by Sam Crescent
She glanced down at the leather cut she wore. Miles had given it to her as she’d left it behind. It was her Skulls cut, marking her as the property of one of the men, her father.
As she ran her fingers over the leather, it felt wrong to be wearing it.
Movement at the edge of the clubhouse caught her eye.
She stood perfectly still and there at the gate stood Luke. He held a bouquet of flowers and a wrapped present.
“You shouldn’t be here,” she said.
He spun in a circle. “I’m not here as a rival or wearing colors. I heard the news and that you were going to be in town.” He held up the flowers. “I wanted to offer you my congratulations.”
“Oh,” she said. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“I know, but I wanted to. I know we haven’t seen eye to eye on a lot of things.”
“Luke, we haven’t agreed on a lot of things. I’m in love with Simon.”
“I know, but, after everything, I wanted to apologize.”
“What for?” She didn’t reach out to take the flowers. Instead, she folded her arms underneath her breasts and with how big her stomach was, on top of it.
“Ryan. I didn’t know what he was capable of and it makes me ashamed to have ever been his friend.”
She held her hand up. “Stop. Really. None of this matters to me.”
“I know I never had a shot with you, but … I did love you, Tabitha. I’m not trying to win you over or anything. Just wanting to let you know how I feel. Don’t worry, those feelings, they’re fading. Looking at you now, seeing how happy you are, it makes me happy.”
Tabitha sighed. Stepping up toward him, she took the flowers and present from him. “Thank you.”
“I hope you’re happy, Tabitha. You deserve it. I wish you and Simon all the best.”
She nodded, stepped away.
Don’t do it. Don’t do it.
Tabitha turned. “This means nothing.” She went onto her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “For what it’s worth, I hope you find someone, Luke. Someone who can love you. Don’t ever treat her like she’s second best. Ever.”
With that, she turned on her heel and didn’t look back. Daisy was standing at the door, watching her. She went into her friend’s arms, holding her. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m okay. It has been a long day.” She tried to stifle a yawn.
Daisy laughed. “Come on, I’ll make the excuses and we’ll go to bed.”
Tabitha left everything to Daisy and like a pro, within ten minutes, they were in Daisy’s room at the clubhouse or more, Anthony’s room.
“You’re proving that you can be the head old lady,” Tabitha said, changing into a nightshirt.
Daisy laughed. “Yeah, right. I’m sure they only did that because you’re pregnant and they don’t want to stress you out.”
“They never did this with Nathan,” Tabitha said.
“I know. I did though.”
Tabitha smiled as she thought about the party her best friend had thrown for her. Complete with ice cream, cake, and water. It hadn’t been great but for Tabitha, it had been perfect.
“I do sometimes miss when we were kids,” she said. “Do you?”
“Life was much simpler. We could go and have a whole lot of fun. There was no pressure. I hated high school, though,” Daisy said. “That’s one thing I’m glad I don’t have to get out of bed to do.”
“How is college?”
“I don’t know. I’m taking a break at the moment. Everything seems so hectic here, you know?” Daisy tucked her hair behind her ears. “Can you imagine what my life would have been like if Whizz and Lacey hadn’t adopted me?”
“Can you?” Tabitha asked.
“I wonder if I’d have been nice or if I’d been mean, you know? Would I have slept around? Would I even care for a job?”
Tabitha laughed. “You’re kind of exhausting your head on pointless what-ifs.”
“Yeah, you’ve got to learn to do the same as well. There’s no point in thinking about what has been. Focus on what is to come.” Daisy stroked her hair back. “I know what you’re going to do.”
Tabitha smiled. “You don’t hate me?”
“No, I don’t. Promise me that club aside, we can always talk. You’ll always be my best friend.”
“I promise.”
Tabitha wrapped her arm around her friend and together, they fell asleep. It was going to be the last time they could have a sleepover like this.
****
Simon’s head pounded. There was no way he was going to drink that much alcohol again. He’d promised Tabby he’d take care of Nathan, and once his son was in bed, well, the booze had flown freely as the guys all celebrated his upcoming child. It helped to distract him from the fact Tabby was in Fort Wills, closer to the Monster Dogs and away from him. He wanted to follow her, but she wasn’t going to start a fight. She was going to have some fun with friends and family.
She was due back today.
Daisy had already texted him that she was coming back.
He stumbled downstairs. Devil, Nathan, Tiny, and Lash were already sitting at the kitchen table while Dick worked the stove, humming.
“There’s no way you can be in a good mood.”
“Perks of not drinking, you don’t get a hangover,” Dick said. “Pancakes.”
“Ugh,” he said, groaning. The thought of food made him feel sick. There was no way he was going to be able to eat anything, which wasn’t good. “Tabby’s heading home.”
Devil nodded, sipping at his coffee.
“Morning, Daddy,” Nathan said.
“Morning, son.” He kissed the top of Nathan’s head and slid into the seat next to him. He had a bunch of crayons spread out across the table along with several sheets of paper. “What are you doing?”
“I’m drawing our family. There’s me and Mommy, and you.”
“What’s that coming out of her stomach?”
“That’s the baby.”
It looked like a monster. “I don’t think that’s how babies come out.”
“It’s going to come out though, right? Mommy is not going to like explode.”
“No, no, it’ll come out. I promise.”
“And Mommy will be okay?” Nathan asked.
“She’ll be great.”
Devil chuckled. “I can remember when you’d ask so many questions.”
Simon groaned. “Please, don’t remind me of anything.”
“You once asked me why one of the guys was going to lick a pussy cat.”
“I like pussy cats,” Nathan said. “Daddy, can we get a cat and a dog? Please, please. Please.”
He kissed his son’s head. “First, let’s get the right house, the baby, and you know, we’ll take it from there.”
“Mommy would like a doggy. I’ve seen her stroking them at the park. She loves doggies and she’s going to love them.” Nathan looked up at him with his big eyes.
“I’ll talk to Mommy.”
Nathan laughed. “I need to use the bathroom.”
His son climbed down and ran out of the kitchen.
“Does he know how to use his mom to get what he wants?” he asked.
“Be warned, kids are sneaky little devils,” Devil said. “You were the worst.”
“I was a lovely child.”
Devil snorted.
“Where did the time go?” Tiny asked. “One moment she was a baby, in my arms, the next, she’s grown and having babies of her own. It’s not right.”
Simon smiled. “I will take care of her, Tiny, sir, I promise.”
Tiny glared at him. “One day you’re going to have a daughter of your own. You’re going to watch her grow up, and there’s going to be a boy who will say the exact same thing to you. When that happens, and you believe him, come back to me then.”
“I’m having a daughter,” he said.
All eyes turned toward him.
“Tabitha and I were going to wait to tell you but we got t
he news a few weeks ago. Our baby is going to be a little girl.”
His hand was shaken and Devil clapped him on the back.
“Now there’s two girls for you to look after. You sure you can handle this?” Tiny asked.
“Did Ned Walker ask you the same thing?”
Tiny glared at him. “Good comeback.”
He chuckled.
Dick served up some pancakes. Simon didn’t want to eat, but the last thing he wanted was to be smelling like booze when his wife arrived. After finishing up two pancakes, he took a shower. Nathan had already run outside to play on the swings.
Once he was dressed and ready to face the day, he headed outside. He kept checking toward the main gate, waiting for his woman to arrive.
Tiny, Lash, and the guys were gathering up their supplies, ready to go. Not only had they had a celebration last night for the baby news, but there had also been a debrief over a mission two weeks ago. This one had required Felix and Teddy. They’d wanted a distraction, not stealth.
He glanced down at his leather cut. Tabitha had stitched the jacket from the bullet he took a few months ago. Letting her go to Fort Wills alone had been one of the hardest decisions he’d ever made. He missed her. Wanted her back. These feelings for her, they never went away, never expired. They only appeared to be getting stronger with every passing day, and he craved her more than anything.
Standing behind Nathan on the swings, he kept his gaze on the gate.
“Higher, Daddy.”
He smiled, loving whenever Nathan called him Dad or Daddy. It was one of the highlights of his day, and it never got old, never.
Nathan let out a giggle.
He didn’t allow his son to go too high. Was this what Devil felt with him? These shared moments that seemed to mean so much?
Up and down, he pushed his son, watching him giggle and squeal with glee, and he loved every second of it.
“Mommy!”
Simon grabbed the swing chain and brought it to a stop as Nathan jumped off and started to run toward the car.
Tabitha got out with a smile and picked him up, swinging him around. “I missed you,” she said, kissing his cheek.
As she pressed kisses all over his face, Nathan chuckled, and she finally let him go.
He ran back to his side, taking his hand.
Tabby walked right to him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him hard. “Hey, you,” she said.
“It’s good to have you back.” Sinking his fingers into her hair, he brought her lips in for a kiss and they both moaned as he kissed her. “Missed you.”
“I missed you too. It’s so good to be home.”
Simon smiled. Home. She actually thought it was good to be home. He was so fucking thrilled. For a long time, he’d been worried that she still considered Fort Wills her home, and in a way, it was, he got that. But he wanted her to see wherever he was, it was her home.
“There’s something I’ve got to do.”
She took his hand, giving it a squeeze and stepping away.
Simon watched her. He picked Nathan up, holding him tightly as she went to Tiny. He watched Tiny hold her tightly but then Tabby pulled away. She eased the jacket off her shoulders, folded it up, and gave it back to Tiny.
He moved closer to listen.
“I’m home,” she said. “I will love you guys always. You’ll always be my family, but this is my home. I love my life with Simon and I don’t want to leave. I’m happy. I’m really, truly happy.” She went on her tiptoes and kissed Tiny’s cheek. “Love you, Dad.”
Tabby had picked him. Over her family, Fort Wills, she’d picked him, and Simon knew he was never going to let her down again.
Chapter Twenty
“I love it,” Tabitha said.
She walked back toward Simon who held back, watching her.
“You love it?”
“Yes, I love it. Don’t you?” She tugged his hand as she moved through the house. It wasn’t huge like Lexie and Devil’s house. There were three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, living room, dining room, study, laundry room, and a nice-sized yard out back. Not to mention a basement for supplies. “We can put our Christmas tree in the corner. I can have you decorate it, put a star right on top.” She pressed her lips to his neck.
This was the thirteenth house they’d visited. The realtor had been getting desperate as she’d refused every single one. Her mom once had told her that when you find something and can see yourself living there, making memories, then it was only a matter of time before you found a way to have it completely. This house made her feel that way. She was already excited at the prospect of living here.
“The yard is big enough out front that we can have some Halloween decorations. We’ve always loved that time of year. We can dress up, taking Nathan and baby girl trick-or-treating. What do you think?”
“I think if you love it, I love it.”
She stepped back. “You don’t love it.”
“I think the place with a pool was better.”
Tabitha shook her head. “Do you know how many accidents a pool can cause, not to mention, you know, death?”
“We’d take care.”
“I don’t want a pool,” she said. “If you do though, we can totally go for that one. I just didn’t see it as a home.”
Simon sighed, cupping her cheeks. “This is where you want to live?”
She nodded. “It’s not too far from the clubhouse and when you make patched member, you’re going to want to be close by.” She took his hands, kissing each one. “But I don’t want a home you’re not happy with. I can compromise.”
He quickly grabbed his chest, faking an attack.
“Stop it. I can compromise. Stop being so mean.”
Simon looked past her shoulder. “We’ll take this one. Whatever it takes to close the deal soon.”
The realtor smiled and started to talk, but she didn’t hear the woman. Wrapping her arms around Simon, she brought his head down for a kiss. “That wasn’t so hard. We’ve got a place to call our own.”
“We have.”
“So, why don’t we head back to the apartment and make the most of Nathan being in school?” Tabitha asked.
“Damn!” He grabbed her hand and she laughed as he pulled her out of the house and down the garden path toward his waiting car. With her stomach being the size it was, at seven months pregnant, she couldn’t ride on the back of his bike anymore. She hadn’t been able to ride on his bike in some time, and she did miss it.
Wrapping her arms around his waist, they got all the way to their apartment, inside, and completely naked when Simon’s cell phone rang.
She giggled as he groaned.
“I’ve got to take this,” he said.
“I know.”
“I don’t want to take it.”
“Then don’t.”
“I hate this,” he said.
“The curse of being a prospect. I get it.” She started to pull on her clothes but Simon banded his arm around her waist, holding her close. “No,” she said. “I know you’ll be with me, and because you didn’t answer whatever that call is, you’ll be punished for it. I can wait. I want you and yes, I’d love to have this, but I’m not going to let you fall behind, nor am I going to help you have to be home later than necessary. Devil’s not going easy on you. He never will be.” She took his face into her hands. “I’m going to head over to the shop, help Lexie out.”
“You want me to drive you?”
“No, I want you to answer that call.”
Simon handed her the keys, and she took them with a smile. Getting dressed, she didn’t linger in the apartment. Instead, she made her way over to Lexie’s. Their last fashion line had sold out at the shop within a matter of hours. Not only by customers at the actual shop, but online purchases as well.
They had no choice but to close for a couple of days to restock and they’d rolled it out across their other stores as well.
“You okay?” Tabitha as
ked, entering the shop to see Lexie frowning over her cell phone.
“Me, yeah, just got a text from Devil. He’s going to be out of town for a couple of days.” Lexie sighed. “I probably sound like a petulant child, but I do hate it when he has to leave for days at a time.”
“I feel the same way with Simon.” As if on cue, her cell phone went. “Oh, it looks like I’m going to be alone with Nathan.”
“Do you want to come to my place?” Lexie asked. “Nathan will have someone to play with and we can have some fun.”
“I’d like that.”
“You sure? I just realized I’m way older than you.”
“Lexie, it’s fine. I want to hang out. You’re Simon’s mom.”
Lexie chuckled. “You know, I never thought you and Simon would last.”
“You didn’t? You mean because of what happened or…”
“Oh, I’m talking about you two being kids. You were both always so cute together. He’d ask about you and I’d get calls from Eva, you two were just so … into each other. Nothing would ever tear you both apart.” Lexie smiled. “Of course, I assumed it was a crush, but it never was. You two were meant for each other, I do see that now more than ever.”
“I do … love him. I don’t know if that helps. I do.”
“Tabitha, honey, I’m not judging his choice by dating you, far from it. I think it’s good. The two of you are so good together. I love the way you both are, always around each other. You have each other’s backs and for me, that is important.” Lexie stood up and ran her fingers through her hair. “I’m glad you decided to stay here. To be with us. To keep Simon here.”
“I decided this was my home. Simon’s my family. I do miss Fort Wills, but Devil told me once I was going to have to make a choice. I couldn’t wear two patches. I couldn’t be on the fence or moving from one town to another.” She put a hand to her chest, tears in her eyes. “So I picked Simon. I picked love. Does that make me sound weak?”
“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.”