Page 43 of Lockout (The Vikings MC: Tucson Chapter #11)
Keely
I t was Christmas Eve and I smiled as we watched the kids shredding open wrapping paper. The parents had brought down some of the gifts for the kids to open in front of all of us.
Gently, I tugged the bow from Hannah as she tried to stuff it in her mouth so she could chew on it. Dani reached over and replaced it with a large candy cane before her daughter could start screaming in displeasure.
We swapped smiles as Hannah accepted the exchange.
Dani was already such a great mom. And she seemed so happy.
It made me wonder if losing my job wasn’t such a bad thing.
Maybe it was time to have a couple kids.
I’d always wanted them, but there’d never been time as I built up my career.
Now I had the man I wanted and a supportive family…
I squeezed Hannah a little tighter as I considered it. I didn’t want to leave being a lawyer behind completely. But maybe for a couple years while I gave Lockout babies. My eyes darted over to him. Did he even want kids?
Just because the guys were starting to fill this clubhouse with kids didn’t mean he wanted them, too. We were going to have to have a talk about that. After everything was over, though. I wasn’t about to distract him with future life plans when there was this fight looming on the horizon.
He’d filled me in on everything that’d happened when he’d gotten home from Lordsburg. And he’d gone over his plan with me as we laid in bed that night, in a post-orgasmic state. It could work. Knowing Lockout, he’d make sure it did. And then none of us would have to worry about the LoS again.
Hazel eyes locked with mine and I realized I’d been staring at him for too long.
I smiled, trying to look like I wasn’t picturing babies and what the rest of our lives might look like.
Frowning when he stood up, I muttered under my breath to myself.
I must not have looked convincing enough because he was coming my way.
I handed Hannah over to Billie, who was holding her arms out for the baby, when Lock held out his hand to me. “Where are we going?” I asked, when he pulled me to my feet.
“I have a surprise for you.”
“Oh yeah?” I asked, looking over my shoulder as we walked away from the group. “What about them?”
“We’ll be hanging out with them all day and night tomorrow,” he growled, though there was a playful tone to his words. “Tonight, you’re mine.”
“Ohhhh,” I said with a grin. “That sounds tempting.”
“Yeah, that too,” he said. “But first, the surprise.”
“Wait…” I narrowed my eyes on him when he grabbed two jackets from behind the bar. “So your dick isn’t the surprise?”
He barked out a laugh. “No, Cables. It’s not.”
“Like…not in a box or anything?” I added, giving him a little pout.
“You can have that present later,” he promised. “Though it won’t be in a box.”
Laughing, I let him put my coat on me, then walked with him, hand in hand, out the door. When he unlocked one of the SUVs, I frowned. “Where are we going?”
“That’s the surprise, Keely. You’ll have to wait and see.”
I got into the vehicle and watched him shut my door before going around and getting in behind the wheel. “I’m not usually a fan of surprises.”
“I know.”
“Not that they aren’t great,” I continued. “I just like to know what’s happening beforehand.”
“Yup.”
I scowled at him. “So, are you going to tell me then?”
“Nope.” He grinned at me as he pulled out onto the road.
When he didn’t give in and tell me, despite a couple more attempts at pleading for the information, I sat back and enjoyed the ride. I knew he was taking one of the SUVs because of his leg. Or rather, so I wouldn’t nag at him about his leg. And so Pyre wouldn’t either.
We rode in comfortable silence until he turned onto a street and I gasped in pleasure. “Winter Haven!” I looked over at him and grabbed his bicep. “Are we stopping?”
He chuckled. “Of course we are. This is your surprise.”
“I love Winter Haven!” I exclaimed as he parked the truck.
“I know.” His lips lifted in a smug grin.
Of course he did.
“Is it safe though?” I asked, worrying my lower lip as I waited for his response.
The neighborhood went all out on Christmas lights every year, so much so that most of Tucson came to walk around and look at their displays.
I wanted to walk around with him, drink some hot chocolate, and enjoy ourselves, but I didn’t want to take any risks either.
“It’s fine,” he said. “Rip and the hacker twins are keeping an eye on Hangman and the rest of the LoS. Hangman and his crew are over in Lordsburg right now,” he added with an evil grin. “Searching for Ford and his crew.”
“So…it’s safe?” I asked.
“Yeah. For tonight.” He got out and rounded the SUV to hold open my door for me.
Sighing happily, I got out and linked arms with him. “This is amazing, Lock. Thank you.”
He paused and pulled me close so he could kiss the breath out of me. “Just want to make sure you know I’m still thinking about you. Even with all this going on. That I’m glad you’re my old lady. Haven’t really had a chance to spoil you.” He rubbed the back of his neck.
I laughed and shook my head. “You’re keeping me alive. I think I’m pretty spoiled.” Laying my head against his shoulder I waited as he paid for some hot chocolate from a vendor and handed it over to me. “You’re not having some?”
He shook his head. “Not enough alcohol in it for me.”
Laughing, I sipped my drink as we started to walk through Winter Haven.
Crowds of people meandered by us. It was my favorite time of year, and Christmas was my favorite holiday.
So, it was no wonder that seeing the lights was my favorite thing to do.
I was sure that either Dani or Billie had let him in on that little bit of knowledge, but I didn’t care.
The fact that he’d taken the time to find out, and then bring me here melted my damn heart.
I kept sneaking glances over at him, watching for any signs that his leg was bothering him as we walked. As much as I loved this place, and that he’d done this for me, I didn’t want to keep going if he was hurting. Not that he’d tell me. Thus the stealthy glances.
“I’m fine, Cables,” he finally rumbled.
Busted.
“I’m just making sure,” I said, defending myself.
“Pyre loaded me up on pain meds.”
“You really need to let your leg heal, Lock,” I argued. “This is so sweet, but I don’t want to be the reason you hurt yourself-”
He reached out and grabbed me, pulling me in close. “I’m not hurting. My leg can have all the rest it wants once Hangman is dead. That’s going to be very soon,” he added. “Stop worrying.”
I smiled up at him and wrapped my arms around him. I’d long since thrown my empty cup in one of the trash cans strategically placed in the streets. “That’ll never happen,” I told him. “I’m as bad as you when it comes to worrying about the people I love.”
He froze, staring down at me. It took me a minute to realize why. My eyes widened.
“Is that your way of telling me you love me, Keely?”
“Umm…” Of course I did. I’d pretty much been in love with him this whole time.
But did I want to let the cat out of the bag this soon?
Eh, what did it matter? We’d known each other for a long time now, over a year.
We were standing in arguably the most romantic place in town, on Christmas Eve, absorbed in each other.
Why not now? “Yes, Liam,” I said, staring into his gorgeous face. “I love you.”
He grinned down at me. “I love you, too.”
“You do?”
He frowned. “You’re telling me you didn’t know?”
“You haven’t told me,” I countered.
“Sure I did.”
I gasped. “No, you didn’t. I would’ve remembered that .”
“I told you when I made you my old lady,” he said.
Rolling my eyes, I shook my head. “Nope. That doesn’t count.”
He chuckled. “It does. In fact, nothing counts more than that.”
“Nope,” I insisted. “You have to say the words.”
“Fine. I’ll say it again. I love you.”
Sighing in pure joy, I leaned in as he kissed me. Not long ago, if someone had told me this was going to happen I wouldn’t have believed them. I didn’t even know if Lockout was interested in me, let alone that we would get out of our own ways if he was.
Now here we were and I couldn’t wait to spend the rest of my life with him. To give him babies. To raise our families with his brothers and my sisters. I needed to be careful. If I got much happier, I was going to implode.