“You have more money than I do.”
“I have more cash than you do. Your assets exceed mine by almost a million with your house, but yeah, we’re pretty equal in that regard.”
“Why do you live… here?” I demanded, then realized I sounded like I was insulting his home, which wasn’t nice. “I mean, not that it’s not a nice place and I’m so grateful for the safe space to be.”
He grinned. “Baby, it’s okay. I get it. Women want a home to settle in. I had that, but when it was ripped away from me, I couldn’t go back, so I packed it up and sold it. I kept a few things I couldn’t part with at Dad’s, but sold everything else and threw everything into stocks and bonds. Rabbit’s a fuckin’ genius with that kind of shit, so my money’s tripled a few times over. Not to mention, Jen’s life insurance that paid double because it was an accident. My business does well and since my dues cover my room here, and I really didn’t need more than a bed and place to eat, everything I needed was here, so here I stayed. I have no overhead, so I have next to no expenses. My bike’s paid for, and if I need to drive something else, I’ve got a couple loaners at the shop.”
“I’m sorry, honey. I didn’t want to sound like it was about money, because I really don’t care what you make. I love all of you, no matter what. It’s just all the crap I went through trying to keep Melody’s exes from taking her for everything she has was a nightmare, and I swore prenups would be airtight and signed before any of us got married. Jaxon signed his without any issue, so I don’t know why I would have thought you’d be a dick about it.”
“Probably because you thought I didn’t own a home and didn’t have a pot to piss in, so there was a possibility, no matter how much we loved each other, that it could go bad, and then everything you’d worked so hard for would be ripped away.” He stroked my cheek. “Much like when you were just starting out as a young woman and the chance of having a family of your own was ripped away in an instant.”
I blinked back tears. “How do you know how to put all of my feelings into words?”
He chuckled. “I’m the Lyric whisperer.”
“God, I love you.”
“Love you too.”
“You gonna marry me?”
“You haven’t asked me.”
He grinned, leaning down to kiss me. “If I ask you properly, are you going to say yes?”
“You better make it fast because I want a proper wedding before I start showing.” I tugged on the towel, releasing the knot. “For now, though, you’re going to do more of what you did this morning.”
Lyric
“OH MY GOD, Lincoln, why the hell didn’t you start with, ‘my dad’s coming for dinner’?” I admonished as we were laying in bed after he’d given me three mind-blowing orgasms.
“Because then this wouldn’t have happened.”
“Well, you’re right about that,” I grumbled, scrambling off the bed. “What am I going to wear?”
“Wear the silver dress you wore to girls’ night.”
I rolled my eyes. “That’s a little dressy.”
“Easy access to your pussy, though.”
“Oh my god, if you try to get at my pussy while your dad is here, I’m going to smack you.” I stepped into his closet. “I think I may have an old chastity belt in here somewhere.”
Doom laughed and leaned against the doorframe as I rummaged through my clothes.
“Wear what’s comfortable.”
“I need to go shopping.”
“We can do that this week.”
I bit my lip as I continued to throw fabric around the closet. “I should probably look for a car as well.”
“Do you know what you want?”
“Probably a Volvo,” I said distractedly.
“I’m good with that. I’ll start looking for one.”
I faced him. “I want a new one, though. Bells and whistles, Doom. I like bells and whistles.”
“You just totaled a 1992 VW Jetta, and you’re telling me you like bells and whistles?”
“It’s the only thing in my life that didn’t have bells and whistles,” I pointed out. “It was my grandma’s and she gave it to me before she died.”
“Ah,” he said. “Now I get it.”
I nodded.
“That’s why you held onto it for so long.”
“Yes.”
He smiled. “Okay, baby, we’ll get you a Volvo with bells and whistles. But I’m still gonna get you a deal.”
“I can live with that.”
“Wear the blue,” he said, pointing to the shirt in my right hand. “It matches your eyes.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
He stepped inside and kissed me gently. “He’s gonna love you. Trust me.”
I nodded. “I’ve never met parents before.”
“Never?”
I shook my head. “It’s never gotten this far before.”
“You love me, right?”
I smiled. “So much.”
“He raised me. Mom died when I was sixteen.”
“Oh, god, honey, I’m so sorry.”
“It wasn’t fun. He still wears his ring. Well, he did. I had to cut it off his finger today because the dumbass didn’t cap a live wire off before touching it.”
I grimaced. “Ouch.”
“Exactly. He still loves my mom, but he didn’t do what I did. He didn’t go into a dark hole and fester. I wish I’d taken a page out of his book a little sooner.”
I slid my hands up his chest. “If Ezra had lived, honey, you would have. I’m sure of it. If your dad had lost you and your mom, he might not have fared as well as you did. I mean, I couldn’t imagine losing you now, but I bet you were an amazing child.”
He chuckled. “I was hell on wheels.”
“Oh, I have no doubt about that.” I smiled. “But beautiful, nonetheless. I wonder how many girls had pregnancy scares after a night with you.”
“None. No glove, no love, baby.”
“Well, you were pretty quick to unpeel for me.”
He leaned closer. “And you and Jennifer are the only two women I’ve ever done that with.”
I couldn’t stop a quiet gasp. “Really?”
“Yeah.” Doom slid his hand to my neck and stroked my pulse. “Whether it was subconscious or not, I was just waiting for you to calm the rage in me.”
“You think so?”
He nodded. “I knew it the night I told you about Jen and Ezra. You pulled me back from the brink and I could actually breathe after speaking their names. That hadn’t happened before. It’s why I freaked.”
“Honey,” I whispered, searching his eyes. “I see you. I have always seen you.”
He smiled. “I know. That also freaked me the hell out.”
“God, I love you.”
“Back atya. I’m gonna go let Doc know Dad will need him to look at his hand real quick.”
“Okay. I’ll just be here freaking out about meeting your dad.”
He patted my butt with a laugh. “He’s gonna love you. Promise.”
Then he walked out of the room.
* * *
Doom never came back to the room, so I made my way downstairs once I was dressed and went looking for him. He was in the great room, talking to a man who had his back to me and I assumed this was his dad, but when he turned I just about had a heart attack. “Oh my god, Sterling?”
“Hey, sweetheart,” he said, opening his arms for me. “How are you enjoying the sunroom?”
I walked in for a hug. “Honestly, Booger uses it a lot more than I do.”
“You two know each other?” Doom asked.
“He pretty much rebuilt my house,” I said.
“Jesus,” Doom hissed. “You knew it was her all along, didn’t you, old man?”
Sterling shrugged. “Not a whole lotta Lyric’s in Savannah, bud, so, yeah, I figured.”
“You didn’t think to clue me in?”
“And miss seeing the look on your face right now? Not a chance in
hell.”
I bit back a smile as Doom turned to me. “And you. How did you not put two-and-two together that we were related? Just how many Marxx’s are there in Savannah.”
“I had no idea his last name was Marxx,” I said. “His company’s Sterling Restoration. He introduced himself as Sterling and I just figured he went by his last name or he was one of those cool guys that only has one name. You know, like Bono… or Cher.”
Even though he was obviously a little irked, he laughed. “Are your cool guy references really limited to Bono and Cher?”
I rolled my eyes. “Well, no, because obviously, I know Sterling.”
“Damn straight,” Sterling retorted. “Besides, Cher and that Bono fella aren’t together anymore. Didn’t he hit a tree or something?”
I glanced at Doom and we both burst out laughing.
“That was Sonny, Pop,” Doom explained. “And he wasn’t with Cher when that happened.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Rest in peace, Sonny.”
“You gonna let go of my woman, Pop?” Doom complained.
Sterling gave me a gentle squeeze. “In a minute.”
Doom was having none of that, taking my hand and pulling me gently away from his father. I chuckled. “There’s plenty of me to go around.”
“Like hell there is.”
“Hey, Pop,” Doc said, walking into the room. “Heard you were a dumbass.”
Sterling chuckled. “Guilty.”
“Come on back to my office and I’ll take a look.”
As they left, I wrapped my arms around Doom.
“You look gorgeous,” he said.
I wore a pair of faded skinny jeans and the dark blue, off the shoulder chamber top he’d suggested, along with a pair of blingy flipflops.
“Thanks, honey.” I smiled up at him. “But if I’d known your dad was Sterling, I wouldn’t have freaked out as much.”
He chuckled. “Baby, you freak too much about a lot of things you don’t need to freak out about. I’m learning it’s your process.”
“Oh, really?”
“Keeps you humble.”
“Dork.” I stood on tiptoes and kissed him. “I’m going to help the girls with dinner.”
“Okay.”
I walked into the kitchen and Willow was cheesing up some kind of casserole, while Jasmine was tossing a salad and Olivia was opening a bottle of wine.
“Can I help?” I asked.
“Can you grab plates, please?” Willow asked
“Of course,” I said, stepping into the pantry.
“Kids are eating,” Quin said, walking in just as I set plates on the island. “The guys have them, and I told them it’s going to take us at least ten more minutes to finish what we’re doing.”
“No, it’s not,” Willow countered.
“Yes, it is,” Quin said, flapping her hand toward the bottle of wine Olivia had just opened.
“Oh,” Willow said with a giggle. “Right. Yes it is. In fact, I should probably add more cheese and melt it on this mac and cheese.”
While Willow added more cheddar, Quin poured everyone else a glass of wine, and me a glass of sprite, then we toasted to the men who took care of our babies so we could hide in the kitchen and drink.
Once the mac and cheese was done, we started to carry things to the smaller table in the great room. It was just a few of us tonight and I liked that just fine, especially, because I got a chance to watch the dynamic between Doom and his dad, and it was amazing.
Their banter was easy, and they were obviously good friends, but Doom’s respect for the man who raised him was evident, and his southern raisin’ had been done right. I couldn’t wait to watch Doom with our babies, and I was so grateful they’d have a grandparent in their life.
Doom slid an arm around my waist and kissed my temple. “You good?”
I smiled. “So good.”
He went back to his conversation with Alamo and I focused on Kinsey who was telling me all about her day playing with Booger.
Lyric
TWO DAYS LATER, I gripped Doom’s hand as we walked into the restaurant after a day of shopping. He’d organized a dinner with Dalton Moore and his wife, because it was time to lock down a detail so that I didn’t feel as though I was imprisoned at the club.
I’d never met any of Doom’s friends outside of the club, and Dalton was both a friend of Jaxon’s and Doom’s. Dalton was actually a friend of several of the Dogs’. He seemed to have become an honorary member, although, Doom said if anyone said that, he might shoot them to keep it off the FBI’s radar.
The hostess led us to our table and Doom introduced me to Dalton and his wife, Andi. Dalton was tall, muscular and looked a bit like the Polo model in magazines. Andi was blonde and curvy and sassy as all get out. I loved her instantly.
“My sister and brother-in-law are in town,” Dalton said. “So I hope it’s okay if they join us for dessert. She’s dying for some downhome company.”
I grinned. “Fine by me. Where do they live?”
“Scotland.”
“Oh, wow. I love Scotland,” I said. “I’ve been a couple of times to visit Melody when she’s been performing. But, there’s really nowhere like Savannah, so I can understand wanting that downhome company.”
We took our seats and Doom slid his arm over the back of my chair, stroking my hair as we studied our menus.
Before the server came to take our drink orders, however, a rather frazzled woman came rushing in, her eyes focused on Andi. “Sorry, I’m late!”
“Fuck,” Doom breathed out.
The woman must have heard him because she looked his way and stopped so hard, she nearly fell flat on her face. “Doom?”
Doom stood and gave her an apologetic smile. “Hey, Aspen.”
She glanced at me, then him, then back to me. I rose to my feet and thrust out my hand. “I’m Lyric.”
She shook my hand, but kept her eyes on Doom. Then she pulled her hand from mine, stepped up to Doom, and punched him in the face.
“Oh my god!” Andi squealed. “Aspen!”
“Hey!” I growled.
She made a move to do it again, but Doom caught her wrists and dragged them behind her back. “Nope. Let’s go talk. Excuse us, everyone. We’ll be right back.” He physically walked her out of the restaurant, and I was left at the table, in shock, alone with his friends.
* * *
Doom
I led Aspen outside and down toward the water. She was crying now, but I could tell she was trying not to completely lose her shit.
“I have a lot to make up for,” I started.
“You’re an asshole.”
“I am.”
“Six years, Doom. Six.” She faced me, crossing her arms. “We were friends. Close friends. You fucking threw that away because I told you the truth.”
I dragged my hands down my face. “I know, sweetheart. There’s no excuse.”
“I know there’s no fucking excuse, Doom! That doesn’t make it right.” She slapped at her cheeks, the tears flowing freely now. “I miss you.”
“You could have called me.”
“You were in the wrong!”
I sighed. “I know. The whole thing was all kinds of fucked up.”
“I thought you were dead.”
“No you didn’t.”
She rolled her eyes. “You don’t know what I thought.”
I crossed my arms. “Babe, if you really thought I was dead, you would have stormed every funeral home in order to get the last word in or do something nasty to my corpse.”
Her mouth twitched and I could tell I’d hit a nerve.
She sighed, leaning against the railing protecting us from falling onto the rocks. “Who’s Lyric?”
“She’s the woman who saved me.”
“Aw, honey, did she really?” she rasped.
I nodded. “Not sure how it happened, but she did.”
Aspen’s eyes filled with tears again and she rushed me. I caught her, pulli
ng her close and hugging her as she wrapped her arms around me. “I’m so happy for you. Oh my god, you deserve to be happy. Finally.”
“She’s pregnant, Aspen.”
She pulled back and met my eyes. “No shit?”
“No shit.”
She grinned. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks.”
Pulling away, she wiped her tears. “God, she must think I’m a total crazy bitch.”
I smiled. “Obviously not enough to follow us out here and demand answers.”
“Is she good to you?”
“Better than I deserve.”
“You deserve a lot, Doom,” she said.
“How about you?” I nodded to her left hand which had a rock the size of Houston on it.
She smiled. “I met the man of my dreams and married him before he could run. I’m actually on my way to meet him.”
“You’re not staying for dinner?”
“No. I needed to drop something off to Andi, and get my arms around her since she just flew in. It’s our tradition.” She smiled. “I refuse to let more than twelve hours go before seeing her when she flies in, even if it’s just for a hug, then we set up a girls’ day.”
“I love that you make your friendships a priority, Aspen. I’m sorry I took that for granted.”
“Oh, you didn’t take it for granted, buddy. You broke it, then stomped the shit out of it.”
“Guilty.” I grimaced. “Will you forgive me?”
“Of course I’ll forgive you, you idiot. But you owe me.”
“I figured.” I smiled. “If you feel like you don’t need to hit me again, maybe we can go back in.”
“I’m good,” she said.
I rubbed my jaw. “You punch hard, woman.”
She grinned. “I was pissed.”
“Yeah, I got that.” I hooked my arm around her neck and pulled her to me, guiding her back into the restaurant.
* * *
Lyric
Doom and Aspen returned, their arms around each other and I felt a pang of jealousy, but like a good southern woman, I buried it deep. Even Andi looked a little embarrassed for me, and there was nothing worse than having someone embarrassed for you.
“Lyric, I’m so sorry,” Aspen said, taking her seat. “Doom had that coming and I’m sure he’ll explain why later, but let me just say, I’m so glad you two are happy. Congratulations on the baby.”
Quieting the Biker's Rage Page 13