“She’ll live.”
General is giving me everything he can, but even he’s bound by rules and regulations. On paper, I’m no one. We’re not family, not more than dating. I shouldn’t know shit. But he knows I’ve claimed her. Not just because of what Nana told me, but because the first thought I had when Nana called me was Diana. Not Ruby. My kid probably should have been my first thought, if I remembered her in that way. We’regetting better, but it’s still new. One day I’ll think of her first, but not right now.
All that matters is Babygirl.
General has her heavily sedated right now. We got her out of the hallway as quickly as we could and brought her up to another floor to get looked over. She was knocked unconscious, and they kept her that way while they looked her over. Sprained ankle. Hairline fracture in her elbow. The blood, thank fuck, wasn’t hers.
I know I asked her. She said she was good, but I still had to know for sure. So after checking her pulse, I ran my hands over her quickly to make sure I didn’t feel any wound that would hurt her more if I moved her. Once I found nothing glaring, I picked her up and ran like hell. Casper stayed to help, but Mad Max was with me. The guy never leaves my side, and I’m grateful for that.
The second I put her down on the gurney, I needed someone to hold me up for a second before I got my shit together and followed her. It was Mad Max who got General to us quickly before I got thrown out of the place. It was also Mad Max who made sure I could see her. And it was him who waited silently with me in the room.
His girl, Fairy, already came. She’s been sitting on his lap the whole time, quiet and watching, just like her man.
Fairy’s a good one. She knows when to talk and when to shut up. She’s good with silence, unlike some of the old ladies. But when she opens her mouth? Damn, you never know what’s going to come out of it. Fairy has zero filter. Probably why half of us like her so damn much. No need to guess what’s on her mind—she just says it. That and a wholelot of other random shit, but she’s a genius. The type that knows too much, and it spills over when she gets talking.
“Can we have a minute?”
My head shifts at Ruby’s words. I see her looking at Mad Max and Fairy as she directs her question to them.
Mad Max looks at me, and I give him a chin lift. I already know he’ll just stand right outside the door. He might give Ruby the space she wants, but not enough to get him out of protecting me.
“Is this one of those times where you say a minute, but you really mean like five or ten? Because if that’s the case, you should ask for us to leave till you’re done. Unless you really only need a minute, and then I’ll start the stopwatch once the door closes,” Fairy babbles on with a tilt of her head.
Ruby nods. “I’ll come get you.”
It’s enough for Fairy, and they leave us alone. I’m still sitting by the bed, holding my girl’s hand. She’s so damn beautiful that it almost hurts to look at. The sun is setting, and the last rays cast her in a halo of red and orange.
I should be freaking out, thinking the fire is catching from before. But all I see is the woman who has given me so much since the moment I opened my eyes. I never expected to be in her position, waiting to see her eyes open like I know she was doing for me.
Weeks ago, she confessed that she used to wonder, while she cared for me, what color my eyes were. She didn’t want to ask and look creepy, so she guessed. I asked if she was disappointed when she saw them. All she said was “How could I be? ’Cause all I saw in them was me.”
Yeah, I licked her pussy clean that night. Twice. Her confession was everything to me.
She’severything.
“Dad.” Ruby shuffles closer, then hesitates off to the side. “I just wanted to say…” She pauses, and I look away from Babygirl to Peaches. Not my daughter, but the woman of the club I love. She’s one and the same, but I think my time asleep did us both some good. She grew out of the shadow I’m sure I put over her by being her dad. She’s not Ruby, the president’s daughter. She’s Peaches, the old lady of the president’s enforcer, and also the daughter of Law. A man who’s part of the club and happy to still be in it.
“You told Mom you would love her till death do us part.”
I look down and away. I hear the sadness in her voice, and guilt is creeping up in my mind. Maybe I shouldn’t be thinking of Diana as my old lady. Not when I had one. But fuck if I don’t want to.
“Well… you died.”
I turn back at her words, brows creased together.
She rolls her eyes, and I’m not sure if it’s because of my reaction or the tears that are threatening to spill down her cheeks. “I’m not saying you have to forget her, even if you remember her. Just that, maybe, a part of you can move on.” She sniffs and nods toward Diana. “To start something new. Another chance.”
The beeps from the monitor echo in the room as I take Ruby in. What she’s saying. Herblessingof sorts. I know this is hard for her to say, but she’s saying it. She means it. Since I woke up, not a moment has gone by that I couldn’tread her. She either sucks at poker or I really do know her and can tell her feelings, maybe even better than she can. And she means this. All of it.
“Maybe fate wanted you to have two lives. Two hearts. Two loves.”
“What are you saying, kid?” My voice is gruff from my own emotions. And while I can guess at what she’s saying, I still want her to actually tell me. Not only so I can be a thousand percent sure, but also to make her admit it out loud so she doesn’t take it back. Ever.
“I’m saying… I won’t hurt her if she’s around more. Might even come to call her my friend. But I’ll never call her Mom.” She glares at the last part and pulls a startled laugh from me.
“Never would have expected you to,” I say as I reach out and grab her hand, pulling her close to give her a hug as I hold Diana with my other hand.
I’ve got both my girls in my life, and I’m not letting go of either one.
