Page 110 of Lockout

“What areyoudoing?” I countered.

She tilted her head and studied me. “I’m supposed to be napping,” she told me. “But I wasn’t sleepy.”

“Uh huh. And did you tell your mom or dad that you were coming downstairs?”

“No. Was I supposed to?”

She was four years old and too damn smart for her own good. Must’ve gotten that from Isla.

“Yeah. Parents don’t really like it when their kids aren’t where they left them,” I told her. I held out my hand, then grinned when she took it. “Let’s go let them know where you are.”

“Okay, Uncle Lock.”

I’d fucking burn the world down for this little girl. For any of the children. Our families had grown at a rapid rate, especially over the last couple of years. So fast that we’d started adding on to the clubhouse. Other than Toxic and Billie—who lived out on Cholla Summit Ranch—everyone still lived here and no one wanted to change that.

Toxic had finally found a good crew for the ranch though, so they were here most days after they finished morning chores, their family just slept out at the ranch house. They’d stopped at two kids, so far anyway. Two little boys.

Who knew, there might be more at some point. Just because most of us guys were feeling old as dirt these days didn’t mean the women were. And they had Daryl and Gramps living out there with them. They were here drinking me out of house and home most days, but everyone was happy to have the two men around, especially since they were getting a lot older and slower.

We stepped out of the way as Priest’s hellions ran past. “Hi, Uncle Lock!” was chorused and trailed back to us as they disappeared out the clubhouse door. There were a few more of them these days. Priest and Jenny now had seven kids,all daughters. He was a lucky motherfucker because they were amazing kids. Somehow, Gabby was twenty now and living away from home. Fucking killed me that so many of the kids were getting older and wouldn’t be here much longer.

But so far Gabby was the only one who was out of the house. We had the rest of them for a short time and the young ones for much longer. I glanced down at the little girl, whose hand I was still holding. “Maybe they’ll let you go play later.”

She shrugged. “Okay. Cove was awake crying a lot last night,” she told me as we made our way up the stairs.

“Newborns do that,” I told her. “Do you like your new brother?”

She shrugged again. “He looks like an old man.”

I chuckled. “Yeah, they do look that way.”

“Wait,” she said when I started to knock on their apartment door. “Mommy might be sleeping.”

I stared down into her solemn little face. “You’re right. We should be quiet.”

The door opened before I had a chance to decide what to do.

“Shit. Thanks, Lock,” Butcher said, leaning down and scooping his daughter into his arms. “Just went to check on her and realized she wasn’t there.”

Neither father, nor daughter, looked worried about that fact at all. I grinned at him. “No worries. How’s Isla doing?”

“Good. She’s sleeping now. Sloane came and took Cove. Said she’d keep him until he needed to eat again so we could get some sleep.”

“Well then, why don’t you let me take Bay?” I asked. “She can play with my rug rats for a couple hours.”

“I’m not sleepy,” Bay announced, giving her father a grim look. They stared at each other, not blinking, for a full minute before he handed her over to me.

“Sure,” he said. “Appreciate that.” He started to turn, then paused at the door. “If you need anything, just text me. I’ll have my phone close by, but the notifications off so they don’t wake Isla.”

I smiled because it had taken a while for Butcher to pick up on how to be a father, but now he was a natural at it. Seeing him being normal—or as normal as he could be—and having a wife and kids was a fucking trip.

Hell, seeing all of us with families was crazy. But all of my brothers were happy. They were all settled. We still protected this city, but now instead of partying and fucking around, we went home to our families at the end of the day.

I took Bay with me and stepped up to a door and knocked. It was around nine in the morning, so I wasn’t going to be interrupting nap times. Only Smoke’s youngest daughter, Abby, would still be sleeping. She’d started sleeping through the night early on and now, at three, she was a champion sleeper. Her brothers and older sister were always up at the ass crack of dawn, though.

“Hey,” Hell said. He leaned against the door frame, wearing only a pair of sweats.

I frowned. “What the fuck is all over you?”

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