Chapter Thirty-Five
Roadkill stood with Jenna in his arms, enjoying that she trusted him, that she leaned on him.
It hadn’t been an easy week. There had been screaming, there had been tears, there had been sullen silences, from both Jenna and Lacey.
None of which he was used to. But he wouldn’t trade any of it for anything.
After several long breaths she lifted her head, propped her chin on his chest, and watched his face.
“What?” he asked again, this time the look in her eyes was different that just moments ago.
“I love you.”
He opened his mouth to say something but didn’t know what to say. That was the last thing he’d expected. Instead he leaned in and brushed her lips with his.
“Bout time you came around. You planning to be here for a bit?”
Jenna nodded. “It’s going to take another hour or so to finish all these. And I want to be here just in case.” Her gaze flicked toward the hall where he could hear Joker talking to Lacey in her bedroom. He’d just been in there and knew they were working on assembling a bookshelf she’d asked for.
“Good. I’ve got to run an errand for Hex. I should be back before long but if you need anything, call.” He kept eye contact until she nodded.
“We’ll be fine. I’m good. Lacey’s doing better. Joker’s here. She’ll be fine.”
“It’s not just her I’m worried about.” He couldn’t help but remember the last couple of nights when he’d woken in the middle of the night to find her curled on the far side of the bed, crying.
He’d pulled her into his arms and done his best to reassure her.
Without her telling him what was wrong, he couldn’t be certain what was driving her to the midnight crying jags, but he suspected she needed to vent some of the emotions she couldn’t let her sister see.
She had to let out the stress and trauma of the last week, and she hadn’t learned to channel that into aggression like he had.
These days he vented that aggression at a heavy bag, but more than once he’d wished he’d been on the gulf with Joker, and they could have made those fuckers suffer a little before making them shark bait.
“I’m good. I promise,” she said, not looking away.
“Do what you need to do. We’re adjusting but we’re doing okay.
Besides, don’t think I don’t know you’re making a prospect sit outside whenever you’re not here.
” She went up on her toes and brushed a kiss across his lips before dropping her arms and turning back around to her cookies.
“All right, darlin’. I’ll take your word for it.” He headed for the door, taking his bike key off the hook next to the door on the way out. He hadn’t lied, not exactly. He was doing something for Hex. But it was mostly for him. He was picking up the things he’d asked to have made for his girls.
Roadkill pulled his bike up outside the house almost an hour later and killed the engine.
After pulling two boxes from his saddle bags, he carried them inside and found the house filled with the scents of fresh cookies and something else.
It smelled like Jenna had started something for dinner too, but all he could be sure of was it was some kind of meat.
“Jenna?” he called as he kicked the door shut.
“Yeah?” her voice came from somewhere down the hall.
“Can you and Lacey come help me with something?” He didn’t need their help but wanted to surprise them with what he’d brought them.
“We’ll be right there.”
He set the flat box on the sofa where Jenna usually sat beside him when they turned on the TV in the evening. And the larger box in the old recliner that had been here when they arrived, as Lacey had taken to using it.
“Hey,” Jenna said, coming in and looking around. “What do you need help with?” she asked with a frown. There was nothing new in the room but the boxes.
A moment later Lacey appeared behind her.
“What I need, is for the two of you to open these.” He motioned to the boxes.
Jenna frowned. Lacey’s eyes lit up. As many packages as had come in, the girl still hadn’t lost the excitement of opening one to find out what was inside.
“What did you get us now?” Jenna asked with a scowl.
“You’ll have to open them to find out. I will say, I ordered these before everything happened. I just had to wait for them to be finished.”
“Which one’s mine?” Lacey asked.
He tilted his head to the larger box in the recliner. She hurried over and opened the top. He watched as the teenager frowned as she looked into the box.
“What is it?” Jenna asked.
“Clothes, but not something I remember ordering,” Lacey said.
“Pull them out and let us see,” Jenna prompted.
She pulled out a black t-shirt and held it up by the shoulders so they could see it. As she lifted it, the shirt unfolded, revealing the words ‘Savage Blood’ on the back.
“I didn’t order any plain black shirts?” She looked up at Roadkill, confusion clear on her face.
“Turn it around,” Jenna said.
The teenager did as she was instructed but her frown grew even deeper as she read the words.
“What does it mean?” she asked, looking up.
“It means you’re one of us, squirt,” Joker said from where he leaned against the wall in the opening to the short hall that led to the bedrooms. “It tells everyone that if anyone messes with you, they have to deal with all of us.”
Lacey’s gaze flicked to Joker, then to Roadkill as if for confirmation.
“He’s right,” Roadkill said. “You have a half dozen shirts and a hoodie in there. Wear one to school on Monday, and whenever you want after. The only time after that you’ll be required to wear them is when there’s a party here. They’ll keep any visitors from harassing you.”
“Heck yeah!” She put the shirt on and turned to Jenna. “What’s in yours?”
Jenna looked down at the box. “I don’t think it’s nearly what you got. It’s not big enough for that much.”
“Open it and find out!” Lacey came closer, as if she was as eager to see what he’d brought Jenna as she had been about her own box.
Jenna lifted the top off the box, then frowned down at it.
“What is it?” Lacey asked.
“I’m not sure.”
“Pull it out and see.”
Jenna lifted out the leather vest and held it up. She looked at Roadkill with a frown of confusion. It was a vest much like the one he wore, without most of the patches he wore. She had no name patch, and on her right shoulder was a small Savage Warriors logo.
“Turn it around.”
On the back was a Savage Warriors MC rocker on top and Property of Roadkill rocker on the bottom. Her gaze flew to Roadkill, and he saw the shine of tears starting to pool on her lower lashes.
“Same rules? On when to wear it?” she asked.
“Nope. I’d like you to wear this any time you’re out and about, especially without one of the Warriors with you, as well as for parties. I want everyone knowing who you belong to and who they’ll have to deal with if they mess with you.”
Jenna hugged the vest to her chest.
“Thank you.” Her words came out as barely more than a whisper. She put the vest on then stepped in and wrapped her arms around him. “Thank you. For everything.” She clung to him. “I don’t know how I got so lucky.”
Roadkill hugged her back, holding her as tight as she held him. “It wasn’t luck, darlin’. You came into Savage Iron that day determined to change your life. Neither one of us knew then how much it would change both of us.”
“But you’ve done so much for us.”
“You’re mine, darlin’ and Savage Warriors take care of what’s ours. We’re a family and now you’re part of it.”
They stood that way for several seconds, then he loosened one arm and held it open for Lacey.
She watched them with wide eyes.
“Come on, you’re family too, don’t you want in on this?”
She hesitated for a moment then stepped into his arm, wrapping hers around Jenna as well as him.
This.
This right here was what he’d been missing, and didn’t even know it.
Roadkill cleared his throat. “One more thing, girls, while I’ve got you both here.”
“What?” Jenna asked, propping her chin on his chest as she looked up at him.
He looked down into her face and couldn’t help but smile. He loved when she did that, whether they were standing together or lying in bed. As if she wanted to see is face but couldn’t stand to move away from him.
“I want to make this legal.”
“What do you mean?” Jenna frowned.
“This is permanent to me. But I want you both to know it too. I want it legal all the way around. I want to marry you.” He tightened the arm wrapped around Jenna.
“And if it’s okay with both of you, I want added to the legal custody of you.
” He turned to Lacey and tightened his arm around her for a moment.
“Really?” Lacey said with a gasp.
“Really. You don’t have to give me an answer now. Think about it. Talk to your councilor if you want to. But I needed you both to know how I feel.”
“A-Alright,” Lacey said as she started to pull away.
Roadkill released his hold on her. She moved to the chair where the box of shirts still sat.
“I’ll let you know, okay?” She picked up her box.
“I’ll just go put these away. Besides, I’m still working on getting my room done.
” She headed for the hall. “Can you two not be gross in front of me though?” She stuck her tongue out at them then disappeared down the hall.
Joker shot him a thumbs up, then turned and followed the girl down the hall.
Roadkill looked down at Jenna who still stood in his arms.
“Well, what about you? Do you need time to think about it?”
Jenna shook her head. “I’m all in. I’m worried about what it will cost to do the custody thing, but there’s nothing I want more than to marry you.”
“Custody costs will be minimal. Cutthroat will take care of the paperwork, we’ll just have court fees and I’ve got them covered. I don’t care what it costs though. I want the world to know you’re both mine.”
“And you’re mine.” She went up on her toes and kissed him. A timer beeped. “Come on. I’ve got some of those cookies ready for you.” She backed away from their hug, but took his hand and tugged him into the kitchen with her.
Roadkill didn’t fight her. He’d follow her to the ends of the earth and back. And he didn’t even need the lure of cookies, just her touch or even her smile. Somehow the girl had stolen his heart, and he didn’t even want it back.