25
EVERLY
I’m shaking as I dial my father’s number. I’ve never been scared to talk to my dad before, but I am now. Does he know what my mother has been up to? Was he part of it? I don’t think I’d be able to handle it if he was.
“Hey sweetheart,” my dad answers after a few rings. “How are you and Hazel doing? I’ve been meaning to call.”
“Hey dad,” I choke out. “Did you know?”
Silence greets me for a few moments. “Did I know what?”
“Did you know what mom and Russel were planning?”
“Your mom and Russel? What are you talking about, Everly? You’re scaring me.”
“Did you know that mom and Russel called Child Protective Services on me and tried to get Hazel taken away? Did you know that they filed a custody case against me?”
“They did what?” Dad rasps. “Why would they do that?”
I sigh in relief. My dad had nothing to do with it. He didn’t plot to take my child from me. “You really didn’t know?” I ask for confirmation.
“No, Everly. I know that she made that comment at lunch, but I didn’t think she would ever be capable of something like that. I would never do that to you. You’re a fantastic mother.”
Rowan wraps an arm around me and pulls me into his side. “I was so scared that you knew,” I admit softly.
“I’m so sorry that she did this, sweetheart. I don’t know what’s happened to her in the last few years. She’s a miserable woman and I don’t think I can stand to be around her anymore. I’m going to pack my bags and leave.”
My heartrate picks up. I’ve wanted this for so long. I’ve wanted my father to realize what kind of woman he was married to. I’ve wanted him to leave her and for us to cut her out of our lives.
“You can come stay with us if you need a place to land,” I offer.
My dad sighs. “Thank you, sweetheart. I’ll find a place close to you guys, but I’ll be okay. I’ll call you when I get settled and we’ll figure out what to do about your mother.”
“Thanks, dad. I love you so much.”
“I love you, too.”
We hang up the call and I bury my head in Rowan’s chest. I feel like I can breathe again since I know that my dad had nothing to do with my mother’s plans.
“So, he didn’t know?” Rowan confirms as he brushes the hair away from my face.
I look up at him. “No, thankfully. He says he’s going to leave her.”
“Wow.”
“I’m a little shocked. I didn’t think I would ever see the day that he would.”
“He cares about you. I’m sure that he was just as shocked as you were.”
“I still can’t believe she’s doing this,” I mutter.
“Me either, but she won’t get away with it,” Rowan says. “I can promise you that. Do you still feel up to going to the clubhouse today?”
Today is the end of summer party at the clubhouse. It’s been on our books for a few weeks now. I think that being around the club and having some fun is exactly what we need.
“Yeah. I don’t want Laura to ruin our day,” I tell him honestly. “She doesn’t get to do that.”
“Good girl,” he murmurs into my hair making goosebumps pepper my skin.
****
Later that day, we head to the clubhouse as a family. Summer is slowly evading us, and cooler evenings have taken hold. We’re planning on staying in the suite tonight, so we have a bag packed for the evening.
I never realized how much stuff you have to take with you when you have a baby, but Hazel has her own bag because everything wouldn’t fit in with ours. She’s in a pair of leggings and a soft brown sweater; a matching bow wrapped around her head. She looks so adorable .
I look down at my outfit and frown. “Are you sure I look okay?”
Rowan smiles over at me from the driver’s seat. “You look beautiful.”
I’m wearing a red, off the shoulder sweater and flared jeans. My black hair is in loose waves, and I spent a little more time on my makeup. I’m nervous because I’m meeting the rest of Rowan’s family today.
He looks calm as ever as we pull into the clubhouse lot. He’s wearing a grey Henley, black jeans, and his cut. His black hair is still a little wet from his shower and the scruff on his jaw makes me want to lick him.
We park and get out of the SUV. I grab Hazel’s car seat and Rowan grabs our bags. We go straight up to our suite and get everything settled before heading down to join everyone outside.
The clubhouse’s property is beautiful. The space has lots of soft grass and trees. There are a playground and swings for the kids and firepits for the adults. There are already different groups sitting around multiple picnic tables.
“I’m glad you guys could make it!” Grayson calls out from beside the grill.
“Aunt Everly! Uncle Rowan!” Asher calls out as he runs over to us, dipping his head to check on his cousin in her car seat.
It took a while to get Asher to stop calling me Ms. Kincaid. Rowan insisted that he calls me Aunt Everly, so I just go along with it. Cane’s daughter Paisley still slips up every now and then, but she’s become more comfortable calling me by my first name.
“Come sit with us!” Asher tells us excitedly as he leads us to the table his mom is sitting at.
“You’re not looking so comfortable,” I tell Sophie with a wince. “How are you feeling?”
“Like a whale,” she grumbles. “But it’s not too much longer now.”
“I’m so excited to raise our girls together,” I tell her.
“Me too,” she smiles. “It’s nice to have someone around who knows what you’re going through.”
“I just know they’re going to get into trouble together growing up,” Rowan grumbles as he sets down the car seat, pulling Hazel from inside and adjusting her in his arms.
“The best kind of trouble,” Sophie smirks.
“Agreed,” I tell Rowan before planting a kiss on Hazel’s head.
We turn as we hear new people enter and I immediately know that it’s Rowan’s family. His dad looks so much like Ro and Gray that it’s like looking into our future.
“Spooky right?” Sophie chuckles from beside me. “But how lucky are we going to be?”
“Damn,” I murmur my agreement.
“Please, don’t tell me that you guys are checking out my dad,” Rowan grumbles.
I pat his chest. “Fine. We won’t tell you.”
He shakes his head and then pulls me in for a kiss, careful of Hazel in his arms. We break apart when a throat clears behind us. I whirl around with wide eyes and find Rowan’s dad smirking at us while his mom shakes her head with a chuckle.
“It’s nice to finally meet you, Everly. I’m Kurt.”
I reach out and shake Kurt’s hand and then turn to offer my hand to his wife, but she pulls me into her arms.
“It’s so nice to meet you,” she murmurs. “I’m Lisa.”
Lisa is beautiful. She has light brown hair, green eyes and slight curves that fit her frame. I turn to the woman behind them and can easily see the resemblance.
“You must be Ella,” I say with a smile.
Ella looks like her mom, only with darker brown hair that’s cut into a long bob and her curves are a little more pronounced. She’s stunning.
“Nice to meet you, Everly,” Ella says with a smile before looking around. “Where’s Hazel?”
Lisa playfully slaps Ella on the shoulder. “You couldn’t wait a minute?”
Ella shrugs. “I want to meet my niece.”
My heart swells at her words. How is this family so accepting that they would welcome not just me, but my daughter into their lives?
Rowan steps up behind me and offers a sleeping Hazel to Ella, who accepts her excitedly.
She smiles down at her as Kurt and Lisa step around either side of her to have a look.
My chest aches a little at the sight of them.
Especially Rowan’s mom. It’s hard to know that I’ll never have that kind of relationship with my own mother but knowing that Hazel will have a grandmother like Lisa, helps ease the sting.
We spent the rest of the evening talking and laughing. Everyone in Rowan’s family takes their turn holding Hazel until it’s time for her to go to bed for the evening.
We take her upstairs and get her ready for bed, setting up the baby monitors and coming back down to rejoin the group. We walk into the back yard and find the prospects talking to Grayson and Axel in hushed tones. My hackles immediately rise as they turn to face us with grim expressions.
Rowan leads us over to them. “What now?” He asks.
Grayson sighs. “The prospects have been keeping an eye on the Devil’s Knights headquarters tonight,” he says as he turns to face me. “They saw your mother go inside.”