by LeAnn Ashers
“I wish I could wear makeup.” She sighs wistfully.
I look at her in the mirror. “You will someday, Tiffany; enjoy being young and carefree. I wish I were young again sometimes.”
She eyes an eye shadow palette. “You do?”
“I do.”
She looks up from my makeup. “Do you love my daddy?”
I set my brush down and turn to her. “I do, honey—a lot.”
She grins. “Good, because I like you, Amelia.”
Not able to help myself, I lean over and hug her tightly. “I really like you too, Tiffany.”
She hugs me back and I let her go. “Maybe we can sneak you wearing some lip gloss?” I hold a clear lip gloss. Her eyes widen with glee she swipes it on her lips.
We spend the next forty minutes joking around and having fun. Tiffany is like a little woman in a small body. It shocks me that an eight-year-old would know some of the stuff she says. She is an old soul—that’s for sure.
I fall more in love with her every second that I am with her. I find myself amazed at the small things she does.
Tiffany and I walk into the living room hand-in-hand. Lane whistles at us. “You girls look amazing.”
Tiffany flutters her dress out. “Thanks, Daddy, we know.” I burst out laughing at her confidence.
“Come on, ladies.” Lane motions for us to move to the front door. Tiffany walks in front of me, and I take that second to look Lane up and down. He is looking mighty fine in his jeans, black shirt, and leather vest.
Lane catches me ogling him and smacks me on the ass. “Behave,” he growls low enough only I can hear.
“Like that will ever happen,” I whisper back. I couldn’t take the smirk off my face if I tried. I live to torture Lane, because I can get a reaction out of him.
“Let’s get my girls fed.” He holds the door open for me and I walk to the truck.
We have an amazing time eating together, but I’ve decided to go home tonight, leaving Tiffany and Lane to spend tomorrow together. I don’t want to leave, of course, but I feel like they should spend some time alone.
“You will be back—won’t you, Amelia?” Tiffany asks, tugging on my shirt to get my attention.
“Of course. I will see you Thursday at your ball game!”
She grins happily and wraps her arms around me. “I will see you then!” She lets go and runs upstairs to her bedroom.
Lane’s thumb and forefinger touch my chin, tilting my head up so I am looking at him. “Be safe on the way home, Amelia. I love you, Doll.”
I close my eyes at the sound of him saying, “I love you.” I will never get tired of that. Lane kisses my forehead.
My hands go his chest. “I love you too, Lane.” I raise my head and he meets me, kissing me softly on the lips.
“I will see you tomorrow night.” He winks and I pinch him on the ass.
“Behave, Doll.” He kisses me one last time.
I wave as I walk out to my car and away from my heart.
12
Amelia
The Next Night
Fuck my life! I pound my hands on the steering wheel. My car battery has bit the dust, and now I am stranded on the side of the road. Lane is on his way to my house since it’s nine o’clock at night. I worked all day catching up on paperback even though it’s Sunday.
Picking up my phone I dial Lane, my forehead resting against the wheel. Fuck my life, why does this keep happening to me?
Lane answers the phone. “Babe, I am pulling into town.”
“Yeah, but I won’t be there.”
“What?”
“I am broken down on the side of the road five minutes from my house.”
He laughs. “I will be there soon, Doll.” He hangs up and I toss my phone on the seat.
Something loud hits my glass and I jump; a guy is standing outside my window. Oh joy.
I open my door a crack. “Yes?”
“You got any money?”
Fuck me sideways.
“I don’t have any cash on me, sorry!” I slam my door shut because I don’t trust anyone.
“You want me to take a look at your car?” he asks, his voice muffled through the window.
I shake my head. “Someone will be here any minute.”
“You sure?” He reaches for my door handle. My hand shoots out to hit the button to lock my doors, but he pulls the door open before I can hit it.
“Dude, what the fuck are you doing?” I screech, not in the mood.
“You’re pretty.” He smiles and looks me up and down. This guy is asking to get his ass beat.
“Thank you, but get the fuck away from my car.”
I am not in the mood for some fucking douche bag messing with me, and I want to smack him in the face a little bit. What kind of person opens someone’s door like that?
“Aww sweetheart, don’t be like that! We can have fun together.” He sneers at me.
I tighten my hand on the steering wheel, my jaw tight. Anger floods my system. “I have a boyfriend who will be here any second.”
He laughs loudly and leans against my open door. “Yeah, that’s what they all say.” I hear a motorcycle and I grin. The guy’s car is behind me, and Lane is pulling up fast. I slide out of my car and walk past the guy to meet Lane.
Lane hops off his bike and I hurry over to him, not wanting to deal with this person anymore.
“Everything okay, Doll?” He doesn’t take his eyes off the man behind me.
The guy is still checking me out. “Fuck me, the ass on that!” he mumbles, and I have to choke down vomit that’s threatening to come up.
“Yeah? You want her?” Lane chuckles darkly.
Oh shit.
The guy nods and eyes me again, and my skin crawls. I don’t even want any other man looking at me besides Lane.
“Yeah, man.” His eyes move to my tits.
Lane stalks over to the man and puts his hand at the back of his neck. Lane winks at me. “Well, that’s my woman you are talking about.”
The guy pales as he takes in Lane’s vest.
“Apologize to her.”
He shakes his head. “Man, she is just a piece of ass, is she worth it?”
What the fuck did he just say?
Lane slams his face down hard on the roof of my car. He cries out, and Lane pushes his face harder. “Come again?”
“I am sorry!”
Lane lifts his head only to slam it back down again. “Leave before I kill your ass. I am feeling generous today.”
Lane lets him go and he runs to his car.
“I just want to go home, cuddle in bed with you, and watch TV.” I groan and plant my face in Lane’s chest.
“Bad day, Doll?”
I nod my head against his chest and he chuckles. “What do you need?”
“Your dick.”
He bursts out laughing, and I laugh along with him because, in all honesty, I can’t believe I said that.
“Let’s go to the store to get you a new battery, and I will fuck you all night.”
I laugh loudly and let him go. I reach inside my car, take out my keys, and lock the doors. Lane opens the door of his truck so he can help me inside, since it’s high off the ground and I have short legs.
We ride to the auto store down the road. “Babe, want to stay in the vehicle?” I nod, my eyes half shut. I didn’t sleep much last night; I was having nightmares about my kidnapping. I don’t have them when Lane is around, because I feel so safe with him.
“No, I’m coming. Just tired.”
He opens my door and helps me down, and we walk hand-in-hand into the building. He looks at every single person in the room, wary of their every move. Lane is always ready for the worst and expects the worst. There are a lot of fucked-up people in this world, and we’ve both had firsthand experience with it.
“Lane, how are you man?”
A member of the Devil Souls MC is walking toward us. The Devil Souls MC runs this town, and they keep a lot of shit o
ff the streets. They are close allies of the Grim Sinners. Lane’s sister, Shaylin, is with a member of the Devil Souls.
Speaking of Shaylin, I will be seeing her again this Thursday at Tiffany’s game. I am excited to see Tiffany play softball.
“How are you, Ryan?” Lane says and lazily lays his arm across my shoulders.
“Good, heading home to Myra. She could go into labor anytime.” The man grins as he talks about his wife. I love it when a man is truly in love with his wife.
It really saddens me when people just settle and try to be content with the life they have. I want people to want more from life, not just settle for mediocre.
I wanted and waited for someone to come into my life and make me feel things I never had before. Then I met Lane. He came into my life when I least expected it, and I will never regret a moment of it.
I love Lane with my whole heart, and I can’t tear my eyes off of him.
“See you guys later!” Techy says and I snap out of the Lane fog that I was sucked into.
Lane leads me farther into the store. I can’t tell you the first thing about a car; I just let someone handle everything for me and I pay them. I can’t even tell you how to change a tire. My dad doesn’t even know how to do that, so I never had anyone to teach me.
I feel someone looking at us, and I notice a woman staring at Lane. Possessiveness roars in my veins. I move closer to Lane and put my hand on his back. The woman huffs at me but doesn’t avert her gaze. I slide my hand on down to his ass and give it a squeeze. She rolls her eyes and moves on. Checkmate, bitch.
“What are you doing?” Lane asks, his eyebrow arched.
“Showing her that you’re mine.”
Lane
Later That Night
She fell asleep on my chest, wearing my shirt and a pair of panties. This woman has fucking taken over my life. She has become someone so fucking important that I know I can’t live without her.
Tiffany loves her and that just sealed the deal. She is mine, forever. Within the next month, she will be wearing my cut and will have a ring on her finger.
A piece of hair slides into her face, and I move it back behind her ear. Her eyes flutter open, and she smiles when she looks at me.
I don’t fucking deserve this woman, but I am selfish and nobody can take care of her like I can. She is mine and nobody can take that away.
When she was kidnapped my world stopped spinning, and I fucking knew I loved her. I had never loved a woman until I met her.
Amelia carries herself as a woman that is so fucking sexy. She is confident and so fucking independent it kills me sometimes. I want to do shit for her, but she is so used to doing it on her own.
“What time do you need to go back to Tiffany?” she asks sleepily and runs her fingers down my abs.
“I will leave here at five.”
“Get some sleep okay, Baby?” She turns off the TV and I sink into her bed. The room is completely dark, and there’s no noise besides her fan, which she uses for white noise.
Amelia sets the remote on the bedside table, and her phone lights up when she plugs it in. She scoots toward me, laying her head on my chest and cuddling into my side.
“I love you, Lane,” she whispers and kisses my chest.
My heart burns. “I love you too, Doll.” I kiss the top of her head and she sighs, throwing her leg over mine. I pull the blanket up to her shoulder; she freezes when she sleeps.
“You’re so good to me, Lane.”
“Why wouldn’t I fucking be? You’re my woman and I will never treat you any different—if not better than I do already.”
“Goodnight,” she whispers but I can tell my words affected her. Good, I want her to know that I will always take care of her. She has dated some fucking assholes before, and I want her to see what a real fucking man is.
Tiffany will see how I treat Amelia, and I want to be the man who I would want Tiffany to be with when she is older. Much as I want her to be my baby forever, she will grow up one day, and fuckers will be beating down my door.
I want Tiffany to have a man who will worship the ground she walks on, and I want to be a good fucking example. I am not a good man, but I will be a good man to my woman and kid.
13
Amelia
Tiffany’s Game
I pull up outside the softball field. I can’t wait to see Tiffany play! I climb out of my car and see a shit ton of bikes lining the back of the bleachers. It seems the whole club has showed up.
I turn the corner and look out into the field, and Tiffany waves at me. She is so stinking cute in her softball uniform.
“Doll!” Lane yells. He is standing in the bleachers; almost a whole section is dedicated to the Grim Sinners. Lane walks down the steps.
“I could have walked up there myself.”
“Babe, I am a gentleman—what can I say?”
I roll my eyes. “Is that what it is called when you’re fucking me into that wall?”
He laughs and pulls me up the steps. “I am the best kind of gentleman.” He winks, which causes me to shake my head, grinning.
I love his kind of gentleman; he is perfect. He is amazing in bed, but he is a sweetheart. He pretends that he isn’t but he is. Lane is the best father, and he is a complete softy to me and Tiffany, but he is an asshole to everyone else.
Eyes are all over us as we walk up the bleachers, and people cower away from us as we walk past them. Pussies. I eye the men wearing knit sweaters and the women beside them, who look like they’ve got sticks so far up their asses they can’t even move. One of them gives me a stink eye and turns away. She needs to get a good fuck and she may get the stick out of her ass. Bitch.
“Behave,” Lane growls.
I give him the stink eye. “I can’t help it that stuck-up bitches get on my nerves.”
He chuckles at my sass, and I step in front of him to take my seat next to Brittany—who is sitting near Derek, who has the biggest crush on her. I see him staring down her shirt.
I snort, raising my eyebrows at him, and he looks away from her.
Brittany leans toward me. “He was staring at my tits, wasn’t he?”
“Mm-hm,” I mumble and she laughs under her breath.
Brittany is drop-dead gorgeous and reminds me a lot of Ashley Graham. I can’t wait to see how she and Derek play out. He is dark to her light. She has this glow about her that lights up a room, and Derek is quiet, dark, and mean as hell.
Everyone starts clapping and the game starts. Tiffany runs to the outfield, and I stand up yelling, “Go cougars!”
Lane laughs and people glare at me for being so loud, but do I care? No. Tiffany waves and I blow her a kiss. I sit back down on the edge of my seat, feeling anxious, as the game starts unfolding around me. A little girl hits the ball and it shoots to the outfield. Tiffany runs and jumps, catching it.
“THAT’S MY GIRL!” I scream, jumping and down, and I shake Lane’s shoulder. “Did you see that?” I hear booming laughter, and I look around to see everyone laughing at me.
I sit back down; I need to get it together. Lane wraps his arm around me and kisses the side of my head. “I love you.”
I tilt my head back and kiss the underside of his jaw.
A few minutes later it’s time for Tiffany to bat, and I lean forward watching her anxiously. She misses the first ball. She drags her foot against the ground and resituates herself. They throw the ball again and she hits it. It sails way out into the field and she runs to first base, then to second.
I watch in complete disbelief as a little girl trips her as she heads to third base. Tiffany falls straight to the ground, her hands catching her before she face plants.
I gasp and stand up, and the others do the same thing. Tiffany pushes herself off the ground, her head swinging around to look at the girl who tripped her.
“Oh fuck!” Someone says behind me and I nod. Tiffany is grinning ear to ear at the girl who tripped her.
“Well, Tiffany caught the b
ug,” Smiley says and lets out a booming laugh.
“Tiffany!” Lane yells and she looks up. Lane is shaking his head. She relaxes but continues giving the little girl a death look.
I smother my laughter at Lane’s expression. He is amused, but he’s also got the look of a father who is in for it. Apparently, it’s a contagious thing. Smiley and Shaylin beat people’s asses, but do it smiling the whole time.
“I am going to go to the bathroom.”
The bathroom is behind the bleachers, and I hurry so I can go back to watching Tiffany. Once I leave the beautiful Porta Potty, I see Tiffany sitting against the fence in the dugout.
She waves me over. “Can you tell Dad all of my teammates are going for pizza after?”
“I sure will, Baby.”
I go to the concession stand to get water. As I pay for it, a woman is leaning against the wall staring at Tiffany.
Why is she staring at Tiffany?
The woman finally tears her eyes off of Tiffany and looks at me. “Your daughter is beautiful.”
I almost tell her that she isn’t my daughter. “Thank you, she is—her looks are all from her dad.”
Her eyes narrow and she walks away. Well is this strange or what?
“You did amazing, Baby Girl,” Lane says. She was a huge factor in the team’s win. She is amazing at softball, but I have a feeling she is amazing at everything she does—or I may be biased.
Lane is carrying her bag over his shoulder. Tiffany is between me and Lane, holding our hands.
“Thanks, Daddy.” She grins happily and waves at one of her little friends across the parking lot.
“No,” she whispers in horror, and I follow her gaze to see the woman at the concession stand, who is waving at her. She bursts out in heartbreaking sobs.
“Baby?” Lane picks her up, and her body is shaking so hard. I touch her back and look at the woman, ready to beat her for causing Tiffany to cry, but she is gone.