“We at least need to track the two of them down and make sure that you, Lily and y’alls baby will be safe,” Jaxson pipes in.
“I agree, Maxum. At least let Bandit do his thing and see if he can find out where they’ve slithered off to. A snake may shed its skin, but it can be just as lethal in its new sheath.”
“I understand where you all are coming from, but I don’t want to wake the beast if he’s still sleeping and has forgotten all about me. My biggest fear is reminding him of my existence so he can play his methodical games with my mind and body. He can’t physically hurt me anymore; I’d fight him back now that I’m older, but he has the ability to rock my world if he comes back around. I have Lily and our baby to think of now. Not only that, but he can and would hurt anyone who’s important to me, and with y’all being my brothers, that means your old ladies and kids. I can’t let anything from my past touch even a hair on either of their heads, or risk any of y’alls,” I implore.
“It would be the worst mistake of either your sperm donor’s or egg carrier’s lives, if they ever came back just to fuck with our family.” Luca lets out a menacing growl. I hide my grin because we may not be that type of club, but most of us have a military background and aren’t afraid to throw down if necessary. I just don’t want my brothers putting themselves in the line of fire, especially if my bastard of a father has forgotten about me.
“Oh, we’d open a can of whoop ass on them,” Tig states, while punching his fist into his hand. “It’s been a bit since I’ve had a good brawl.”
“Jesus,” I mutter under my breath. “You two are just as crazy as fucking Bandit and Smokey.”
“I object to that statement. They’re the class clowns, while we are badasses, not comic relief,” Tig proclaims profusely.
“I disagree, Maxum,” Talon interjects. “Tig is Bandit and Smokey rolled into one and Luca is a mixture of Hatch and Axe.” I find this hysterical given the fact that Tig is Twisted’s son. Maybe he spent too much time with Smokey and Bandit when he was little because now that Talon mentions it...
“I never thought about it that way,” Jaxson states, running his fingers through his beard.
“Okay, back to business. Are we good, Luca?” I ask. When we leave this room, I want us back to how we were before.
“We’re good, brother. Just keep in mind, that I won’t always stay out of things. Seeing Lily hurt or upset sets off my protective side. I can’t help it; it's always been that way and always will be.” He unapologetically shrugs his shoulders.
“I get it, Luca,” I say. “You’re a great brother to Lily. I’m happy that she has a loving, caring family. It’s something I’m learning to accept for myself. No one here gave birth to me, but sometimes family doesn’t share the same blood.”
“Unfortunately, sometimes life isn’t fair. We can’t help who we’re born to, but we can choose the family we want when we’re older. Sharing the same bloodline doesn’t mean those people are right for us. Finding where we belong and being accepted for who we are is what matters. Love, loyalty, honor and respect, brother, that’s what we have for you,” Luca implores. I can feel his words crack down that last chunk of wall that I put in place to protect myself.
“Thank you, brother,” I say.
The four of us walk over to each other, shake hands, and do the man hug, slap thing. All is good, and I’m relieved that this is behind us.
“Let’s gather the men, go for a ride, and hit the pub. I’m starving,” Luca says rubbing his stomach.
“Hey! Why not go to my bar? We have food, drinks and shit,” Tig offensively asks.
“Fine, you tit bag, we’ll go to the damn bar,” Luca states. Tig looks like a kid in the candy store who just got his favorite treat. He’s literally bouncing on the balls of his feet in excitement. If he starts clapping his hands, I’m having him committed for observation and treatment.
12
Lily
It’s been two weeks since Maxum had to leave me and head home. I’m beginning to think I’ve made a horrible mistake staying behind. I’ve cried myself to sleep several nights, missing the way he holds me, wrapped up in the tight embrace of his arms as I fall asleep each and every night. Not a day has gone by that we haven’t spoken on the phone, but his voice makes my libido go crazy since my hormones are spiked. I’m almost to the point of begging him to have phone sex during a video chat so I can get some relief.
“Lily, you seem miserable since your parents and Maxum went home. Are you sure being here is the best thing for you?” Gypsy asks.
“I stayed here because I thought seeing the doctors who treated me from day one was the best course of action. I didn’t realize I’d be so damn sad, or I may have made a different choice,” I admit to her.
“Lily Bug, you can have your files transferred from a doctor here to yours back home. It’s not that hard to find an orthopedist; believe it or not they reside in every city and state,” Luca, the eternal wiseass says as he sits next to us, taking a big gulp of coffee.
“Well, aren’t you just wise beyond your years,” I snarkily state.
He taps his fingers to his head, he’s always ready and prepared to come back with a smartass response. “I’ve always been the brains in our operation, Lily. You’ve always known this, why are you acting so surprised now?”
“God! You drive me insane sometimes,” I state in a pissy tone.
“That’s what brothers are for,” he quips.
“Fuck off, Luca!” I shout out my annoyance.
“Come on, Gypsy. You heard my sister; she gave us a direct order.” He stands up, grabs her hand and pulls her from her chair.
“Oh, and the big bad biker president has to do as his little sister proclaims,” Gypsy teases him while winking in my direction.
“In this instance, yes. Absofuckinglutely.” He steadily pulls her from the room as she giggles.
“Yeah, sure. Leave me here alone, I’m not sad or lonely or anything… go have fun!” I shout out to the now empty room. Deciding enough is enough, I head up to my room, pack the meager belongings I have with me, write a note for Luca and Gypsy, then hit the road. I’ll call my doctors here when I get home and have all of my files transferred… it’s time to go back where I belong. To Maxum, to my parents, aunts and uncles, and the twins. I’ve missed them all so damn much. As I think about this, I begin to cry. When are these damn hormones gonna give my swollen puffy eyes a break?
I’ve been traveling for two hours when my bladder can’t take it anymore. I pull into a nondescript gas station, the only one within a twenty-mile radius according to my GPS. Shit, I hate these small mom-and-pop owned stations, I like the bigger chains where there’s more people. They’re better maintained and I like the safety in numbers thing. Since I’m a single female traveling alone, the feeling of dread washes over me every time I have to stop at a place like this.
If one of these stations were in my hometown, I’d feel more secure, but being in a town I know nothing about freaks me the hell out. My imagination is always playing tricks on my mind. Someone’s following me, watching my every move, the hills have eyes… yada, yada, yada.
I quickly rush in, find the restroom, do my business and hit the car again. Once I’m safely back inside the confinement of my vehicle, I lather up my hands in sanitizer and breathe a breath of relief. I turn my map back on to lead me home. I can’t wait to sleep in the comfort of my own bed again. It also won’t hurt to have Maxum by my side each and every night.
A few hours later, I pull into town and press the button on my steering wheel. “Call Maxum,” I instruct it.
“Calling Jaxson,” the voice responds.
“No, call Maxum,” I order.
“Calling Maddox,” the annoying bitch says.
“Fucking hell,” I cry out.
“Calling Luca,” it says as the stupid bitch dials and I hear the ringing through my speakers.
“Miss me already?” I can’t help it, I burst out into laughter. “L
ily, are you having a mental breakdown? Where are you, are you okay?” The worry in his voice should settle me down, instead it has the opposite effect. “Gypsy, I think Lily has lost her mind, pack our bags we’re going to find her and make sure she’s safe.”
I can hear Gypsy in the background, the sound of her concerned voice snaps me out of it. “I’m fine, Luca. I asked the car to call Maxum, she named every male in my directory before I shouted out fucking hell and she dialed you.” This time, all three of us laugh. I can’t help it, it’s hysterical.
“Are you home?” Luca settles down and asks me.
“Pulling into town now, it’s why I wanted to call Maxum,” I inform him.
“Hands free isn’t all it’s cracked up to be when you try and call your lover and instead get your brother.” Gypsy laughs in the background. I now realize Luca placed me on speaker.
“Don’t say lover to my sister! It’s gross, I need to cleanse my ears now, woman. It’s just wrong to use that word when it comes to her,” I hear Luca growl and Gypsy squeak in the background.
“Okay! There’s only so much a sister should hear and see. I’ll talk to you two later.” I quickly disconnect, knowing where that playful banter was heading. I shiver as disgust rolls through me, yuck!
Maxum
My face lights up when I grab my phone and see that Lily’s calling. “Hey, beautiful,” I quickly answer.
“So, I was thinking Chinese or pizza for dinner, which would you prefer?” I’m a bit dazed and confused by the question.
“I can’t make it tonight, Lil. I won’t even get out of the shop until six or seven tonight.” I disappointingly sigh into the receiver.
“Well, that bites. I just pulled up to my apartment and it looks awfully lonely. I was thinking of an early night in with you.”
“Could you repeat that?” I quickly stand up, dropping the wrench from my hand.
“I’m home, Maxum. I couldn’t spend another day without you. I’ve missed you so much,” she hiccups into the phone. I can tell she’s crying and it breaks a part of me.
I must be wearing a pained expression on my face because Jaxson quickly abandons his work and rushes over to me. “What is it?”
I place my hand over the speaker and say, “Lil’s home, she’s crying man.”
“Then you need to get over to her. I’ve got things covered here, we’re not far enough behind that you need to sacrifice some time with your old lady. Get going.” He points his finger toward my bike.
“I’m coming, Lily. I’ll be there in ten,” I gleefully announce.
“It’s been too long since I’ve seen you, Maxum. Hurry that fine ass up and get home.” Home, she is my home, it makes me ecstatic to realize that fact. I’ll get to experience her, and this euphoric feeling I feel when she’s near, for the rest of my life.
“Lil, we just saw each other four days ago.” I went up to see her for a quick weekend reprieve from the shop. I also needed to lay eyes and hands on her.
“It feels like an eternity,” she whispers.
“I’ll agree to that. Let me get off, baby, so I can come home,” I say, even though the last thing I want to do is let her off.
“Home,” she whispers.
“Home,” I repeat.
“I like the sound of that, Maxum.”
“Me too, Lil, me too.”
13
Maxum
Lil has been home for two months now, and today, we get to see the baby. Her ultrasound appointment has the family making bets. The pot is up to a thousand dollars, all of which is being donated to the home I’ve been looking at. I want to surprise Lily and give us a house to bring our baby home to. I pray that she’s not disappointed that she didn’t get to hunt with me for the perfect place to call ours. But, I hope that the gesture alone rebukes any ill-will she’ll hold over me and realize that this is me, telling her that I’m here to stay. Permanently.
“Do you want to know what it is?” I ask her as we walk hand in hand into the doctor's office.
“It’s a baby, Maxum,” she giggles.
“I know that, smartass. I mean, are we wanting to know if it’s a boy or a girl?” I reach over and tickle her side, she squeaks out a laugh causing me to chuckle in response.
“If you don’t stop, I’m going to pee myself! The baby’s on my bladder today, apparently.”
I grin because it seems like every five minutes, she’s running to the bathroom and I suspect that the bigger she gets, the worse it’s going to be. “Baby, you saying you need some of those adult diapers?” I tease. She pokes me and I lean in and kiss her.
She gives me a look and I know she’s got something else on her mind. I wait and sure enough, she starts talking. “I think we should do one of those gender reveal parties that everyone is doing these days. Our family can be surrounding us as we hear the results of what we’re having together. It would mean a lot to them,” she worriedly states. I guess she’s worried about how I’ll respond to this news. I think it’s a great idea which I tell her. “You wouldn’t be disappointed? It could take a few weeks to get everything put together and find out.”
“Anticipation would make it that much sweeter when we hear,” I inform her.
“And drive us crazy in the meantime,” she states.
“This may be true, but I love a surprise. Plus, the thought of everyone being included in finding out has an appeal to me. I can be patient,” I tell her.
“Ugh, it’s never been one of my strong points,” she reminds me.
We make it up to the counter and sign her in. As soon as our butts hit the seat, a nurse comes out calling Lily back. “Hey, Lily, let’s get your weight before we head into the exam room.”
“I have to use a rubber band to keep my jeans up, I’m not sure if I wanna hear and see how much weight I’ve gained,” she begrudgingly says.
“You’re growing a little person, Lil. If you weren’t gaining weight, that’d mean something’s wrong with our baby.” I try to appease her. I can see the pounds she’s added since becoming pregnant, but she’s one of those women whose weight gain is mostly carried in her stomach region. It’s like a little basketball is inflating inside of her… it’s cute as fuck if you ask me. It’s perfectly rounding with our baby’s growth, her tits and ass have enlarged, but I’ll never voice that to her. She’d likely cut off my balls and hang them up on her rearview mirror.
The nurse jots the information down, then has her sit while she takes her blood pressure and other vitals. Once she’s done, she leads us into an exam room and asks, “Y’all are getting the ultrasound today, correct? Are you hoping to find out the baby’s sex?”
“Well, yes and no,” Lily replies. “We want to know but not know, if that makes sense.” The nurse looks puzzled, so Lily continues in a rush, “We want to do a gender reveal party for our family and find out at the same time they do.” At her explanation, the nurse’s brow unfurrows and she smiles.
“Ah, gotcha. I’ll make sure the tech prints it off and places it in a sealed envelope. I presume you have someone making a cake?”
“I, uh, I haven’t figured that part out yet,” Lily admits.
“Well, you’re in luck. There’s a fantastic baker in town here and she does gender reveal cakes. Having tasted them, I can promise, you won’t be disappointed. If you’re interested, I’ll get you one of her cards.”
I speak up and say, “Please get us the card. And thank you for letting us know. It’s our first baby, so we’re a bit clueless about things.”
“I’ll bring it back in a few minutes, then. Lily, can you go ahead and get comfortable and pull your shirt up and slide your pants down a little bit? I’ll cover you with this wonderful paper blanket,” the nurse states, causing Lily to giggle again. I like this look on her; she’s still getting headaches and even though the doctor found a medicine she can take that won’t hurt the baby, she’s so fucking stubborn that she has to be past the point of no return before she’ll take it. I make a mental note to
mention that to the doctor so she can reassure my woman.
“Lil?”
“Yeah,” she responds.
“I sorta had a different idea come to mind when we talked about the gender reveal thing,” I hesitantly say because she may not like my idea at all.
“Okay, tell me about it while I put on this paper gown, it’s thin as hell; you’ll have to tell me if it’s see through or not.” I laugh at her words, then quickly assure her with a nod that I’d comply with her wishes.
“So, this was my thought. I’m a biker, your family are all bikers and our little one needs a cut… right?”
“Yes, Maxum, our baby will have a cut just like all the little ones that have come into the family before ours.” She chuckles. “Tell me about your idea, honey.”
“When you told me what you’d like to do, my first thought was us opening up a box with either a pink or blue cut for our little one.”
“Oh, Maxum! I adore that idea. Let’s go with that!”
Lily
My excitement is running like hot lava through my veins. I can’t help but picture Maxum and I tearing into a box together to discover if we’re having a little girl or a little boy. I’m so happy he’s come up with the idea he has, but I need to entrust someone to keep our secret and have the cut made for us. My mind wanders over who it should be. Rae is my best friend, but like her mother, she can’t keep a secret to save her life. I want my mother to be surprised that day like we will be. As I go through the list of people in the club, it dawns on me that Claree is the perfect choice.
“I’m going to set up a lunch with me and Claree and have her take care of the gender reveal party, that way our moms only have to worry over decorating the clubhouse and plan the meals,” I inform Maxum.
Maxum & Lily: Rebel Guardians Next Generation Page 9