Page 4 of Iron
CHAPTER ONE
Iron
Things sure had changed.
Even as I sat on the couch in the bar of the clubhouse, I was a little surprised at the scene I was currently in the middle of. It didn’t make me uncomfortable. Not at all. In fact, I think I felt more at home than I’d ever been.
The deep, low tone of my voice pushed out each word as Chry turned the pages of the book he wanted me to read to him. His little legs dangled off the edge of the couch and he was tucked against my side as much as he could be at the moment. He was turning the pages because both of my arms were currently full. Catherine in one arm and Sparrow stuffed in the other.
Yeah, there were kids now. Three of them and I knew there would be more to come.
“Yeah,” Mouse said causing me to look up at him. Lake and Bridget were standing beside him and all three of them wore matching amused expressions. “It’s Grandpa Iron, now.”
I snorted and shook my head.
“I’m not that damn old.” I shot them a look but I wasn’t really mad.
“Come on, Chry,” Mouse said calling him over. “Say bye to Grandpa Iron.” The damn fool had the nerve to snicker after.
“Later, Prez,” Chry said as he wrapped his arms around me as much as his tiny body could.
Mouse came over and carefully lifted a sleeping Sparrow out of my arms.
“Later, buddy,” I said and held my fist out for him to bump. Which he did with much enthusiasm.
That damn kid was cute. I had a feeling that he was going to be just like his dad and uncle when he grew up. Sure, Mouse didn’t share Chry’s blood, but that made him no less the boy’s dad. He was Chry’s dad in my eyes. In the clubs eyes. And even though Chry didn’t know the truth yet because he was too young to understand, I could see it in his eyes too.
“He wasn’t too much trouble?” Mouse asked.
I rolled my eyes at him and shook my head. I was still waiting for the day he’d stop askin’ me that shit. I loved hanging out with the kids and I did it as often as things would allow.
“Spent an hour up at the garage askin’ Ky about what each tool was used for.” I had been up there the whole time. And neither Ky or I got tired of his questions. It was adorable and I think it made Ky a little proud.
“Dad?” Chry asked softly as they walked away.
“Yeah, buddy?”
I heard Chry ask for tools for his birthday as they walked out. Specifically saying something about needing his own wrench set.
Damn kid was cute, that was for sure.
“You good?” Lake asked.
I looked down at a sleeping Catherine in my arms and smiled.
“I’m good,” I told him because I wasn’t ready to give her up. I figured Laurel would be here soon enough to get her, anyway.
“Alright,” he said. “See you in the morning then. Bright and early.”
“Bright and early,” I parroted.
There was always something to do but I realized that I had to take moments here and there to have some time for myself. Or to justbefor a bit. I always wore the President cap but that didn’t mean that I couldn’t hit pause for a few minutes. I was smart enough to know that this job came with a horse load of responsibility and if I let myself get buried in it, I wouldn’t be good to myself, let alone my club. So every now and then I had to put the shovel down and drink some sweet tea while watching the fuckin’ sunset.
Or something like that.
That didn’t mean that I sat back and let everyone handle everything, though. I was there for the runs. Not all of them, but I tried to switch it up so that everyone got a break. I was there doing patrols at the docks and at the container graveyard. You know, as much as I could. I wasn’t going to make anyone do something I wouldn’t do my damn self. And it was one thing to preach that, but it was another to show them. That was how I ran my club. That was the kind of leader I wanted to be. A man that stood on his feet and got dirty right along with his brothers.
Tomorrow was going to be a short run. Since we were handing over to a new club we had started working with, I wanted to go along. Had to size these fuckers up for myself. I trusted Axe, the Prez of the mother chapter, but I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if I didn’t know what I was up against.
