Page 32

Joelle

Regardless of how ridiculously in love with Diamond she was, it meant nothing when Joelle wanted to choke him for not giving her a heads-up.

“Baby, they’re gonna love you.”

“You haven’t even prepared me, River!” she scowled, looking at him and then at the large brick building through the truck window.

He’d brought her to the Diablos HQ.

She’d thought they were going out to lunch. The first date since Abraham came along.

Their first date ever .

And this is what he sprang on her!

“You promised me a date.”

He chuckled and reached for her hand, bringing it to his mouth. “I promise we’ll go on so many dates, especially now your mom is crazy for Abraham, and we’ll have a babysitter anytime.”

Joelle was not ready to leave the baby with anyone. It was lovely to witness her mom’s affection for her one-month-old grandson. Even her father monopolized Abraham when she took him for a visit.

She stared at the intimidating building again. His found family was in there. Joelle felt she knew them all because of how Diamond talked about them, but she was also worried about how they might react when they learned her surname.

Despite Diamond’s reassurance, Joelle remained nervous.

She wanted his family to approve of her.

But what if she didn’t like them?

How would their life together be if she couldn’t be around his people?

She watched Diamond round the hood to open her door. He leaned in and tapped a kiss on the tip of her nose. The adorable big bear. He never stopped making her fall in love with him.

Just this morning, when she’d been covered in spit-up and dealing with a fussy Abraham, he’d made a stack of pancakes and then taken the baby to wander around the yard so she could eat and shower.

So many trivial things made her love her man.

The most significant factor was the way he stared at her.

He gazed at her as if she was the center of his universe.

Joelle waited for Diamond to assist her in getting down from the high truck, yet she remained near the door, clinging to his long fingers.

“Do I look okay?”

Fortunately, she wore a fashionable patterned maxi dress with chunky sandals instead of staying in her stay-at-home-mom leggings. She had even taken the time to wash and style her hair in anticipation of their date. It had been quite the moment.

She was presentable for the firing squad, at least.

“You look fuckable, baby.”

Her cheeks flamed.

“Don’t flirt right now. I’m still deciding if I’m mad at you.”

He grinned mischievously and brought their foreheads close together. His hand slid around the back of her neck.

“They’re excited to meet you.”

“Really?”

He assured her so.

“Do I get to meet your blood family one day?”

“Sure, if that’s what you want.”

She tested that by asking. “What if I never want to meet them?”

“Then you don’t.”

She blinked up at him. “You don’t care?”

“Bluebell, you’ve spent a lifetime doing shit to appease others. I’m not gonna force you into something you’re not comfortable with. Do I want you to meet them? Fuck yeah, I want them to see the woman I’m crazy about, who I’m gonna be with for the rest of my life. That means something to me. But not above how you feel.”

“Big bear, don’t make me cry before I face all your biker family.” She laughed a little. He was absolutely perfect. “I want to meet them, by the way.”

“Good, ‘cause I already booked plane tickets.” He flashed her the most boyish grin.

“You,” she grumbled playfully. “What am I going to do with you, hm?”

“Keep me.”

“Well, yeah. You’re hard to get rid of, so I better keep you.”

Joelle saw his head descend and tilted hers up to receive his soft kiss.

He kissed her gently, taking his time, tasting her fully, making her whimper.

Diamond drew back, and she forced her heavy eyelids open.

Both of them locked eyes, and a change happened. The air stirring had nothing to do with the gentle breeze and everything to do with their relationship, knitting together tightly, a permanent bond forming.

With a kernel of desire budding in her stomach, suddenly, she was no longer afraid of anything in front of her.

She could do anything, be anything, with Diamond at her side.

The man had been her rock for so long. Her protection and stability.

Life could throw a mountain of surprises their way, and she knew they’d cope just fine.

Without conscious effort, Joelle had drawn the line between her old life and the new one she would work hard to keep.

Just yesterday, her father called to tell her that Trent was found dead in his car and not to talk to any reporters if they called. Just let her lawyer deal with it. It was blasted all over the news. An apparent suicide inside his garage. The grave-faced reporter discussed the charges Trent had been facing against her and then revealed that it was discovered he had been defrauding his law firm. The reason for his suicide. She’d instantly looked at Diamond, who’d been listening to the speakerphone conversation, and her first thought had been, did he do this ?

Her second thought was, if he had done it, it was to protect his family. Their family. She’d never ask him the question because she didn’t need the answer.

She’d known then the line was drawn. She was on the side of Diamond, the man she loved. Always .

She loved him endlessly, with a force she didn’t know she could feel.

“You don’t have to deal with things alone anymore, Joelle. I’m right here.” He told her. “If people in there have preconceived notions about who you are, that shit is on them. But they’ll soon learn you’re fucking incredible, with a soft, giving heart. You let me into it, didn’t you?” he smirked. “We didn’t mean to fall in love, but I’ll kill anyone to keep it.”

“River,” she breathed, seeing his sincerity and hearing it in his deep voice.

Her stomach fluttered with butterflies, a sign of her infatuation with him. She would have never expected that her perfect match in everything would be a biker who spoke freely and used foul language as much as he did. But like Diamond declared, there was no limit on what she’d do to keep him and their happiness.

His presence alone brought a lightness to her heart. A refreshing new chapter in her life.

All this time, Diamond had been objectively good to her.

He gave her space when she needed to regroup her thoughts, but reassured her that in a heartbeat, she could click her fingers, and he’d be there.

He protected her ruthlessly. He provided for their family.

There was nothing she couldn’t ask for, knowing he’d get it for her.

And with compromise, they’d each stepped into the middle to merge their different lifestyles, making something uniquely theirs.

The chemistry between them was undeniable. It shimmered like a new rainbow in every longing look, in the way he held her hand and laughed against the skin of her neck.

Abraham whimpered in the backseat, reminding his parents who the main character was.

“You love me?” He asked.

“More than ever.”

He smiled. “Then it’s you and me against the world, hm? Nothing can touch us, Joelle. You’ll be my bad girl, old lady, when we’re here, and I’ll be your hot piece of ass in a tuxedo when you need me to go to one of those ridiculous posh galas.”

She chuckled and couldn’t wait to see that hot ass filling out a tuxedo.

Neither of them had to worry about money. But they were richer with love.

They were more fortunate than most.

Finding him in an unlikely situation was a blessing for her.

His teeth nipped her lower lip, patiently coaxing. That was her Diamond. Joelle reached up to curl a hand around his neck, aching for his mouth.

“Are you two making out all day, or you gonna come in so we can meet your girl and son?” boomed a voice, and Joelle turned to see a mountain of a man filling the doorway with his formidable size and grin.

“Be right there, Tomb.” Shouted back Diamond. “That’s Tomb. You remember he’s married to Nina?”

She nodded distractedly. “Are all your MC brothers as big as him?”

With a playful growl, Diamond teasingly nipped at Joelle’s chin, reminding her where her focus should be.

“If you’re gonna be drooling over everyone, I’ll take you home right now.”

She laughed and poked his hard belly. “Let’s go in, big bear. Suddenly, I don’t feel so nervous anymore.”

She loved teasing him.

With her hand tucked firmly into his, Diamond carried Abraham in the car seat and walked them inside.

The second they were in the clubhouse, an eruption of “SURPRISE!” assaulted her ears, and she looked around at the gathering sea of men and women.

“What’s this?” asked Diamond.

Sweet angels above. Joelle was not without sin by noticing how handsome all the bikers were. Her friends would die a thousand deaths just to be ogling them. She’d need to take covert photos for Sadie and Molly.

A towering blond man came forward, and Diamond told her it was Denver.

“It was the old ladies’ scheme.”

“It’s called an idea, baby.” Interjected a stunning woman, who she assumed was Casey, his wife.

“Yeah, that’s what I said. The old ladies wanted to throw you a post-baby shower slash welcome to the family party. It’s good to meet you, Joelle.”

Oh.

Then she noticed all the smiling faces, especially from the women.

Joelle squeezed Diamond’s hand and smiled back.

“This is lovely. Thank you.”

It was a whirlwind of introductions after that.

Over the years, she’d met poets, artists, dignitaries, and Broadway stars, but nothing came close to being star-struck when she met the pop star Rory Kidd!

The only woman she felt a colder vibe from was Kelly. While she said hi to Joelle and fawned over Abraham, Kelly didn’t seem as welcoming, and she kept a close eye on Joelle more than anyone else that day. It was early days, and Joelle figured she didn’t have to be friends with everyone. That wasn’t how life worked.

Hours seemed to go by in minutes.

“He is perfection, and I could eat him up.” Monroe gushed, holding Joelle’s son.

The women had gathered on the couches while the guys stood at the bar. Every time she looked over, Diamond looked back, smiling, ensuring she was okay. Her big protective bear.

“Hey, don’t hog the adorable baby. I need a turn, too.” Scarlett grumbled.

“You’ve already had a turn!” Kylie said, sipping champagne. Joelle’s drink was non-alcoholic because she was nursing.

“I need the practice.” Announced Scarlett. She smiled widely, stunning the others into silence.

It was Nina who asked. “Girlie, are you pregnant?”

“Yep,” beamed the red-headed pixie, holding up her champagne glass. “I’ve been drinking the non-alcoholic stuff for weeks now.”

“I thought you and Axel weren’t doing kids?”

“Well,” she chuckled. “When you have a husband as hot as mine, who loves to have sex as much as we do, oopsies happen. But we’re completely thrilled about it. I can’t wait to see him holding a baby. It will explode my ovaries.”

Congratulatory hugs were exchanged.

“Well, I don’t want to steal your thunder, but...” Monroe said minutes later, wearing the same radiant smile.

“Holy crap, you too?” Casey laughed. “What’s in the water fountain around here?”

“We found out last week.”

“Birthing twins!” announced Scarlett.

“We need to add Joelle to the gang group chat. We’ll need pregnancy advice.”

“Absolutely.” Replied Scarlett, who was already pulling out her phone to do that. “I need to know if my vagina will recover. Axel is huge. This baby is going to tear me open.”

“Ice-pack panties,” Joelle interjected, capturing everyone’s attention.

“Say what now?”

“For your vagina,” she chuckled. “They’re a lifesaver. You slide ice-packs into your underwear to help the pain and swelling.”

Casey, who had twin girls, nodded in agreement. “Absolute lifesaver.”

“Thank the weeping angels I’m never having kids,” Nina pulled a face but nuzzled Abraham’s rosy cheek. “I like my vagina straddling Tomb’s face, not an iceberg.”

Just then, a dark-haired woman dressed in hospital scrubs rushed over.

“Hi, sorry, I’m late. Bash got frisky when he picked me up from work. Oh, a baby! Is this little Abraham? Oh, my god, I’m next to hold him. Hi, I’m Lottie. Welcome to the circus, Joelle. I’m brand new around here, too. What are we talking about?”

“Vagina’s the size of the grand canyon and ice cubes.” Chuckled Nina. Everyone started a ripple of laughter. “Oh, and these two have buns in the oven.”

Diamond came to check on her not long later. Abraham was in his arms, making her man the sexiest creature on earth.

“Give me a kiss, Bluebell.”

“Here?” she whispered. But no one was watching them, so she stood on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on him. But what do you know? A rumbling of cheers went up as her lips met his, and she turned her blushing face into Diamond’s arm.

“That means they like you, baby.” He pulled her in closer. “I love you, you know that?”

“I love you back.”

And it was the truth.

Colors had been Joelle’s mood stabilizer for a long time. They brought happiness to her daily life.

But now, so did Diamond and Abraham.

She could not have predicted a year ago that she’d be happy in a relationship with a biker and they’d have a son together.

Also, be deliriously happy, like pigs in the dirt happy.

She didn’t know if she’d be an adequate biker’s old lady.

Or if Diamond could fit in with her socialites.

But what she knew without question. They fit together somewhere in the middle.

They created their own world, making their own rules.

And she was thrilled to see what their future brought.

Being a biker’s bad girl would be the most fun she’d ever had.