“Sounds like you’ve got baby fever,” Gemma said.
“What’s not to get excited about?” Bones cocked a brow. “Remember how we all went crazy when Lincoln started walking?”
“Uh-huh.” Dixie rolled her eyes. Then she leaned closer to Gemma and lowered her voice as she said, “I didn’t see him get let’s-do-the-dirty with you.”
Bones glowered at her. “Come on, B-boy, let’s go hit the soda bar.”
As he walked away, Dixie crossed her arms and set narrow eyes on Sarah. “Do not tell me it’s not like that between you two. Did you see him? I know what’s normal for my brother, and Bones is acting like he got shot in the ass by Cupid’s arrow. Bear is the emotional, tap-babies-on-the-nose guy whose heart gets all wrapped up before he has a chance to think. Bullet barrels into situations following his gut instincts. But Bones has always been the guy who stands back, meticulously analyzing situations before making decisions, much less a move toward anything—unless someone’s in imminent danger. Then he goes on instinct, and he’ll obliterate everything in his path. He’s as deadly as Bullet, but with lethal precision, striking as fast and viciously as a rattlesnake. But his careful nature, his need to analyze and understand every aspect of anything he touches, is what makes him such an expert in his field. He doesn’t make mistakes or give off vibes that aren’t exactly what he wants to portray.”
Before she could ponder that nerve-racking assessment for too long, Dixie said, “The only thing he’s ever jumped into with two feet was medical school…and you. So, babe, if it’s not like that between you two, you better buckle up, because it’s gonna be.”
Red came outside and began ushering everyone into the tent. “Girls! Come on, you don’t want to miss everything.” She patted Lila’s back and said, “I hear our little girl took her first steps and I missed it.”
Our little girl. Warmed by Red’s love for her daughter, she said, “I think Hawk took lots of pictures.”
“Yes, but you know it’s not the same as being right there when they get that shocked look in their eyes, like they can’t believe they’re walking,” Red said as Dixie and Gemma took their seats. “And then the whole adorable wobbly thing they do…” She sighed and said, “I love that. Wayne—Bones—nearly drove me crazy as a baby. I thought he’d never take a single step.”
Wayne. She’d seen his real name on his lab coat at the hospital, and it didn’t take much imagination to figure out how he got his biker name.
“Why?” Sarah’s gaze found the man who had nearly driven his mother crazy. He was sitting at a table talking to Bullet, looking incredibly handsome with his new appendage—Bradley—sitting proudly on his lap. Bradley’s little arm circled Bones’s neck, and his cheek rested on Bones’s shoulder.
Red stepped closer and said, “Because while Brandon—Bullet—was aging me with recklessness, toddling all over creation, climbing the stairs like a little monkey, bulldozing into things, falling down the stairs on purpose, Wayne was watching, learning, biding his time until he had it all figured out.”
Sarah couldn’t stifle her giggle fast enough. “I can see him doing that.”
“It’s a wonder I have any red hair left at all. Thank goodness for Chicki and her mad dying skills.” Red patted her hair. “Brandon was a little stinker. He would climb two or three stairs, then grin at me and let go of the railing, laughing as he tumbled down. It was no wonder Wayne waited until there was something worth chasing after.”
“You’d think a big brother would be enough of a draw.” She tried to picture Bones as a little boy. Was he everything Dixie said? Lethal when protecting others and careful? How could the two possibly go together?
“Lord knows it was for Bobby—Bear—and Dixie. But not my Wayne. He was in no hurry to fall down the stairs. It wasn’t until Biggs brought a wounded kitten home that Wayne made a move. Biggs was sitting on the couch tending to its cuts, and the poor little thing was mewling. My heart nearly broke at its cries. It went on and on, like it needed us to listen to every single complaint.”
Red gazed at Bones and said, “I’ll never forget the feeling in my chest when Wayne heard the cries from the playroom. He looked at me with such compassion in his little brown eyes. Then he pushed to his feet, using a plastic castle for leverage, and he marched right out to the living room. He fell once,” she said with a smile. “But he stood right back up and toddled over to the couch like a pro. He spent every minute he could with that kitten even after it was healed up. You should ask him about it sometime.”
“So Dixie was right? He really does analyze things before he makes a move?”
“Overanalyze, sweetheart.” Red looped her arm through Sarah’s. “Come on. Let’s find your seat. My bet is that it’s next to Wayne. And if it wasn’t, I’m sure he switched the place cards so it is now.”
Why wasn’t anyone warning Bones against this attraction? How could they overlook a walking red flag?
Do I want them to?
“Mommy!” Bradley called out as they approached.
Bones’s gaze darted to her, sending heat straight to her core as she followed Red to the table, feeling dizzy again. No, not dizzy exactly. Her stomach was all fluttery, and her skin felt cold and hot at the same time. No doubt because Bones looked like he wanted to devour her and everyone in the tent seemed to know it. She glanced up at the sparkling lights and the white and pink streamers strewn across the ceiling, wishing life came with a guidebook.
Red was right: Her place card was next to Bones’s, and Bones had even moved a high chair to the other side of her seat. She settled Lila into the high chair and moved Bradley to the seat between her and Bones, needing the buffer. Just because everyone else seemed comfortable with this situation didn’t mean she was a jump-in-with-two-feet type of gal. She was barely a dip-her-toes-in-and-test-the-waters person. But at twenty-six, she was still a young woman, and she couldn’t continue to ignore the truth or keep trying to write off the sizzling heat between them as pregnancy hormones. Bones awakened her body in a way that no other man ever had, and Bullet’s dirty-doctor comment had created a whirlwind of curiosity she could no longer ignore.
Ugly thoughts snuck in. Thoughts that were so deeply ingrained, she wasn’t sure she could ever escape them, though she so desperately wanted to. Sex had always equated to survival for Sarah, with a brief exception when she’d thought she was on the path to love. She gritted her teeth against the sting of painful memories, fighting to bury them down deep for the millionth time.
“Hey, beautiful,” Bones said softly.
Her eyes clashed with his. He sat with one arm across the back of Bradley’s chair, watching her in her moment of turmoil. She may not believe in happily ever afters and she definitely had trouble trusting, but she longed to be closer to him, to experience this loyal, thoughtful man on a more personal level. Emotionally and physically. Swallowing hard, feeling happy and sad, nervous and calm, petrified and curious. It was so overwhelming, she was sure everyone could sense it. But it was Bones who pushed his hand farther across the back of Bradley’s chair until his fingertips brushed her arm, concern written in those dark eyes.
“You okay, darlin’? Want to go for a walk?”
A walk? No, she definitely wouldn’t survive this night with Dr. Whiskey looking at her like he could heal all her wounds. She needed space to clear her head.
“No, thank you,” she finally managed. “I’m just going up to the house to change Lila.”
He pushed to his feet. “I’ll walk you up.”
“No,” she said quickly. “I’m fine, really. I just need…” Grasping for an excuse, she decided to go with honesty, because at the moment she was just that pathetic. “To breathe, and you sort of make that impossible.”
A slow grin spread across his lips.
“Ohmygosh,” came out before she could stop it. “Could you please look the other way?”
“Not a chance, darlin’.”
His arrogance came out smooth as velvet. Ugh. S
he pushed to her feet, needing to escape before he worked his magic on her. “Come on, Bradley. Let’s go potty before dinner.”
“I don’t have to go,” Bradley whined.
“I’ll watch him,” Bones offered, that panty-melting grin still in place.
Great. Another ovary-exploding dose of goodness. Just what I need.
THE FESTIVE AFTERNOON drifted into evening on a celebratory cloud of too much food and a hefty amount of cheer. Bones stood by the bar with his father and brothers. Bullet’s eyes were riveted to his bride, cutting loose on the dance floor to “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” with Dixie, Penny, Isabel, and about a dozen other women. Bones found Sarah sitting beside Gemma, each with a baby on their lap. Truman sat on the floor beside Gemma’s chair with Kennedy and Bradley on his lap. Bradley and Kennedy had played together all afternoon and now shared matching glassy-eyed looks of exhaustion. Hawk moved stealthily around the tent, capturing treasured moments. Sarah looked happy and untroubled, which was an amazing combination on such a beautiful woman, and he hoped Hawk had caught the look on film.
“Man, Cassie sure killed it with the catering.” Bullet passed a shot to each of his brothers. “Here you go, old man,” he said as he handed a shot to Biggs.
“I couldn’t eat another bite,” their father said, curling his fingers around his cane as he accepted the glass. The stroke had left him with slow speech, the left side of his mouth permanently weighed down, and worst of all, it had stolen the lifelong biker’s ability to ride a motorcycle. But that didn’t stop him from heading up the Dark Knights, as his father had done before him, or from wearing the club patches with pride. And it sure as hell didn’t make him any less of a man.
Bones was proud of his father. He’d taught them how to fight, ride, and protect. Beneath that thick, unkempt gray beard and inked skin marred with deep grooves earned from miles ridden under the heat of the sun lay the spirit of a warrior. Biggs Whiskey would probably go out of this world the way he brought up his children—fighting for the lives of others.
“Did you get a look at the dessert table?” Bear asked. “I might have to steal some of those chocolate-covered strawberries for later.” He waggled his brows, his gaze moving to Crystal, who was still dancing her pretty little heart out.
Bear had fallen hard for Crystal from practically the moment they’d met, but it had taken him more than eight months to finally get her to go out with him. Bones looked at Sarah, the woman who was unraveling his every thought. He had always considered himself a patient man, but Sarah was proving him wrong. Because, damn, he’d taken Bear’s comment about the chocolate-covered strawberries and shredded it down, imagining Sarah lying naked in his bed, her long, golden hair strewn across his pillow as he licked chocolate from her beautiful breasts and rounded belly and then devoured the very heart of her until she cried out his name so many times she’d never forget it. And there was no way in hell he’d wait eight months for that to happen.
“Dude.” Bullet nudged Bones, jerking him from his fantasy. “Where the hell did you go?”
“Someplace magnificent until you fucked it up.” He gazed down at the drink in his hand. “What are we toasting?”
“Christ, Bones. You really did zone out,” Biggs said. “We’re toasting my boys, but first, if we don’t say a toast to your mama and the women in your lives we’ll be accused of drinking just for the hell of it. So here’s to strong, loyal women. May they always want our ugly asses.”
“Here, here,” they said in unison as they clinked glasses, then downed their drinks.
The bartender was already passing out the next round.
Biggs stroked his beard, eyeing the three of them. He lifted his glass, his mustache twitching as one side of his lips lifted. “Two men down, one to go, motherfuckers. We done good.”
They all laughed and drank their shots, but as quickly as that laughter hit, Bones’s mind traveled back to the night he’d had dinner at Sarah’s, to her brother’s comment about their home life. The liquor in his stomach soured, and he set down his glass.
His father’s hand clapped onto Bones’s shoulder, and he said, “That little darlin’s got hurt in her eyes. Tread carefully, son.”
“I appreciate your advice, Pop. I’ve treaded carefully my whole life, and it’s always served me well.” Bones inhaled deeply. Sarah had done an excellent job of surrounding herself with other people and engaging them in conversation every time he approached. He was done waiting. If she couldn’t breathe when he was around, he’d just have to be her oxygen. “Everything you’ve ever taught me has led to this moment. Now is not the time to tread carefully.”
Biggs nodded, his eyes narrow. “Well, hell, boy. Then what’re you standing here for?”
His father gave him a shove toward Sarah, but Bones had other plans. He’d heard enough of this girly music. It was time to turn up the heat—and the charm. He headed straight for the band and then he went to get his woman.
Gemma motioned in his direction, and Sarah lifted her face, looking adorably nervous and treacherously sexy.
“Ladies,” he said, never taking his eyes off Sarah. Right on cue, the band began playing the tune he’d requested. He reached for Sarah’s hand. “Dance with me, darlin’.”
Her eyes darted nervously to Gemma, then to Lila, and then to Bradley, now sitting beside Truman. Bones was vaguely aware of Truman and Gemma watching them. He had a feeling nearly everyone in the tent was holding their breath to see if she’d accept.
“I can’t,” she said softly, holding Lila a little tighter. “I’ve got the kids.”
“I’ll watch them,” Truman and Gemma said at the same time.
Sarah’s cheeks flushed. “No. I can—”
Gemma reached for Lila, and Truman pulled Bradley onto his lap, leaving her no babies to hide behind.
Bones gently lifted her to her feet. “Come on, darlin’. This song is for you.”
He led her to the dance floor. Sarah looked over her shoulder, watching her children as Bones swept her into his arms. Her pregnant belly brushed against him as he guided her arms around his neck. She glanced at the kids again.
“They’re okay. I promise,” he said as the band began singing about remembering the first time he’d seen her.
“I know. I just…”
“Focus on me, Sarah, nothing else. I’d never put your kids in danger. Just give yourself this moment.” He saw unease in her eyes and said, “Give us this moment.”
Her gaze surfed the room, and he realized it wasn’t just her children she was worried about. He slid his arm around her waist, holding her tight, and headed out of the tent and into the yard.
She hurried to keep up with him. “Where are you going? I can’t leave!”
“We’re not leaving.” Out of eyeshot from everyone else, he drew her close again, guided her arms around his neck for a second time, and said, “I want to dance with you, and if you’re worried about what everyone else will think, then I’ll dance out here with you.”
“Why, Bones? Dancing with me is awkward.” She glanced down at her belly between them.
He lifted her chin and gazed into her eyes. “Dancing with you is beautiful. You’re beautiful, Sarah.”
Her face crumpled into a mask of disbelief, and she shook her head, but she was swaying gracefully, moving with him, not trying to get away despite what he saw in her expression.
“Don’t do that,” he said firmly. “Don’t dismiss my words like they don’t matter.”
“I just…” She looked away for a moment. Then her eyes found his again, a little bit softer this time. “Do you have a pregnancy fetish or something?”
He chuckled. “Not that I’m aware of, and I’m a pretty observant guy.”
“So I’ve noticed,” she said with a small smile. “It feels weird to be out here, away from my kids, dancing.”
“Dancing, or dancing with me?” He wanted to know all her thoughts, even if they weren’t what he wanted to hear.
�
�Dancing at all, but dancing with you feels funny, too. Nice,” she clarified with a spark of heat in her eyes. “But that’s scary and crazy. Why me, when there’s a tent full of gorgeous women right there?”
“Listen to the lyrics. It’s a song by Maggie Rose called ‘It’s You,’ and I swear, darlin’, the words were written with us in mind.” He watched her taking in the lyrics. They were so true. He’d never seen her coming, and he never wanted to see her leave.
“Bones…?” she said full of wonder.
“From the moment I first saw you, I had to see you again, and in the months since, that desire has intensified. I think about you and your children all the time.” He looked down at her belly, and then he gazed into her eyes and said, “And that little miracle, too.”
The breath rushed from her lungs. “You’re doing it again. I can’t breathe when you look at me like that.”
“Then why fight it? You’ve spent two months getting to know me. You know I’m not going to hurt you.”
“I can’t know that,” she said vehemently. “Good people do bad things. You said so yourself.”
His heart ached for what she must have been through to cause so much distrust. “That’s true. But after thirty-plus years I can honestly say I’ve never done a single bad thing toward a woman. It’s not in my makeup. I’ve done things I shouldn’t have, like most people, but hurting you will never be one of those things. If you let me into your world, into your life, I promise you that I’ll put my own life on the line before I let anyone hurt you or your children.”
She choked out a breath.
“Let me prove it to you, Sarah. Let me take you on a real date. Get to know me better and decide for yourself.”
“I can’t go on a date. The kids—”
“I have a whole family who will gladly watch them. Scott said he would, too.”
Her jaw dropped open. “You asked Scott?”
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