Page 7 of Selah's Wish

The door to the waiting room slams open, hitting the wall and Wrecker is standing there in a daze. “He’s here.”

Shouts of congratulations are shared as I stand up on shaky legs. Laney and I clasp hands as we shuffle our way in front of him. Both of us synchronously asking, “How’s Harper?”

“Tired, but she’s resting,” he states.

“And our nephew?” I continue seeking answers.

“He’s perfect. So fucking perfect. Here, I have photos.” Gabriel, Laney, and I close in on him as he scrolls through his phone’s album.

“What did you name him?” Gabriel asks.

“Stone. His middle name is Gabriel,” Wrecker proudly tells us, slapping our brother on the back. If our youngest sibling had questions on whether Wrecker has forgiven him and accepted that he had no other alternative than what he was forced to do at the community, this answers that confusion.

“I’m honored,” Gabriel says, his voice choking. “Thank you, brother. I’ll make my nephew proud to carry a piece of my name.”

“I know you will,” Wrecker agrees, pulling Gabe into a backbreaking embrace, pounding him on the shoulder. “I know he will because I’m already proud of the man you’ve become.”

FIVE

Butcher

As the oldladies gather around Harper, oohing and aahing at the baby boy in her arms, Wrecker stands back at my side wearing a smile I’ve never seen him have before. I remember this feeling well when Nitro was born. Unlike him, I didn’t get to experience it with the woman I love. Instead, I was put into a father’s room, one where they put men, who for one reason or another can’t be in with their baby’s mother.

In my case, it was due to the fact that a club whore entrapped me by poking holes in the condom, thinking if she wound up pregnant, I’d claim her as mine. It had the opposite effect of what she wanted. After Nitro was born, I kicked that bitch to the curb once she got a wad of cash and signed on the dotted line giving up her parental rights. There was no way I was going to share custody with a manipulative, shady ass bitch. There’s no telling what she’d end up doing with my boy. I may not have a bucketful of values, but I’d never trick someone and mess with their future.

I may hate the way he came about but I don’t regret Nitro. I never will. My son is everything. He’s the best thing outside of Selah and the girls that ever happened to me. Looking around the crowded room I release a chuckle. There’s a reason Wrecker paid a wack to have this particular post-partum room. It’s due to its size considering it’s now crowded with men and women who belong to the Imperial Knights. I stand shoulder to shoulder with Wrecker on one side and Brick on the other.

Wrecker pats me on the shoulder as he walks toward the middle of the room where he loudly clears his throat, ceasing all conversation taking place. “We had a hard decision to make in regard to our son and who would become his godparents. We both have siblings we love with every beat of our heart, but we also have brothers and sisters within the club that we’d both lay our lives on the line for.”

Cheers reverberate around the room accompanied by the stomping of feet. We may not be religious in the aspect of godparents but we have our own version of what that means to us. When we make these determinations, it’s not necessarily because we want you to be responsible for them monetarily if we were to pass in the line of our club duties, but because we want you to be there for them, teach them, make sure they stay as safe as humanly possible. Family, nine times out of ten, will end up with custody of our children, but our club will step in, play the big sister, and brother roles—if we end up roaming in the spirit realm.

Wrecker picks up his speech where he drifted off from a few seconds ago. “If we had our choice, every one of you would be declared his godparent. You all mean something to us,” he says, patting his chest. “But when we got to the heart of the matter, we decided we wanted our son to know he belonged to the ImperialKnights, to both the Cedar Creek branch and the Roanoke branch of our wild and unruly family. Therefore, our Roanoke choices are Brick and Ryleigh.”

Brick has a shocked look plastered on his face, and his old lady, Ryleigh, has tears dripping down her cheeks. “I’m honored, brother. We won’t disappoint you.” Ryleigh perks up and shoots both Wrecker and Harper a beaming smile, nodding her head in thanks.

“We know you won’t, Brick,” Wrecker confirms. “You do your name proud, my brother. You’re as hard as stone, but your brick and mortar will protect him, even if that’s against himself.”

Harper clears her throat and picks up where her man left off. “Cedar Creek was a little harder to decide. Since we aren’t your typical mom and dad, we figured going outside of what’s considered normal wouldn’t be unexpected.”

“You got that right,” Prowler whoops, laughing.

Harper giggles, then says, “We wanted all of our siblings to play a key role in Stone’s upbringing. So, in our will it’ll state that Dragon and Laney get custody of him should something happen to the both of us.” Laney gasps, her hands cupped over her mouth and Dragon has a proud smile stretched across his face. “Gabriel and Butcher will be his godfathers and Selah, as well as Joceline, Butcher’s biological sister, will be his godmothers.”

“Joceline may not be patched into the club yet,” Wrecker stops speaking, giving Barracuda the side-eye. Okay, what the fuck? Joce is married to a motherfucker, but married, nonetheless. There’s a story there I’m missing, and I’d like to know what it is because that’s my sister they’re sharing covert looks about and I should be let in on any secrets regarding her. Looks likeCuda and I’ll be having a come to Jesus moment before the day is concluded. “But she’s been like a sister to me since the day I joined forces with Dragon and Butcher so she was a top candidate for the job in our opinion. Now, my old lady needs some bonding time with our boy, so I’m gonna kick all of you motherfuckers out.”

After a round of farewells and slaps on the back to Wrecker and kisses on the cheek and forehead to Harper, we rally the troops and head home. As we’re walking through the hospital’s corridor, I grab Cuda by the scruff of his neck and meet his eyes with mine. My look is meaningful, no words need to be shared for him to get the hint.

“I’ll be at the firepits with a bottle of whiskey when we get back. I’ll meet you there,” he tells me as I release him.

Selah’s hand slips into mine as she watches him walk away. “Whatever is happening, remember your sister is a grown ass adult, Butcher. If they’ve crossed any sort of line, she doesn’t need you going all caveman on her, she’s a loyal person. I can’t help but think if something did take place between the two of them, then her homelife isn’t as good as she wants you to believe it is.”

“I know, and that’s what worries me, Lah. She’s back home with that fuckface without me there as her backup. If she’s not sharing with me, then it’s bad. Really fucking bad,” I say, disdain laced in my words.

“Just be there for her, for both of them,” she encourages, squeezing my fingers.

“Always, Selah. But that doesn’t mean I appreciate being left in the dark, and I will be letting that fact known.”

“I haven’t slept with her,” Cuda says as soon as I flop down in the camp chair beside him.

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