Page 51 of No First Kisses

LOGAN

Somehow, and by somehow, I mean that Poppy has to have had a hand in it, there is a party taking place in my backyard.

Not only that, but there are prospects for the MC that Poppy’s dad is a part of standing as security at the end of my driveway, making sure that no one who doesn’t belong is here.

“I’m sorry, sir.” One of them waves me down when I turn and stop to ask them what the hell they are doing on my property. “You’re not allowed on this property.”

If they weren’t so damn eager, I might have shot one of them.

“I live here.” I stare at the man until it gets uncomfortable. “So if you’re not going to shoot me, then get the fuck out of my way before I show you why you’re a prospect.”

Apparently, he sees how serious I am because he gets the hell out of the road and lets me pass.

Sam is waiting for me when I get out of the truck and slam the door an hour after leaving Poppy at the cemetery with him. “I take it I’m having a party.”

“No.” Sam shakes his head. “Poppy’s having a party. Remember? The baby shower?”

No. No, I definitely do not remember the fact that I’m having a baby shower, hosted at my house, with a bunch of people whom I don’t want to see right now. I want to take a hot shower, have a beer, and convince my woman to get naked with me on the living room floor so that I can beg for her forgiveness while I’m inside her.

“Thanks for the text,” I tell him. “I can’t believe she thought it was a good idea to just take off.”

Sam just stares at me, and I see a struggle in his eyes.

“You know what?” He shakes his head. “No. Not happening. I sent you a text because you deserve to know. But Poppy’s more than capable of taking care of herself. Not only did she call me, but I saw the brass knuckles in the pocket of her leggings, and I know she doesn’t go anywhere without pepper spray. She wasn’t being stupid or taking unnecessary chances. Honestly, she was overly cautious.” He checks over his shoulder to make sure no one is eavesdropping. “You screwed up, not her. You can’t keep her in the dark and expect her not to push back against your imaginary walls when she doesn’t know why they’re there in the first place.”

I thought having my little brother tell me to pull my head out of my ass about my feelings for Poppy was the most embarrassing thing I’ve ever gone through this year. I was wrong.

The worst is having Poppy’s brother, one of my oldest friends in the entire world, remind me that I’m being a jackass.

“I’m a dick,” I admit, knowing that I need to put words to it. “You’re absolutely right. I just want to keep her safe and I don’t know how to do that without being a dick.”

The front door opens, and Poppy stands there, looking like a supermodel. A pregnant supermodel, but a supermodel nonetheless. Her long red hair is down, and her curls have to be tamed with something because they aren’t frizzy in the slightest. She has on a black tunic dress with a ribbon wrapped and tied right above her bump, and her legs are bare. To top it off, she is wearing a pair of those flat shoes with bright-blue heels that she convinced me are good for her feet, even if they’re like two hundred bucks a pair.

“I love her,” I tell Sam. “It’s like I could breathe before, but I didn’t understand I was only taking half breaths. And then she almost died in front of me again, and I realized I wasn’t even breathing. Not really. Now… Now I’m finally breathing.”

With one hand on her stomach, Poppy smiles and winks at me before turning back into the house where I can see her father waiting for her.

“She loves you, you know.” Sam nudges me. “Even if she won’t marry you because you knocked her up.”

He leaves me standing there with my mouth hanging open while he stops to drink with some of the other bikers who showed up to support me and Poppy.

“She’s gonna marry me,” I tell his back.

“Good luck with that,” Poppy’s father, Dean, says as he appears next to me. I didn’t even notice the front door opening again or the fact that he made it to my side. He slaps me on the back, pulling me into a brief hug. “She’s really not gonna marry you. Overheard her, Maria, and Andrea talking about the baby and his last name. She made your momma cry when she said he’s gonna be a Pierce, that’s for sure. But she insists that she’s not going to marry you.”

That is news to me since Poppy still refuses to tell me anything about the baby’s name. Not that I’ll let him in on the fact that I don’t know.

“She does love you, even if she’s gonna make your life a living hell.” He starts walking me up the stairs, and that’s when I realize Poppy sent him to make sure I actually show up. “I love that little girl, even if she’s not so little anymore. And if I thought for a second that you were playing games with her this go-around, I’d take you out into the woods and bury you under rotting bear guts after giving you a paralytic and I’d watch you die on a game camera.” He squeezes my shoulder painfully. “Come on now, boy. It’s time to unwrap all the shit my wife and your mother have bought for that baby.”

“So much baby shit,” I agree with him, and we walk into my house. The house that looks like a baby factory exploded inside it. Boxes and boxes of diapers, wipes, and beer line the halls.

“The women did a diaper raffle. Apparently, you’re never gonna have to buy diapers for this kid cause every man in my club brought two, and every person from the station brought probably three.”

“And everyone also brought beer, so what was the point in the diaper raffle?”

“Trust me,” Poppy says while laughing when we walk into the living room. “There won’t be any beer left over between the two crews.”

“You’re right!” Remy crows from his spot on the couch next to Linc, where the two of them have six beers sitting between them. “We’re already beating you on the drinks department, and the best part is that our wives are driving us home because we were smart and knocked them up.”

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