Chapter Six
Jack
I watched Sammy walk away from me toward the clubhouse and sighed. Tank was right. She was the mother of my child. That reason alone meant she deserved my respect.
I climbed in my truck and fired up the engine.
“You ready, Shortcake?” I looked in the rearview mirror at my daughter. Grace thought she looked like me.
All I saw was her beautiful mother.
“I’m ready, Daddy.”
“Let’s go get some breakfast, then we’re goin’ shopping.”
I drove into town and pulled into The Diner’s parking lot. Helping my daughter out of her seat, I paused for a moment.
Should I hold her hand or carry her?
Fuck it, I missed a lot of years. I was carrying her.
I hefted her up in my arms, slammed the truck door shut, and walked into the diner. I carried her over to a table and set her down.
“Ok, Charlie, what would you like for breakfast?”
“Pancakes.” She smiled up at me and my entire world shifted. In that moment, I knew I would do whatever it took to not only keep her safe, but to keep her with me.
“Pancakes it is.”
She could have whatever she wanted. I would make sure that if there was something she wanted, and I had the power to give it to her, she would have it.
“Hey, Jack, who is this beautiful lady?” Joellen had walked up to our table without me noticing. She set a cup of crayons on the table in front of Charlie. “And what is she doing with the likes of you? ”
“Morning, Joellen. I would like to introduce you to my daughter, Charlie,” I said with pride.
“Your daughter?”
I knew it would be a surprise for everyone for a while.
“I didn’t know you had a daughter.”
“I didn’t either. Until yesterday.”
“Wow, does Samantha know?” She eyed me with a frown marring her lips. Joellen took care of her employees. They were more than just workers. They were family. She knew I wanted Sammy, had been pursuing her.
“Sammy’s her mom.” I watched my daughter as she colored on the placemat that Joellen had placed in front of her. She paid no attention to our conversation.
“Wait, you and Samantha have a kid? Jack, she’s only been here two years, and that child is not two. I know you have a thing for her, but the math ain’t mathing here.”
“Sammy and I met five years ago, before either of us moved to Nebraska. We had one night, and we both left town the next morning.”
Joellen eyed me skeptically.
I knew what she was thinking. Why didn’t Sammy tell me two years ago? Well, that was the million-dollar question. Someday, I would get the answers. I just wasn’t sure I wanted to know what they were.
“I’ll have the usual, and Charlie wants pancakes,” I told Joellen, letting her know the conversation was over.
“Coming right up, Jack.” Joellen turned toward the kitchen, and I gave Charlie my undivided attention.
“Hey, Charlie, can I ask you a question?”
“Yes, Daddy.” She looked up from her drawing and smiled.
“How did you know I was your daddy?”
I knew I should get these answers from Sammy, but I needed to hear the truth.
Plus, I wasn’t sure Sammy would give them to me.
“Mommy told me,” she simply said.
“But how did you know what I looked like?” She stopped coloring and peered up at me.
“Mommy showed me pictures.”
Charlie went back to her drawing, and I sat there in shock.
Pictures?
Sammy had pictures of me and showed them to Charlie so she would know who I was. None of this made any sense. I was going to have to talk to Sammy and pray she told me the truth.
Joellen stopped by and dropped off our food, and Charlie and I dug in. She had a healthy appetite. She ate almost all her pancakes.
“You ready to go shopping, Shortcake?”
“Yup.” Charlie hopped down from her chair and grabbed my hand.
I threw some money on the table, and we left.
There was no time to waste; I had a daughter to spoil.
I pulled my truck into the parking lot at the clubhouse and stopped near the door. Charlie was fast asleep in the new car seat I bought her. A day of shopping had tuckered her out.
Tuckered me out too, if I was being honest.
I turned off the truck and watched my daughter in the rearview mirror for a minute. I had the best day with her today.
Climbing from the cab of my truck, I opened the back door to get Charlie out. I unbuckled her carefully, trying not to wake her. Lifting her up into my arms, she laid her head on my shoulder without stirring.
I left everything in the truck for the prospects to bring in for me and walked into the main room of the clubhouse.
“Charlie!”
A woman I didn’t recognize shrieked and ran toward me with her arms out. I turned my back on the woman and stepped away.
“Who the fuck are you?” I growled.
“Give her to me, right now,” the woman snapped .
“Fuck off.” I walked around her, holding Charlie close to my chest and bellowed, “King!”
Where the fuck was everyone?
Brothers piled into the room from the kitchen.
“Hey, Jack.” King marched over and sat at the bar.
“Who the fuck is this woman?” I asked my president.
I refused to put Charlie down without knowing who she was and why she was trying to get my daughter.
“That would be Carrie, Samantha’s friend,” King said, rolling his eyes in the woman’s direction.
“What the fuck is she doing here, and where is Sammy?”
“I am here to take Charlie home,” the woman professed, standing there, hands on her hips, as she glared at me.
“Like hell,” I muttered.
“Auntie Carrie.” Charlie stirred in my arms.
“Oh, baby, come to Auntie Carrie.” She lifted her arms up to take my daughter.
“Woman, you better back the fuck off. My daughter isn’t going anywhere.”
“Daddy, you said a bad word again,” Charlie admonished me, never lifting her head from my shoulder.
My eyes sought the bar when I heard my president chuckle.
“I know, baby, Daddy does that a lot when he’s angry,” I told her, rubbing her back reassuringly, letting her know she was safe.
“Are you angry at Auntie Carrie?”
“Yes,” I snarled as I glared at the woman again.
Charlie lifted her head. She put her little hands on my cheeks and turned my head so she could look at me.
“Why are you angry at Auntie Carrie? Auntie Carrie is nice, Daddy.”
Carrie smirked at me, crossing her arms over her chest like she had won something.
“Shortcake, Daddy will get mad at anyone that tries to take you from me.” I kissed her forehead and kept hold of her.
There was no way I was letting her go until I talked to Sammy .
The clubhouse doors opened and there was Sammy. She walked in, followed by Beck and Rachel.
“Mommy.” Charlie wiggled to get down, but I held her tight.
“Wait for Mommy to come to us, Charlie.” I didn’t trust the woman who’d tried to take my daughter. I wasn’t letting her near Charlie.
“Hey, baby, did you have fun with Daddy today?” Sammy reached for our daughter and deftly plucked her from my arms.
Hugging her close, Sammy took a deep breath.
“Sam, can I take Charlie?” Carrie asked, walking toward Sammy and Charlie. Sammy looked over at Carrie.
I stepped between them before Carrie got close.
“Bitch, I told you to back the fuck off.” I growled, low and deadly.
I needed her to realize I was serious.
“Jack, what is going on?” Sammy placed a hand on my back and all the tension left my body.
“Sam, please tell him who I am. He won’t let me near Charlie. I haven’t seen her in over twenty-four hours. I just want to snuggle her.” Carrie glared at me. She was waiting for Sammy to make me give in. Bitch had a long wait ahead of her.
“And I haven’t seen her for the last four years. You aren’t taking my daughter anywhere. She is staying here with her mother and me. You can fuck off,” I said with my finger pointed at her face.
“Jack, please,” Sammy whispered behind me. “Carrie isn’t taking her anywhere. She just wants to see her. They have been together every day since Charlie was born.”
I swung around on Sammy and glared at her. “Haven’t you ever heard the saying ‘you look with your eyes, not your hands,’ Sammy? She can see her just fine from where she is.”
“Jack—”
“No. I don’t know what she’s doing here. Frankly, I don’t care. My daughter isn’t going anywhere. And neither are you. We still have a lot to talk about. Send her home.” I snatched Charlie from her mother and walked into the kitchen .
I didn’t care what she did to get rid of her, but she wasn’t getting near my daughter.
“How about a snack, Shortcake?” I plopped her down in a chair and went to the fridge. As I gathered some fruit to cut up for Charlie and me, I heard the kitchen door swing open.
It wasn’t Sammy.
I could still hear her talking heatedly with Carrie in the main room.
King sat at the table with Charlie and waited for me. He was talking quietly with my daughter while I stood at the counter cutting up fruit, trying to listen to the argument in the other room.
Placing the pile of cut up fruit in the middle of the table, I sat down next to Charlie.
“What the fuck is this?” King asked, picking up a squashed blueberry.
“It’s fruit, and don’t cuss in front of my daughter.”
Charlie giggled next to me.
“Why is it squished? And these pieces are so small, you can’t even pick them up with a fork,” King complained.
“She’s a baby. I don’t want her to choke.”
“I’m not a baby, Daddy.” Charlie scowled at me. Her little eyebrows scrunched up and her little mouth pursed like she ate something sour.
“Dumbass. Haven’t you learned anything from Beck? Women don’t like being called little.” King smirked at me before tossing a grape slice into his mouth.
Yes, I sliced the grapes.
“You said a bad word, Uncle King.”
King smiled at Charlie.
“Sweetheart, there are no bad words. I said a grown-up word. Some words you need to be a grown-up to say.” King smirked at me.
Well, shit, he was right.
“I know you’re a big girl, Shortcake, but you’re still my baby,” I said and kissed the top of her head .
The door to the kitchen slammed open, and Sammy stood there, fuming. I knew she was mad at me. I just didn’t care.
“What the hell, Jack?” Sammy stomped toward the table.
“Mommy.”
“I know I said a bad word, Charlie. I am really upset with Daddy right now, so please forgive me.” She smiled at our daughter.
“Uncle King said there are no bad words. Some words are grown-up words, and you have to be a grown-up to say them.” Just like that, she went back to eating her fruit with King.
Sammy glared at King.
“I will talk however the fuck I want in my house. It’s not my fault if parents can’t or won’t teach their kids what they can say and what they fucking can’t,” King admonished.
With a heavy sigh, Sammy turned back to me.
“Jack, we need to talk about what happened out there. The way you treated Carrie really hurt her.”
“Don’t care. Did she leave?”
“Yes, Jack, she left, for now. Carrie is my friend. She gave up everything to be with Charlie and me. She has always been there for me when no one else—”
“Because you wouldn’t let me, Sammy.” I jumped out of my chair. “You chose not to let me be there for you and Charlie. You, Sammy, not me. I didn’t walk away from you and Charlie. You didn’t give me the option of being there for you,” I hollered, slamming my hand on my chest.
“Jack,” Sammy whispered.
Her eyes watered, and I felt like an asshole again. When would I get this right?
King cleared his throat. When I turned to look at him, I noticed Charlie watching us wide-eyed.
“Why don’t you two go talk? Charlie and I will hang out here, eating our snack, and then we’ll go watch some cartoons. How does that sound, Charlie?” King smiled at my daughter.
Nodding her head at him, Charlie answered, “That sounds good, Uncle King.”