by J. M. Walker
When he brought me to our bedroom, he gently placed me on the edge of the bed. “Jaron, what is it?”
“I had to kill people while in jail, Piper. I didn’t relish being their Grim Reaper. And maybe they didn’t all deserve a death sentence, but they were also all vile scumbags who would have hurt people again. Not that it makes it right. Nothing does. But that’s it. That’s me. That’s what I did and can’t undo. I couldn’t risk never seeing you again or meeting our daughter, so I did everything I could to survive.”
“You never got in trouble?” I asked, wondering how he wasn’t still in jail, paying for his crimes.
“The guards were paid to look the other way. The system’s corrupt.”
No wonder he was haunted by his demons. “Jaron.”
“No.” He placed his thumb against my lips. “I need to get this out. I should have said all of this a long time ago but to be honest, I’m scared, Piper.”
I ran my hands up his strong arms, reveling in the way he shivered beneath my touch. “Talk to me.”
Before I knew what was happening, he fell to his knees in front of me.
“Jaron,” I gasped, clapping a hand over my mouth.
“I’m here, on my knees, begging you to forgive me.” His eyes held so much sorrow, so much pain. So much agony over something he never had to worry about.
“Baby.” I knelt in front of him, cupped his hands, and brought them up to my mouth. “I love you. I’m not going anywhere.”
“But what I did...”
“Stop.” I straddled his lap. “You don’t have to ask for my forgiveness, Jaron, and I’m not going anywhere. What you went through in jail was so you could get home to me and our daughter. I could never repay you enough for what you did. For us. For me. You saved me and over time, I’ll save you too.”
He blew out a slow breath, leaning his forehead against mine. “You already have, baby.”
Pushing out from under my hold, he rose to his full height. Holding out his hand, he waited.
I slipped my fingers in his, letting him pull me to my feet.
Jaron stripped before helping me out of my clothes until we were both standing naked in front of each other.
“Clothes get in the way,” he murmured.
“They can,” I whispered, backing up until I hit the edge of the bed. “Come here.” I crawled onto the bed, lifted the covers, and waited.
Jaron joined me, slipping beneath the blankets and pulling me down and into his arms.
“How many?” I asked, turning to face him.
“I…” He drew in a sharp breath. “Two by myself but I assisted in many fights and started one when I first arrived.” Jaron rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. “My dad had warned me that some of Tanner’s crew was in jail with me.”
I had heard about Tanner Horsch and his club, Devil’s Rejects. Tanner was no longer the president of the club after a shady bastard took over and kicked him out. I liked to think that things happened for a reason. Tanner was now married to Jaron’s cousin, Bee, and they had a son. He was happy. I’d only met him a few times, but I could see the love he had for Bee whenever he looked at her. He was curt and to the point most times with others but when he spoke to his wife, it was like his personality completely switched. His tone was softer toward her. Almost like how Jaron was with me.
“Did they leave you alone?” I asked, needing Jaron’s voice to drown out the fears in my head.
“They did. I don’t know who told them, but they never messed with me. But it didn’t matter.”
“What do you mean?”
Jaron looked at me then. “I had to do something. I’m a biker, baby, and I’ll be president of Hell’s Harlem eventually. Most of the guys I was locked up with knew that. They also knew that my dad has been trying to clean up Hell’s Harlem’s messes for years. Before I was even born.” He turned onto his side, facing me. “I was fresh meat for them.”
I swallowed hard. “Did you start a fight to make a point?”
“I did.” He reached out and pushed a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “It’s not something I’m proud of and my demons will follow me to my grave, but knowing that I made it out of there and back to your arms was worth it.”
“Did they leave you alone after that?”
“They did until that time I told you about. When I was visiting with Sammy and told him I wanted to see you.” He muttered a curse. “I should have been more cautious about that shit but I missed you.”
My heart jumped. “I missed you too.”
Jaron inched closer and wrapped himself around me. “Sleep, baby. I got you.”
“No, Jaron.” I yawned. “I got you.”
Jaron
Telling Piper what I had done to survive while in jail lifted some of the weight resting on my shoulders. I wouldn’t give her every bloody detail but I gave her enough so she would understand where I was coming from. Why I was quiet and withdrawn. Why I struggled in the beginning to tell her. I didn’t want to fill her head with those gory details, but she needed to know.
It was a few hours later and Piper had fallen asleep in my arms like I wanted her to. My phone vibrated, hers chimed, but we completely ignored them. Did people not sleep? Maybe it was emails coming in. Who knew? I had learned that Piper worked at the center whenever she could, but it wasn’t full time. Not that she would have to worry anymore since I was home. I would have to ask her what she did with the money I had sent her.
Piper stirred, rolled over onto her stomach, and lifted her head. “Hey, you’re awake.” Her voice was rough with sleep. She rubbed her eyes before reaching over me to turn on the lamp. “You okay?”
“I have a naked beautiful woman in bed with me. How could I not be okay?”
She smiled, a tinge of pink hitting her cheeks. “You haven’t slept at all, have you?”
“No.” I pushed her hair out of her eyes which earned me a soft sigh.
“How come?” she asked softly.
“Couldn’t sleep but knowing that you did, is all I care about.” I ran my hand over her upper back in small circles. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Of course.” Piper tilted her head. “You don’t have to ask permission. Ask me anything.”
“How have you been able to afford the house? I know you work at the center whenever you can but it’s not full time. And the money you got from your parents for college, wouldn’t pay all the bills.” I would eventually ask her what she did with the money I sent her but first, I wanted to know how she got the house in the first place. It wasn’t overly big. It was perfect if you asked me but someone on a single income wouldn’t be able to afford it. Not that she had to worry about that anymore of course.
Piper sighed, running her finger over a scar on my side. “As soon as my mom found out she was pregnant with me, they started saving money right away. My dad put most of the money in. I guess it was his little way to make it up to my mom. He put her through hell in the beginning. I really don’t know how she forgave him.”
“Love conquers all,” I muttered.
“You believe that?” Piper asked, staring at me with wide eyes.
“I don’t know but I’ve seen love come and go from the house I grew up in. The love my parents have for each other is something I’ve always wanted. I just never looked for it anywhere else when the twins wouldn’t leave your beautiful ass alone.”
“I’m so sorry about that.” She leaned her head on my chest, running her finger in circles over a freckle. I liked that she wasn’t scared to touch me. I liked that when she needed something, she took it from me, knowing I would never turn her down.
“Why are you sorry?” I asked, needing to hear her words.
“If I would have known that you had feelings for me, I would never have started sleeping with them. That was the reason I got drunk. I was upset because I thought you hated me,” she explained, her voice shaking.
“Hey.” I slipped out from under her and pushed her to a sitting posit
ion. “I love you. You hear me? I’ve never hated you.”
She looked away, her chin wobbling.
“Baby.” I cupped her jaw, forcing her to look at me. “I promise that I’ve never hated you. I shouldn’t have let the twins come between us, but that’s on me. I admit that I was scared of my feelings for you and that I tried to ignore them. I shouldn’t have done that. But that’s on me. Not you.”
Piper looked at me, her eyes shining. “You forgive me?”
I gave her a small smile. “Of course. Now let’s get some more sleep before Brynn wakes up.”
“Actually.” She pushed me back and ripped the blankets off of us.
“You want something?”
Her eyes dropped to my waist. “Yes,” she breathed, licking her lips.
I laid back, crossing my arms under my head. “Then take it.”
“I plan on it, Jaron.” Her gaze snapped to mine, a sly grin spreading on her face before she jumped onto my lap.
Laughter broke free from us both, billowing around us like the love we shared. I made a promise to myself right then and there that no matter how much life became heavy, to talk it out and eventually fuck it out just the same. But talking came first. It had to. We wouldn’t survive if it didn’t.
***
(Piper)
After Jaron and I talked during the night, everything felt almost lighter. My mood had changed. Even his. Brynlee woke up in a good mood too.
Jaron’s good moods were few and far between. Talking helped us both. It lifted our spirits and made us realize that communication was key to a healthy relationship. I had seen our friends go through it all and I didn’t want that.
We spent the morning as a family. Jaron played with Brynlee while I cleaned. He offered to help me but I refused. I didn’t mind cleaning so much, especially now that he was home.
“Babe.” Jaron stood in the doorway. “You ready?”
“I am.” I gave myself another glance in the mirror. When I was satisfied with my outfit, I went up to Jaron and stood on tiptoes. Giving him a soft peck on the cheek, I went to walk around him when he grabbed my arm.
“Don’t think so.” He spun me around and crushed his mouth to mine.
I gasped, breathing him in.
He gave my bottom lip a gentle bite which shot a shiver right down the length of my spine. “Hmm…”
“Jaron, we have to go.” I was excited to go grocery shopping with him and Brynlee. It probably didn’t make sense for most but it was our first outing as a family, and I was looking forward to it. Even if it was just to buy food.
“You kiss me? You kiss me like you mean it. None of this pecking and soft kisses shit anymore.” He pinched my chin and tilted my head back. “You got me?”
“I can’t kiss you like that in front of family,” I whispered, my body tingling at the rough demand.
“I don’t care who we’re around. We went over a year without seeing each other, Piper. We will spend the rest of our lives making up for that shit.” He lowered his mouth to mine again, pushing me up against the door frame. Before I knew what he was doing, he had me in his arms and my legs wrapped around his waist.
“We have to go.” Although I said the words, I never stopped him. How could I? So many things were revealed while we talked last night. I knew this was his way of showing me that he meant every word of what he had said.
“I want you walking through the store thinking of me every time you take a step,” Jaron murmured against the side of my throat.
Once Jaron took and gave me what both of us had wanted, he placed me gently on my feet. I pulled up my panties and leggings, making myself look somewhat presentable again.
He kissed the side of my neck before placing a hard smack on my mouth. “Go get cleaned up. I’ll grab Brynn and get her ready.”
“Okay.” When I went to take a step away from him, he grabbed my hand. Glancing at him over my shoulder, I waited.
Jaron brought my hand up to his mouth, kissing the back of my knuckles. “I love you.”
My heart swelled. “I love you.”
“Good. Now go before I change my mind and call someone to come watch Brynn while I spend the day fucking my woman.”
I laughed, pulling away from him before he could get any ideas. “We need food, baby.”
“Yeah, I can call Sammy to grab it.” Jaron stalked toward me, cupping himself over his jeans. “My dick misses you already.”
I rolled my eyes. “You would think I deprive you or something with how needy you are.”
“Needy?” Jaron raised an eyebrow. “I’m needy?” he asked, charging for me.
I squealed and got two steps away from him before I was tackled to the bed. A bubble of laughter left me.
He chuckled. “You’re lucky, babe. But don’t worry. I’ll just get you back later.” A wicked grin spread on his face.
“I look forward to it.” I cupped his cheek, placing a hard peck on his lips.
“What did I say?” he growled, when I went to pull away. “Kiss me like you fucking mean it, Piper.”
A breathless laugh escaped me. “But that always leaves us wanting more.”
“Don’t give a shit about that.” Jaron slipped his tongue between my lips, pulling a moan from the center of my chest. “I have a lot of lost time to make up for.”
I smiled against his mouth but as much as I wanted to continue this, we needed to grab Brynlee and get some groceries. We needed to move on and be a family. Even if it was just by doing the small tedious and boring things. I wanted it all.
I gently pushed him back. “We have to go or else we won’t be going anywhere.”
Jaron slid off the bed and helped me to my feet. “I like the sound of that. Spending a weekend in bed.” He waggled his eyebrows.
I giggled. “We’ll make it happen.”
“I look forward to it.” He walked by me but not before giving my ass a light swat. “Get ready and I’ll grab our girl.”
My heart swelled. Every damn time. No matter how many times he claimed Brynn as his, which she was in fact, it still did funny things to my belly. If my ovaries could explode, I was sure they would.
After I cleaned myself up, I met both Jaron and Brynn by the front door. He had dressed her in a red sweat outfit that said ‘Daddy’s Girl’ in light blue on the front of the sweatshirt.
“Hi, baby girl.” I kissed her cheek, pulling her from Jaron’s arms so he could get his shoes on. “Did you sleep well?”
She leaned her head against my shoulder, letting out a hard sigh and sucking on her soother.
I laughed. “That hard?”
“I think she was dreaming when I woke her up,” Jaron said, a frown settling between his brows.
“Really?” I ran my hand down her back. “I don’t think babies can actually dream. I’m not sure though. Google says different things.”
“Well…” Jaron came up to us and petted his hand over her head. “Whatever it was, she didn’t look happy about it and I want to kick the ass of whatever it was that was bothering her.”
“Maybe she just slept really hard.” I kissed her forehead, inhaling the fresh scent of her soft skin. “She could be grumpy that you woke her up.”
“Maybe.” Jaron kissed my temple. “Either way, I still don’t like it.”
I laughed. “She’s not a morning person, just like her mama.”
He smirked. “You’re a morning person when you wake up to my face between your legs.”
My body burned. “That’s different.”
A deep laugh rumbled through him. “Is it now?”
“Yes.” I walked past him and left the house.
“How?” He locked up before following us to my car.
“Because I can’t think of how tired I am when you have your tongue shoved deep inside me,” I threw at him, making my way to the vehicle.
He groaned. “You say the sweetest things.”
I laughed, putting Brynn in her car seat.
Jaron sat in t
he driver’s seat, glancing back at us.
The hairs on my neck tingled but when I looked at him, he didn’t say anything. “What?”
“Just thinking how good you are with her.”
“She’s an easy baby. I lucked out I guess.” Joining Jaron in the front, a contented sigh left me when he placed his hand on my inner thigh. I covered it with my own, brushing my thumb back and forth over a small scar in between his thumb and forefinger. “What happened here?” I asked, noticing the slightly raised jagged flesh that I hadn’t seen before.
“A fucker bit me in jail.”
My eyes widened, my head whipping around. “Really?”
Jaron nodded. “He was crazy as fuck and completely unstable. I had to get a whole bunch of tests done after to make sure I didn’t catch anything from him. I’ve been hit, bones broken and all that shit, but being bitten almost hurt more.”
“Wow.” I ran my thumb over the light pink flesh. “What happened to him?”
Jaron glanced at me quickly before looking out at the road ahead of us. “I stabbed him in the eye with a pen I stole from a guard,” he muttered.
“Oh.” I knew going in that Jaron wouldn’t be like the other guys I knew. Hell, he wasn’t even close to being like Aiden and Ashton. While they could take care of their own when provoked, it was nothing compared to what Jaron could do or had done.
“I told you that I’m not the same man you fell in love with, Piper,” Jaron said, pulling me from my thoughts. He brought my hand up to his mouth and kissed my knuckles. “But I love you and I will prove to you that I am a good guy.”
“You don’t need to prove anything to me, Jaron.” I pulled my hand from his grip and brushed the back of my knuckles down his cheek. “I love you too and I know that what you did was only so you could survive and make it back to us.”
“You are too fucking good to me, baby.” He captured my hand in his and brought it down to his lap. “Way too fucking good.”
“You make it sound like a bad thing.” I turned toward him. “Do you think I’m being too understanding? Is that it? Should I yell and scream or cry that you had to beat up some assholes, stab them, hurt them, kill them, just so other assholes would leave you alone? You have no idea how much I thought of what you had to do or were doing while you were in jail. But I made a promise to myself right away that I wouldn’t care. You were put in jail because the mayor is a monster who has it out for you, and his son was just as bad. Am I sorry for what you did to Brody? No, because if you wouldn’t have stopped him, it could have been so much fucking worse, or he could have done it to someone else.”