by Harley Wylde
“How long?” I asked.
“Do you mean when did the club know the two of you were --” Slash smacked Demon in the back of the head. “Together,” the Sergeant-at-Arms said.
“Yeah, when did you know Jared and I were together?” I asked.
Dingo gave me a half-smile. “Noticed it a few times, but didn’t think much of it. It was the day Demon branded that whore it really hit me the two of you had something going on. You were watching Shella, but Jared was watching you.”
“I’ve known for a while,” Outlaw said. “Caught the two of you a few times when you didn’t know you weren’t alone.”
I swallowed hard. “And none of you said anything?”
Grizzly reclaimed his seat. “Son, there are a few here who aren’t too happy about the fact you’re bisexual. As far as I’m concerned, as long as you refrain from any PDA that doesn’t involve your woman, then it’s none of our business. What you do in your own home is entirely between the three of you. But out here? The only kissing or groping had better be either with you and Zoe, or Guardian and Zoe. Am I clear?”
I nodded. “Crystal.”
I didn’t like the fact I couldn’t show how I felt about Jared, but the fact the club had given their blessing for us to be together would have to be enough. I knew the only reason they’d accepted the relationship was because it included Zoe. If we’d tried to make this work without her, we both might have been asked to leave. Then again, it seemed they’d known for at least several months, and yet we were still here.
“One more order of business,” Grizzly said. “Your boy. Luis.”
“I still need to ride down to Mexico and get him.”
“Or you could fly,” Slash said. “Getting your boy back isn’t going to be easy, so we called in reinforcements. You’ll have both Casper VanHorne and Specter at your side. I know Casper is mostly retired these days, but his name still strikes fear into most men. And it’s his jet.”
I tried to wrap my brain around that one. Two of the deadliest men I’d ever heard of, and they were going to help bring my son home? Why? I didn’t understand what they would get out of it. The question must have been written on my face because Slash decided to elaborate.
“Specter has a little sister, one who needs protection. While he’s more than capable, he still gets called away for long stretches on jobs. The club offered to keep her here.”
Grizzly snorted. “That’s one way of putting it.”
“You, Guardian, Outlaw, Dragon, and Dingo don’t have anything to worry about. You’re already taken,” Slash said.
“Taken. So, he wants one of us to what? Claim her? Marry her?” I asked.
“She’ll be staying here a few months,” Slash said. “During that time, Specter is hopeful one of us will decide to keep her. Permanently, in every way possible. He said the only way he’ll stop worrying about her is if he knows she’s protected. I guess a bodyguard wasn’t good enough.”
Blades rapped his knuckles on the table. “Count me out. I know China and I aren’t official, but it’s not because I don’t want to be. She’s still badly broken, even though she’s improved a lot. One of these days, I’m claiming her. Just don’t want to move too fast and scare her.”
“Count me out too,” Steel said. “Not getting leg-shackled anytime soon. If I want pussy, there’s plenty around here.”
Slash waved a hand. “Not an issue right now. Let’s wait until she arrives and we’ll play it by ear. I’m hoping some of our current guests will be gone before she gets here. Then she can use one of the apartments.”
“If not,” Griz said, “my girls can double up in a room for a short while and she can stay with me. We’ll figure it out. Dagger, the jet leaves in the morning at six o’clock. Don’t be late getting to the airstrip. Guardian is to remain here with Zoe. I’ll send a handful of men with you, but Casper said he had some contacts that would meet all of you in Mexico. One way or another, Luis is coming home.”
Griz banged the gavel. “Now get the fuck out of here!”
I wanted to hug Jared, to kiss him and tell him how proud I was that he’d patched in. Sadly, I didn’t even want to attempt holding his hand after we’d been told to keep any displays of affection behind closed doors. It fucking sucked, but at least we could be together without having to hide. I’d take what I could get right now.
“Let’s go home and share the news with Zoe,” I said.
Guardian grinned and gave me a nod. I had a feeling our woman was about to be even more tired. At least she’d have someone here with her when I left tomorrow. With some luck, I wouldn’t be gone too long, and I’d be bringing our son back with me.
“So, what do you know about putting together a room for a little boy?” I asked.
“You’re bringing our kid home and he doesn’t even have a room? When I’d heard you went shopping, I figured that had been part of it. Did you not order anything at all?”
I shrugged. I’d had other things on my mind. I’d honestly planned to have it handled, then I’d been distracted first by Zoe, then by Jared, and finally by both Zoe and Jared. No, not Jared. Guardian. It was going to be damn hard to remember to call him that in front of our brothers. When the others had patched in, it wasn’t an issue. But then, I hadn’t been sleeping with any of them.
“Let’s go home and figure everything out while breakfast cooks. I have a feeling our woman is going to need some nourishment.”
Guardian grinned. “Our woman. I like the sound of that.”
Yeah, I did too.
Chapter Ten
Jared
I’d felt the bed dip when Dagger got up, and I’d opened my eyes only to have him motion for me to stay in bed. Zoe was wrapped in my arms, and I had to admit I liked having her there. I could tell Dagger didn’t want her awake for his departure. Personally, if I were about to leave and go to another country for who knew how long, I’d want to tell my woman bye.
“She’s going to be upset when she realizes you’re gone,” I said in a whisper so as not to wake her.
“It’s for the best. If she cries, I don’t know that I can walk away. Always hated a woman’s tears, but when it’s Zoe I feel like my heart is being ripped out.”
I nodded, understanding completely. She might not have been ours for very long, but already I felt like she was part of us. Dagger might be married to her on paper, but she belonged to us equally, at least in the eyes of the club. I still couldn’t believe they’d accepted our relationship. I’d been scared shitless I was about to get kicked out.
“You’ll let us know you got there okay?” I asked.
“I’ll keep in touch as much as I can. I doubt I’ll have time to call you, the Pres, and keep up with everything happening. I’m hoping we get in and out pretty quick, but you know how that goes. If nothing else, I’ll keep Griz up-to-date, and you can keep in contact with him,” Dagger said.
I hated that I wasn’t going on the trip with him, but I knew one of us needed to stay with Zoe. She was strong, far stronger than she realized, but if we were both gone she’d likely worry herself to death. Just having Dagger gone would be bad enough. While we’d both fucked her last night, she seemed to have a better connection with him than with me. I knew it was because they’d spent more time together, and being left alone with her would help put me on equal footing a bit quicker, but I’d have preferred that he stay here.
Going up against the cartel was going to take some serious firepower. I knew he had backup, some seriously badass men, but it didn’t mean I wouldn’t worry about him. How the fuck was I supposed to keep Zoe calm if I was freaking out inside too? I couldn’t let her see that. I’d have to fake it the best I could, and keep her distracted. Hell, I’d need to distract both of us.
Right now, I didn’t feel like some tough biker. I was simply a guy worried about the man he was falling for, who was about to run off into a dangerous situation. I didn’t care what papers he had. The cartel wouldn’t give a shit if Dagger claimed
Luis belonged to him. Wouldn’t stop them from gunning him down, or worse.
“Be careful,” I said.
Dagger leaned over Zoe and pressed his lips to mine. “I always am. Keep her safe.”
“You know I will.”
He gave me a slight smile, then cast a tender look at Zoe. Yeah, I knew exactly how he felt. Having her between us was beyond amazing. I’d always thought it would be pretty fantastic to share a woman on a permanent basis with Dagger, but until Zoe had come into our lives, I hadn’t realized how great it would actually be.
The only thing more perfect would be having Luis with us. I’d never thought I’d have kids. It wasn’t that I didn’t like them, even though I had no experience with smaller ones, but I’d never figured I’d find the right person to raise a family with, much less find two of them.
“Soon as she wakes, I’ll take her out to find some things for Luis,” I said. “And yes, I’ll make sure we have some brothers or prospects with us. I won’t take any chances with her safety while you’re gone.”
“She’s not just mine,” he said. “She’s yours too.”
I nodded. I knew it, even though it still seemed a bit surreal. And it wasn’t only Zoe who was mine, but Luis would be as well. And any other kids the three of us had together. Wouldn’t matter if the kid had my DNA or Dagger’s. They’d have two dads, and I knew we’d love them equally.
After the shitty way we both grew up, I knew our kids would be spoiled. While there was still a lot I didn’t know about Dagger, a few times he’d talked about losing his family and not having anyone until finding the club. I’d seen the darkness in his eyes and wondered what was in his past that haunted him, and one day I hoped he’d share it with me. Until then, we had a new family, and a little boy we could dote on. Nothing wrong with that. Just had to make sure Dagger and Luis made it back in one piece. I’d never been one to pray, but I was tempted to start right about now.
“I’m heading out before she wakes,” Dagger said. His gaze lingered on Zoe, then he quickly kissed me again, before backing away. I watched as he gathered his stuff, cast one more look our way, then walked out.
With some luck, he’d be coming right back through that door within the next seventy-two hours, but I had a feeling that was just wishful thinking.
* * *
Zoe
I’d gone shopping with Guardian and two other men to pick out stuff for Luis’ room yesterday, which had been fun. Something told me Guardian had been trying to distract me from the fact Dagger was gone, or maybe we’d both needed the distraction. It felt wrong picking out items for our son’s room when Dagger couldn’t help. Although, if he were anything like Guardian and the others who had gone with me, he wouldn’t have been much help. It had been amusing to see the big tough bikers looking decidedly uncomfortable around all the toddler items.
Guardian sat in the middle of Luis’ room, his legs spread, as he screwed together the toddler bed we’d purchased. I had to admit, it was a rather sexy sight, and I suddenly yearned for another child. If my men were willing to go to such great lengths to not only bring Luis home, but make sure it actually felt like his home when he arrived, I could only imagine what they would be like with a baby we’d created together. But small steps. Although, if they didn’t start using condoms, we might very well end up with a baby sooner rather than later. I knew Dagger wanted a family, so I didn’t have any doubt he was doing it on purpose.
Having Luis here might change his mind. I hadn’t seen my son in so very long, but I knew young children could be full of energy and cause a bit of mischief. Our son could easily run us ragged, and make Dagger second-guess having a baby right now. Or maybe it would make him want one even more.
“Dinner is done,” I said.
“Just give me about fifteen minutes. If I stop in the middle of this, I may never remember what goes where. Last thing we need is the bed to fall apart the first time he lies down on it. That wouldn’t exactly make a good first impression on our son.”
Our son.
I stepped into the room and ran my fingers through his hair. It amazed me when Dagger and Guardian referred to Luis as their son. They’d claimed him, even knowing he wasn’t theirs and the circumstances behind his conception. It warmed my heart, and made me realize choosing to marry Dagger, and accepting Guardian as well, had been the right decision. I didn’t know if they would ever love me, but maybe what we had would be enough. We already shared a closeness, and they were affectionate with me. Maybe that’s all we really needed.
“You’re already so good to him and you haven’t even met him,” I said.
He glanced up at me. “Zo, he’s our son. Of course I’m going to be good to him. Doesn’t matter he’s not mine biologically. He’s part of you. You’re mine, so that means he is too. I know on paper it looks like you only belong to Dagger, and that he’s Luis’ adopted dad, but you both belong to me too. Doesn’t matter if it’s official outside these gates or not.”
I dropped to my knees next to him. He was right. I did belong to both of them, and so did Luis. My property cut they’d given me even said as much, but the ring I wore, and the papers with the US government, said I only belonged to Dagger. I wondered if that bothered Guardian.
“I wear my ring from Dagger all the time, but I’ll only wear the cut when I leave the house. It doesn’t feel right. As you said, I belong to both of you.”
He stopped what he was doing, frozen in place, and slowly his head turned toward me. “Are you saying you’d be willing to wear something to show you’re mine too?”
I ran my hand down his arm. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“Don’t move. No, better yet, come with me.” We got up and he walked into the guest room. Since Dagger had left so soon after making things official with us, he hadn’t had a chance to clean out any space for Guardian’s things, which meant they were currently scattered around the guest bedroom. He went over to a duffel on the floor and dug through it a moment, then withdrew a small velvet box.
I waited in the doorway, feeling almost as if I were intruding. He caressed the small box, looking lost in thought. Whatever was inside had to mean a great deal to him. It made me wonder where it had come from, or for that matter, where he had come from. I knew nothing about his past. Dagger had shared his with me, even though I didn’t think he’d told Guardian yet.
That wasn’t a conversation I wanted to be part of. I didn’t think Guardian would look at him differently, or refuse to be part of this family anymore, but the fact it had been kept from him wouldn’t go over well. He’d hated not feeling like an equal, and now that the club saw him as such, he would probably feel Dagger had betrayed him by not being completely honest.
Guardian came closer, the jewelry box clutched in his hand. His eyes were haunted and he hadn’t met my gaze yet. Was he about to share a part of his past with me? Would I finally learn something about him?
Even though we’d done things I never imagined doing with someone, and were officially a couple, I still felt like I didn’t know him. There were times I felt like Dagger was still keeping secrets as well. I knew it was possible I’d never know much about either of them, but I hoped over time they would trust me. They had to know I would never look down on them for the things they’d done, or any past sufferings. To me, they were strong, brave, and mine. That’s all that mattered.
“I grew up in foster homes,” he said. “When I was fifteen, an older woman took me into her house. I’d thought she’d be like all the others and I’d be on the move to a new location within a few weeks, or maybe a few months. She proved me wrong. She was strict, but fair. As a retired schoolteacher, she didn’t put up with anyone’s shit, but she also taught me that I could become anything I wanted as long as I put in the effort to get there.”
He opened the box and stared inside, but the lid blocked my view. It was small, so I thought it was probably a ring, but it could have been earrings or a necklace. I hadn’t exactly seen a lot of boxes shiny things ca
me in since I’d been too poor to buy anything like that, and I certainly had never had a man give me jewelry until Dagger had put a ring on my finger. When Guardian turned the box toward me, I saw a plain band inside. I didn’t know if it was silver, white gold, or something else. Didn’t matter. The way he held it told me it meant the world to him.
“This was her wedding ring. When she got sick, she removed it and placed it in this box, then gave it to me. She said since she’d never officially adopted me, there was a chance I’d never be given the ring when she passed. I was supposed to keep it and give it to the woman I married. Her husband had given it to her, and she said they had over fifty years together. She hoped I found that same happiness.”
“Her husband was already gone when you went to live with her?” I asked. He hadn’t mentioned him before so I assumed that was the case.
Guardian nodded. “She’d been a widow for two years when she decided to take me in. I was seventeen when she died. Bounced around to three more homes before I aged out of the system. Turned eighteen a few months before my graduation. My social worker made sure I had the tools I needed to graduate, and I worked some minimum wage jobs just to stay off the streets.” He smiled faintly. “I’ve made it to the age of twenty-seven without ending up dead in a ditch, so I guess that’s all that matters. And now I’m a patched member of the Devil’s Fury. As far as I’m concerned, I’m a success.”
I reached and placed my hand on his forearm. “I think she’d be proud of you.”
He nodded. “Maybe. Anyway, I’d be honored if you’d wear her ring, Zoe. As far as I’m concerned, you’re my wife too. There won’t ever be another woman in my life.”
Since Dagger had only given me a wedding band and not one of those sets with multiple rings, I held out my left hand. Both rings should fit on the same finger, as long as this ring was the right size. Guardian slipped it onto my finger, sliding it up against the band already there. A perfect fit.