“That bad, huh?”
I shrugged and continued to eat my breakfast, trying—unsuccessfully—to block out Max’s temper tantrum as he kicked his legs and stretched his arms toward his mother while screaming at the top of his lungs.
The back door opened without a knock and Matt Reid walked in with a glower on his face. “Listen, little dude,” Matt grumbled as he crouched down beside Max. “I can hear you all the way across the driveway in my house. I can hear you in my room. My room, kid. That should be impossible. Stop being such a momma’s boy. Man up.”
Max didn’t seem to care what Matt thought of his crying and only screamed louder. Raven kicked at Matt’s legs as he stood and walked around the table to take his usual spot on the mornings he joined us for breakfast. Lately that wasn’t nearly as often. Something was up with Matt, but I couldn’t bring myself to give two fucks what it was. I’d been too caught up in missing Flick. “Leave my son alone, Matt. He can be a momma’s boy all he wants. You fuckers can start turning him into a biker as soon as he’s able to ride. Until then, leave him alone.” She bent and brushed a kiss over her son’s forehead, which appeased him.
For about a minute.
The screaming started again. Knowing I would be no help to the little guy, I lifted my mug of scalding hot coffee and took a long swallow, letting the heat burn my throat and sit warm in my belly. I figured a full pot of this shit would help me through the rest of the day.
“Good gracious.” A female grumble came from the door that led into the living room and my head snapped up to see Flick groggily enter the kitchen.
Her hair was sexily rumpled from sleep. She pushed a few wild strands back from her face, making her all the more delectable to my eyes. Her eyes looked slightly puffy, making me wonder if she’d cried herself to sleep. That thought had the coffee sitting a little too hard in my stomach and I pushed my half-eaten breakfast away.
My eyes weren’t the only ones drawn to the breathtaking goddess. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Matt’s head snap up and I shot him a killer glare that he ignored. It was Max’s reaction to her, though, that had us all glad to see Flick. He shut up as she walked toward him, his big blue eyes seeming to take in every inch of her.
Flick avoided my side of the table as she went around to Max and crouched down beside him. She offered the eight-month-old her hand and he latched on to her finger like it was a lifeline. “What’s all the fuss about, little guy? Are you Momma’s alarm clock or something? I’m pretty sure you woke up the entire house, maybe even the whole neighborhood.”
“Kid’s a momma’s boy, Flick,” Matt informed her with a grin. “Raven is letting him call the shots around here these days.”
Flick shot him a quick grin in return. “If you looked this cute, I’m sure she would let you call a few of them too.” She turned her attention back to the baby. “Right, Max? Tell the mean old biker. Say, ‘I’m cuter than you, dude. Deal with it.’”
Max’s mouth opened and he grunted, as if he were trying to say just that, making Flick and Raven both laugh. Carefully, Flick tugged her hand free and stood. She was just starting to take her seat when Max opened his mouth and started screaming again.
She lifted a brow at my nephew. “What’s the matter, buddy? Wanna play?” She held her hands out to him and he lifted his arms, wanting her to hold him. Smart kid. Shaking her head, she lifted him from his highchair and sat at the table with him on her lap, facing her. “What’s he like to play, Rave? Peek-a-boo? Patty-cake?”
“He likes to play what all bikers like to play,” Raven assured her with a laugh just as Max grabbed for Flick’s tits. I felt the grin tug at my lips. Looked like Max was more like me than I’d realized. He looked so much like his father that I’d begun wondering when or even if he would inherit anything from his uncles. As soon as I saw the baby grab on to the one part of Flick I’d always found a way to grab on to in the past, I knew he was going to be hell on wheels when he got older. “He’s a lot like his daddy in more than just looks.”
“Whoa there, little man.” Flick untangled Max’s chubby little fists from her shirt and held on to each one as she put her face in his. “Those are mine, not yours. The only boob-action you’re going to get is from your momma when she feeds you.” She rubbed her nose against his, making him giggle. “Be good or I’m gonna put you back in your little prison and let your uncles deal with the hellacious noise that comes out of your mouth.”
Watching Flick with Max made something tighten in my chest. Was this what it would have been like if our baby had lived? Max looked so much like Bash that I knew that I couldn’t possibly have imagined him as a stand-in, but the way Flick acted with my nephew had me wondering if this was what she would have been like as a mom. Would we be sitting there with our son or daughter cuddling against her, giggling happily up at Flick? Would we have fixed what I’d broken between us by now? Would her stomach be rounded with another kid?
“He’s not that bad,” Raven said with a pout, pulling me out of my painful musings.
“Yes, he is,” I assured her.
“Yup. It makes my ears bleed,” Matt agreed.
Raven picked up a biscuit and threw it at Matt’s head. He caught it at the last second and took a hungry bite of it. “Thanks, Rave.”
“Holy shit. It’s quiet in here for a change.” Colt laughed as he came in using the back door.
When had he left? More to the point, I couldn’t help wondering where he had gone. I knew he hadn’t been spending time at the clubhouse. Raider had commented on that a few days ago, making me wonder where my baby brother was spending all his free time.
“Don’t you start too,” Raven grumbled as she turned back to the food she was still cooking. “You and anyone else who opens their mouths about Max will get no food from me this morning.”
“Ah, Rave.” Colt gave her a one-armed hug even as he was stealing a piece of bacon. “You know I love the little guy. I was just commenting on how sane it seems in here this morning.”
She let out a tired sigh. “That’s all thanks to Flick. She’s keeping him entertained.”
My little brother’s eyes went straight to Flick who was talking softly to Max. The baby’s blue gaze was entranced as he looked up at her. “I knew she would fix this place. It hasn’t felt the same without her around, you know?”
I saw the way Flick reacted to his words, but she pretended not to hear Colt. I chanced a glance at the stove, saw the sad look in Raven’s eyes and glanced back at Flick. My sister was in complete agreement with our brother and I had to admit, so was I.
Before long the kitchen was full of my other siblings. Bash was the last to come downstairs, with Gracie just a few steps in front of him. She had her briefcase in one hand and her hair was a wild mess that she was trying to fix with her free hand. “I’m late,” she cried as she dropped the briefcase Hawk had given her from Christmas.
She’d loved the present, but she had no clue that it had been more of a safety net for my possessive brother than anything else. It had a tiny tracking device in the bottom of the case. Hawk had asked me for my opinion on the thing and I’d told him that it was a good idea.