When he got his emotions under control, he pulled back and boldly informed me, “You’re coming back to Croftridge. I’m not giving you a choice. I almost lost you tonight. If we’d been even a minute later getting to you, I would have lost you. If you’re closer, I can get to you faster. If you’re closer, I can watch over you. I’ve missed you, little sister, and I want you to come back home.”
With watery eyes, I agreed without argument, “Okay.”
I must have surprised him with my answer because he did a double take before nodding once and standing. “You want me to get your boy for you?”
“Please.”
Carbon returned holding my whole world in his hands. He smiled down at James, “You named him after Dad.”
“And Mason. His full name is James Mason Jackson,” I said softly.
“How old is he?”
“Four months.”
He nodded. “I’m not going to lie,” he said, continuing to look down at my sweet boy, “I was fucking pissed as hell when Duke called me. I think I’m still pissed, but right now, all I can focus on is how grateful I am that we got to you in time and how perfect your little boy is.” He turned his pained eyes to me, “Don’t keep something like this from me again, Reesie Piecie. He’s family and I want to be a part of his life, as well as yours.”
“I’m sorry,” I cried. “I wanted to tell you, but I couldn’t. You would have told Duke and I wasn’t ready for that.” I hiccupped. “I was going to tell him about James. I don’t know when, but I wasn’t going to keep him a secret forever.”
“I know you’ve been raised to believe the club comes first, and most of the time it does, but with you and me, family will always come first. If I had to choose between being a part of your life or telling Duke, I would have chosen to be a part of your life, both of your lives, and kept your secret. Just remember that, okay?”
That surprised me. The club always came first, or so I thought. “Okay,” I sniffed. “I’m really sorry, Carbon. For the record, I missed you, too.” My breath hitched with my next words, “Thank you for finding me.”
He placed James in my lap and leaned down to kiss my forehead. “I’ll always be there for you, little sister, no matter how old you get.”
“Knock, knock,” a woman said as she wheeled something through the door. She looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t quite place her. “Hi Reese, you probably don’t remember me, but I’m Leigh, Judge’s mom and Duke’s aunt.” She pushed a pack and play beside my bed. “I brought this for little James to sleep in tonight. Do you want me to get him changed and ready for bed?”
“Oh, yes, that would be wonderful. He’ll probably want a bottle first though. He tends to be a little piglet at night. Oh crap, I don’t have any of his stuff here!”
She smiled sweetly, “You do. Judge got his diaper bag when he picked him up from daycare. I ran to the store and bought more of the same kind of diapers, formula, and bottles you had in the bag. As far as clothes, I picked up a few onesies and sleepers for him.”
My eyes widened, “Thank you for doing all that.”
“No problem. I remember what it was like to be a young mother around a bunch of bikers. You need all the help you can get. Besides, I just love babies and your little James is precious.”
I smiled proudly, “He is a good baby. He’s happy as long as he’s fed and gets his cuddle time.”
“Treasure it while you can. They grow up too fast,” she smiled wistfully, no doubt remembering when her children were small. She picked up James and walked toward the door, “We’ll be back and ready for bed shortly.”
“Thanks again,” I called after her.
Carbon walked toward the door, “I was going to stay with you, but I think, under the circumstances, that Duke should have the opportunity to take care of his boy should he need something during the night. That okay with you?”
“Yes,” I said sheepishly. “Where are you staying?”
“I’ll be right next door and Dash is on the other side of you, Phoenix on the other side of Dash.”
“Thanks, Carbon. Love you, big, scary brother,” I smiled. I had been calling him that for years.
“Love you, too, Reesie Piecie.”
Duke entered the room a few minutes after Carbon left. I couldn’t look at him. I was feeling so many different things and I didn’t want any of them to show. I was ashamed of myself for not telling him about our son, but I was still angry with him for the way he treated me a year ago. While I was happy to see him, it also hurt to see him. I was worried he would try to take my son from me and I was scared because someone tried to kill me. And then there was the person who had been sending me threatening letters since James was born.
I felt the bed shift from his weight when he sat down beside me. He picked up my good hand and brought it to his lips. “Reese, look at me, sugar.” I lifted my watery eyes to his. “We’ve got a lot to talk about and a lot to work out, but I’m not going to walk away from him. Or you.”
“Duke…I…” I couldn’t find the right words to say, to tell him how much that meant to me, how much I had longed to hear those words from him.
He leaned forward and gingerly wrapped his arms around me, cupping the back of my head with his hand. “Not tonight, sugar. Tonight, just let me hold you and take care of you, both of you. It took years off my life when I saw your car in that tree, with you inside. Then, I damn near had a heart attack when you jumped to Copper as your car fell from the tree.” He gently pulled me to him until our foreheads were touching. “I just need to feel you close to me tonight,” he whispered.
