I smiled as Thatch snatched up Wade, who’d just been about to bash Darcy, who was biting his ankle. Thatch chuckled as Darcy hung on to her brother’s leg for dear life, and Aubrey saved her from falling.
“Fuck, she’s like you.” Aubrey laughed.
“Darcy’s certainly got attitude,” I agreed as I leaned back on the padded cushions. I disagreed she had mine, though.
At seventeen months old, they were handfuls. Fraternal twins and hell on wheels, both kids took after their fathers. Wade was clearly Shotgun’s; he was the spitting image of him, but had Rain’s quieter personality. Darcy had Rain’s dark auburn hair and grey eyes, but boy, did she have Shotgun’s attitude. And they had my craziness.
I’d been astonished when they were born, and the doctors explained I’d experienced heteropaternal superfecundation. Apparently, if two eggs are released at once and I had sex with two different men, each man’s sperm could fertilise an egg. And bingo, we had a winner, namely me. Even now, I remained stunned it had happened. But the kid’s likenesses to their fathers confirmed it.
“Where are we going, Captain?” Thatch shouted up to the wheelhouse. Stafford popped his head over.
“Greece?” he called down.
“Whatever,” Aubrey waved him on as Darcy tried to claw Wade, who was poking his tongue out.
“Were we ever this bad?” Thatch asked as he placed Wade in his playpen. Wade began rattling the bars in violence as Darcy cackled. Aubrey put Darcy in hers, and Darcy’s eyes grew huge and filled with tears.
“Oh no! That doesn’t work. Bad Darcy, bad!” Aubrey howled as her bottom lip wobbled and she sniffed. Darcy had the art of guilt-tripping down to a T.
For the last two years, the yacht, formerly owned by my uncles and dad, or the Older Generation, as we now called them, had been my home. Nana had confiscated it when they couldn’t pay the mooring fees. Life had certainly changed for the Old Gen. Gramps hadn’t backed down, given them a tiny allowance, and told them all to get jobs. They’d thought he was joking. Especially my mother and Aunt Thelma. The bills arrived and were sent to Gramps, who refused to pay them.
They’d all got the shock of their lives when bailiffs rolled in to collect on the debt. They’d been made homeless and bankrupt within weeks. Mom, Dad, Thelma, and Thad had lost everything. In desperation, they’d turned to Sybil, Everton, Mary, and Donald, who’d taken them in begrudgingly. Simply because when they refused, Gramps cut their money even more, informing them they still had not learned a lesson.
None had found jobs, and the last we’d heard was that Mary and Donald had put their house up for sale. I believe the plan was for them to move in with Sybil and Everton. Meanwhile, my cousins kept the company flourishing and were making money hand over fist. This absolutely beautiful yacht had been given to us grandkids, and my cousins and brother had agreed I could live on it.
I’d torn out all the tacky shit and replaced it with tasteful furnishings. The yacht had six bedrooms, leaving four open for the family when they visited. I continued working, and one of the family either accompanied me or looked after the twins. It wasn’t ideal and not what I’d wished for, but we made it work. The yacht had become home, and the children were learning about different cultures as we travelled. Both were very intelligent and could string words together.
They were my pride and joy and meant everything to me. None of my family had pushed me to inform Rain and Shotgun. When I explained they’d put the club before me, they’d beenoutraged. The reports that came out of Rapid City had horrified me. It was like that wizarding film, where they were in the tent listening for the dead and missing. When Shotgun’s name cropped up on the injured list, my heart sank.
The one thing I’d feared had happened. The man I’d loved had been wounded. It was made worse when the news about the Unwanted Bastards MC broke. But for the fickleness of fate, that could have been Hellfire MC.
I’d been correct to leave. Too many had died. Sure, Shotgun had been right, too. They’d been ignored by the president and had been left to fight alone. Shotgun had survived where loads didn’t. But it was too late for us. He’d made it very clear I was second place, and I wasn’t prepared to accept that.
Sure, he was big, strong, and brave, defending the city, but Shotgun hadn’t understood that it wasn’t his role. That hadn’t been his war, his fight, and he wasn’t law enforcement. After being secondary to my parents’ wants and needs, all I’d wanted was for someone to put me first. Shotgun and Rain had both failed.
I’d always thought, maybe like a fool, that love conquered all. And I’d been wrong; I was the idiot. Honestly, I don’t know what rankled the most. The fact that no matter what it cost him, Shotgun defended Rapid City, or that he wouldn’t even hear me out and understand my fears.
Add in Shotgun accusing me of trying to manipulate him by lying still stung, and bitterness had grown from that.
When I left to head to the yacht, Nana had pulled me aside. She’d told me never to accept less than I deserved, that compromise was vital, but never settle and be unhappy. Nana had been right, as usual. Shotgun hadn’t been willing to find a middle ground. In all honesty, I guess I hadn’t either. Rain had taken Shotgun’s side even though he, too, had been terrified of losing Shotgun.
It could be that I’d been brought up to believe in law and order too much. Not in blind faith, but in the belief that they would always defend the civilians they were paid to protect. Clearly, every single officer in RCPD had agreed because they’d rolled out, and over half had died. I’d believed in the system. When the reports emerged that the president, our leader, had refused to acknowledge what was happening, like millions of others, I’d stumbled and doubt crept in.
Shotgun and his MC and the allies who’d stepped up had foreseen the president’s reaction. That’s why they stayed to defend RC. I grasped and respected that. I did; I got it—without them, the city would have fallen. But it wasn’t their place to. Although the Air Force base and National Guard rolled out, Shotgun and the others were civilians. Shotgun had a protective streak a mile wide and two miles deep. Again, I understood.
What I couldn’t grasp was the fact that Shotgun hadn’t even considered my fears, not listened, dismissed me out of hand, and informed me what would happen. That wasn’t a balanced relationship. No, that was a dictatorship. Calling me manipulative and a liar, because he’d not wanted to listen to what I had to say. That’s on him, and that’s when I understood no matter what, I’d never come first. Hellfire MC and his brothers would. Rain might accept that, not me.
A splash jarred me from my thoughts, and I looked up to see Aubrey throwing the kids into the water. Darcy squealed and climbed up the ladder, her little legs flying as she launched back into Aubrey’s arms for him to throw her again. Not to be outdone, Wade jumped in himself.
Thatch was in the sea already.
The twins were like fish; since they lived on the yacht, I decided they needed to know how to swim. It was something they did every day, and I was confident about their water abilities.
“Are you coming in?” Thatch called.
“No. I need to edit the last batch of pictures. Will you be okay for a couple of hours?” I replied.
“Sure, can you ask Serena to make lunch for about one?” he returned.
