“Nah, I don’t like this,” I grumble, even as I keep her upright, skating backward in small, careful pushes.
“Wait. Just five more minutes,” she signs quickly, fingers brushing my jacket for emphasis.
“Okay,” I sigh, giving in like I always do with my girl, “but then we’re out. I’m not having you at the hospital the day before our wedding.”
“It’s so fun,” she mouths as her ankle gives way. She slips, her feet shooting forward, and I catch her again, one arm under her back, the other under her knees, her laughter shaking through both of us even if no sound comes out. She giggles silently, shoulders trembling, eyes bright with the joy of trying something new…and maybe also from watching me eye her like she’s made of glass. If I’m like this with her now, there’s no doubt I’ll be just as protective as a father.
“Hey,” she tugs at my jacket, boots sliding a little as she steadies herself again. “Where’d you go?” she signs, head tilted.
“Uh?” I blink, shaking myself from my thoughts.
“You were drifting away…” she signs with a half smile, looking at me with that familiar look, the one that reads every corner of my mind.
“Nothing, it’s…” I sign, eyes flicking down to our joined hands. “I was thinking about…when we’ll have kids one day.”
I catch her studying me for a second before she signs again. “I hope…we’ll bring them here,” glancing around the rink, at the kids clinging to the rail, the parents skating behind them with open hands.
“Of course, sweetheart,” I mutter, nodding, my voice turning into a murmur. No doubt I’d take a bullet for my girl. That’s already carved in stone. But when I think of our kids, of tiny versions of Rose running in the garden with Harley, their chubby fingers grabbing at her skirt, I can’t help wondering how I’ll ever sleep again. A normal guy could have kids and not think twice ‘bout it. I’m the VP of a motorcycle club with enemies festeringin every corner of the country. The more people I love, the more they could wind up in harm’s way.
Maybe when the time comes, I’ll have to hire bodyguards, just to be sure. It already crossed my mind for Rose, but she convinced me not to. Said it would freak her out to have another man she didn’t know hanging around her all the time. With her past, I get it. And since we’ve had no issues since moving here, I forced myself to relax a bit. I’m not gonna lie, though. When things get violent at work, when some of our men come back bruised or don’t come back at all, when threats pile up, and our expansion is louder than what some people think we should be chewing on, I sleep less. On those nights, I watch over my girl with my gun on my lap. Eyes on her. Day and night. Whether it’s tracking her phone and watching the signal on the app I installed, or checking the GPS chip hidden in the necklace I gave her, or simply holding her in my arms while she’s in deep sleep and I’m half-awake, on alert.
The Raven Sons are expanding, and it’s not to the taste of other families and Chapters from the area. For now, we have enough men in our ranks to establish our superiority. The gains surpass the losses and I’ll always make sure they do.
“Hey.” She tugs at my jacket again, spinning us in a small, clumsy circle on the ice. Her skates squeak slightly as she corrects her balance. She’s looking at me with that knowing gaze. The one that knows there are rooms inside my mind I don’t like opening, even for myself.
“Everything is okay,” she signs, “I’m happy. I’m safe and so are you.” She pauses, eyes locked on mine. “And if…I mean, when we have children, they’ll be safe too. Trust me.” I nod because, of course, she’s right. It’ll be a two-person job, and I’d bet every dollar in our accounts that my girl will be fierce when it comes to our little ones. Especially after what she had to gothrough. The thought eases my mind a bit. Rose and I are a team; we’ll face anything as long as we’re together.
So yeah, she’s right.
Ice skating with our kids does sound great.
Chapter 9
Rose
“Rose!”cries Erin, coming out of the taxi and running to me with open arms. I giggle and welcome her at the steps of our house, ignoring the strange looks from passengers on the sidewalk. Erin is a thing of beauty and grace. Long jet-black hair with a mesmerizing silhouette, she makes heads turn, and surely faces crack after Shadow sees it. Her skin is as pale as snow, and she’s often dressed in dark green, thin fabrics that melt over her body. She’s a bit taller than me, made even more so by the knee-high black boots she wears. We often laugh about the fact that we are polar opposites, and still, we can’t get along better. She’s the butter to my bread, she likes to sign. Because she’s learning ASL, and that’s the greatest act of friendship I could ever receive. We hug for a long time while Shadow shakes Vox’s hand, his other hand on his shoulder.
“VP.”
“Shadow.”
“C’mon in, guys, it’s freezing,” Vox says before smiling at Erin and motioning me to get in the house. My man and hisfear of me getting sick. We both rush inside as Shadow and Vox unpack the trunk of the taxi, and I glance behind as we pass the doorway.
“Um, I know, right?” Erin grins. I frown. “We’re lucky gals,” she says, and this time I nod because yes, we’re always taken care of and that’s something I’ll never take for granted.
She removes her long burgundy wool coat, revealing a tight black dress above dark tights.
“You’re so pretty,” I sign slowly, seeing if she catches it, and she smiles.
“Thank you, hon.”
“You must be thirsty. How was the flight? Do you want a cup of tea?”
“Wait,” she says out loud, “too fast, do it again, please,” she asks and focuses on my fingers. I tend to sign a bit fast when I’m excited, and even from time to time, Vox will ask me to repeat myself to make sure he catches my meaning. I sign again, this time detaching each sign for her to understand, and she nods every second, connecting each movement with its meaning.
“The flight was awful, and yes, a cup of tea would be perfect.” I grin and wave at her to follow me into the kitchen while I make tea and coffee, then remove the glass jar that was keeping my chocolate cake protected.
“Can I?” she asks, and I nod, giving her little napkins with bows, the ones Vox bought yesterday. “I love it here, seriously, each time we come, I’m always in awe. This house is…so cosy. And the garden,” she gasps, spinning on the stool she’s on and looking over my little piece of heaven, almost frozen by the winter frost.
