“Now why would you say I’m up to something?” he asks innocently.
“Because you are being weird,” I say, and smile at the excitement I see on his face. “You better . . .”
“Dakota.” That voice calling my name has all the blood rushing to my feet. Snapping around, I cry in surprise as I see my mother hurrying towards me, my brother right behind her.
“Mama,” I call, and then I’m running towards them. The minute my mother’s arms wrap around me, I break down and cry. I never thought I would see them again until recently, and then when I spoke to them, I proposed to see them, but not yet. That they are here is a surprise, and I know just who to thank for it.
“My angel,” she murmurs as she holds me tight. “I was so worried about you.” After being in each other’s arms for a while, I finally pull back and look at her. Her dark hair is peppered with white by the temples, the thin lines around her eyes more pronounced, but the loving and caring mother I grew up with is still here.
“I missed you, Mama,” I say as I stroke her tear-streaked cheek.
“Oh, well, I might as well go, as it looks like I wasn’t missed.” Looking to my left, I see Jake. He is taller than I remembered, with the same mischievous smile.
“Don’t you dare or I’ll have them hunt you down and drag you back,” I joke as I am engulfed by my brother’s arms.
“Missed you, Sis,” he murmurs against my hair.
“Missed you too,” I say.
“Mmm, maybe you can tell them we come in peace. Especially the one in the middle. He has a right mean scowl on his face,” he whispers in my ear. Looking over my shoulder, I see all the men have come outside and are now standing around, looking at us. Stepping back, I laugh as I turn towards them.
“Did you all know about this?” I ask, and see the grins lighting their faces. I see King standing by the main door to the club, a pleased look on his face. These men can kill with their bare hands. They are mean when needed, dangerous to the point of wildness, but then they turn around and do the kindest things to please those around them. Looking around at all of them, I feel my heart overflow with happiness, as I am surrounded by family.
“Guys, I would like you to meet my mom, and this is my brother,” I introduce. “And these here”—I indicate all the men watching us—“are family.” All their eyes turn on me, and then the grins widen. “Now come, let me introduce you to Hunter.” I approach Hunter, seeing the pleased look on his face.
“This here is Hunter and the man I love,” I say, and see the shocked look on his face at my words, and then a grin splits across his face as he unexpectedly enfolds my mother in a hug.
“You have a great daughter; you should be proud of the way she turned out,” he says to my mother, and then turns and shakes my brother’s hand.
“Thank you for making this possible and for protecting her,” my mother says.
“Ma’am, I would do anything for your daughter, and so would my brothers,” he says as he points behind him. He then stretches out his arm. Placing it around my waist, he brings me close to him, kissing the top of my head. “Your daughter has helped me in more ways than you can imagine, and she is a vital part of my life and of the lives of all my brothers.” His caring words have my heart racing in joy.
I have been alone for so long, but here I am, now surrounded by family and cared for by the only man I would ever want to be with.
“Hey, Hunter, why don’t you invite them in, or are you going to have them standing out here the whole day?” Dash asks.
“I was getting to it,” Hunter mutters. “Babe, you want to show them in? I will be in shortly.” Nodding, I smile at my mom and my brother as I move to stand between them. Pulling my arm through theirs, I start guiding them inside.
“I will introduce you to everyone shortly. Let me get you inside first, and something to drink.”
“Your young man seems nice,” my mom says quietly to me, which has me smiling. I wasn’t waiting for my mother’s approval, but to know that she approves of Hunter pleases me.
“He is, Mom, and he takes really good care of me,” I say to appease her.
“This is pretty cool. I always wanted to ride a motorcycle but never got around to it. Maybe I should look into it.” I look over at my brother and shake my head in amusement. He would be a menace on the road. I have never seen a person with less coordination skills than him.
“We can hook you up,” Fang says from behind us, which has me stopping to look back at him.
“Don’t do that. He would kill everyone on the road,” I say.
“Unfair, I’m not that bad.”
“You’re the only person I know who trips over his own feet,” I tease, and then start to laugh as I realise that our normal bantering is still there.
“You’ll pay for that.”
“No, I won’t,” I reply. “Now why don’t you two have a seat, and I’ll go get you something to drink.” When I return with the drinks, I find Hunter sitting with my mom and my brother when I come out. “I see you are all getting acquainted.”