Page 26

THREE MONTHS LATER

“ Y ou sure about this?”

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

Ford was practically leaping out of his own skin as I strapped the helmet on and said, “You remember everything I told you?”

“Um-hmm.” His grin was wide, and his eyes were shining with the kind of joy only a kid could have. “I remember. Hold on tight and lean against the curve.”

“Alright, then. Let’s do this.” I chuckled and swung a leg over my bike, then patted the seat behind me. “Hop on.”

He scrambled up, and his small arms wrapped around my waist before I even had a chance to tell him to hold on. Seeing him so excited about his first ride did something to me, and I had to fight the urge to pull him in for a bear hug.

I’d never thought of myself as father material. Hell, I never even let myself think about having kids. That wasn’t my world. I was too hard, too deep in club life, and too damn selfish to be responsible for someone else.

But Ford made me rethink everything.

He looked at me like I hung the damn moon and trusted me like I’d been there since day one. I don’t know when it happened or how it happened, but I became the father I never thought I’d be. And now, I couldn’t imagine my life without him.

I won’t deny that it scared the hell out of me. I didn’t want to screw it up or let him down. But when I saw the way his face would light up whenever I came around, I knew I’d do whatever it took to be the father he deserved.

I eased out of the driveway, and at first, I kept it slow.

I wanted him to get used to the feeling before I let loose. But once we hit the open road, I gave it a little more throttle. Not too much. Just enough to let him feel the wind and hint of freedom that came with riding. It was a feeling he would become accustomed to in the years to come.

I gave it a little more throttle, and I couldn’t help but smile when Ford let out a loudwhoop. The kid had a lot of his ol’ man in him. It was one of the many reasons things had been so easy with him. It was strange, but we justclicked.

The kid had been glued to my side since day one, and I hadn’t minded. Not even a little. We rode around for a bit before finally heading back home. The second we pulled into the driveway, Ford hopped off and removed his helmet. “That wasawesome! Can we go again?”

“Maybe later. We need to check in with your mom first. I’m sure dinner is almost ready.”

“Okay.” His grin didn’t falter. Instead, his eyes lit up with another idea. “Wanna playFortniteafter we eat?”

I huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, I’ll play a round with ya.”

“Awesome.” And with that, he bolted for the door and shouted, “Thanks, Dad!”

Tallie was back in the bedroom, reading on the Kindle. She barely looked up as I lay down next to her and started fiddling with my phone. “How’d it go?”

“Great. The kid’s a natural.”

“Did you go slow like you promised?”

“Of course.”

“How long do you think it’ll be before he starts asking for a bike of his own?”

“Won’t be long.”

“That’s what I figured,” Tallie sighed.

She turned her attention back to her book, and I was half-listening to some reporter talk about this week’s games and half-listening to her usual little hums and gasps when she got lost in a book.

She seemed perfectly content when, out of nowhere, she jolted up in bed with her jaw dropped open. It was clear something was wrong, so I asked, “What?”

She jabbed at the screen like it had personally offended her as she announced, “I can’t believe it. I’ve been reading the wrong book!”

I raised a brow. “Huh?”

“This isn’t the right book.” She turned to me with a look that was a mix between anger and betrayal. “It has the same title as my favorite series. Well, it's close to the same title, but it’s not the same author! It’s like they copied it thinking I wouldn’t notice!”

“How close we talkin’?”

“Too close.” She tapped on the screen of her Kindle, then turned it towards me. “Here’s the one I was just reading.”

“Okay.”

She tapped on the screen again, and when she found what she was looking for, she turned towards me. “And here’s the one I was supposed to be reading.”

“Okay. I’ll give it to ya. They’re pretty fucking close.” I bit back a grin. “And how long did it take you to figure that out?”

“The first chapter was okay ,” she huffed. “But then the lead hero, who was supposed to be this brooding, tortured biker, starts calling the heroine Ladybug and talking about his favorite pumpkin spice latte.”

“Okay?”

“Pumpkin spice , Holt!” She threw her hands up. “The man was supposed to be a badass outlaw, not a freaking barista!”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

My woman was having a come-apart over a book, and it was fucking adorable. When she noticed me laughing, she gave me a shove and sassed, “This isn’t funny, Holt! It’s book fraud !”

“I don’t know if it’s all that.”

“It is!” she argued. “I feel violated .”

“Baby.” I rolled toward her and slid my arm around her waist. “I get that you’re upset, and I’m really sorry about that.”

I inched her closer. “But I gotta tell ya, seeing you getting all riled up over your smutty books is fucking hot.”

She scowled at me. “This isn’t smut! It’s action-adventure romance, and...”

I cut her off by pressing my lips to the side of her neck, trailing soft kisses up to her ear. Her breath hitched as she said, “You’re trying to distract me.”

“Is it working?”

“Maybe.”

“Good.” I stopped kissing her long enough to say, “Now put the knockoff book down and give me your mouth.”

With a sigh of defeat, she tossed the Kindle onto the nightstand and turned toward me. “Fine. But I’m still mad.”

“That’s okay. I can work with mad.” I dropped my hands to the hem of her pajama top and slipped it over her head. “So, tell me. Who do you think of when you read this biker porn of yours.”

“It’s not biker porn!”

“Does it talk about his hard, throbbing cock?”

“Maybe.”

“Then, it’s biker porn,” I chuckled as I eased her lace panties down her legs. “Now, who do you think about?”

“You, of course.”

“Um-hmm.” I started unbuckling my jeans as I asked, “You really expect me to believe that?”

“Well, yeah. Cause it’s true.” She gave me a look before she asked, “Are you gonna lock the door?”

“Shit. I forgot.” I eased up and darted over to the door. While I was up, I kicked off my boots and jeans, then eased back on the bed. “So, I’ve been thinking.”

“Uh-oh.”

“I’m serious.” I hovered over her as I announced, “I think we should have another kid. A girl this time. We could name her Ellie or another boy could work, too. Ford would make a hell of a big brother, don’t ya think?”

“Yes, he would.”

“So, does that mean you’re game?”

“Yes, I’m definitely game.” She gave me a warm smile. “When do you want to start trying for this baby girl or boy?”

“No time like the present.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

The End