Page 24

I wake up slowly and can’t help but smile as Midnight moves from my arm up to my neck, peppering me with kisses.

“That tickles.” I laugh when his stubble grazes my neck just right.

“Sorry, not sorry.”

“Good morning.”

He hums. “It is a good morning, isn’t it, Flower?” he asks as he squeezes me tight, pressing his naked body against mine.

My breath catches as I feel his cock twitch against my ass. I can’t help but ever so slightly push back against him.

“While I would love to bury my face in your pussy, we need to get up. I heard your phone go off, and I bet it’s the girls.”

“They are probably wanting to head home,” I sigh.

“Probably, but before we become responsible adults again…” He reaches over and touches my face, bringing it to his.

Midnight leans down and kisses me. His tongue grazes my bottom lip, making me gasp. I don’t know how long we make out for, but by the time we are done, we are both breathless and unquestionably turned on.

“Later,” he rasps as he rocks against me.

“Later.”

He gets out of bed first and holds out a hand for me. When I place my hand in his, he drags me out of bed. I cringe when I look down at my clothes from last night. I hate wearing clothes two days in a row, something about it just makes me feel dirty.

“I can’t help you with the pants, but I have a shirt you can wear.” He walks over to a dresser and pulls out a white T-shirt.

“Thank you,” I say as he hands it to me.

I slip it over my head and then tuck it into my jeans so it’s not so baggy.

“Ready?”

“Let’s do this.”

He takes my hand, and we leave his room. The hallway is quiet, and I can’t help but wonder if everyone is still sleeping after staying up so late partying. When we make it to the main room of the clubhouse, I can’t help but frown when I see the mess. Beer bottles and cans are scattered around along with normal trash.

“Does it always look like this?”

Midnight rubs his jaw. “Yeah, this is pretty standard after a party, but once everyone is moving, the mess will disappear, and there will be no evidence that last night happened.”

Hand in hand, we walk outside to his truck. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his keys.

“You staying here?” I ask as he slips them into my free hand.

“Yeah, I need to talk to Reaper about some shit and then I’ll have someone bring me home.”

“Okay. Do you have the address for where I need to go?”

“I do, and I’ll give Colt a heads up that you are on your way,” he says as he opens the door for me.

I slip into the truck and adjust the seat so I can reach the pedals. Once I’m done, he tells me what buttons to hit on his dashboard, pulling up the address that’s already listed under favorites.

“I’ll see you soon.”

“You will.” He reaches out and grabs my face, kissing me hard. “Be good, Flower.”

I roll my eyes, faking annoyance. “I’m always good. If anyone needs to be careful, it’s you.”

Midnight chuckles as he shuts the door.

Carefully I back out and start to drive away. Before I turn onto the main road, I look into the rearview mirror and see that Midnight is still standing where I left him, watching me go. I don’t know why, but it makes my heart melt. That man…he’s something else.

I make the quick drive to Kaitlyn and Colt’s place. When I pull in, I can’t help but smile. It looks like a normal American family home, and I love it. The door swings open, and the girls come running out right as I put the truck in park. I don’t even bother shutting it off as I jump out.

“Lainey!” they yell in unison as they hit me.

“Dang, if I didn’t know any better, I would think you two missed me,” I tease as I rub their backs.

“Of course we missed you,” Sienna says.

Kaitlyn’s laughter makes me look up, and I watch her approach.

“Thank you for watching them last night,” I tell her.

She waves away my comment. “It was our pleasure. They were awesome.”

“What do you say to Aunt Kaitlyn?” I ask the girls.

“Thank you,” they say at the same time.

“You are more than welcome. Come back anytime, I mean it.” She winks at me when she says it.

I can feel myself blushing. “Okay, jump in the truck.”

“Bye!” they say to her as they do what I asked.

“How did last night go?” she asks once they close the door.

“Good. I had a nice time.”

A knowing smile crosses her face. “I bet you did.”

“Anyway…” I say awkwardly.

“Let’s exchange numbers so I can add you to the group chat with the girls.”

“I’d like that.” I say softly.

When she pulls out her phone, I rattle off my number, and she nods. “Cool, I just sent you a text.”

“Awesome, my phone is in the truck, so I’ll respond when I get back home.”

“Sounds good.”

“Thanks again for watching them,” I say as I grab the door handle.

“Anytime. I mean it. We’re family now.”

I offer her a quick smile and jump into the truck.

“All right, ready to get home?” I ask as I start to leave the driveway.

“Yes,” they say in unison.

As I drive the radio plays softly.

“Hey Lainey, can we ask you something?” Selena asks.

I glance at them through the rearview mirror before looking back at the road. “Sure, what’s up?”

“Are you and Dad officially dating now, or are you guys still saying you are just friends who sometimes kiss?” Selena asks me boldly.

“Uh…” I stutter.

I don’t know what to tell them. I want to say yes, but I don’t want to overstep. This feels like a conversation Midnight should have with them and not me, but I’m the one who’s here.

“Yeah, your dad and I are seeing each other, but like we told you before, our relationship has nothing to do with you two. I’ll always be here for you. Always,” I stress.

Sienna sighs. “We wish you were our mom.”

Me too, I think as my heart aches for them.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful for their mother because she gave me them, but I fucking hate her for abandoning them.

“If she marries Daddy, she will be our mom,” Selena tells her twin.

I don’t know why, but I hadn’t thought about that. The idea of marrying Midnight should be terrifying, especially where we just got together, but for some reason, I can’t help but hope it becomes reality.

I watch as my woman drives away and can’t help but shake my head.

Last night was fucking perfect. Introducing her and the twins to the club felt right and went better than I could have imagined. Watching her interact with my brothers and their women brought a smile to my face, and I could see hanging out with everyone becoming a regular thing for us. It was surreal watching the two parts of my life merge together. I didn’t expect Colt and Kaityln to take the twins home with them to give us a little adult time, but I couldn’t be more thankful.

I wasn’t expecting the night to go as it did. I wasn’t expecting for us to fall into bed together or for her to let me make love to her. God, the idea that we could be creating a child right fucking now makes my cock twitch. I never thought I would have any more kids, but with her, I want as many as possible. I want to fill our home with the sounds of laughter and tiny footsteps. I want fucking everything when it comes to her. She doesn’t know it yet, but my world revolves around her and the twins.

Only after my truck is out of view do I move. I head back into the clubhouse and shake my head at the mess. I never realized how bad it got, or if I did, I became desensitized to it over the years. We really should hire someone to either clean up while the party is in full swing or we need to hire someone to come in first thing in the morning.

I find Reaper standing in the kitchen, pouring two cups of coffee.

“Morning.”

He looks over at me and nods. “Morning. How was your night?”

“No complaints,” I say as I try to fight back a smile.

Reaper chuckles knowingly.

“You have a minute?”

He nods. “Sure. Want to talk in my office?”

“Yeah, that works.”

“Let me drop this off with Natalie real quick.”

“Sounds good. I’m going to get myself a cup.”

Reaper brushes by me and heads back to his room while I fill a coffee mug. With my coffee in hand, I head to his office. It only takes him a minute or two to come strolling up.

“Sorry about that.”

“All good. I get it,” I say as we slip inside.

“I bet you do.” He smirks as he rounds his desk and sits. “So how was it last night having the girls here?”

“Better than I could have imagined,” I say as I sit down across from him.

“I know I didn’t talk to them much, but I watched them. They are great kids and seemed like they had a blast.”

“They did. I noticed Natalie watching the kids a little more than usual last night. Has the baby bug gotten to her yet?” I smirk.

A look I know all too well crosses Reaper’s face. “Maybe a little, but we aren’t in any rush. If it happens, it happens.”

“Well, for your sake, I hope it happens sooner rather than later.”

“Thanks. Did you hear there is a running bet on who will be the favorite uncle?” he asks, making me chuckle.

“Yeah, Colt was a little worried for a second when Sienna told him she wanted a new book.”

Reaper smirks. “Definite point for Wrath and Tara on that one.”

“Oh for sure.”

“It fuckin’ pleases me, man, that you aren’t hiding them from us anymore.”

“You can thank Lainey for that,” I tell him honestly.

“She seems good for you.”

“She’s…everything I didn’t know I wanted.”

Reaper nods in understanding. “It’s clear you two love each other. Even if the words haven’t been said yet.”

He’s not wrong. I know it’s soon, but my feelings for her run deep. If there is anyone out there that’s meant to be mine, it’s her. She’s fucking brought me back to life.

“I want to make her my old lady.”

He leans back in his chair and takes a drink of coffee. “I kind of figured that out last night when I heard her road name. Natalie told me she doesn’t know that it’s more than a nickname yet.”

I can’t help but wince. “Yeah, I should probably clear that up. It just happened, and it felt so fucking right.”

“Hey, no need to explain it to me. I get it. When you know, you know. Are you wanting to take a vote on it at the next meeting and then claim her at the next get-together?”

“I want to vote on it, but I want to hold off on the public claiming.”

Reaper’s eyes narrow. “Why?”

“I don’t think she’s ready yet. I want us to be able to get a little more time under our belts before the public declarations, but at the same time, I want all these fuckers to know she’s off-limits when she’s here.”

“We can definitely make that happen.” He nods.

“Thank you.”

“No need for thanks, brother. Need to talk about anything else?”

“Actually, yeah. I think we need to check on Honk.”

Pain crosses Reaper’s face. “We need to step in.”

“I think it’s time.”

“Fuck, man, it’s hard. I don’t blame him, but at the same time, I’m so fucking pissed at him. He’s got Natalie worried sick, and fuckin’ Bullet is trying to keep Harlee from doing something she can’t take back.”

“Has he said anything to Natalie?” I ask, knowing Natalie and Bullet are close.

As soon as those two met, they gravitated toward each other. They treat one another like the siblings they never had.

“Natalie is convinced that Harlee will end up as his old lady,” he says, making me wince.

“She’s too young.”

“Almost eighteen.” He nods.

I think about the way that Honk and Elenore tried to keep her away from the club as much as possible, just not to the extent I have with the twins.

“Honk will hate it.”

“Yeah, well, he can’t hate it when he’s buried in the bottom of a bottle, now can he?”

“True. Then I guess we are doing this.”

“I guess so.”

I look down at my watch and see more than an hour has passed. “Shit, do you need me today?”

“Nah, man, go enjoy your day off with your girls.”

“Don’t mind if I do,” I say as I stand.

Reaper follows and slaps me on the back as we slip out of his office.

“Later,” he says as he breaks away, heading back to the room him and Natalie keep.

It’s weird to think that at one point in time I thought he was crazy for trusting a woman and going all in, but now I completely get it.

And I get to go home to her and my girls. Life couldn’t get much better than this.