Chapter 8
Judge
Ican’t believe how much our lives have all changed since Chewy came barreling into the compound.
My brothers and I would once have spent the night balls deep in club girls and drinking straight from the bottle, and now we’re sitting in the common room watching the babies or working on our Valentine’s surprises for our women.
“Are we whipped?” Tank grunts as he, too, surveys the room.
“I think we might be, brother.”
We watch as Tav, Gus and Jules argue over whose family should monopolise the family photographer first, and I have to agree with Tav. With the one million kids he has, it’d be easier to wrangle them first, but Gus is trying to enforce oldest to youngest rules.
“Who do you think will throw the first punch?” Savage asks, from his seat at the table where he’s rearranging old photos of him and Nat for the album he’s putting together. He’s only restarted the project seven times this evening.
“None of them. Jules’ face says he’s going to slip in while the other two fight,” Wire snorts.
He seems somewhat relaxed, probably because he used fucking AI or some geek algorithm with his gift to Remy.
“Oh no, I was wrong.” Wire concedes as Jules shoves Tav into Gus, who then puts him in a headlock and they scuffle with each other until Gus is on the floor, Tav on top of him.
“What the fuck are you two doing?” Pops asks from the doorway, Rider and Mad Dog at his back.
“Where the fuck have you three been?” Marx growls, clearly pissed because I’m sure he’s panicking about his gift for Lovely.
“Oh you know, liaising with the Big Littles, planning a special surprise for you all to give to your women, you know. The important stuff.” Rider answers all smugly. Think’s he’s a big man now that he’s teamed up with the Love Pres and VP.
“Besides, you lot needed time to figure some shit out for yourselves. You can’t just rely on what Rider or the kids can do for you.” Mad Dog says, taking a seat in his favorite recliner. “So, what have you boys all come up with?”
We all dart eyes at each other, daring someone to be first.
“Fucks sake, I’ll go.” Savage says, even though he looks the least bit aggrieved. He’s the reason we’re all fucking here panicking anyway. “I am giving Nat curated albums of our life together, including concert ticket stubs and shit. I’ve also written a memory next to each moment.”
Oh that fucker is smooth. Impressed noises fill the room and the smug bastard grins at us.
“Nice,” Pops says, pointing a finger in his direction.
“Oh, and I’ve hired the Big Littles to fill our house with candles and rose petals and they’re also sourcing a ragdoll kitten for me. Nat has always wanted one.
“Fucking hell, that’s good,” Marx says, running a hand down his beard. I know he’s right this moment asking himself if Lovely needs a cat.
“OK, who else?” Mad Dog asks.
“I’ve compiled all mine and Remy’s messages to each other over the years and turned them into a book.
I’m waiting for the delivery, it’s leather bound with gold stitching.
” Wire says, proud of himself, and he should be.
He showed me what it’s going to look like and it’s fucking beautiful.
“I’ve also gotten her tickets to Comic Con and a voucher to say that I will dress up in whatever couples dress ups she desires. ”
“Fuck yeah!” We clap and each take turns going around the room.
The Tombs’ all seem to be on the same wavelength with their family photo shoots but Tav has added a week away with no kids at a couples resort for him and Blanche.
Gus has decided on an RV trip to show Ana “American things” and Jules is keeping awfully tight lipped other than “it’ll blow you out of the water. ”
Tank has booked Mira a hot air balloon ride and VIP tickets to a book signing.
He’s also preordered the next three book releases from her favourite authors.
Fox and Nitro have a surprise that somehow involves Jazz’s kids and I’m not the only one who side eyes them but hey, if they think they can pull it off, then more power to them.
“Wait, the special kids?” Marx asks, brow furrowed. “Jazz’s special kids?”
“Yup,” Fox answers, looking proud.
“With Rodney?”
“Yeah,” Nitro answers this time, looking less confident than Fox. “But if their painting goes bad we also have tickets to a health resort and a hot tub being delivered, so, there's that.”
We all look to Marx next who rubs the back of his neck. “I got new ink for Lovely and my little girl. Right above my heart, where they belong.”
“She’ll love that,” Pops points out.
“Yeah, but it just doesn't seem enough.” Marx grumbles.
“Son, you know your woman. She isn’t one to like flashy things and she knows the power of inking skin. She will be over the moon.”
“Thanks, Dad,” Marx mumbles, before adding, “Might get her a kitten too.” Savage snorts and Marx flips him the bird.
“Good thinking.” Pops mutters. “Judge? What you got?”
Swallowing, I look around my brothers. “I never really apologized properly to Kaia, and the hurt I caused, so on one of our stops in our poker run I’m going to whisk her away to the place by the river where I broke her heart.”
Silence apart from Rider’s long drawn out “uummmmmmm.”
“No, hear me out. I want to erase that memory, replace it with a good one. A fresh start.” Reaching into my pocket I pull out the pouch I’ve been carrying around with me the past month.
I tip the contents into my hand, rubbing my thumb over the smooth band. “I’m going to ask Kaia to marry me. To tie herself to me in all the ways that matter.”
“Ugh, motherfucker,” Jules says as he too pulls out a box from his pocket, holding it in the air.
“Double weddings, shitheads!” Rider whoops, falling back into his seat laughing.
It’s all in good fun and I don’t care how much ribbing these bastards give me. They’re family, along with Kaia and my kids.
“Bigs? Keep an eye on the babies. Men! What’s say we go find our women?”
Sasha
I have never felt more relaxed in my life. The big man's hands run over my shoulder blades, massaging out the knots that come from throwing punches many times a day.
“This is soooo nice, I feel like a wet noodle,” Blanche moans from the table beside me. She is a funny woman. So tough and yet very soft on the inside.
In fact, many of the women are. Some are tough like Blanche, Ana, Nat, Violet and Judge’s Kaia. But deep down they feel lots. Some, like Lovely, Remy, Mira and Jasmine, are soft women with hidden depths. Soft on the outside perhaps.
And then there is Chewy. She reminds me of my Roman. Cold, detached, practical. But that is not all. People like Chewy and Roman feel the most. That is why Chewy has Rhodie and Roman has me. We protect their hearts when no one else can. And because of that we are devoted to them.
“Have you thought about what you’re going to do for Roman, Sasha?” Lovely’s soft voice drifts over me from her own massage table somewhere else in the room.
“Da, I wish to claim him as publicly as I can. Within the safety of our friends. Here, at the compound.”
An “aww” sound from the many women fills the room. “That’s so sweet, and an honor that you wish to do that here, Roman,” Lovely says, very much the President’s Ol Lady.
“The Bartashev bratva would not understand our love. To them we are the Pakhan and his devoted guard. Here, we are Sasha and Roman, husbands. I wish to spend an evening where I can love my husband freely in the open.”
“Then that’s what will happen,” Chewy declares before making an “uh oh” noise.
“Uh oh? What is uh oh, Chewy?” I think it’s Kaia who asks.
“Um, we maaaay have a leeeetle problem.”
“What the fuck is going on in here?”