Total pages in book: 150
Estimated words: 142818 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 714(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142818 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 714(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
She cupped my face in her palms. “And that’s all a mother wants for her daughter. We’ll work out the details later.”
I squinted at her through my tears. “I’m scared,” I admitted in a meek voice.
She smiled at me. “Of course, you are, sweetie. That means it’s all worth it.”
And at that point, my mother took me in her arms again and I sobbed, finally letting out everything I’d been holding in.
ELDEN
It had taken every ounce of control I’d honed over the years to let Violet walk away. To let her face her mother alone.
Ever since I’d found out she was carrying my baby, I’d had a difficult time letting her out of my sight. It had been hard enough before. But now she had our future growing inside of her, she had my fucking redemption growing inside of her. I couldn’t stop thinking about how fucking delicate she was. How many things could take her away from me.
There was a fucking sicko killing women in the area. Tearing them apart. The club had enemies from all sides. On top of that, she could get in a fucking car accident, get sick... I could lose her.
Control had been integral to my survival ever since I got out of prison. Now Violet was integral to my survival, and I couldn’t control her, couldn’t protect her from everything. Although I sure as fuck would try.
Beyond feeling sheer fucking joy—unlike anything I’d felt in decades—at knowing she was pregnant with my kid, I felt relief. This was an indisputable reason for shit to come to light. For me to speak to Swiss. Have her on the back of my bike finally.
I stared at the man in question, standing at the grill. It was his kid’s first birthday party. Absolute wrong time to tell him. But the chances of him killing me were slimmer here.
And I couldn’t stand one more fucking second of stealing moments with Violet, hiding how I felt about her.
I was about to step forward when Hansen clapped me on the shoulder. I had no fucking idea where he came from.
“You wouldn’t be planning on going to tell your brother you’re in love with his stepdaughter on his son’s first birthday, would you?” he asked lightly.
My eyes flew to my president. His stare was not light. His grip tightened on my shoulder.
“Although there isn’t a right time for that conversation, this is the fuckin’ wrong one,” he added, tone still conversational.
“How the fuck do you know?” I ground out, unable to keep my tone light.
“I’m the president of this charter.” He took a leisurely pull of his beer. “It’s my job to know shit that threatens the club.”
I gripped the back of my neck “I would never threaten the club.”
“Not on purpose,” he amended. “And I know you didn’t enter into shit with her lightly. Didn’t do it ’cause you wanted young pussy.”
Red crept along the corners of my gaze. “I’d be really fuckin’ careful how you speak about my woman, or I’ll forget you’re my president.” I meant every word.
I respected the fuck out of Hansen. Considered him to be a brother. Would be eternally grateful to him for giving me the club. But I wouldn’t hesitate to hurt him if he talked about Violet like that.
Instead of getting pissed at me or readying to fight, the fucker’s lips curved into it a grin. “Yeah, I thought so,” he muttered. “It seems this charter is destined to have the same curse as Amber when it comes to Old Ladies. Courtships are never peaceful. Never boring, and each is more fuckin’ dramatic than the last.” His gaze wandered over our brothers and their Old Ladies. “This is gonna be messy, gonna ’cause shit in the club. I might’ve told you to end it, if I’d caught it early enough. But I doubt there was a time when it would’ve been early enough,” he sighed.
He’d be fucking right on that. Violet had been mine from the moment I laid eyes on her. Nothing could’ve changed that.
“You want me out of this charter?” I asked him seriously.
It made sense. I was a recent patch. Didn’t have the same roots here that Swiss did.
“No fuckin’ way,” Hansen’s eyes flared with surprise. “You’re family.”
Those simple words hit me somewhere deep.
“We’re a fucked-up family,” he continued, “and sometimes families fight,” he shrugged. “Let’s not draw blood at a kid’s birthday party, though. Have a beer. Lock it down. There will be plenty of time for the truth later.” He gave me a slap on the back. “No one is gonna make you leave this charter, brother. Not even him.” He nodded to Swiss.
Then he walked away, to be with his woman.
I waited for mine, a weight off my shoulders but that lingering sense of dread not entirely gone.