Page 54 of Dagger

And that shit was about to stop.

Elise had always loved her food, and I wanted to give something back to her. Furthermore, it wasn’t healthy for her to be so small. Her well-being was important to me, mainly because we both had to live until we were old and grey if we were gonna get back the years Henderson took from us.

It was too late to give her babies, but I could give her the family she yearned for and more.

I just needed to persuade Leesy to let me.

Chapter Ten

Elise

Time at the clubhouse seemed to whizz by in the blink of an eye.

I’d been cooped up in the same place for weeks now, but never once had I felt hemmed in or claustrophobic. On the contrary, I loved living at the clubhouse, I got to spend time with my daughter, my grandbaby, and my son-in-law, and I’d never felt more content.

Sophie was smart, funny, beautiful, and so damned caring of everybody. Getting to know her was as easy as breathing, and I fell in love with my daughter and her family a little more every day.

Every morning, I woke up and pinched myself. I couldn’t believe we were finally together. We got closer each day until I felt like I’d known her for years.

Belle was a dream, a little doll, perfect in every way, with her mom’s calm demeanor and dark pools for eyes, just like her daddy.

Atlas had me laughing out loud constantly, mainly because little Sunny—and by default, Kady—called him Assless and tortured him almost to death. He knew they ran rings around him, and he didn’t give one solitary fuck. It made me happy my granddaughter would grow up with a dad who would give herthat, along with his protection and more love than she’d know what to do with.

John’s boys and their wives were also sweet with me.

Cara, I knew through Junior, and I’d always liked her. She suited Cash mainly because she challenged him and was a patient mom to Wilder—even though he ran her off her feet most days.

Bowie and Layla were a little more reserved but still kind, though I suspected the more we got to know each other, the less awkward things would be between us.

My gaze slid to Kennedy, who at that precise moment was arguing on the phone with Robert’s lawyer. She was the best legal counsel I could’ve chosen, purely because she knew her job inside out and didn’t take any shit.

With Kit absent, Ned threw herself into taking Robert to the cleaners as well as planning her wedding. I admired her and loved how much she adored her ol’ man. She was a lioness when it came to her kids, but with Kennedy, that fearlessness also extended to her man.

I’d given John up for Sophie, whereas Kennedy would raise hell on earth before she let any of her family go.

I wished I was more like her.

All the ol’ ladies were strong in their own ways. Thirty years ago, if somebody had told me the Speed Demons would revere their women, I wouldn’t have believed a word. But I was, suddenly, part of a club that put their ol ‘ladies and kids on a pedestal, and it was beautiful.

The MC had come a long way, and to my surprise, club life not only suited me, but it felt like home. Maybe because a part of me felt it was always meant to be mine. I’d encouraged John to go for his dream all those years ago, and I loved that he’d done everything he said he would and more.

The Speed Demons were their own little community, and the club’s relaxed way of life and easy relationships forced me to drop my guard without realizing I was doing it.

John and I were building a solid friendship, and I was enjoying the process of getting to know the man he’d become. The cool guy I’d loved as a girl was still there, but underneath, there was now an added goofiness that mainly came out around the kids.

Mason, Seraphina, Kai, Kady, and Sunny adored him, and John adored them right back. He spent hours—time he should’ve been working on club business—with Kai on his dirt bike and Mason on his rebuilt Harley, giving them instructions and tips on how to handle their rides, and soaking up every minute with them.

The girls were all John’s princess. He’d sit in the bar for hours to watch Kady practice guitar with pride shining from his eyes. He’d spar with Sunny so gently and carefully that my heart fluttered just watching them.

John loved the babies, too, and offered to watch them at the drop of a hat. There wasn’t a day that went by where, at some point, he didn’t have a baby strapped to his chest or a diaper bag slung over his shoulder.

After being cast out into the cold, being around so much warmth melted my icy heart at an alarming rate. I’d gone from living a life I detested to waking up with a smile and laughing daily, and it had happened in a matter of weeks.

“It’s assholes likehimwho give lawyers a bad name,” Kennedy bit out, stabbing her phone to disconnect the call. “He thinks he can bamboozle me with the law, except he can’t because I know the law better than him.” She dropped her cell onto the table and gave it the finger.

“I take it that didn’t go well,” I said with what I hoped was an understanding smile.

“It went great,” she corrected. “They’ll email the bank statements within the next hour.”

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