“Kinkier, how?” I asked.
“Toys, bonds, whatever you want.”
I let out a quiet puff of air as a shiver stole up my spine. “Yes. Please.”
“No shit?”
“No shit.”
“Jesus, fuck,” he growled, kissing me hard and fast before sliding out of me. “I’m gonna get rid of the rubber.”
“Okay,” I whispered, pulling the sheet over me as he headed to the bathroom.
Surprisingly, Nova never once stirred, and after checking on her one more time, I headed back to the bedroom.
“You gonna come down and hang for a bit?” Silas asked as he pulled on his jeans.
“Honestly, I just want to curl up in bed and read for a bit.”
“You need to set up your new phone,” he reminded me.
“Oh, right.” He’d insisted on upgrading my outdated phone, adding me to his plan to save money… or so he said. I had a feeling if I tried to pay half the monthly bill, he’d have a problem with it, but I decided to cross that bridge when I came to it. “I’m going to set up my new phone, then curl up in bed and read.”
He grinned, kissing me. “Text me if you need me.”
“I will, honey.”
He walked out of the room and I finished setting up my phone before giving myself a treat in the form of a newly downloaded RomCom from my favorite author.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Catalina
TWO WEEKS LATER, thirty or so bikers, along with their families if they had them, gathered in the great room of the Dogs of Fire clubhouse. It was cold, but it was sunny, and the kids had been angling for a trip to the zoo. The biggest issue was that they all wanted to go to the big zoo, which meant, Atlanta, which was at least a four hour drive away.
So the adults had decided to make a weekend of it. Dash had an aunt in Atlanta, so he and Willow, along with their kids, were planning on staying with her. Since Badger was Dash’s ride or die (besides Willow), he and Quin and their kids were going with as well.
Posey had found an Air B&B close to the zoo that had four bedrooms and three bathrooms, so Silas, Nova, and I were going to stay there with her and my brother, as was Dylan, the young recruit who was so very close to earning his patch.
The rest of the bikers had made their own arrangements, but we were all planning on driving up as a convoy before splitting off to our accommodations, then meeting at the zoo tomorrow at ten a.m.
Willow wove her way through the crowd toward me and Nova, giving us both a hug. “Are you excited, Nova?”
Nova squeezed my hand as she jumped up and down. “Yes,” she squeaked.
“We’re playing musical cars,” Willow said. “Kinsey and Alfie would love Nova to drive with us if that’s okay with you guys and Nova. The boys are all going with Badger and Quin. We can swap back when we stop for dinner tonight.”
Nova squeezed my hand again and I smiled down at her. “What do you think, sweetie? Do you want to ride with your friends, or with me and Uncle Shutter?”
“Are you going to be close?” she asked, her little voice hesitant.
“Right behind you.” I hunkered down to her level. “But you are allowed to say no, honey. It’s totally up to you.”
Nova looked up at Willow. “Can I sit next to Alfie?”
“May I sit next to Alfie, please,” I prompted.
“May I sit next to Alfie, please,” Nova parroted.
“You bet,” Willow said. “And Kinsey and Alfie said you can pick the movie.”
“Really?” Nova squealed excitedly.
Willow nodded. “Yep.”
Dash refused to get a minivan, so he’d surprised Willow with a tricked out giant SUV two years ago. It had dual DVD players and seating for eight. Perfect for their growing family and hauling friends to boot.
I stood with a smile. “I’ll take her potty and we’ll get her car seat sorted.”
“We have an extra,” Willow said. “So, she’s all set.”
That would make swapping so much easier. “Do you want to go hang with the girls now, baby?”
Nova shook her head, leaning against me.
“We’ll see you when we’re ready to go,” Willow said, and walked away just as Silas walked back toward us.
He’d joined a few of his brothers to help load snacks and drinks into the truck Dylan and a couple of the other recruits were taking.
“All set?” I asked, and Silas nodded. “Kinsey and Alfie have invited Nova to ride with them.”
Silas smiled down at her. “You good with that?”
“Yes. They said I could pick the movie.”
“No way,” Silas said. “That’s epic.”
She bobbed her head, leaning even more against me. I gave Silas a nod, even though, I know he didn’t miss her action.
He knelt in front of her, stroking the apple of her cheek. “If you decide you want to switch back, baby girl, you just let Dash know, okay? He’ll call me and we’ll pull over.”
Nova straightened, finally letting the death hold on my hand go. “What if we’re on the fweeway.”
“Then, we’ll pull off the first exit and swap.”
“You will?”
“Yeah, baby. We want you to have fun with your friends, but if you feel like you want to switch back to our car, then you just tell Dash.”
Nova threw her arms around Silas’s neck and held on tight. He stood, keeping her wrapped around him, rubbing her back.
We heard the loud shrill of a whistle and turned toward the sound. Doc stood on the coffee table in the middle of the room and waved everyone over. “Right, the plan is ride, drive, whatever all the way through. I know some of us have littles that’ll need a bathroom break, so text Liv if you need to pull off and we’ll lead everyone somewhere safe. Plan is to stop and eat somewhere near Atlanta, then split off from there. Good?”
The group nodded and let out various forms of agreement, then it was time to head out. I took Nova to the bathroom, then Silas and I walked her to Dash and Willow’s SUV.
“Nova!” Alfie squealed, running to her, and pulling her in for a hug. I grinned when Nova hugged her back, the little girl’s excitement returning in droves. “Did you pick a movie?”
Nova clapped. “Cinderella?”
“My favorite!” Kinsey exclaimed, and the three piled into the truck, chattering nonstop like little girls do.
Dash helped them get their boosters secured, then put the movie in the player for them as I leaned in. “If you need to stop, you tell Uncle Dash, okay?”
“Okay, I will.” She was grinning from ear-to-ear, so I backed away slowly, bumping into Silas who wrapped an arm around me.
“Alone at last,” he whispered, and I grinned, following him to my car.
* * *
“I don’t like it,” I admitted, about an hour into our trip.
“What’s not to like?”
“He’s being nice. Way too nice,” I hissed.
“Yeah, I hear that,” he agreed.
We were talking about Officer Mike and his offer to help find the man or men who hurt Darlene, off-shift. I found this out… just now… when my man decided to fill me in on a meeting Officer Mike had had with my brother. Away from both his precinct and my brother’s firehouse, and certainly far the hell away from the club.
As far as Nolan could tell, Mike knew nothing about Silas or his ‘relationship’ to Nova. Apparently, the club had decided not to fill him in. I was not objecting to this. I was objecting to them letting Mike anywhere near the case to begin with.
“It’s not like Shadow’s gonna give him anything.”
“I would hope not,” I ground out.
“It’s good to keep the asshole close, baby, you gotta see that.”
I sighed. “We’ve had a really great two weeks. I just don’t want to jinx it.”
And we had. The meeting at Nova’s school had gone better than expected. Both the principal and her teacher were thrilled to discover she had extra support, and si
nce Silas was already on the approved list of adults to pick up, drop off, and her only (this was news) emergency contact, no one asked any questions about the birth certificate.
And no one asked, because Darlene had delivered a new copy of Nova’s birth certificate to the school records office six months ago (give or take), unbeknownst to Silas. He knew it now, and I’d had to squeeze his hand really hard in an effort not to blurt out that it wasn’t true.
I sucked at secret-keeping, but I’d managed to keep my mouth shut and was rewarded with multiple orgasms later that night for my discretion.
He was also easing me into the house hunt. The fire had been determined to be arson, not my fault (obviously), but the insurance was not going to pay up until the final report was submitted. This was going to take a little time, so Nova and I needed to stay at the barn for a little longer.
Nova was settling in, but I could tell Silas wanted resolution, so he’d drop printouts of homes on my nightstand, in my purse, send me texts with links, whichever manner he thought might move me to action. I was stalling.
And I was stalling because the thought of living with the man of my dreams scared the shit out of me.
Silas linked his fingers with mine. “We keep Mike close, we can control the flow of information.”
I bit my lip and nodded. “I know that in my head, I just worry in my heart.”
“I got you, baby. Both of you.”
“I know that too.”
“Right, so it’s time to stop avoidin’ the house hunt.”
“Every single one you’ve proposed has been way over my budget, Silas.”
“Not mine.”
I frowned. “Then, you pick one and buy it.”
“Not buyin’ one without you, honey, and you know it.”
I glanced out the window. “It’s a big step.”
“You love me?” he asked, squeezing my hand again.
“With everything I have,” I breathed out.
“You gonna marry me?”
“If you ask.”
He chuckled. “Oh, I plan to ask.”
“But you haven’t so far, so…”
He laughed. “That’s not an argument, Cat. Not a valid one, anyway.”
I let out a quiet huff. “Can we discuss it once that happens, then? The house stuff,” I clarified.
“Yeah, baby, sure.”
I nodded and focused back on the scenery whizzing by.
“Do you really not have one you’re leaning toward?” he pressed.
“I thought we were going to wait until—” I turned toward him, and he smiled, a diamond engagement ring between his teeth. I gasped. “What the hell?”
“Take it,” he mumbled so he didn’t drop the ring.
“Silas—”
He released my hand and took it from between his teeth, careful to watch the road as he kept the car straight with his other hand. “Put this on.”
“Honey, I—”
“Catalina Sylvie Grant, I love you with everything in me. Will you marry me?”
I took the ring and studied it. It was everything I’d ever dreamed of and more. “You talked to Melonie.”
“And your brother.”
My eyes flew to his. “No you did not.”
“And Nova.”
“Shut up,” I rasped.
“Full disclosure, I think Nova’s expecting us to ask you.”
“Then why are you doing it now?” I ground out.
“Because we never get any time alone, and since you won’t talk to me about houses unless we’re engaged, I’m asking you now,” he said. “But I’m gonna ask you again, with Nova, and you’re gonna act surprised.”
I bit my lip, sliding the ring on my finger. It was a perfect fit.
“So, that’s a yes?” he challenged.
“Of course, it’s a yes,” I said, holding the ring up. Smaller round diamonds went up the sides of the band, and the princess cut diamond was set in a gorgeous decorative crown with even more diamonds. “This is gorgeous.”
“Melonie told me you were to receive no less than a carat and a half.”
“She did not,” I breathed out.
He grinned. “She absolutely did. That’s two carats.”
“Oh my god, that edict did not come from me,” I said, staring at the beauty on my finger. It must have cost him a mint and that suddenly made me feel guilty. “This is too much.”
“Hush,” he ordered, lifting my hand to his mouth, and kissing it. “I would have gone bigger, but I know that would have made you feel weird.”
“This makes me feel weird.”
“You wanna return it for something else?”
“You’ll have to pry it from my cold dead body,” I retorted, and Silas chuckled.
“Right, so, which house?”
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t know, honey. Seriously. I want her close to her school, but that area’s really hard to get into.”
“We’ll find a way.” He squeezed my hand again, and I smiled at him.
“Okay, honey, let’s find a way.”
He kissed my hand again and we settled into a sweet peace as he turned up the volume on the audio and left me to my thoughts.
We stopped about an hour later for a break, and I was forced to give him my ring back, but knowing we had our secret moment made my heart happier than I could have imagined.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Catalina
“HONEY?” I SAID, squeezing Silas’s hand to get his attention.
We were back on the road after a quick break. Nova was happy to stay with Willow, so Silas and I had another hour or two all to ourselves, but the closer we got to Atlanta, the more he seemed to shut down.
“Yeah,” he said.
“I’ve called your name three times.”
He glanced at me. “Yeah?”
“Yes,” I confirmed. “What’s going on?”
“Not a big fan of Atlanta, baby, but it’s all good.”
I sighed. “You’re deflecting.”
“Fuck,” he breathed out.
“I love you, honey. I know you’re having a hard time talking to me about something really fucking huge, and I’m trying not to let that hurt my feelings.”
“It’s not you, Cat.” He glanced at me again, then focused back on the road.
“I get it,” I said, even though I didn’t.
“Baby, swear to Christ, it’s…”
He trailed off, so I pressed. “It’s what, honey?”
He released my hand and scrubbed his palm over his cheek. “The last name on my birth certificate isn’t Mitchell.”
I frowned. “Okay.”
He took a few beats, then said, almost too quiet to hear. “It’s Lynch.”
Lynch. Lynch. Silas Lynch.
I gasped. “As in, Ronald Lynch?”
He nodded with a grimace.
“You’re Ronald Lynch’s son? The one who went to prison for killing two twelve-year-old kids, one of whom was his son and your brother?”
If I remember correctly, Silas was initially accused of the crime and was in jail for almost a year until DNA cleared him.
His jaw clenched and he nodded.
I bit back tears. “And you went to jail? Alone?”
He nodded again.
“Your father killed your little brother and let you take the fall,” I said.
His jaw ticked, but he didn’t acknowledge my question.
“Oh my god,” I rasped, now unable to stop the tears.
“Jesus,” he hissed, pulling the car to the shoulder of the freeway, and facing me. “Fuck, Cat. I’m sorry, baby, I shouldn’t have told you.” He released my seatbelt and pulled me against him as wracking sobs took over my body.
“You absolutely should have.” I hiccupped through my sobs. “This is something huge, Silas. Something I should have known from the beginning.” I grabbed his arm. “You should have told me ages ago.”
He sat back slightly, his face ashen, as he nodded. “Right. I
’ll uh… we’ll get your brother to meet us at the next exit.”
“What?” I frowned. “Why?”
“So, you can ride with him.”
I frowned. “Why would I ride with him?”
“Babe, not sure I can deal with you dumpin’ my ass, then havin’ to ride the rest of the way together.”
“Oh. My. God!” I bellowed. “I’m not dumping you!”
“You’re not?”
“No. Why the hell would you think I’d dump you?” I demanded.
“Because there are a lot of people who still think I did it.”
“Well, not this people,” I growled. “Jesus. No wonder you didn’t want to tell me. Your father is a garbage human, no offense.”
“None taken, baby. I agree.”
The ring of my phone echoed through the car speakers and I saw it was Posey calling. I ignored the call, sending her a quick text to tell her I’d call her back later. “We need to get off the side of the freeway, honey.”
“I need to make sure we’re okay,” he countered. “We need to settle this.”
“It is settled,” I said. “As far as us being okay, Silas. Jesus, I can’t believe you’d think I’d break up with you. I love you.” I slid my hand to his cheek. He dipped his head to lean into my touch. “Can you drive and fill me in on the rest or do you want me to drive?”
“I’m not the one sobbing, baby,” he pointed out.
“Kiss me, then let’s catch up.”
He nodded, kissing me gently before letting me resecure my seatbelt and pulling back onto the freeway. My phone pealed again, but this time it was my brother, so Silas answered.
“You guys okay?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said.
“You sure? We’ll double back if you need us to.”
“We’re good, brother,” Silas said. “We’re almost to you.”
“Text me when you see my truck,” he said.
“We will, NoNo,” I promised. “Going to hang up now, okay?”
“You sure you’re okay?”
“Yes. Promise,” I said, then hung up, reaching for Silas’s hand. He took it and squeezed. “I’m ready to listen whenever you want to tell me everything.”
“Do you remember anything about the case?”
Revealing the Biker's Destiny (Dogs of Fire: Savannah Chapter Book 9) Page 13