“Thank you.”
“No problem,” I replied, looking around the big kitchen then asked, “Anything else?”
“Savage is looking for you,” Ghost added.
I walked out of the kitchen and went in search of Savage. I found him sometime later, walking around outside with Hailey strapped to his chest in one of those stupid baby carriers as he pointed and showed her all the trees and flowers around him. The man was seriously gone on his niece, which I thought was adorable but I would never say that to him.
For a man who just weeks ago could barely stand on his own two feet, he looked remarkably healthy and fit. In fact, just looking at him now, I would never think he was fighting demons. The man was seriously built. In great physical shape, not that I would ever say because something told me that if I ever mentioned it, it would go straight to his head and I would never hear the end of it.
Nope, that was one of the good things about club brothers. Some of them were the perfect specimen of delicious eye candy. I could look and drool all I wanted too, without all the drama and Savage was mouthwatering lick-able.
“See that, Princess. That’s an oak tree. They can grow very tall and are one of the strongest trees around.”
“Actually, that’s a maple tree and the strongest tree is the redwood.” I corrected, walking over to them.
“Well, aren’t you a miss know-it-all. Don’t listen to her Princess, your uncle Lucas is smarter than the pretty nurse.”
“You keep telling her lies Savage and eventually they will come to bite you in the ass.”
“Hey, no bad language. Princess is going places. None of that b-u-l-l-s-h-i-t talk.”
And just like that I laughed.
I couldn’t stop myself. The seriousness on his face when he chastised me was too much. Considering I’ve heard him say much worse, it was too damn funny. Taking a deep breath, I grinned, “Are you seriously correcting me? You?”
“What?” Savage gasped, playing the shocked and appalled man perfectly. “I have an impressionable young lady present. I don’t want any of that nasty language around her. She needs to learn her words, the good ones.”
“And what words might those be?”
“Hell, if I know,” he muttered, covering Hailey’s little ears eliciting laughter from me.
We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the compound showing Hailey everything we came across. We laughed, talked a lot of nonsense, and enjoyed the beautiful sunny day.
It turned out to be a good day.
One I hadn’t had in a very long time and for a few minutes I forgot where I was. It wasn’t hard thanks to Savage. He truly was unlike any of the other brothers. He was funny, sincere, he cared deeply for his niece and had manners. Holy crap did the man have manners. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought he belonged anywhere else than a biker club. The man was smart, though I figured out quickly that he hid that from his brothers. He loved to laugh, the evidence from the laugh lines around his eyes. He was intelligent but preferred to hide it. Savage was everything I looked for in a man.
His only failing was the cut on his back.
I couldn’t understand why a man like Savage would join a biker club, any club for that matter. But to join the Golden Skulls? That made no sense to me. He could do anything he wanted, yet he was here, wearing the Golden patch on his back. He rarely talked about his life before the club, which was understandable. Most bikers I knew never talked about their life before the club. Every brother had their own secrets. It was up to them to decide who to share their past with. But from what I knew, Savage had a good life. Parents that loved him, a sister he adored, the typical idyllic childhood.
What was it that caused him to join the Golden Skulls?
I knew what it was that caused me to leave the club behind and that was mine alone. I still feared that Judge or Maverick would spill the beans to Reaper and if they did, I didn’t know what I was going to do. It wasn’t like I could change who I was. I had no say in who my father was. I just tried to survive. And when the option presented itself to leave, I took it and never looked back. I didn’t think Reaper would fault me with that.
Would he?
And just like that, my happiness was gone as all my fears and worries returned.
“Hey. Where did you go?”
“What?” I asked, looking up as Savage placed Hailey in her crib. She had a fun filled day with plenty of sunshine. After giving her a bath, feeding her, and reading two bedtime stories, she was asleep. The sun had gone down over the clubhouse and soon the Ol' ladies would retire for the night. When that happened, the whores, bitches and sluts would show up for another night filled with sex and debauchery.
Just a typical night for the club brothers.
“You were smiling a second ago and now you’re frowning.”
“It’s nothing,” I whispered, ensuring Hailey was covered.