“Four weeks.”
“And those green eyes with that skin tone. Absolutely gorgeous. She could be a baby model.”
Cait doubted her daddy would allow that, but she kept that to herself. Instead, she chuckled nervously because she was about to plant a seed. “Her skin tone has a lot to do with her daddy. Her eyes, though... I thought she’d get her father’s dark brown eyes. She didn’t. I was surprised when she got my father’s, instead.” Then she blurted out. “He’s a biker.”
Cait mentally groaned. That was fucking dumb.
Aaliyah’s dark brows pinned together. “Oh.”
Oh fuck. She was definitely going to screw this up.
“What’s your baby’s name?” she asked quickly.
“Devyn. He’s eight weeks.”
Her son wasn’t as dark as her. But then Asia wasn’t as dark as Magnum, either. It made her wonder about Devyn’s father. “I’m sure your husband is thrilled to have a boy.”
Gah. Dumb!
“It wouldn’t have mattered to him.”
It wouldn’t have mattered to Magnum, either. But she thought Magnum freaked out a little more about having to protect a girl once they found out the sex of the baby. He wasn’t as bad as Diesel was when Violet was born, but it was damn close. He insisted he knew where they were at all times. Even put a location app on her phone.
Just in case.
Cait pursed her lips at the past tense in the woman’s statement, though. She could’ve sworn Hunter mentioned that Aaliyah was married. Had she misheard? She did have “baby brain.”
She needed to push that aside for the moment and get back on track. She had no idea how long she’d have to talk to Magnum’s daughter before the woman just up and walked away.
It was now or never.
She quickly said, “My ol’ man is a biker, too. They always say you marry a man just like your father.”
Smooth, Cait, jeez.
“What do you mean ‘ol’ man?’”
It made sense the woman knew nothing about bikers since she was never raised in the life. And she’d had no contact with Magnum since she was very little. Plus, he didn’t join the Knights until after he was forbidden to see them by court order.
“My husband. In the MC world, it can mean the same thing, but not always.”
Aaliyah seemed to accept that answer, but her face became troubled.
Cait pointed at a sleeping Devyn. He was so freaking cute! And it killed her that Magnum was missing out on seeing his only grandson. “What did his grandfather do?”
“His grandfather was a police officer. For the Pittsburgh PD. He’s now retired.”
What? Wrong grandfather.
“Oh... Was that your father?”
She shook her head. “No... I’m...” Her brow scrunched up. “No, I’m not sure... I don’t remember much about my father.”
“Oh, uh...”
“I was raised by my stepfather.”
“Oh!” Cait chirped. “So was I. At least until I found out who my real father was.”
Aaliyah’s head twisted toward her. “You didn’t know?”
Asia whimpered, becoming quickly unsatisfied with her fist meal. Crap. Just that little sound made Cait’s breasts ache. She pulled the stroller closer to unbuckle the straps, picked up her daughter and took a quick look at her stepdaughter.
Yikes.
Her. Stepdaughter.
“Um, do you mind?”
“No, I might have to join you soon. If Devyn isn’t sleeping, he wants my boob. Kind of like how his father was.”
Again, past tense.
Cait forced out a laugh, unbuttoned her shirt enough to access her nursing bra, opening up one side and lifting Asia to her nipple. After a little encouragement, her daughter latched on. Hard.
Cait gritted her teeth for a second until her hungry little gremlin settled in, then she sat back with a sigh.
She needed to get back on topic and quick. “No, I didn’t know who my father was until I was almost fifteen. My mother never told him she was pregnant, so it wasn’t his fault. In fact, she lied to me until she got caught. She didn’t want me—or anyone, really—to know who my father was.”
“Why?”
“Because he was a biker, and at the time, a strip club manager and she was embarrassed. While she came from a,” Cait made air quotes with her free hand, “’good family.’ Said being with him, even for a couple nights, was a huge mistake.”
Aaliyah frowned. “That’s harsh.”
That gave Cait some hope that she might be open to meeting her father. “Yes, it is.” Cait adjusted Asia in her arms as she continued to nurse. “Thing is though, he’s awesome. Loves me, loves his granddaughter, loves my sisters and my stepmom. He’s protective but a complete teddy bear with us. He’s the best man I know, except for Magnum.”
“Magnum,” Aaliyah repeated softly.
Had she heard that name before? Did she even know her father was a biker? Had her mother ever mentioned it?
“Yes, that’s my husband’s road name since, again, he’s a biker, too. His actual name is Malcolm.”
Aaliyah shot to her feet.
Oh shit!
“Please... Please sit down,” Cait asked, unwilling to move and disturb Asia. “Please.”
“Who are you?” she asked, grabbing the handles of Devyn’s stroller.
“Please, just... give me a chance to explain.”
“Who. Are. You?”
Asia made a little noise of complaint and Cait did her best to relax. “Please. Sit. Just give me a few minutes of your time.”
“Why should I?”
“Because he loves you. It killed him to walk away. I think you’ve been fed lies like I was. It was unfair to him, as well as to you and MJ.”
Her eyes widened at her brother’s nickname.
Cait started speaking a lot faster. If Aaliyah walked away, this was over. And she would fail. She couldn’t fail. Not for Magnum. “Your mother most likely lied to you like mine did to me. Her lies hurt our relationship a lot. She insists what she did, keeping me from my father, was best for me. It wasn’t. There’s nothing bad about having a father in your life who loves you one hundred percent. Even if love is all he can give you, it’s priceless.”
The woman blinked at her, dropped her gaze to her son and Cait watched her face twist in confusion.
“I’m sorry to drop all of this on you like this. But he’s missing out on his grandbabies. Do you want to deny him that, too, just like he was denied being allowed to be your father?”
“How did you find me? Because everything you’re saying proves this isn’t just coincidence.”
It certainly wasn’t. It had taken time, patience and planning.
“Your father doesn’t know I had someone look for you and MJ. He doesn’t know I’m here. But I do know he loves you, even to this day. It killed him to walk away. He didn’t want to, but he was given no choice. I don’t know all the details and it really doesn’t matter at this point. What matters is moving forward. Not missing any more time with a man like him. I missed out on over fourteen years with Dawg, my dad. Don’t let Magnum miss out on any more time with you.” She jerked her head toward her baby. “Or him.”
Cait wanted to sigh in relief when Aaliyah released the stroller handles and sank back down on the bench, her body turned toward Cait. Her eyes once again falling to Asia as she nursed.
“As weird as this sounds... Asia might be Devyn’s aunt, but they could grow up knowing each other. Being close. Being family. I don’t want her missing out on that, either.”
Aaliyah shook her head with a frown. “How old are you?”
Crap. “Is that going to be a problem?” Asia fell asleep and released her nipple.
“I don’t know.”
At least the woman was being honest.
Cait quickly tucked her boob away, grabbed a towel from the diaper bag and put Asia to her shoulder to burp her. “I’ll be twenty-seven soon.”
&n
bsp; That frown deepened. “You’re a step-grandmother at twenty-six.”
A rush of breath escaped Cait’s lips. “I guess so.” Cait leaned toward her, dipping her head. “Do I have any gray hairs yet?”
Aaliyah’s frown disappeared and she laughed. It sounded husky and it reminded her of Magnum’s rich, deep laugh, but more feminine. “No. But you’re only a year older than me.”
“I know. That’s a bit strange, right?”
“Yes, it is. But Devyn’s father is ten years older than me. Or was.”
She said “was” again. Past tense. “Was?”
“He was one of the officers shot and killed last year during that protest downtown.”
Cait gasped. “In Pittsburgh?”
“Yes.”
Holy shit. She remembered when all that went down in the news. Two officers were lost and three were critically injured during a march involving white supremacists. It was horrifying and made her scared at the thought of bringing brown skinned—as Magnum called them—children into such a hateful world. “I’m so sorry.”
Aaliyah turned her dark eyes away from Cait to stare at something in the distance. “Me, too. He was a great guy. I was pregnant when he died and he never got to meet his son.” She sniffed softly but no tears fell. “I loved him and,” she turned her attention back to Cait, “I’d be a hypocrite if I said age mattered.”
“I love your father. He loves me. He loves Asia. I know he misses you and MJ so much and he’d love to be there to help you and the baby. Be there to support you when you need it the most. We both would. We might be strangers but we’re still family. Asia’s your sister.”
Cait noticed Aaliyah’s throat undulate as she swallowed hard. Cait didn’t know how she was keeping herself together after losing her husband. If something happened to Magnum... She would be destroyed. Even a year later. So she was sure Magnum’s daughter was still struggling with that loss and finding herself a single mother.
Aaliyah cleared her throat roughly. “My mother said he physically abused her. That he abused us. She showed me pictures of bruises. On her, me and my brother. I can’t imagine they were fake. But... Oh God, if they were fake, I have every right to be mad at her. If they weren’t, I have every right to be mad at him.” She groaned, a hand to her cheek, confusion in her dark eyes.
Cait’s blood ran cold at the thought of Magnum hurting his own children. “Never,” she whispered fiercely. “Never would he do that. I can’t even imagine. He’s more patient and gentle with Asia than... Than I expected, actually. I make way more mistakes than he does. And not once has he lost his temper with either of us. It would shock me if he did.”
Aaliyah regarded her for a moment, hopefully taking Cait’s words to heart.
“They were very young when they had us, I just figured trying to raise a family at that age became too much. Overwhelming. My mother said they were over their heads.”
Two teenagers trying to raise two babies probably were.
“Maybe so. But that never meant he didn’t want you and MJ. He fought for you. He wanted you more than anything. He would have given up everything to remain in your lives. If he’d abused you, he would have gone to jail.”
“Mom said he did.”
Cait’s spine snapped straight. She took a sleeping Asia from her shoulder and cuddled her against her chest. She ran a fingertip over her daughter’s dark cupid bow lips which were moving in a sucking motion as she slept. Had her father done time? He’d never mentioned it.
It didn’t matter, it was in the past. Asia was his future. They were his future. Including his grandson if she could convince Aaliyah to give her father a chance. “If he did, it wasn’t for that. I swear. Or it was because he was lied about.”
“If she made up such egregious lies about him like that, I’m going to be very angry with her.”
“That’s not... I’m not here to make trouble between you and your mother. I just want to try to repair what’s been broken. For all of us. We’re now family. He was so destroyed by losing you two, he pushed me away because he knew I’d want kids and he couldn’t bear to lose any more.”
“Well, since your mother lied to you about your father and you dealt with the damage done because of it, I doubt you’d lie to your own children like that. At least, I’d hope not.”
“I wouldn’t. But he didn’t want to risk that chance. He couldn’t go through it again.”
“How did you convince him?” She glanced down at Asia. “To have more at his age?”
“I didn’t. My father did.”
Aaliyah raised her brows.
“My father’s MC and your father’s are in an alliance. They know each other well. At first, my father had a huge problem with Magnum and me. It’s a long story and not worth telling right now. But he knew what a good man your father is. And he came around.”
“Does he have any more?”
“Any more?”
“Kids.”
Cait shook her head. “No, this is our first.”
“First,” Aaliyah mumbled. “You want more?”
“Maybe. We’re in negotiations now.”
Magnum’s daughter laughed. “Negotiations?”
“Yes. We’re both stubborn as hell.”
“Ah, that’s where I get it from.”
Cait smiled and nodded. “No doubt.”
“He doesn’t want any more?”
“Here’s the thing... Now he does. Like right away. I keep reminding him it wasn’t him pushing out Asia, who wasn’t a small baby. I need time to forget the things this child did to me in places I thought were delicate.”
Aaliyah laughed. “I’m laughing, but I hear you. Ugh. Devyn wasn’t undersized, either. But, luckily, with him being the only ‘man’ in my life right now, I have no pressure to have any more any time soon.”
“Well, your father is old,” Cait teased. “But, like I said, he would love to be one man in your life.”
Aaliyah’s teeth caught her bottom lip as she stared at Devyn still asleep in his stroller. “Are you sure? You said he doesn’t know you’re here.”
“He doesn’t. I was hoping to run into you and also hoping you’d give me a chance. I didn’t want to disappoint him if you didn’t. I’m sure it would mean the world to him if you gave him a chance, too. Honestly, I was scared to do this. But he faced one of his greatest fears for me.”
“Which is?”
“A story for another time. It’s not important right now. What’s important is, you’ll say yes to giving him a shot. I’m so glad I gave my father one. I ignored the doubts and saw the truth. I just hope you can do the same with Magnum.”
When Aaliyah didn’t say anything, Cait began to panic. “Do you want to hold your sister?”
Dark brown eyes regarded Asia. A few seconds later, Aaliyah held out her arms and Cait placed her baby girl into them.
Aaliyah brushed a knuckle over a chubby cheek and swept her fingers over Asia’s short curly black hair. “They have the same hair,” she whispered.
Cait figured she meant Asia and Devyn. “I may need help with it. I have no idea what I’m doing,” she admitted honestly.
Aaliyah’s lips pressed together as she stared down at the baby in her arms. Cait could only guess her eyes were burning like her own.
Finally, Aaliyah raised her head and nodded. “I’d like that.”
Oh, thank fuck.
“Can I give you my phone number and when you’re ready we can meet here again? You don’t have to give me yours. I’ll leave everything up to you.”
“You want to meet here?” She carefully handed Asia back to Cait. “With my father?”
“That’ll be up to you. Only when you’re ready. MJ, too. Whenever he’s ready. No pressure.”
“Okay.”
Oh, thank fuck!
Cait rattled off her number as Magnum’s daughter programmed it into her own cell phone.
Then Devyn was awake and they sat there in companionable silence as Aaliyah nursed
Cait’s step-grandson.
That thought made her a little dizzy.
It might make Magnum a little dizzy, too, when he found out his daughter and his grandson were only a month apart. In fact, Devyn was older than Asia.
She’d have to make him sit down when she told him. She didn’t want him to lose his balance and break a hip.
Cait snorted. Busting on Magnum’s age had become a regular thing and it made him laugh.
And hearing him laugh made her heart full.
Her phone dinged and she pulled it out of the diaper bag and glanced down at the text. Y the fuck U near Fox Chapel?
Oh shit, he was tracking her. She texted back: 2 meet a friend. B home soon.
U good?
Perfect. Luv U.
Same.
Cait smiled at her phone, then at her daughter. Then she smiled at Aaliyah who was strapping Devyn back into his stroller.
Then she smiled all the way home and even sang a little bit with the radio, too.
Epilogue
Magnum twisted his head and watched his son, Malcolm Jr, scoop up his two-year-old daughter, Asia. His girl loved to laugh and did so loudly as MJ spun her in a circle.
He twisted his head again to find his ol’ lady glaring at him across Dirty Dick’s because she was about to pop with their son, Caleb. She’d been having Braxton-Hicks all fucking day and that did not make a happy wife.
But it made a happy Magnum since he’d soon get to hold his youngest son and his last child.
Because Caleb was it. No more after that. If he had to get his fucking balls snipped, he was doing it. Two babies in the house—though, Asia would argue loudly about how she was not a baby—was plenty. Add Devyn, another two-year-old terror and MJ’s six-month-old and five-year-old baby girls and Magnum wanted to get on his sled, ride fast and far, never coming home.
He grunted. At least three of those hell-on-wheels would go home at the end of the evening.
He was getting way too old for this shit.
But... he had to fucking admit, he kind of liked his son had tastes similar to his father. His wife, Valerie, was leggy, blonde and curvy as fuck.
Magnum: A Dark Knights MC/Dirty Angels MC Crossover Page 26