Page 46 of Wild Child
“What do you want?” I get to the point. “I’m not giving up Charlie, so you’re wasting your breath if that’s what you came for.”
He huffs. “I know. You proved yourself there.”
He makes a fist and taps the table with it. “It’s a hard thing to give your little girl up to another man. I reacted badly, and I’m sorry.”
I uncross my arms. It takes a strong man to admit when he’s wrong, and I respect Raiden for that.
“I accept your apology, but it doesn’t change anything. We’re together now, and you need to get used to it.”
He drums his fist on the table, and his gaze goes to Charlie. “Is he treating you right? Is he looking after you?”
“You men.” She shakes her head and her eyes turn heavenward. “I can look after myself. We love each other. We’re together. Get over it, Dad.”
He smiles at her. “Same old Charlie.”
“But yes,” she mutters. “He’s treating me right.”
“Good. Because if I ever hear otherwise, I’ll set my wife’s family on you.” It’s not an idle threat. Isabella’s the daughter of a mafia boss.
“That won’t happen,” I say.
Raiden lets out a long sigh, and his shoulders sag. He puts his elbow on the table and rests his forehead on his palm.
“I overreacted, and I said some things in the heat of the moment that I didn’t mean.”
I put my hands on my hips, waiting to hear where this is going.
He looks up at me, and he’s no longer the wronged father but the friend I’ve known for the last ten years. The man I served beside, the man with the crazy idea to start a motorcycle club when we both found ourselves out of the institution we’d sworn our lives to.
“Will you come back?”
My chest lightens, and I steal a glance at Charlie. I poured my life into that club. That brewery’s my baby, but I walked awayfrom it for her, and I’d do it again if I have to. If she’d rather stay on the road and leave that all behind, then I will too.
She gives me a little nod, and my heart warms for her. She knows how much it means to me, and she won’t make me choose.
“Only if you promise you’re cool with me and Charlotte.”
Raiden nods. “I promise.”
Charlie stands and takes my hand. “Even if we decide to have a baby together.”
Raiden runs a hand through his hair. “Jesus, are you…”
“No.” She laughs. “But you have to be prepared Dad, because this is serious.”
I put my arm around my girl and pull her to my side.
“Yes,” he says. “I’m okay with it. Just please come back. The place is falling apart without you, and the guys are giving me death stares and calling me a hypocrite behind my back.”
I chuckle and he laughs, and the last of the tension falls out of the room.
“I’ll come back,” I tell him. “But we’re going to finish our road trip first.”
“You’d better hurry, ‘cause Kendra was having labor pains this morning.”
“What?” The thought of my little sister having her baby without me has me reaching for my jacket.
“Relax,” says Raiden. “They were the false ones. But I don’t think that baby’s going to go to full term.”
