by M. Merin
Russian’s had enough that he doesn’t mind me pulling him onto the dance floor later that night. “Why didn’t Shade come back for this?” I ask.
“Isn’t safe for him yet.” Is the only response I get and I know better than to press for more details. “Besides, no more dancing with him now that you’re mine, Little Bit.” Russian continues a couple minutes later.
“But he’s the best dancer here!” I pout and innocently blink up at him.
“Little Bit, once the doctor clears you, you’ll get your punishment. Want make that double?” Russian tries to hold a serious look on his face but he’s about four drinks past being able to do anything but lean down to kiss me.
“Tonight, can we pretend the doctor cleared me?” I plead as I lay quick kisses around his neck.
“No. I want to know you can handle it before I take you again. You’re mine to protect, don’t ask me for more,” he looks at me so tenderly; I obey and wrap my arms around him. Looking over to the bar, I see Roy sitting next to Flint and know it’s my turn to go and talk to him.
Excusing myself, Roy sees me crossing to him and stands, opening his arms to me. He lightly kisses my head as he gives me a bear hug.
“He was always a kid, you know?” Roy has a faint slur to his words at this point. “I always hoped he wake up one day and realize he needed to grow up. Make a real life and cut the other shit out. He went out the right way, though, didn’t he, Betsy? He went out like a man taking care of a good woman.”
A knot has formed in my throat and I can’t force any words past it so I just tighten my arms around Roy and stand there holding him. Eventually, I feel another hand on my back and know that Russian has joined us.
“Roy?” I look from Russian to an older woman who has made her way through the crowd. “Do you need more time?”
“Ellie, this is Betsy and Russian. You know Flint,” he reaches for her before she can shake my hand. I smile broadly at her, realizing she’s the woman he’s pretty much living with right now.
“You work for the Sheriff, don’t you?” I ask and notice her back stiffen up. My hiccup relaxes her just as quickly and I try to sound friendly as I talk to her a little more. Soon enough, one of the probies has an Expedition outside and a group of us pile in for a ride home. An icy rain has started to fall, so the ride is welcome. I curl up on Russian’s lap and promptly pass out.
Chapter 21
Russian
Vice’s death left a strange emptiness around the MC that even I noticed. Jasper waited until January to call a vote to fill his spot as Vice President. No one was more surprised than I was when Jake nominated me for the position.
Roy quickly seconded it and before I knew what had happened, I was an officer of the Northern Grizzlies. I sat at the table long after Church was dismissed. Holding the patches I had never looked for, much less that I thought I deserved.
“Brother, Betsy just got here,” Jake says, walking back into the room. “You good?”
“Why’d you nominate me?”
“I was worried they call me to do it if I didn’t throw someone under the bus,” Jake shrugs with a smirk on his face.
“Dick move, Brother,” I laugh at him.
“Nah, Jasper, Vice, and me talked about it one time. About backup officers, y’know?” he says, sitting on the end of the table.
“Tanker, someday, when Gunner wants to slow down. You for VP. Maybe Connal for President or someone younger, depending who has come up the ranks by then.”
“He was alright with me taking…”
“Yeah. He only ever took on the position cause Roy asked him to. He never wanted the responsibility.”
Well, fuck me. I sit there and digest that as he watches me. I finally nod at him and we head out to the party. Just in time to hear Smithy claim his baby mama as his Ol’ Lady. Amber is warmly welcomed by the other Ol’ Ladies, so I have to wait my turn before I get Betsy in my arms.
“Congrats VP,” she beams up at me.
“Hear about that already, huh?”
“Yep. Anne told me, while still managing to look at me like something she scrapped off the bottom of her shoe.”
I lean back to study her face. “What me to say some…”
“Hell no, Russian,” she kisses my chin. “I don’t care about it. Besides, she still talks to Riley like she’s a five year old, so she gets first dibs on smacking Anne down one day.”
“Been a long day, Betsy. Mind if we sneak outta here?” I whisper into her ear. She purrs and nibbles on my neck in response. Growling, I pick her up and carry her outside.
“Maybe we should talk about what sneak means, Artem?” Betsy laughs at me. “Now that you’re Vice President, you might need to know that.”
Betsy asks to stop for groceries on the way home so I let her get a head start on that, while I head into the bank next door to it. Withdrawing nearly all of my paycheck from the last week, I all but ignore the receipt the teller gives me.
Somehow, Betsy’s got a nearly full cart by the time I meet her at checkout to pay for everything. A huge smile splits my face when I see two boxes of pregnancy tests and Little Bit’s face turns red in front of the woman checking us out.
The receipt falls out of my pocket and Betsy leans over to get it, carrying that and a light bag out to my truck. Getting behind the wheel, I look over when I realize she’s still standing at the open door and hasn’t moved to get in.
“Betsy?” I ask and she looks up at me with her jaw hanging slack.
“What is this? What does this mean?” She gasps holding out the piece of paper from the bank.
Taking it from her, my face almost instantly mirrors hers. I just keep looking up from the paper to her and back down again.
“That...I mean…that’s fifty million dollars, isn’t it? Artem. What the fuck is that?”
“I don’t…I don’t, FUCK!” We both look at each other before I say what we realize together. “Vadim.”
“Get in, Betsy, come on,” I reach for her hand and help pull her in.
We’re both quiet and Little Bit is shaking, as I haul ass to our place. Leaving the groceries behind, I pull my phone out as soon as we’re in the living room.
“Ahhh, you finally noticed my gift,” Vadim answers. “In the two weeks that it has been sitting there, I went from offended to amused. You really do not care that I now control your father’s fortune?”
“I can’t take this, Vadim. We don’t want it,” I insist. “Natalia? Is she well?”
“We are married. We are both very happy. I do not expect Kuznetsov to live long enough for our child to be born. How are things on that front for you?” He responds.
“The money, Vadim,” I hiss.
“Yes, it was Natalia’s thought. I will send you her number. She wishes to know more of you.” Vadim says before disconnecting. “Do not disappoint her.”
Betsy is still pale as I turn to her. “It’s a gift from Natalia.”
I barely catch her before she hits the floor.
Epilogue
The following fall…
Betsy
I wake up slowly and stretch out my arms and legs, feeling soreness throughout my body. Looking over to bassinet next to my bed, with Artem sleeping in a chair beside our angel; bliss washes over me again.
My pregnancy was easy but the delivery was difficult yesterday. Before I can move over to lift our little girl, Artem jerks up from the chair and I remember him, arguing with the nurse that our baby will be kept in our line of sight at all times. Regardless that his father died a month ago, he well aware of my worry about being separated from our child. The nurse tried to lecture him on my need for sleep, but he just moved the bassinet over to my bedside the moment she left.
“Let me hand her to you, Little Bit,” his voice rough from sleep. My big Russian transfers her to me even as he speaks, perching on the side of the bed as our daughter snuggles into my breast.
“She’s so perfect, Artem,” I sigh.
�
�No, can’t you see she is sad?” he asks with a straight face and my eyes shoot to meet his. “She does not know her name yet.”
“I was so sure it would be a boy, like you wanted,” I smile softly at him before separating my gown and giving her a nipple to latch onto. Groaning as she instinctively pinches then suckles from me; I lay back and watch the emotions as they cross his face.
“What do you think of Lily?” Artem asks as he strokes her fine blond hair, inherited from both of us.
“Lily,” I try out. “Lily Natalia.”
“My sister will love that,” he smiles at me. It’s the least I can do.
We broke ground on our home in March, when the winter started to wind down. It is not anything I ever could have imagined, nor anything that Russian could have had built, if not for the money Natalia had Vadim send us. The bathroom is everything that my husband dreamt of – minus the stripper pole – and our showers together are still mind-blowing.
Other than the money spent on the land and the house, he parked the rest of it in an account under both of our names. It sits in some country I’ve never been to.
It really doesn’t exist to us in any real way. We know it’s there, but we live our life without considering it. The only someday thought we have for it, is if our chapter of the Northern Grizzlies need some portion of it.
Day to day, I simply remain grateful for my Ol’ Man. My Artem, along with the women who became my sisters in the MC, saw me for who I could be and made me believe that I deserved to be happy.
I kiss sweet Lily’s head and swear she’ll always be protected.
Stayed Tuned For More…
Already out:
Jasper: Northern Grizzlies MC (Book 1)
Flint: Northern Grizzlies MC (Book 2)
Gunner: Northern Grizzlies MC (Book 3)
Charlie: Northern Grizzlies MC (Book 4)
Michaels: Northern Grizzlies MC (Book 5)
Next up – Shade: Northern Grizzlies MC (Book 7)
If you liked this, and even if you just want to leave constructive criticism,
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I’ve had quite a few readers asking if I’m wrapping up the Northern Grizzlies, and for 2018 it will go through Book 7. I have a few other storylines that are bouncing around my brain that I want to focus on for a bit.
Don’t worry though – I love my Grizzlies and still have more of their stories left to tell. Look for them in mid/late 2019. XO, Merin