Chapter 7
BOLT
I more than likely should be more worried about meeting Jeanie’s family. Nothing could make me feel bad about anything today. I’d seen my baby on the screen.
Patting my chest, I can’t help the smile that creeps over my face as the paper crinkles in the pocket of my flannel, assuring me that this isn’t a dream. We really watched our baby’s heartbeat on the screen not twenty minutes ago.
And now I am on the way to meet my woman’s family.
The woman that I hoped would one day become mine in every way I could tie her to me.
We haven’t discussed anything serious about what would happen going forward, but what I do know is that I was never letting her go.
I’d not forgotten a single thing about her since the night we met, and I’d hoped I never had to go one more night without her in my arms.
Up ahead, brake lights light up the darkness, and Sam puts his indicator on. I follow suit.
“Ready for this?” Jeanie wants to know. Turning my head slightly, I keep one eye on the road ahead. I’m once again taken with how beautiful she is. With not a stitch of make-up on her face, hair long and loose. My ma was right; there are no airs and graces about her. She is perfect just as she is.
“I’m ready, sweetness, but…” I start to say. Immediately, she turns to me with a look of concern.
“What’s wrong?” she demands, going from relaxed and easy to tense in a second.
Pressing my lips to her knuckles, I ignore the slight hitch in her breath. I’ve noticed that she does this every time I kiss her hand, and I can’t lie. I love the reaction. I’ll be doing it on the regular from here on out.
“Nothing’s wrong, sweetness,” I reassure her, and there isn’t anything wrong. Not for me, anyway. For me, everything is just fucking fine. I have the woman I’ve been dreaming of for weeks sitting next to me, and she is tied to me in ways that I never dreamed of.
“Give me a minute,” I tell her as we turn off the main road and drive through the gate onto the O’Shea property.
Once it closes behind me, I stop my truck and put the handbrake on.
Turning towards Jeanie so that I can see her better and so that she knows I’m serious when I ask her to be my old lady, not because of the baby but because of who she is.
The one I’ve been waiting for. I’m nervous as fuck, but I can’t face her parents without asking her.
“Before we reach your folks, I need to ask you something.”
She looks at me, her trusting blue eyes holding my gaze as I continue. “I’m asking you this not because of the baby, but because I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind since the night we met.
“You’re the one I’ve been waiting for, the one who made the noise stop, and the one who filled all the places in my heart that I didn’t know needed filling. I knew you were special the night we met, and I’ll be kicking myself for years that I wasted so much time not getting your last name.
“Being able to call you mine means the world to me. That you’re having our baby is a bonus. Jeanie will you be my old lady?” Her lips tremble, and her eyes fill with tears. I graze my thumb across her cheek as one tear overflows.
“I’d love nothing more than to be your old lady, mo ghrá,” she whispers her acceptance.
“I’d love to be called yours, and it’s not because of the baby that I’m accepting.
I’m accepting because, like you, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you—and I can’t tell you how much I kicked myself for not getting your number that night.
“All my life, I’ve wanted someone like you. I wasn’t sure I’d ever find you. Then there you were, out of the blue, and from the start you’ve treated me the way I’ve seen the men in my family treat their women. I promise to be the best old lady I can.”
Leaning over the console, I thread my fingers through her hair and take her mouth with mine in a hard kiss before releasing her lips and saying, “I have no doubt that you’re going to be a phenomenal old lady, sweetness.
Now, how about we go tell your folks, and then you pack a bag and come back to mine tonight? ”
“Well…” She smirks with a raised eyebrow. “I mean, you do have my vehicle; I can’t leave it at yours. I’ll have to come pick it up, and it will be very late if I have to drive back tonight, so it’s best I stay over.”
“Exactly,” I reply with a grin, settling back in my seat and putting my truck in gear.
Easing back onto the road, I drive towards the lights I can see shining between the trees.
The road opens, and I follow Jeanie’s directions to park under the large carport where several vehicles are already parked.
There’s Christmas lights entwined around the posts, and I can see the house is decorated and ready for Christmas.
Someone in their family does Christmas in a big way.
Sam and Ally are waiting for us to park and get out. Putting my vehicle in gear, I raise a brow at Jeanie when she goes to open her door. “Sweetness!” I growl in warning.
“Sorry…” She eyes me with amusement. “I’ll wait.”
“Good girl,” I tell her, ignoring the way her breath speeds up at my words. Now is not the time for my cock to be twitching in my jeans. Hastily, I get out and walk around to Jeanie’s door, willing my cock to go down. It wouldn’t do to meet her parents sporting a hard-on.
“Are you two ready?” Sam asks as I open Jeanie’s door and help her out.
“As I’ll ever be.” I laugh, wrapping an arm around Jeanie’s shoulders and pressing my lips to her head.
“Come on, you two,” Ally says, amusement clear in her eyes as she takes Jeanie’s hand and draws her away from me. They walk towards the house with the most Christmas lights framing it.
Sam stops next to me and cocks his head as we watch our women walk away. There’s no doubt they’re related. Both are beautiful, but there’s something a little special about my Jeanie.
“We’re lucky fuckers,” Sam says, nudging my shoulder slightly to get me moving. Slipping my cut on, we walk side by side to the house.
Up ahead of us, the girls call out a greeting, “Hey, Uncle Liam.”
“Cailíni deas does your da know you’ve both got bikers?” he asks in amusement before continuing. “Not one of you could have found a nice Irish lad?”
“I’m not sure we know any nice Irish lads, Uncle Liam.” Jeanie laughs as she throws her arms around her uncle, who wraps both his arms around his nieces in a hug.
“I could find you one,” he offers with a shit-eating smirk in our direction.
A growl rumbles out of me at his words. Sam chuckles. “He’s fucking with you man. Relax.”
Running a hand over my face, I reply with a heartfelt, “Fuck man, she’s only just agreed to be my old lady. I don’t even have a cut ready for her yet.”
We continue walking towards the house, and I warn, “I may calm down when she’s got my name on her back, but it’s not likely.”
Sam nods, his gaze never leaving his wife even though she’s safe in her family’s compound.
“I get it, man, I do, but this family is close as fuck, and the men are more protective than most. They’re going to make you work for their respect, but once you have it, you have to really fuck up to lose it.
You’ve already got a foot in because you’re not a complete stranger, and your MC works with them.
They know you’re not a wanker, but you’re also taking one of their princesses.
You think bikers are protective over their princesses but trust me—they’ve got nothing on an O’Shea. ”
“Fuck,” I whisper, wiping a hand across my mouth as we walk up the stairs. Jeanie’s waiting for me, and she takes my hand as soon as I’m next to her. Turning towards her uncle, she introduces us. “Uncle Liam, this is Cobalt Tin; he goes by Bolt. He’s with the Queens Wraiths in Southampton.”
Liam studies me for a beat before his eyes drop to Jeanie’s hand in mine. Holding out my hand, I say, “It’s good to meet you.”
Liam takes my hand and shakes it. “Bolt,” he greets me. “My Sera’s told me about you. Are you sure you want an O’Shea princess and all it entails?”
“I’m sure,” I tell him, my gaze never leaving his.
“Huh.” He smirks and claps my shoulder. “Your funeral. Let’s go inside.”
Abruptly, he turns and walks away. Jeanie rolls her eyes at his back. Sam and Ally laugh before following him into the house, leaving me and Jeanie to bring up the rear.
If I thought the outside of the house was decorated, it was nothing on the inside.
“Wow, do you guys get your houses decorated professionally?” I have to ask.
Jeanie laughs and explains, “No, my Aunt Lana is a holiday fanatic, and we give her free reign every year. You should see our houses on St. Patrick’s Day and Halloween.
” Jeanie explains as she leads me down the hallway towards where it sounds like a crowd of people are congregated and waiting for us.
“I better warn you before we get in there,” she says, halting just short of the doorway and looking worriedly up at me as if she expects me to bolt any second. “We all eat together, so everyone will be in there waiting on us.”
That explains why she wasn’t surprised to find everyone eating breakfast at the clubhouse this morning. She expected it.
Lifting a hand, I tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m okay with that, sweetness. Now, lead the way and let’s get the intros and news over with so we can get on with the rest of our lives. I know I’ve got to run the gauntlet, but you’re worth it,” I assure her.
“Well, fuck it,” a voice grumbles. “She’s found one just like Ally did. It takes the fun out of it when they know our princesses are worth it.”
Jeanie laughs, and her head tilts forward to hit my chest just as a dark-haired man with a bit of a beard dressed in a suit walks out of the living room. My hands settle on her hips as she turns her head to look towards him. “Uncle Johnny, meet Bolt.”