by A. M. Myers
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything cuter,” someone says and I turn toward the cottage, smiling at the dark haired woman in the doorway. Her gaze moves to me and she smiles. “You must be Quinn.”
“I am. It’s so nice to meet you,” I tell her, holding my hand out but she bypasses it and wraps me up in a hug as the warm scent of apples and cinnamon surrounds me.
“Come on in,” she urges as she pulls away and turns to Lucas. Brooklyn pops her head up, with her thumb still in her mouth, and stares at Iris, who smiles at her. “Hello, gorgeous girl.”
Brooklyn smiles around her thumb and Iris lets out a chuckle before glancing back at Lucas.
“You look good with a baby on your hip, kid.”
He peeks over at me with a grin. “You hear that, babe? I look good with a baby on my hip.”
“She’s not wrong,” I answer, fighting back a smile. My stomach growls, drawing the attention of everyone on the porch and Iris backs up toward the door, ushering us to follow her.
“Come on, y’all. Pizza got here just before you did.”
Lucas wraps his free arm around my waist as we step into the cottage. “Iris isn’t much of a cook,” he whispers and she turns to glare at him.
“I heard that.”
“Tell me I’m wrong.”
She sneers before turning back toward the kitchen and he laughs, pulling me into his side.
“Maybe if you’re lucky, you’ll even get to hear the Christmas ham story.”
“Oh, Christ,” she calls from the kitchen as a cupboard slams. “You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”
“Riz, we could have demoed a house with the thing after you got your hands on it.” He laughs and she steps out of the kitchen with plates in her hands as she glares at him.
“So you say. Personally, I think it wasn’t that bad.”
“It broke a knife!” he exclaims, pulling me closer and I laugh as Iris rolls her eyes.
“You keep heckling me, boy, and I’m gonna kick you out on the front porch with no pizza.”
He nods. “Okay, you win.”
“Finally. Y’all sit down and I’ll be right back with the pizza. Quinn, I hope you like pepperoni.”
“Sounds good,” I tell her and she flashes me a smile before disappearing into the kitchen as Lucas and I sit down at the table. I turn to him and hold my hands out. “Here. You want me to take her?”
“Naw, baby. You relax; I’ve got her.” He places her in his lap, facing the table and wraps his arm around her belly to keep her secure and my heart warms at how good he is with her. I reach into my bag and pull out the little container of fruit, crackers, and cheese I brought with me for Brooklyn’s dinner and set it out in front of her. As soon as the food hits the table, she leans forward and snatches up a quartered grape before popping the piece into her mouth.
“Mmm,” she hums and I smile as Lucas laughs.
“Is that good, pretty girl?” he asks her as she shoves another piece of grape into her mouth. I glance up and notice Iris watching us from the opening to the kitchen with a soft smile on her face and tears in her eyes. She dashes them away before motioning for me to be quiet as she steps into the room.
“Here we go,” she calls and sets a box of pizza down in the middle of the table. I grab a slice of pizza and slip it onto a plate before setting it in front of Lucas.
He smiles and leans over to kiss my cheek. “Thanks, sweetheart.”
“You’re welcome.” A blush creeps up my cheeks and when I glance across the table again, Iris is watching us with a wide smile on her face.
“You know, when Lucas told me he was bringing a girl home, I knew you must be special but seeing the two of you together is something else. You’re so good for him,” Iris says.
I peek over at Lucas as I fight back a smile. “You didn’t like his other girlfriends?”
“Honey, he’s never brought another girl home. You’re the first and that alone earns you some major brownie points.”
“Told you, Quinn,” he whispers in my ear. “I’m all in.”
I pull back enough for our eyes to meet as I try to discern what that means. Does he mean that he’s all in for the long haul with not only me but my daughter, too? Or is he just trying to say that he’s ready to kick things up a notch? Am I ready for that? He offers me a reassuring smile as my head swirls with questions.
“Mamamamama,” Brooklyn babbles, drawing my attention down to her.
“How old is she?” Iris asks and I push back all my questions as I look up at her and smile.
“Thirteen months.”
Iris smiles at Brooklyn, who watches her carefully. “She is just adorable and so sweet.”
“Thank you.”
“Excuse me if this is too bold, but I wanted to tell you how brave I think you are for raising her on your own. I know how hard it can be,” she says, glancing over at Lucas with a fond smile. I nod, darker memories threatening to resurface.
“Thank you. She makes it all worth it.”
She nods. “I hear you there. I never thought I’d end up with two young boys but I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
“All right, y’all. Enough mushy stuff. I’m starving,” Lucas says, grabbing his slice of pizza and biting it in half as Iris laughs at him and grabs her own slice of pizza. The conversation flows easily as we eat and we sit around talking and laughing until Brooklyn falls asleep in Lucas’s arms. As I watch her snoring on his broad chest, I know that he’s stolen another little piece of my heart.
Chapter Ten
Lucas
“Morning,” Chance mumbles as I sink into the chair next to him with a steaming cup of coffee in my hand. I nod in agreement as I bring the mug to my lips and take a deep breath. Quinn, Brooklyn, and I stayed out at Iris’s until almost midnight before I drove them back to their house and crashed at the clubhouse. Chance crosses his arms over his chest and sinks into his seat before letting his head fall back as his eyes close. He and Moose had an equally late night working a job and I’m surprised he’s even awake at this hour.
“Got plans today?”
He shakes his head. “Nope, just couldn’t sleep.”
Before I can ask him why, the sound of yelling echoes down to the bar from upstairs and we both glance toward the stairs.
“Alison!” Storm roars, his voice booming through the clubhouse and anyone who is still sleeping upstairs won’t be for long.
“Oh, hell,” I mutter. Ever since Alison found out she was pregnant, Storm doesn’t like to leave her alone so when we have work to do that goes into the night, he makes her sleep at the clubhouse, which means for the past few months, we’ve all had front row seats to their frequent fights. It would make all our lives so much easier if just one of them was a little less stubborn than the other but unfortunately, they are pretty evenly matched.
“Go fuck yourself, Logan,” Ali calls as she waddles down the stairs, her belly hindering her tantrum. Storm is right behind her, his brows drawn together as he glares daggers into her back.
“Don’t walk away from me, Kitten. This conversation isn’t over.”
Ali scoffs. “Yes, it is.”
“Fucking hormones,” Rooster, one of our new prospects, whispers under his breath from across the table and I glance at him with an incredulous look. If Alison heard his comment, she’d rip him a new one and that’s tame compared to what Storm would do to him. Dude does not play when it comes to his lady. I kick his chair under the table and he jerks up before turning to me with wide eyes.
“Get up, prospect.”
He stares at me for a second, like he might argue, before he scrambles up. As soon as his seat is free, Alison slips into it and I shake my head as he trudges over to one of the couches in the corner. Ali glares over her shoulder as Storm comes up behind her and crosses his arms.
“You wanna do this here then?”
She spins in her chair and crosses her arms over chest, matching him as she stares him do
wn. “No. I’ve already told you my answer and that is the end of the discussion.”
“Like hell it is, woman.”
Ali arches a brow before turning to face me with a smile on her face. “Smith, you’re coming to the baby shower, right?”
“Uh,” I mutter, my gaze flicking to Storm as he continues looming over Ali’s shoulder. He nods and I turn back to her. “Sure. When is it?”
“The twenty-ninth.”
I nod and sip my coffee. What the hell do you even do at a baby shower? I bet Quinn would know…As soon as her face pops into my head, I’m fighting back a smile. I just saw her and Brooklyn last night but I already miss both of them. Maybe I should stop by her office later and take her to lunch…
“Holy shit,” Ali gasps, drawing my attention back to her. At some point, Storm picked her up and claimed her seat before positioning her in his lap but I couldn’t tell you when.
“What?”
A wide grin stretches across her face. “You met someone.”
“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” I answer and Chance laughs.
“The fuck you don’t. I’d know that dumbass look anywhere.”
“What’s her name?” Ali asks, ignoring Chance’s comment and I sigh as I glance across the table at her. She’s not going to let this go.
“Quinn.”
“And how did you meet her?” she asks, practically bouncing in Storm’s lap. He casts an annoyed glance in her direction as he places a steadying hand on her belly that she ignores.
“Uh…Watched a truck run a red light and slam into her car.”
She gasps. “Is she okay?”
“Yeah,” I answer, nodding. “She had some internal bleeding and they kept her in the hospital overnight but she’s good now.”
“Oh my gosh, that’s so scary. But leave it to one of y’all to woo a woman right after coming to her rescue.”
We all chuckle as I shake my head.
“It didn’t quite happen like that but you’re not wrong.”
“Well, you should bring her to the shower. I would love to meet her.”
Bringing the mug to my lips, I shrug. “I don’t know. We’re taking things slow.”
“Yeah, right,” she snorts. “When has that ever happened?”
“She needs to take things slow.”
Understanding crosses her face but before she can say anything, the phone rings and we all turn to look at it. Chance looks over his shoulder at Rooster, who is passed out on the couch.
“Prospect!” he yells and Rooster jerks up, looking at us through heavy eyes. “Phone!”
Rooster gets up from the couch and grabs the phone off the bar before handing it to Chance with a scowl. Rooster, or Dalton as he was known before he came to us, has been prospecting for the club for the last five months or so and honestly, I’m not sure how well he’s working out. Most of the time he’s an all right guy but lately he’s had an attitude anytime he has been asked to do anything but I suppose this is the reason for only taking him on as a prospect. All the brothers need to be sure that he’s got their back one hundred percent before we patch him in.
Chance catches my gaze, the hard look on his face getting my attention before he turns to Storm and hangs up the phone. “We gotta go.”
“What’s going on?” Storm asks and he shakes his head.
“Not one hundred percent on the details but we need to go meet someone at a hotel on the edge of town.”
“Who?”
He shakes his head. “A woman named Morgan and her two kids.”
“And she didn’t say what’s going on?” I ask, adrenaline already pumping through my veins. I’d really like to know what we are walking in on, though.
“No, just that she needs our help.”
I nod as I stand. “Just the three of us or should I go wake up Moose?”
“Just us. She didn’t sound panicked on the phone so I think she’s safe for the moment.”
“Rooster,” Storm barks as he stands and Rooster straightens as he meets Storm’s gaze. I fight back a grin because at least someone can get Rooster to show some respect. “Keep an eye on my girl.”
“I can take care of myself, Logan,” Ali grumbles and he whips around to face her. She matches him, getting right in his face with an arched brow. He cups her face and pulls her close before whispering something to her and whatever he said, makes her melt. She nods and reaches up on her toes to kiss him before heading back up to their bedroom.
“Man, I thought for sure she was gonna rip your nuts off this time,” I mutter as the three of us head out to the parking lot and he grins.
“That was just foreplay.”
I groan and pick up my pace. “I really need to get my own place.”
“You could probably borrow Kodiak’s cabin since he’s living with Tate now,” Chance says before flashing a grin. “Then again, you might be moving in with your own girl soon.”
Truthfully, I would love to spend more time with Quinn and Brooklyn but I know she still needs more time and I respect that even though it sucks.
“Naw, I don’t think so. We’re taking it slow, remember?”
He laughs. “Ali was right, brother. We don’t do slow - especially when we find what we want. Shit, look at Storm now. That broody motherfucker was a brick wall before Ali walked into his life.”
“I’m still a goddamn brick wall,” Storm grumbles and Chance laughs.
“Sure you are, pussy.”
I laugh as I nudge Chance. “Like you’re any better these days. As far as I can tell, I’m the only one of the three of us that still has his balls.”
“You sure about that?” Storm asks and Chance nods.
“Yeah, you looked like quite the smitten kitten back there.”
I shove both of them as I reach my bike. “Shut the fuck up.”
“Don’t forget your helmet, Sweetie,” Chance calls in a high-pitched voice as he swings his leg over his bike and fires it up. I flip him off as I start my bike.
“Assholes.”
Despite my objections, I can’t help but think that a world where Quinn and Brooklyn are my everything doesn’t sound so bad. I mean, look at Storm, Chance, and Kodiak. I’ve never seen them happier or more at peace than when they met their ladies. And there’s no doubt in my mind that Quinn does that for me. She’s the only place of refuge in the raging storm that is my life. Shit… Now I just need to convince her of that.
As we pull out of the parking lot, my mind drifts to last night and the look in her eyes when I pushed her up against the car. It was only supposed to be a cute, somewhat sexy moment but the fear in her gaze was so real for a second and that was all it took to really drive home the fact that she’s been through something terrible. I’m fucking dying to know what happened, who hurt her, and possibly fix it if I can - not that I have any idea how I would do that - but I want to. I want to give her the whole damn world and do anything it takes to keep her in mine.
We pull into the parking lot of the motel and park in front of room fifteen. I glance up just as someone peeks through the curtains in front of me. She locks eyes with me and the terrified look on her face reminds me why the club does what we do. What would happen to this woman if we weren’t here to help her? How long could she hide out in this motel until whoever she’s running from came looking for her? Where would she go?
“Come on,” Chance says, climbing off his bike. “Let’s go find out what we’re dealing with.”
Storm and I follow his lead and after climbing off our bikes, trail behind him as he approaches the door to room fifteen and knocks. Before he can even finish knocking, the door opens a crack, hindered by the chain as a woman peeks up at us.
“Morgan?” Chance asks and she nods.
“Chance?”
He nods and she closes the door in his face as the sound of the chain sliding pierces the door. When it opens again, she steps back to allow us into the room. Her gaze warily flicks to the parking lot until she closes the
door behind us again and locks it.
“Have a seat,” she murmurs, indicating to the two chairs positioned on either side of a round table on one side of the room. A little boy and a girl with dark hair are cuddled together in one bed and Storm and I sit on the edge of the other bed as Chance and Morgan sit in the chairs.
“Why don’t you tell us what’s going on?” Chance urges quietly, trying not to wake the kids. Morgan sucks in a breath and nods. When she glances down at her hands in her lap, I notice the bruise circling her entire wrist.
“Um… it’s my husband. He’s on these meds but he stopped taking them last week and then last night, he just lost it…” Her voice breaks and images from my past come rushing back. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and force them back before opening my eyes again. Storm nudges me and flashes me a concerned look but I shake my head. The guys know all about my past but it’s not something I like to talk about.
“Did he hurt you?” Chance asks and Morgan nods, holding her wrist out.
“Yes, but you have to understand that he never would have done this if he hadn’t stop taking his meds.”
Storm sighs. “And you have to understand how often we hear things like that. There’s no excuse for him hurting you.”
“I know that,” she whispers, tears filling her eyes as she looks past us to where her kids are sleeping.
“Did he hurt the kids?” I ask and she shakes her head.
“No, thank God. They were sleeping through the whole thing.”
Chance reaches across the table and gently grabs her hand. She jumps. “What is it that you want us to do?”
“I need to get him to the hospital so they can get him back on his meds.”