I was a bit surprised by his statement as it seemed to come out of the blue. “It seems like it works well for the Steel Demons.”
“It could work for you too,” he shot back as if things were really just that simple.
I shook my head. “These guys won’t quit. They will never stop hunting me and I need to know TJ is out of their reach, which means I need to leave and put distance between myself and him. I don’t want them to have a reason to stick around here and risk Falcon getting hurt. He’s all TJ has now.”
Slate pressed the gas, his gaze kept flicking to the rearview mirror. His voice was calm when he spoke, “Don’t be alarmed but we’ve had a tail for the past ten minutes.”
Immediately alarmed, I spun around in my seat to see a dark SUV following at a respectful distance behind us. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah. We’ve had ‘em for the past ten minutes, shortly after the coffee stop. They don’t want anything now other than to scare you, to let you know they’re watching.”
“Well it’s working,” I grumbled.
“We’re almost home,” he told me in a firm voice that held a hint of gentleness, probably to keep me from panicking.
“I’m fine,” I said despite gripping the door handle as hard as I could. “Just fine.” It wasn’t true but five minutes later as the clubhouse came into view I started to relax a bit. When Slate pulled up in front of the clubhouse I stepped out, grabbing the bags in my arms. “Thanks for the ride. I really appreciate it.”
“No problem. And hey, Vivian?”
I stopped at the door and turned to face him. “Yeah?”
“There’s another way you know,” he said after a long silence. “To keep TJ safe. There’s another way if you’re strongenough to explore it.” He stared at me for a long moment, as if to make sure his words sank in before nodding and holding the door open for me.
I stopped just long enough to grab TJ and then I went to the room that had been my refuge since arriving in Steel City.
Chapter Seven
Falcon
“Dada.” TJ had a new favorite game, one that had me wrapped around his chubby little finger without even knowing it. “Dada,” he said again, his slightly sticky hands gripped both sides of my face while those big hazel eyes studied my face.
Since Viv had told him who I was, he’d been calling me that. I didn’t know how much a two-year-old understood, but he seemed to know he could trust me.
“What’s up, TJ?”
“Dada,” he said again, moving side to side so that no matter where I looked, he was right in my face. Then he leaned in until our noses touched, letting out a deep belly laugh that shook his whole body. “Dada. Dada. Dada.”
I shook my head side to side so that our noses brushed and that made him laugh even harder. His head reared backwards, and his little body would’ve followed if not for the protective grip I had on him. “TJ,” I said around a laugh. I enjoyed spending time with the kid while Viv did whatever the fuck it was that she did, holed up in that room all damn day.
“Dada,” he said again as he pressed his nose to mine which kicked off another round of laughter. Every time he called me that, his grin got bigger and something in my chest cracked open even wider. I knew it was dangerous, getting attached to the kid when the DNA results were still out, but I didn’t need agoddamn test to know he was my blood. The test results would make it all official, but he was mine. I knew it. I fucking felt it.
I’d carried a lot of shit in my life. Taking care of Raven when our folks were too fucked up to remember they had kids. Keeping us fed and clothed, and off the street. Lookin’ out for my brothers and my MC. It all sat heavy on my shoulders, and I dealt with it all. But this little boy who was fascinated by me. Who trusted me implicitly.Thatwas the heaviest, yet the easiest fucking load I’d ever carried.
“Dada,” he said again, pressing his lips to my nose but missing by a mile, laughing when his lips connected with my cheek.
“Yeah, kid, I’m your dad.” It felt good to say the words just between us. An acknowledgement between men of the connection we shared. “Dada,” I said back just low enough so that only he could hear.
It sent him into another fit of giggles that put a satisfied smile on my face. In that moment it was just us, just me and my boy. It was as if, for that snapshot in time, the rest of the world didn’t exist around us.
My sister, of course, had impeccable timing as she strutted into the room with a smile on her face and attitude dialed up to the max as she ruffled TJ’s hair. “Hey there, baby boy.” Despite her prickly outer shell, my sister had a soft spot for my son. Her nephew.
TJ grinned up at her like she hung the moon, reaching for her pink braid with both of his hands.
Her smile brightened, remaining soft, the longer she looked at him. “Any word yet on the DNA test?”
I shook my head. “Nope.”
Her mouth pressed into a thin line, and I knew she wanted to say more but held back. She wasn’t happy about Viv being here and the trouble that followed her. Hell, she was in good company with that sentiment, half the club wasn’t happy about it either. But I was in no fucking mood to fight. “You know he’s yours, right?”
