by Harley Wylde
“I also grounded him because girls weren’t allowed in his room with the door closed, much less when no one else was awake. Although we certainly didn’t stay asleep for long with all that racket going on.”
“Makes your daughter downright angelic,” I said.
“Now that I don’t need to hear,” Lance said.
Delilah rolled her eyes, but I saw the slight smile on her lips. “I think he’s just trying to say that he was my first and only, Daddy. I didn’t sneak boys in at home because I’d never been with anyone until Titan.”
“So you took her innocence and you knocked her up.” Lance shook his head. “Guess you don’t do anything halfway.”
And there was my opening. This wasn’t the romantic setting I’d wanted for Delilah, but it would have to do.
“About that. Wizard is a hacker, and he’s helped with some legal issues here and there. Thing is, he decided to dip into the county and state records. As of today, we’re married,” I said, as I pulled the ring from my pocket. “I know it’s not the wedding you probably dreamed of, but it will look completely legal to anyone who goes digging for a marriage certificate.”
I took the ring from the box and slid it onto her finger. It was a little loose, but I knew she could get it sized later. Delilah looked up at me with tears in her eyes.
“I fucked this up, didn’t I?” I asked.
She shook her head. “It’s perfect. I love the ring, and I don’t need a church wedding or anything. I didn’t think I even needed to be married to you at all, until you said I was now your wife.”
“On that note, maybe we should leave and give you two some space,” Gwen said, standing from the table.
“Stay,” I said. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to invite my daughter and her family over.”
Gwen’s mouth opened and shut a few times. She shared a look with Lance, and I realized they either didn’t know about Phoebe or hadn’t understood she was old enough to have kids of her own.
“You’ll like her, Mom,” Delilah said.
“You knew he had a daughter old enough to have her own family?” Gwen asked.
Delilah nodded. “Yes. I’ve met them. His grandkids are really cute.”
“Your grandkids now,” Lance muttered. “Jesus.”
“I’ll place an order with the Italian place in town, if you’re up for lasagna?” I asked Delilah, not sure what she could or couldn’t handle right now. “Kraken can pick it up or ask a Prospect to go get it. That way you don’t have to worry about making dinner.”
“Sounds good,” Delilah said. “Maybe banana pudding for dessert? Do they have any?”
“If not, I’ll find some.” I leaned down to kiss her softly. “Anything else you want?”
She shook her head.
“I’ll call Kraken and make sure they don’t have plans. Either way, we can still have Italian and banana pudding.” If my pregnant wife wanted a certain meal, I’d make damn sure she got it, even if it meant driving two towns away to find it. Granted, as the President, I didn’t have to go get the items myself. Didn’t mean I wouldn’t.
I stepped out of the room to call Kraken before placing the order. If they were coming over, I’d order extra. If it would just be me, Delilah, and her parents, then I wouldn’t need quite so much food. Although leftovers were never a bad thing.
The phone rang a few times before he picked up, sounding out of breath.
“Do I even want to know what you’re doing?” I asked.
“Chasing Ember,” he said. “She likes to play tag, except I’m always it.”
I chuckled, knowing exactly what he meant. She’d giggle and squeal whenever someone chased after her, then when you caught her, she’d take off and want you to do it again. I loved that little girl more than I ever thought possible.
“Want to take a break and bring the family over? Delilah’s parents are here. Thought y’all should meet, seeing as I’m married to her now.”
It was quiet a moment. “Married?”
“Yep. Wizard handled it. Maybe not the most romantic way to do things, but Delilah didn’t seem to care. Think her parents are a little surprised. Lance looked a bit relieved, though. Although, he appeared to like the idea of his little girl being married and not just shacking up.”
“Can you blame him?”
No, I couldn’t. Although, with the way Kraken treated Phoebe, and knowing he’d made her his old lady, I wouldn’t have cared either way. I knew she was in good hands, but I also understood this lifestyle. For me, her being his old lady was enough. Lance and Gwen, from what I could tell and what Wizard had found, hadn’t been exposed to club life. They’d done a few towing jobs for the Dixie Reapers, but never hung out with them.
“Y’all coming or not?” I asked.
“We’ll be there. Just give your daughter time to pull herself together. If she’s meeting new people, you know she’ll want to look her best. Seeing as how Banner threw up on her, I’m thinking that means she’ll want a shower.”
“I’m going to place the order and have a Prospect pick it up. Get here whenever you can. Can’t promise we’ll wait to eat if you aren’t here before the food, but we’ll have plenty.”
“Let me round them up. See you in a bit.”
The line went dead. I pulled up the contact for the Italian place but paused as I heard a throat clear. I glanced over my shoulder at Lance.
“It seems our oldest has decided to come check out the place where his sister is living. We didn’t know he was coming, but he’s at the gate and said they won’t let him in.” Lance stared me down. “You going to let him in?”
“Depends. Is he going to be civil to Delilah and mind his manners?”
Lance’s lips twitched as if he fought not to smile. “Probably not. You know how siblings are. Fight like cats and dogs, but when it comes down to it, he’d protect her against someone else. Might give you shit since you’re older than her.”
I gave a nod, appreciating his honesty, then sent a text to Shay. Guy at the gate is Delilah’s brother. Let him in and escort him to my house.
I saw the little dots as he typed his response. On it.
“It’s done. He’ll be brought here in a few minutes. Guess I better expand the dinner order a little.”
Lance pulled out his wallet and I waved him off. “No need. I’ve got it.”
“All right. Well, if you change your mind, let me know. And you might want to triple the banana pudding order. Or quadruple it. Griffin can put away just as much if not more than Delilah. It’s their favorite.”
Good to know. I dialed the restaurant and placed the order, thankful they did in fact have the dessert my woman wanted. After I paid over the phone, I asked Owen to go pick it up and bring it by the house. There was a knock at the door, and I went to answer, figuring it was Shay and Delilah’s brother.
The Prospect stood on the front step with a tall boy behind him. I knew the kid was older than Delilah, but he still had a baby smooth face and an innocence in his eyes. I motioned him in. Shay stepped inside first and lingered by the door, probably ready to make a break for it at any second. It wasn’t the norm for me to have so many people stopping by my place if they weren’t part of the club.
“Need anything else, Pres?” Shay asked.
“I think we’re good. Thanks for bringing him, Shay.”
He nodded and took off, almost running to his bike. I shut the door and focused on the kid. Griffin. He eyed me from the tips of my boots to the top of my head, not looking the least bit impressed. As his gaze skimmed the patches on my cut, there was a flicker in his eyes. Fear.
Wasn’t anything I hadn’t experienced before. Men saw a biker and automatically thought the worst. No, I didn’t always walk on the right side of the law, but I didn’t hurt the innocent either. When he was finished sizing me up, I waited for whatever would come out of his mouth.
“Did you take advantage of my sister?” he asked.
“She’s my wife. That answer yo
ur question?”
“Not really. You’re kinda old for her, don’t you think?”
I took a step closer, then another. He backed up and I didn’t stop until he’d hit the wall and had nowhere else to go. I used my height to my advantage, topping him by several inches.
“Look here, boy. That woman means everything to me. She’s mine, and she’s carrying my kid. If you came to cause trouble or stress her out, you can turn your ass around and leave right the fuck now.”
Griffin audibly swallowed and gave a jerky nod. “Got it.”
“She’s in the kitchen with your parents.”
I backed up and he almost sagged in relief. With one last glance at me, he hurried away and found his family sitting around the kitchen table. Lance looked from Griffin to me, then back again.
“You didn’t try to measure dicks, did you?” Lance asked. “I’m betting his is bigger.”
“Daddy!” Delilah shrieked.
Lance smirked and Gwen looked slightly amused. Griffin took a seat next to his mom and kept his mouth shut. Looked like I’d made an impression. Good. Last thing I wanted was him upsetting my woman.
“Dinner will be here before long, and Kraken is bringing Phoebe and the kids over. We’ll have a full house.” I stood behind Delilah and placed my hand on her shoulder, leaning down so only she could hear me. Or that had been my intention. “You get tired, it’s okay to go lie down. No one expects you to entertain them.”
The wink Gwen gave me was enough to know she’d heard me and approved.
“I’m fine, Titan,” Delilah said, placing her hand over mine. “But I promise if it gets to be too much, I’ll go to bed.”
“Does everyone call you that?” Griffin asked. “Your wife doesn’t even get to use a normal name for you? Or did your mom actually give you that name?”
“Griffin.” Lance glared at his son. “You’re in Titan’s house, inside his compound. You know better than to disrespect someone when you’re on their turf. Not to mention, he’s family now. Watch your fucking mouth.”
“I earned the name Titan, so yes, everyone uses it. To answer your other question, Delilah uses my given name when it’s just the two of us. Calling me Titan when others are around is a sign of respect. And no, I’m not telling you my real name. You haven’t earned the right to know it.” I arched my eyebrows, daring him to say anything.
“Why are more people coming over?” he asked, directing his question to his dad.
“Because Titan has a daughter. Her family is coming over to meet us,” Lance said.
I could tell Griffin wanted to say something about me having a fully grown daughter, but he refrained. Good thing too. I was about done with his shit. Even though I didn’t know his exact age, he was damn sure old enough to know better than to mouth off to his sister’s husband. Seeing my cut had gotten a reaction out of him. One I wanted to explore a little more, but not with an audience.
Hoped like hell he didn’t say anything to piss off Phoebe, or worse, Kraken. There’d be no saving him then.
I might be protective of my daughter, but Kraken would destroy anyone who hurt Phoebe, even if it wasn’t physical pain.
Chapter Ten
Delilah
I loved my brother. I really did. I wondered if I said that enough times in my head that I’d remember it and not want to throttle him. He’d been rude, not just to Titan, but to everyone. I didn’t know how my big, scary biker hadn’t stomped him into the ground yet. My dad had tried to reel him in, but once Griffin got going, there was no stopping him. Not nicely at any rate.
“Back the fuck off!” I yelled at him.
Griffin snapped his mouth shut and glared at me. “I’m trying to protect you! It’s obvious letting you move away was a mistake. You don’t make good decisions, Delilah. Look at you. You hooked up with the first biker who came along? What the hell else have you been doing?”
My back straightened and I walked closer to Griffin. Bringing my arm back, I let my hand fly and cracked him across the cheek with my palm. “How dare you! After everything you’ve done in the past, you dare to judge me?”
“Never thought my sister would be a whore,” Griffin said.
The silence in the room was deafening. I felt the blood drain from my face as I stumbled out of the kitchen. We’d gathered in there to fix our plates, but I couldn’t be near him right now. My hands were shaking, and it felt like I would fall apart at any moment. The room behind me exploded with angry shouts and tears pricked my eyes.
Did he really think that of me? He hadn’t even known I was a webcam girl. If he did, it would only confirm his belief that I’d been whoring myself out. I heard a crash that sounded like a chair splintering, and Ember started to cry. Phoebe rushed out of the room with both kids, her eyes wide.
“I’m so sorry,” I said.
“What the hell was that about?” Phoebe asked.
“I don’t know.” I sighed and rubbed at the headache building between my eyes. “My brothers have always been overprotective, which is why I moved away. I couldn’t have a boyfriend because they always ran them off. But he’s never acted like that, and he’s certainly never called me a whore.”
“I think I need to take the kids home. I don’t want to risk them getting hurt now that the punches have started flying.”
I winced. They were beating each other now? I moved past Phoebe and went into the kitchen. My dad was holding Griffin back as my brother struggled to get to Titan. My husband’s lip was split and bleeding and his knuckles were bruised. I went to him, placing my hand on his arm, but he shook me off.
“Not now, Delilah.” His voice was so… cold. I glanced at my dad and saw disappointment in his eyes. Even Kraken didn’t seem all that happy with me. I hadn’t done anything!
“Kraken, Phoebe wants to take the kids home.”
“Can you blame her?” he asked, stomping past me.
My vision blurred as more tears gathered in my eyes. My mother wouldn’t even look at me, and I wondered what had been said after I’d left the room. Griffin was the one being unreasonable!
“Why is everyone mad at me?” I asked.
“Delilah! I said not now,” Titan said.
I sucked in a breath, looked at each of them, then walked out. Except I didn’t stop in the living room. I needed air. Space. I felt like I was suffocating and the world was closing in on me. I made it to the front steps and sucked in cool air, hoping it would settle my nerves. Another crash sounded inside, and I heard someone shout my name.
I needed… needed… I glanced around and saw Griffin’s truck. I knew he’d have left the keys under the visor since the vehicle was inside a locked compound, so I ran to it and jumped inside, not caring I was barefoot and didn’t have my purse. I just had to get away even if for a few minutes so I could think and calm down.
I snatched the keys from their hiding place and started up the truck. As I pulled away from the house, not a single person ran out to stop me. I hoped they just hadn’t realized I’d left. The thought of all of them letting me leave without even trying to stop me made my heart hurt.
I approached the gates of the compound and was thankful that it was dark outside, and for Griffin’s tinted windows. The Prospect couldn’t see me or he may have tried to stop me. I pulled through and turned right out of the compound, heading for the highway. Even though I didn’t have a destination in mind, I’d always liked driving on the open road far more than riding around town.
As the truck ate up the miles, the town grew smaller in the rearview mirror until I couldn’t see the lights at all. What I did see was one lone headlight, which meant I had a motorcycle behind me. I didn’t remember anyone pulling out behind me at the compound. Of course, there were plenty of men who had motorcycles. Just because one was behind me didn’t mean they were part of Hades Abyss.
My bladder started to scream at me, and I pulled off at the next exit. I stopped at a gas station and looked around the cab of Griffin’s truck, hoping he had a pai
r of flip-flops or something in here I could use. Not only would they not let me into the store without shoes, I really, really didn’t want to walk across the parking lot, much less into the bathroom, without something covering my feet.
A tap on the window made me scream and jolt in my seat. I looked over and saw a man in a leather cut standing next to the truck. I rolled the window partway down and saw his patches said Devil’s Boneyard MC and his name was Samurai. I could understand where his name had come from. He didn’t look a lot older than me, but it was clear he was at least half-Japanese.
“Titan is going to be pissed when he finds out you ran,” Samurai said. “Where are you going?”
“You know Titan?”
He nodded. “I was sent from my club to help keep an eye on things until the danger is over. And here you are, out running around with no guard, just begging to get snatched. What were you thinking?”
“I just needed to get away, even for a little bit to clear my head. Everyone is screaming and fighting. My brother is calling me names. My parents are disappointed in me.”
“Why are you stopping here?” he asked.
“I have to pee.” My cheeks flushed. “But I don’t have shoes. This is my brother’s truck but he doesn’t have anything I can wear inside and use the bathroom. Wait. How did you even know I was in this truck? The windows are so dark there’s no way you saw me.”
“Watched you get in. I’d been patrolling the back half of the compound and needed a beer. On my way to the clubhouse, saw you jump in and take off. Decided I’d better follow.” He glanced at the store. “Wait here. I’ll see if there’s anything inside.”
Before I could protest, he took off into the store. When he came back out a few minutes later, he had the ugliest pair of unicorn house shoes I’d ever seen. They had stuffed heads on top with rainbow manes sticking out in different directions. And they were neon pink. I eyed them, wondering if this was a joke.
“Sorry, darlin’. All they have are novelty items inside. These were the least offensive, if that tells you anything.”
He handed them over and I slipped them onto my feet. I rolled up the window and shut off the truck, taking the keys with me as I stepped out onto the concrete. Samurai took my arm and led me inside. As I ducked into the bathroom, he waited outside the door, standing sentry to keep me safe. He seemed sweet and I wondered if he had a woman at home waiting for him. Guys like him didn’t seem to exist anymore. Or so I’d thought.