30. Emery
Emery
Ever since our chat in the kitchen, Hayes has been home by dinner every night, making a point to spend more time with me and Charlie.
The club is in lockdown, which Willa explained to me means no one is coming or going unless absolutely necessary.
No one from the outside is welcome to visit, and families are asked not to leave the compound.
On top of that, there are rumors that the guys cut a few of their prospects this week, so they’re clearly cleaning house and tightening security.
Hayes hasn’t mentioned the reasoning behind any of it, or if it has anything to do with what I finally admitted about my uncle, but it’s clear that something is brewing. I just hope it’s enough to stop my uncle before he can make good on his threats.
While the guys are busy, I spend time at Tempe’s house. Other days, Willa comes over to hang out with me and Charlie. Chaos is Hayes’s best friend, so it’s been nice hearing stories that paint a different picture of him than the rumors that swirl around the clubhouse.
Of all the girls, I’ve grown closest to Willa. She grew up on a ranch in Texas. The opposite of being raised in the heart of Vegas my entire life. Our families are very different, and yet, the same.
We both faced immense pressure growing up, raised with unreasonable expectations.
Her father also orchestrated plans for her to marry a man of his choosing, and he dictated every aspect of her life.
Until one day, she’d had enough. She chose herself over her family—a hard-fought battle for her happiness.
It’s a hope I cling to. That someday, I’ll find my way to the other side like she did.
I step out of the shower, grabbing one of the fresh towels. There’s potpourri on the counter. A floral wire decoration hangs on the wall. This house has quickly become my home with Hayes, and I’m not ready to let it go.
We’re settling into a routine. When he comes home, he snags Charlie from my arms to spend time with her while I shower or simply claim a moment to myself. It’s a relief when she’s been waking up multiple times a night lately, and I’m exhausted.
By the time I make my way back downstairs, my hair is still wet, and I find Hayes rocking Charlie in front of the window that overlooks the desert.
He has her lifted so her cheek is pressed to his, and he’s swaying back and forth. The sunset bathes them in a warm glow as he continues to rock her.
“You see that spot out there?” he whispers.
His voice is always so soft when he talks to Charlie. He curses less when she’s around. Hayes might think his upbringing has soured his ability to be a good father, but the love he shows our little girl is endless.
“Maybe I’ll build you a swing set or a playhouse in that spot. Or if you like soccer like Bea, we’ll plant some grass so you have lots of room to run around.”
I bite my lip, my breath catching as I watch them.
It’s no secret that Hayes has mixed feelings about this house. He rarely mentions his father, and when he does, the stories aren’t good. But as he rocks Charlie in his arms, planning renovations for the backyard, he paints a picture of the home he sees here with us.
He describes our future, and it’s a beautiful sight.
I shift on my feet, about to turn away to start dinner, when the floorboards creak, giving me away.
“Mommy’s back there listening to us.” He glances over his shoulder, smiling at me.
When he turns, Charlie wiggles, her cheek still pressed to his. I can’t help but walk over and give them each a kiss.
“Looks like you caught me,” I say, rubbing my hand down Charlie’s back. “It seems you already have grand plans for spoiling our daughter.”
“Damn right.” Hayes grins proudly. “We’ll put a whole zoo back here if she wants it.”
“Or you could just take her to the zoo,” I suggest.
He shrugs, and I can’t help but laugh.
“Did you have a nice shower?” His gaze trails down to where my T-shirt sticks to my breasts.
“Yes, but I probably should have grabbed a bra.”
“Nah, you look good like this.”
“Of course you’d say that.” My eyeroll makes him laugh. “I could have stayed under the warm water all night. After cleaning up baby puke all day, it felt so good to be clean for five seconds. I almost fell asleep standing up.”
“If you need to take a nap, I’ve got Charlie.” Hayes kisses her cheek, and she smooshes her face against his.
“If I nap this late, I’ll never sleep tonight,” I say, circling to the couch and sitting. “But I hope you don’t mind eating leftovers for dinner because I don’t have it in me to cook anything.”
“Before you, I lived on pizza and whatever someone at the clubhouse was cooking. I’ll survive on your leftovers just fine, freckles.” He sinks into the opposite end of the couch, laying Charlie over his chest.
When I begin curling my legs under me, he reaches for my feet, pulling them into his lap, as if he needs a hand on both of us at all times. One hand holds Charlie’s back while the other massages my arches.
“You’re really good at that.” I tip my head to the side, resting it against the back of the couch, watching him rub Charlie’s back at the same time. “You’re quite the multitasker, husband.”
His grin widens. “You’d be surprised at how much I can get done at once, wife.”
I laugh, having no doubt about that. From the look in his eyes, he plans to prove that to me later.
“Those were some big plans for the backyard,” I say, glancing to the window. “Do you want to stay in this house? Assuming things don’t go south because of my uncle.”
“You let me worry about your uncle.” He looks down at Charlie, whose eyes are fluttering closed. “I never wanted to be at this house, but then again, I never thought it could feel like home being here.”
“Home is about more than walls and a roof.”
“I’m beginning to see that.” His gaze moves from Charlie to the new painting hanging over the mantle. “I like that one. It reminds me of Montana.”
“You’ve been to Montana?”
“I’ve been just about everywhere from here to Maine,” he says.
“I didn’t realize the club required so much traveling.”
He glances at me. “Not so much anymore. Prospects and new members take on the long trips now because Steel needs his ranked crew in Vegas. But back when I was younger, I rode all over the country with the club.”
“That must have been eye-opening. Seeing so many places. Exploring the country.”
“I’m guessing you didn’t travel much with your uncle?” His eyebrows furrow.
“Not as far as Maine,” I admit. “My uncle has houses in Seattle and Lake Tahoe, so if he took me anywhere, it was usually one of those two places. I can’t complain; the water was nice.”
“Sounds like I owe you a trip to the East Coast.” He rubs Charlie’s back when she stirs. “Then you two can stick your feet in both oceans.”
“That would be nice,” I say, hoping that someday that might be possible.
Hayes squeezes the arch of my foot, glancing back up at the painting. “In church, we’ve got an entire wall of pictures of the open road. On your first ride as a ranked member, you’re supposed to take one and hang it up there to mark your new journey with the club.”
“I like that.” I smile. “Where did you take yours?”
“The Grand Canyon. Chaos gave me shit about it because usually guys just snap one of whatever street they happen to remember to do it, but I picked a national landmark.”
“Go big or go home?”
“Exactly.” He grins, and I chuckle. “If you’re going to mark a memory, might as well have it be something worth remembering.”
I hum, looking around the room. “What about here? All your memories in this house can’t be bad, can they?”
“No, I guess not.” He juts his chin at the corner of the room.
“See that spot over there by the slider? That’s where my mom put the Christmas tree every year.
We had the same one my whole childhood, with the ridiculous fake snow clumps on the needles.
Half the lights didn’t work anymore, and it was too big for that spot, so it was always crammed in the corner and butting up against the ceiling.
But my mom loved that tree. She said it was the only snow we were going to get in Vegas, so I might as well appreciate it. ”
“She’s not wrong,” I say. “What happened to the tree?”
“It’s in the attic somewhere. Dad stopped bringing it out after she died.” He stares off at the corner, remembering a different time.
“Have you thought about bringing it back down?” I ask when he’s been quiet for a while.
Hayes shakes his head. “No, but I thought about getting one like it with working lights.”
I’ve never liked fake Christmas trees, especially ones with fake snow on them. But as Hayes stares at the corner like it holds the only part of his childhood that doesn’t make him hate this house, I decide I wouldn’t mind it.
“Christmas was the one good day around here,” Hayes continues.
“Dad actually showed up for breakfast and presents on Christmas morning. And since it was a holiday, Mom would be laughing—smiling even. It was the only day they wouldn’t fight in front of me.
As I got older, I realized that didn’t mean they weren’t fighting at all, but at least for that day, it felt like we were a family. ”
“Sometimes a day is all we can ask for.” I shrug, knowing that a little too well.
He tips his chin at me. “What about you?”
“Christmas wasn’t really the same for me after I lost my parents,” I admit.
“It was one of the few events my uncle would bring us all together though. He always got me exactly what I asked for. He loved throwing his wealth around, and Christmas was a good excuse for it. One day a year, he spoiled me and my cousins.”
“Oh, right.” Hayes seems to remember something. “Your cousin is Mason. He’s a good guy.”
“You know Mason?”
“He’s married to the sister of our VP in the LA club.” Hayes rakes his fingers through his hair. “I don’t know him well, but we’ve met.”
“I forgot that Reed’s family had MC ties,” I say.
“And I didn’t realize they were Twisted Kings.
I haven’t seen Mason in a while. He’s eight years older than me, so we were never close, but he and Sienna were always kind to me.
And even after he moved to LA, he’d check in.
He said if I ever needed help or wanted to get out of Vegas to just call him. ”
“You didn’t though?”
I frown. “I couldn’t. My uncle was horrible to me, but that’s nowhere near as bad as he was with his own children.
I couldn’t drag Mason back into it after he’d finally gotten away.
He deserved to be happy. Although, I should probably call him and let him know what’s going on now that I’m here. How did I not think of that?”
“There’s been a lot happening.” Hayes smiles, glancing down at Charlie. “I’ll shoot him a text with your new phone number and let him know you’re okay.”
“Thank you.” Tears sting my eyes at his thoughtfulness. “It’s amazing when you think about everything that came before this.”
I reach for Charlie. Even in her sleep, her fingers curl around mine when I touch her palm.
“I never thought something so perfect could come out of such a mess.”
“Like a phoenix from the ashes,” Hayes says.
“Maybe that’s what I should have named her: Phoenix.”
“There’s always the next one.” He winks. “Speaking of… I think it’s past her bedtime.”
“You’re only saying that because you’re ready for a little bedtime of our own.”
“I’m always trying to get you into bed, freckles.”
“Shameless,” I tease.
He grins, standing, and pulls me with him. “And proud of it.”