he had no idea what they’d find when they pulled into the parking lot of Hidden Creek. He sure as hell hadn’t expected to find Sunny lying face down on the gravel, unconscious and fighting for her next breath. With all the swelling and blood-soaked clothes, she’d been almost unrecognizable.
It had taken several surgeries, months in the hospital, and hours upon hours of physical therapy for her to get better—physically. Mentally was a different story. After all these months, she’d never really healed all that was broken inside her. The nightmares and panic attacks were slowly dying down, but she had yet to remember everything that had happened. There were a lot of unanswered questions, and while he knew the answers to some of them, he prayed that she never would. The brothers had done what they could to help her, and since the moment they’d found her lying helpless on the ground, she’d been under their protection. They’d cleaned up the mess and dealt with the cops, doing whatever they could to erase what had happened. Some things were just better left forgotten, and that night was one of them.
Even though she tried to hide it, he could still see the pain lurking behind her eyes. Everyone who knew her could see it. She was still fighting her inner demons, but he hoped that her focus on college and getting her degree might help her move on. For the most part, it had been working. She’d started venturing out on her own and stopped hiding in her room for days on end, and had even started going out with the girls. She didn’t stay out long, but it was a start. That positive attitude of hers was trying to fight its way back, doing what it could to win out over the dark that was raging inside of her. Bishop felt certain that in time, it would, and he was willing to stand in the gap until that day.
Remembering how much he had to do, he turned to leave. Just before he walked out, the front door flew open. Seconds later, John Warren came charging inside with Lily and Grace following close behind.
“JW!” Lily called out to him to no avail.
He kept running until he slammed into Bishop, wrapping his arms around his legs as he said, “Hey, Bishop!”
Bishop knelt down and lifted him into his arms. “Hey, little man. Where you headed off to in such a hurry?”
“I wanna tell Daddy about the lizard I found in da garage.”
After Lily’s sister was killed, Lily came to Tennessee in hopes of protecting her nephew from the same fate. She met Goliath while working in the bar, and it didn’t take long for sparks to fly. They fell for each other and decided they wanted to be a family. After several long, agonizing months and lots of questions about JW’s paternity, they finally managed to adopt JW. Since then, they’d had their own child, Grace, who was about to turn one. They’d both gotten the family they’d always wanted and more.
Bishop lowered JW to the ground and smiled when he looked up at him with those inquisitive dark green eyes. “He’s out working in the garage, but he’ll be done soon.”
He turned and looked at his mother. “Momma, can I go out to da garage?”
“No, JW. You know you can’t go out there when Daddy’s working. You can tell him all about your lizard when he’s done.”
His bottom lip rolled out into a pout, but it faded quickly when he spotted Sunny sitting over in the corner. He raced over to her, nearly knocking her out of her seat when he crawled into her lap. Excitedly, he started telling her all the details of his great catch.
Lily walked over to the bar counter and reached for Grace’s highchair. Once she had her settled, she turned to Bishop and asked, “You gonna tell me why I can’t go out to the garage? Every time I try to go out there, one of the guys finds some excuse for me to not go in. I know something’s up.”
“No idea what you’re talking about.”
She rolled her eyes and let out an exaggerated sigh. “Somehow I doubt that. You always know exactly what’s going on around here.”
A sly smile spread across his face. “Maybe so, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to tell you.”
“Didn’t figure you would.”
Lily turned her attention back to Grace and placed several crackers on the tray of her highchair. Just as she took her sippy cup out of the diaper bag, Goliath and Sheppard walked in with Gavin following close behind. Goliath headed over to Lily and gave her a light kiss on her temple. “Got any plans for lunch?”
“We ate before we came. I’ve got to check the inventory and stock the coolers before I put the kids down for their nap. Want me to run to the kitchen and make you guys some sandwiches or something?”
“No need for that, sweetheart. You’ve got your hands full. Besides, I need to make a run into town, so we’ll grab a burger while we’re there.”
There was a loud commotion behind them, drawing their attention over to Sunny and John Warren. Her books were now scattered all over the floor along with several of her papers. Lily started over towards her to help, but Gavin beat her to the punch. He’d already started gathering Sunny’s things and placing them back on the table.
“I’m sorry,” JW pouted. “It was an accident.”
“It’s okay, sweetie,” Sunny assured him. “We’ll get it all picked up.”
Sunny quickly joined Gavin on the floor and helped him gather the rest of her things. Once they were done, Gavin stood up and winked at John Warren. “There ya go, bud. Got it all picked up.”
Sunny stood up and smiled as she said, “Bet your dad will want to hear about that liza
rd you caught.”
His eyes filled with excitement as he turned and rushed over to Goliath, shouting, “Hey, Daddy! I caught a lizard today!”
Once he’d gone, Sunny looked over to Gavin and said, “Thanks.”
He gave her a slight nod, then turned and walked back over to the guys. It was one of his typical moves with Sunny. Whenever she was around, the self-assured, tough guy faded away and he became quiet and subdued. He wasn’t very good at hiding that he had a thing for her. Everyone knew it except for Sunny. She thought he didn’t like her, mainly because he acted so differently than the other guys. While the other brothers would talk and cut up with her, Gavin kept his distance. She figured he thought she was some kind of idiot or trailer trash for getting tangled up with the wrong guy, but that wasn’t true—not even close.
When Gavin made it back over to the bar, Sheppard gave him a smirk and said, “You ready to go, Prince Charming?”
“I’m set.”
“Got some parts that need to be picked up in McKenzie. After lunch, I’m gonna need you to go pick ‘em up.”
“No problem.”
As they started for the door, Gavin glanced back over to where Sunny was sitting. She’d started back to work on her paper and didn’t notice him staring.
Gavin knew he hadn’t earned the right to pursue her. He was still prospecting, and Sunny was considered Bishop’s family. He’d have to wait for his approval before he made his intentions clear to her, but he could be patient. He just hoped that she would be able to see through his past and to the man he’d become, something he had never been able to do himself. The choices he’d made were always present and right in his face every time he saw his son, John Warren. Even though he knew he’d made the right decision where his child was concerned, he doubted any woman would ever really understand why he’d done it. Still, that didn’t stop him from thinking about his future—the future he wanted with the girl who taunted him in his dreams. The girl who filled the world’s darkness with light, just like her name: Sunny.
Gavin had his reasons for moving to Tennessee, mainly because he’d had suspicions that John Warren might have been his child. He needed to see for himself that he was okay, so he packed his bags and started prospecting for the Devil Chaser’s. It didn’t take him long to see that his new brothers were good men. Family came first, and Goliath was no different. Time and time again, he made it clear that he would do anything for Lily and JW. He loved them and bent over backward to make sure they were happy. John Warren wasn’t his blood, but that never mattered to him. In his eyes, he was his son.
By the time the paternity test proved that he was John Warren’s father, Gavin knew there was no way he could ever take him away from Lily and Goliath. He could see that JW was happy, truly happy, and it was clear to see how much they loved him. John Warren had found his home with them, and Gavin loved him too much to disrupt his little world. That didn’t mean Gavin wouldn’t be a part of his life, and thankfully, Goliath and Lily wanted it that way. He spent time with JW at the club, and Lily often invited him over just so they could be together. In fact, today she’d called to tell him that Goliath could use some help putting together JW’s new swing set. He didn’t hesitate going over to give him a hand.
They spent most of the afternoon piecing it all together, and once it was done, Goliath turned to him and said, “Never thought we’d get this damn thing put up.”
“It’s awesome. He’s gonna love it.”
He’d barely gotten the words out of his mouth when the back door flew open and John Warren rushed out. “I wanna swing!”
Goliath smiled. “Come on, buddy. Try it out.”
JW raced over to him and threw his hands up. “Up!” Goliath reached down and lifted the boy into the swing, giving him a light push. “More, Daddy!”
Gavin watched them together and couldn’t help but smile. As a kid, he’d never really spent a lot of time with his father, and he was glad John Warren had Goliath. He was a good man, a good friend, and an even better father. After an hour of playing, John Warren started to tucker out. Goliath picked him up and said, “Time for your bath and bed, little man.”
“But, I not done.”
“You are for now.”
When they started for the door, Gavin told them, “I’m gonna head out. Y’all have a good night.”
“Thanks for your help, brother. I’ll see you at the garage in the morning.”
Once he was gone, Goliath took John Warren inside. Lily fed him his dinner, and then put him in the tub for his bath. Goliath was rocking Grace in his recliner when he called out to her. “I think we should call Maverick to come down. He’ll want to be here when Gavin gets his patch.”
Lily walked into the living room with JW in her arms and sat down on the sofa as she towel-dried her son’s hair.
“When do you think y’all will do it?”
“Figure it will be in a couple of weeks. His year is almost up.”
She looked over at her husband with their daughter in his arms, noting how small she looked curled up against her father’s muscular chest, and even though she’d seen them like that hundreds of times, she was still in complete awe of how sweet they looked together. “I think that would be great. And if she’s up to it, tell Maverick to bring Henley and the baby, too.”
“You okay with them staying here?”
“Yeah! I think that’d be great. I’ll get the guest room ready for them.”
“Ready? What’s to get ready? No one’s stayed in there since we got the place done.”
Before Grace was born they’d completely remodeled their home, gutting the kitchen and all the bathrooms and adding two additional bedrooms to the back of the house. Goliath had tried to convince Lily to buy a new place out closer to the lake, but she’d refused. Every time he had taken her to see a new place, she’d found some reason she didn’t like it. He’d tried for months but never had any luck finding something that would convince her to move. She loved their small home. It was where she’d first fallen in love with Goliath, and she cherished all the memories they’d shared there, including the day that Maverick had brought their son home. So many good things had happened in that small house, and she just couldn’t bring herself to leave. Seeing that she had her heart set on staying, Goliath got to work on fixing the place up. He’d done what he could on his own, and then hired a construction crew to do the rest. It had taken them some time, but they finally had the home they’d both always wanted.
“I need to wash the sheets and make sure everything is clean.”
“Like I said, no one’s been in there since we finished it.”
“Goliath… just let me do my thing, and you do yours.”
He rested his head on the back of the recliner and closed his eyes as he said, “Got no problem with that.”
JW looked over to his mother, and with a puzzled look on his face, he asked, “What is your ting, Momma?”
“I do lots of things, sweetie… like putting you to bed right now. It’s getting late, mister.”
“I don’t wanna go to bed. Gracie isn’t in bed yet.”
“She will be as soon as Daddy puts her there.”
“Why can’t Daddy put me to bed?” He pouted.
Goliath looked over to his son, smiling when he saw his bottom lip poking out. “How ‘bout I go put your sister in her crib while Momma gets you in your pajamas, and then I’ll come back to get you.”
A satisfied smile spread across JW’s face. “Okay.”
Goliath eased out of the recliner and headed down the hall to Grace’s room. He carefully laid her down in the crib and silently chuckled to himself as she instantly sprawled out across the mattress just like Lily did in their bed. When he looked down at his daughter, he couldn’t imagine loving her more. Just being close to her brought him such joy and peace that it made the craziness of the world seem nonexistent. Knowing that JW was waiting for him, he turned and walked back into the living room.
John Warren’
s eyes lit up when he saw Goliath approach the sofa. It was well past his bedtime, but it was obvious that he wasn’t ready to settle down for the night. “Are you gonna tell me a story?”
Goliath leaned down, lifting him into his arms as he answered, “A short one and then it’s off to sleep with you.”
“The Goodnight book.”
“I think we can manage that.” As they started down the hall, he called out to Lily in a silly voice, “I’ll be back.”
“I’m sure you will, Terminator.”
She shook her head and laughed as she reached for the TV remote, flipping through the channels until she found one of her old favorites. Then, she lay down on the sofa, resting her head on one of the throw pillows. She hadn’t realized how tired she was until she felt herself being lifted into Goliath’s arms. Still half-asleep, she rested her head on his chest as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Feeling the warmth of his body next to hers stirred something inside of her. As he carried her down the hall to their room, she nuzzled against him, kissing him lightly on the neck.
“I want you,” she whispered.
He looked down at her, seeing that needful spark in her eyes, and replied, “You got me.”
As he walked into their room, he eased the door shut with his foot and carried her over to the bed. She smiled and watched appraisingly as Goliath began to undress. A sexy smirk crossed his face as he tracked her eyes roaming over his bare chest. He chuckled silently to himself as she started to squirm beneath the covers. He lowered his jeans to the floor, leaving only his boxer briefs. She inhaled deeply as he slowly lowered himself onto the bed beside her. Lily curled into his side and trailed the tips of her fingers along the lines of his tattoos, then looked up at him and said, “You’re a tease.”
“Who said I was teasing? I have every intention of giving you what you want,” he growled.
Without any further hesitation, his hands reached up and tangled in the back of her hair as he dropped his mouth to hers. As his tongue brushed against hers, she felt a surge of heat soar through her body. The passion of his touch consumed her, filling her with want. When she couldn’t wait a moment longer, she lifted herself off the bed and straddled him. A growl of approval filled the room as he guided her over his erection, rocking her back and forth against his hard cock. She continued to grind into him as he slowly moved his hands to the hem of her t-shirt, pulling it over her head and exposing her bare breasts. He let out a deep breath as she took her breasts in her hands, squeezing them firmly as she tilted her hips forward. Her skin flushed red with desire as she felt Goliath’s erection throbbing beneath her. A hiss escaped his lips when she reached down, slipping the tips of her fingers into his boxers. With one quick twist, he flipped her onto her back and settled between her legs.
