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After I left Officer Bradley, I hurried back to Bee’s room, grinning widely as I saw her sat on the edge of the bed waiting for me. Dante shot me a questioning glance, and I mouthed the word “later” to him, nodding my head in Bee’s direction.

He nodded but pulled me to the side when Bee went to use the bathroom, his lips tightening when I told him about my conversation with our favourite member of the law.

“I’ll deal with it,” he promised, his eyes burning. I just nodded, because I didn’t have the energy to deal with that and let it spoil our day.

Dante scooped Bee up into his arms and carried her out of the building, taking her over to my car and hopped on his bike, racing back to the new clubhouse before us.

“Are you okay?” I asked, twisting my head so I could look at Bee. She was clutching her small teddy in her hands, unable to stay still as she strained to leave her seat. “You’ve been really quiet the entire journey.”

She nodded up at me, never taking her eyes off the road as she waited for the familiar house to come into view.

Some of the belongings from the clubhouse had been moved into the townhouse – the ones that hadn’t been damaged by the fire, that is. I left Vienna with strict instructions to make sure Bee’s room was spotless, and all her toys were exactly as she had left them in the old clubhouse before disaster struck.

It now had a pool table, a dartboard, and a bunch of tables and chairs. And since the prospects had finally finished clearing up the mess of the dining room, and Vienna had spent all day on the decorations, the place was finally ready for the party.

“Daddy talked to me,” she said, still looking out of the window.

“Did he? What about?”

“He asked why I called you mummy.”

“Oh.”

“He wasn’t mad.”

“I didn’t think he would be sweetheart. We both just want you to be comfortable.”

“I told him I like you being my mummy.”

I smiled softly. “That’s good.”

“That’s what he said.”

I didn’t push the conversation any further. She knew my thoughts on the topic, and now we were just going to take things at the speed she set. If she wanted to call me mummy from now on, that was fine by me. If she flipped between Rachel and mummy, that was also fine by me.

I pulled up at the side of the house, slowly travelling down the length of the driveway, laughing out loud at how impatient Bee was growing.

“You’re going slow on purpose!”

“I am not!” I said innocently. “You’re supposed to slow down when you reach your destination. You don’t want me to crash us into the wall, do you?”

“Rachel!” she whined.

“Okay, okay,” I chuckled to myself, bringing the car to a complete stop. “Go on, Princess. Your audience awaits.”

I jumped out of the car, just in time to see Bee throw open her door and go tearing down the garden path as though her life depended on it.

I picked up my speed, running after her so I could see the moment she made her big entrance.

She threw open the door and immediately burst into happy squeals at the sounds of the party poppers being released and the endless cheers of her family.

Dante came towards her and scooped her into his arms, lifting her high into the air. “She’s home!” he yelled above the noise of the crowd, which only succeeded in making them even louder.

He brought Bee back down and cradled her against his chest, rubbing her nose with his own.

“Gimme,” Vienna demanded, pulling Bee away from her dad and giving her the biggest hug. “My God, I’ve missed the shit out of you, my little biker,” he said, his voice gruff.

“Language!” I snapped, slapping him around the back of his head. He grinned at me, lifting Bee until she was sitting on his shoulders, her legs around his neck.

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