Page 39 of Wick
I park my truck next to the large moving truck, climb out, snag my cut that was lying on the armrest and slip it on. Sydney, who has already hopped out of the back seat, takes in the cut I'm wearing. She then lets her gaze drift over to the five bikes parked in my driveway and my brothers who come filing out of the house. "Holy crap! Are you like a motorcycle club?" The kid doesn't look the least bit concerned at seeing a bunch of big ass bikers standing around my yard. If anything she seems intrigued.
I step beside her and begin introducing everyone. I point to Riggs first. "Sydney, this here is Riggs. And standing next to him is his woman, Luna." I watch as Sydney's eyes go big while she watches Riggs communicate with Luna using sign language as he translates our introductions. Next, I motion toward Fender. "This here is Fender, then we have Kiwi, Everest, and standing over by the porch is Nova. With him is his daughter Piper."
Sydney continues to take in all the brothers. When her eyes land on a beaming Piper, she smiles. That smile is all the encouragement Piper needs before she rushes down the steps of the porch. "Hi Sydney. As Wick just told you, my name is Piper. Do you want to see your room? I made it up for you. I hope you like it." Piper grabs Sydney's hand and starts leading her inside. I'll admit I was a little worried at how Sydney was going to take to being here, but seeing the huge smile on her face as she allows Piper to take her into the house, I'm hoping she will settle in.
"Well," Riggs announces. "Got all the shit unloaded and set up. Josie and Payton went to the grocery store and stocked the refrigerator and cabinets. Piper got the girl's bedroom squared away. She went a bit crazy, but you know how she is. It's gettin' late, so if ya don't mind I'm going to leave the truck here overnight and have one of the guys pick it up in the mornin'."
"No problem, Prez. I appreciate you all steppin' in today and helping my woman and me with Sydney."
Vayda comes to stand beside me. I put my arm around her, pulling her into my side. When she looks up at me with those beautiful fucking eyes that make my dick twitch, I don't hesitate to claim her mouth with mine, right in front of my brothers. Mine and Vayda's public display earns us a round of catcalls. When I look back at them, they are wearing shit-eating grins on their faces.
"You claimin' Tequila, brother?" Riggs asks.
"Yeah, Prez. I'm claimin' my woman."
"Fuck, yeah!" Nova hollers. "It's about fuckin' time you got your head out of your ass."
Vayda is the next to pipe up. "I'll drink to that."
She turns to me to see the annoyed look on my face. "What? It's true. Took your ass long enough."
Chapter Fourteen
Tequila
Acouple of days have passed since finding out Damien has a daughter and the same amount of time since bringing her home with us. It's going about as well, or I should say as rough as I expected it to go. "She has hardly stepped foot out of her room since we arrived." Scooping the chopped garlic off the cutting board, I toss it into the skillet with the green beans.
"Give her time. It's a big adjustment. At least she's eating the food you've been taking up to her room." Malik tries reassuring me as he salts the steaks he is about to cook on the grill.
"I guess." Shrugging my shoulders, I turn the fire down on the stove and place the lid on the skillet, letting them simmer. Turning, I take a few steps and lean my hip against the side of the kitchen island. "I can't help but feel a little bummed. I want to get to know my niece. Right now, all I get are resentful glares and short, clipped thank you's." Folding my arms, I sigh.
Stopping what he's doing, Malik reaches out, hooks his finger into the belt loop of my jeans, and pulls me into him. "We've only known her for a few days, but I can tell you with certainty Sydney is a lot like you," he kisses the top of my nose, "stubborn, strong-willed, and determined to do things in her own time on her own terms."
I hate to admit it, but Malik is right. My brother was the same way too. Dipping his head, Malik kisses me just below my ear, sending shivers down my spine, causing my skin to prickle. "Speaking of," he whispers. Lifting his head, he looks beyond my shoulder, and I turn. "I'll be outside." He kisses my temple.
"Hey," I acknowledge Sydney as she shuffles into the kitchen, heading toward the refrigerator.
"Hey," she retrieves a can of soda, then sits on the stool across the counter from me.
Smiling at her, I do my best to interact. "Piper asked about you today. She wants to text you sometime, maybe take you to the mall this weekend. If you're up to it, I could give you her number." At first, all I get out of her is a small shrug of the shoulders.
"Maybe," Sydney finally speaks.
"Great. Hey, listen, you think you could help me with dinner? Those potatoes there," I point to the steaming pile of cooked potatoes in the colander as they drain in the sink, "need to be mashed." I wait for her to respond, but after a few seconds, I tell her, "that's okay. You don't have to. I just thought…"
"Okay." Sydney stands from her seat, and I want to do a victory dance, but I hold in my excitement. Tiny battles won are better than none at all.
"Toss them back in that pot there. You'll find the milk and butter in the refrigerator, and the hand mixer is in that drawer there next to the stove." Going to the freezer side of the refrigerator, I pull out a box of frozen buttered garlic bread. As Sydney gets her things for the mashed potatoes, I dig a cookie sheet out of the cabinet and place the bread on it. "You look like you know your way around a kitchen. Did you help Georgia, I mean, your mom a lot?" I strike up more conversation, hoping she will open up a bit more. Before long, she finally does.
"My mom let me cook all the time." She pours the milk into the pot, then drops butter in it as well. "Um, Vayda?"
"Yeah?" I slide the pan of bread into the oven.
"My mom said I need to get to know you and everything, but," she sighs, "it's tough. I don't know what to do. It feels awkward. The house is nice and everything, but I just don't want to be here." She cuts her eyes at me. "No offense."
I laugh. "None taken." Yep, she's a Wilder alright. Says what's on her mind. No filter. "To tell you the truth, I feel awkward too. I have no idea what I'm doing or how to do it when it comes to kids."
"That's okay. Most days, I have no idea what I'm doing either. Being eleven is not always easy, and as you now know, my life hasn't been typical. Not like some of my friends anyway." She plugs the mixer in and whips the potatoes.
