Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
DRIFTER
Today is the day our daughter is finally coming home. She’s made some amazing progress and the doctors are truly amazed by her. I’m not, though, because she has Hell as her mum, and that woman is capable of anything.
Although Hell had been discharged weeks ago, she’s spent all her nights at the hospital. I had spent as long as I could there, but I was also busy making sure everything was set in place for them coming home.
I had already taken action and had the club whores removed from the club. I’d put it to the vote in church, and although the men were pissed at first, they understood.
Clay and Rock were in full support. The clubhouse needs to be a safe space for the kids, too.
The brothers helped move the women over to the strip joint, and they were told that under no circumstances were they to bring them back into the club.
If they want to get their dicks wet, they’ll have to find pussy somewhere else.
I have plans for the lounge area where the club girls used to hang out, too, but it’s going to be a surprise for Hell, so the area has been completely off-limits to everyone else.
I pat Clay on the back, taking a seat next to him at the bar.
Hazel passes me a bottle of water, and I take it gratefully.
She doesn’t even ask me anymore. I’ve been clean since we brought Hell back from the rival club.
I was serious about staying clean too, for Hell and for our little girl.
I can’t be the man they need unless I’m sober.
“Alright, brother?” I ask, smiling.
“Today’s the day,” he replies.
I take a sip of my water. “I can’t wait. But I have one last ask of you.”
He arches a brow suspiciously. “Go on.”
“I want you to take ownership of the strip club.” It’s the last thing on my list to prove to Hell I’m serious.
He clasps my shoulder. “Of course, but only if you’re sure. I mean, it belongs to the club.”
“No, it belongs to you now. I’ll get a solicitor to make it all official. I don’t want anything to do with it. I have to make changes, otherwise, I’m going to end up just like my dad.”
He nods in acknowledgement. “I hear you.”
“Hell would never ask me to give up the club, but I don’t need the women, the alcohol, or the money. I just need them—my family and my brothers. I’ve made some seriously shit choices, but that changes from now. We need to do better.”
He smirks.
“What?” I ask.
“I just never fucking thought I’d see the day our Pres went soft.”
I scoff, rolling my eyes. “Shut up, you fucker. And if you tell anyone—”
He puts his hands up in defence, laughing. “Your secret is safe with me.”
I bring the bottle to my lips. “Fucker,” I mutter into it before taking a sip.
We pull into the compound, and I look in the mirror at them as I park the car. Hell is looking down at our daughter, grinning from ear to ear.
“You ready?” I ask. She looks up, and our eyes meet in the reflection.
She lets out a breath. “Would it be stupid to say I’m nervous?”
I shake my head, twisting in my seat to look at her. “Nope, because I am too. We’ve had the support of all the nurses, and now, we’ve gotta do this shit on our own.”
She arches a brow at me and laughs.
“What?” I ask
“Language . . . little ears.”
I smile as I get out of the driver’s side and make my way around to open the door for her.
I offer her my hand and smile when she takes it, helping her to her feet.
It’s been a couple of weeks since her operation, but she’s still sore, and I don’t want her overdoing it.
I head round to the other side and unclip the car seat before pulling it free. I lean in and kiss her on the head. “You ready, princess? Welcome home,” I whisper.
We walk through the bar, and everyone stops, coming over to gush over her.
Red embraces Hell tightly. They haven’t seen each other whilst she’s been at the hospital. Hell wanted some time to herself, saying she wanted to figure shit out without people interfering, and to be honest, watching her blossom has been a beautiful sight.
Gone is the angry, tired woman who went in, and suddenly, she seems free from stress, relaxed, and like the mother I always knew she would be.
I grab her attention and whisper, “I’ll take her upstairs.” I place a chaste kiss on her cheek. She smiles, nodding. “I’ll be up soon.”
We enter the nursery, and I place the car seat on the floor then unclip her. I wander around the room, speaking softly to her and showing her everything.
I take a seat in the rocker, resting her on my chest. She instantly snuggles against me, and I smile, inhaling her baby scent. In this moment, I am done, ruined. This is a moment in time that I never realised I needed. My princess will make me the man I was always destined to be.
We rock gently back and forth savouring this moment. The door opens, and Hell walks in. When she looks at us, her eyes are full of love.
“It suits you,” she whispers.
“Who’d have known the Pres would go soft in his old age?”
“I can’t believe what we made,” she gushes, full of pride.
“She’s just like her mum, complete perfection.”
Hell rolls her eyes and smirks at me. “I’ve thought of a name,” she says.
“Whatever you want,” I say, inhaling the scent of her deeply.
“Daisy,” she whispers, staring at the artwork on the wall.
I look up, watching her. “It’s perfect.”
“Drifter, I’ve done a lot of thinking over the last few weeks,” she whispers, placing her hand over mine resting on Daisy’s back.
“I’m ready to give it another go.” I smile widely, hope building in my chest. “It won’t be easy, and I think we need to go to marriage counselling.
I want to do this properly. We have to figure out what the fuck went wrong and how we move forward from this. ”
“Anything. I’ll do whatever you want.”
“I saw the club whores are gone.” She stares at me as if trying to figure me out. “Thank you.”
“I did it for you both. You were right—it’s no place for kids. I want to change for you both.”
“I know, and I believe you, but it’s going to take me time to trust you again.”
I nod. Fuck, I don’t care right now as long as she’s giving me the opportunity to put this shit right.
ROCHELLE
We really seem to be getting into a pattern since we’ve been home, and it’s strange how it feels like Daisy has always been part of our lives. I reach over to her crib and pull her to my chest as Drifter walks into the room.
“Should you be lifting like that?” he asks, concerned. I turn and roll my eyes. Even though it is nice having him help, sometimes he was slightly overbearing.
I pat Daisy gently on her back. “I’m fine, Drifter. They said I just need to take it easy, not lifting anything heavier than Daisy and only to do things as I feel ready for it.”
He walks across the room to us. “How’s Daddy’s little princess doing?”
“She had a great night. She woke a few times for a feed, but went straight back to sleep.” We still aren’t sharing a bed. I want to get marriage counselling arranged and our marriage back on track first, before he comes back to our marital bed.
“Want me to do the same tonight? I’ll come settle her after your last feed, so you can go and get yourself some rest.”
I smile fondly at him. He really is becoming an amazing dad. I dreaded having to do this all alone, but he had stepped up to the mark. We are a long way from fixed, but we are making progress.
“Do you mind?”
He leans in, placing a featherlight kiss on my lips, which almost takes my breath away, before placing one on the back of Daisy’s head. “For you . . . anything.”
Daisy squirms against me, so I pass her to her dad. He cradles her against his chest and looks down at her lovingly. “Why don’t you go take a soak in the bath? I’ll take her for a walk.”
I go into the bathroom to find Drifter has already run the bath for me whilst I fed Daisy. As I step into the room, the smell of lavender fills my nostrils, and I inhale deeply, closing my eyes briefly. When I open them, I’m greeted by the bathroom lined with lit candles.
I take off my clothes and find my scar is still red but no longer weeping. I look at my reflection in the mirror and am reminded that these scars are my battle wounds, the reason Daisy is here today and breathing.
I dip my toes in the hot water, the steam rising from the tub. I smile to myself. Drifter remembered not to put any bubbles in the bath so as to not aggravate my wound, and it makes me realise just how much he’s taken in, even when I didn’t think he was listening.
Once I get out of the bath, I make my way into the bedroom to find Drifter asleep on the bed, Daisy lying beside him in the ‘next to you’ crib. His hand rests on her as his gentle snores fill the room.
I lower myself onto the bed, lifting his arm to lie against him. He stirs slightly, opening his eyes and kissing me on the head before pulling me in closer. His other hand is still firmly resting on Daisy, almost as if he’s monitoring her breathing.
“I love you,” he whispers sleepily.
I lean up and kiss him. It’s the first time I’ve initiated it. I rest my hand on his heart and feel it beating heavily through his kutte. I take a moment to deepen the kiss, my tongue darting out. When we break away panting, his forehead rests against mine.
“I’ve missed you,” he whispers breathlessly.
My lips are swollen from our kiss. “I love you, Drifter. Don’t ever let me go.”
“I’ll kill myself before I ever break your heart or trust again.”