Page 52 of Angel

Wordlessly, the older man took her into his arms. Angel hugged him back. She tried to control her tears, but some escaped down her cheeks.

As Steel stepped back, he announced loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. “Of course, we will attend to help you honor your baby. You let us know when you’re ready and we’ll be there.”

Angel knew Steel meant everyone, not just himself and Jenna. “Thank you.”

Both Cage and Angel were given solemn touches on their arm, sorrowful nods, or a giant bear hug from Bear, as they exited the clubhouse. They headed in silence towards her—their, Angel corrected, house. It was a still, warm night with the near full moon out to guide their way. Angel looked up at the stars and hoped, if there was a God, that He was taking care of their lost baby.

The next morning, Cage and Angel readied a picnic basket they borrowed from Jenna with breakfast and went to collect Bree from Bulldog’s house. The three of them drove out to the park in silence. Bree seemed to sense the seriousness of the situation and hadn’t gotten angry with them for abandoning her the night before.

They had some very difficult conversations with her throughout their picnic breakfast. First, Angel told Bree about her pregnancy and her miscarriage. She did tell Bree that Cage had been the father, though she left out the complex details about the conception. Bree had not cried, but she had offered both Angel and Cage an extra-long hug each. She, of course, was agreeable to a small funeral to help Angel find closure.

Then Cage told Bree about the possible baby he’d fathered in high school. He told her how he’d tried to take responsibility but, in the end, respected the mother’s clear wishes that he not be in the baby’s life.

“I can only hope wherever he is that he’s had a happy and full life without me.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” Bree told him. “If you were even half the father to him that you’ve been to me, he’d still have the best dad in the world.”

Cage practically glowed at that statement. Angel was so proud of her daughter as Cage moved around the picnic table to collect another hug.

This led them into the conversation about Angel and Cage’s relationship. Cage laid out his intentions that he planned on, someday, marrying Angel. Bree gave her blessing before he could even ask for it, which caused all three of them to laugh. Cage asked Bree if she would allow him to adopt her too.

“You mean after you marry my mom?” she asked.

Cage shook his head. “No. I mean now. As far as any legal system is concerned, you’re Angel’s biological daughter. It would mean going before a judge and petitioning him to legally become your dad. Both you and your mom would need to be there too and to give your blessing.”

Bree hesitated, biting her lip. “You’ve been around me long enough to know that I have…issues,” she hedged, “with a certain paternal word. Are you okay that I’d never be able to call you that?”

Angel saw the relief on Cage’s face that that was what had caused Bree’s hesitation. “You can call me whatever you want, Bree. Hell, you can refer to me as ‘kidney buddy’ or ‘KB’ for the rest of our lives. If ‘Dad’ doesn’t work for you either, you can call me papa or baba, which is French or Greek for ‘Dad’. I grew up trilingual. My mom’s French and my dad’s Greek. You are going to hear a lot of both languages once you meet them. Have I told you I’m the youngest of twelve kids?”

Bree’s jaw dropped and she shook her head.

“You thought keeping track of your club aunts and uncles was hard. Wait until you meet all of your new aunts and uncles. I think the total of grandkids is forty-two now.” Cage shrugged. “Even I don’t know all their names. But they’re going to love you.”

Bree smiled widely at him. “I don’t think I can pull off that French or Greek accent that you just did. How about ‘Pops’?”

“Pops it is,” Cage agreed, matching her smile.

Bree bumped his shoulder. “But you’ll always be my kidney buddy.”

“Hell yeah, I will.”

It didn’t take long for Cage to pack up his belongings and move everything into Angel’s house. He needed to have a talk with her about finances, because there was no way he was going to be a kept man.

Cage pulled Bones over and the two of them dragged his mattress out of the room and to the dumpster. Cage wondered how pissed Steel would be if he lit that dumpster on fire.

Evette was not in the cellar, Cage and Angel had been told when they’d gotten back to the clubhouse after taking Bree to the park. She was locked in one of the empty apartments until the club voted on what to do with her. A vote was also being called to figure out Sam’s future.

As he was moving his hog to Angel’s driveway, he ran into Scotty and Lila. He offered the two troublemakers a ride back to their respective houses. Lila, who was only six, he placed in front of him. Scotty rode behind him with his arms wrapped around Cage’s torso. Since neither kid had a helmet on, Cage rode slowly down the lane until he dropped first Scotty and then Lila off.

He got a nose-kiss from Scotty and a giant hug from Lila for his efforts. Totally worth it.

After Angel and Cage got their bedroom reorganized with his clothes, toiletries, and knickknacks, Cage set up a video call with his parents to officially introduce them to Angel and Bree. Both were very aware of who Angel and Bree were from his previous conversations with them and, of course, they knew that he’d donated a kidney to Bree. His parents were not aware of how Bree had come into their lives. As far as they knew, she was Angel’s daughter.

His parents were thrilled and they immediately started to plan a trip to Pennsylvania.

Angel, who had not spoken to either of her parents since the day she’d signed up to prospect for the club, did try to call her mom to tell her about Cage and Bree. Angel wasn’t sure if she was happy or sad that her mom did not pick up.

After Bree left to go hang out with Cassie, Cage turned to Angel. “Are you going to tell me the big secret now?”

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