Page 1 of Big Red

Chapter One

BIG RED

Beep. Beep. Beep.Slamming my hand down on the worst creation known to man, I silence my alarm clock. I lay in silence for a few minutes before dragging myself out of bed.

Lately, my days seem to run together. Besides my kids, Colton and Cindy, I have nothing going for myself. Being a single dad is as hard as it gets. I never thought I would become a father, let alone a single father.

Growing up, seeing the things I did, I had zero desire to have children of my own.

I don’t regret my children. They’re the best things that ever happened to me. They soften my hard soul. When their mother, Chloe, told me she was pregnant, I couldn’t believe it. Literally.

She told me she was on the pill.

Yeah, she used the oldest trick in the book. I thought I could trust Chloe. We had been seeing each other for six months at the time. I wasn’t in love, but I did care for her. When she told me we didn’t have to use condoms anymore because she had gone and got the pill, I didn’t even hesitate to take her bare. I had been having sex since I was sixteen, and the thought of being inside a woman bare intrigued me.

Two months after having an insane amount of unprotected sex, she dropped the we’re-going-to-be-parents bomb. I’ve never been scared of anything, but the thought of being a parent at only twenty-four years old was enough to make me spiral.

During the first few months of her pregnancy, I spent time at the clubhouse avoiding her. When Smoke, our former club president, found out I wasn’t stepping up to the plate, that old bastard put a boot to my ass. He wasn’t going for it.

I was angry at the time. I didn’t appreciate him butting into my life, but in the end, he was right. From the moment I laid eyes on my daughter, I was a goner. I knew in that very moment there wouldn’t be a damn thing I wouldn’t do for her. And when Colton was born, it was like looking in the mirror.

Sometimes, it’s a bit freaky how much he cloned me—matching black hair and hazel eyes, not to mention the temper. He can be a calm little dude but piss him off, and he looks like a grenade getting ready to explode.

“DAD! WHAT DID YOU DO?!” he screams from down the hall.

See what I mean?

I know that tone. I don’t know what I’ve done, but it can’t be too bad. I just woke up.

Making my way out of my room, I follow the sound of giggles and Colt’s furious tone. “It’s not funny, Cindy. Look at this. Look whathedid!”

Okay. I don’t like the way he referred to me like I’m the plague. I highly doubt whatever’s got him tied in knots this morning is all that serious. Kids can be a little dramatic, especially in the mornings when they’re still tired.

Walking into the laundry room, I freeze at the catastrophe I’m staring at. Cindy sits on top of the washer, giggling into her hand while my son holds what used to be his whites, which are now pink.

Yikes.

I don’t know how I did this.

My helpful daughter picks up on my confusion and holds up one of his now-faded red socks.

“Dad, care to explain this?” His tone sounds like he’s bordering the line of a breakdown.

Every time I used to lose my temper, my mom always used to tell me my children would end up being little hulks in the making.

“Sorry, son. I don’t know how I missed that. But how about after school, we go shopping and replace all your whites?”

I’ll do anything to avoid an explosion today. It's Friday, and I just want a nice relaxing day before enjoying my weekend.

His frown quickly turns into a smile. He nods his head and gathers up the ruined whites.

“Where are you taking those?” I ask him as he walks out of the laundry room.

“To the trash where they belong.”

Shaking my head and chuckling, I turn to my daughter, who still thinks this is so funny. “Alright, you got your laugh for the morning. Go get dressed so we can head over to the clubhouse and eat breakfast before Gigi takes you to school.”

Gigi, aka mother hen of the compound. Her name is Crystal, but to all the children on the compound, she’s ‘Gigi’, their surrogate grandma. She’s my club brothers Torch and Blade's mother and an absolute godsend. When their sisters came to the compound a few years back, they ended up falling head over heels in love with Viper and Bear.

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