Tough Love (The Nighthawks MC Book 6)

by Bella Knight

  Xenia called Herja, who said, to the entire bar, “Xenia’s coming here to get married!” There was a roar.

  Xenia laughed, hung up, and went to get her black jeans laced through with silver. She placed on her silver silk top, and her circlet in its box. She finished her tea, grabbed some Cokes, and they headed out on their Harleys. They opened it up on the desert roads, and were there much faster than they should have been.

  Herja and the Valkyries met them at the overlook for the city, the circle drawn, the candles lit, the broom ready, the ribbons to be wound around their hands. All the Valkyries were arranged around the circle. Herja cast the circle. They lit the two candles, his red, hers silver, and lit a white pillar, surrounded by a circle of Valkyries to honor them.

  “Blessed be,” said Herja. “We meet to join two, in front of the gods, that they may stand together, fight together, seek the dawn together. That they may gain strength from each other, that they may stand together as one at dusk and dawn.” She blessed the ribbons and wound them around their wrists, binding the lovers together.

  Xenia did her vows first. “I promise to love, honor, and cherish who you are, from dawn to dusk, and dusk to dawn. I promise to hold you close, and let you go, and walk the Path of Dawn with you. The gods witness us.”

  Robin realized he wouldn’t remember all that, so he did the best he could. “I will love, honor, and cherish you, from dawn to dusk, and dusk to dawn. I will hold you, and love you as fiercely as I am able, and I will walk the Path of Dawn with you. The gods witness us.”

  Herja said, “The gods witness you. Do you, Valkyries, witness them? And will you right for them and their love? And use their fire to light your own way to love?” The mesmerizing cry of affirmation startled Robin, but he stayed still. “Then, they walk the Path of Dawn together!” She unwrapped the ribbon, tying some to her wrist, some to his. “Now, we celebrate!”

  They made it back to Dirty Vegas before it closed. Herja stood on the bar, and raised her mug of dark beer high. “To Xenia and Hawkbrother!”

  Robin laughed at his new name, and raised his own glass. The cheer was deafening, and the band went into Daft Punk’s Get Lucky. Half the bar was singing, and the other half was dancing.

  “Ivy is going to so hate missing this,” said Bella, pouring mugs of beer as fast as she could.

  Herja was too busy singing to listen. She drained her glass, and ran on stage to sing, dragging Skuld with her. They had a disgusting amount of fun, especially when Hawkbrother went up to sing his mother’s song, Tall Cool Woman.

  Their tip jar became alarmingly full; the bassist crammed some of the money in his pockets so it wouldn’t overflow. They finally finished a nine-minute song, and then, they went into one hell of a sexy rendition of Guns N’ Roses’ Rocket Queen. More than one couple were kissing. The servers swirled around with trays of beer and shots of whiskey, and the bar stayed open way past closing.

  Cougar jumped up on stage. “Last call, last song, so long. Take your party somewhere hearty. Call an Uber if you need one.”

  The band ended with a guitar solo. The patrons filed out to their bikes, many to Ubers, the parking lot still half-full after the last straggler left. The high desert people went home, singing in the dark to headbanger music.

  Xenia went out of the club, and kissed Hawkbrother so hard his toes curled. “Follow me,” she said. She guided him to City Hall, and she brought him to his knees when she took him to get their marriage license. “Herja is licensed. We just won’t tell anyone the ceremony was after the license.”

  The tears fell from his eyes. “I won’t tell if you won’t.” They packed the license in his saddlebag, and headed home.

  Xenia and Hawkbrother made it to her home alive. They stripped off their leathers in the hallway, and made it into the bedroom, dropping clothes as they went. Xenia jumped on him, driving him into the bedroom door. She kissed him hard, letting him feel her need, her love. She made him scream, and groan with need, as she used her fingers to gently claw his back. One hand grabbed the back of his head, the other grabbed his cock. She let go, dropping to the floor with the grace of a cat.

  She used everything in her arsenal —teeth, claws, a flicking tongue —to make his skin burn like fire. He felt himself get harder than he’d ever been. He grabbed a condom, but she knocked it out of his hand. She climbed on him, pressing him into the door. He felt her settle on him, like she was meant to be there.

  She set the pounding pace, gasping, as he held onto her ass, driving himself deeper and deeper inside her. She came, screaming in his ear. She clamped on him so tight he felt he would die, then he let go, roaring into her ear. She held on then, her arms tight around him, her legs grasping him. Then, she raised up, then slid down. She drew him toward the bed.

  “Round one,” she said.

  “Are you fucking crazy? I’ve been up since five thirty in the morning. We just got back from Vegas. I can’t stand up anymore.” He fell like a tree onto the bed.

  She laughed, took a towelette from the nightstand, and wiped them both down. “Let’s find the dawn together.”

  He held her in his arms. “Getting time off from work for our honeymoon simultaneously, is going to be a bitch.” She laughed. “My love, we didn’t talk about…”

  She guided his hand to her stomach. “Remember that ride, the tents, Lake Havasu?”

  He laughed. “One of our on-again times. We had sex so many times I was afraid I would never be able to walk again.”

  “Remember when your condom broke?”

  He looked her in the eyes, his eyes huge. “So that’s why you weren’t drinking tonight. I thought because of the ride.” He touched her belly with the palm of his hand. “Our own little rider. You were going to tell me about the baby…”

  She sighed. “I just found out. I was trying to wrap my head around it. Then there was the trial… I know you were heartsick, and I was angry. So angry. That fool could have killed both Ivy and I, and you were more heartsick than enraged. I thought your reaction would be to bite his head off, not try to teach him.”

  He laughed bitterly. “I was, but at myself. I hired him, over your objections, and he refused to hear anyone’s words; young, old, male, female, boss, anyone at all. He blew off every fucking thing I said. The thing with the dog made me so sad, so heartsick. Where was his heart? The fact that he couldn’t see anything wrong with his behavior made me so furious. I decided to keep my cool and follow procedure. I apologized to Jeremy, and said it was my fault for not training the kid better, but I knew, I knew he was broken, sick.”

  She touched his face and kissed it softly.

  He took a deep breath. “When I saw the tape, my heart stopped. He pulled a gun on a woman in a hospital hallway, and I just thought to myself, I wonder why Ivy didn’t kill him. I wished she had. Then you came down the hall, and I thought, she’ll kill him. I knew you hadn’t, of course, but that was my thinking. You kept calm and were the professional I know you are, but either you or Ivy would have been justified in taking that little piss-ant out. Then, you talked him into holstering his gun and walking away, and I’ve never been more on fire with loving you.” He kissed her deeply. “He will come for us, love, and I won’t hold back for a second.”

  She kissed him back, then looked him in the eyes. “Neither will I.”

  Ivy woke up in the night, Kiya coughing and whining to get her attention. She put the baby to her breast, and helped her get started. The baby latched on, and sucked. She rocked a little, and sang Billy Joel’s Lullaby to her. Ivy burped the baby, then gave her the other breast. She sucked even more hungrily.

  Callie woke up, and slipped off the cot. “Hungry little daughter, isn’t she?” Callie grabbed a wipe and a diaper, unwrapped the blanket, and changed her while she was still suckling. “Piggy baby,” she said, changing the diaper quickly and efficiently. She threw away the diaper, washed her hands, and returned to burp the baby. “Kiya,” she said. “Darling.”

  Ivy moaned. �
�Bathroom,” she said. Callie put the baby down in her bassinet, and helped her wife to the bathroom. She came back, wrapped her in her blanket, and rocked her back and forth. She put her down again, helped Ivy back to the bed, put Kiya in Ivy’s arms, scooted herself over, and held them both. Callie sang John Mayer’s Daughters, and soon all of them were asleep.

  In the morning, Ace was there, tiny teddy bear in hand. Lily brought the (more practical) baby sling. “Look at tiny baby,” she said.

  “Tiny?” said Ivy. “Kiya’s a moose!” Lily stole the baby, and Ivy laid in her bed, holding Ace’s hand. “All the shit we’ve been through, the hell from this year, and Kiya just made every nightmare moment vanish.” Ace nodded, unable to speak.

  “What’s Katya cooking for you, boy or girl?”

  “We think a girl,” he said. “She’s cute.”

  Ivy snorted. “She’s arms, legs, and a head. Wait until you hold her.” Ace held her hand tightly, and Ivy held his back. He touched his forehead to hers. “I fucking almost lost you,” Ivy said. “Don’t do that again.” Tears fell from her eyes.

  “’Kay,” he said. He backed up, looked her in the eyes. “You okay?”

  “Fucking ow, but fine,” she said. “Kiya eats like a horse.” She smiled. “So can I, come to think of it.”

  Ace laughed. “Only you would think of food at a time like this.”

  “Damn right. Someone go to Micky D’s and get me a breakfast sandwich. And hash browns. Fucking need hash browns.”

  Ace whipped out his phone, and texted Katya and Gregory, who were on their way. “Done,” he said. “Where’s my niece?”

  “Mine,” said Lily, looking deep into Kiya’s blue eyes. “We’re bonding.”

  Ace went over, and embraced his wife from behind. They both looked into the baby’s eyes. Ivy stared at them, tears streaming down her face. Just a few months ago, this moment may not have happened. Callie stood in the doorway, stopped, and stared, and tears slipped down her cheeks as well.

  Katya and Gregory breezed in a few minutes later, after Ivy and Callie had wiped their tears. “Special delivery,” he said, bringing the McDonald’s bag to Ivy. She ripped into it like a kid on Christmas morning, making him laugh. “Where’s the fire?” he asked.

  Katya brought two little blankets and burping cloths. “Here,” she said. “For cute baby and proud mama and papa.” She placed them in the bassinet. Everyone hugged her. Katya stole the baby, and Gregory embraced her, looking into the baby’s eyes.

  “Is big baby,” she said. “Very healthy.”

  “Where are yours?” asked Callie.

  “They are sleeping. The babushkas are watching them.” She smiled down at Kiya. “Beautiful baby.”

  Callie patted her own belly. “Little brother will come soon.”

  “Usually, boys ride low,” said Lily. “Yours seems to be a smaller baby.”

  “Good,” said Callie, laughing, “we don’t need two moose babies.” She reached into the bag and snagged a breakfast sandwich. “I eat like a pig, but my weight doesn’t go up much.”

  “Not to worry,” said Katya. “Is best time in your life, eat anything, not get fat.” She patted her own belly, as Ace stole the baby. “I love to eat. Nursing and Lily’s baby, means I can eat like pig. Eating for four.”

  “I was worried about that,” said Gregory. “Then the babushkas go crazy, cooking everything in sight, and I relax.” He kissed Katya.

  “How is Elena holding up with the babies?” asked Ivy. “And didn’t she have another surgery scheduled?”

  “Is last surgery,” said Katya. “She is so strong.”

  “I’m stunned with the great job the doctors are doing,” said Gregory. “She is showing almost no scarring, and the scars she does have can easily be hidden by makeup.”

  “I remember right after that happened,” said Ivy, grabbing a hash brown. “I remember trying to deal with that mess.”

  “We survived,” said Gregory, simply. “We always do, no matter what. I almost lost my brother,” he said, putting an arm around Ace. “Ace nearly lost, then gained, a little brother. We all nearly lost Inola and Henry, and now Inola has Ryder and Henry has about a thousand teens.” Everyone laughed. “You can knock down a Nighthawk…” he said.

  “But we always fly free,” said Ivy, Callie, and Ace, in unison with Gregory.

  “I hear we missed the biggest party Dirty Vegas has ever had,” Ace said. “Went on ‘till almost four in the morning.”

  “I heard it was a baby party for us.”

  “Turned into a two-sheriffs-from-Pahrump-got-married party.”

  Callie and Ivy both squealed. “Xenia and Bob got married? Yesterday? When I was squeezing a baby out of my hoo-ha?” asked Ivy.

  Ace grimaced. “Never say hoo-ha again. And, yes, they got married here in some sort of Valkyrie ceremony, then went to the bar to celebrate.” He sighed. “The liquor order is unimaginable. We may actually drain Vegas dry getting the bars restocked. Damn near ran out of beer. Heard all about it from Bella.”

  “What the fuck? And I missed it?”

  Lily covered the baby’s ears. “Ivy, you’re going to have to clean up that mouth of yours.”

  “Why?” she countered. “They’ll just go to school and learn the words from the other kids.”

  “She has a point,” said Ace.

  Ivy sucked her cola dry. “Ace, help,” she said, holding out her arm. He helped her to stand. “Nobody runs off with Kiya. I mean it.” She glared at them all, and left for the bathroom.

  “Quick, take the baby,” said Lily.

  “No,” said Katya. “I have two at home, Grace has surgery next week, and I have Lily’s baby on the way. No more babies.”

  Lily stole Kiya, and rocked her, singing a lullaby. Ace’s eyes teared up. Callie went over to him and held him. “Dude, just a few months, and you’re taking my place in this room.”

  “I wish it were now,” he whispered into her hair, and he kissed the top of her head.

  “I know,” she said. “Same for me. I feel like a cow. Or a turtle. Or a turtle cow.”

  He laughed. “You’re our turtle cow, and we love you.” He hugged her close.

  “Hey,” said Ivy, coming out of the bathroom. “Hands off my woman.”

  “I’m a turtle cow,” said Callie.

  “Me too,” said Ivy. “Pushing out the baby doesn’t get rid of the turtle slowness.”

  “I am beautiful goddess when I am pregnant,” said Katya, glowing. “My husband says so.”

  The room got absolutely quiet. “He’s right,” said Lily, softly. “You are the most beautiful woman in the world right now.”

  Gregory walked over and held Katya, and kissed her. “Hey,” he said, holding her, “you are my goddess, you know? I love you.”

  “I love you,” she said, into his mouth, kissing him back.

  “Get a room,” said Ivy. “Can someone get me more Micky D’s?”

  Birth

  Aiden Sawyer came into the world in a single exhalation. Callie came through like a champ, at home. “We don’t need no fucking hospital,” she said, despite the waves of pain.

  The midwife got him out in one push, and put him on his mother’s belly, where he moved and squalled. Ivy cut the cord, kissed the baby, and helped Katrina Tsmova, the midwife, massage Callie’s belly to expel the afterbirth.

  Katrina weighed Aiden. “Is five pounds eleven ounces. Stupid Americans, not use kilos like normal people.”

  Gregory laughed. They cleaned off the baby, and Ivy held him, then Gregory, before he hungrily squalled. Laughing and crying, Callie took him back and put him to her breast. The afterbirth came. Katrina, cleaned up, saying lots of things under her breath in Russian that made Gregory laugh. They got both Callie and the sheets changed.

  They brought over Kiya, who had been sleeping in her bassinet, and rolled over the other bassinet as well. She stared at her brother, then loudly demanded food.

  “Move over,” said Ivy. Gregory and
Katrina got them both situated, pillows at their back and under their knees. The midwife left, and Gregory helped her take out all the trash and medical waste to the car.

  Gregory called Bao, who brought over Grace and Hu. Hu was delighted, helping to burp both babies. Bao held each of them, and Hu and Bao sang the flower song. Grace had a different response. Four days of a baby crying all night, and attention being paid to the baby, and even Bao and Hu’s attempts to cheer her up weren’t working. She was jealous.

  Gregory pulled her into the hall. She sighed as if she was going to her execution. “So, you’re jealous, are you?”

  Grace’s eyes flashed daggers, and she put out her lower lip. “All they do is cry, and sleep, and poop. And scream. And the moms are like turtles. Super-slow. And now Mom won’t be teaching at school.”

  “So, your life changed,” said Gregory. “Did your life change when you met Hu?”

  “That’s different,” said Grace. “She’s my sister.

  Gregory raised his eyebrows. “That’s your sister, and your brother. And Mama and Mom have had a difficult time having them. They had them because they wanted a family with more love to share. Hu loves them. She thinks they’re wonderful.”

  “They scream and poop and eat,” said Grace, arms folded across her chest.

  “So did you,” said Gregory. “You were just like them. What would have happened if Mom hadn’t wanted to take care of you when you screamed and were hungry and pooped?”

  “That’s her job,” said Grace.

  Gregory laughed. “No, it isn’t. At least, an unpaid and unappreciated one. What do Mom and Mama do for you? Cook? Clean? Help you with your homework?”

  Grace glared at him. “They’re mommies. They’re supposed to do that.”

  Gregory’s voice got very serious. “No, they want to do that. They do it because they love you. Do you know about Elena’s daddy?”

  “He went crazy and poured acid on her.”

  “And the boyfriend your mom had before she became a Nighthawk?”

  “He hit her.” She uncrossed her arms.

  “Some moms do that, too. Hit their spouses, their kids. They don’t do their jobs, like feed their kids or clean up. Now, your mommies are two of the best women I know. They would never act like that. But, you are.”