Chapter 25
Wrath
“ D o you want kids?” my wife asks.
Lucy arrives table side with our dinner at the same moment. She quickly places our meals in front of us and leaves silently.
“I do, baby. How about you?”
“Yes. I’d love a big family. I’d like to adopt and have children if I can.”
“Is there a reason you couldn’t?”
She shakes her head. “Not that I know of, but there are always things that can happen. We won’t know for sure until I get pregnant.”
“As far as I’m concerned, we can start tonight.”
She laughs. “I’m on the pill. Even if I threw them away tonight, chances are it’s going to take a month to get fully out of my system. Plus, if I’m going to start a new job. I’d like to wait a year. Although the pill is not a hundred percent, so if we get pregnant before then, I’m okay with that.”
“A year is doable. What kind of house do you want?”
“I’d love a log cabin. What do you think of my parents’ cabin?”
“I love your parents’ cabin. When we get back to New Orleans, I’ll show you Gambit and Stormy’s. Our company built it. My team, actually.”
“Do you and your brothers each have a team?”
“We do. Dad started it early on as a fun competition. He’d give us similar jobs and a team of men. Then he’d come in and inspect each one. He’s the toughest inspector I’ve come across. Dad had us “compete” like that for five years before he retired and sold the company. The club bought part of it, and they’ve helped us grow the company.”
“Does the club have other businesses?”
“We have several around town. Voodoo Armadillo, The Baron’s Best, Swamp Witch Herb, Blue Bayou Customs, La Poule Rouge, Heaven’s Door, Inkspiration, Jackson & Sons Construction, Pele’s Palace, Grunt Work Fitness and our latest project a housing development for our families that want to live close by, King’s Estates. Plus, Artemis’ Retreat.”
I could see the shock on her face, but I press on.
“Each patched member of the King’s gets a share of the profits.”
“Is that why you have a black Amex?”
I chuckle. “That and the black ops missions that we sometimes go on.”
“Black ops?”
“Decker, Saber, and I enrolled in the Marines while we were seniors in high school. We went in at seventeen and finished at twenty-five. After that we prospected for the Kings.”
“Your parents let you enroll at seventeen?”
“They did. We’d gotten into some trouble with a local gang. Pops thought it was a good idea to get us some discipline.”
“How did your parents meet?”
“Dad’s appendix burst when he was nineteen. Mom was a volunteer candy striper. It was love at first sight. He asked her out after he came out of surgery, and they’ve been together ever since.”
“So, the men in your family fall in love in the hospital.”
I throw back my head, laughing. “It appears so.”
“Remind me not to let our sons out of my sight.”
He chuckles.
“What about our daughters? Mom fell head over heels in love too.”
“Fine, none of our children can date until they’re fifty.”
“I want grandkids.”
“Forty.”
“Thirty-two?”
“I’ll think on it,” she says before taking a drink of wine. “This is good.”
“Maddie, a friend of the club’s and part owner of Pele’s Palace, taught us a class on wine one night. Some of the brothers laughed and poked fun at those of us who attended, but it was well worth it.”
“You chose well,” she says before putting her hand on top of mine.
I curl my fingers around hers and look into her eyes.
“Nightingale, I’m the luckiest man on the face of this planet.”
“That makes me the luckiest woman because you chose me. I’ve seen the way women eat you up with their eyes.”
“Darling, men devour you with their eyes.”
She blushes bright pink and shakes her head. “No, they don’t, but thank you for saying that.”
“I’m not just saying it, Nightingale. It’s true. You’re stunning.”
“Tell me that in forty years.”
“Oh, I will,” I say before leaning in and capturing her lips with mine.
She leans into me, and I deepen the kiss. Our tongues dance and play. I eat at her mouth before releasing her. We’re both breathing heavily.
“Eat your dinner, Nightingale. You’re going to need your strength,” I growl.
We eat for the next few minutes in companionable silence before our server comes to check on us. Soon, Millie is ready for dessert and boxes. Thankfully, our cabin has a fridge, so we can put the leftovers in there. This may be the first time in history leftovers are safe since none of my siblings is staying with us.
Our family made a game of eating each other’s leftovers. If it was left the next day, something was wrong with it. My brothers and I kept it up in the service and the Kings. Hell, Saber jimmied my lock a few weeks ago and cleaned out my fridge. I came home from a long ass day at work to find my cupboards literally bare. He thought it would be funny to take EVERYTHING.
I had to have the prospects bring me food and refill my fridge and pantry from the compound’s bodega. The bodega was all Queenie’s idea. That’s our nickname for Stormie. Though the Prez calls her Queen. His Queen. Our Queenie. Gambit couldn’t have chosen a better woman to help him lead our club.
Our bachelor brotherhood is fast becoming a family. We have several children with the latest addition. Boomer and Olivia’s twins Rocco and Romeo’s birth late February brought our total to an even dozen.
They are the cutest babies too and already opposite. Rocco is fierce and fussy while Romeo is laid back and loves cuddles.
As we enjoy dessert, I imagine what our children will look like. I have medium brown skin. Our kids may be lighter with her forest green eyes. A few could even inherit her pale blonde hair. I love her dark roots and undertones, or whatever they’re called. I think it’s cute she adds them to her natural blonde hair.
Damn, our kids are going to be gorgeous.