by Erin Osborne
I see my girl dancing with her eyes closed. She’s between Harley and Riley. For a few minutes, I just stand there and watch her. When the song changes to Differences by Ginuwine, I walk up and start dancing behind her. Renee startles before turning around. A huge smile breaks out on her face before she wraps her arms around me. In that instant, everything around us disappears and it’s just the two of us. We move until the song ends and I lead her back to the table they’ve had for the night.
Killian is standing there on guard duty since their drinks and everything are left. He’s not taking any chances with their stuff. I think that he’s more than proven himself in the last few weeks. It’s time to talk to him, and the club, about prospecting. I’ll talk to Gage before bringing it up to him. Hell, I’ll sponsor him because I have that much faith in him.
“Wood, there you are,” Trojan says as they join us at the table. “We’re gonna be havin’ another ‘talk’ real soon. You got me?”
“Yep. I’m sorry guys. I don’t know why this shit keeps happenin’,” he says, walking over to the bar to grab drinks for everyone.
I look around at everyone and see that my girl is the only sober one here. The girls are definitely feeling the drinks they’ve had so far. They’re not to the point that they’re ready to dance on tables or anything. But I wouldn’t put it past them soon. None of us will tolerate that here. We hate it when it happens at the clubhouse, but they have a little more freedom there.
“Why aren’t you drinkin’?” I ask Renee, leaning into her.
“Oh, um. Well, I’m driving. After working in the emergency room, I refuse to drink and drive,” she says, not quite telling me the entire truth.
“You know I can tell that you’re keepin’ somethin’ from me,” I say, moving in closer to kiss her neck. “I have my ways of gettin’ it out of you.”
“Shit!” she says, knowing that I’ll do whatever it takes to get it out of her. I don’t care who’s around. “I’m pregnant.”
Leaning away from her, I look from her face to her flat stomach. As I let my gaze linger there for a minute, she reaches out to touch my arm. Looking up into her eyes, I can see the fear running through her body. She doesn’t think I’ll be happy about this news. Fuck that! Renee has no clue that I’m excited as hell to be adding to our family.
“Guys, I think we have an announcement to make” I say, not once taking my eyes off of Renee as her eyes get round with anticipation. “Are we addin’ to our family, Doc?”
Renee looks at everyone sitting with us. Nodding her head, I pull her in for a kiss as the guys cheer while the girls start talking a mile a minute. Everyone, including me, is happy about the news.
“You’ve made me the happiest man ever,” I tell her, pulling her back in for another kiss. “When we get back, I’ll show you just how excited and happy I am.”
“Can we leave soon?” she asks, stifling a yawn.
“You ready to go now?” I ask, not wanting her to get exhausted from her first night out.
“Yeah. I want to stop at the house real quick and grab some more scrubs,” she says as I grab her bottle of water and we make our excuses to leave.
“We’re headin’ out,” I tell my brothers. “Can you get the girls back?”
“Yeah. I think we should probably all call it a night,” Gage says. He wasn’t a fan of them coming out tonight.
We all stand and thank Wood and the guys for helping out. The girls make their way through the crowd with Killian and Mike on their heels. The rest of us settle their tab before following them out the door. As we climb on our bikes to follow the girls, I can’t believe that I’m gonna be a dad. I already feel like Dylan’s dad, but we’re gonna have another little one. Man, can my life get any better?
Renee pulls up to the house and I meet her as she climbs out of the SUV. Before she can get too close to the porch, I notice that the front door is sitting slightly ajar. There’s something wrong with this picture.
“Doc, do me a favor and stay here for a minute,” I say, trying not to alarm her.
Steel and Crash walk up next to me and I slightly nod in the direction of the front door. The three of us make our way up the porch, pulling the guns out from our backs as we get closer. The three of us stand at the door for a minute to see if we can hear any movement coming from inside. Finally, I push the door open and we walk inside. The sight that greets us is one that I’ll never forget.
Renee’s entire downstairs is trashed. The couch is tipped over and cut open. A recliner is torn to shreds. The TV is smashed on the floor while the hospital bed that Renee once had to use is broken beyond repair. Every cupboard in the kitchen is busted and the dishes are smashed on the floor. Nothing is going to be salvageable from down here.
I walk upstairs and see that the bedrooms have been given the same treatment. Renee’s bed is torn apart and the mattress is ripped to shreds. Her dresser is tipped over and all the drawers are lying in a broken heap. The clothes that were left here have been cut up and pictures smashed against the walls. Walking into Dylan’s room, I see that his room is in the same shape. Who the fuck would do this shit? She has nothing here that would be of any use to anyone. These items were things that she worked her ass off to get in order to provide a safe and loving home for her son.
Rage is boiling through my body as I look at the destruction. It gets even worse when I hear the shocked gasp from Renee downstairs. She lets out a pained cry that I’ve never heard from anyone in my life. Rushing down to her, I reach her and pull her into my arms as she starts to crumble to the floor.
“Why?” she asks, tears rolling down her face. “Why would someone do this to me? To us?”
“I don’t know baby. I’m gonna find out though and make sure they pay,” I say, trying to reassure her.
Looking up I see the rest of the crew walking through the door. Every single one of the girls looks around the house in disbelief. The men are standing there with anger and rage showing clearly on their faces. There will be hell to pay for doing this to Dylan and Renee. No matter what happens, no one fucks with our family. Kids and women are always left out of it. Some assholes just don’t get that concept.
“Shadow, you might want to come up here,” Killian yells down from upstairs.
Harley and Riley take Renee in their arms so that I can go see what’s going on. Walking into the bathroom off of Renee’s room, I see that whoever did this has left a message with one of her lipsticks. It’s been made to look like blood and there’s no holding me back as I read the words written on the mirror.
You’re not safe no matter where you go. I will find you and destroy you for your sins! The brat isn’t safe either.
As I run back downstairs, I tell everyone to load up and get the fuck out of here. It may not be safe, but I tell Renee to get on my bike. We need to get to Jennifer’s house right now. Melissa would call if anything happened to Dylan, but I need to see him with my own eyes. Once Renee is settled behind me, I leave and make my way toward the house our son is at.
Wayne is sitting on the porch when I pull up. He immediately stands up as if he can sense my urgency. Ignoring him, I grab Renee’s hand and run up to the door where I start knocking. No, I don’t want to wake the entire house up, but this is too important.
“Wayne, check out behind the house. Make sure that no one is lurkin’,” I say as I begin to pound on the door.
Melissa finally opens it, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Renee rushes in past us while I explain what happened at her house. We need to move Dylan to the clubhouse. It’s going to suck waking little man up, but I won’t rest with him being here.
Renee walks back to the door with a sleeping Dylan in her arms. I reach out for him, so she can gather up his things. Melissa goes in to help her so that we can get out of here. While they’re busy doing that, I move to Melissa’s car and put him in the car seat she has in the backseat. About the same time, I’m done fastening him in, the girls come back out and run to the car.
“I’ll follow you back. Don’t make any stops,” I say, looking at Melissa as they get in the car. “It will be okay, baby. We’ll find who did this and get the answers we need.”
The drive to the clubhouse is short and my mind wanders the entire time. Whoever is doing this shit is stepping up their game. We know they’re attached to Senator Andrews. There’s no reason for them to be singling out Renee though.
When we park at the clubhouse, I grab Dylan as Melissa and Renee follow me. Gage is waiting for us in the bar. After showing Melissa where she can stay, he tells me that we’ll talk in the morning. I walk in our room to see that Renee has Dylan in our bed. She’s almost sound asleep with him in her arms. After undressing, I climb in bed with them and wrap my arms around them. I kiss the top of their heads and make a silent vow that I will stop this madman from doing anything else to hurt my family.
Chapter Ten
Renee
SHADOW WAS UP BEFORE DYLAN AND ME. I’M not sure where he had to go so early, but he’ll be back soon. If he were gonna be gone all day long, he would’ve woken me up to say goodbye. Honestly, I’m surprised I slept at all after walking in to find the house trashed. It was a wake-up call for me that this person isn’t going to stop. If anything, they’re stepping up the threats. And it’s not just Dylan I have to worry about. There’s a new little life that I have to protect too.
Dylan wakes up and puts his hand on my arm to let me know. After helping him go to the bathroom, we get dressed and make our way out to the kitchen for breakfast. Riley and Darcy are already in there eating when we walk in. So, I fill our plates with eggs and toast before joining them. Dylan sits next to Axle and they dig into their food without a care in the world. Man, I wish I could be like them. Forget about everything that I saw last night and the fact that Dylan and I are effectively homeless. I won’t take him back to a house that has been breached the way ours was.
“Are you okay?” Riley finally asks, putting her hand on my arm in a silent show of support.
“With everything going on, I’m better than I could be. I’ve gotta talk to Shadow about where we go from here though. I can’t take our son back to that house,” I answer, knowing that everything is going to change so much in the next few months. Hopefully Dylan doesn’t have a hard time making the adjustments.
“We’re all here,” Darcy says, setting her cup of coffee down before really looking at me. “So, congratulations are in order. Is that why you weren’t drinking last night?”
“It’s part of it. I really don’t even have one drink if I know I’m going to be driving. Now, I can’t drink for the next nine months.”
“You don’t have morning sickness or anything?” Riley asks me, taking a bite of her eggs.
“Not really. I was feeling nauseous, but that’s about it. I didn’t really have it with Dylan either,” I answer, taking a sip of my orange juice.
“You’re lucky as hell,” Darcy answers, turning her attention to the boys.
We make small talk as we watch the boys eat and finish our own meals. Just as I get up to take care of our dishes, I watch as Shadow walks in. He grabs a cup of coffee before placing a kiss on my lips. I get lost in the moment before the girls clear their throats to remind us that other people are in the room with us.
“Got a favor to ask girls,” Shadow says, setting his cup down on the counter without taking a sip. “Can you keep an eye on Dylan for a little bit. I need to show my girl somethin’?”
“I’m sure you do,” Riley says, teasing him before nodding her head yes.
“Let me get my coat and I’ll be ready,” I say, thanking the girls as I leave the room.
Shadow follows me in the room and waits at the door for me. Once I have it on, we make our way out the back of the clubhouse and I see houses in the distance. There are two houses standing there that I’ve never noticed before.
As we walk closer to the houses, I’m getting more and more confused about what we’re doing. My line of thinking is that the houses were built for the domestic violence programs. It makes sense to have some houses inside the club’s fence for added protection. They’re not close to the clubhouse so the women and children coming here won’t hear any parties or anything like that. If something happens to one of the kids or anything, the club is right there. And, the women can get to know one another and realize that they aren’t alone in the situations they’re breaking free from.
The closer we get to the houses; the more nervous Shadow becomes. He starts fidgeting and looking everywhere but at me. What the hell is going on? I’ve never seen him nervous. He’s always confident, secure, and most of all, in control of his emotions. I’ve barely seen him lose control when he’s pissed. I’m sure he has, but it’s never been when I’ve been around. Seeing him nervous is kind of unnerving. Something big must be happening if he’s acting like this. Or, maybe he’s decided that Dylan and I aren’t what he was looking for after all.
“What’s goin’ on Shadow?” I ask, not being able to take the suspense anymore. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Doc. I have somethin’ to show you and I want you to like it. It’s a big step and I don’t know that it’s what you and Dylan are gonna want,” he finally answers, stopping before we come to the first house.
“Okay. Well, there’s gonna be a lot of big changes happening in the next nine months or so. I’m not exactly sure how far along I am right now,” I respond, trying to get him out of his own head. “Just tell me what’s going on and we’ll face it together. Are you not happy about the baby?”
“I’m excited as fuck about the baby!” he tells me, letting me know that it’s not the reason he’s nervous.
“Okay. Then show me what you want to. We’ll go from there,” I say, taking his hand in mine so that he can draw strength from me for once.
“Let’s go then,” he finally says. Shadow doesn’t release my hand as we walk up to the first house. “This is where I’ve been when I haven’t been with Dylan and you. On top of trainin’, workin’ my day job, and workin’ on the other houses, I’ve been buildin’ this for us.”
I look up at Shadow and see that this is why he’s nervous. He has no clue if this is something that I’m going to want with him. Tears fill my eyes as I know without a shadow of a doubt that James ‘Shadow’ Patrick is the man for me. He’s given up time away from us and his family so that he can surprise me with this house. A house that he doesn’t even know if I’m going to want with him.
“Thank you. Thank you so much for everything that you have done, and continue to do, for our family. You give so much of yourself. Can we look inside?” I ask, my hopes rising with the thought that he built this house for us with the love he feels. This is how he’s showing it.
“Let’s go,” he says, walking up on the porch with me.
The front of the house boasts a wraparound porch with a few rocking chairs already sitting on it. As soon as he opens the front door and we step in, I see that there’s an open floor plan. The kitchen leads to the dining room and living room. In the kitchen, there’s an island with bar stools that separate the dining room from it. There’s a small hallway leading away from us and to the opposite side of the house. But there are two main features that capture my attention immediately. In the living room, there’s not only a fireplace with the stone from the mantle going all the way to the ceiling. But, there’s a set of French doors off the back of the living room.
I practically run over to them so that I can open them wide to see what’s out back. There’s already a grilling area and a patio set up. Off to the side, I see yard toys for Dylan. Including a swing set. It sits between the two houses that are built. As I turn back around, I find myself plastered against Shadow. He’s been following me around since we walked in the doo
r.
“What do you think so far?” he asks, his nervousness still at an all-time high.
“I love it so far. How about you show me the bedrooms?” I ask, wanting him to take me to bed.
Shadow finally gets a sexy smirk on his face before grabbing my hand again. He leads me up the stairs where I see six doorways. All the doors are closed. He starts opening the doors as we walk down the long hallway. The first two doors are bedrooms that really aren’t decorated yet. We come to the third door that shows a huge bathroom. Dylan is going to have a field day in the tub. It’s a garden tub that he’ll be able to swim in right now. The last three doors amaze me and make me fall even more in love with Shadow.
Dylan’s room is the first door that he opens. It’s decorated in different shades of blue. There’s a mural on the way depicting cars and blocks; his two favorite things at the moment. Of course, there’s a motorcycle or two in there as well. A toddler bed sits against the one wall and it’s already made with new blankets. A closet is on the opposite wall and it’s already filled with clothes and a few pairs of shoes. The best part is that there’s brand-new toys sitting in a toybox.
The room across the hall from Dylan’s is a nursery. It’s painted in soft gender-neutral colors. The only thing in the room so far is a crib, rocking chair, and toybox. All three are handmade and in a light color. Carved in the end of the crib is the Wild Kings colors and there’s a motorcycle painted on the wall above the crib.
“How did you do all this so quick?” I ask, tears streaming down my face.
“Well, even though you just found out that you were pregnant, I knew that eventually we’d have more kids. So, I talked to Pops when I started buildin’ the house. He’s done this for everyone in the club that’s havin’ a baby. I just didn’t know we’d have use for it so soon,” he says, shoving his hands in his pockets as his nervousness comes back out.