As soon as she started speaking, I began to envision what she was describing. It felt like our lives were coming full circle, and I was beyond ready to see where life took us.
“I love that. You tell me what parts you want to have a say in, the rest I’ll make sure is taken care of. I don’t want you stressing yourself out, not in your condition.”
For a winter wedding, the heated barn would provide a comfortable venue to feed our guests, while still giving my girl an outdoor ceremony. The seed had been planted, and I knew just who to call to make sure the vision came to life. That part of my life was so joyous, so full of hope and visions for the future. I would do everything to protect it.
The first true test came when I returned back to work, both at the garage and the club. Things were obviously murky, our focus getting pulled in multiple directions. Finding Crow was a priority, but with his departure, some bigger issues arose. All of our plans for the new safe house and routes were in jeopardy. We couldn’t, in good conscience, continue building or using the original plans.
Unsure of how far Crow would go, how many lives he would put in jeopardy, weighed on all of us. The women and children we were rescuing deserved more. Our timeline just doubled, but we had to start everything over, plan an entirely new route, and look for a new piece of land to build the house on. We would do whatever it took to make sure we were providing safety and protection.
Working alongside Atlas was slowly getting easier. He and Fiona were navigating how to go about a relationship, but there was less anger between all of us. When it mattered, Atlas came through. How Fiona and him proceeded was up to them, but right then, I had no issues with him. He had thrown himself into plotting out this new route with an intensity and vigor I hadn’t seen from him before.
We had lost track of Crow once he left town. We had all charters on alert, and when he popped up in Nebraska, they sent their Enforcer, Gunner, to check it out. To say we were all surprised to find out that Crow got one over on him was an understatement. We had all underestimated him.
Crow somehow knew he had been spotted, and waited for the confrontation. Crow knocked Gunner out, leaving him unconscious, but alive. Since fleeing, all of his moves had been smart and calculated. The town he was last seen in was on the west coast, only a few states away from where Seph had lived with her first husband.
Reaper had already sent scouts out to wait there, to see if Crow showed up looking for any members from his paternal family. Crow had us all fooled, in more ways than one. He was far smarter, and sinister, than any of us gave him credit for. He seemed to be one step ahead of us anytime we got near him. It was weighing on Reaper, the chase for Crow, but that had to take a back seat once we realized how much work we needed to do for Seph’s Trail.
Our search for Trish had come to an abrupt end when her family was called to identify her body. Once we looked into it, we found out that she had overdosed in a club bathroom several states over. While I was glad she was out of the picture, I was worried about what information died with her. We had more questions than answers at that point, and it wasn’t sitting well with any of the Brothers.
Fiona and I had the last week to get used to the idea of becoming parents, and were finally ready to share the news. Sunday dinner had officially moved to our house now that Fiona was living there. With Ma’s help, we had gotten a few gifts to announce the news to the night’s dinner guests. Ma was glowing with excitement, fairly shaking in her seat as she hustled everyone through the meal. Match, Charlie, and Dad exchanged glances, but did as Mom asked.
After a quick meal, Ma, Fiona, and I started clearing the table. Once we entered the kitchen, I took over cleanup while Fiona grabbed the gifts. Ma put coffee on, then helped Fiona with the wrapped packages as we left the kitchen. Together, we walked back into the dining room, coming to a stop near the head of the table opposite where Dad was sitting. Ma scurried around the table to reclaim her seat next to Guard.
“We just wanted to thank you all for how supportive you’ve all been these last few weeks. This is just a small token of appreciation,” Fiona spoke for us, keeping things vague. We decided that we wanted to keep them on their toes so we could watch everyone’s reactions as they unwrapped their gifts.
Guard unwrapped the coffee mug that said,My Grandpa is Scarier Than Yours.
Match took out the embroidered patch that said,The Fun Uncle.
Charlie took out a pink shirt that had,I’m the Cool Auntwritten in sparkly script on the back.
Gasping, Charlie dropped the shirt, while Guard and Match looked up at us, wide-eyed.
“You’re pregnant!” Charlie squealed, and we nodded in confirmation with silly smiles on our faces. Charlie ran around the table to throw herself at us, already crying.
From over her shoulder, I could see my parents having a quiet moment, my dad swiftly wiping away a tear before standing up to head over to where Fee and I were standing.
Questions ping ponged around the room, and I tried to keep up with them all.
“When are you due?”
“Is it a boy or a girl?”
“The wedding!”
“Enough!” Guard bellowed. He walked around the table and pulled Fiona into his arms protectively.
“Let them say what they gotta say. No need for you all to badger them.” Fee looked up at him adoringly, and Guard smiled down at her.
“Missy, you are always showing us up. Bash finally locked you in legally with that ring and such. Then you go ahead and bring not one, but two members into the family. You are full of surprises, and I’m so glad you can’t escape us,” Guard pronounced fondly as he pressed a kiss to the top of Fee’s curls.
We all took our seats as Dad guided Fiona back to the chair next to me. Pulling her chair so she was closer to me, I tucked her under my arm as she smiled happily,
“Thanks, Dad. She’s due in April. We don’t know the sex yet, and haven’t decided if we want to know. We’re getting married at our house by the lake. Soon. Charlie, you, and Ma have a month to sort it out.” Charlie opened her mouth, ready to argue, but Mom laid a hand on her arm.
“I love that idea. Something small and intimate. We should be able to get things together quickly. Thank you, Fiona, for letting us help.”
“Of course! I would have no idea how to plan a wedding on a good day,” Fiona admitted sheepishly.
