by EA Hunt
“She was worried about you,” Rene told her.
“How? When –”
“A few days after you left. The Sweetheart who told Bash where to find you, gave me the information once I agreed to do a favor for her.” The Sweetheart had thought her man was cheating on her. Rene had watched the man for three nights before telling the Sweetheart she had nothing to worry about. Especially when the brother made the other woman his Old Lady and his wife on the same day. “I went and spoke to her. Told her I was a friend, and I was worried. She allowed me in the house and gave me cookies and milk,” Rene chuckled. “She was sweet.”
“She was and she loved feeding people her baked goods,” Celise replied, remembering her grandmother.
“She was a good baker,” Rene agreed. “She could give you a run for your money!”
“Ha! She was better than me until she got sick and couldn’t bake anymore,” Celise sniffled. “I wanted to come home so bad to care for her, but I was so scared of what Bash would do to me because of Claire. ‘Disrespect gets a bullet,’” she reminded Rene. “So, I had to do everything by phone or email. It was horrible.”
“I know. And Willa Jean understood. But she still wanted to see you. I think having me around helped, but she still would have preferred you,” she told the other woman. “And as for Bash’s comment – it has to be the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard,” Rene confessed. “That man would never hurt you. Not on purpose,” Rene said before Celise could dispute it. “He had his reasons for doing what he did. Reasons I think he should have told you long before now, but he had them. And once you learn them, you two are going to find your way back to each other.”
“I doubt that,” Celise shook her head. “The pain he caused. And the fear I lived with… it just doesn’t seem possible,” she said, honestly.
“Don’t bank on it,” Rene replied, finishing her cake. “I need another piece of this,” she said, cutting herself another piece of cake. “You’re going to have me gaining a hundred pounds.”
“You’d look good with a little more weight on you.”
The women turned at the sound of Trigger’s voice. He was standing at the back entrance of the bakery, followed by Danish. With Bash was bringing up the rear. The three men filled the kitchen with their presence.
“I don’t need you monitoring my weight, Darwin,” Rene replied. Trigger hated his given name, but she wasn’t above using it to get the man to back away from her – something she hadn’t been able to do lately.
“I will do as I please, Rene,” Trigger replied. He walked over to the woman. He placed a hand on her hip, whispering, “You’re on thin ice, woman.”
“And you seem to think I’m scared,” Rene turned her head slightly, looking at the man over her shoulder. “I’m not one of the Prospects. You don’t scare me,” she told him before turning back to Celise. “When you’re ready, come to the club and we’ll drink and dance all night while the boys watch the babies,” she said, standing. She embraced Celise.
“I will,” Celise replied, though she wasn’t sure she would be welcomed, no matter what Rene said. Releasing her friend, she smiled at her. “Thank you for wanting to still be my friend.”
“With this crew, we need all the support we can get,” with a parting smile, Rene rounded Celise and headed out of the back door.
“We good here?” Trigger questioned, watching Rene depart.
“We are,” Bash replied.
“You need me, call,” Trigger said, going after Rene.
“Trig,” Celise called out and continued when he looked at her. “That box of cookies on the table is yours,” she told him, pointing to one of three white boxes on the stainless-steel table.
“Thanks,” Trigger replied. “I’ve been craving these!” Picking up the box, he rushed out of the building just as another bike’s engines started.
“Do I have a box?” Danish questioned.
“You do and it’s one of the small boxes. The bigger box is for the club,” Celise told him.
“YES!” Danish said, picking up his box. He walked over to Celise, “You’re the best, Babygirl,” he told her, kissing her temple. Walking back towards the back of the kitchen, he picked up the other box “I’m heading back to the club.” He looked over his shoulder to Celise and added, “Don’t beat him up too much – we might need him.”
“I’ll try not to,” Celise replied, waving the other man off.
“Don’t forget your call to Pierre,” Danish told Bash. Neither he nor Trigger were enthused about Bash’s plan, but they’d go along with it for now.
Bash nodded, not taking his eyes off his woman. She’d changed from the long sundress she’d had on earlier to a shorter one which showed off her legs. Damn, his woman was beautiful.
Seeing his brother was now only thinking about his woman, Danish waved at Celise before departing out of the door he’d come through.
“Where’s Melly?” Bash questioned, walking towards Celise. He stopped briefly by the playpen to see Willa napping before he continued to his woman.
“In the kids’ area up front,” Celise replied as he came to stand next to her. She’d placed a little kids’ nook in the front of her bakery with a little table and some chairs. Kids could eat their goodies while playing games or reading a book as their parents or guardians enjoyed a few moments of peace and good treats. “I can see her from the window,” she said, pointing to the large pass-through.
Bash looked through the window. Melly was coloring while Ace and Deuce were outside on the sidewalk, talking with Danish. They were probably discussing the run coming up. This would be the first run for either of the two men without Danish or Trigger coming along.
“How much sugar has she conned you out of?” Bash questioned, scooping up a piece of cake and placing it in his mouth. Dammit, he’d forgotten how good his Babygirl was at baking.
“Two cookies and some milk,” Celise replied. She had to admit the little girl was a natural saleswoman.
“I thought it would have been more,” he told her, scooping up another piece of cake and bringing it to Celise’s lips. She opened her mouth, leaned forward and took the cake and his fingers into her mouth. “Babygirl,” he moaned as she sucked.
“Daddy!” Melly called out, rushing into the kitchen. “I knew I heard your voice!”
Bash stepped back slightly, trying to hide his raging dick. “You did?” he questioned his daughter.
“Melly, honey” Celise winked at Bash as she slid off the stool. “Let’s get the kitchen cleaned up, then we can take Daddy up to my apartment and show him the dinner we made.”
“Yeah!” Melly clapped as she rushed over to the wash bucket Celise had placed on a low shelf just for the little girl.
“Dinner?” Bash questioned, thankful Celise took the lead with Melly since he wasn’t able to.
“Willa had an accident,” Celise chuckled, looking at Bash. “She filled her diaper and when I went to change her, some got on me and my dress. So I closed for an hour, took her and Melly upstairs and gave the baby a bath.”
“I helped,” Melly offered while wiping down the counter.
“And you did a great job,” Celise smiled at the little girl while picking up the cake and heading towards the industrial fridge. “While we were upstairs, we put dinner in the crockpot,” she finished, closing the fridge once the cake was inside. She faced Bash. “Are you hungry?”
“In more ways than one,” he replied.
Sitting in Celise’s small living room with Willa and Melly on the floor playing, while Celise was sitting in the corner of the couch, as far away from him as her small couch would allow, Bash felt a sense of contentment come over him. He hadn’t felt this since his mother was alive. Turning his head, he looked at his Babygirl – she was smiling at the girls as Melly showed Willa the picture book she’d brought upstairs with her from the bakery. Her legs were tucked under her and her hand was supporting her head as she leaned against the back of the couch. With her hair piled on
the top of her head and the setting sun illuminating her features, she had to be the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen. Moving a little on the couch so as to not alarm her, he got closer to the woman who, all through dinner, had tried her best not to look at him. But, like him, she couldn’t help herself. He’d caught her, time and again, staring at him across the kitchen table. Stopping only inches from her, he placed a gentle hand on her thigh.
She’d tried to ignore him. Tired not to imagine he was in her home with her and the girls, eating dinner like they were a family, but she hadn’t been able to. His leather and musk scent had entered her nostrils more than the penne with chicken in white sauce she’d been cooking. Now he had his hand on her thigh and his thumb was rubbing back and forth. She placed her hand over his, intending to remove it, but he picked it up and brought it to his lips. Celise inhaled sharply, closing her eyes as his lips moved over every finger towards her wrist. How many nights had she dreamed of his lips on hers? How many times had she run her hand over her belly, while pregnant, and thought ‘What if the baby she carried was Bash’s?’ or ‘What if he was here with her, holding her as she cried from missing her grandmother?’
Turning her wrist, Bash nipped and sucked the flesh while watching her irises constrict. Abandoning her wrist, he took a quick look at his girls on the floor. Melly was telling Willa a story, paying not a drop of attention to what he and Celise were doing. Turning back to Celise, he leaned towards her, whispering, “I have a call to make. Melly’s PJs are in the saddlebag.” He’d stopped by his bike on their way up to her apartment to pick up the bag he’d packed for himself and Melly before Trigger and Danish had stopped by the house to plead their case once more about the run he was about to take. He’d listened, then left to be with his girls. His brothers had relented finally, knowing he wasn’t going to change his mind. “Get the girls ready for bed, then we’ll talk,” he kissed her neck.
“There’s nothing to talk about, Bash,” Celise replied, wanting his mouth back on hers but knowing she needed to resist.
“There’s a lot to talk about, Babygirl, and I’m not leaving until we do,” he replied with a kiss on her cheek. Straightening, Bash looked once again at his daughter. “Melly,” he said. When she looked at him, he continued, “I have to make a call. Be a good girl while I’m gone and help Ms. Celise get you and your sister ready for bed.”
“Bastion,” Celise started. She didn’t want to confuse Melly about this situation. “You can’t –”
“I have,” he told Celise. He looked over his shoulder at her. “If things had been different, Melly and Willa would have been ours together. They weren’t but that doesn’t mean we can’t have what should have been ours five years ago,” he told her, before standing. “It’s late,” he reached out placing a hand on her cheek. “The girls are tired and so are we, but before either of us heads to bed we…” he removed his hand then gestured between them. “… need to talk.” With that, he turned and walked out of the small apartment, pulling his phone from his pocket as he dialed Pierre.
He leaned against the railing of the second-story porch. It wasn’t very big or sturdy. He couldn’t wait to get Celise and the girls back to his home. There, the porch was huge and solidly built – perfect for late-night-sitting and watching their children grow.
“Bash, my good man. I hope you have good news for me,” Pierre said.
“Our business is finished,” Bash said, without preamble. The Black Crows were done being at Pierre’s beck and call. “We will complete this last run for you at quadruple our normal rate. Then we’re finished.”
“You cannot be serious?” Pierre chuckled. But there was no mirth in his laughter. “Quadruple will eat into my profits. And you need me. I’m your only client. Your little club would be nonexistent without my generosity,” he reminded.
Bash wanted to laugh. A full belly laugh at the man on the other end of the line. Pierre may have helped in securing his Presidency, but the man was not their only client. And since no client, technically, knew about the other, the club would be fine without Pierre’s business. “I will expect the deposit for the run within forty-eight hours of the scheduled meet. Tell your client you will give them the location of the meet twelve hours beforehand.” That would give himself and the boys enough time to check out the area he had in mind and go over the rendezvous points they were going to use.
“That doesn’t give anyone enough time to –”
“What Pierre, set me and my brothers up?!” Bash wasn’t stupid. Despite what Pierre thought. He wasn’t going to lead anyone into a trap.
“This isn’t a setup,” Pierre insisted.
“I don’t know that. And neither do you,” Bash replied. “All you see is money.”
“Don’t you?” Pierre countered. “You’re asking for quadruple your normal rate. That tells me you care more about money than you do about your so-called brothers.”
No, he was asking for this because he cared for his brothers. If anything happened to him the club would be flush until a new President was elected and his girls would be taken care of. “This is what’s being offered, Pierre. The choice is yours. You have twenty-four hours,” he told him before hanging up his phone. Sliding the machine back into his pocket, he turned and walked back into the apartment.
“Ba –” Bash smiled when he heard his woman humming. Turning to the right, he headed towards the open room door. Stopping in the doorway, he watched as Celise leaned against the headboard of the full-sized bed with Willa on her chest sleeping and Melly curled against her side, her thumb in her mouth and her other hand on Celise’s thigh. They all made a beautiful picture. Walking into the room, he headed for the bed. Placing a hand on his woman’s head, he waited until she looked at him before he spoke. “Put Willa to bed, then we’ll talk.”
“Bash –”
“This needs to happen, Celise,” he told her. He wanted the truth to be known before he finished his business with Pierre. He wasn’t sure what he was walking into and the last thing he wanted was his woman thinking he’d intentionally harm her. Bending, he placed his lips on hers. “I’ll be in the living room,” he told her as he straightened, turned and headed back into the living room. Sitting on the couch, Bash leaned back, waiting for Celise to enter the room.
“You know we can always talk tomorrow.”
He looked at his woman. She was standing across the room from him, a half-closed door behind her. “And we can also fuck,” he told her, standing. He didn’t want her across the room from him. He wanted her in his arms, all night long. Stopping before her, he took her hand in his. “The choice is yours, Babygirl,” he said, placing a hand on her cheek. He rubbed his thumb across the smooth skin. “What will it be?” Her slap was unexpected, but in a way, he’d always known it was coming sooner or later.
“You can’t just walk back into my life and think I will fall into bed with you,” Celise said, pulling away from him. She rounded him, walking into the middle of the room. She’d decided while getting Melly and Willa ready for bed that she and Bash were going to have it out. Though she would have rather had this conversation in the morning. Her feet hurt, she had a slight headache, and her body was utterly spent.
“You hate me,” Bash walked up behind her. He wrapped his arms around her “I…” he sighed. “I shouldn’t have done what I did, but I didn’t have any choice if I wanted to protect you,” he told her. Bash kissed her temple as he told her the truth.
“And you thought I was so fragile I wouldn’t have been able to handle all that?” Celise countered once he was finished. She attempted to step out of his arms, but he tightened them around her.
“You didn’t need to,” he told her. Bash nuzzled her neck. “As your man, it was my job to deal with it,” he kissed her pulse inhaling her scent.
“By hurting me,” Celise countered. She closed her eyes. He felt so good wrapped around her. “I’m stronger than you think, Bastion. I could have handled Claire. I’d been handling her just fine fo
r weeks after the show you put on at the club,” she told him, finally pulling out of his arms. She faced him.
“If I’d known what she was doing, I would have stopped her,” Bash told her.
“Ha!” Celise shook her head. “You gave her all the ammunition she needed to make my life miserable because she knew – or someone who saw us knew – that I was falling for you. That I was halfway in love with you.”
“I was halfway in love with you too,” Bash replied, stepping up to her. “I just wanted to protect you. To get you away from me so she wouldn’t harm you. So she couldn’t use you like she tried to use Melly against me.” He stepped fully into her space. “While I could push you away and make you hate me, I needed to hide Melody Gray from the woman who gave birth to her,” he bent his head. “Until her real mother came back to me,” he finished, a mere whisper away from her lips
“How did you know I would come back?” Celise questioned
“Because you’ve always loved these mountains. Always felt free here,” Bash told her.
He was right. But she wasn’t about to tell him that. “I could have come back, married to Willa’s father,” Celise said, wanting to place her lips on his.
“I’m Willa’s father,” Bash told her. “And the man who gave you what was mine to give wasn’t worthy of you one little bit.”
“And you are?” Celise smirked.
“Yes, Babygirl. I am,” he told her, placing his lips on hers. Placing his hand on her cheek, Bash deepened the kiss as he moved them towards the couch. Turning, he sat down on the couch, Celise straddling him as she kissed him back. Pulling back, he looked into her glassed over eyes. “I’m worthy of you, Melly and Willa. Do you understand what I’m saying to you Celise?”
“You want me to forgive you,” Celise said with a small nod.
“I do, but I also want you to know that if you need time, I’m willing to give it to you. I’m not going anywhere. I pushed you away and let you stay away because I wanted you to have a better life. A good life. But your life is here with me and our girls,” Bash said. He’d laid his heart on the line. Laid it at Celise’s feet, knowing she could stomp it out with just a few words.
