Page 85 of Broken

Two WeeksLater

“You okay, Sunshine?” I ask as I walk into our jellybean’s room.

Gabby is sitting in the soft gray rocker I bought. It matched the room. Plus, it would give her a great place to nurse our child. I also figured we could read bedtime stories there, too. I never had parents that did that shit, but I know I want to give my family that.

“I’m just thinking,” she murmurs, making me frown.

“You still worrying, sweetheart? I told you that you will be a great mom. You love our baby. That’s more than a lot of kids have. It’s more than I had.” I know my voice sounds a little bitter. It was damn hard finding out the truth about my mother. I’m putting my past where it belongs, but it still cuts deeper than it should. I lean down to kiss her forehead.

Gabby reaches up to slide her hand along the side of my face, brushing the pad of her thumb against the corner of my lip. “I’m not worrying, King. Well, not much. I was trying to pack all the baby’s stuff up to take to our new place and I had to stop. Jellybean is getting bigger, and my back is killing me today.”

“You need to rest. I’m going to call Diesel and get him to send some prospects over,” I mutter, pulling my cellphone out of my cut.Out of my Devil’s Blaze cut.

Jesus, a lot has changed in the last two weeks. Skull wasn’t lying. Gabby and I traveled up there a couple of days after Skull showed up here. He and Beth spent those two days loving on Gabby and apologizing for the pain they’d caused—specifically Skull, but Beth was distant in a way that hurt just the same. I spent those two days getting to know them. I liked my woman’s mother a lot. She was quiet, sometimes timid, but she clearly loved her family. Even lost in grief, she let that be known. I also like Skull. I don’t like what he put Gabby through, however it’s clear he’s struggling but loves his family.

Once I got to Kentucky, I found that Carlos—who I really like—was not lying. The club was a mess. The older members were cool. My woman’s uncle Torch was a hoot. He wore these fucking tees that were absurd and always had graphics on them that referred from anything to the size of his dick or being pussy whipped—which was a black T-shirt with a large gray cat printed on it, carrying a damn whip. He was also hilarious. I had met him in North Carolina when I saved Gabby, but we didn’t spend too much time bullshitting on that occasion. When Skull told him what the plan was, he stayed on me like glue. I thought it might be because I’d be moving in on territory that his son might want. I found out quick he was just seeing if I knew what the fuck I was doing and if I had plans. Sabre, I wasn’t sure what I thought of him. He was cool, but he’s quiet. He also didn’t interact a lot. It felt like he was going through the motions. When I decided to go through with everything and take my shot at running the club—because honestly, they really did need me and that felt damn good—I let them run me through hell. Skull and Carlos sponsored me, which shocked the hell out of me. BB did challenge, but I don’t think his heart was in it. There was agauntlet, which meant I had to go some rounds with the guys. BB was the toughest, but I came out victorious. A club vote was held and my taking over was unanimous. Sabre and Torch stepped down. The two of them, along with Skull, were staying in the club but definitely more as mentors and our backups—which, I have to admit, was fucking good to have. I made BB my VP. It only seemed right and truthfully, he was the oldest member in the club besides me and the originals of the club. I invited Pez to join. I knew he liked Diesel and the boys, but he often felt like the odd man out. I wasn’t kidding when I said Diesel, Devil, and Crusher had enough kids to keep the club going for years to come. With as many kids as they had, you’d think they either ran children’s homes or fucked and multiplied like rabbits with their old ladies. It was freaky. Pez became our Sergeant of Arms. He was stacked with muscle and kind of lean. The man has a punch that could bring you to your knees, however. Still, he’s a computer geek. The shit he can do with a computer is scary. There’s more than muscle involved in making a club strong and secure. Pez fits that niche perfectly. I made Carlos—whose club name is Spider—our road captain. It gave him responsibility and a place in the club that is his and his alone. He also knows the area better than anyone, so that helped seal the deal. We’ve got a few more guys. Apex, Playboy, and Crash to be exact. I haven’t placed them or made any decisions as to where they fit. My first concern is getting the club to make money again. Once that’s done, I’ll go back to filling out our officers and the club in general. We have a few prospects now and they’re currently cleaning out the old clubhouse because it was fucking filthy.

So, in all, it’s been averybusy two weeks.

“Ow!”

“Gabby?”

“I’m okay, probably more growing pains,” she says, her voice betraying the pain.

I get down on my knees in front of her. “I’m thinking we should go to the doctor and get you checked out to be safe.”

“I’m fine, King. You just worry too much.”

“I do. That’s why we’re going to go to the doctor.”

“King.”

“Please, baby. Let me make sure my woman is okay.”

“King,” she repeats, intent on arguing.

“Please,” I beg again. She studies my face, and I see the exact moment that she gives in.

“Fine, but you’re being ridiculous,” she mutters.

“Better safe than sorry.”

“Oh, God, you’re starting to sound like my Aunt Katie.”

“She’s the shit, baby.”

Gabby rolls her eyes but doesn’t argue. I reach out and help my woman stand. She’s barely stood up when water splashes around her feet.

“Damn it,” she hisses, grabbing her stomach.

“Gabby, honey?”

“My water just broke, and the pain is back. I think I’m in labor, King,” she whispers, gripping her stomach. I don’t wait for her to finish. I pick her up and start jogging through the house while I’m carrying her. “What are you doing?” she cries, sounding panicked.

“Taking you to the hospital,” I tell her as we head out the front door.

“But my stuff,” she huffs.

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