36. Chapter 36
Seeing Mary getting along so well with the ladies cements the fact that I made the right decision to bring them here. However, as I shift a sleepy Cassie in my arms, I think it’s time to call it a night. Even though Mary’s having fun, I can tell she’s crashing as well. I’m sure she’s in pain, too, as it’s about time she’d take a pain pill if we were still in the hospital.
Carefully standing, I soothe Cassie when she whimpers slightly and I weave through the tables until I come to the one Mary and the ladies are sitting at. As I approach, Mary looks up and gives me a bright smile.
“Looks like someone conked out pretty good,” she says and then the little minx bites her lip.
I have to bite my cheek to keep back the growl that threatens to break loose at the gesture. She knows what that does to me, and it’s only intensified since seeing her again and seeing the gorgeous woman she’s turned into. She winks at me, and I narrow my eyes at her. The little minx is purposefully taunting me, but she’ll have to wait. There’s no way I’m jeopardizing her recovery.
Clearing my throat, I smirk knowing it has the same effect on her as biting her lip does to me, playing the game right back at her. “Yeah, she did. Ready to head out, Siren?”
She nods, and it’s only then that she slightly drops her mask and I see the tightening around her eyes. I think I’m going to have to have a conversation with her later. She puts her things back into her backpack, and I take it from her, hooking it on the handlebars behind her back. I made sure the model I got her had them for this very purpose. I knew with taking the kids anywhere on the compound, she’d most likely bring a bag everywhere she went, and when I saw the one Ash had been constantly lugging around, I knew I was right in my thinking.
“Good night, ladies. See you tomorrow,” she calls out and I call out my own good night as well, not surprised when Timber steps up behind Mae and she says her good nights, too. With both of us leaving, I’m going to bet that Thor and Dragon will be ushering Levi home before long. Especially since it’s only a month or so before she’s at thirty-six weeks, which is when the doctor thinks she’ll most likely go into labor.
We head over to the pool tables where the boys are, and as soon as Ash sees us, he taps Isaiah on the shoulder and they both put their pool cues back into the holder on the wall. I give a chin lift in thanks to Smoke, Axe, Ryder, and Gunner for teaching them how to play. They give me chin lifts in return, and my chest warms when they all say good night to the boys. Judging by the looks on my brothers’ faces, I don’t think the boys will have any problems hanging out with them in the future.
It’s a juggle since I have Cassie asleep in one arm, but I help bundle up the boys in their coats. Then I help Mary put hers on backwards, and hold Cassie’s over her as we head out into the cool night air. Isaiah and Asher chat excitedly with Mary and Mae about tonight’s festivities and when we reach their house, I hear Mary’s surprised gasp. I had asked Timber if it was possible to put a temporary ramp on their deck, and at the time, he had just grinned at me. Apparently, he had already installed it the day after Thanksgiving and even went one step further.
Mary looks up at me and I tilt my head toward Timber. “I had asked him to do it, but Timber had already installed the ramp on their deck and Levi’s, just in case you ladies met up there.”
Her throat bobs as she swallows thickly and I’m almost positive she’s still wondering, and probably worried, about why everyone is helping so much. It’ll take time, but I’m hoping she’ll soon see that we’d do this for any one of our brothers or sisters brought here and needing help.
“Thank you,” she says quietly as she wipes her eyes. “Your house is absolutely gorgeous.”
Both Timber and Mae beam at her words. “Wait till you see the inside. Timber did an absolutely fantastic job designing this house,” Mae says, her eyes lighting up as she goes up on her toes and presses a kiss to his jaw.
I look up at their house and try to see it through her eyes. I’ve always loved the craftsman design—I’m a sucker for exposed wood beams and other wooden features. My mind starts to whirl with possibilities for the house I’ll build for us and as soon as I hear another gasp from Mary when we enter the house, I know we’ll have an open layout similar to theirs. In fact, it’s extremely close to how her dad’s house is laid out, now that I think about it. From the kitchen, you can see the entire living room and almost all of the dining room. You can also see the door to Timber’s office and door to the spare bedroom down here that they saved for Mary.
I can’t hide my smile when I see Mary’s gaze repeatedly going back to their kitchen, not that I’m surprised. It’s a cook’s heaven with tons of counter space, double ovens, and a gas stove. The island has its own deep sink, I think it’s called a farmer’s sink, and I know having two sinks is a plus from having to watch Mary and Maria trying to cook using only one sink in the past. And I know she’ll be drooling over the walk-in pantry when she sees how big it is.
“Holy sh-crap. You weren’t kidding, Mae. This is absolutely gorgeous and I am in total kitchen envy,” Mary gushes.
Us adults laugh and I instantly regret it when I hear Cassie whimper. She lifts her little head off my shoulder and rubs her eye with her little fist.
“Sorry for waking you, Angel.” I kiss her temple and shift her so that she can see better when she lays her head back down on my shoulder.
“I think it’s time to get you kiddos off to bed. Cassie, can I carry you upstairs so Patch can help your mama? I bet she’d love to see your rooms and give you all goodnight kisses and hugs,” Timber asks her as he holds out his hands in anticipation.
Instead of saying anything, Cassie sits up in my arms and holds her arms out to Timber.
I’m honestly surprised at how much and how quickly the kids, especially Cassie, have taken to my brothers because of Stephan. I was worried that it would take a while for them to open up to us until they realized that we aren’t anything like Stephan. It also hasn’t escaped my notice that from listening to all three of them talk about their time here, that they all seem to quickly absorb details about a person that most others wouldn’t notice for a while.
Timber takes Cassie from me and I bend down and lift Mary into my arms, following after them as they head upstairs.
“I can’t wait to show you my room, Mama! MaeMae and Timber even took us to the store to get some things to decorate our rooms! Timber said that we should be able to remove them and put them up in our rooms when we move into the codo,” Cassie chitters excitedly as she bounces in Timber’s arms, sleep seemingly forgotten, and we all chuckle at her attempt to say ‘condo’.
“It’s condo, Angel,” Mary says as she continues chuckling.
Turning the corner into Cassie’s room, Mary once again gasps in surprise and I can see why as I set Mary down on Cassie’s bed. The walls are painted a blue-ish gray color and there are floral and butterfly decals decorating them. On the opposite wall under the window is a twin bed decked out with a purple bedspread that has flowers on it and a couple of small pillows in pink and blue, along with a couple of stuffed animals. There’s a little desk in the corner that’s set up with coloring books, notebooks, pencils, crayons, colored pencils, and even markers. In the middle of the room is a colorful plush circular rug laid over the hardwood floors and nearby is a toy chest that looks like it’s stuffed with toys. I don’t know if all of the toys are new or if they are what she brought from their old house.
“Flowers and butterflies, Mama! I finally got flowers and butterflies!” Cassie cheers excitedly as she twirls around the room, pointing them out on the wall to Mary.
Tears well in Mary’s eyes, and I rest my hand on her shoulder, squeezing it slightly. Her good hand comes up and clasps my hand, squeezing back hard.
“It’s absolutely beautiful, Angel.”
Cassie beams up at Mary before rushing forward and hugging her. Mary looks up at Timber and Mae, mouthing ‘thank you’ over and over to them. Both of them smile back, and as Mae snuggles into Timber’s side, she gives Mary an understanding smile. Mae, like the kids, was deprived of a lot of things growing up. If anyone understands what they went through, even a portion of it, it was Mae.
“My room next, Mom!” Isaiah says as he excitedly points to his room.
He opens a door I hadn’t noticed before and it’s then that I realize he and Cassie have a Jack-and-Jill bathroom attached to both of their bedrooms.
Picking Mary back up, we head through the bathroom, noting that they decorated in here too, and I let out a chuckle when we enter Isaiah’s room. On the far wall, a large motorcycle decorates the wall and on the other is a classic old car. Multiple books sit on his little desk, some of which look pretty advanced for a seven-year-old. His bedspread is decorated with classic cars and like Cassie, he also has a toy chest, but his rug is one of those that has highways on it that you can drive little toy cars on.
“Judge helped me pick out a bunch of books at the bookstore about cars, engines, and motorcycles, Mom!” he says excitedly as I set Mary down on his bed and he brings over a stack of books. “He even said that if it’s okay with you, I could go over to the garage with him and help the guys sometimes. After everything’s done with Stephan and we don’t have to see him again, that is.”
All of us adults freeze at his words, and I squat down next to Mary, resting my hand on her leg in support.
“What?” he asks as he looks around at us in confusion. Then he seems to shrink in on himself. “Did I say or do something wrong?” he asks in a quiet, almost defeated voice.
“No, Isaiah, you didn’t do anything wrong,” I reassure him.
He looks up at me and stares at my face for a few moments, almost like he’s trying to decide if I’m lying to him or not. He nods and the tension in his body bleeds away.
“You said ‘Stephan’ not ‘Dad’,” Mary replies quietly and Isaiah looks over at her, shrugging his shoulders like it’s no big deal. Cassie and Asher both come over and each of them takes one of his hands in theirs.
“Because he wasn’t a ‘dad’. When I began preschool, I started noticing the difference between Stephan and the other dads. How they interact with their kids at school when they drop them off or pick them up. I noticed it at the grocery store, the doctor’s office, and the playground, too. Stephan never acted like that with us. Instead, he was mean to us. He hurt us, and especially you. That’s not what a dad or husband is supposed to do. He’s supposed to be like Patch, Timber, and the others.”
Cassie and Ash both nod their heads. “I noticed it too, Mama. How the other dads hugged the kids and kissed them before they left and when they picked them up from preschool. The only time he came to get us was when you were in the hospital because of him,” Cassie tells us.
“You know I started questioning things when I was five. I hated calling him ‘dad’ but I knew if I didn’t that, he’d just hurt me,” Ash says, his voice quiet but with a current of anger underneath.
“Dads are supposed to love you, protect you, provide for you, and play with you. I want Patch to be our dad, Mom. He stayed with you when you were in the hospital. Stephan never did that except for the time it took to make sure they believed his lies.
“Today, Patch has always been at your side or if he wasn’t, he was either watching over you or us. He played with us, held Cassie as she slept, and listened to us. Really listened to us. He even told Ash that they could talk to the vet in town to see if that’s really what he wanted to be when he grows up. Please, Mom. I heard him tell you he loves you. Please, can Patch be our dad, Mom?” Isaiah begs and damn does it feel like my heart’s beating out of my chest.
Mary sniffles and a few tears of my own escape at Isaiah’s words. All three of them are staring hopefully up at Mary and it feels like all the air has been stolen from the room as I wait for her response. I want nothing more than to take all four of them in my arms, but I need to wait for her to make that decision.
She tries to slip off her sling, but struggles with the clasp, so I reach up and help her slip off the sling. I watch her careful movements, making sure she isn’t pushing herself too much, as she pulls each of them into her arms, hugging them tight and kissing them. Cupping Isaiah’s cheek, she gives him a watery smile. Glancing around, I’m relieved to see that Mae and Timber stepped out for this to give us some privacy.
“I love Patch, too, and I’ll be forever grateful for what he and the club have done for us. However, we have to do things in order before I can be with Patch. The first thing is that I have to divorce Stephan, which I’ve already submitted the paperwork to start the process.”
“What’s divorce mean?” Cassie asks as she carefully climbs up into Mary’s lap.
“It means that once it’s signed, Stephan and I won’t be married anymore. I’ll be free from him and be able to choose who I want to be with.”
Mary’s gaze comes up to mine and the love radiating in them cements everything. The previous hesitation I’d seen in her eyes toward me is completely gone.
I’ve got my Siren back.
Now to just get Stephan to sign the papers and either make sure he’s taking a dirt nap or locked up for the rest of his life. Though, I’d prefer the first one so that there’s no chance of him getting out again to come after them. Cassie’s voice brings me out of my thoughts, and I look down at her.
“But why did you marry him in the first place? He’s a bad man and you’ve told us we have to stay away from bad men,” she asks, confusion apparent on her face.
Worried, I look up at Mary and can practically feel the wheels turning in her head on how to explain what happened nine years ago.
“Come here, kiddos,” I tell them as I hold open my arms. Cassie slides down off Mary’s lap and then all three of them hug me tight as I wrap my arms around them. Looking up at Mary, I cock my eyebrow in question, and thankfully, she gives me a slight nod. I’m not going to make her go through this alone.
“Your mom and I have been friends since we were in second grade. When we were in high school, we started dating and I had even planned to ask her to marry me after we graduated. But then, she was kidnapped and taken away. She was forced to marry Stephan; it wasn’t her choice. I looked for her for all these years and some of my friends and family helped me look for her as well. I never stopped looking. Almost every spare moment I had I spent chasing leads. I got close, really close, three times, but by the time I got to your house, you were all gone. I love your mom and I love all three of you.”
All three of their eyes mist over and Cassie’s little lip starts quivering. The sight breaks my heart. I wish I was able to get them away from him sooner, but I can’t change the past.
“Honest?” she asks, and I nod.
“Completely honest, Angel.”
“Do you know who kidnapped her?” Ash asks and I pause trying to figure out how much to say.
“We know the identity of some of them, but the cops and us are still trying to find them. They’ve gone into hiding, so it’s hard for us to track them down.”
All three of them are silent for a bit and I pray they don’t ask more questions on the identities of who kidnapped Mary. I don’t want to have to get into that can of worms right now if I don’t have to. After a few moments, Cassie’s little hand fists my shirt as she looks up at me hesitantly.
“Can we call you ‘dad’, too? Like Ash does?”
My breath hitches and I turn toward Mary. “That’s up to your mom, Angel. But if it’s okay with her, it’s more than okay with me.”
Cassie turns in my arms and the boys mirror the movement. “Mama?”
Mary wipes her cheeks and reaches for me. I entwine my fingers with hers and she gives the kids a wide but watery smile. “It’s more than okay with me. The only two things I don’t regret about being with Stephan are you two. I just wish Patch was your dad from the beginning.”
So do I, Siren. So do I.
After a few moments, Ash tugs on my cut. “Can I show you my room now?”
Smiling, I nod. “You betcha.”
The kids slide off my lap and I move to lift Mary, grabbing her sling as well. When she’s in my arms, she winds her arm around my neck and buries her head in it.
“Thank you,” she whispers before kissing my neck.
Goosebumps erupt on my skin as a shiver of need skates down my spine. “Always, Siren. Like I said before, I’m here for the long haul and will help support you in any way I can.”
Kissing the crown of her head, I follow the kids as they giggle happily, the previous dark cloud that was over them when we were talking about Stephan seeming to have dissipated completely. Setting Mary down on Ash’s bed, I look around at all the animals that are on the wall. Puppies, cats, and a few zoo animals as well decorate half the room. The other half is decorated in cars and motorcycles. His room has its own attached bathroom.
Looking at his bed closer, emotion clogs my throat when I see his bedspread decked out in medical gear.
“I think I get it from you, Dad. Only instead of helping people, I want to help animals,” Ash says as he leans against my side and wraps his arms around my waist.
Not trusting my voice, I wrap my arm around his shoulders, hugging him into my side.