Emery
Hayes isn’t home when Charlie’s cry wakes me up. I’m surprised I managed to fall asleep at all when it feels like I haven’t slept since the moment my uncle locked me in that wing of his casino.
At night, I would lie awake, listening to movement through the wing, worrying what would happen if I let my guard down. Knowing what type of men my uncle let hang around.
It was unnerving.
But in Hayes’s dusty house, I somehow feel safe enough to sleep. The distant hum of motorcycles reminds me he isn’t far.
We aren’t alone.
After feeding Charlie, I take stock of her diapers and formula.
I’m running low and will need to get more before I run out, but I’m still good for a few days.
At some point in the night, Hayes must have made good on his promise to come home because a phone sits on the counter with a note that says he programmed his phone number into it, and to reach out if I need anything.
It should be comforting, but it’s a statement as to how little he intends to be around if he expects me to need to call him with any requests. At least it’s something. And with my car still parked outside, I could go into the city if absolutely necessary.
I mull that over while dusting the house. Charlie still sleeps most of the day, so there’s not much to do to keep me busy. At least if I’m cleaning, my mind is occupied.
By the middle of the afternoon, I’m tired, sweaty, and a knock on the door makes me jump.
I glance at where Charlie is sleeping in a makeshift crib I created for her in the living room. Hayes wouldn’t knock, so it can’t be him, and he didn’t tell me I should be expecting anyone.
Could my uncle have made it through the compound gates? If so, would he bother knocking?
A second knock has me grabbing my phone, and thankfully, it only rings once before Hayes answers.
“You got my note.” His smile is clear in his tone, and it makes my heart flutter.
Noise in the background makes me curious what he’s doing, but I don’t have time—or any right—to ask.
“Someone’s here,” I whisper, moving toward the curtains at the front. “They knocked twice.”
“Oh shit, I meant to text you so you wouldn’t worry. The old ladies are coming over.”
“The old ladies?”
“It’s just a term we use. They’re basically wives—actually, all of them are wives at this point. I asked them to check in since I won’t be back until later.”
“You’re coming back?” My chest tightens, and I hope I don’t sound as pathetic as I feel at the thought that he’s not just going to abandon us in this house.
After being locked alone in a wing of my uncle’s hotel through most of my pregnancy, I’m used to being forgotten, but that doesn’t make it easier to deal with. I press my palm to my ribs where they’re tightening.
“I don’t know what time, but I’ll be back tonight,” Hayes assures me. “Are you all right? Is Charlie?”
I don’t miss the small crack in his voice when he says her name.
“She’s good. We both are. I was only calling because of the person at the door.”
Another knock comes at the door, and this time, it’s followed by a soft voice announcing herself as Tempe.
“I should go. Someone named Tempe is out there.”
“Tempe is Steel’s old lady. Call me if you need anything else.”
“I won’t bother you.”
“Emery…”
My stomach flutters at how he says my name. “Yes?”
“Call me if you need anything.”
“Okay.” My stomach is a swarm of butterflies as I hang up the call—a knot lodged in my throat.
He’s keeping tabs for Charlie’s sake. He’s worried about her well-being, not mine. I’m the woman who left him, who didn’t find a way to tell him about his baby. This is all for her.
Swinging the front door open, I find five women standing in a group on the porch. Two of them are holding babies, who appear to be close to Charlie’s age.
“Emery?” A woman with wavy brown hair, standing at the center, smiles. “I’m Tempe.”
“Steel’s old lady,” I repeat what Hayes said. It’s a weird term, but I’m gathering things are different here. “Sorry it took me so long to answer. I called Hayes to check with him because I didn’t know you were stopping by.”
“Of course you didn’t.” A woman with long black hair rolls her eyes. “You’d think with as much as those guys gossip, they’d be better at communication. I’m Willa, Chaos’s old lady. He and Soul are basically inseparable unless I take off my clothes.”
The first real smile in months climbs my cheeks. “Chaos must be the one I saw talking to Hayes at the bar then.”
“That would be him.” Willa nods, pointing to her right. “This is Luna, Ghost’s old lady.”
“I met Ghost when I got here. He let me in.”
“He told me.” Luna smiles, her blonde and purple ponytail whipping as she jumps forward to hug me, but then she quickly pulls back. “Any chance I can use your restroom?”
Her cheeks are suddenly pale, and her eyes wide.
“Of course. First door on the right.”
It’s barely out when Luna rushes past me into the house.
“Sorry about that,” Tempe says, moving her baby from one shoulder to the other. “Luna is only three months pregnant, and morning sickness has not been kind to her.”
“There are a lot of babies around here for a biker compound.” I look from Tempe’s daughter to the baby in another woman’s arms.
“They’re multiplying.” The blonde smiles. “I’m Reagan, Legacy’s old lady.”
“And I’m Aimee,” the final woman introduces herself.
She stands farther back than the rest. Her chin-length brown hair is tucked behind one ear, revealing a scar that cuts through her eyebrow. She’s intimidating—they all are. But her hard expression is softened by a welcoming smile.
“Well, you’re more than welcome to come in. Sorry for the mess. I’ve been cleaning all morning, but it’s a big project.”
“I bet,” Reagan says, walking past me.
“We’ll grab the stuff from the car.” Willa nudges Aimee, and they both return to the car instead of following the other girls inside.
“The stuff?”
“We brought you a few things.” Tempe smiles. “Diapers, wipes, formula, a bassinet. Some basics until Soul gets you what you need for you and Charlie.”
“Oh.” My eyebrows pinch. “You didn’t have to do all that. I don’t even know if I’m staying, or—” Tempe and Reagan share a look that has me pausing. “What?”
She walks up and reaches for my hand, giving it a squeeze. “You and Charlie are family, whether you decide to stay or not. Let us help.”
My breath catches, so I simply nod, blinking back my tears.
I can’t remember the last time someone offered to help me simply because they cared. When there was no ulterior motive. But as I check on Charlie and watch the women carry items into the house, I honestly believe they don’t want anything from me in return for their kindness.
They fill the kitchen with groceries and carry a bassinet upstairs. Aimee drops the diapers and wipes in the living room for easy access while they continue unloading. It’s so incredibly thoughtful, so I decide the least I can do is make them lunch.
While they set up the gifts, I prepare sandwiches with the food they brought. Thankfully, Charlie sleeps long enough for me to finish eating before it’s time to make her a bottle. And like the baby alarm has been rung, Tempe and Reagan’s babies start crying at the same time.
“Just when you think the clubhouse is loud.” Tempe smiles, rocking her daughter.
“It is pretty loud,” I say. “At least, from what I saw when I was there.”
“That was the end of the party.” Willa hitches an eyebrow. “Trust me, it gets worse.”
I hum, not sure what to say about that. This world is unlike anything I’ve stepped into.
“She looks like Soul,” Willa says, taking the seat beside me and watching Charlie eat. “They have the same green eyes.”
“They do.” I smile as she watches me.
I still remember the first time Charlie blinked her eyes open, and it was like looking into her father’s eyes. At the time, it broke my heart to think he might never know something as simple as his daughter shares his features.
“I guess now we know why Soul has been acting strange. Or, at least, that’s what the guys have said. I’ve only ever known him like this.” Willa shrugs.
“Like what?”
“Like he’s been looking for something. I guess he’s been riding around Vegas day and night for the past ten months, but he wouldn’t tell the guys what he was looking for.”
“He told Ghost.” Luna’s face scrunches as the girls’ faces all whip to her. “Sorry, he asked me not to say anything. But he needed Ghost’s help trying to find her.”
My eyebrows pinch. “But he didn’t know Charlie existed yet.”
“That’s not who he was looking for.” Luna winks, and my stomach flutters.
Hayes mentioned that he looked for me everywhere, but I assumed it was an exaggeration. We had a one-night stand, and while it meant something to me, I figured he forgot me the moment I disappeared. To hear Luna confirm that’s not the case hits differently.
“At least he found you now,” Willa says. “Or… you found him.”
“I’m sorry about how I showed up here. I know some of the guys are probably not too happy about it. I didn’t mean to bring this trouble to your home.”
“You have nothing to apologize for.” Tempe reaches for my hand. “And if the guys want to judge, then they can look in the mirror because they did those exact same things when each one of us walked into the picture.”
All the girls nod in agreement.
“That’s their shit to work out. And they will. Jameson can be a little difficult when something is threatening the club. It’s only because he cares,” Tempe assures me.
But I can’t help wondering if at some point they’ll realize I’m more trouble than I’m worth. It’s not like my uncle will back down or accept I’m happy here. He was already at war with the Twisted Kings, but I’ve made it ten times worse.
“Do you all live here?” I ask, shifting the conversation away from me. “Or do you stay at the clubhouse?”
“All the guys have rooms at the clubhouse. But most of us also have houses in the neighborhood. It helps keep the kids away from the antics of that place.”
Charlie spits out the bottle, and I move her to my shoulder to burp her. “Hayes said he never stays out here.”
“I’m sure he will now.” Willa eyes us. “Even considering…”
The girls share a look.
“Considering what?” I ask when she doesn’t finish her thought.
“This was his father’s house,” Willa explains. “I honestly don’t know the whole story, but I’m sure if you ask, he’d tell you.”
That’s ominous, but she’s right; I’d rather hear it from him.
“I know you’re worried,” Willa says, resting a hand on my knee. “It’s understandable. The club is a lot to take in. But these guys have good hearts. Especially Soul. He was the one who warned me not to break his best friend’s heart when I first showed up here.”
“Why would you break his heart?”
“Long story.” She scrunches her nose.
“Soul threatened Legacy that he’d ask me out on a date just to get him to face his true feelings,” Reagan says with a smile on her face.
“He was there for me when things got… messy,” Aimee says, skirting around what that was. “Tempe’s right, Soul has one of the biggest hearts of them all, even though he tries to hide it. He pretends he doesn’t care, but he does.”
I sigh. “I appreciate that, but I also know a baby is big news to drop on someone. I showed up here and surprised him with Charlie. I can’t expect him to just be okay with how this all happened.”
“Why not? You seem to have embraced it under much worse circumstances,” Willa argues.
“She’s my daughter.”
“Well, she’s his daughter too,” Tempe says. “And trust me, the way he stood up for the two of you with Jameson says everything I need to know about what that means to him. Circumstances don’t matter. You’re here now.”
He stood up to his president for us?
Hayes never told me that.
I offer Tempe a tight smile, not sure what to say. Thankfully, Willa seems to notice and steers the conversation to other things.
For hours, we sit and snack and talk. The babies sleep and eat, and it feels good to be doing something more than staring at Charlie, wondering how I’m going to protect her.
When the girls leave, silence overwhelms the house. It’s empty in a whole new way, but my heart is full. I cradle Charlie in a chair in the living room, slowly rocking her to sleep as my eyes get heavier.
I’d like to think I could belong here if Hayes could get past the hurt I’ve caused him. I’d like to think the girls are right and this could be the beginning of something wonderful. But then I remember my uncle, and my stomach turns.
Everything is perfect, but he’ll find a way to ruin it for me.