Page 16

Bryony

I made breakfast with a smile on my face.

That had been fucking something last night.

Soul was taking us all to the clubhouse.

I was a little worried, but he said he wanted to claim me today and get my cut ordered.

Soul was so excited; I didn’t want to refuse him anything.

The kids were also overjoyed at going to visit the compound, as they had liked it there.

Maci had admitted to feeling safe, and that was important to me.

They’d not gone back to school and had been taking lessons online.

I’d not heard anything about the teacher that had abilities, so was searching myself now.

I was planning to start interviewing soon. They would not be returning to that school despite the fact that Mr Kane, Mrs Knight, and Mrs Kingston had all been fired.

Soul thumped downstairs but didn’t come into the kitchen immediately.

Instead, strangely, I heard the front door open and close and then moments later Soul appeared, looking horrified.

“Soul?”

I called before realising what he carried in his arms. “Is that a baby?”

Soul looked at me, shocked. “Yeah. She was on the step. There was a letter.”

“She?” I asked.

“She’s in pink. What the fuck, Bryony?”

“Madden,”

I snarled suddenly. Madden had forced my hand because I’d not responded to him about Grace. He’d brought the baby here and dumped her. What a total motherfucker!

“Is she okay?”

Soul demanded.

“Give me Grace. I hope that’s Grace and not some other poor child,”

I replied, taking the car seat she was strapped into.

“There’s a letter,”

Soul said, waving an envelope. I checked Grace over as Soul opened the letter and began reading out loud.

“Bryony, I told you I’d no idea how to raise a kid and thought it best to have her raised with my other kids. It’s not as if you’ve anything important going on, and you’re a good mom. Better than I am a father. Grace needs you, and you’re dragging your feet. This envelope contains everything you need to make her yours. The only thing I ask is don’t change her name. Her mom named Grace that, and I guess I owe that bitch something. I’ll pay child support for her and my lawyer will be approaching yours today with an offer. Thanks. Madden.”

“Holy crap,”

I gasped. “Madden literally dumped his kid on my doorstep.”

“What a piece of shit,”

Soul agreed. “What are we going to do?”

“I have no damn idea. I’ve not even told the kids yet. Is there a changing bag?”

“Yeah. I left it out there,”

Soul replied and rushed off to fetch it. Inside were some formula, diapers, cream, baby bottles, and five outfits.

“Why do I think this is everything she owns?”

I murmured.

“It’s fuckin’ sad. If you want to keep her, we’ll manage,”

Soul said.

“You want to keep her? Grace isn’t even mine,”

I exclaimed, startled.

“No, but she is part of your kids,”

Soul replied with a smile. He touched my cheek, and I leaned my hand into his palm.

Before I could reply, Grace squawked and kicked her legs. “I guess she’s hungry,”

I exclaimed as she screwed her face up and let out a wail.

I started making her bottle, but Grace was not waiting. Her cries got louder. Soul quickly picked her up and began rocking her. Grace wasn’t having that, and suddenly, Soul was soaking wet.

I froze mid-motion as his startled eyes met mine.

“What the fuck?”

he exclaimed.

My mouth worked, but nothing came out. Grace’s wails got louder, and then I was hit with a deluge of water.

“Get that fuckin’ bottle!”

Soul cried in panic. “Before she drowns us.”

Shocked out of my surprise, I quickly finished making it just as a third stream of water hit us both, and I shoved it in her mouth. Grace’s eyes had turned bright blue. Her mouth latched on, and she began sucking greedily.

“How old is she?”

Soul questioned.

I checked the envelope. “A month.”

“We need to move to the compound. It’s going to take all of us to raise her!”

Soul exclaimed.

“Mom?”

Ham asked, and I spun around. Ham and Maci were in the doorway, looking stunned.

“Who is that?”

Maci demanded. Maci’s voice made Grace jolted, and she lost the bottle and screamed in temper.

“Fuck!”

Soul yelled as he shoved it back in, but a fourth wave of water hit us.

“Oh my God!”

Ham shouted. This time, Soul kept it inside her mouth even as Grace jumped.

“She’s like us!”

Maci breathed as she pulled her now wet hair out of her eyes.

“I have not had time to tell you. Your father had another child, but Grace’s mom died,”

I said, completely out of my depth.

“And dad brought her here because he didn’t want her,”

Ham stated, looking disgusted.

“I’ve a baby sister,”

Maci gasped and clapped her hands together.

“Okay, but why are we all wet?”

“It seems Grace can control water,”

Soul answered as Grace guzzled her bottle.

“Oh, that’s bad!”

Ham exclaimed.

“It’s interesting. She’s nearly drank this. What do I do?”

“She needs burping,”

I replied and took her.

Soul whipped his phone out and began typing.

“What are you doing?”

“Calling the club together in an SOS in an hour,”

Soul said. “Everyone get dried off and dressed. If you’ve got rain macs, grab them. We need a lot of shit, Grace needs checking over, and we gotta move to the compound. Grace can’t stay here, she’ll flood the house!”

“Oh, crap!”

I gasped as Grace let out a wail, and I was soaked for a third time. She let out a burp, which made her look surprised, before closing her eyes.

“We are gonna need the club,”

Soul said.

“No. We’re going to need an army to raise her!”

I cried. Ham and Maci’s abilities were so easy to manage compared to this. But I wouldn’t give Grace up, not now we had her.

Soul took her from me, and I went and dried off and got the kids ready. Screw breakfast. We’d get something on the way.

◆◆◆

“What’s the emergency? Why are you all dressed like that?”

Warden demanded as we entered the clubhouse.

“We woke this morning and found this on the doorstep, her name’s Grace,”

Soul said, and Warden looked surprised.

“Okay,”

he drawled. “Not quite an emergency.”

“Oh, it is. Wait for it,”

I replied.

Grace was awake, and she’d just pooped her diaper. Her face screwed up, and she shrieked. When I didn’t respond straight away, she lost her temper again, and water hit Warden and Vogue, who were closest in the face.

Soul and I smirked as we wore rain macs and remained dry.

“What the fuck!”

Warden yelled.

Grace took offence to his tone and smashed him with water, and this time, Slasher and Rook, who were approaching, also got it. Dynamo jumped back with wide eyes.

“Holy shit. She’s a watery version of Vogue!”

Aura cried from a safe distance.

Grace was amping up even as I moved her towards a table. Random waves of water hit people in their faces and bodies as I got her on the table and quickly changed her diaper.

When I returned, everyone looked at me in surprise or horror.

“Where did she come from?”

Undertaker finally asked.

“My ex-husband dumped her on my doorstep this morning,” I said.

Soul explained what had happened as I rocked Grace back and forth. Her eyes were searching the room and latched onto the brother called Anubis.

Grace squawked and popped a spit bubble. Anubis moved, and Grace’s gazed followed him. Soul snatched her from my arms and plopped her in Anubis’s. He looked horrified, but Grace settled immediately.

“I want him,”

Soul snapped, pointing at Anubis.

“He’s all yours until Grace learns control,”

Warden agreed as he wrung his tee out.

“Don’t I get a say?”

Anubis asked as Grace sighed, wriggled, and closed her eyes.

“No!”

Soul exclaimed.

“Nope,”

Warden added, amused.

“Should have voted the other way,”

Anubis complained.

“Yup,”

Warden muttered with a grin. “So, you’ve got a problem. What do you need?”

“We need to build a home here on the compound asap. And we need to move here immediately. Could we use a guest house while ours is being built? Grace will flood Bryony’s, and I don’t know how we can explain the water damage she’ll cause. Also, Bryony has no experience with this type of ability, and frankly, neither do I,”

Soul explained.

Warden studied us, and for a moment, I thought he was going to be a bastard. A slow grin crossed his lips.

“Welcome to the family, baby Grace,”

Warden said. “Bryony, get together with Iona and Lindy and make a list of everything you need. Then you three can go shopping. Lissy and Rosalea, could you clean the biggest guest house? Undertaker, phone the builders and get them in for Soul. Are you selling your other house?”

he asked, and at Soul’s nod, Warden continued, “Also, call the realtor. Blister, organise the prospects to move their furniture and…”

I tuned Warden out as he gave orders. Anubis was standing stiffly with Grace, but he was holding her gently. I searched for Maci and Ham, and they looked a bit bemused.

The door opened, and a stranger walked in. Her gaze swept the room.

“I’m looking for Warden and Soul,” she said.

“Who are you?”

Warden asked.

“Jenson?”

Soul demanded, and the woman grinned at him.

“I am surprised you remember me. We only met once, it’s good to see you again.”

“You’re the teacher with abilities?”

Warden inquired.

“Yeah. Are these the children I’ll be teaching?”

Jenson smiled at Maci and Ham.

“This is Ham and Maci.”

I moved closer to them, as Soul did.

“And they’re talented?”

Jenson confirmed. I liked the way she phrased that.

“Yes,” I agreed.

Anubis moved closer with Grace, who appeared to have woken up. She let out a fart, blinked, and then wailed.

“There’s a funny smell coming from her,”

Anubis announced and dumped her in my hands. Grace shrieked, and a wave of water-soaked Jenson, Maci, and Ham.

“Damn, she’s a shit-making machine,”

Soul said, shaking his head.

“And that’s why you are dressed like that. Don’t you have a shield?”

Jenson asked.

“A what?”

Warden looked puzzled.

“Someone who throws up barriers. I’m sure Storm said there was one,”

Jenson replied.

“I can create them,”

Noble admitted, stepping up.

“Yes, you are a shield. Throw one around this little lady. A few times of soaking herself, and she’ll learn control.”

“Noble, throw one up,”

Soul ordered, and I laughed.

He looked at me.

“Go ahead, Noble, before Grace floods everything.”

I changed Grace and sat down with her as everyone began doing as Warden had previously ordered. Jenson sat with the children, getting to know them, and I saw Soul watching her carefully. He didn’t seem to pick up on a lie.

“She’s good,”

Romeo whispered to me, and I nodded. He smiled and touched Grace’s cheek. “And this one is going to be a handful.”

“Somehow, I’m not surprised,”

I replied, and Romeo chuckled.

“Bryony, can I show you something?”

Warden asked, approaching.

“Why?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“I don’t like or trust your surprises,”

I stated, and Warden grinned.

“Well, as you’re family now, you’re going to have to,”

he responded.

“That’s a matter of opinion,”

I said, accepting his hand and letting him pull me to my feet.

He motioned for me to follow him outside, and warily, I did. He led me to a patch of land not far from the clubhouse.

“This is where the children’s playground will go. I’ve got someone coming next week to put in a jungle gym, slides, swings, and all the outdoor shit kids need. And over there, we’re putting in a kid’s pool. It’ll go next to the adult’s, like a resort pool. I make mistakes, Bryony, I’m just a man.

“Sometimes, I even forget my role in my selfishness. But the club is in my blood. My brothers and sisters are my everything. As are my woman and baby. I want us to grow, I want them to find their anchors and people to love them. Because every single one of them deserves love. I can be an asshole and sometimes not see the finer details. But I am loyal. And I don’t deserve what I have. I know that.

“But I would be honoured to call you family and have your children call me uncle. Because those kids might not have had anyone before. But they have an entire fuckin’ army now,”

Warden said.

“That means a lot, but you have to understand. Trust isn’t going to come easily.”

“We’ve got plenty of time to build it, Bryony. Just give me a chance. I do not deserve one, but I am asking.”

“And you’ll get it, but fuck with Soul or my kids, and I’m done. There won’t be a third chance,”

I stated firmly.

“That’s all I ask,”

Warden said. “Get Soul to show you the plot he has chosen for you. If you don’t like it, he can change it, but he’s put you at the centre of the community.”

“Soul’s already picked a plot?”

“I believe he chose it the day he met you.”

Warden winked.

“Damn,”

I murmured.

“Yeah, that brother is head over heels, Bryony. Think you might be, too,”

Warden commented as we headed back inside.

“Maybe.”

“I hope you’re both fuckin’ happy,”

Warden said and spotted Iona and nodded at me before wandering in her direction.

It would take time, but maybe Warden and I could make amends. Time would tell.