Page 93 of Lady Sings the Blues

Pitying stares aim at her, including mine. I know how close the two of ‘em got. I been tryin’ to shield her from the blow for as long as possible. Guess it stopped bein’ possible.

“Got him up in trauma center at Rush. His brothers’ been keeping us informed since they found him.” Duke shakes his head. “Sorry, Elise. Blunt force trauma. He’s been placed in a medically induced coma to hopefully help him heal.”

I tuck her in close under my arm.

Her eyes begin to water. “Then I have to go to him. Beau, you have to let me go to him.”

The pleading in her voice makes me feel like shit for denyin’ her. But my hands are tied. “Sorry darlin’, can’t do that. Houdini’s still out there, and you carryin’ our baby.” I bend my head to kiss the corner of her mouth. “I want him safe just like you, but I’m selfish and need for this baby to be safe. You need to help Liv recover here and tend to our family growin’ inside you. Crass’ll understand. I know. And you know it, too.”

“It just doesn’t feel right.” She hangs her head.

I know it don’t. Especially not to someone with as big a heart as Elise. Crass was all business when it came to the women, but Livvy’s updates made me feel as if he’d really put himself in to the big brother role for those two. Although Liv has Blood, Elise has no one. So I know she’s feelin’ this deep. But again, no matter how deep she feels him, we’ve got us a little one to protect now, and I damn well intend on protecting her.

“Get that food back to your woman before it gets cold,” I tell Chaos, and don’t miss the smirk he shoots my way at the use of ‘your woman’ as he heads toward the back rooms. Of anybody here, I know how good that one feels. With Elise under my arm, I start for the kitchen again. “Come on, gotta get my baby mama fed.”

“I hate to disappoint you, but baby mamas don’t wear their man’s ring. I have a diamond on my left finger that says I’m more than a baby mama.”

Damn she’s cute when she’s feisty. She’s cute when she’s right. My woman is just plain cute. And I’m one lucky son of a bitch.

Depositing her on a bar stool, I go to the fridge and grab out a package of bacon, cheddar cheese, a tomato and lettuce. BLT with cheese’ll be good for my pregnant woman. Usin’ all the food groups.

Then from one shelf lower I grab a bag of raw broccoli cuts and a dill dip. Setting my haul on the counter, I open the cupboard for the bread and a can of Sour Cream and Onion Pringles.

The smell of fryin’ bacon draws several of the brothers into the kitchen, so I set Scotch to work slicing tomato and Sneak, toastin’ bread.

“Trisha’s out in the common talking with Hannah.” Sneak rambles while pushin’ down the toast into the toaster. Hannah’s one of the hot mamas who lives here on a semi-permanent basis. “Just wanna say thanks a lot, brother.”

“What’d I do?” Flippin’ the bacon like the boss I am, I look over my shoulder at him.

“Knocked up your woman. That’s whatcha did. Got lucky Trish didn’t want babies until other old ladies in the club started popping out kids. She didn’t wanna be the only one not partying and wanted our kids to havecousins,shit that woman comes up with. God dammed pain in my ass is what she is.” Four slices of toast pop from the toaster. Sneak grabs them up and tosses the pieces on a paper plate, then he loads the toaster with four more slices of bread.

“Anyway, she wanted our kid to havecousinsto grow up with. And since there were no other old ladies popping out kids, I didn’t even have to think about it. Now that you knocked up Elise, she’s gonna be all over my shit. So thanks for that. You know I can’t say no to my woman. So now I’ll have to impregnate her and the Lords clubhouse goes from biker compound to fucking Romper Room daycare.”

Scotch lays his knife down next to the slices of tomato, and pins me with a deadly serious glare. “Kids start taking over, Boss, I’m transferring charters. No offense, Lass,” he says to Elise.

“He says that now.” She goads him. “But you all wait, he’s gonna fall head over heels for some woman and will be eating his words when she ends up preggers with a Scotsman’s baby.”

“Curse you, woman,” Scotch growls back.

We all laugh, Elise throwing her head back to really let loose. It’s a beautiful sound, and an even more beautiful sight.

I’d be remiss to say Crass and Houdini ain’t perched right at the edge of all our thoughts. But bein’ here, right now, laughin’ and cookin’ with my brothers. The woman I’ve loved since I was eighteen on a stool in my club, wearing my T-shirt and my ring and giving me everything she’s giving me, waiting for that food we’re cooking, being here right now is abso-fucking-lutelyperfect.

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