Page 20 of Bren

Pulling my chain from my blouse, I show her, “Always, little sister. Come on, let’s get to my office and call Dad.”

“Dad’s going to hit the roof,” Ellie states as we walk out of the conference room.

“I know,” I sigh. She’s right; he does hit the roof and immediately calls Church for that evening. When Ellie and I finish for the day, we walk out to find our dad, Navy, Dragon, and Onyx waiting for us. I can’t lie; I feel much safer being surrounded by my dad and uncles on our drive home. Today had shaken me more than usual. It wasn’t the first time I’d been threatened, but I was very aware, especially after what happened with Kaleb, that they could hurt me in a way I’d never recover from if they hurt Lexi in any way because she was mine.

Chapter 10

ALEC

My phone vibrates in my pocket, breaking my concentration. I’d been working on an intricate bit on a custom paint job I was doing for a client up north. Muttering under my breath, I take my phone from my pocket to check it, and I’m surprised to see a message from Reaper calling mandatory Church tonight for all members—no excuses.

Deciding I may as well take a break now that my attention is shot and spend some time with Lexi, who’s been keeping Mum company in the office. Going to the sink, I wash my hands and dry them. Stopping by the kitchen, I get a fresh cup of coffee before I walk to the office. Mum and Gunny are talking about the text when I walk in.

“Did you guys get the text as well?” I ask with surprise. The Originals had stopped coming to church when we’d all finished prospecting and become full members. They still did the monthly business meeting, but that was it.

“We did,” Gunny replies, then grumbles when I take Lexi from him. “I never get to hold my granddaughter before you lot pinch her.”

“She’s not your only granddaughter,” I point out.

“No, but she’s the only baby one. The others are getting to the age where they think Grandad is old,” he mutters, looking put out.

“You are old,” I tease him, sitting in the chair next to my mum’s desk and adjust Lexi in my arms. She’s wide awake and gifts me with one of her rare smiles. “Grandad’s old, isn’t he, baby girl?” I coo at her. She gurgles back, making me laugh and look at Gunny. “This granddaughter agrees with your other one. You’re old, old man.” I smirk at him.

“Little shithead,” Gunny laughs. “How’s things going with Bren?”

Mum sits forward in her chair; I know she’s been wanting to ask but didn’t want to interfere.

“She’s a hard one to crack, but I think I’m making progress,” I reply. “She’s not making it easy, that’s for sure.”

“Good,” Mum says.

I gape at her in surprise and have to ask, “Umm, aren’t you meant to be on my side?”

“I’m always on your side, baby,” she assures me, “but this time you deserve what you’re getting. You hurt that girl for years. We could all see it, and we’ve been waiting for the fallout that we all knew was coming.

“Honestly, I’m glad it happened this way because it made her take those rose-tinted glasses off that she used to look at you with. Now you’re both on even footing, and you can make this work if you want to.” Mum tilts her head and looks at me, “Is that what you want? To make things work between the two of you?”

“Yeah, Mum, it’s what I want. It’s what I’ve always wanted, but I let my past get in the way of our future, same as Bren did. I’m hoping we can work our way past it.”

“Don’t give up,” Gunny stands up, clasping my shoulder and walking towards Mum. He pulls her out of her chair and sits with her in his lap. I was so used to seeing them like this it didn’t faze me anymore. “I didn’t. It’s worth the pain. I promise.”

“Thanks, Dad,” I reply, thankful that no matter what, he’s always had my back, even when I was being a complete tosser. Changing the subject, I ask, “Do you know what’s going on that we’ve got mandatory Church tonight for all of us?”

“No clue,” Gunny replies. “Reaper only calls Church like that if something big is happening. I think the last time was when you all got patched in.”

“Do you think he’s bringing in more prospects?” I wonder. Gunny shakes his head, “No, we’ll keep the MC family only for as long as we can. And with the number of kids we have coming up, I doubt we’ll recruit again for a long time. We did initially because we needed the numbers, and then you lot brought on the Temples; I think it will be up to the next Pres to decide if he wants to recruit again.”

“Makes sense,” I agree. And it did. Our businesses were all run by MC members except for Bren’s Spa and Beauty, and even that may as well be, as Lana was married to an O’Shea, and our lives had been intertwined with them for a long time, including being partners in a few nightclubs with them.

Looking at the clock on the wall above the door to check the time, I get up, kissing Lexi’s head, and lay her down in the pop-up cot we have for her. She’s still awake, so I wind the mobile up so that she can watch something, smiling as she kicks her legs and arms.

‘Fuck, she’s cute,’I think, forcing myself to turn away and back to my parents. Who’d have thought I’d ever be one of those parents totally enamoured with my child?

“I’m going to work for another hour or so. Are you both good to stay, or do you need to get going?”

“We’ll be here,” Mum assures me. “I have to get payroll done. I’ll let you know if we have to leave early. If we do, then I’ll take Lexi home with me.”

“Thanks, Mum.”

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