PROLOGUE
CANE
I walk out of my mom’s house and over to my SUV, waiting for my daughter Paisley to climb inside before closing the door after her.
I look up at the porch and find my mom watching me with a big smile on her face.
I wave and smile widely in return before backing out of the driveway and heading towards the clubhouse.
I’m glad that the beginning of tonight is a kid friendly party.
I won’t lie; I hate leaving my kid most days.
She’s one of the few people that I like to be around.
She’s just a damn good kid. My ex-wife Sarah left us when Paisley was only a few hours old.
I found out she was cheating on me and when I confronted her, she confessed that this wasn’t the life that she wanted.
She didn’t want to be a mom. She didn’t want to be married to me.
She wanted to be young and free. So, I divorced her and our club lawyer, Lenny Thompson, had papers written up for lawful termination of parental rights.
My life became devoted to my daughter that day.
She was my sole purpose and she needed me now, more than ever.
My club closed ranks around me. They stepped up for me in ways I never thought anyone could.
They helped me with late night feedings and changing diapers.
They stepped up in a way that I desperately needed, and I will never be able to repay them for it.
Tonight, we’re having a celebration for Wren, our sergeant at arms Axel’s old lady.
She was accepted into a law school in Charolette.
One day, she’ll take over Lenny’s practice and become the club’s lawyer.
She’s a good woman and went through too much in the last few months. She deserves the celebration.
I drive past the clubhouse gates and park the vehicle before walking around to Paisley’s side to help her out. We walk inside where it’s packed with members and friends of the club.
“Daddy! Can I go play with Asher?” Paisley asks as she tugs on my hand and then points in the direction of Grayson’s son, Asher.
I look at where she’s pointing and find Asher sitting with his mom Sophie and Grayson and Rowan’s parents, Lisa and Kurt.
“Sure, kiddo,” I tell her. “You just stay with them, okay?” I tell her as I reach out and smooth her dark brown hair.
She smiles sweetly. “I will, daddy!”
I watch as she runs over to them and then I make my way through the crowd and over to where Rowan and Grayson are standing.
Grayson is our president and his brother Rowan is our vice president. They are good men and are leading this club in the right direction. I think that’s what this generation of Sovereign Sons needs.
“Hey,” I murmur in greeting.
“How’s it going?” Grayson asks.
I confided in him the other day. My mom has been watching Paisley every summer since she was old enough to go to school and she recently decided that she’s taking a job out of the state. Which means I have to find someone to watch Paisley all summer.
I know that I could bring her around the clubhouse with me, but it’s really not the place for kids to be all day every day.
I work as a mechanic most days in the club’s shop, and I don’t want her to be subjected to half the shit that happens here.
Grayson has always been firm in his rules about what can and can’t happen when kids are present, but that doesn’t mean the brothers don’t slip up now and then.
I sigh. “I’m hanging in there. I’m just stressing over who I’m going to trust to watch my kid over the summer. I don’t have much time to figure that out.”
Rowan rubs his hand over his face. “Gray told me what’s going on and we were trying to figure something out for you. You know that Ella decided to move home, right?”
Ella is Grayson and Rowan’s kid sister. She’s twenty-five and hasn’t been around much in the last few years. She decided to move to Atlanta when she graduated from college for a job in speech pathology. The last news I heard, she decided to move home, but I don’t know the circumstances.
“Uh, yeah. I remember you guys saying something about that. Why?”
“Well, her new job won’t start until the end of summer, and we were thinking that she’d be kind of perfect to watch Paisley for you,” Grayson offers.
My eyebrows rise in surprise. I don’t hate the idea, though. I know that I can trust their sister and I don’t know if I’d be able to trust someone I don’t know with the safety of my child. The club is family, though.
“Is that something she would even be interested in?” I ask.
Rowan shrugs. “I’m sure that she won’t mind the money, and Paisley is an easy kid to get along with.”
I nod my head. “I’ll think about it.”
“No problem,” Grayson murmurs before pulling his phone from his pocket and smirking at what he reads. “They’re on their way back.”
We make the announcement that Wren and Axel are coming and everyone takes their places. When we think they’re about two minutes away, we turn out the lights and wait for them to enter. When they do, someone turns on the lights and we all scream, “Surprise!”
I don’t smile often, usually only because of my mom or Paisley, but seeing the look of shock and awe on Wren’s face does it for me. She looks so happy and she really does deserve it.
I head over to the bar while everyone waits to see Wren and congratulate her.
Big club parties like this really aren’t my thing.
I’d much rather be hanging at home with my kid on a Saturday night.
I’m the club secretary, though, and as an officer, I need to be active in the club.
Luckily, Paisley loves everyone. Don’t get me wrong, I love this club, too, but the parties just aren’t my cup of tea.
I’m people watching when a beautiful woman catches my eye.
She walks into the room wearing a dark green tank top, tucked into a short, black leather skirt with a slit on the right leg.
Her exposed thigh has a tattoo peeking out of it.
She’s petite, probably only five foot two with generous curves for her frame.
Her dark brown hair is short, only reaching the tops of her shoulders and styled in messy waves and her green eyes are shaded in makeup, making them pop against the brown shadow.
None of that is what draws me in, though.
No, that’s her smile. She has a carefree smile on her face that shows off her straight white teeth.
She walks towards the bar and only then do I realize my mistake. This woman is off limits. She doesn’t belong to a brother. No, she’s the kid sister of our president and vice president. The woman is Ella Williams.
I bite back my disappointment and take a swig of my beer, turning back to the bar before she reaches it.
I don’t know what drew me to her, I don’t usually feel that pull to women.
Not since Sarah. I don’t have room for a woman in my life, not while I’m raising Paisley. I won’t let anyone else let her down.
“Hey, Cane!” Ella’s sweet voice says as she stands beside me. “How are you and Paisley doing? Is she here?”
“We’re good and yeah, she’s here,” I mutter, trying to keep the conversation short.
“That’s great! I’ll have to see if she’d be up for a girl’s day since I’m off until after the summer. Would that be okay?”
I’m surprised that she’s so willing to spend her free time with my daughter, but I don’t let my surprise show.
“That’s fine,” I reply, toying with the label on my beer so I don’t have to look at her.
“Great!” She replies cheerfully. “I’ll check my schedule and shoot you a text!”
I don’t reply as she waits for her drink and walks away.
I do watch how her ass sways, though. Fuck, I have to stop doing that.
It’s not like Ella hasn’t always been an attractive girl, because she has.
These last few years have been good to her, though.
Too good, because she doesn’t look like a girl anymore. She’s all woman.
I shake those thoughts away while Atlas claims the seat beside me. We sit in silence until Axel joins us.
“She’s going to thank you tonight,” Atlas chuckles, talking about Wren. “That’s for sure.”
Axel smirks. “I wouldn’t be against that.”
“She deserves it, though,” I murmur. “She’s a damn good woman and it’s about time that she realizes it.”
“I fucking agree,” Axel says as he pats my back.
I scan the room and my eyes land on Paisley where she and Asher are still playing. “Did I tell you that my mom is moving out of the state before summer?” I ask needing my brothers’ opinions.
“You’re kidding? What are you going to do about Paisley?” Axel asks, his brow furrowed.
“I wish I was kidding,” I mutter, taking a sip of my beer. “She decided to take a job out of the state. I told her that I could retire her, but you know how she is. She doesn’t like the money that the club brings in.”
My mom was never a fan of the illegal things that the club took part in when my father was a member. I don’t think she believes that our money is earned legally, nowadays.
“Shit,” Atlas mumbles. “At least you have some time to figure things out.”
“Yeah, too bad the bastard doesn’t trust anyone,” Axel chuckles, trying to lighten the mood.
I give him an unimpressed look. “I trust all of you, isn’t that enough?”
He snorts. “Not even close, brother.”
We all scatter through the clubhouse after that, mingling with our friends and families.
I spend some time with Lisa and Kurt, watching as the kids play.
When it’s time for Paisley to go to bed, I take her upstairs to my suite and stay with her until she’s settled.
This is one of the few places that I know she’s safe.
No harm could come to her here. My brothers wouldn’t allow it.
I walk back downstairs and see that the mood in the room has definitely shifted. Couples are dancing and making out. There is sensual music playing and the room has a different energy. Everyone is aware that the kids aren’t here anymore.
I walk over to the doorway of the kitchen and lean against it, looking out over the crowd of bodies on the dance floor.
My eyes stop when they find Ella there. She looks like she’s having the time of her life.
Her head is tossed back in laughter, showing off her slender neck.
Her smile is wide and beautiful. I almost smile just from watching her, until I see who she’s dancing with. Noah.
Noah was patched in not too long ago. He’s a good kid and a hell of a hacker. I don’t like what I see though. I clench my jaw as I watch them dancing together, biting back the sudden anger I feel at Noah.
When Noah stops dancing and the color leeches from his face. I turn my head and find Rowan and Grayson glaring at him. I almost feel bad for him. Almost. It gets him to leave her alone on the dance floor, though, and I feel a smirk lift my lips.
I don’t know what compels me to do it, but I march through the crowd and over to Grayson and Rowan, stopping in front of them. “If Ella is fine with watching Paisley all summer, I’m in.”
As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I know that I’ve fucked up. How am I supposed to spend an entire summer with Ella? Fuck my life.