Page 35 of The Biker Needs A Nanny

When we get home, I notice she goes behind me and locks the front door. While I’m emptying the girls’ backpacks, I watch her move to the sliders that lead to the sunroom and check the lock.

Ella brings an ornament that she made in school today over to the Christmas tree. She stops, and her smile fades.

I move to her and lay a hand on her shoulder. I have to admit, it’s a sad-looking tree.

“Want to hang your ornament, honey?” I ask.

“Daddy?”

“Yes, baby.”

“Can we get a real tree this year?”

I glance at the ornaments. So many memories are contained in them. Everything in me wants to run out the door. But I force myself to stand here and look at them. The one that Melanie got when we first got married. The ones she got when the girls wereborn. One from when we went to Savannah, another from a trip to New Orleans.

It’s not that I have anything against a real tree, or the cost, or hauling it in. But the thought of having to rehang those ornaments, having to touch them, having to relive all those memories? I’m not sure I can do it.

“Please?”

“We’ll see,” I whisper.

Ella bursts into tears and runs from the room.

“They just want to spend time with you,” Grace says softly.

“Don’t tell me what my girls need,” I snap, the pain sharp.

“Well, you’re never here. How would you know what they need?” she snaps right back.

We’re both on edge, and the tension in the room is thick. I drag a hand through my hair. “I’ll talk to her.”

I go up to find Ella face down on her bed, her body shaking with sobs. I sit on the edge and rub her back.

“Okay, baby doll. We’ll get a tree. I promise.”

She sits up and hugs me, burying her face in my chest.

I stroke her hair, wanting to make her happy. I hate her tears. They tear my heart out. “We’ll get the best tree they’ve got, okay?”

She wipes her nose and sniffles. “Okay, Daddy. I love you.”

“I love you, too, honey. So much.”

I squeeze her tight.

“Now come downstairs and let’s get a snack.

After dinner, when the kids are in bed, I step onto the porch to make a call.

Our club enforcer picks up on the second ring.

“Yeah, VP. What do you need?”

“I need a home security system. Can you pick one up and bring it over?”

“I can get one tomorrow and set it up for you.”

“I want it tonight.”

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