by Elias Taylor
“It’s ours,” Hayden said.
“What?”
“I bought it for us. It’s undergoing a few renovations, but it should be done by the new year.”
Heather had stared up at the house and struggled to regain her capacity for speech.
“That will give us time to settle in and prepare for the baby,” Hayden said.
“How?” Heather asked.
“I told you, I had savings, and you wouldn’t let me help you buy the dance studio,” Hayden said. “So I bought this.”
He said it with such a casual air. As if this was the only logical result.
“That money was for you to start your own business,” Heather said.
“It was,” Hayden said with a shrug. “But that was just a consolation prize, now I have you and the baby.”
In January, they had moved in. Heather had adored getting everything in order and choosing baby-friendly furniture. Hayden had been with her every step of the way. He had painted the baby’s room the color Heather wanted (a light and creamy yellow), put together a crib, and made sure Heather took time every evening to relax and be spoiled by him.
Hayden had cooked meals and given Heather countless massages. If she ever had any doubts about his commitment to being a father, he dispelled them.
That night in Chicago when both she and Hayden had laid their hearts bare, Heather had not thought it possible for her to love him anymore. But as the small life inside her grew and as she and Hayden started to live together and work together, her love for him had only expanded.
The night her water broke, Heather had been terrified. She had done all the preparations and gone to all the classes, but even so, as Hayden drove her to the hospital, she realized this was a performance she had never rehearsed for. She couldn’t practice being a mother. She just had to figure it out along the way.
The delivery had been smooth. Heather had channeled all the pain tolerance built up over a career in ballet. Plus, Hayden had been there. He had held her hand and talked her through the rough moments. Heather never had a better partner.
And then there was Selena. As soon as Heather held the tiny baby in her arms, she knew her life was never going to be the same and she was ok with that. For hours, Hayden and Heather had just watched their daughter. They had only been able to stare at her in utter awe and exclaim in excitement over every time the baby stirred or yawned.
After Selena was born, Heather knew things might get tough. Everyone warned her that caring for an infant was no joke. Some friends even implied that she would have to do all the work. Hayden would start spending longer hours with the biker club to avoid the nitty-gritty of raising a child.
Those friends didn’t know Hayden. He insisted on waking up to rock Selena when she cried and changing just as many diapers as Heather did.
Heather had been right. Hayden adored his daughter and was dead set on spoiling her rotten. Heather wasn’t about to stop him.
Selena was the most wonderful thing Heather had achieved. She had Hayden’s green eyes and Heather’s dark curls, and she had the sweetest laugh. Heather felt warm all over whenever Selena giggled.
Hayden felt the same way. He loved nothing more than carrying Selena to biker meetings just to show her off to all the guys.
Not to say it hadn’t been hard work. Heather had been exhausted all summer and if she hadn’t had Hayden to support her, she would have had a massive emotional breakdown.
The studio had a record number of students and Heather was determined to get back to teaching as soon as possible after giving birth. Hayden had worried she was doing too much, but he had not stopped her. That was another reason Heather loved him: he understood her ambitions and knew that she needed to be working to be happy.
Heather had overseen the addition of new specialty classes on contemporary dance style and jazz. She had taken over the advanced courses as well as beginner classes. She didn’t want to ignore the very little girls who were just starting because Heather knew a foundation of good technique was critical to a dancer’s development.
Sometimes Hayden watched Selena. Other times Selena would nap in the corner of the studio while Heather taught.
Hayden kept saying that Selena was going to learn to dance before she learned to walk. Neither Heather nor Hayden had a problem with that.
This day wasn’t about Heather though. It was about Hayden.
For months, he had informally started his duties as the Number 2 while Charlie started to take over Butcher’s role. Today was about making it official.
The back lot of Maverick’s was peppered with bikes and someone had strung little flags up on the building to give it a festive air.
Heather made her way over to where a bunch of chairs had been set up and sat down. She adjusted Selena on her lap and smiled down at her little girl.
“Are you excited?” Heather cooed. “Excited for Daddy?”
Selena only grinned and stuck her hand in her mouth at the mention of her Daddy. Heather was overcome with affection and sprinkled enthusiastic kisses all over Selena’s face and neck.
Heather was excited. Hayden deserved this moment. He had been dedicated to nailing down a peace treaty between the Hogs and the Warriors, and both clubs had been reaping the benefits. Between caring for Selena and leading the club into a new era, and working at the auto shop, Hayden had barely had a chance to slow down.
Heather was determined to change that. Today, she was going to make sure that Hayden felt all her love and support. She wanted him to enjoy every second of this indoctrination. Then, as soon as it was over, she was going to take him back home and feed him a massive meal and make sure that he just relaxed for a full 24 hours. She smiled to herself as she pictures him in their bed, shirtless and wrapped up in the sheets.
Then they were going to start planning a long weekend away. Just the three of them. Heather already had a few places along the coast picked out for a restful few days at the beach.
After that, Heather was going to tell Hayden it was time he focused on his own business. the dance studio was doing well and it practically ran itself thanks to Lenora’s expert guidance. Hayden deserved his chance to do what he wanted. He needed to open his own shop for renovating classic cars.
It might mean another crazy year, but Heather didn’t even care. As long as they had each other, they would get through.
The crowd in the parking lot quieted down as Butcher emerged from the back door of Maverick’s. He was followed by his two sons.
Sugar stepped forward gripping two brand new jackets with patches to indicate Charlie and Hayden’s new rankings.
Heather stood up and made her way towards the front. She wanted Hayden to see her and Selena there, supporting him every step of the way.
His eyes found her right away and he beamed. Heather had taken extra care that morning. She was wearing a pink short-sleeved dress with a full skirt and block heel sandals.
Was it a little much for a bar parking lot and a biker club gathering? Absolutely.
But Heather was a ballerina at heart, and she always dressed to impress. Besides, she could tell that Hayden loved every inch of her in that dress.
“Look, there’s daddy,” Heather whispered in Selena’s ear.
Selena shrieked in excitement and stretched her hands towards Hayden. Her reaction drew some amused laughter from the crowd. Hayden beamed with pride. Heather could tell he was tempted to dash over and take his baby in his arms and hold her for the whole ceremony.
Even Butcher let a small smile appear on his face. It turned out Butcher was a great grandfather. He and Brenda were always volunteering to babysit.
Heather’s own parents had been shocked at first, but quickly came round to the idea of Heather starting a family in Lyndon. As soon as they had witnessed how dedicated Hayden was, they expelled all doubts from their minds. Like Hayden’s parents, Conner and Lisa were constantly begging to babysit their granddaughter.
Butcher cleared his throat and the c
rowd’s laughter died down.
“We all know why we’re here,” Butcher said. “It’s time for my sons to take up the burdens of leadin’ this club into the future.”
There was a round of clapping and hoots of approval.
“Fast Charlie,” Butcher said. “Do you swear to be loyal to the Heavy Hogs and lead them with integrity?”
“I swear,” Charlie said.
“Doomsday,” Butcher said. “Do you swear to be loyal to the Heavy Hogs and lead them with integrity?”
“I swear,” Hayden said.
Butcher nodded and handed his sons their new jackets. That was it. Heather appreciated Butcher’s concise way of speaking. After all, both Charlie and Hayden had proved loyalty and dedication through their actions. What more had to be said?
Among the cheers, Hayden made a beeline towards Heather and Selena.
He pulled Heather close and kissed her hard, right in front of everyone. Even after a year and one baby, his kisses still took her breath away.
Heather leaned against him and pressed her own lips to his cheek for one last peck.
“I’m so proud of you,” she whispered.
Hayden just smiled and took Selena into his own arms.
“There’s the best little girl in the whole world,” Hayden gushed.
Selena wrapped her arms around her father’s neck and let out a series of happy screams while Hayden bounced her up and down.
Heather admired the two people who mattered the most to her. They both looked so joyful.
In fact, many members of the biker club had complained to Heather that she was to blame for ruining Haydne’s biker name. He hardly acted like a Doomsday anymore, not between his coddling of the baby daughter and his ecstatic worship of Heather.
They could tease all they wanted. Hayden was going to be as happy as possible for the rest of his life if Heather had anything to say about it.
The grill was fired up as the Hogs all kicked back and enjoyed the late summer weather as they started to barbecue.
Hayden guided Heather to a table and sat her down. He kept Selena in one arm as he moved towards the food, greeting everyone.
He returned with a massive plate of food. Georgie was right behind him with two more plates as Hayden had commissioned his friend to help out.
“What’s it like, dating the Number 2 guy?” Georgie asked Heather. “Are you just so over the moon to brag that your boyfriend is a majorly big deal?”
Heather laughed and rolled her eyes at Georgie, but she saw that Hayden was frowning. He sat Selena on his knee and started to spoon-feed her.
George drifted away and Heather reached out to touch Hayden’s arm.
“Is something wrong?” Heather asked.
“No,” Hayden said. “Nothing that will last, anyway.”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
He looked over at Heather and she could see he had a strange twinkle in his eye. She shrugged and dug into her plate of food.
Bikers kept coming up to congratulate Hayden and greet Heather, but Hayden seemed distracted the whole time.
Heather noted to herself that she was right to plan a weekend away. Hayden was probably strung out with all the recent goings-on.
Hayden finished feeding Selena and wiped her mouth with a napkin. Heather’s heart melted every time she watched him take care of their daughter. She had met a few women in Mommy and Me classes who complained that their husbands never woke up in the middle of the night when the baby was crying and would rather drop dead than change a diaper.
Heather had not gloated in front of them, but she had been so thankful for Hayden. Never mind that he wasn’t actually her husband. Her family had asked over and over when they were going to tie the knot, but Heather had pushed their badgering to the back of her head.
The truth was, they had never really talked about it. Hayden had vowed to be there for Heather and love and support her and their child, and that had been more than enough for Heather.
Plus, they had been so busy. Heather had to handle the studio, and Hayden needed to focus on the club. Who wanted to start planning a wedding in all that? Besides, Heather did not relish the thought of a wedding dress matched with her baby bump.
In any case, she and Hayden clearly did things out of order. They had dated and broken up and lost their shot at love before they even knew what or who they were. They had apologized for hurts and wounds ten years too late. They had gotten pregnant before they had even officially gotten back into a serious relationship. They had moved in together before getting engaged. When and if they got married, it would be non-traditional. Heather didn’t mind.
Maybe they would never marry. Some people just weren’t the marrying kind. The idea didn’t make Heather unhappy, per se, but it did elicit a sort of sinking feeling in her stomach. A part of her longed for the white dress and the ceremony and Hayden in a suit.
Of course, if Hayden didn’t want to get married, that was fine. As long as she got to have him, Heather would give up the dream of a wedding day.
She looked over at Hayden and nodded to herself. He was worth it. More than worth it.
Charlie made his way over to their table.
“How’s my darling niece?” Charlie said.
He lifted Selena out of Hayden’s arms and swung her through the air.
“Careful,” Hayden said.
Heather snorted. “As if you don’t swing her much higher than that on a daily basis.”
Hayden shrugged.
“How does it feel?” Heather asked Charlie.
Charlie shrugged.
“Good,” he said. “Feels right.”
Both of them seemed to think the induction was anticlimactic. Heather supposed that made sense, given the fact they had been basically running the club already for months.
Charlie returned Selena to Heather and then wandered off to greet more people. Hayden watched his brother go and then turned to Heather.
“You look beautiful,” he said.
Heather felt a blush spread over her cheeks. He was looking at her with intensity, and she wanted to be alone with him now. She wanted to tear off the brand new jacket and his shirt and just feel every inch of him.
“You almost ready to go?” Heather asked. “Selena needs a nap soon.”
And I need you, she wanted to add.
“Almost,” Hayden said. “There’s just one last speech.”
“Charlie is giving a speech?” Heather asked.
“No,” Hayden said. “I am.”
Without further explanation, he stood up and headed towards the front of the crowd. He lifted his beer and everyone started to quiet down.
Heather was confused. Hayden was not crazy about public speaking and if he had known this speech was coming up, he would have practiced with her. Or at least told her.
Heather squeezed Selena closer to herself and watched as Hayden cleared his throat. He threw a quick wink her way.
“Everyone, it is my great honor and pleasure to address you today,” Hayden said.
Heather smiled to herself. He had clearly enlisted Silvertongue for that opening line.
“I intend to lead this club and do it well,” Hayden said. “Especially since this club has been my family for so long. I would like to thank each and every one of you.”
There was a smattering of applause. Hayden took another deep breath.
“In particular, I need to thank Heather Carlson,” Hayden said. “I would not be the man I am today without her.”
Heather felt a flush of pleasure and mild shyness as everyone looked over at her. Hayden was affectionate in private, but he didn’t often wear his feelings on his sleeve in public like this.
Hayden pushed one hand into his pocket as he started to speak again, this time to her directly.
“Heather, this year has been the best year of my life,” Hayden continued. “There’s just been one thing that has been driving me crazy and it’s that you’r
e not my wife.”
Heather gasped. She couldn’t speak she was so shocked. And overjoyed. Hayden started to weave his way through the crowd towards where she sat on the bench.
Selena was looking from her mommy to her daddy and back again. She was enraptured by what was going on, even if she had no idea what it meant. Heather sucked in her breath and begged herself not to cry tears of joy, not in front of all these people.
Hayden stood in front of her and then he dropped to one knee. Heather knew that she was totally about to cry and she didn’t even care.
Hayden pulled out a box from his pocket and he opened it to reveal a gorgeous diamond ring.
“Heather Carlson,” Hayden said. “Will you marry me?”
Heather could only eke out a “Yes” before she was too emotional to talk.
In a heartbeat, Hayden was on his feet and wrapping both Heather and Selena in a huge hug.
Hayden pushed the ring onto her finger, and then Heather pulled his face towards her so she could give him a kiss.
When she looked up at him, Heather saw her own happiness mirrored in Hayden’s face.
“I love you,” she said.
“I love you,” Hayden said.
Heather leaned her cheek against his chest and relished the feelings of joy and safety radiating through her.
“Now let’s go home,” she said.
Book 2: Tripp
An MC Romance
Chapter One: A Dress
Melissa gripped the metal pitcher of steaming hot milk. She pressed her lips together in concentration as she poured the milk over the espresso. Not a lot of people ordered hot lattes in the summer in Linden, California, so she was determined to take advantage of any latte order to hone her ‘foam art’ skills.
“Voila!” Melissa whispered to herself as she completed the white foam heart with a final flourish of her wrist.
She cocked her head to admire her work before handing the latte off to the customer.
“You always gotta be an artist, don’t you, Mel?” Libby joked.
Mel shrugged and tossed her dark red tresses over her shoulders.
“I like things to look nice,” Melissa said. “It’s part of my personality.”