CHAPTER 25
EZRA
Walking into the station, the one I’ve walked into so many times throughout my life, feels different now. Titus is a half-step behind me, but I know he would rather be in front of me to shield me, just in case. But he doesn’t need to shield me, not here.
At least, I don’t think he does.
His willingness to walk into this building with me is a testament to how much he loves me. This is the last place he should be and the awareness of it slams into me.
Maybe we shouldn’t be here, but it’s the right thing to do.
I got engaged a few days ago and I’ve completely moved into our home on the club’s land. The last thing I want is for the rumor mill to reach Dad before I do. It just wouldn’t be right.
Which is why I’m walking into the station and pretending I still own it just because my dad sits in the big office. Inside? My internal freak-out is a whole other story, but I keep my face composed and my expression neutral.
This is normal. Just a perfectly normal day doing perfectly normal things.
Deputies are looking at us, but I just offer them polite smiles. I have no doubt they’ve heard about me spending time on the club’s land. Everyone has heard about it at this point.
After I knock on Dad’s door, his gruff voice comes through the door, “Enter.”
I glance at Titus to find one corner of his mouth tipping up. Yeah, that welcome feels familiar.
The moment the door opens, Dad glances up and stills. He doesn’t freeze completely, but he stops. Just for a second.
Then he exhales, the sound almost filled with relief. “Please, come in,” he offers, his voice much gentler as he motions toward the chairs on the other side of his desk.
We sit and the silence lands around us for a beat. I can barely stand it.
I clear my throat and Titus reaches for my hand and gives it a squeeze. For strength. For encouragement.
“First, I want to make it clear that this is my life. I’m going to live the way I want to live with the man that I love.
” I watch Dad closely, waiting for him to explode.
His hand flexes, but that’s the only outward reaction.
After taking a deep breath, I forge ahead, “I’m a good person and love this community.
I’ve never been reckless or wild,” I remind him.
Dad chuckles softly and nods with a slight smile on his lips. “You’ve always been a good kid, Ezra.”
“That’s the thing, Dad,” I lean forward slightly, “I’m not a kid anymore.”
He sighs and rests back in his chair. “No,” there’s something almost sad in his voice, “you’re not.”
“Titus has asked me to marry him.” I hold my hand up and wiggle my fingers slightly.
The ring catches the light in a way that makes my heart soar and I don’t even attempt to hide the smile on my face.
“He also gave me his property cut. I didn’t wear it today out of respect for you and this conversation, but I will be wearing it going forward. ”
Dad nods once, his gaze turning thoughtful as he looks at me. The sigh he lets out is full of weariness and exhaustion.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about what Jackal said to me at the hospital,” he starts.
Titus’ grip tightens on my hand. I told him about what went down in the waiting room. It’s not like there was any reason to keep it from him and secrets are no one’s friend.
“He was right.” I can tell those words cost him a little; not much, but a little. “I don’t want to wake up one day and realize I’ve missed years of my daughter’s life.” He swallows hard and looks at me with sadness in his eyes. “I certainly don’t want to miss out on the lives of my grandchildren.”
My breath hitches and tears fill my eyes. I blink them away, unwilling to let them have this moment when it’s mine.
“Dad,” my voice breaks slightly, “I just don’t understand why your hatred of the club runs so deep. It’s more than just the badge,” I soften my voice, hoping he doesn’t take my words as an attack.
I know how proud he is. I know how much his job means to him and how much he values the law he upholds. Even if he is an asshole about it all sometimes.
“There was a girl,” Dad’s voice has a wistful quality to it which I don’t hear often. His eyes find mine and he sighs, “It was before I met your mother.”
He never talks about her and their messy divorce. She had me and then left. There was a time when I thought maybe it was because of me, that she just didn’t want to be a mother. Over the years I’ve realized it probably had more to do with his job and my dad’s dedication to it.
I don’t know her and I don’t blame her.
We all walk our paths in life and it’s not my place to judge her when I have no idea what her side of the story is. That doesn’t mean I don’t miss her. Well, I don’t even think I miss her, but I miss the idea of her, and what she would have been to me.
I suck in a breath and wait. He’s not done yet. I’m here to listen and, hopefully, understand.
“She was so full of life, and I loved her very much.” Something twists on his face, but it’s fleeting.
“We weren’t together very long; it’s not like we spent years together or anything.
Today when I think about it, I realize we were far too young for anything permanent, but back then I thought it was soulmate shit. ”
Titus huffs out a small laugh and Dad’s mouth tips up. Their truce is holding. For now. Maybe it can even improve.
“After graduation, we went our separate ways. It wasn’t overly dramatic or anything, our lives just drifted apart.
I was devastated, but we remained friendly.
I figured there would be a time when our paths would cross again.
I became a deputy and focused on work and the town.
Then I found out she joined the club on her back,” he spits out the words.
“Oh no,” I breathe out knowing full well what he means.
She became a club whore. I wince because that has got to sting.
“I tried to step in a few times and get her to leave with me. She wouldn’t hear of it. Every time I saw her, she looked less and less like the girl I knew and more like a hollowed-out ghost.”
Titus’ eyebrows pull together like he’s remembering something.
“She became an addict,” Dad’s voice is raw. “I tried to step in, but she wouldn’t accept my help. She told me the club wouldn’t allow it.”
Titus is shaking his head slowly. When he speaks, his words are measured, as if he’s choosing each one carefully. “I think I know who you’re talking about. She died from an overdose?”
“Yeah,” Dad croaks. “I couldn’t save her.”
“The club couldn’t either,” Titus’ voice is grave.
“The club doesn’t allow addicts. It’s a liability, not just when on the back of a bike, but in life.
You can’t trust someone who is only focused on their next fix and the club breathes trust.” He pauses for a second to allow those words to sink in.
“The club tried to get her help, more than once. They sent her to numerous rehab facilities, but it didn’t work and she ended up leaving the club before her death. ”
“An addict who doesn’t want help can’t be helped,” I whisper the words, knowing how true they are.
My dad’s shoulders slump with a level of defeat I’ve never seen in him before. He looks at me and nods. “I know.”
What isn’t said is that it didn’t matter when he needed to put his grief somewhere. It was easier to blame the club than her. It was easier to blame himself than her too, I’m sure.
“I love your daughter,” my man’s voice is strong and sure as the ghosts of the past fade into mist. “I’m going to marry her.
She’s already my Old Lady. I’m going to build a family with her and losing you completely would hurt her.
I’ll never put her in the position to choose between us, I’ll never demand such a thing from her. ”
My dad’s eyes are misty when he looks at Titus. They stare at each other for a long time, but I don’t even feel the impulse to squirm as the silence stretches around us.
“Okay,” Dad says with a nod of his head which feels final and loosens something in me.
Some of the worry I’ve been holding onto falls away. I didn’t even realize I was worried about the day when I would need to choose between them permanently.
But, then again, didn’t I already make that choice? I stood behind the walls of the SOMC and told my father to leave. I stayed with Titus when it would have been easy to go with my dad.
I think I knew that a day would come when that choice could become permanent and the bridge would be burned. Now, it feels like it might not come to pass.
“I won’t force you into the position to choose either,” Dad tells me, his words direct and his tone like a promise.
What was a tentative truce when we walked in here feels stronger, like it has better footing. Isn’t that always the way with a little understanding?
When the moment breaks, we all stand together. I barely stop myself from gasping when Dad extends his hand toward Titus. When they shake hands, I quickly wipe a single tear away. I try, but I can’t stop it from falling.
Dad steps around his desk and pulls me into a gentle hug. “Congratulations,” he whispers against the top of my head.
“Thanks, Dad,” the words are muffled against him, but he hears them.
Titus leads me out of Dad’s office and I’m kind of in a daze until he’s clipping my helmet into place on my head. I look up at him and the smile on my face is so wide it hurts my cheeks.
“How’d you know who he was talking about? The woman?” I can’t help but ask when we step outside the station.
Titus shifts his weight slightly as we stop next to his bike.
“She became a cautionary tale, one my dad used to teach me that I can’t be lax and have to keep an eye on things.
” He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly.
“She caused a lot of problems in the club because of her addiction. She made choices that hurt people in the club.”
My eyebrows pull together and my curiosity gets the better of me. “What do you mean?”
“She was Playboy’s mom.”
The words land between us and my heart aches as understanding fills me. I nod once and don’t push for more. He won’t tell me and I understand why. It’s not his story to tell.
We don’t say anything else; we don’t need to. I simply climb on the back of his bike after he gets on and steadies it for me. His large hand wraps around my calf and squeezes as the engine roars to life.
My arms wrap around his torso right before he speeds out of his spot and down the road toward home. While the wind whips around me and joy fills my heart, I can’t help but think about Dad’s story. I never knew that about him, but I don’t think he’s ever allowed me to learn much about him at all.
The moment we get home, Titus doesn’t give me a chance to get lost in my thoughts. He tosses me over his shoulder and slaps my ass as he strides into our house and directly to our room.
He doesn’t listen when I smack his ass and demand, “Put me down.”
I didn’t think he would and I have to fight to not smile.
When he puts me on my feet, he removes his cut, his eyes never leaving mine. He reaches behind his back and tugs his shirt over his head and my clit throbs. Titus is so fucking sexy, and his body is a work of art covered in art.
I match him article of clothing for article of clothing until we’re standing in front of each other naked like a mutual offering. My nipples harden in the cooler air in the house and from the heat in his gaze. His spruce and cinnamon scent wraps around me and makes me even wetter.
While holding up my engagement ring, I tease him, “It’s almost completely official.”
He growls, “Don’t tempt me to take you down to the courthouse right now, Teach.”
I giggle and shake my head. “If I’m only getting married once, I want it to be a proper celebration even though it doesn’t have to be huge or anything.”
“If?” His voice holds a warning as he asks.
My eyebrows pull together as he steps forward. The predator in his gaze is easy to see. I open and close my mouth, uncertain about what he’s asking.
“You said, ‘If I’m only getting married once’, but there is no if about it. You are only getting married once. To me,” he possessively reminds me.
I can’t help but giggle. He looks so pissed, but it’s adorable, and I know he’s not really mad at me and my bad word choice. And I love it when he gets all growly.
“As I was saying,” I keep going while completely ignoring his little outburst, “since it’s almost completely official, I’m ready.”
He looks at me, clearly confused. “You’re ready?” His words are slow as if he’s turning them over in his mouth.
“Yup,” I chirp brightly. “For babies.”
Titus freezes and a bead of pre-cum drips from the tip of his cock. Sinister desire curls in my gut because I know what is about to happen.
“I think it would be nice for our first to be close in age to Graycie and Snake’s kid,” I muse.
Then he moves.
He slams me down onto the soft bed and wrenches my thighs open. The moment the crown of his cock kisses my entrance he knows I’m drenched for him. His eyes flash with something feral as he surges forward until he’s buried balls deep inside of me.
I screech and arch my back as my fingers find his shoulders and I dig my nails into his flesh. The burn of being stretched around him has me only wanting more.
The pace Titus sets is intense and the only thing I can do is cling to him as I ride the wave of dominance and pleasure.
“You want me to put a baby in your belly?” His words are filled with depravity.
“Yes,” I moan while arching my back and moving my hips to meet each devastating thrust, “fill me up. I want all of your cum.”
“You’re going to take it, grow round with my baby, and show everyone just how much I love and am devoted to you,” he grits out the words through his clenched teeth. “Come.”
One word. A single demand.
I fall apart for him, the walls of my pussy clenching around him and begging for his seed. The sound of just how wet I am as he fucks me through my orgasm fills the room along with my moans and keening gasps.
“That’s it,” Titus groans before slamming deep inside of me and stilling, “gonna breed you so damn good. Take my cum, Ezra. Milk it out of my balls.”
We’re both breathless as we come down from the high together. He presses his forehead against mine before kissing me with so much tenderness that my heart aches.
“I love you so fucking much,” he rasps against my lips. “You’re a renegade, Teach, but I’ll always watch your back while you forge your own path.”
“I love you, Titus,” the words are cracked, but only because I love him so damn much. “My biker. My Prez.”
He growls and I know he’s planning to fill me again and again until I’m too satisfied to move. I can’t wait.