by Erin Osborne
Another knock on the door has us stopping our conversation. Joker walks over to the door and lets in the rest of the guys. Slim is leading them all and he makes a beeline for Grim and Glock. Keira laughs at him, knowing he’s about to turn to mush. Shy is close on his heels, but she at least says hi to my girl. Wood and Killer surround Keira on the bed and talk to her while everyone else surrounds the guys holding the babies.
Stepping back, I take in the scene before me. Once again it hits me how much family Keira and I truly are blessed with. The guys are laughing and joking, including my girl, and talking about my kids like they’re the greatest thing on Earth. In my eyes, they are the greatest and I can’t wait to watch them grow and learn. These men and women will be by our sides the entire time and they’ll help us guide them to become the adults they are meant to be.
~~**~~
It’s been a long day and the last of the guys have finally left the hospital. Well, Wood and Killer are still here standing guard, but everyone else went back to the clubhouse. Glock wanted to stand watch too, but Melody and Anthony should be here in a few hours. He’s going to have all he can do to keep them at Slim’s instead of coming here.
“Are you okay kitten?” I ask, sitting on the edge of the bed while she nurses Kenyon.
“I’m more than okay. How are you daddy? Gonna have a heart attack yet?” she asks, a smile lighting up her face.
“You saw that huh?”
“I did. It’s gonna be okay ya know. They won’t ever hurt our children and you don’t have to be so overprotective. Especially of Cory. We got this and they’re going to help us along the way.”
“I know. I just don’t want to let them out of my sight. Especially with that fuck out there still. He’s gettin’ more dangerous and becomin’ a loose cannon.”
“We’ll all be fine. He won’t be able to get the kids when you take them out of Benton Falls and back to Clifton Falls with you.”
“Not up for discussion kitten. We got this.”
We sit in silence, each lost in our own thoughts. The main thought I have is that I will give up my life to protect the three people surrounding me right now. Looking down into my daughter’s sleeping face, my heart expands and I know I’m where I’m supposed to be right now. Life is perfect and I can’t wait to start living with my girl, son, and daughter.
Chapter Eight
Keira
It’s been two weeks and I’m just getting released from the hospital. I ended up getting an infection in the incision and Cory ended up getting jaundice. To say Blade flipped the fuck out is an understatement. He was right by her side the entire time she was baking as I call it. Now, we’re more than ready to leave this place and go back to something that resembles normal. Personally, I think Blade arranged for us to be in the hospital this long to give us a chance to be a small family without the threat of Jason.
“Slim will be here soon kitten. You ready to go?” Blade asks me, coming back in the room from checking on our girl.
“I am. I just want to get the kids dressed and then we’ll be all ready to leave.”
“They’ll be bringing Cory in here in a little bit. I got somethin’ for them though,” he tells me, bringing out a box.
I’ve heard that Ma usually gives outfits to any new babies born to members of the Wild Kings. I just didn’t think that it would happen with us because I haven’t been around. Apparently, it doesn’t matter to her though because Blade is a member. I can’t wait to see what the outfits look like.
Opening the box, I peel back the tissue paper and find the two most adorable outfits. For Kenyon there’s a pair of tiny jeans, with a onesie saying ‘Property of Blade’ under the Wild Kings patch. A blue hat is also included in his outfit and a small pair of little shoes looking like boots. For Cory, there’s a little jean skirt with a pink onesie. Her onesie says the same thing as Kenyon’s and the hat is pink instead of blue. Her little shoes are little dress shoes. The outfits are so cute and I instantly tear up at seeing them.
“I can’t believe she sent us these. It’s just because of you since I made the decision to come here instead,” I tell him, trying to stop the tears.
“It doesn’t matter if you were there or not kitten. Kenyon and Cory are Wild Kings regardless. Please don’t cry anymore.”
“These are happy tears,” I answer, slowly getting up to pick Kenyon up to get him dressed.
Blade helps me as much as he can but I’m still feeling independent and it’s hard for me to take the help. Kenyon stays asleep while I get him dressed before Blade puts him in his car seat. Now, we’re just waiting on Cory to be brought in to us so we can get her ready to go home. Well, back to the clubhouse at least because we don’t have a home to go to.
I must get a weird look on my face because Blade wraps his arms around me and pulls me into his body. I’ve definitely missed being wrapped in his arms since I left and it seems like he puts me as close to him as often as he can. Before long, he releases me and I know that we’re going to be having a conversation that I don’t want to have right now.
“Kitten, what’s with the sad look on your face?” he asks, kneeling in front of me.
“I just realized that Kenyon, Cory, and I don’t have a home to go to. We get to go to Slim’s clubhouse. And you’re going to be leaving soon to go back to Clifton Falls.”
“The kids and you are comin’ home with me kitten. When I go back to Clifton Falls, you’ll all be comin’ with me. I’m not leavin’ my entire world behind so you can try to do this with the help of Shy and the Phantom Bastards.”
“I know you mean that, but it’s just not a reality right now. You have to get back to your life and I have to move on here. Not that I’m going to be with anyone. You’re it for me.”
“That’s why we’re leavin’ together kitten. If I could make you my wife today, I would. I’m that serious about not lettin’ you out of my sight and out of my life,” Blade says, making me look at him to realize how serious he is.
“Then why don’t we do it?” I ask honestly.
“What? Get married?” he asks, shocked.
“Yeah. We don’t need anything fancy or big. We can just grab a few witnesses and get married in front of a judge. I don’t need to go all out babe. Later on, we can have a party for everyone, but I don’t even care about that.”
“You serious right now?”
“Dead serious,” is my only response.
I can see the wheels turning and I know that before the end of the day I will be married to Blade. I will be Mrs. Michael Branch. On one hand, I can’t wait for that to happen. But, on the other I’m scared shitless that he’ll get tired of me and realize that I’m not worth all the trouble. Or that he’s only keeping me close because of Kenyon and Cory. I guess when that day comes I’ll figure out how to deal with it and what to do from there.
“Slim just sent me a text and said he’s just pullin’ in. I told him to come on up while we’re waitin’ on our girl,” Blade tells me.
“As soon as they bring our girl in to us, we’ll be ready to leave. Can you go see what the hold-up is please?”
“Yeah, I’ll be right back kitten,” Blade responds before giving me a kiss and walking out the door.
I watch Blade walk out the door and stare down at Kenyon in his seat. He’s so tiny and fragile right now. I’m scared that I’m going to accidentally do something to hurt him and Cory because they are so small. This is just one of the fears that have gone through my head since I first found out I was pregnant.
Now, I need to focus on what we’re gonna need to do in order to get a marriage license so we can get married today. I wasn’t lying when I said I didn’t need anything fancy. The only thing I need is for Blade to be with me and want to stay with me for the long haul. It’s not like I have any family that I want there. And I know he doesn’t either. I’m pulled from my thoughts by a knock on the door.
“Come in,” I call out, thinking that it’s going to be Slim walking through the d
oor.
“Hey girl!” I hear Melody call out.
I’m speechless that my only friend in the world is here. I never dreamed that she’d be here with all the threats running rampant right now. Glock is crazy for letting her anywhere near me. Especially when I see Anthony poke his head in the door from behind his mom.
“What are you doing here? You need to be as far away from me as you can,” I ask, confused.
“There was no way I was staying away when my sister just had my niece and nephew. Glock knew this and allowed a few guys to bring me down.”
“But why? You know it’s dangerous,” I say.
“Like I said, you need me here. So, I’m here. Now where are these babies?”
“Kenyon is the only one in the room with us right now. Cory should be here shortly. Blade just went to see what the hold-up with her is.”
“Let me see the little guy,” Melody says, walking over to the seat Kenyon is sitting in.
Melody squats down in front of Kenyon and pulls his blanket back a little bit to see more of his face. She ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ over him while Anthony makes his way over to me. He hugs me and tells me that he’s been so excited waiting for me to get out of the hospital. Apparently, they’ve been here a few days and Glock made them stay in the clubhouse until today so Jason didn’t know they were here. I guess they got put on lockdown since they decided to come here.
“I’m not going to wake him up just so I can hold him. But when we get to the clubhouse, he’s so mine,” Melody tells me.
“Okay,” I respond, smiling. “Now, do you want the big news?”
“What can be bigger than my niece and nephew being here?” she asks, coming to sit next to me on the edge of the bed.
“Blade and I are getting married today. Glock and you can be our witnesses since we’re just going in front of a judge,” I tell her. Not giving her a chance to squeal just yet I add, “don’t tell anyone. It’s just going to be us and our witnesses. I don’t want a fuss and it’s not going to be anything extravagant. Hell, I don’t even want a party.”
“What? Oh my! You think I’m going to keep this to myself?” she practically screams.
“If you don’t keep it to yourself, I won’t let you be there Mel. I’m dead serious.”
“You’re serious huh? But why?”
“Because of everything going on. I don’t want to call attention to me, to us, any more than is already there. Jason is not playing around this time. So, please, keep this quiet.”
“Okay. I’ll keep it quiet hun. I’m not happy about it, but I’ll do it for you.”
“Thank you babe.”
Before we can say any more, Blade comes back in the room carrying Cory. She’s cradled in his arms and I know that he’s not going to be giving her up any time soon. Cory is going to be his little princess and he’s not going to let anyone get near her. Hell, other than feedings I’ll be lucky to get near her. That’s how overprotective he is already. It’s going to be real interesting when she gets older and discovers boys as being something other than gross.
Blade lays our daughter down on the hospital bed and unwraps her blanket. I have the outfit that Ma sent to her laid out already so he can just put it on her. If anything, he has been more hands on than I anticipated. I figured that I would be doing all the diaper changes, feedings, and getting the babies dressed all alone. Nope. Blade has been right by my side from the time they wake up until the time they fall back asleep. Even when they’re asleep he’s watching over them. I honestly don’t know how much sleep he’s gotten since they were born.
“Melody knows our news,” I tell him. “She’s keeping it a secret so Jason doesn’t get wind of it. Glock and she are going to be our witnesses. I figured that way she could be there for us, have a little piece of home there.”
Blade doesn’t say anything for a minute. A huge smile breaks out on his face though. “Love hearin’ that come out of your mouth kitten.”
“What?” I ask, confused.
“You callin’ Clifton Falls home. Means you’re ready to really go back with me and make a life together.”
“I told you I have been ready babe.”
“Until now, you weren’t truly ready though. Words are different than actions. I could tell by the look on your face that you weren’t quite ready. Now, you are. I’ll have to make some calls before we leave to make sure the house is ready for us.”
“The house Rage is building?”
“No. The little one I told you I was rentin’ until that one’s done and ready for us to move in.”
“Babe, we don’t have anything for the twins when we get out of here,” I say, finally realizing that we may not be as ready as I thought we were.
“Don’t worry about it. We got this covered,” Blade says, a smirk spreading across his face.
Obviously, he knows something I don’t know. There’s no way I’m going to get it out of him, so I leave it be for now. It’s only a matter of time before I find out what he’s hiding any way. Glancing over at Melody, I can see a similar look on her face. This only tells me that whatever is going on is big. It’s something I’m not necessarily going to like, but it’s already been done.
“Alright. I’ll let you two have your secret for now. If I don’t like it, I will let you both know.”
Their response is to laugh at me. Little do they know that I’ve gotten better at holding a grudge since being around Jason. I can go days and days without uttering a single word. Blade will be affected more than he realizes. Not only will I not talk to him, but I will move the babies and I to a different room and not let him in. He’ll be ready to go back to Clifton Falls in no time. Even if we are married.
“How are we going to get married today Blade?” I ask, switching gears while he finishes up with Cory.
“Got it taken care of. Made a call to Slim and he’s doin’ what he can to get us a license immediately. He knows a judge and has already called him too. We’re gettin’ married today no matter what kitten,” he says, making sure I know he’s serious about it.
“Okay babe.”
Blade
Keira has no clue that Melody brought all the gifts here that were supposed to be given at the baby shower. She put one together once she found out we were having a baby and just changed it up once I told her we were having twins. I’m sure that most of the gifts came from her and Glock, but he won’t care. Glock and I both know how close our girls are. We’re both willing to do whatever we have to in order to make sure these two girls stay as close as they are.
I finally have Cory buckled up in her car seat and I’m doublechecking to make sure we haven’t forgotten anything. Keira is moving to the wheelchair she has to be wheeled out in with the help of Anthony. He loves his aunt Keira so much and I’m glad that he made the trip with his mom. Not that she would leave him at the clubhouse with them being here.
“Let’s roll kitten. I’m more than ready to get out of here,” I tell her.
“Can I wheel you out?” Anthony asks her.
“You sure can buddy.”
“Yay! I promise not to run you into anything,” he responds, not hiding his excitement.
“I know you won’t.”
We all make our way out to the elevators and wait while it makes it way up to us. Anthony is talking a mile a minute and I’m surprised he’s not spilling the beans about the presents waiting for them. I may have gotten her a thing or two. And one definitely isn’t for Kenyon and Cory.
Glock is waiting for us in the SUV outside. Anthony and Melody climb in first so they can sit in the very back while we strap the car seats in the middle seat. Keira climbs in between them while I take the passenger seat. I imagine Keira’s pretty cramped so I’m glad it won’t take us more than ten minutes to get back to Slim’s. Glock tells me everything is set up and I know he means with the presents and little baby shower Melody decided to throw along with what we need for the wedding.
“How you doin’ back there, kitten?” I ask
, turning to look at me girl.
“I’m good. I can’t wait to get back so I can take a small nap before later on.”
“We’ll see what happens,” I tell her, not giving her any information.
Melody and Glock make small talk the entire ride so that Keira won’t be able to ask any questions. Anthony chimes in every now and then but Keira and I stay quiet. I keep looking back to check on her and see that she’s only paying attention to Kenyon and Cory. It’s going to be different now that we aren’t in the hospital. At least there the nurses would give my girl a break when she needed one. Now, it’s just the two of us. Yeah, we have the members of the three clubs to help, but I know we won’t take them up on it very often. We’re gonna want to keep them close to us.
Finally, we pull into the clubhouse and I can see the influx of cars and trucks in the parking lot. There’s definitely more bikes here too and I know that Keira is going to notice as soon as she takes her eyes off our children. Glock and I step out and open the passenger doors. We each take a car seat so that the other three can get out.
Keira still hasn’t looked up to see the full parking lot. At this point, I don’t know that she’ll notice anything until she walks through the door and sees everyone waiting for us. Anthony takes her hand as soon as he gets out and pulls her towards the door. He knows what’s going on and I’m honestly surprised he hasn’t spilled the beans to her yet.
“Aunt K, you ready?” he asks, just before opening the door for her.
“Ready for what honey?” she asks, looking at him.
“You’ll see. Let’s go,” he says, the excitement radiating from every part of his little body.
He finally manages to get the door open and I can hear all the talking inside stop. Keira looks up and takes in every member of the three clubs standing there waiting for us. Skylar, Bailey, Maddie, Darcy, Shy, Ma, and now Melody are in front of everyone. They want to be the first ones to embrace Keira and see the babies.