Bear
After we learned more about Spade, Thumper, and Ratchet, I’d asked Surge to dig into their backgrounds a bit more. The last thing the club needed was the damn Feds nosing around the Hades Abyss. If they were tracking those men, and knew they’d come here, there could be problems. I knew Fox already spoke with the Raging Demons’ President and settled the issue with their club. Finding out all three men were once undercover agents had gone a long way to smoothing things over. In fact, they’d said we did them a favor.
I pushed Piper’s wheelchair as we made our way through the St. Louis Zoo. Cordelia bounced with excitement and made a huge deal out of every exhibit. I found it cute as fuck, and I could tell Faith did too. I pushed Piper up to the railing so she could watch the elephants. One stood in the water and kept using his trunk to spray water everywhere.
Piper lifted the little digital camera I’d bought her this morning and snapped a picture. Turning her chair, I motioned for Cordelia and Faith to come closer.
“Let me see the camera, Piper. Need a shot of my three girls in front of the elephants.”
A woman with four kids slowly approached. “I couldn’t help but overhear. Would you like me to take a picture of the four of you? I know how hard it is to get a shot of the entire family.”
I gave her the camera and went to stand behind Faith. The woman snapped the photo and gave the camera back to Piper.
“Thank you,” I called out to her. She smiled and waved before herding her kids in the other direction.
“What animal do you want to see next?” Faith asked.
“Bears!” Cordelia clapped her hands. “I hope they have a lot of them.”
“Piper? What animal are you most looking forward to seeing?” I asked.
“I like bears too, but…”
“But what?” I asked.
“I’d like to see the hippos and I heard there’s an aquarium.” She glanced at Cordelia. “But the bears sound fun. Why don’t see those first?”
Faith looked at the map. “We’re in the River’s Edge right now. Looks like hippos are here, but so are Andean and Malayan Sun bears. I don’t see why we can’t visit both before moving to another area.”
“Any food on there?” I asked, my stomach growling loudly.
“We could see whichever bear is just ahead, then backtrack to the cheetahs. Food isn’t too far from there, then we can see the other exhibits before we exit this area.” Faith folded the map and tucked it back into the pocket of her dress. “Does that work for everyone?”
“Fine, but you need to feed this bear,” I grumbled.
Piper snickered. “All right, Papa Bear, but it clearly says not to feed the animals.”
“Watch it.” I playfully tugged her hair before pushing her chair again. Because of her shoulder wound, I didn’t want her trying to wheel herself around, and Faith didn’t need to strain herself. Besides, I enjoyed helping our oldest in her time of need.
Since I hadn’t known whether the other places we’d visit would have a wheelchair we could rent, I’d purchased one. I’d gone to two local pharmacies, Walmart, and finally found one at the hardware store, of all places. It wasn’t spectacular, and I’d bought an extra cushion for it, but it would do for now. And the club would have access to one if we needed it again in the future.
By the time we made it to the food, I was ready to eat everything on the menu. Then I saw my wife’s face. She frowned as she stared at the selection, and I knew she was thinking of all the grease and fat. I’d already told her I wasn’t going to eat healthy while we were on vacation, but I had a feeling I’d be paying for it later. Every cheeseburger I consumed probably meant I had to eat a salad when we got home. If my brothers knew my current thoughts, they’d laugh their asses off. But honestly, I liked having someone worry about me.
“Everyone get whatever you want. We won’t eat again until after we leave the zoo. We’ll stop somewhere for dinner on the way to the hotel.”
“No, we’ll go shower and change before we eat anywhere,” Faith said. “I’m not going to sit down somewhere smelling like we rubbed ourselves all over the smelly animals.”
Cordy rolled her eyes. “Like anyone is going to say something in front of Daddy. You could probably throw up on someone’s shoes, and they’d take one look at him before apologizing for being in your way.”
I covered my mouth so I wouldn’t laugh. That girl was something else. She’d really opened up and come out of her shell since being kidnapped with her mom. I’d told Faith that our youngest had grown up a lot that day. Running for help had been good for her, even if it had scared her shitless.
We got our food and sat at a nearby table. I helped Piper stand and sit on one of the benches so she could take a break from being in the wheelchair. Once I had her settled, I made sure everyone had what they needed, then dug into my food.
“We should probably rest in the mornin’, then check out some other places around lunch or just after,” I said. “I think we’re going to be pretty wiped out after walkin’ around this place all day.”
Faith reached up to touch her face, and I knew she was checking her makeup. One of the old ladies had told her about some stuff to cover her bruises. I had to admit, it worked really well. I’d have been fine without her hiding her wounds, but I knew she felt self-conscious about it, and worried someone would think I beat her.
“It’s fine,” I told her, reaching over to pull her hand down.
By the time we finished, and I had Piper back in her wheelchair, I had to admit I was ready to call it a day. Not my girls, though. Nope, if anything, Cordy seemed to have twice as much as energy as before. I kept an eye on Faith and Piper, not wanting either of them to overdo it today. The moment they seemed exhausted, I’d call a halt to the zoo visit. It wasn’t like we couldn’t come back some other time.
Piper took pictures of every animal we saw, including some of our family. We found a few other people willing to take pictures of all four of us, and by the time we left, even Cordelia looked tired.
“Did everyone have a good time?” I asked as we loaded into the truck.
“Yes!” Cordy smiled widely. “It was the best day ever! I can’t wait to see what we do tomorrow and the day after.”
Thanks to the renovations on the house, we’d be in St. Louis for at least another three days. Fox said to stay longer if that’s what we wanted to do, and I rather liked having this time with my girls and not worrying about club business. At the same time, I wouldn’t mind sleeping in my own bed again sometime soon.
“Since your mom doesn’t want to smell like the zoo, we’ll go to the hotel so we can shower and change. Then we’ll decide where we’d like to eat. I think after dinner, we need to call it a night. You girls can stay in your room and watch TV if you aren’t ready for bed.”
Faith leaned into me to whisper. “Not very subtle.”
I lightly swatted her ass. “Don’t care.”
Since this was our first family vacation, I’d splurged a little and gotten a two-bedroom suite. We even had a small living area and a mini kitchen. Mostly, I’d wanted to have some alone time with Faith. If we’d had to share the same room with the girls, I knew I’d have blue balls before we went back home. Not that Faith and I were having sex every day. Still, it was nice to be intimate with my wife when we were both up for it. Hell, even just holding her at night, and being able to talk to her without the girls overhearing was enjoyable.
In fact, we’d had such a pleasant time, I wanted to do this at least once a year. Maybe not come back to St. Louis for the next trip, but there were plenty of places within driving distance. I wanted my little family to experience all the wonderful things they’d missed out on. For that matter, I hadn’t done fun shit like this either. All my traveling had been either for the military or club business. Having time to relax and enjoy my family was something I planned to do as often as possible.
Faith
We’d only been home from St. Louis for two days when Bear said the entire family needed to head to the clubhouse. He’d explained before there would be family days. It still felt odd going to the same building where the men screwed random women. As a mother, I wasn’t sure how I felt about my children entering the place.
Bear put his arm around me before we went inside and tugged me against his side. “What’s botherin’ you?”
“This is where all the parties are, right? With random women, alcohol, possibly even drugs or at least cigarette smoke.”
“Well, yeah, but none of that will be goin’ on tonight. It’s family only. Prospects scrubbed the place down.” Bear eyed the building. “Why does all that matter right now?”
“You’re asking our teenage daughters to enter a place where men have sex with strangers, get intoxicated, and who knows what else goes on in there. It doesn’t seem wrong to you?” I asked.
Raven and Fox came up beside us, and I saw her looking at the building with a disgruntled expression. “I never thought about it before, but she’s right. Should we take our daughters into a place where women are treated like whores? We’re basically saying the place needs to be cleansed before it’s okay for them to enter, but it’s perfectly fine for y’all to treat women like something to be used when your kids aren’t around.”
“You two are about to open up a can of worms you don’t want to touch,” Bear said. “I get where you’re comin’ from, but what do you suggest? Put up an entirely different building just for family days? Tell the single guys they can’t cut loose at their own compound anymore?”
“Looks like I’m calling Church tomorrow,” Fox said. “For tonight, come inside and hang out with the club.”
Bear held me back when the others entered. I wondered if he was angry over what I’d said. At least if he was going to get upset with me, he made sure not to do it in front of anyone. We hadn’t had a fight yet. I knew it wasn’t realistic to think we’d never disagree about anything.
“Faith, you and the girls went in there just fine when you met the other families. What changed?”
“I heard about Roe.” I turned so I was facing him. “I know she’s not a child, but she’s someone’s daughter. It made me wonder how I’d feel if something like that happened to Piper or Cordelia when they were older. If your club wasn’t known for being with any woman who walks through their doors, would Roe have gotten hurt like that? The Raging Demons wouldn’t have been able to use her against the club.”
Bear nodded. “You’re right, in some ways. Yes, our lifestyle here gave them an opening, and they used it, hurting an innocent girl in the process. For that, I’m truly sorry. She didn’t deserve that, and poor Cotton feels like shit about the entire thing. But we aren’t law-abiding men, Faith, and the single guys have every right to party and screw whoever they want. No woman here is forced. They walk through the doors on their own.”
“And Roe?” I asked.
“Why don’t we go inside, and you can ask her yourself?” Bear nudged me toward the door. “She’s here.”
I looked behind us to tell Piper and Cordelia we were going inside, only to realize we were alone. I hadn’t realized they’d gone in with everyone else earlier. I let Bear guide me into the building, and he took me straight to a table in the back, where a young woman sat. One I hadn’t met before. This must be Roe.
“Roe, this is my wife, Faith. She’s been worried about you,” Bear said, pulling out a chair for me.
I sat and Raven came to join us. It wasn’t long before our men brought drinks and a plate of food, and I noticed Cotton did the same for Roe, a blush staining his cheeks. Interesting. I wondered what happened between the two of them while I’d been on vacation. Roe flashed him a smile and said thank you before focusing her attention on us again.
“You have questions. Everyone has.” Roe folded her hands in her lap. “First, I should tell you a little about myself. My name is Roe Wagner, and I’m an orphan. I never knew my parents. According to the state, someone abandoned me at a hospital the day I was born.”
I placed my hand over my heart, pain piercing me at the thought of never knowing where she’d come from. I knew her parents must have had a reason for leaving her there. At least, I hoped they hadn’t done it simply because they were selfish. While I couldn’t imagine dropping my kids off somewhere and walking away, I knew there were moms out there who did so in order to give their children better lives.
“I’ve never found out who my parents were, or why they left me. I bounced around the foster system for a while. When I was eleven, a retired teacher adopted me. She was older, but she gave me a good home. Taught me to think of others and give back to the community. I loved her.” Roe smiled, but I saw the sadness in her eyes. “She passed away when I was nineteen. Left everything to me, which wasn’t much, but it’s allowed me to live without stressing over where I’d live.”
“She sounds like a wonderful person,” I said.
Roe nodded. “She was.”
“How did you get tangled up with the Raging Demons?” Raven asked.
“Two women approached me. Claimed to know who my father was.” Roe took a sip of her drink. “The women said my father was part of this club. He’d gotten someone pregnant, and the woman had died giving birth to me.”
I shared a look with Raven. “I don’t know about all the men in this club, but if it had been Bear, he’d have never let go of his child.”
Raven pressed her lips together. “It’s not just him. So, Roe, if you really are the child of someone here, they didn’t know about you. I can promise you that much. Did those women say who it was?”
“No. But they gave me my mother’s name, which is something I hadn’t had before. I looked into it before deciding to come here. Her name was Mary Mathis. While I couldn’t dig deep enough to figure out who she’d been seeing, several people who’d known her confirmed she’d been pregnant and had been seeing someone at this club.”
“How did they get that information? And why?” I asked.
“I didn’t think to question them about it,” she admitted.
Raven stood and glanced around the room, then waved Surge over. His brow furrowed as he approached. “Something wrong?”
“Did you know about why Roe came here?” she asked. “Don’t tell me you couldn’t figure out who her dad is, not with your skills. So who is it? Have you told them yet?”
Surge cleared his throat and stared down at his boots. “It’s complicated. When I started digging, I realized Roe’s father has more than one kid, and he isn’t aware of either of them. I haven’t known how to handle it.”
“Did you tell Fox?” Raven asked, then gasped. “Wait, is it my Fox? Is he her dad?”
Surge shook his head. “No, it’s not an officer. And neither is her half-brother.”
“Oh, crap!” My eyes widened. “Are you telling me her dad’s other kid is part of this club, and neither of them know about it?”
“Right. Now you see why I haven’t said anything yet.” Surge rubbed the back of his neck. “And when he finds out Roe is his daughter, I worry about what he’ll do to Cotton. It wasn’t Cotton’s fault since he was drugged too, but…”
I motioned for Bear to come back over to me. He knelt beside my chair and took my hand. “You all right now?”
“I’m fine, but we have a problem. Do you know the name Mary Mathis?” I laced our fingers together. I knew it wouldn’t have been Bear, since he couldn’t have children. “Was she dating someone at this club twenty-two years ago?”
Bear went completely still. “Are you telling me Mary Mathis is Roe’s mom?”
I nodded. “Surge said it gets worse. Whoever the dad is, one of your club brothers is also his kid, and neither of them is aware of it. Do you know who it is?”
“Marauder dated a much younger woman back then. Name was Mary. Sweet girl. He didn’t bring her to the clubhouse more than twice because he could tell it made her uncomfortable. They dated for a few months, then one day, I never heard any more about her.” Bear stood and pointed at Surge. “And you knew and didn’t say anything?”
Surge held up his hands. “Bear, I didn’t know how to tell him! Not only about Roe, but also…”
“Who?” Bear demanded.
“Iron,” Surge muttered. “Roe’s half-brother is Iron. They’re both Marauder’s kids.”
A chair fell, slamming into the floor so loud it made the entire place go quiet. Surge turned and paled when he saw a large man glaring at him from the next table, fists clenched. I looked around the room and spotted Iron. He stared at the floor and stood so still I couldn’t even tell if he was still breathing. Had we spoken louder than we’d realized? It seemed he’d heard us.
“I think the cat is out of the bag,” I said.
“I have a son and daughter?” Marauder asked. “And you didn’t fucking tell me?”
“I didn’t know how!” Surge backed up a step. “I wasn’t keeping it from you on purpose. Neither of your kids knew either.”
I leaned into Bear so I could whisper to him. “How old is Iron?”
“Thirties. Marauder would have been in his twenties when he fathered him, which meant he either hadn’t been patched yet, or was a new member of the club. I had no idea who Iron’s mother is,” Bear said.
“My mother was a piece of shit who didn’t care if I ate as long as she got her next fix,” Iron said. “If I had to guess, she was probably a club whore. She went by Bunny.”
Marauder nodded his head. “Yeah, I remember her. Didn’t know she’d gotten pregnant. Same for Roe’s mother. Neither of them ever said a word to me. I’d have never let them keep my kids from me.”
Roe stood and slowly approached Marauder. “Then all of this was worth it. If it means I finally get to meet my dad, and get a brother too, I’d do it all over again.”
Marauder pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight, then held his hand out to Iron. The other man stared at Marauder and Roe before walking out of the clubhouse. It looked like he wasn’t quite as thrilled over finding out he had family. I hoped, for Roe’s sake, he would come around.
“You like causin’ trouble, don’t you?” Bear whispered.
“It’s not my fault!” I leaned back in my seat. “It’s Surge’s fault for keeping it a secret.”
Raven stood. “Faith brought up a good point before she came inside tonight. She asked why we had family nights in the same building where our single members party. I think we just learned that Iron was conceived in this building, and I’m not sure how he’s going to feel about this structure for a while. I know if it were me, I wouldn’t want to step foot inside here. I propose we build something new for family nights.”
I released Bear’s hand and got up. “I second that!”
“Third,” Colette said.
“Fourth.” Violeta smoothed her hair back. “I’ve never liked what happens in this building, not after all I suffered before coming here. I know Luciana doesn’t care for it either. We want a new building, one that hasn’t been tainted.”
“Pres, you going to let the old ladies run wild like this?” Shooter asked. “Since when do they make the rules?”
“As a father whose daughter was drugged and raped in this very building, I agree with the women,” Marauder said.
Cotton staggered back a step, all the blood draining from his face. I knew Marauder’s words had hit him hard. Even though I hadn’t spent time with him, if I’d learned anything it was the men here were honorable. I didn’t think rape was something any of them would ever be guilty of.
“Cotton was a victim too,” Roe said. “Please don’t ever say that again… Dad.”
“I think this family night is over,” Fox said. “Church in the morning. Be here by nine o’clock. We have a lot to discuss.”
“Any kids who want to hang out longer can come to our house,” Spider said. “They can take over the living room and kitchen for another hour or two. Play games, watch movies. Whatever they want.”
Everyone filed out of the building, and I saw Piper and Cordelia heading off with Marianna. I hadn’t meant to start a revolution, but maybe it was time for some things to change. I only hoped Bear wasn’t furious with me for opening my mouth tonight.
Bear
Several of my brothers already had a beer in their hands. I’d opted for coffee. While I’d been a little upset with Faith for stirring shit up last night, she’d only voiced her opinion, and it happened the other old ladies agreed. The night was meant to be a celebration. Fox had her property cut, and I’d wanted to give it to her at the party. Then everything went to hell.
Marauder took a seat, looking like he’d last slept a century ago. I noticed Cotton kept glancing at him, then quickly looking away. It made me wonder if the two had exchanged words after everyone left. Iron wouldn’t look at anyone. Apparently, he was still sore over finding out who his dad was. Or maybe the way he’d found out was the most upsetting. The old ladies shouldn’t have pushed as much as they had. I didn’t know how Fox was going to react, especially since one of them had been his.
“I think we’re all here,” Fox said. “First, I’d like to apologize to Iron and Marauder. They shouldn’t have found out about their relationship like that. Second, I already informed Surge I’m docking his cut on future jobs by five percent for the next three months. He should have come to me the moment he found a connection between Marauder, Iron, and Roe.”
“And the women?” Shooter asked.
“Raven shouldn’t have spoken up the way she did last night. However, it seems all the old ladies feel the same way about the clubhouse and the activities here. We all know the women enter those doors of their own free will. Even Roe came because she wanted to. What happened to her is another matter entirely.”
Cotton cleared his throat and stood up. “I’d like to offer my own apology. Dread ran some tests and it showed both Roe and I had been drugged, however, I’m still the one who robbed her of her innocence. I’m sorry, Marauder, if I’ve offended you or your family. Roe is a sweet girl. I’ve offered to claim her, but she said no.”
“You asked her before coming to me?” Marauder glowered at him.
“She’s the one I wronged,” Cotton said. “And it’s her life. I won’t force her to remain with me. She stayed at my house those first few days before returning to her own home. I invited her to family night, in the hopes of showing her we weren’t so bad. Then it blew up in my face.”
“The club will make reparations to Roe,” Fox said. “She’s welcome to attend family events anytime she wishes. After all, she’s both the daughter and the sister of patched members of this club.”
“She doesn’t blame any of us for what happened,” Cotton said. “We’ve talked quite a bit since she woke up at my house after the incident. I’ve never met anyone like her. She’s like an angel.”
“Back to the old ladies,” Fox said. “They brought up a good point. There’s a lot that happens at the clubhouse, things I don’t want my daughter involved in. No matter how much the place is cleaned before family events, we could miss something.”
“Yeah, like a used condom,” Rocket said. “One of the kids found one last night. I didn’t bring it up then, but I trashed it and made them wash their hands thoroughly.”
“So the idea of having a separate building for family events isn’t bad. I think it’s time we make some changes to the compound. Bear has a family now, with a third kid on the way. Several of us have at least one child, if not more. I know we’ve made a few changes in the past, but it’s time for more. The area near the pond would be good for the new building. We could include a deck that overlooked the water. Maybe put some fish in there in case anyone wants to catch them.” Fox looked around the table. “Any objections?”
“So the clubhouse would be strictly for Church, club parties, and the Prospects?” Shooter asked.
“Yes.” Fox held up his hand. “Everyone in favor, raise your hand.”
The vote was unanimous. We discussed the logistics for a few minutes before Fox steered the conversation in a different direction.
“Roe got hurt because we allow anyone eighteen and up to enter the compound for parties. Well, any women. We do have some regulars, but there’s a few new faces every night. That needs to stop. We can’t risk anyone else getting hurt.”
“What do you suggest?” I asked.
“Ask the regulars if they’re willing to sign something. A non-disclosure agreement of sorts. Whatever happens at the clubhouse, stays at the clubhouse. If they’re caught lying to a brother, or trying to manipulate the club, they’ll be dealt with. But in addition to that, I want at least five or six women available. The same ones every night.”
I ran my hand down my beard and thought it over a moment. I understood what he was trying to accomplish, but I didn’t think it would work quite the way he’d planned.
“What about four or five who live outside the compound but come here on the nights they’re up for a party. We can still have them sign something, and make it clear they’re the only ones allowed to enter until they decide they’re done and want to move on. But I propose we also find two or three girls to live at the clubhouse.” I noticed several brothers sat up straighter. I had their attention for sure. “They could keep the place clean, entertain the single brothers, and they’d be here any time of day someone needed to blow off steam. In exchange, they get a roof over their heads, free food and drinks, and maybe a little spending money.”
Rocket leaned back in his chair. “The only women I can think of would be those who are struggling and need those things. Wouldn’t we be taking advantage of them?”
“They’d be here voluntarily. And if they want to learn some skills to better their lives later, then we make those arrangements for them. Help them get their GED if they didn’t graduate. Let them take some online classes for some sort of certification.”
“I know someone who would take that offer without hesitation,” Knox said. “If this is something we’re doing, I’ll ask her about it. I can vouch for her. She’s a good kid. Only twenty, but she’s had a hard life.”
“Everyone in favor?” Fox asked. Every hand went up again.
“I was going to present Faith with her cut last night, but that didn’t work out. I know we didn’t take it to a vote. Since she instigated some of the issues last night, I want to make sure every brother here is all right with her getting her property cut. She’s my wife either way, so she’s not going anywhere.”
“But she wouldn’t have the respect of being an old lady like the others,” Rocket said. “Are you sure?”
“As the Sergeant-at-Arms, I can’t look the other way when my woman causes trouble. If her punishment is that the club won’t accept her as my old lady, then so be it.” I just hoped like hell I could explain it to Faith without breaking her heart. But I also needed to make sure I respected my brothers, and I felt like they needed this.
“All in favor of Faith being Bear’s old lady, raise your hand,” Fox said.
All but Shooter’s hand went up.
“Since only one is opposed, I don’t see an issue with her being your old lady,” Rocket said. “What about you, Pres?”
“I say the motion passes.” Fox stood. “Let’s take a break. I have a few more things to discuss, like jobs that have come up, but we can do that in an hour.”
Everyone left, except the officers. Fox crossed his arms and stared at me.
“What?” I asked.
“You took a big gamble at the end there.”
“I did, but it was necessary. If the club didn’t feel like Faith deserved the property cut, I’d have honored their wishes. And now that I know only Shooter has an issue with her, I can keep an eye on him.”
“Sneaky bastard,” Knox muttered.
“Go see your wife and kids,” Fox said. “And give her the damn cut already!”
I stood and made my way outside. It looked like I had my orders. I took the cut out of my saddle bag and stared at it a moment. Seeing Faith wear this would fill me with pride, and probably make me twice as possessive of her. I only wished I had way to add a layer of protection to my girls.
I’d talk to Fox about it. Maybe we could at least get them a T-shirt or something.
I rode my bike home and when I pulled into the driveway, Faith came out onto the porch to greet me. I carried the cut over to her and slipped it over her shoulders.
“You’re officially mine in the eyes of the club. You need to wear your property cut whenever you leave the house.”
She ran her hands down it. “Like the one Raven had on? And the other women?”
I nodded. “Except yours says Property of Bear.”
“Can you tell me anything about what you discussed today?”
“Nope. You’ll find out things when the other women do. And some stuff you’ll never hear about. That’s how it will always be, Faith. Can you handle that?”
“I can.” She reached up to cup my cheek. “I trust you, Charlie. And… I love you.”
I pulled her to me. “Say that again.”
“I love you. I’ve known it for a while now. It was my one regret when Spade took me. I’d never confessed my feelings to you, then I got too scared you’d not feel the same way. So I kept silent when you found me.” She went up on her tiptoes and kissed me. “But I’m not hiding it anymore. I love you, and I want everyone to know.”
“Love you too. Even when you’re being a pain in my ass.”
“If the two of you are finished, can we eat lunch?” Piper yelled from inside the house. “Preferably before I lose my appetite.”
“Shut it! I’ll kiss your mom whenever I want, and you’ll deal with it. Don’t like it? Don’t watch.”
Faith giggled and hugged me tight. “Thank you, Charlie. For loving me, the girls, and just for everything. I’m so glad you followed Piper that day. Meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to us.”
“No, sweetheart. The three of you are the best thing to ever happen to me. I was lonely as hell before you came here. Now I have the family I never thought I’d have.”
Cordelia popped her head outside. “Can we eat? Please? I’m going to die of starvation.”
“We’re coming. Go set the table.”
“Yes, sir!” She took off, and I smiled down at Faith.
“What’s that look?” she asked.
“Just happy. Really damn happy.”
She whispered in my ear. “You can show me how happy you are later. I woke up needing you, and the feeling has only grown.”
“If the girls weren’t waiting for lunch, I’d take you to the bedroom right now. Tonight, you’re mine. I don’t care if the girls need earplugs, or have to go spend the night somewhere. I want to hear you scream the house down.”
Her cheeks flushed as she turned to walk into the house. I had to be the luckiest man on the planet. Walking into the kitchen, I saw the baked chicken, brown rice, and salad on the table… and quickly amended my statement. My evil wife and kids were going to kill me with healthy shit.