Page 23

CHOMP

Two months later

“A re you ready, Chomp?” Mom asks as we put the finishing touches on the brunch. Once she and Chewy got settled, she went to work at the diner, and after she heard Ariel’s idea about how to increase business and sales, she and I put our heads together to create a brunch menu for Sundays. Just like the ones she used to make growing up.

Being in a large industrial kitchen allows me to pander to my desire to cook for others without intruding on everything else I do for the club’s businesses. Plus, as an added bonus, I get to spend time with my mom. I have the best of both worlds, in all honesty. I get to work alongside my mate at the club business and cook with my mom once again.

“I think so,” I mutter, suddenly nervous about everyone sampling the food I’ve cooked. Mom acted as my sous chef, while Ariel and Callie helped get everything ready since this is the first one. We’ve been busy since word spread, and the restaurant is full. There’s a lot of hungry people to feed.

“It’s going to be just fine,” Ariel says, leaning up on her tiptoes to kiss my bristly jaw. She dances away before I can claim her for a kiss, her giggles floating behind her.

My mother smiles, giving me a pat on the arm. “They’re going to love every dish.” Her confidence and calm smile ground me.

“We’re unlocking the door,” Spike says, walking into the kitchen. The first dishes are already in the chafing dishes, but both my mom and I are ready to make more if they’re eaten. I’ve cooked enough to feed an army. Or a bunch of shifters. Maybe both.

I swallow back the nerves and nod. “Let’s do this,” I whisper to my mom.

* * *

“Come on, Chomp, your mom has everything covered. I want you to sit down and eat,” Ariel says as she walks into the kitchen. She’s glowing right now, and I worry about whether or not it’s too hot in the diner, which has been slammed ever since Spike turned the sign to open and unlocked the door.

We need to check the thermostat, Gator hisses. Mate looks flushed.

If nothing else, brunch was a hit, so we’ll now open on Sundays for about four or five hours, right in the heart of the day. Folks who don’t go to church can come in early, while those who attend services with their families can come in and enjoy some well-cooked food after they leave church.

“Okay, okay,” I reply, taking off my apron and hanging it on a hook in the kitchen. After washing my hands, I follow my mate through the swinging doors and into the diner, amazed at the support from not only my brothers but also the townspeople. There are even folks from Mercy Falls, and I smile when I see Cheryl grinning at my mate.

Ariel’s therapy is going so well, and I’ve even gone to a few of her sessions when she has something she wants to share from before that she knows might upset me. Because I’m around a human, I’m able to (barely) control my gator, but it’s helped me understand some of her idiosyncrasies better, so I don’t accidentally trigger her. She’s so much more open, as if her experiences had muted who she was as a person. Regardless, I’m going to love her until the end of time.

She walks beside me, filling up a plate and occasionally adding things to mine. I smirk because as we sit down, she adds a huge bespeckled egg to the center of my overflowing plate. “What’s that?” I ask, lightly tapping it with my fork.

“Open it, Chomp,” she encourages. I’m so focused on this item that was definitely not on the menu that I don’t notice my mom or brother coming to stand near us, nor do I see my club brothers circling around me, until I hear a coo and look up.

Kodiak has his son strapped to his chest with one of those sling things. While he’s only two months old, he’s already alert, which is typical for shifters. I smirk because unless Callie has Teddy to feed him, my brother has possession of his son. Hell, he even willingly changes diapers, something I don’t particularly relish doing since a few of the ones he’s changed have been foul. Still, he’s very content with his little family, and I won’t begrudge him that because at the end of the day, that’s what all of us want.

I pick up the egg and gently crack it against the side of my plate. A small black and white picture flutters out, and I pick it up. When I see Ariel’s name at the top, I glance at her in surprise. When did she go to the doctor? And furthermore, why didn’t she say anything to me?

Look at the picture, Chomp, my gator huffs out.

I stare at the picture, confusion marring my features as I see three circles along with “A”, “B”, and “C” above them. “Ariel?”

“You’re going to be a daddy, Chomp,” she whispers, touching the picture. “We’re going to have triplets.”

Oh my God! We did it! We’re going to have hatchlings! My gator is chortling so hard, he falls down inside of me with a loud oomph. Silly bastard.

I stand and pick her up, swinging her around while yelling, “I’m going to be a dad! This is the second-best day of my life!”

She grins down at me since I have her lifted so high and asks, “What was the first best day?”

“Finding you,” I admit, sniffling.

We have a mate! We have triplets! My gator continues to bellow. This is not a drill!

A large meaty hand clamps onto my shoulder, and I turn to see Kodiak standing there with an idiotic grin on his face. “Congrats, brother. Best fucking thing in the world,” he says.

We’re soon inundated with the rest of my brothers, who are already taking bets about what we’re going to have. I honestly don’t care, as long as Ariel and the babies are healthy and safe. What I really want to do is snatch her away to our cabin so we can celebrate in private. I’m already looking forward to watching her belly swell.

We need snacks! Supplies! Baby stuff! We have to add onto our cabin! Gator hisses. Must go shopping now.

“Gator’s being a bit ridiculous,” I murmur so only she can hear me.

“He probably wants to set up the nursery already,” she replies, smiling at me. “Right, Gator?”

I love when she talks to me, my gator hums.

We love everything about Ariel. And now she’s giving us three more reasons to love her.

“Are you happy?” she asks, like it isn’t obvious.

“Mate, my heart is so full, I fear it might burst.”

A tender smile curls her lips. “Enjoy it. I know I am.”

Oh, we will. Me, Gator, and my pregnant mate. After all, our forever begins now.

My gaze collides with my mother’s, and the happy tears I see are all I need to feel complete.

Peanut

The hardest part of today is watching my brother celebrate his upcoming bundles of joy. It’s already hard enough with Kodiak having a son, but now Chomp and his mate are adding three babies to the mix. My heart stutters in my chest, nearly bringing me to my knees. I am happy for both of my brothers and their mates, but there’s an ache in my soul because of my past.

It’s not one that any of the brothers know since Spike never insisted that we share why we came to Yukon Bluff. Still, for all the years that I’ve been a member, with all the single brothers around, that ache was more like a dull throbbing. But now, with three more babies on the horizon, it’s as painful as it was the day it happened.

I can’t. I just… can’t. I walk toward Spike, words forming and rearranging themselves in my head as I try to figure out how to tell my president that I need to leave. I don’t know if I’ll ever come back, either, because I’m too broken to be able to keep up my facade of being happy for the little families. What if more brothers end up finding their mates? What then? Maybe it’s better if I just go off on my own and live a life of solitude. It’s not what I really want since the Shifted Misfits MC took me in and gave me a new family, but having to watch the kids grow up? It’s not something I can deal with now, if ever again.

“Spike? I need to go,” I state once we walk off to the side, away from the celebration.

“Why, Peanut? What’s going on?” he asks with concern.

As a dragon shifter, he’s prone to wanting to hoard things, and I feel as though the club gives him immense satisfaction since he’s brought together a group of misfit shifters who don’t belong anywhere else and created a family. He’s done the same with our businesses, constantly adding more to what we’re already handling, which, of course, increases our coffers.

None of us are hurting for money whatsoever. I can easily take what I’ve saved and quietly live off the grid for the rest of my life. While I’d miss my brothers and the friendships I’ve built, it’s probably safer for everyone.

“I just need to leave,” I insist, unwilling to share my private pain.

You’re going to have to let him in some time, my elephant whispers. Maybe he can help us.

“What if I send you out to start looking into that list we got from Jerry?” he asks. “We’ll cover the gym for you, so you won’t have to worry about that. It might be a long shot, but it would be great if we were able to help those women reclaim their lives, wouldn’t it?”

“Like a nomad?” I question.

“Yeah, although it won’t be a permanent thing, Peanut,” he warns. “And at some point, I’m going to want to know what’s going on with you.”

“I understand.”

Maybe I’ll just drive my bike over a cliff because exposing all the raw parts of my life that I’ve pushed down for so long isn’t something I want to do at all.

“And I think Sly needs to go with you,” he muses, stroking his beard. “He’s got the IT skills to help you track some of these people down so you’re able to formulate a plan.”

I shrug. As long as I have my bike and the open road, I’m fine with having someone along for the ride. At least if something happens to me, he can get word back to the club. With my decision made, I ask, “When can we leave?”

“As soon as you’re packed,” Spike replies. Reaching out, he places his hand on my shoulder and squeezes. “Just remember, we’re here for you, Peanut. No matter what.”

I wish it was enough. Some pain just runs so deep, and it eats at you until it nearly consumes you.

I’m not sure there’s anything that will ever change that.