Casey
Moving into Maui’s house really did make the most sense. I’d thought it would be easier for him to adapt to what Becca and I might need, but I hadn’t counted on Roscoe. Knowing he had a pet changed things. The skunk seemed sweet. However, at the end of the day, it was still an animal, and I wasn’t sure what behavioral issues we might face if we uprooted Roscoe from his home.
Becca was small enough she wouldn’t notice the changes. As for me, I couldn’t remember the last time things had been stable in my life. Even once I’d moved in with my dad, there’d been the chaos with Solena and the kids. Although, we’d had a lot of quiet moments, I’d also had Mark and Su hanging over my head. Rolling with the punches was just one of my many talents. All right, maybe not many.
I sat on the floor with Becca between my legs and little Roscoe staring at her from two feet away. He hadn’t known what to think of the baby, and while Becca seemed curious about the furry creature, she hadn’t tried to make a grab for him. Her behavior surprised me. I’d expected her to want to hold the skunk. Of course, I didn’t have any pets and neither did my dad. She hadn’t had the chance to be around animals.
“What are my girls doing?” Maui asked, lounging against the doorframe.
“I’m waiting for Roscoe to make a move. So far, he’s keeping his distance.”
He winked and came closer, scooping up Roscoe. Holding the skunk close to his chest, he kneeled in front of us and reached for Becca’s hand. He held it in his, letting the skunk sniff her before placing her chubby fingers on his dark fur.
“Are you sure he won’t bite her?” I asked.
“He’s relaxed,” Maui said. “I’ll keep her safe.”
“I know you will.” I leaned toward him. Maui met me halfway, and I pressed my lips to his in a brief kiss. “There’s still a lot we haven’t discussed, but I don’t think I can handle it all at once.”
“We have all the time in the world.”
“Have you asked my dad for time off yet?”
He sighed and sat on the floor, letting Roscoe go. Reaching for Becca, he pulled her into his arms and stared at me over her head. “Not yet. I spoke with Wire this morning. He said to give him a few days and he’d have more information for me so I’m not going in blind.”
“You could just let it go,” I said. “Or ask him to turn everything over to the police.”
“Still don’t trust me to stay out of jail?” He smiled. “Can’t leave my two girls, not when I just managed to claim you. Some other guy might swoop in and steal you away.”
I crossed my arms. “Last time I checked, I told my dad I wanted you for my birthday present. Think that means I claimed you.”
“That you did.” He kissed Becca on the cheek, then set her down. She immediately went to her hands and knees. She’d managed to crawl a little, but she wasn’t mobile enough I needed to worry just yet. Maui reached over to take my hand. “Only one little issue.”
“What?”
“You keep calling me Maui. When the others are present, that’s fine. But when we’re by ourselves?”
I nodded. I knew Solena had permission to call my dad by his real name, even though it was super rare for her to actually do it. From what I’d heard, that was her choice and not because he’d forced her to call him Atilla. I figured it was the same for Meredith and Lynx.
“So what’s your real name?” I asked.
“Koa Akana. Both my parents and grandparents were Hawaiian. According to my mother, one of her grandparents emigrated from China.”
I remembered him saying his family were no longer living. Although, he hadn’t gone into detail. Since he wasn’t very old, I had to assume something happened like an accident or illness.
“Koa.” It suited him. There were days I could picture him on a surfboard easier than I could on a motorcycle. Although, I had to admit I enjoyed seeing him in his leather cut, jeans, and biker boots. The man made my heart flutter no matter what he had on. “Do you miss Hawaii?”
“Sometimes. I’d like to go visit. Take you and Becca with me.”
“I’ve never been to the ocean before,” I said. “It looks beautiful on TV and in pictures.”
“There’s no comparison to seeing it in person. What do you say we take the little one to the park? She likes the swings, right?”
I nodded. “The park off Main Street has a baby swing. The one closer to us doesn’t.”
“Then let’s head over there, and when she’s tired, we’ll take a break and get something at Spill the Beans.”
“I need to change.” His gaze skimmed over me from my messy bun to my off-the-shoulder shirt and my leggings, down to my bare toes. The heated look in his eyes said he thought I looked fine just as I was, which made my cheeks warm.
“Just put some shoes on. We’ll have to take your car.” He stood and picked up Becca again. “I’ll get the princess ready and get her bag.”
Seeing my small daughter held against his broad chest did funny things to me. My heart skipped a beat, and my breath caught. Why did he look so sexy with a baby in his arms? I watched them leave the room, then fell backward on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. I was in so much trouble. How would I ever survive being around him every single day?
Roscoe scampered over and booped me with his nose. I scratched under his chin before heaving myself up off the floor. While Maui got Becca ready, I went to get my shoes from the bedroom. After I slipped on my Converse, I used the bathroom, put on a tinted lip balm, and spritzed on a little perfume. I couldn’t very well walk around looking like a complete train wreck while a man stood beside me who looked like a sex god. Well, I could, but I knew women would come hit on him.
Was I ready for that? Probably not. But Maui had chosen me, and that meant something. I couldn’t let other women get to me. If he’d wanted someone else, he wouldn’t have moved me and Becca into his house. No, our house.
“Ready?” he called out from the hall.
“I’m coming. Let me grab my keys.”
“I have them. You left them in the kitchen.”
Of course, I did. I didn’t even remember having them in there. No one told me when I had a baby I’d lose half my brain cells. I couldn’t remember much of anything these days. I followed Maui and Becca out to the car, and while he buckled her into the baby seat in back, I got into the passenger seat and fastened my seat belt.
I tried not to laugh when Maui banged his knees on the steering wheel, let out a few curses, then slid the seat back. His head brushed the ceiling of the car. He really wasn’t built for something this small. My dad kept trying to give me an SUV, and I’d been stalling. I knew he wanted to make up for lost time, but it felt like he was trying to buy my affection -- which wasn’t true. Not even a little.
“I’m buying a truck,” he said. “Unless you tell me you want three or four kids. Then I’ll get a big-ass SUV to haul everyone around.”
“Can you really just decide you’re going to go buy a vehicle?” I asked. We hadn’t discussed finances. He’d said I could stay home with Becca, but I hadn’t thought to ask the details.
“I’m not a millionaire or anything, if that’s what you’re asking. As an officer of the club, I make a larger cut than most. We can live comfortably even if I buy a truck and you quit your job. Speaking of… have you done that yet?”
“I called them this morning. I offered to stay until they hired someone, but the manager said there was a stack of applications in the office. Sounds like they have it covered. Which means I’m officially a stay-at-home mom now.”
He leaned over to kiss my cheek. “Good, then we can work on getting rid of the dark circles under your eyes. I don’t like the fact you were running yourself into the ground instead of asking for help. Try that again and I’ll spank your ass.”
I’d try to do better, but… I still wasn’t used to having a support system. Mark and Su had only acted like they cared. The more I thought about my time with them, I had to wonder if they’d wanted to sell me too. Why had they kept me all that time? Too much visibility? Everyone in the area had known my grandparents. It wouldn’t do me any good to sit here and wonder about it now.
Maui found a place to park not too far from the swings, and we got out of the car. I grabbed Becca’s bag, and Maui unbuckled our daughter from her baby seat. He carried her to the swings, and the moment she saw them, she started to kick her feet. I hadn’t had the space for a baby swing at home, and now that she was getting so big, I didn’t see the point in getting one. Although, I had seen one we could hang in the yard. It would be easier than bringing her to the park all the time.
Maui placed her in the swing, fastened the safety straps, then gave her a gentle push. Becca babbled at him and swung her fist around. I hid my smile behind my hand, knowing my baby girl was telling him to go higher. She was a fearless little thing. When she started to fuss, Maui gave a soft growl and pushed her a little harder. Becca squealed and kicked her feet.
“Is she always like this?” he asked.
“Pretty much. This is her favorite thing to do. She even likes it more than her toys at home.”
“Looks like we need to get a swing, then. I know she’s still too small for a play set, but it wouldn’t hurt to get one. We could always take off one of the regular swings and hang a baby one there until she’s older. It won’t be long before she can use the slide, with a little help.”
“Maybe we should double-check the fencing first. Make sure she won’t be able to escape when she’s more mobile.”
We spent the next thirty minutes at the park with Becca, and when she started to yawn, Maui stopped the swing and held her in the crook of one arm, while reaching for my hand. I laced my fingers with his and let him lead me over to Spill the Beans.
“Know what you want?” he asked.
“Raspberry white mocha with extra whipped cream. A hot one.”
He placed our order, getting a black coffee for himself, then found a table for us. By the time they called his name, little Becca slept soundly against his shoulder. I stood and hurried to the counter to grab our drinks and noticed more than one woman checking him out. I couldn’t blame them. Maui by himself was sexy as hell, but holding our daughter? Yeah, it made him downright lethal to a woman’s heart.
I set his coffee down in front of him and retook my seat. I’d enjoyed our outing. While he’d helped with Becca before, this was our first time doing something as a family. I only wished I’d had a way to commemorate the moment with a picture. As if hearing my inner thoughts, Rebel and Truth entered the coffee shop. I waved them over and held my phone out to Rebel.
“Can you get a picture of the three of us?” His eyebrows rose, but he didn’t say anything. It seemed my dad hadn’t informed the club about my new status yet. I didn’t know how everyone would react. Scooting my chair closer to Maui’s, my big, sexy biker put his arm around me and we smiled as Rebel snapped our picture. “Thanks!”
I looked at the image on my phone and set it as my background. Our first family picture! I couldn’t wait to take more.
“Send that to me,” Maui said.
I texted it to his phone, and noticed Rebel and Truth were still standing by our table. I glanced up and saw the smirk on Rebel’s lips, and the furrow of Truth’s brow. It looked like Rebel had figured something out, or thought he had. As for Truth, he clearly didn’t know why Maui and I were here with Becca.
“The three of you having fun?” Rebel asked.
“Yeah. We took Becca to the park.” I took a sip of my drink and licked the whipped cream off my lip. “She loves the swing.”
“I didn’t realize the two of you hung out so much,” Truth said, his gaze flitting between me and Maui.
Maui’s hold tightened on me. “Why wouldn’t I be out with my family?”
“What?” Truth scowled. “What the hell is that supposed to mean? There’s no fucking way you’re…”
Rebel punched him in the arm and hissed out a shut the fuck up. I knew what he’d been trying to say. Since I’d been knocked up when I came to the Savage Raptors, it wasn’t possible for Maui to be Becca’s birth father. Except he didn’t seem to care. Maui had claimed her as his daughter, and I didn’t think he’d like Truth trying to tell the world Becca wasn’t his. I looked up at my biker and saw the thunderous expression on his face. Yep. Truth was going to be in for it.
“The two of you came here for a reason,” Maui said. “I doubt it was to ruin my day. Get on with your business. And, Truth? Stay the fuck out of mine.”
Rebel shoved at Truth, pushing him away from us and toward the counter. He waved at us over his shoulder, and the tension slowly drained from Maui.
“You know he won’t be the first to say that,” I said.
“Well, I guess if I start knocking out their teeth, the rest of them will catch on fast.”
He made a good point, although I hoped it didn’t come to that. Then again, if my dad heard what Truth said just now, he’d probably beat the shit out of him.
“Let’s not tell my dad about this,” I said.
“Oh, no. That I can’t do, baby. He needs to know about Truth’s attitude. It’s not the first time he’s done something like this. Some woman really fucked with his head, and ever since, he tends to lash out at any female he thinks is stepping out of place. The club whores are fine, unless they start asking for more.”
“Maybe he’ll learn one day,” I said.
“If not, we’re going to have a big problem. I’d thought he was doing better, but then he says or does something stupid and proves me wrong.”
“We shouldn’t let him ruin our day out. Let’s finish our coffee. We can stop by the grocery store and get the ingredients I need to bake cookies, and I can cook pork chops with rice for dinner.”
He gave me a nod and drained his coffee cup. I sipped on my mocha a little longer, wanting to savor it. Truth and Rebel were gone by the time we left. We drove over to the grocery store, grabbed enough ingredients for multiple meals, and went home. It was the first time I’d shopped with a guy who wasn’t my dad, and I had to admit I liked it. Doing everyday couple things felt nice.