The first house—which was going to be Z and Sophie’s—in this so-called gated DAMC “compound” was almost complete. The property was just outside of the town line but still close to church. Actually less than two miles. There had been a rabid rush of real estate negotiations and transactions when that property went up for sale. Z made sure that the club outbid all of the other potential buyers, even the ones with deep pockets who wanted it for commercial use. So it ended up costing the club a pretty penny.
Ace, the club’s treasurer, said it was fine, the club was still in the black and the property was not only a financial investment but an investment in the future of the DAMC and the fourth generation... which was exploding.
The property was a hundred acres of fallow farmland and Kiki had made sure they had the option to buy the neighboring one hundred acres of woods next to it if it ever became available.
Diesel and Jewel’s construction had just broken ground and there was a rush on that house since D’s family was growing faster than he ever expected. Or wanted.
Jayde snorted when she thought of the reluctant father who was fiercely protective of his young like a momma Grizzly bear.
Even Axel and Bella were building a house on one of the lots so they could stop renting. Once they owned their own home, they planned on getting serious about adopting.
Z put Linc’s name on one of the lots so once their home was built they could move out of the apartment above the pawn shop. But building a house was expensive and they had no idea how they were going to get enough money without them being indebted to the club. DAMC funds were already paying for her law degree. While her education was another investment Ace said was worthwhile, they didn’t feel right asking Z to dig deeper so they could also have their own house.
Linc had been working longer hours at the bar so he could make more tips. He also was helping Slade and Diamond out at Shadow Valley Fitness part-time as a trainer to make some extra dough.
But he was working his fingers to the bone. When he’d finally fall into bed in the early hours of the morning, he’d sleep like the dead. And Jayde was worried about him.
Jewel came over carrying a red Solo cup.
“Are you drinking?” Jayde yelled in shock at her cousin. She had to be at least four months pregnant by now.
Jewel sighed and sat down, staring in to her cup. “I wish. I should be. That man...” She scrunched up her face. “Why did I ever get involved with him? Why did I choose the most hard-headed beast on the face of this planet? Why? Why would I want to be so frustrated on a daily basis?”
Ivy snorted and covered her mouth with her hand. Linc dropped his head and stared at his boots. Kiki just out and out laughed her head off before reminding Jewel, “The Eighth Wonder of the World.”
“Oh yeah. But still... Can I have a do-over?” she asked no one in particular.
“No, woman, you fuckin’ can’t,” came the low growl.
All eyes turned to D, who, of course, was carrying his daughter. Jayde swore they were going to meld into one person eventually. He held Vi out to Jewel.
Jayde’s cousin planted one hand on her curved belly, shoved her other hand toward his face, palm out, and shook her dark head. “No. You don’t get to pick and choose when you get Vi. You want her, then you keep her even if she takes a rancid shit. Got me?”
“Woman,” D grumbled.
“No. Nope. No. There’s breast milk in the fridge inside and diapers in the diaper bag. Deal with it yourself. I’m busy baking your other child right now and that’s tough work since you produce monster babies.” She groaned and stretched out her back. “If you don’t start stepping up and doing the dirty work, too, then,” she shook her head, “then...”
D cocked a menacing brow. “Then?”
Jewel sighed.
Ivy snickered. “She can’t even hold out on sex with him.”
Jewel frowned.
“Like I said, it’s the ass,” Kiki said with a chuckle.
“What’s his ass got that mine don’t?” Linc asked with an arched brow.
“Honey, you’ve got that special motion in the ocean with those hips of yours. Jewelee can keep that ass. I’ll keep what you have.”
“What the fuck,” D muttered.
“If you’re talking loosey-goosey hips, then yessssss,” Sophie said as she approached. She was just beginning to show. “I’ve seen D’s ass—”
“Who hasn’t?” Ivy spouted.
Sophie continued, “And while it’s spectacular, D. I do prefer Zak’s—”
“No!” Jayde yelled, cutting Sophie off. “No. Noooo. That’s my brother. Just no.”
“Speaking of your husband, where is he?” Kiki asked.
Sophie waved a hand around in the air. “Chasing down Zeke. That kid is fast.”
“Oh fuck. Is that Caitlin?” Ivy asked, her eyes narrowed as she stared toward the roaring bonfire in the middle of the courtyard.
“Yeah, and it looks like she’s all over that hang-around,” Jayde murmured.
Linc and D’s heads both snapped in that direction.
“Where’s Dawg?” Ivy asked.
“Apparently not watching his soon-to-be eighteen-year-old with raging hormones,” Kiki mumbled.
“Baby,” Jewel said.
“Fuck,” D muttered. “Got it.” He dumped Vi in Jewelee’s lap and headed toward Dawg’s extremely beautiful daughter and the soon-to-be-removed-from-the-property-by-the-back-of-the-neck hang-around.
“There’s enough of us pregnant right now. We definitely don’t need her to be added to that list,” Sophie said. “Dawg would bust a blood vessel.”
“He’d bust something,” Ivy murmured.
Emma and Brooke joined them.
“Did you see your stepdaughter with that guy?” Ivy asked Emma.
Emma scanned the courtyard until she found Caitlin and D. “No. Does Dawson need to step in?”
“Got D on it,” Jewel said.
Emma nodded and sighed. “Good. I know she’s almost eighteen and I doubt she’s a virgin... but...”
“But you and Dawg would rather not be grandparents before you have any kids of your own,” Jayde finished for her.
“Yes. That would be preferable,” Emma agreed.
“You’d better get started soon before Dawg does become GrandDawgie,” Jewel laughed.
Emma didn’t answer.
All eyes landed on her. Dawg’s wife had her bottom lip caught between her teeth.
“Spill!” Ivy just about screamed.
“Well...” Emma murmured. “It’s early yet.”
All the women, including Jayde squealed at that news.
“On that note, gonna go check on The Iron Horse,” Linc muttered. He pointed a finger at Jayde. “No ideas. You know the plan.”
Jayde shot to her feet, careful of Lexi in her arms, and grabbed his face, pulling it down to her. With her lips just above his, she said, “Yes, we’ll just keep practicing... for now.” Then she gave him a quick kiss. He glanced down at the baby, smirked and swaggered off.
All eyes watched his departure, then the chatter began.
“Okay, so who isn’t or hasn’t been knocked up yet? Jesus. Raise your hand,” Ivy asked. “Because I swear this club is going to double the population of Shadow Valley all on its own.”
“Diamond,” Kiki said.
That was true. Things between Diamond and Slade had been a bit rocky for a while after Slade found out the truth about what Pierce had done to her. Truth she never told him. But their rocking boat had seemed to upright and was heading once again toward smoother sailing. So everyone figured it wouldn’t be long until she was pregnant.
“Brooke,” Jayde said and all eyes swung toward Brooke, who had her lips pursed and she was staring out somewhere in the distance.
“Brooke,” Kiki repeated.
“Brooke?” Jewel asked with narrowed eyes.
“Oh. My. God!” Ivy screamed, jumping to her feet. “Am I going to be an aunt?”
/> Brooke raised a palm. “We’ve decided to start trying. I had refused to drink the club water, for obvious reasons, but... now I am.” She sighed. “While Dex is ready and raring to go, I’m a little apprehensive.”
“Because of Dex?” Sophie asked.
Brooke shook her head. “Because of me. I just don’t know if I’m ready. My business is booming and I’m crazy busy. If it happens, fine. If not, I’m okay with it. We still have plenty of time to start a family.”
“It’s definitely a lot of work and with running a busy business it makes it harder,” Kiki agreed. “Luckily, Hawk is a good Mr. Mom.”
Jayde giggled. “Who would have thought Diesel and Hawk would be good fathers?”
“How about simply fathers at all?” Sophie asked.
A murmur went through the women.
“We forgot Kelsea,” Sophie said.
Brooke shook her head. “Let’s hope that doesn’t happen any time soon. She’s a complete mess right now. I can hardly get her to show up for work. It’s really bad and I’m concerned. I really want to fire her ass but Dex is worried that will only make her worse.”
Another murmur went through them. Kelsea had gone on a downward spiral after finding out that Pierce was her father and her mother had kept that information from her her whole life. She had actually moved out of her mother’s place and into an apartment with a friend. She didn’t interact with the sisterhood anymore. She didn’t show up at church. She hardly showed up at work at Brooke’s interior design business.
“I love my sister,” Brooke continued, sadness coloring her words, “but I don’t know how to help her.”
“It’s just going to take time,” Kiki murmured. “And we have to keep reminding her that we’re all here for her if she needs us.”
“Someone just needs to grab a hold of her and straighten her ass out,” Ivy said.
“Crow,” Sophie said.
“Mercy,” Jewel suggested.
“Magnum,” Ivy said, her eyes following the huge Dark Knights’ Sergeant-at-Arms as he crossed the courtyard to meet up with Diesel, who had delivered an unhappy Caitlin to her father, Dawg. “Heard he kicked his ol’ lady to the curb, for whatever reason.”
Brooke sighed. “Whoever it is, is going to have a challenge on their hands. And those three wouldn’t want to deal with someone who needs to grow the hell up.”
“You never know,” Sophie murmured.
“Okay, all this talk of babies and pregnancies and poor Kelsea... I need to go get a drink and find my ol’ man,” Jayde announced, handing a now-awake Lexi back to her mother. She pressed a light kiss to the baby’s forehead. “Take care of my cuz.”
Ivy smiled. “Anytime you want to babysit...”
Jayde laughed and headed back toward church.
Linc finished serving a beer to the customer at the end of the bar in The Iron Horse and then his gaze landed on Jayde who waited at the other end.
Hard to believe it was only months ago when she came into the bar to tell him she was pregnant. If he only knew then what he knew now...
He headed in her direction, only pausing long enough to make her a Captain and Coke, which was her favorite.
“You’re not supposed to be in here working. We’re supposed to be out there celebrating Axel and Bella’s marriage.”
He grunted and plunked the glass down in front of her.
She took a sip and winced. “Damn, that’s strong.”
“Yep.”
“Trying to get me drunk so you can take advantage of me later?”
He cocked a brow at her. “Need to be drunk for that?”
She shot him a smile that went right to his dick. “No.”
He nodded. “Didn’t think so.”
“But I don’t want to fall off the back of your sled later because I’m all loopy.”
He shrugged. “Hang on tighter.”
“That simple.”
He planted his palms onto the bar and leaned toward her until their faces were only inches apart. And like that night months ago, the night she scared the shit out of him with her news, he could see every shade of blue in her eyes. “Yeah, baby, you just gotta hang on tight.”
She reached up and cupped his cheek, running a thumb over his bottom lip. “I am. I have no plans to loosen my hold.”
He smiled, then snagged her thumb between his teeth for a second before letting it go. “If that hold gets shaky, I’ll grab you. Make sure you don’t fuckin’ fall.”
While her head was tipped down toward her drink, she was peering up at him through her dark eyelashes. “Mmm. Good to know.”
He needed to take his woman home and take “advantage” of her. “Ain’t gonna ever let you fuckin’ fall, baby, promise you that.”
“And that’s why I love you.”
Every time she said those three words to him... Jesus, it just got him in the gut. He needed to put a ring on her finger, he needed to build her that house. He was working on it but it was a slow go. She knew he was saving for the house; she didn’t know about the wedding ring set he’d purchased.
He wanted that to be a complete surprise. He’d put it on layaway at a jewelry store in town and had a thank you to Jaymes inscribed on the inside of their wedding bands. Because even though they lost their son, he would be forever grateful for the gift their son gave them.
Which was each other.
Epilogue
Three years later...
Linc leaned back in the chair next to the hospital bed. He’d stripped himself of his T-shirt and cut and had his daughter laying on his chest. He wanted to be skin to skin with his newborn, to create that paternal bond with his baby.
Linc couldn’t stop counting her perfect but tiny fingers and toes and staring at her perfectly pink, bowed lips as she slept.
His fingers stroked Adrianna’s bare back in a constant soothing motion. She had her mother’s dark hair and hopefully her baby blues would stay that way as she grew.
Linc’s eyes rose from his daughter and landed on his cut where he’d hung it, then slid through the small, packed room. He might have lost one family, but he’d certainly gained another.
April was on the other side of the bed, talking softly with Jayde. The arrival of this grandchild was just as exciting to her as the rest.
Though Zeke wasn’t in the room, Sophie and Z were there with their youngest son, Zane. Like Adrianna, the almost two-year-old was asleep against his father’s chest, a string of drool clinging to Z’s cut. Z gave Linc a chin lift and a grin.
Sophie was chatting quietly with Bella and Axel. Her stomach looked painfully huge. That was because she was carrying twins this time.
Only not Z’s.
No, she wanted to bring the family closer together, so somehow convinced not only her husband, but also Axel and Bella to allow her to be their surrogate, using Axel’s sperm but Bella’s sister Ivy’s eggs.
While it took some convincing for all of them, including Jag, to finally agree, eventually they did. And after two failed attempts, the invitro-fertilization finally took.
Linc swore Sophie was the Jamison family whisperer. She just knew what to do to patch the last of the cracks within the family. Unfortunately, her own family continued to shun her because of her decisions to be with the DAMC president.
Linc wished his own family could also be in the room, to see the perfect life he created with his wife and now his child.
But that loss, that hole that was left from losing them, from losing Jaymes, had been more than filled with not only Jayde’s family but with his club, his brothers, their women, and their kids.
He still managed to fuck up but learned that sometimes those fuck ups made him stronger and appreciate what he did have all the more.
His gaze dropped to Jayde’s hand on the bed, the one which held his wedding ring. He reached out, grabbed it, gave it a squeeze and then intertwined their fingers.
Jayde stared at their clasped hands before raising her gaze to Adrianna, then me
eting her blue eyes with his. A soft smile spread over her face, then her teeth bit her lower lip and he knew she was trying not to cry.
Jesus. If she started, he might just join her. And, for fuck’s sake, he’d rather not break the fuck down in front of everyone in that room.
Luckily, the door to the private room opening had him twisting his head in that direction instead.
Mitch, in full uniform, entered. His gaze swept the room before landing on his daughter. “Sorry I missed it.” He moved closer to the bed, leaned over and pressed a kiss to his daughter’s forehead.
“They find him?” Axel asked.
“Yes. Finally. Alive and well. He’s now home with his family.”
Axel gave his father a relieved nod.
Mitch missed his first granddaughter being born because of another child. One they thought had been kidnapped, but actually just wandered away and became lost. While he hadn’t been scheduled to work, the man had volunteered to help search, even though he knew he might miss the birth.
Mitch’s blue eyes flicked from Jayde in the bed to Linc, holding his newborn granddaughter. “How are things, son?”
Linc pressed his lips to Adrianna’s dark silky hair. “Perfect.”
Mitch’s gaze bounced over everyone in the room once more, only hesitating for a few seconds on Linc’s cut which hung off the corner of the bathroom door. “Damn near,” the man said, his voice thick.
Right. Maybe not perfect.
But close enough.
Turn the page for a sneak peak of
Down & Dirty: Crow
Author’s Note: While the epilogue occurred 3 years later, Crow’s book will start BEFORE the timing of this epilogue. I just wanted to give you a peek into the future of Linc and Jayde’s life and also show you how the Jamisons were healing the breaks within their family. It was a slow process for them all, but they continue to move forward thanks to Sophie, Linc and Bella.
Down & Dirty: Linc (Dirty Angels MC Book 9) Page 20
