Chapter Twenty-Four
Caius
T he four-hour drive from Dallas to Tulsa feels endless. I’m about to crawl out of my own flesh with the need to get to Romy faster.
She’s in labor.
I’m going to be a dad.
Everything with Romy has felt surreal from the moment I found her trapped beneath the floor to the first time I pushed inside her body to seeing her pregnant after months apart. It’s as if we’re flying through the air at warped speed, clinging to each other as destruction lies in our wake.
I don’t understand my intense feelings for that woman, but they’re there. I fucking love her. I need her. I can’t live without her.
Now we’re about to be an official family.
What if the child isn’t yours?
I hate that dark thoughts creep up on me when I have too much time to think. Gareth raped her. With the baby coming early, it’s possible he could be the father.
No, I’m the father.
If the kid comes out blond like my brother, I’ll still love it as my own. Just like with Kaitlyn. She’s not mine, but she’s mine .
“You’re quiet,” Koyn remarks from the driver’s seat. “Becoming a father is a mindfuck. Trust me.” He chuckles. “It’s also the best damn thing in the world.”
“I don’t even have a fucking home for them,” I mutter aloud. “I’m on the run from my father and trying to take down rapist traffickers. Having a kid right now does not bode well for the life I’m living.”
“You’ll give them a home when this is over,” Koyn says with conviction. “Until then, you owe it to your daughters to rid the streets of these sick fucks. You’ll see it to the end.”
He’s right.
I also like that he refers to Kaitlyn as my daughter too.
I’ll be strong for Romy and the girls. I have to. If we want a safer world for them to live in, it’s necessary to clean up the filth first.
“What if she already had the baby?” I ask, voice tight with emotion. “They’ve stopped responding to my texts.”
“The baby’s not going anywhere, man. You’ll see her when you get there.”
I knew I should’ve stayed with her. There was a voice in the back of my head telling me to. Not like I could’ve indulged it. I promised Koyn and his men I’d do my part. They’ve given us a safe place to land and haven’t asked for anything but this in return. It’s the least I can do. I just hate I’m missing out on the birth of my daughter.
The Pepto-Bismol-colored hospital comes into view even before we exit the highway. I’m on the edge of my seat, desperate to get to her. Koyn, thankfully, drives me right up to the front of the building so I can get out. I bolt from the vehicle like my ass is on fire.
After a few confusing moments, I manage to find the floor for labor and delivery. The elevator creeps its way up. I’m jittery with nerves.
“I’m looking for my fiancée,” I blurt out to the receptionist on the L&D floor. “Romy Langston.”
She points me in the direction of the room she’s in and I sprint over to it. The door is ajar, and I can hear Romy’s moans of pain. Every hair on my body stands on end with a mixture of terror and anger at whoever is hurting her.
I burst into the room and take in the frantic scene. Romy is in stirrups, red-faced and sweaty, as she seems to be pushing. Theo has hold of her hand, gently coaching her through the process. The urge to knock my brother out has never been so overwhelming that it is now.
“Caius,” Romy cries out. “Oh God, you’re here.”
She releases Theo’s hand to stretch it out to me. I move over to her and take it. Theo disappears from view and my focus is on my beautiful woman.
“Her head’s almost out, Romy,” the doctor says. “You’re doing great. We’re going to have you push again on your next contraction.”
She whimpers as another wave of pain consumes her. Her grip on my hand is crushing as she bears down again. I’m panicked and unsure what to do. I kiss her hand and pray like hell this baby comes out soon so she can be free from the pain.
It takes her another fifteen minutes of pushing, but then my daughter enters the world with an earth-shattering scream. I take my eyes off Romy to watch as the nurse handles the messy-looking, squirming little thing. I’m in awe.
A baby.
We have a baby.
Romy starts to cry. I tear my eyes from the little girl to look into Romy’s teary blue eyes.
“You did it, love,” I murmur, smiling at her. “Perfect timing too.”
She manages a watery smile. “I want to hold her.”
Seconds later, the nurse sets the baby on Romy’s chest. Romy’s arm curls around our daughter and she kisses her head.
“She has your hair color,” Romy points out. “I wonder if she’ll have your eyes too.”
And yet, all I see is Romy’s same nose and pouty lips. Our baby is beautiful.
“I want to name her Nova,” Romy says. “She has strong parents who have been through so much. This little girl is an explosion in our world and will only burn brighter.”
I think that it’s a fitting name considering “supernova” was the phrase we used to pull someone out of their mind trance. Our little Nova is like that.
“Nova is perfect,” I assure her. “I love it.”
I’m not sure I’ve ever been happier in my whole damn life.
To say Kaitlyn is excited about her sister would be an understatement. We’ve been back at the clubhouse for only a few hours, and Kaitlyn has given up on her pool obsession to stick by her baby sister’s side.
“She can sleep in my bed,” Kaitlyn says, pointing to the air mattress on the floor. “Sunshine will make sure she doesn’t fall off.”
Guilt seizes my heart in my chest. I’m supposed to be the head of this little family and we’re shacking up in a fucking clubhouse of a motorcycle gang. They deserve a real home.
Like the one they shared with Seth…
“Maybe when she’s a little older,” Romy suggests. “Right now she’s small and needs to nurse a lot in the middle of the night.”
“She gets milk from Mommy’s boob,” Kaitlyn explains to the dog, who sits patiently beside her, also curious about the baby. Sunshine cocks her head to the side as if this makes sense to her. “When will she be big enough to play Barbies with me?”
I’ve noticed Kaitlyn has a lot of questions these days and Romy has endless patient answers. It’s strange to me how life works out. Kaitlyn lost her parents and was forced to live with my brother. Then she had her mind twisted and forced to live with Seth. Somehow, through all that, she found Romy and has taken to being her daughter as if it were always true. I’m grateful the kid isn’t well and truly fucked in the head from all she’s been through.
“Before you know it,” Romy promises. “Can you go find Grandma and see if she’ll take you to Walmart to buy some things for Nova?”
Excited about her new adventure, Kaitlyn bolts, but not before giving her sister a kiss on the forehead. Once she’s gone and we can hear them talking in the next room over, Romy relaxes and closes her eyes.
I lie down next to her and stroke my fingers through the massive amounts of dark hair on Nova’s head. Her features are so tiny, yet she’s one hundred percent a human being. We made her. I’ll never get over that.
“Caius,” Romy says, voice thick with emotion.
“Hmm?”
“Thank you for saving us.”
I tear my gaze from Nova’s face and look at Romy. “It won’t be like this forever. I swear to God, love. I’m going to give you a home and whatever the fuck you want.”
She smiles and touches my cheek with her free hand. “You already gave me those things.”
Relief floods through me. She’s right. Here at this clubhouse with our little family where we’re safe feels right and perfect.
“I loved living on the land when I was a kid. What do you think about living close by here? You’ve made friends.” And so have I… Strange concept, but it’s true. I like Koyn and Nees and even Dragon. “We could get a pool.”
We both softly laugh because that’s inevitable with Kaitlyn.
“Oklahoma,” Romy says wistfully. “It’s a far cry from New York, but I like it here. Especially in the air conditioning.”
I lean forward and kiss her pillow-soft lips. “We’re almost there, love. One day we’ll have the life we want, not a life someone created for us. Nova will never be tainted like we have by the horrors of the world.”
We talk quietly until Romy drifts off. I gently take a sleeping Nova from her arms and set her in the bassinet Eva had waiting for us when we got back from the hospital. Then I tiptoe out of the room to give them time to rest.
Koyn is leaned against the bar off the living room area, talking softly to his brother. He straightens when I make my way over to them.
“Everything good with the kid and the woman?”
“Perfect,” I say with a stupid grin on my face.
Copper and Koyn share a knowing smirk. I’m a part of the daddies club too now.
Koyn grows serious and shows me an article on his phone.
Two bodies discovered in hotel fire. Arson suspected. TPD are still trying to identify the bodies as the room was booked under an alias. This is an ongoing investigation.
“Should we be worried?” I ask, handing him his phone back.
“Nah,” Koyn says with a shrug. “I’ve already been in the file on their database, mixing shit up and deleting things. It’s untraceable and minor enough not to draw attention. There’ll be something new next week they have to throw themselves at. This case will fall by the wayside like so many others.”
It’s a shitty thing to say, but in our case, I’m glad.
The last thing we need is it getting out that Ava died by the hand of one of Huxley’s previous patients. We’re all so connected to them that the information could explode. We don’t need unnecessary eyes on us. Not now when we’re so close to shutting down this operation. Getting rid of Solomon and Ava were huge wins in stemming the trafficking bleed. Those above and below them are no doubt scrambling without those middlemen.
“What’s next?” I ask, stifling a yawn. Having half-ass slept on an uncomfortable pleather hospital couch two nights in a row is catching up with me.
“I have an idea to kill a few birds with one stone,” Koyn says, dark eyes glimmering with excitement. “We’ll need your woman, though.”
Pride fills my chest.
“I’m sure she’ll be happy to help,” I assure him, this time unable to stop the wide yawn that comes out of me. “Sorry, man.”
He clamps a hand on my aching shoulder. “Get some sleep. You’re going to need it. In a few days, we’ll regroup and get this shit in motion.”
I can’t wait.
Because when this is over, my life as a free man can finally begin.