by Ryan Michele
“Baby, I don’t want anyone but you,” I tell her honestly. “You fuckin’ know that shit.”
She gives a small hiccup then motions to her body. “Look at me.”
I do, knowing every square inch of that body. I lift my eyes to hers. “Most beautiful woman in the world, Tanner. Havin’ you round with my baby inside of you, knowin’ this shit ties us together so tight neither of us is backin’ out, fuckin’ love it. Love you. I don’t want other pussy. Only you. Always. You know this.”
She puts her hand on her heart and begins to take deep breaths in and out. “I know,” she whispers.
If she weren’t so damn pregnant and uncomfortable, I’d show her just how much by turning her around and fucking her on the damn table. Soon, after this baby is out, it’s open season for me to show her.
“Come on. Let’s get something to drink.” Or a bottle of bourbon. Whatever comes first at this point.
“This is punishment for when I was younger. I know it,” I grumble at the windshield as my twin boys wrestle in the back seat of the SUV. It’s been four years since these two came out, and even as babies, they were at each other all the time, just like me and my brother.
My mother just laughs at me and tells me it’s payback. She gives no advice, only tells me that it gets worse. Great, something to look forward to.
I hit the brakes hard just before turning into the lot of the clubhouse. Then I turn to my boys. They jolt from the stop, but nothing serious. At least I get their attention.
“Raiden and Axton, if I hear one more word out of you, you will sit at the table while all the other kids play.”
They both look at me with wide eyes. It’s not much of a threat on my end, but it’s enough for them. They want more than anything to play with other kids. That’s what I love about Ravage: lots of kids for them to play with. They love their family, and that makes me happy.
Bella enrolled them in preschool, hoping it would calm them down a bit, but having them in the same class isn’t working. So, next year, we are separating them.
I turn back around and look at Bella. Her dark hair streams down her body, and her violet eyes call to me like the first time I saw her in Angel’s apartment. I lean over and kiss her.
“Gross!” Raiden yells.
“Ick!” Axton chimes in.
I pull away and huff out a breath. The first opportunity I have, I’m backing Bella against the wall and fucking her. Love my woman, and with the two boys around, there isn’t much alone time. We’re learning that closet and bathroom sex are pretty good.
The boys run off, and I enjoy my one minute of peace, the small bit of quiet that only comes when my boys are asleep or at school.
My husband comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me into his hard body. Every day with him is a blessing.
“Tired?” he asks, which makes me want to smack him upside the head.
“Exhausted. They’re just too much sometimes.”
He kisses my temple then steps back and grabs my hand. “I know, baby.”
We walk up to the courtyard, and I notice Ax out the corner of my eye, flicking something on Rylynn, and then she starts to go after him.
I suck in a deep breath. “Need to go lasso the kids.” I stand on my tiptoes and kiss my man.
“They’ll be fine. Let them work it out,” Buzz says, sitting down on a bench and pulling me onto his lap.
I look into my man’s eyes and see the love he has for me. It makes every moment of stress my boys put on me worth it.
“Love you,” I whisper before I kiss him.
“Mearna!” I call out to my woman.
She rounds the back of the kitchen with a towel in her hand. “What are you belly achin’ about?” she retorts.
I fucking love this woman. Almost lost her for good, never again. Till death do we part. Forever. Never thought I’d put a ring on a woman’s finger, but I couldn’t wait to get it on hers.
“Need to see your hot ass.”
A dazzling smile hits her lips. She turns and bends over, and I grab her tight, making her yelp. Always loved her ass.
“Tanner’s here,” one of the kids calls, and Mearna straightens.
I lose my view and exhale loudly. I have to adjust my cock. Even after fucking her this morning, my cock wants her again. He always wants her.
She leans down and kisses me. “Gotta go check on her. Love you.”
I pull her back down and take the kiss that I want from her. When I release her, she’s breathless, just as she should be.
My breaths come in pants as the roughness of his beard leaves its sting behind. Damn, that man can kiss.
I have a lot of regrets in my life, but staying here with him isn’t one of them. Sure, he’s a pain in the ass, and we get into it, but he’s my Dagger. Always has been, always will be.
After getting my wits and seeing a knowing smile on Dagger’s face, I haul ass outside where I see my girl sitting on a picnic table bench with Rhys wrapped around her. Her body shakes, and I know she’s been crying. What the hell?
I’m starting to march over when Ma steps into my path.
“Leave it,” she says, and I still for a minute. Ma and I have mad respect for each other, but she has never interfered like this, and it shocks me.
“What?” I ask.
“Tanner thinks she’s fat and Rhys will go fuck a momma. Let them work this shit out.”
My heart aches for my girl. As much as I want to take my ass over there, I know that I can’t. I can’t interfere with this. She’s a wife, mother, and a sister. Rhys and she will get through this on their own.
“Grams!” Rylynn comes running up to me, her beautiful strawberry-blonde curls bouncing as she moves. She’s a mixture of Rhys and Tanner. She has Tanner’s soft side, but when she’s mad, Rhys’ side blares out. And watch out. It has a lot to do with her dad and how protective he is of her. It’s great, but if he doesn’t watch it, it will bite him in the ass later. You can only keep a kid in a cage for so long before she rebels.
I hug my girl and hold her tight.
“How’s my girl doin’?” I ask, bending down to her eye level.
“Well, I got this thing called musical.ly and I can make videos. I can sing and dress up. It is so cool, Grams. You have to come over so I can show you all of them.”
I smile. “Sure thing.” I will do anything for my grandbaby and soon to be grandbaby.
“Oh, there’s this girl at school who’s being mean, and I told her that if she didn’t stop, I was going to send my dad after her.” She smiles again and jumps. “It was so awesome. She got scared.” Shit, the girl may have cringed, but I winced.
“Rylynn, you can’t be using your daddy or the club like that. He hears about that, and you’ll be in big trouble,” I tell her.
The smile dies from her lips as her eyes get watery. “I didn’t …”
I pull her into my arms and hug her. “I know. Just don’t do that anymore. This is our family, and yes, we stand behind family, but with that comes a lot of responsibility. If a girl is being mean to you, you need to talk to your mom and get it worked out.” I left out her dad because he would go to the girl’s house and scare the shit out of her, just like Rylynn said. They’re still young; they don’t need to see Rhys mad yet.
“Okay,” she says on an inhale and brushes the tears from her eyes. “Can I go play?”
I rise up. “Sure, baby girl. Have fun.”
I look over at my daughter, who is now smiling at her man, and I count my lucky stars she didn’t go down the same path I did. She has a man who loves her and is at her side through everything. What more could a mother ask for?
“Well, she’s going to be one to rein in, huh?” I tell Mearna.
The next generation of Ravage MC is front and center here at the party. As I look around and see the kids playing, I can envision it: Princess in my spot, taking care of everyone and holding down the
fort, and my grandkids taking their positions in the club. I can see each of them—well, maybe not Micah—finding their way to Ravage and the club. Even wrestling around and tussling, they love each other, care about each other, and have each other’s backs. That is Ravage. They will be Ravage.
“I know,” Mearna agrees, shaking her head. “It’ll be interesting; that’s for sure.”
“Yeah,” I say quietly.
This group of people together, this family, is what I wanted when I met Pops. It’s what I wanted when Princess and GT were born. We had it for a long time and then lost it. Now that we’ve had it back for quite some time, Pops has vowed never to let it happen again. I’m right beside him. Always.
“Where’s the birthday boy?” I ask my wife, coming up behind her with a beer in my hand.
“Late.” She turns and smiles at me. “Was supposed to be here in twenty, and that was about forty ago.”
I smirk. “Damn kid. He’s gonna be hell on wheels for a while. Cruz’ll rein him in for the most part, but he’ll make mistakes and fuck up big time. We just need to go with the ride.”
“You know what the best part is?” she says.
“You bein’ by my side as we watch it happen. You lyin’ next to me every night and lovin’ me like no other human bein’ can.”
A tear forms in her eye, and I kiss her temple.
“And here I was, gonna say that the grandkids get to go home.”
I chuckle. “That, too.”
“Ride free, babe.”
“Yeah, free.”
Best decision I have ever made, I think as I look at Breaker, who is pulling our two-year-old little boy, Booker, from his car seat.
I almost didn’t come back. I almost stayed with my father. I almost missed all of this: the laughter, the happiness. Nothing, and I mean nothing, is better than Breaker, me, and Booker. Nothing.
Yes, times were tough in the beginning, but everything we went through has been worth it. We are stronger.
Not even having a successful career as an author comes close to my boys. After self-publishing the book my publishing house turned down, my career took off. The raw and unstoppable emotions caught readers’ attention. The book skyrocketed, and I’m thankful I write under a pen name because nothing, not even the career I’ve always wanted, will get in the way of the life I have now.
The fact that Breaker has given me both, supported me to the point of no end, means the world to me. I still write, but with little Booker, it’s hard because I want to spend as much time with him as humanly possible. We work it out, though, and I love that I help provide for my family.
“You ready, babe?” Breaker asks. The scars on his face are still there, reminding me every day of what we almost lost. I cherish those scars. I love them.
“As ever,” I tell him, and he takes my hand.
Breaker gave me everything I’ve ever wanted. Most importantly, he gave me love and a family. That’s all I ever wanted, and it’s all because of him.
I kiss the top of Booker’s little head then grab Shaina’s hand.
She pulled me from a dark place in my life, one I never thought I could get out of. She did it, though, and she allowed me to have a life. Have a real, tried and true, family. Not only my brothers at the club, but her and my boy.
She also helped all the thoughts of my past stay there. We were both messed up and stayed that way for quite some time, but we pulled each other to the light, and I couldn’t be happier.
I kiss her lips, and we walk into the party as the roar of an engine pulls into the drive.
“I want a brunette,” Ty says from the backseat of my 1984 Camaro IrocZ. My dad and I rebuilt the engine while he taught me everything he knows. Damn good thing, considering I start Banner Automotive for actual pay next week. I’m sure it’ll be shit work just like I’ve been doing the past few years, but it is what it is.
I like it. Not only do I get to hang out with the guys, but they teach me all kinds of shit my friends have no understanding of. Not just engines, but about life. Shit they don’t teach you in school, I learn from the brothers.
I look in the rearview mirror, happy as hell I finally got my license. Freedom, here I come.
My buddy sits with his blond hair a shaggy mess and a devilish grin on his face. Too bad I’m going to burst his bubble.
“Not gonna be any mommas there. Told you that before. You know my mom.” Hell, all of my friends know my folks, especially my mother. No one could avoid knowing who “Princess” is in this town. That’s good and mostly bad.
Too many eyes on me all the time. I don’t like that. At all. It makes getting away with shit a lot of work.
“Fuck, your mother is a killjoy,” Ty says, tossing his head back on the seat.
“Don’t let her hear you say that,” my buddy Jackson responds from the passenger seat.
“Don’t you tell her.” Ty sits up quickly, and it’s pretty funny.
Ever since I can remember, everyone has been afraid of my mom. I take that back. Ma, Angel, and the guys in the club are the exception. Everyone else steers clear of her.
“She’ll just throw ya in the ring,” I say to his surprise.
Yes, I’ve gotten into my fair share of fights at school. And yes, it has gotten around that my mother taught me how to fight. It’s also gotten around that I’m undefeated, so people have tended to back off with the teasing. I don’t put up with shit, and they’re learning, even some of the seniors.
“Fuck,” Ty groans as I pull up to the compound, my home away from home. It’s the place I grew up, saw things no kid should, and also where I have a family that goes beyond my parents, brother, and sister.
I laugh as I throw the car in park and turn it off. Opening the door, I say, “Better watch yourself.”
I get out and take in all the people in the courtyard as he groans. Old, young, and in between, they’re all here to celebrate my birthday. I told my dad it wasn’t necessary, but this is what having a big family like Ravage is about. So I went along with it, but I’m late. Like, about an hour late, and when my mom’s gaze hits mine, the boy inside me cringes, while the man on the outside shows nothing. I’ve learned from the best: my father.
No matter what you feel on the inside, it doesn’t show unless you want it to. It’s all about control, learning how to tame it and tap it down when needed. Not saying I don’t have my moments, because I do, more than I’d like, but I’m getting better with each passing day.
“Fuck, she looks pissed,” Ty says as he walks up beside me.
I say nothing. What is there to say? She is, and nothing I say is going to change it.
We get closer, and I see my mother ball her hands into fists, not that she’ll throw a shot at me or anything. It’s one of her tells that lets me know the level of angry she is. Right now, it’s pretty high up there.
“Hey, Mom.” I smile, knowing she’s going to let me have it.
Her eyes narrow as I keep my lips tipped. “You’re an hour late, Cooper. Where the fuck have you been?”
I put my hands in my pockets and click my tongue. “Told you I needed to pick up the guys. Took a little longer than I thought.” And the chick I met at the gas station was a bit of a distraction, I think but don’t say.
“Yeah, what’s her name?” she asks, and Jackson starts choking on air I guess, considering he’s not eating or drinking.
I ignore him and shrug. I think it was Piper or Paris or Penelope or something like that. Who knows? Who cares? I won’t see her again.
“Can I go say hi to everyone?” I ask, ignoring her question.
She shakes her head, stepping up to me, and wraps her hand around my neck. I have a good three inches on her now, but I follow as she puts her forehead to mine.
“Happy birthday, baby boy,” she says softly.
I wrap my mother in my arms and lift her off the ground, hugging her tight.
“Put me down, Coop!” she calls out
, but she doesn’t mean it.
I love her with everything inside of me, and I would do anything in the world for her.
I put her down and smack a kiss on her cheek. “Thanks, Mom.”
She slaps me on the shoulder playfully. “Go,” she orders.
Ty and Jackson take off while I go into the fold that is my birthday.
What’s the term for beyond stuffed out of my mind? My grandma cooked up a feast, and everyone devours it in seconds. We have cake and the whole nine yards. My mother even makes them all sing “Happy Birthday” to me, and I hear the chuckles from the brothers, which I do not like.
“Boy,” my dad calls out from the clubhouse door, and I turn to it instinctively. He lifts his chin, using the universal sign for me to come.
“I’ll be back,” I tell Ty and Jackson.
“Fuck, are you in trouble again?” Jackson asks.
“Hell if I know.”
I move to the clubhouse doors.
“Come with me.” The seriousness of Dad’s tone has my guard up.
I do as I’m told and follow him through the clubhouse, straight to the church doors. My gut hardens as my dad puts his hand on the door, and I wonder what’s up. We aren’t allowed in church … ever.
“You step in there, son. You listen to Pops,” my father tells me, and I lift my chin as he pushes the door open.
The brothers of the Ravage MC sit around the table, all eyes coming to me, every expression blank. Fuck, what did I do wrong?
I think back to everything that I’ve done over the last couple of weeks, and nothing stands out to me that would have the brothers looking at me like this unless it’s because I was late.
In the air of the room, there’s a type of tension I’ve never felt from the brothers, and as much as it makes me nervous, I hold that back, not allowing it to show a bit.