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  “I don’t think you’re weak. The choices you’ve had to make. They’re all scary. They try to test us all the time.”

  Tabitha went to open her mouth to ask another question but stopped as the door opened and women entered.

  Removing her jacket, she smiled at Lexie. For the next couple of hours, they didn’t get a chance to speak. They served customers until they had just enough time to close up, ring up the till, and head to the school to pick up their kids.

  Elizabeth and Josh were off doing whatever it was they did, but Lexie’s other kids hadn’t left home yet. Nathan loved being around his aunts and uncles. After doing whatever homework was needed, they went off to play, while she stood in the kitchen with Lexie, preparing a lasagna, a lentil one.

  “You didn’t have to do this for me,” Tabitha said.

  “I don’t see why not. I like trying out new things. Besides, what will you eat?”

  “The salad.”

  “You’re a pregnant woman and need to eat.”

  Tabitha chuckled.

  “Tell me what you wanted to say back at the shop but didn’t get a chance to,” Lexie said.

  “You noticed that?”

  “I’m a mother of nearly a dozen kids. I know everything. A whole lot. Believe me, I know when someone is trying to tell me something or ask me but they’re nervous or interrupted. We’ve got all night.”

  “You mentioned Devil handing over the club to Simon.”

  “Yep, I did.”

  “I never asked this before I handed my jacket over to my dad. Will my position in his son’s life change the way he feels?”

  “How do you mean?”

  “Will he pick someone else whose partner isn’t from another club?” she asked.

  Lexie poured some lentils into a pot of water and turned the stove on.

  “You think Devil’s going to punish Simon for loving you?”

  “I don’t know. It’s probably crazy.”

  “No, it’s not. Devil will only hand the club over to Simon when he believes his son is ready to deal with everything it entails. You won’t enter into the equation. However, if I know my husband like I think I do, then he has already made that kind of decision.”

  “He has?” Nerves flooded her body.

  “Tabitha, you’ll be the president’s old lady. I’m sure you’ve seen how it goes with me, Angel, even your mom. We have our spot within the club. Like now, any crap that goes down, if it gets ugly, they’ll come to me. If it’s an argument about something, or to ask my advice, they will come to me, and I don’t mind. At first, I was a little out of it because why the hell would they come to me? I’d never understood it, but they do. I get it. I’m their family. I’m their president’s old lady. It’s a lot to take. I don’t completely know what Devil is doing but I know every single time he leaves me, there’s always a risk he might not come back to me. That’s something you’re going to have to deal with. It’s tough. It always is.”

  “Do you think I’m capable of being what he needs?”

  “This isn’t about what Simon needs,” Lexie said. “You and I both know you’re everything that boy needs. He can’t see anyone else but you in his life, and that is a good thing. It’s intense, and I don’t imagine it’s going to be easy for you, but I do believe you’re going to make it work together. Being the main old lady, the one they come to. It’s not easy. You’ve got to be strong, make tough decisions, and sometimes even be someone they don’t like. Do I think you’ve got what it takes? Hell, yeah. You know why?”

  Tabitha shook her head.

  “Because you’re strong. You’ve overcome so much. No one can take that away from you. It’ll be odd at first, even difficult, but give it time, and you’ll see exactly what I mean.” Lexie touched her shoulder. “Now, how about we get dinner ready, the kids washed, and we have a movie night?”

  “I’d like that.”

  ****

  Moving into the house was easy. Simon didn’t allow Tabby to do a single thing on the day of. All she had to do was tell them where she wanted everything to go, to sit and look beautiful. Of course, she didn’t sit. She moved around, ordering furniture exactly where it needed to go. At several points, Devil advised him that she was nesting, getting ready for their new arrival.

  Nathan loved his room and had already decorated it, putting his posters on the wall. Tabby had already picked out the paint but Simon had ordered her not to decorate. Any painting she needed to do, she had to wait for him. The guys would stop by and help out, and he was able to get the whole house painted exactly how Tabby liked within a month.

  From that month, they’d gone furniture shopping. Whenever he had a spare moment, he was making their house perfect and taking moments when Nathan was at school to have sex with his wife.

  She wore his ring once again, and he wore hers. They were bound together once more.

  She went from the seventh month, to eighth, and now she was in her ninth month. They’d already had a quick hospital trip as she thought she was having contractions, but it had turned out to be something Hicks. He couldn’t remember the name. Devil had handed him a bunch of pregnancy books but between being with Tabby, prospecting, and parenting, he hadn’t gotten the time to read them.

  Pulling out his cell phone, he checked to see if he had any missed messages.

  “Why do you keep checking that thing?” Pa asked.

  They’d both been put on a stakeout of a man who’d been reported as being a wife beater. The Billionaires had gotten a call from a young girl sounding terrified. It could have been a prank call, but the mother had turned up over a dozen times at the emergency room. The Billionaires were trying to reach out, to offer help to the young woman, to let her know she wasn’t alone and had options. Until they could go for full extraction, they were on guard duty.

  Felix and Twig had been on the case before. Now it was him and Pa. Teddy and Knight would take the next shift.

  “It’s nothing.”

  “Dude, we’re going to be here all night.”

  “Hearing you say dude is plain weird, man. Isn’t that a little young for you?” Simon asked, shoving his cell phone into his pocket.

  “Dude, I’m not that old, dude.”

  Simon burst out laughing. “True, you’re not too old.” He lifted his arms above his head, trying to work out the kinks. “I hate it when we have to do this.”

  “I hate that we have to do this,” Pa said. “That piece of shit has got a wife. A child. What’s he doing, he’s screwing prostitutes, drinking, gambling. I mean, if this kid wasn’t playing around, then when he gets home, he’s going to beat his wife. What do we do if she doesn’t reach out?”

  “What makes you think she won’t reach out?”

  “It can happen. I don’t know what happens. Fear or they love them. I’ve seen this before.”

  “You have?”

  “Yeah, a long time ago.” Pa’s jaw clenched. “I don’t talk about my fucked-up past but my mom, she was that woman. The one who took every kind of beating, covered up the bruises. Put on fake smiles for everyone.” Pa shook his head. “I hated it. She tried to protect me, but he kept on coming. One day, he hit her too hard, and she never got back up. I was ten years old. By that time, I’d learned to hide. He was easy to read when he had a temper. There were times when I couldn’t hide.”

  “Shit, I’m sorry.”

  “I didn’t tell you this to make you feel sorry or for us to talk about our emotions and shit. I told you because … you need to be prepared for her not making that phone call. For her going back to him even if we do pull them out. The kid too.” Pa shook his head. “It’s fucked. That’s what it is. I get some women are nagging bitches, but they don’t deserve to be hit.”

  “I never realized how much you talk.” He checked his cell phone again.

  “She’ll call.”

  “I want to be ready,” Simon said. “I missed the first one. I’m not going to miss this.”

  “You know, I he
ard a bunch of guys saying there was always a chance Nathan might not have been yours.”

  “Don’t.”

  “I’m just saying.”

  “Don’t just say. You hear shit like that again, you shoot it down. Nathan’s mine and even if he wasn’t, he’s mine. You get me? I love Tabby and I love that little boy. Even if he wasn’t mine, he deserves to have a good father and I love him.”

  He wasn’t lying either. At first, he wasn’t sure what he felt for Nathan. He was worried he’d be a little jealous of the younger boy stealing Tabby’s attention. It wasn’t like that. He wanted to protect him. To save him from the world. There would come a time when he wouldn’t be able to do that, and he needed to prepare him, but he intended to allow Nathan to enjoy his childhood for a long time.

  “Okay. I’ll stop talking.”

  “Yes, stop talking.”

  They both went silent as the man in question came out of the hotel room. He looked happy and a few seconds later, the prostitute he’d entered with left as well, without seeming to be affected.

  “We follow him,” Simon said.

  “Do you want me to go and ask about the guy?”

  “Nah, we’re not supposed to get involved.” He turned the ignition over, started up the car, and followed behind the guy. He missed his bike but on stakeouts, only a car would do.

  The man went straight home. Parking across the street, Simon looked toward the house.

  “Do you think he’s hurting her right now?”

  “I don’t know,” Pa said. “I hate this.”

  “You think the wife could be accident-prone?”

  “Yeah, and the black eyes are because she hits the doors at a perfect angle.”

  “No need to be pissy.”

  “I’m not. Sorry. This is personal for me, remember?”

  “I do.” Simon leaned back. Staring across the street, he suddenly felt his phone vibrate. He grabbed it out of his pocket but his hands suddenly went slippery. As he went to open it, the phone slid right on out of his grip, falling to the floor. “Fuck. Shit. Fuck. Shit.” He ended up banging heads with Pa as he reached for it. “Shit, one at a time.”

  “Go for it,” Pa said.

  Grabbing the phone, Simon clicked to see it was a message from Lexie. Another one quickly appeared from Devil.

  “Shit, holy shit. She’s having the baby. She’s at the hospital. Her water broke. Crap. What do I do?”

  Pa took the phone from him. “Devil texted to get there.”

  Starting up the car once again, he shot out away from the curb, missing a car that had started to pass him.

  “In one fucking piece, Simon,” Pa said. “Fuck. She’s going to want you to actually be a father in the flesh, not in the spirit.”

  “Shut up. I’m having a baby.”

  “You’re having a baby.”

  He pressed his foot to the ground, speeding up. There was no way he was going to miss this one. Why did he have to be on a stakeout tonight of all nights when his woman was back at home with the chance of dropping any day now? It wasn’t fucking fair.

  He was pissed off.

  “You might want to slow down.”

  “Not happening.”

  “Dude, you don’t want to die before we get there.”

  “I’m not going to die.” He knew how this car drove and even if it seemed he was acting a little crazy, and he probably was, he didn’t intend to. Only, he wasn’t going to allow his woman to do this without him. He had every intention of being there for her. Of seeing this birth.

  He could imagine her now, refusing to give birth until his ass was in the room. If she did that with all the pain she was going to be, she was going to be so pissed.

  “We want to live through this.”

  “We are going to live through this.” He drove, by some miracle not passing a police car.

  Arriving at the hospital, he brought the car to a stop. Turning off the ignition, he threw the keys at Pa. “Park it.”

  Devil waited for him.

  “Where is she?”

  “She’s in the labor ward. There’s still time.” Devil took the lead, showing him where he needed to go. He followed, his nerves picking up.

  A nurse was on hand, offering him some scrubs. He washed his hands with sanitizer and quickly pulled on a gown and a hat. Entering the room, he heard a scream.

  “No. I’m not pushing. Not until Simon’s here. We talked about this.” Tabby had her head turned away from the door. “He wanted to be here.”

  Lexie was there by her side.

  “And I’m right here,” he said, drawing their attention.

  “Where the fuck have you been?”

  He rushed to her side. “Working, but I’m here now.”

  “I hate you right now.”

  “I know.”

  “And I love you.” She sniffled.

  “I love you too.” He pressed a kiss to her clammy forehead.

  “I smell.”

  “You’re beautiful.”

  “You’re lying.”

  “Does it matter?” he asked. “So long as I love you and I’m here.” Lexie didn’t leave. His father had also entered, and they stood back.

  Simon didn’t care. Taking Tabby’s hand as another contraction rushed through her body, he held her as she screamed and cried.

  “It hurts.”

  The doctor agreed but promised it wasn’t too much more. Just another couple of pushes.

  He’d gotten here in time.

  Tabby tensed up, screamed, and then collapsed. Her face had gone a deep red.

  He stroked her hair back.

  “We’re never having sex again.”

  “Never?”

  “Never ever,” she said. “I can’t. I can’t do this. It hurts way too much.” She sniffled.

  “I’ve got you, baby.” He looked toward the doctor who held up a single finger. “One more push. Then it will all be over.”

  She whimpered.

  “I know. I know. I want to take the pain away. I’m here. Hold on to me and give me one more good push. Come on, baby.”

  She held his hand, squeezed it with all of her might, and then he heard it. It was the most precious sound in the world. One he was never going to forget. The sound of his little baby girl, screaming, finally born into the world.

  “Is she okay?” Tabby asked.

  The nurse handed her to a doctor, and after a few minutes, she came back to them, the baby wrapped in a blanket.

  “She is perfect and she has a set of lungs on her.”

  Their daughter was placed in Tabby’s arms. He reached out, touching her cheek, but quickly pulled away to remove the gloves.

  “She’s so sweet. So precious,” he said.

  “We did this.” She leaned her head against his. “I love you, Simon.”

  “Love you, Tabby.”

  This was the perfect ending to the day.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Tabitha lifted her glass of soda as Pa, Simon, Knight, Teddy, Felix, and Twig were each gifted with the official patches. The prospect patch had been taken off, and now they were full members of the Chaos Bleeds MC.

  Tears filled her eyes and she clapped her hands, seeing how happy her man was. Nathan did the same while Skye sat in her stroller, sleeping. She’d just been fed and burped.

  The sun was out. It was a glorious day. The cold nights would start fighting back. Her husband had finally earned his patch, and she knew what it meant to him. What it meant to all of them.

  They had found each other on the road, but that hadn’t stopped them from becoming a family. They were a unit. United together. One person.

  Devil slapped his son on the shoulder and tears filled her eyes as they embraced. This was perfect. Wiping away the tear, she got to her feet as Simon jogged over to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, picking her up.

  “I did it, babe.”

  “I had no doubt.”

  He took possession of her mouth as Nathan gr
oaned. “Ew, gross.”

  Giggling, she put her hands flat to Simon’s chest. “You’re going to party.”

  “I’m going to party. Mom is taking the kids tonight so you and I can enjoy this moment together.”

  “This is your moment.”

  “No, it’s our moment. I couldn’t have done this without you and the truth is, I never want to do anything without you.”

  “You’re a charmer.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him again.

  Lexie came over. “How would you like to hang out with Grandma?” she asked.

  “Will you and Grandpa make out?” Nathan asked.

  “No, he’s staying here,” Lexie said, chuckling.

  “Then, yes, I’ll come.”

  They all burst out laughing.

  “One day, son, you’re going to want to make out with a girl.”

  Nathan wrinkled his nose. “No. They poop and fart and throw up. Look what Skye does all the time.”

  Tabitha laughed. “She won’t stay like that. You love your sister, don’t you?”

  “Yeah, I’m going to protect her. I promised her I would.”

  Tabitha kissed his cheek before standing up. “You’re sure you don’t mind taking them?”

  “I’ve seen many patched-in nights. It’s a cause for celebration. Even if you’re family, you’re now part of a bigger one. I’m so proud of you.” Lexie kissed Simon’s cheek. “So, so proud of you.”

  Simon went bright red. “Okay, I get it, Mom, I get it.”

  “I love it when he’s so embarrassed.”

  Laughing along with her mother-in-law, she helped to get Nathan and Skye into the car. She stood watching as the car pulled out of the parking lot.

  “It is going to be fine,” Simon said, coming up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

  She spun in his arms. “I know. It’s the first time. I can’t help but be worried.”

  “Mom has had a lot of practice with everything.”

  Tabitha laughed. “Oh, really?”

  “Hell, yeah.” He kissed her hard. “Just like I intend to get you into a lot of practice.”

  “Is that your way of saying you’re going to knock me up every single chance you get?”