33
“I’m never letting you out of my sight again,” I tell Walker, crying as I hold him once more. I’ve never been more thankful and more grateful in my life.
“We owe you everything,” Knuckles says to his president, pulling him in for a hug. “Fuck, man. We almost lost him.”
“You don’t owe me anything,” he says quietly, a somber air about him. “We brought her in, welcomed her, trusted her, and she fucked us over. We need to be more careful from now on. We aren’t taking in any more strays.”
“Thank you, Gage,” I say, crying. “If you hadn’t gotten there so fast, who knows where Walker might be right now.”
He runs his hand over my hair. “Don’t worry now, beautiful girl, he’s home where he belongs. You need to rest, you look exhausted.”
I shake my head instantly, refusing the idea. “No, I can’t sleep.”
I know I sound crazy, maybe even a little manic, but there’s no way I can sleep after what just happened.
I will never take my eyes off him again.
Maybe Knuckles and I can take it in shifts or something, I don’t know, I’m sure we can work something out.
“I want to take her home, she isn’t going to do well staying here,” I hear Knuckles tell Gage, and I don’t miss the concern in his tone.
“What’s going to happen to David?” I ask them both.
“I don’t know, I guess that’s up to Katie,” Gage replies, blue eyes sad. “We will handle that when we get to it. For now, let’s work on getting you home. I’m going to talk to the doctor.”
“Thanks,” I say, watching him walk out.
Knuckles sits down on the bed next to us and buries his face in my neck. “I’m so sorry this happened, Celina. I’m so fuckin’ angry, you have no idea. My hands are shaking, and if it were a man who did this to us instead of a woman, he’d be dead right now. I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared in my whole entire life.”
We hold hands, and stay that way, just watching our boy.
We survived this.
I think as long as we have each other, we can survive anything.
I decide to go back to the clubhouse instead of my home, just because there are more people there should anything else go wrong. Knuckles brings all my dogs here, too, to meet Walker and for that extra protection.
“He looks so cute in this outfit,” I tell Knuckles, smiling at Walker’s Cursed Ravens onesie that Ace got made for him. “All he needs now is a cut.”
Knuckles picks him up and laughs. “This boy is going to have all the ladies wanting him, aren’t you, Walker? You’re so handsome, and luckily look more like your mom than like me.”
I lie back on the bed and watch the two of them together. The fact that Knuckles is such a good father is a turn-on for me. I love this about him, and I always have, and now that I get to watch him be this way with our son, it makes me so emotional.
Walker Jack Chester is a lucky boy.
And I’m a lucky woman.
I never thought I’d be where I am right now. Being a journalist was a part of who I was, but now I’m so much more. I love that I get to do it all, juggle my freelance career, still earn my own money, and be a stay-at-home mother to my son, whom I love more than anything else. I’ve changed, but for the better. I went from distrusting men and thinking I had no use for them to being head over heels in love with the man in front of me.
And I went from being badass to being, well . . . badass, just in a completely different way.
I’m a working mother.
I’m an old lady. And this is where I belong, wherever these two boys are.
Everyone comes over to the clubhouse for dinner. Erin and Knuckles cook while the rest of us sit back and chat and laugh, Walker asleep in my arms.
“Katie said she didn’t want David,” Rogue says to me, quietly so only we can hear. “She’s looking at prison time for kidnapping, and they do have prison programs where you can bring your babies, but she doesn’t want that. She wants to give him up for adoption.”
“What did Shovel say?” I ask, sorrow filling me. “I think she needs help instead of just prison time.”
“She’s seeing a psychologist, I’ve been told,” he murmurs, holding Walker’s hand with just his thumb. “Shovel doesn’t want his son to go to a random family, but he’s not going to be out for another year.” He takes a deep breath and then admits, “He wants one of us to raise him until then. I know it’s asking a lot, but David is still one of ours, so I agree with him.”
Walker is so loved, and David should be able to experience that same love. Shovel is out in a year.
Could I look after two babies?
“Do you think we could do it? Raise him all together as an MC? Where is he now?” I ask, wondering who would have taken in the infant.
“He was placed in foster care until they could sort out where he was going to go. And if we don’t claim him, then that family will continue to look after him, I guess.”
“We can’t have that kid growing up wondering why he was thrown to the side when he has a whole family here,” I whisper, expelling a deep sigh. “What does Knuckles think?”
“No one wants to see him go, but none of us exactly knows how to raise a newborn, other than you and Knuckles,” he adds, smirking. “Do you see where I’m going with this?”
“Are you going to help me?” I ask him, looking him right in his eyes. “Is Uncle Rogue going to be on call whenever I need him?”
“Of course,” he promises, letting go of Walker’s hand. “For any of the kids, you know I’m here. I’ll even babysit so you and Knuckles can go on dates and do whatever it is the two of you do.”
“Let me talk to him and see what he says.”
“He already said yes,” Rogue announces, calling out loudly, “Hey, Knuckles, will you adopt David until Shovel gets out of prison?”
My man steps out of the kitchen and looks straight to me. “It’s up to you, Celina.”
Everyone turns to look at me. “Well, no pressure then,” I joke, laughing without humor. I think about it seriously. I’m not working, sure, but it will still be a lot of effort, essentially raising twins. I don’t blame David for anything his mother did, he’s a baby for God’s sake, but I can’t have any resentment either.
If I take him in, I’m going to love him just as much as I love my own son.
I open my eyes and nod. “Yeah, what’s one more?”
Everyone cheers.
Rogue takes Walker from me, hugging him against his chest.
And then something else amazing happens; Knuckles gets down on one knee.
“Celina Hutton, I have loved you from the moment I saw you, and knew from then that I was going to make you mine. I love you; I adore you; you are the best part of me. Will you make me the happiest man alive and be my wife?” he asks, opening the velvet black box to boast a beautiful pear-shaped black diamond ring. It has a halo of diamonds around it, and it is the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen.
“Yes, of course I will,” I say, covering my mouth with my palm as he slides the ring on my other hand. “How did you know?”
Erin winks at me.
Of course.
He lifts me into his arms and I wrap my legs around his waist.
And then in front of everyone, he kisses me like a man should kiss a woman, and I love every second of it.
To think I never used to like public displays of affection.