Page 14 of A Christmas Surprise for the Biker

Braelynn relaxes slightly, offering a small smile. “Thank you. It's nice to meet you.”

“Come on,” I say, guiding her further into the room. “I want to introduce you to everyone else.”

As we make our rounds, Braelynn holds her own, charming my brothers and their old ladies alike.

Kierra, Viper's old lady, immediately takes my girl under her wing, cooing over Ryder and filling her in on all the gossip. The tension in Braelynn’s shoulders gradually eases as she starts to realize there’s no judgment here.

“Brother,” Sparrow says as he comes to stand next to me, his eyes zeroing in on his wife and twins before coming to me. “When you meeting with your PO?”

The question brings me crashing back to reality. “Tomorrow,” I reply, keeping my tone neutral.

Knox grunts, overhearing our conversation as he joins us. “Fucking waste of time, if you ask me. You did your time.”

I shrug, not wanting to get into it today. “It is what it is.” And that’s the truth whether any of us like it or not. It fucking sucks that I lost so much over the last year, but there’s nothing I can do to change that now. I’m moving forward.

Thorn clasps a hand on my shoulder. “I'll send Oakland and the girls over to keep Braelynn company while you're gone. Mila’s missed you, so be prepared.” I grin. I know she has. She was the first person to notice when I walked in yesterday. To say the little shit went berserk is an understatement.

“Appreciate you not telling her the truth about where I was.” He shrugs like it’s not a big deal, but it is.

Fuck. One day I’ll have to admit to my own son that I was locked up, and I’m not sure how I’ll do it.

No need in borrowing that trouble right now.

Braelynn glances over, and I can see the concern in her eyes. I give her a reassuring smile, silently promising we'll talk about it later.

“SOUPS ON!” G bellows across the common room, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Don’t make her say it twice,” Knox says, making his way over to his old lady and planting a kiss on her lips. I watch as the former club girl throws her head back and laughs out loud, pure joy written all over her face. Anyone with eyes could see that Knox had an obsession with G when she showed up years ago. It’s good to see our enforcer happy.

As we gather around the table, the conversation shifts, and soon the clubhouse is filled with stories of Christmases past, both the good and the disastrous. Braelynn relaxes, laughing at Kierra's tale of the time Viper nearly burned down their house trying to deep-fry a turkey.

The night wears on and I find myself holding Ryder, his tiny hand wrapped around my finger as he sleeps. The sight of him in his little cut, nestled against my chest, fills me with a peace I've never felt before.

“He looks good on you,” Viper says, coming to stand beside me.

I nod, unable to tear my eyes away from my son’s face. “Never thought I’d want this.”

“That’s how it goes,” Viper admits, his voice serious, “then you have them, and the whole fucking world feels different. Things you never worried about before stay at the forefront of your mind, and you start seeing danger fucking everywhere. You think nothing can scare you, but then you look at them,” he nods to Ry, “and you start to see all the threats out there in the worldin a different way.” Viper stands up straighter. “The club will always come first, but now you've got more than just yourself to think about.”

I meet his gaze, understanding the weight of his words. “I’ll fucking die before I let anything touch them.”

He claps me on the shoulder, but his eyes go to his wife and son stretched out on the sofa across the room. “Yeah.”

I nod, feeling the truth of his words settle in my chest. This is more than just me now.

As the night winds down, I find Braelynn deep in conversation with Sierra and Oakland. She looks up as I approach, her eyes shining with happiness.

“Ready to head out, baby?” I ask, shifting Ryder in my arms.

She nods, saying her goodbyes.

Outside, I help Braelynn into the SUV, then carefully secure Ryder in his car seat.

“So,” I say, sliding into the driver's seat, “what did you think?”

“They're... not what I expected. But in a good way.”

I reach over, taking her hand in mine. “Thanks for doing this tonight.”

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