Page 38 of Priest’s Sunbeam (Renegade Souls MC: Next Generation #2)

Sunshine

Underneath the white-topped chrome table, Sunny nudged Clover’s foot and was met with another of her sister’s famous glares. Her scowl was an exact copy of Colton Hawk.

Sunny only quirked her eyebrow, silently asking her baby sister if she was okay.

“This is like old times.” Their Dad remarked, his lips edged up at either end. Sunny looked across the table at him, sitting side-by-side with Clover. “You and your sister taking a week to order while kicking each other under the table.” He filled in.

Sunny chuckled and placed the menu down.

Their father/daughter lunch dates had been a regular thing for years. Something both girls enjoyed.

“Sunny is always picking on me, Dad. You should ground her.” Clover sassed with a teasing smirk.

That little heifer loved dropping her in it. For good measure, Sunny kicked Clover’s foot again and stuck out her tongue.

“I don’t think I can ground her, button. She doesn’t live with us anymore.”

Then they were busy tucking into juicy burgers and salty fries.

“Thanks for spending time with your old dad,” he said. “I won’t have many more days like this once Clover heads off to New York.”

“Dad.” She pouted, cuddling his arm. “You’re gonna make me cry, missing you already.”

Sunny frowned. “Wait. You’ve already decided on NYU?”

Clover looked over. Her eyes flickered with guilt. “Eh, yeah, maybe. We’re gonna take a tour in a few weeks before my birthday. Mom thinks I have a good chance of getting a place.”

“No one listens to me,” he scowled. “I told you both to stay home with me forever.”

The sisters shared a glance and then cackled at how grumpy he looked.

“Just think, Dad, it won’t be long before Sunny gives you grandbabies to keep you busy.”

Sunny nearly choked on a bite of hamburger. Hawk’s pale eyes turned almost see-through with shock.

Clover was too busy laughing. “Look how high his eyebrows climbed into his hair.”

“Don’t listen to her. That’s not for ages.”

He only grunted in response. She wasn’t sure he was used to her being married and having moved out without introducing him to the idea of his eldest daughter having kids.

But then he surprised Sunny’s heart into thumping with love.

“I want all granddaughters.”

“Really?”

“I don’t think you can order what you want. That’s not how it works,” chimed Clover.

“I can.” He smirked and sent Sunny a wink. “I need to be surrounded by my girls.”

“Dad.” They said together, emotionally moved by him as always.

Once outside after lunch, their dad pointed down the street. “You wanna get ice cream?” That was a needless question. Ice cream was Sunny’s favorite treat.

He said. “I’ll go on ahead. You girls sort out whatever tension is brewing between you, yeah?”

Colton Hawk could read his family well for a man not known for his conversational skills. He took off a few steps ahead of them, and they followed.

Sunny looped Clover’s arm. “Are you okay?”

“If I say yes, will you finally stop asking me that question? I’m over it and looking forward.”

“I will, if you mean it. I’m worried about you.”

Clover sighed as only a teen girl could, rolling her pretty eyes. “Trust me, sis. I’ll talk to you if I need to, okay?”

They walked a few steps in silence. But a question was burning on Sunny’s tongue. “Have you talked to Tanner?”

Clover instantly turned red. “I blocked his number, and there’s no point in a de-brief talk when he already told me it was a mistake and how sorry he was about it happening. I’m not the first girl to do a dumb thing with a boy. I won’t be the last, either, not with Lily around.”

Frowning and dropping the topic of Tanner, Sunny asked. “What’s Lily up to? I’m out of the loop.”

“That’s what happens when you get married and have sex on the brain. She’s got some CEO’s son chasing her.”

“Oh my god, shush, Dad will hear and have an aneurysm here on the street.” She elbowed her sister, who only tinkled a laugh. They spent a minute talking about the CEO.

Their dad was waiting in the queue when they arrived a few minutes later; he was just shutting off his phone, looking serious.

Sunny sensed her father was hiding something when their eyes met.

Colton Hawk was a dad, sure. He was the best dad in the world, but he’d been an MC VP first and longest, and she saw VP in his pale eyes, which made her curious.

“Is something up?”

“Deciding on toppings.”

Sunny snorted at his outright lie. He came to the ice cream parlor for his girls, not because he had a sweet tooth. And while choosing their cones, she saw him glance at his watch.

“Do you have a hot date or something?” she asked.

“Might do.” He smirked. “Your mom isn’t working late.”

“Clover, doesn’t Dad look suspicious to you?”

“Now that you mention it, yeah. What are you hiding, Daddio, huh? Is it a surprise for us, huh? You know you suck at surprises. You might as well spill it now if it’s a car for me.”

He side-eyed them both and then shoved a bottle of raspberry syrup into Sunny’s hands. “There is no surprise. Here, have some syrup.”

“You’re acting suspicious. Are you distracting us for some unknown reason? I’m getting the Hawk spidey vibes.”

He laughed. “What’s this? Gang up on your old dad day?”

“I’m not afraid to bring out the big guys. Clover, call Mom.”

“You are a cunning girl.” He smiled and nudged her shoulder gently with his.

“I know your weak spots, and I’m not afraid to use them.”

“Very true.” He paid, and they walked outside. Sunny was on one side, and Clover was on the other.

After a few licks of her cone, she told them, “Seb and I are going to have you guys over for dinner one day this week.”

They both stopped in sync to look at her.

“Are you cooking?” Hawk was the one to ask.

Clover started miming a gagging motion. “If that answer is yes, I’m sick that night. Sorry, not sorry. You cannot cook, Sunny.”

Offended, she nearly dropped her pistachio waffle cone. “I can, too!”

They were partially correct. Proof this week, when she’d failed so many things, she bet other wives could do so well.

Cooking was right up there with fails. She didn’t understand why eggs, toast, and steaks burned. She was sure something was wrong with the stove. She’d even accused Seb of sabotaging it. He’d only laughed and called her cute.

Then she flooded the laundry room after using too much detergent. That had been an epic disaster for him to fix. Another sabotage, she was so sure! She couldn’t prove it yet, but she’d figure it out because no one could be as inept at household tasks as Sunny was.

It didn’t seem to faze Seb, who did most of the cooking, or he brought home takeout. And he was better at throwing clothes in the machine and not shrinking dry-clean-only items like she had that one time. Only once!

A heavy arm looped over her shoulder, and she felt her father’s affection envelop her. “I love you, Sunny girl.”

“If that sentence ends in a but, I will start a war, father dearest.” She warned, and he knew not to go on. “And to answer your insults, Seb will grill something. I’ll buy some nice salad, bread, and dessert.”

“Oh, well, then count me in,” Clover sassed with a smile. “Dad, remember the Mother’s Day Sunny tried to make chocolate chip pancakes, and you had to use the fire extinguisher?”

“You little snot, you were right there in the kitchen as my sous chef.”

“I was an innocent seven-year-old baby following your orders.” Clover batted her lashes.

“I’m going to come to NYU every weekend to cook you dinner.” She threatened, then turned on their amused parent. “And as for you, who isn’t defending your eldest child’s culinary prowess.”

“Prowess is a bit much, even though I’m not that good of a liar. Those pancakes were like charred rocks. I nearly broke a tooth.”

“I’m going to have so many babies right away and make you change all the diapers. So there!”

He turned ashen, and Sunny laughed.

It was another successful Hawk girl dad date.

SUNNY : Dad has decided we can only have girl babies.

SUNNY : I miss your face!!!!!

Not a minute later, Seb’s reply came and turned her all the shades of red as she skimmed through it.

SEBASTIAN : Get home now, and I’ll start planting girl babies in my wife.

Oof, that man of hers was wicked.

Slipping her phone away, she joined Clover and looped her arm through their dad’s, taking a stroll back to his truck.

Having no clue yet what her husband was dealing with across town in the clubhouse.

* * *

Sebastian

Seb smirked, seeing Alpha blocking the doorway as he approached the club entrance. He cocked a brow when his friend didn’t move his ass out of the way.

“I’m talented, Alpha, but I haven’t risen to the heights where I can shapeshift through flesh and blood. You wanna get out of the way and let me in? Or you out here collecting entrance fees?”

Usually, the guy would have laughed; the pair shared a similar sense of humor, but his face was stony as he clapped Seb on the shoulder. “I was waiting for you.”

“Why? I can’t date you. My wife would cut out your guts for coming on to me.”

Another joke went unlaughed, and Seb’s gut instinct told him some shit was happening, but he couldn’t figure out what. Their long friendship meant Alpha readily sought assistance from Seb if he faced problems.

“What’s up?”

“Do you have a few minutes?”

“Yeah, why?”

The pair advanced inside. Alpha chose the hallway over the central seating area for their conversation.

“Come to Dad’s office.”

The Prez’s office.

That same gut instinct burned a little hotter low in his abdomen when he saw the office was already filled. Rider. Preacher, Lawless, Grinder, Dax, and Tanner.

He met their eyes. Instantly, he saw how deadly cold his father looked.

“Is it Mom?” The words flew out of his mouth, dread tying up his stomach.

“No, man. No one is hurt.” Alpha was the one to answer, closing the door behind them. He took root with a shoulder against the wall.