Faith
The girls were staying with Spider and Luciana, which meant Bear and I had the night to ourselves. I’d laid out one of my new dresses, and I’d taken a shower. While Bear cleaned up and got ready, I curled my hair and put on a small amount of makeup. It had always bothered me, so I didn’t use it often. Thanks to Piper, I had a neutral lip stain I wouldn’t have to worry about reapplying. She’d also selected my blush and eyeshadow. I’d drawn the line at mascara because it made my eyes burn.
Once I’d finished dressing, I slipped on the property cut and admired my reflection. Bear placed his hands on my waist, and I thought we looked nice together. He’d put on a dark blue button-down shirt under his cut, and a newer pair of jeans. The soft lavender dress I’d selected made a nice contrast.
“Ready?” he asked.
“This isn’t necessary, Charlie. You know that, right? I’d be just as content eating at home.”
“The kids aren’t home tonight, and soon enough we’ll have a baby wakin’ us up at all hours. I want to enjoy a night with my beautiful wife and show her off.”
“All right. When you put it that way…” I turned around and kissed him before picking up my purse and going out to the truck.
The girls were peering out at us from one of Spider’s lower windows, and we waved to them. They’d smiled more since we’d met Bear than they had in the entire past year. I couldn’t wait to see them flourish in their new lives. Since the kidnapping, and then our impromptu vacation, we hadn’t had a chance to enroll them in school yet. I knew I wasn’t smart enough to homeschool them, but I planned to ask one of the other old ladies if they’d be willing to help the girls. Since the school year was close to being over, it would be better for them to take classes online. Then if they needed to work through the summer, they could do it from the house, and I wouldn’t have to worry about them being held back a year.
Bear rubbed the spot between my eyes. “Stop frownin’. You’ll get wrinkles, then you’ll look old like me.”
I swatted him on the arm. “You don’t look old. You’re distinguished, and sexy.”
“Long as you find me sexy, that’s all that matters. Don’t care how anyone else looks at me.”
He helped me into the truck and drove us to the restaurant he’d selected. The place had a small courtyard out front, with a fountain and a few benches surrounded by flowering plants. It looked charming and elegant. I also worried it would cost a small fortune.
Bear took my hand and led me inside. After giving his name to the hostess, she seated us at a table near a window. A small candle flickered on the table, and soft music played in the background.
“Do you like it?” he asked.
“It’s very romantic.” My cheeks flushed as I smiled at him. “Thank you for tonight.”
“You may have had a rough time of it before now, but I intend to treat you like a queen. Just remember, your actions also reflect on me. Around the compound, and when you’re in public, people will associate your words and behavior with either me or the club.”
I bit my lip and watched the candle flame dance for a moment. “Is this about what I said in regards to the clubhouse?”
“Yes, and backin’ up Raven when she demanded a new buildin’. She’s the President’s old lady, and he didn’t take kindly to her voicing her opinion the way she did. The fact all of you chimed in helped a little. But remember in the future to talk to me about that sort of thing in private, and I’ll bring it up to the club. I have a duty to protect you and our kids, but I also have to do what’s best for the Hades Abyss.”
I leaned in and lowered my voice. “Is this your way of scolding me?”
“Things are different with the Hades Abyss than they were with the Raging Demons. I know it will be adjustment. I’m not scoldin’ so much as remindin’ you of your place. It’s by my side, not behind me or under my feet, but as an officer of the club, my old lady needs to be mindful of certain things.”
“I understand, Bear. And I’m sorry if I caused any problems. It wasn’t my intention.”
He reached across the table, and I took his hand. He laced our fingers together, and the warm look he gave me sent butterflies rioting in my stomach. Whatever it took, I’d make sure he was proud of me. I didn’t like disappointing him, and I certainly didn’t want his club to get angry because of something I said or did. They respected him, and so did I.
“I love you,” I said.
“Love you too.”
Our server came over and handed us menus, then took our drink order. I didn’t see a single price listed, which worried me, but Bear didn’t seem bothered by it. I wondered if he’d eaten here before. After ordering, we talked about the girls for a little while.
“Surge is going to set the girls up for online schoolin’ to make sure they can move on to the next grade. He’s goin’ to do the same for Corvin, and Fox gave permission for a tutor to come to the club twice a week in case any of them need extra help. Just have to figure out where they’ll meet.”
“The girls are still sharing a room right now, and soon we’ll need a nursery set up. Otherwise, I’d suggest turning one of the bedrooms into a place where they could study.” I thought about the baby growing inside me. “I need to see an OB-GYN too.”
“We’ll get it handled, and get the girls situated, as well as get the nursery ready. Don’t stress over any of that, all right?”
“Time is running out, Bear. This baby will be here before you know it.”
“I’m going to clear out the other two bedrooms. Whatever I want to keep, I can store. Get one of those small buildings to stick out back. That way the girls each get a room, and so does the baby. As for where to study, the kitchen is pretty big. With our family expandin’, wouldn’t hurt to get a larger table.”
“Would you be all right with Corvin coming over to study with Piper? Or the tutor using our house for all three kids?” I asked.
“Don’t see a problem with it. We’ll buy new furniture and get those rooms ready this week.” He squeezed my fingers. “Can’t let Piper and the baby get all the new stuff. We’ll get rid of the bed in Cordy’s room and get her somethin’ else too.”
“You’re going to spoil them.”
“That’s the idea.” He winked at me.
The rest of dinner passed without issue, and by the time we got back home, I felt like a young bride on her wedding night. It didn’t make sense, since Bear and I had been intimate before. Didn’t stop the nervous flutter in my stomach though. I’d even bought a special nightgown for tonight.
“Will you give me a few minutes before you join me in the bedroom?” I asked.
“Whatever you want, Faith. Take your time. I’ll make sure the windows and doors are locked.”
I hurried to our room, then freshened up a little and brushed my teeth before changing into the silk nightie. It hit me mid-thigh, and the thin straps kept slipping off my shoulders. Staring at my reflection, I wondered if Bear would think I looked sexy. With my baby belly, I felt awkward and not the least bit graceful.
I turned down the bed and spritzed the sheets with some lavender linen spray one of the women had gifted me. The candle Bear had lit before was still in our room, and I searched for a lighter.
“My, my. Are you tryin’ to seduce me, wife?” Bear asked as he leaned against the doorframe.
My cheeks flushed, and heat flickered inside me. It seemed he liked the nightgown. The way he watched me, made my nipples harden.
“Maybe.”
“Let me take care of the candle. You get on the bed.”
I hurried to obey while he lit the wick, then removed his clothes and boots. He pinned me to the bed, his large body looming over me. In the past, such a move might have scared me. With Bear, I knew I was safe, and loved.
“You sure we won’t hurt the baby?” he asked. “I know it’s not our first time, but your belly seems bigger today.”
He wasn’t wrong. My baby belly popped almost overnight. Where I’d had a slight curve before, I now looked like I was carrying an NFL star. Either the baby had nearly doubled in size, or I’d been eating too much.
“It should be fine. Just be gentle.” I ran my fingers through his hair. “But then you always are. You treat me like I’m made of glass.”
He leaned down to kiss me, his lips brushing against mine. “Because you’re more precious than any treasure on earth.”
“Make love to me, Charlie.” I gave him a slight smile. “In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m not wearing panties.”
He gave me a soft growl, sounding just like the bear they’d named him for. Heat flared in his eyes as he reached for the straps on my shoulders. He pulled one down, then the other, until the top of the nightie slipped far enough to expose my breasts. The hungry way he stared at them made my pussy slick.
His lips found mine again, and as he drugged me with his kiss, I felt his cock sink into me. I wrapped my legs around him, hooking my heels over his thighs. He barely gave me time to breathe between kisses, and it felt like I was floating. The slow drag of his cock felt incredible, but every deep thrust made him brush against my clit. Little sparks of pleasure shot through me. I came, my pussy squeezing him tight, and still he didn’t stop.
Bear took his time, making me come again and again. He stroked in and out of me, slow and deep. My toes curled, and I begged for more. I’d never felt like this. Every time with him seemed better than the one before, if such a thing were even possible.
“Don’t stop. Please!” I clung to him, wishing the moment could last forever.
I met his thrusts, chasing another orgasm, and as I came, I felt the hot stickiness of his release. Bear’s chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath, and I tugged his beard until he came down for another kiss. He pulled out, then rolled to his side, holding me against him.
“Give me an hour or two and we’ll try again. But next time, I’m givin’ you three orgasms before I get inside you.” He kissed my forehead. “When we aren’t able to have sex for a while, I want you to look back and remember this night. Hell, one day, I won’t be able to get it up anymore.”
“Hush.” I placed my finger over his lips. “The sex with you is incredible, Charlie, but there’s more to being married than that. Cuddling like this, kissing, and holding hands are all intimate acts as well. There are plenty of ways for us to show our love to one another. If the time comes you aren’t able to have sex with me, we’ll have all these fond memories.”
“You’re only in your thirties, Faith. You’ll miss sex.”
I tugged on his beard. “Until you, sex was miserable and something I endured because I didn’t have a choice. Besides, I’ve heard of men in their eighties still having kids. I’m assuming that means their cocks still work, so there’s no reason to think yours will suddenly break in the next few months or years.”
“Such a smartass,” he muttered.
“I love you, Charlie. All of you. Yes, your cock is wonderful, especially the way you make me feel when we have sex. But if something happened and we could no longer have sex starting tomorrow, it wouldn’t change how I felt about you. What if the roles were reversed? If I were the one who couldn’t have sex, would you go find someone who could?”
“What kind of question is that?” he demanded.
“An honest one. If you wouldn’t be disappointed with me, or wish for another woman, why should it matter to me whether or not you can have sex?”
“You’re an amazin’ woman, Faith. I’m lucky you’re mine, and I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you never regret bein’ with me.”
“You’re the amazing one. Now kiss me.”
We cuddled in bed another two hours, kissing and holding one another. By the time the sun rose the next day, he’d made me come so many times I was sore. Silly man. Worried about nothing. I’d meant every word I’d told him, and I’d prove it to him every chance I had.
Bear
Two Months Later
I didn’t know how my wife hadn’t pulled out her hair yet. Even from outside, I could hear the kids arguing. Not just Piper and Cordelia. Nope, Corvin was here too, and seemed to be pissed as hell about something. The boy had a massive chip on his shoulder. I knew it would take time for him to realize no one here would hurt him, and that he could be a kid. But if he didn’t stop yelling at my daughter, I’d have to rethink the violence.
I opened the door and saw Faith lying on the couch, a washcloth over her eyes. She’d been getting a lot of headaches lately, and I knew the little shits in the kitchen weren’t helping matters any. I kneeled next to the couch and lifted the rag. She opened her eyes, and I realized how much pain she was in. Her face was paler than usual, and her eyes were much darker.
“How long?” I asked.
“The last hour. Maybe more,” she murmured.
“I’ll handle it.” I kissed her forehead before laying the rag over her eyes again. Then I went to the kitchen, ready to bust some heads.
Cordy stood and ran to me. “Daddy!”
“What’s goin’ on in here? Your mother has a headache and the three of you are makin’ it worse. You should be ashamed of yourselves.”
“Piper met a boy in town and had a milkshake with him. Corvin said the kid just wants in her pants. Then they started arguing and haven’t stopped since,” Cordelia said.
“What boy? When?”
Corvin stopped yelling at Piper and focused on me. “Sorry, Bear. I didn’t mean to hurt Faith. Piper let some preppy kid in town buy her a milkshake. The guy grabbed her ass, and she doesn’t see a problem with it.”
“I’m sorry, could you repeat that?” I asked, shooting my glare from him to Piper and back. What the fuck was going on when I wasn’t home?
Corvin said it again, and Piper pouted. Had the girl lost her damn mind recently? Corvin was a good kid. If he thought something was off about the other boy, he was probably right. He’d been protective of my girls, and his little sister, from the very beginning. The second he’d met the three of them, there’d been an instant bond between them.
“It’s just a kid from the local school, Dad,” Piper said. “You said I needed to make friends.”
“Friends, yes. Fuck boys? No.”
Piper gaped at me. “I can’t believe you just said that.”
Corvin grunted. “He’s not wrong. That kid is with a different girl every time I see him. He was toying with you, Piper, and you played right into his hands. And for what? Some ice cream?”
“I happen to like the milkshakes at the diner.”
“Then I’ll take you to get one whenever you want,” he said. “You don’t have to accept them from strangers who grab your ass! He’s a disrespectful motherfucker, and if I were fully healed, I’d have beaten him into the ground for such insolence.”
I liked the kid more and more. “Corvin is right. That boy clearly didn’t have any respect for you. Stay away from him, Piper.”
“Does Mama really have a headache?” Cordelia asked.
“She does. The noise in here hasn’t been helpin’ her any. I’m going to tuck her into bed, and I want the three of you to be quieter. Play a game or somethin’. Hell, go outside and get fresh air!”
“What kind of food does she want?” Corvin asked. “We could go pick up dinner, that way she doesn’t have to cook.”
“Thank you, Corvin. She likes bread and mashed potatoes right now. Just go somewhere to get a bucket of chicken and some sides with a fuck ton of biscuits. She may cry and hug you until you break.”
He smiled a little and took Piper’s hand. “She can come with me, right? I want to make sure I get the right stuff.”
“Yep. All three of you can for all I care, as long as you drive safely.” I pulled out my wallet and gave them eighty dollars. “Keep whatever’s left to put gas in the car.”
The kids left, but on the way out, I nearly laughed. I heard Corvin mumble to Piper, Your dad is fucking scary. There were days I saw hatred in his eyes, even if it wasn’t toward the club. It made me leery of what he might do in the future. He treated Luciana as if she were a saint and seemed to like Spider as well. And he doted on Marianna already.
I hoped he didn’t erupt someday. The kid hadn’t had an easy time of it, but then, no one at the Hades Abyss had. We’d all dealt with one type of pain or another. Most didn’t have families worth mentioning, except the ones we’d built.
I picked up Faith and carried her to the bedroom. After I eased her onto the mattress, I decided to join her. I pulled her into my arms and held her while she took a nap. The baby wasn’t due for another few months, but I’d noticed she’d been getting tired more frequently lately.
According to the doctor, she and the baby were fine. We’d decided to call him Jasper Charles Dupont. Or rather, Cordelia and Piper came up with the name Jasper, and Faith insisted the boy have my name as well. Of course, after I found out they named their little brother after a vampire, I nearly demanded they pick another one. Then I’d realized they might come up with something worse and decided to leave it alone.
“Kids picked up dinner,” I said when Faith opened her eyes again. I’d heard them come home about fifteen minutes ago but didn’t want to wake up my pregnant wife. “How are you feelin’?”
“Headache is better. I could eat something.”
I got up and helped her off the bed. “Corvin may still be here.”
“He can stay for dinner.” Faith leaned her head against my arm. “I think Cordelia has a crush on him.”
“Cordy?” I stared down at her. “Not Piper?”
“Piper is difficult to read. There are times she treats him like a brother, and other times I see her stare at him with longing. I’m not sure she’s ready to admit how she feels. Or maybe she hadn’t figured it out herself.”
“Cordelia isn’t allowed to date anytime soon. That girl needs to focus on somethin’ else. We should get a puppy.”
“Charles Dupont, don’t you bring a dog into this house! I’ll be changing diapers soon enough. I’m not cleaning up puppy puddles too!”
I smiled and kissed her. “All right. No puppy.”
She breathed a sigh of relief and went to the kitchen. I wondered how pissed she’d be when I brought a different sort of pet home. Cordelia needed something to shower with affection, other than boys. Something that could fit into her room would be good. I’d called Doolittle over at the Devil’s Fury to get some ideas. If it was furry and cute, I didn’t think Faith would be too upset. Especially if it didn’t leave puddles on the floor.
“Corvin, can you stay for dinner?” I asked, pulling out Faith’s chair.
“I should check with my parents,” he said. I noticed the way he hesitated over the word parents. He was still adjusting, but he was doing well.
“Go ask. Or use the phone and call them.”
Faith stared at the food on the table. “How much did you order?”
“They messed up the first bucket and gave us original instead of crispy, but they let us keep it. So we have thirty-two pieces now,” Piper said. “And because the sides and biscuits got cold while we waited on them to fix it, they gave us extra of those too.”
“Just ask them and Marianna to join us,” Faith suggested.
“Are you up for that?” I asked, placing my hand on her shoulder.
“I’ll be fine.” She gave me a tired smile. “This baby is taking a lot out of me, but I’ll be fine.”
“All right. I’ll go talk to Spider. Cordy, set the table.”
I paused in the doorway and watched my family for a moment. This is what I’d been missing. I’d enjoyed my life with the Hades Abyss, and I’d liked being the Sergeant-at-Arms, but I hadn’t realized how lonely I was. I hadn’t touched the club girls in a long while, even before meeting Faith. Now I had a sweet wife, two daughters, and a son on the way. My house was full of laughter and happy memories.
I walked out to get Spider, Luciana, and Marianna. If my wife wanted all of them over for dinner, I’d bring them back with me. Even if it meant I had to threaten Spider to get his ass out of his house.