“I’m going to marry your ass.”
“About damn time.”
By the time the afternoon rolled around, Doc had been over to The Hut without raising any suspicion among the guys. Ayda had been hurt by Owen Sinclair, and as far as my men knew, I was simply being my usual, overprotective self.
Doc told Ayda he wanted to return during the week, and there was talk of blood tests, scans, appointments she’d have to make, and so much more I didn’t understand. All I could do was sit in the corner with my hands clasped together as I leaned forward and watched every move he made on my girl.
She kept asking him over and over if the baby was okay, or was she in danger of losing him or her due to her injuries, but Doc didn’t have any clear answers. She was too early into her pregnancy for him to have any, so, for now, it was a waiting game with no assurances to keep our minds from tripping up over all the things that could go wrong.
Once Doc left, I drew Ayda a bath and watched as she sank into the bubbles and tipped her head back against the tub. With a kiss to her temple, I told her I’d give her some time and be back soon.
While the two of us were lost in the clouds of what our future could now hold, my men were out there wondering where the hell I was, and why I wasn’t storming down to the station to rescue Jedd.
“Any news?” I asked Kenny as I walked over to the bar.
He was sitting on a stool while Deeks stood behind the bar, leaning against the wall with his head down and his hands sunk into his pockets.
“Nothing.” Kenny shook his head.
I dropped my ass onto the stool next to Kenny and leaned against the counter. “Sutton hasn’t called?”
“Not since earlier.”
“No Eric?”
“No.”
“Rubin?”
Kenny sighed, taking a moment’s pause. “No.”
“Great,” I sighed. When I glanced up at Deeks, I saw defeat and concern marring all his features. “You doing okay, brother?”
Deeks looked at me with a small shrug of his shoulders. “How we going to get out of this, Drew? I can’t see no way. I can’t see the plan no matter where my mind goes.”
“We’ll find a way, Deeks. We always do,” I assured him.
“Not without one of The Hounds taking the fall for it, we don’t. You, Pete, Harry, now—” Kenny reminded me, but I cut him off quick.
“No more sacrifices. I promise.”
“How can you promise that?”
Staring into Kenny’s eyes, I began to see for the very first time how young and vulnerable he could look at times. Sure, he was one of my most trusted men, despite our differences in the past. If there were a fight, Kenny would be standing beside me with his fists tight and his gun ready. He’d die for me—for any of us, and that meant something. It meant everything. But, fuck, he was young and so was I, and was this the life men like us should really be fucking living? Dodging bullets, flexing biceps, growling loud, howling at the moon, too scared to talk about repercussions and sacrifices in case it wasourhearts that stopped beating next.
He was looking at me to be the president of the club. I needed to be that now while I was still capable because once that baby of ours came along, shit was going to change.
It had to.
Pressing a hand on Kenny’s shoulder, I leaned forward and squeezed him hard. “Because I have a feeling it’s our time now, brother. The gods haven’t always played in our favor, and we’ve handled that. Maybe it’s time for us to have a littlefaith. A little hope.”
Kenny’s forced scowl didn’t match the sparkle in his eyes. He wanted to believe in the words I’d spoken, but the bruises of his memory hurt to touch when he thought back over the last few months and years of our lives. It was easier for us to be skeptical than to accept that good shit could happen to us as much as anyone else.
I’m going to be a father,I wanted to tell him… but I didn’t because now wasn’t the time to share that news. For now, it would stay between Ayda and me. A secret only we knew. A truth in our world we could treasure just a little longer.
“Trust me, Kenny. It’s our time.”
