49. Chapter 49
A couple hours later, I can tell the kids are lagging and with tomorrow being a school day, I think it’s time to call it a night. Not to mention, I have plans of my own for tonight.
Getting up and walking over to the table that they’re sitting at, I lean on the backs of their chairs and then pull back, biting back my hiss of pain. Fuck, this is going to take some getting used to. Looking down, I smile as I take in the pictures they’ve been drawing.
“Hey munchkins, those are some amazing pictures, but I think it’s time to call it a night. If you want, we can take the ones you’ve finished home and put them up on the fridge.”
At my voice, they look up from the coloring books someone got for them and then quietly start gathering everything up. Ash puts them all back in the bin that’s on the table and then runs down the hallway with it. I make it a mental note to check out the room Mae said they’d set aside as a play area for the kids tomorrow.
Isaiah puts their pictures in a pile right as Ash comes back and is carrying their coats and Mary’s. I help them get into them before walking over to Mary, who is talking to Elvira, Levi, and Mae. Placing my hand on her shoulder, she looks up and smiles at me before turning back to the women.
“I think this is my cue. It’s time to head out, but I’ll see you all tomorrow.”
“Have a good night,” Levi says with a wink, which has a beautiful blush staining Mary’s cheeks.
After helping Mary into her coat, I pick her up off the couch and set her in the wheelchair we had stashed downstairs. I’ve already put in for a new powered one for her. Unfortunately, it won’t be here for a few more days, so this one will have to do for now.
As we walk back to the house, the kids tell us about how much fun they had today and my heart squeezes when they get to the part where they had to go down into the panic room.
“It was so cool, Mama! Levi opened a secret door in the playroom and we got to play with new toys! There were a bunch of movies, games, coloring books and so many toys!”
Ash’s lips thin as he looks from Cassie to me and he holds my gaze for a few moments, questions filling his eyes. In this moment, he seems so much older than his nine years, and I hate that he’s had to grow up so fast. He knows they weren’t down there to play, but how much do I really tell him?
Once we reach our front door, I unlock it and we all file in.
“Make sure to hang up your coats and put your shoes on the mat in the mudroom,” Mary calls out and the kids run through the house to do as she says. While we do have a closet by the front door for coats and shoes, we’ve already decided that the kids’ stuff will be in the mudroom by the garage door to make it easier for when we go places or for when they go back to school.
After hanging up Mary’s coat and slipping off her shoes, I do the same. Shutting the closet door, I lean against it and take another look around our new home. Well, our home until we can build a house.
There are hardwood floors throughout the main floor, which is a major bonus for Mary right now. The living room is spacious, with two large couches facing the TV in sort of a ‘V’ shape. Off the living room and down a short hallway is a full bathroom that also connects to the office, which we’re using as Mary’s room, and hopefully, my room as well. The kitchen is extremely spacious, and I love that you can see most of the living room from the island. I know that once Mary has enough strength, she’ll be cooking up a storm in here.
Upstairs, there are three bedrooms and another full bathroom. They’re a little small for my taste, but from what I’ve gleamed from a few conversations with Mary, these rooms are bigger than anything they’d ever had before. I will say though, when we build our own house, there will be more bedrooms, spacious ones, because I plan on having more kids with Mary. If she agrees that is. I’d never force that on her. And I can’t forget to make sure there’s a big enough space for her garden. That is one Greek trait I knew she liked doing—growing her own food.
Pushing off the wall, I walk toward them.
“Okay, kiddos. Give mom hugs and kisses and then I’ll tuck you all in.”
The beaming smile Mary gives me as she looks at me over the top of their heads warms my chest and simultaneously makes my pants even tighter than they were.
Casse whines a little. “But why can’t you come tuck us in too, Mama?” she asks but Mary shakes her head.
“Remember, Daddy got hurt today and he’s already carried me around a lot. Probably more than he should have, and I don’t want to make him hurt worse.”
Fuck, I would have totally carried her upstairs if she wanted to, but the look she gives me has me biting my tongue. I know she’s holding herself responsible for everyone that got hurt, but it’s not her fault. It’ll take some time, but I’ll make sure she eventually understands that she’s not at fault for what someone else did.
Taking her lead, I lean down, pick Cassie up, and set her on Mary’s lap. After doing this with all of them, I lead them upstairs, but Ash hesitates. He looks between us a couple of times, almost like he wants to say or ask us something.
Squeezing his shoulder, I turn toward Cassie and Isaiah. “How about you two head upstairs, brush your teeth, and start getting ready for bed? I’ll be up there in a moment.”
They both clamor up the stairs, giggling as they go and talking about how much they like their new rooms.
I wheel Mary further into the living room so that she’s next to a couch, grateful that we don’t have snow right now, otherwise I would have had to dry off the wheels of her chair. Sitting down in the middle of the couch, I pat the space between us.
“Come sit and tell us what’s on your mind, Ash.”
He chews his lip for a moment, his gaze nervously going between me and the cushion next to me. Frowning, I don’t like where his mind immediately went, but I know it’ll take time for all of them to overcome their demons.
“Asher, look at me, son,” I tell him gently before pausing as I rest my elbows on my knees and wait until his gaze meets mine. “I will never hurt you, Ash. I know it’ll take some time for your mind to realize I’m not like him or any of his friends. None of the men and women here are like them. But, until you’re at that point, it’s okay to tell us if you need more space or if you want me to sit across from you rather than next to you. I won’t be mad at you for that. Well, I will be mad, but my anger isn’t directed at you—it’s directed at him for doing this to you. You will never be punished for telling us how you feel. And while I’m sure you’ll have questions about things while we live here on the compound, I will do my best to tell you as much as I can.”
“But not everything?” he asks and his face falls a little when I shake my head.
“Ash, there will be some things that I won’t tell you because I’m trying to protect you. Others may be because it’s something us grownups need to handle, and while you’re a very bright and smart kid, you are still a kid. Now, I’m not saying this to be mean, but I don’t think you and your brother and sister were allowed to really be kids unless you were home alone with your mom. Even then, you weren’t really free to be kids because there was always that part of you that was alert and waiting for him to come home unexpectedly. Am I right?”
He nods and his eyes mist a little, but just as quickly as the tears appear, they’re gone.
“Well, now, you three get to be the kids that you are. Let your mom and I worry about the adult things for now. We’ll protect you, keep you fed and clothed, keep a roof over your head and make sure you have an education. As you get older, we’ll give you more responsibilities, but for now, we just want you to focus on being you. On being a kid. We’ll protect you so that you don’t always have to be looking over your shoulder, okay?”
This time when his eyes mist over, one escapes and I slowly reach forward, giving him time to step back, but he leans into my hand and I wipe away the tear.
“Now, tell us, Ash. What’s got you worried?”
“The panic room.”
I nod for him to continue. I’d wondered if that was what was bugging him. Or at least a part of it, anyway.
“I overheard Auntie Levi telling Auntie MaeMae and Granny Elvira that we needed to get to the panic room. Then they quickly moved us and Lindsey down into the secret rooms. But, Dad, why do you guys even need a panic room? I thought you weren’t the bad guys? There’s a kitchen down there with a huge pantry stocked full, a couple of rooms full of bunk beds and cots, two bathrooms, and I saw Auntie Levi getting a gun out of a secret panel in the wall. There were lots of guns in there. I even saw all the knives she keeps under her jacket. Why do you need all of that if you’re the good guys?”
“Oh, sweetie,” Mary starts and then wheels forward a bit to take his hand. “Your dad and the club are good men and women. They fight for what’s right. But sometimes, like today, bad guys attack them in an attempt to get back someone that they’re protecting. I will tell you this, but you have to promise that you don’t breathe a word about what we say to your brother and sister. Is that understood?”
He nods and I swear he stands taller.
“Stephan was behind today’s attack. He tried to take me and he wanted to… He wanted to hurt Patch. And I can’t thank Levi and the others enough for getting you kids to safety so quickly.”
Ash’s face pales slightly but his jaw clenches. “We’re not going back with him.”
“I know,” Mary replies as she nods and squeezes his hand. “He refuses to take no for an answer. In his mind, us leaving him is an embarrassment. A stain on his reputation. He thinks he owns us because he bought me from my kidnappers years ago. To him, we’re possessions. Not people. Your dad, the rest of the club, and our families are trying to stop him and prevent him from ever hurting us again.”
He frowns and shakes his head. “You can’t buy people.”
Mary’s eyes mist, but she stays strong. “You’re not supposed to be able to, but he did, and he kept me a prisoner these past nine years. Thanks to your dad and the club, we were finally able to get free of him.”
Ash nods a few times as he thinks over everything we’ve just told him, and probably the cliff note version we’d told them a few weeks ago.
“Okay, I think I understand, but I still have a question about the panic room.”
“What’s that?”
“Is there only the one? Do we need to know about any others in case this happens again?”
“We used to have a couple of them, but shortly after Levi came here, she suggested we combine them to make a bigger panic room setup for when the club grows. The new, larger panic room is the one that you all were in. We have a couple of secret entrances throughout the clubhouse that all of us club members and Old Ladies know about. Well, and Elvira, since she’s taken to helping watch over the kids. After combining the panic rooms, we made sure there were a couple of really thick steel doors you have to pass through before you are allowed into the rooms. That’s to help keep out anyone outside of the club should they find the entrances. Or slow them down if they manage to get through them.
“Now, as for your earlier question as to what all was down there, it’s for if we need you kids and the women down here for an extended period of time while we fight off the bad guys. Think of Levi and Mae for a moment. Soon, they’ll be having their babies, and they’re going to need the kitchen area to prepare food and bottles, and an area for the babies to nap. For the older kids, we made sure there were things like movies and games to keep you all entertained while you’re down there. We wanted it to be a safe place but also homey and comfortable, for instances like today. Did you feel safe down there?”
Instantly, he nods. “Yeah, Gunner, Tripp, and Smithy were down there with us as well and they stayed near three doors and watched something on a tablet. When Auntie MaeMae put on a movie for us, Cassie kept getting worried about you and Mom at first. She only calmed down when Tripp offered to hold her while she watched the movie and promised he’d let her know as soon as you guys were safe. He kept his promise and told us when Colt, I mean Cowboy, carried Mom into the clubhouse and then when you safely made it behind the gates. It was only then that she started playing again with Izzy and Lindsey.”
Relief flows through me at my brothers’ actions. I’ll need to make sure to thank them later for helping them calm down, especially Cassie.
“Good. We want you to feel safe down there and we will always do whatever we can to come back to you. Understand?”
He nods and steps forward, wrapping his arms around me. “I’m so glad we moved back here and you and Mom found each other again.”
My chest tightens and my eyes burn. Fuck, this kid. Kissing his head, I tighten my arms around him slightly. “So am I, Ash. So am I.”
After a few moments, he pulls back and then goes over to Mary, hugging her as well.
“Is there anything else you wanted to talk about tonight?” I ask him when he steps back from her and he shakes his head.
“I think I understand things better now. In my head, I kept hearing the lies he’d say over the years about your club.” He pauses as he shakes his head, looking down shyly. “I shouldn’t have let them get to me. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. It’ll take time, but eventually you’ll stop hearing his voice in your head. If that ever happens again, you can come and ask me about whatever’s bothering you and I’ll tell you as much as I’m able to. However, just know that I might not be able to tell you everything so that I can protect you. Okay?”
Once again, he comes over and hugs me tight as he whispers, “Thank you,” in my ear.
After a few moments, I pull back and stand up. “Head on upstairs and start getting ready for bed. I’m just going to help your mom get into the bedroom.”
He heads upstairs and I turn toward Mary, cupping her cheek and kissing her. “Let’s get you in the bedroom,” I all but growl and when I see the shiver that runs through her, my dick hardens almost painfully.
She bites her lip as she looks up at me, and thank fuck, I see the same desire reflecting back in her gorgeous green eyes.
Wheeling her into the bedroom, I stop at the entrance to the bathroom and lock the wheels. Helping her undo her sling, I hold my hand out, help her stand, and support her as she hobbles to the bathroom sink. I’m always nervous when she does this, afraid that she’ll fall and hurt herself. She’s been healing so well now that she isn’t getting beaten every other day and has been getting better and more nutritious meals.
“Are you going to be okay with me leaving you here to tuck in the kids?”
She rolls her eyes and nods. “Yes, Luke, but thank you for worrying. Besides, we left the crutches in here earlier to help with instances like this. I’ll be fine. Go tuck the kids in and I’ll do my thing.”
The blush that stains her cheeks and how she’s nibbling on her lip has me thinking her thoughts are probably as dirty as mine. Not being able to resist, my fingers thread through her curls and I kiss her like my life depends on it.
“Fuck, Mary. The things I want to do to you and your fucking gorgeous body.” A growl escapes and I feel a shiver run through her.
She looks up at me with a saucy look. “Well, then, you better get out of here and take care of our kids.”
Taking a deep breath, I grind my palm on the base of my cock. I need it to go down before I head upstairs. Sometimes I’m still surprised that she’s come so far these past few weeks, not to mention letting me touch her so soon after everything.
Kissing her forehead, because if I kiss her on the lips, I’d never make it upstairs, I step back. “Be back in a bit. Yell if you need me for anything.”
She rolls her eyes as she waves me off and I head upstairs.