Page 165 of Dagger

“How you doin’, Son?” I asked carefully. “Is your head together?”

His stare lowered to his fingers, and I caught the slight tremor in them. “Not entirely, but I’ll feel better after I take a nanna nap with Kady. Might need a few sessions at Grand Junction, too.”

“Anythin’ I can do for you, brother?” Cash asked, his tone full of concern.

My heart swelled.

A year ago, my oldest and youngest were at each other’s throats. Cash was still deep in therapy and angry at the world, while Kit was so unwell that he almost killed himself.

Seeing Xander extend a helping hand cemented the fact he was ready to take over the club. A big part of being prez was showing humility, and my oldest son had just displayed his beautifully.

“Probably best if I lay low for a few days,” Kit replied. “The noises and lights are a lot for me when I’m feeling low. Kitten and I have decided to move our shit down to the house later today. The threat’s gone now, so there’s no reason to be cramped up in one room anymore. And I could use the space from thehustle and bustle. I’ll be okay after a few sessions at the Vet Center and a good night’s sleep.”

“Layla asked me if we could move into the house this mornin’, too,” Bowie announced. “Told her I’d clear it first.”

“Wildcat’s goin’ to the grocery store later to pick up some snacks for home,” Cash informed us with a knowing grin. “Seems our ol’ ladies got together and decided they’d hit us with a triple whammy.”

We all chuckled, shaking our heads at the thought of our women trying to get one over on us. The thing was, it worked. Our ol’ ladies would get their way, just like they always did, because we’d give them anything in our power.

No question.

It was crazy to think how, over the years, every one of us had fucked up royally. We were stubborn men who’d all been damaged in untold ways. Every man at this table had lived in darkness, but our women, one by one, had brought us back into the light.

A small smile played around my mouth as my eyes slid across the table to Bowie.

My middle boy was a born father. When he wasn’t doing work for the club, you could find him with Layla and his kids. He took ‘em to theme parks, playgrounds, and often down the creek to teach Sunny how to fish and splash the little one’s feet in the water. Bowie promised Layla a big family vacation the following year at the beach, except he’d confided in me earlier that now the threat was over, he was actively trying to knock his Doe up again.

Maybe Layla’s family vacation would have to wait, because if I knew Bowie and his Supersperm, he’d succeed in his mission without much effort.

Cash had his boy, and he was happy with his lot.

Cara didn’t have Layla’s maternal instinct. She was a fabulous mother and loved Wilder to distraction. But he was a lot, and she struggled to keep up with him.

Maybe she’d give Xander another kid at some point, but I didn’t think it was his priority. Soon, he’d have to throw everything he had into taking over the club, and I knew my son would want his woman by his side—right where she belonged—when I handed him the gavel. It had taken Cash a long time to conquer his demons. It was a testament to his own will of iron that he’d smashed the crippling expectations that Bandit had laid on his shoulders when Xan was just a boy.

My ears pricked up when Breaker began to talk about the club run he wanted to organize in a few weeks, and my heart swelled with love for my sensitive youngest boy.

Admittedly, I hadn’t done right by him over the years. I left him hanging out to dry because he reminded me so much of myself when I returned from Kuwait. My biggest regret—apart from Elise—was not talking to him about our shared experiences, and the shame I felt in myself was something I’d have to live with for the rest of my life.

Kit had morphed from the son I wrote off to the brother I trusted the most with the lives of the people connected to the club. He was strong, good, and decent, and I was in awe of how he’d turned his life around. My Kit was a born protector. It started with his country and ended with his family and club, and I loved him all the more for it.

Atlas’s booming laugh pulled me from my thoughts, and I grinned at its infectiousness.

My SAA was solid, and there wasn’t a man in the world who I would’ve preferred to be with my oldest child more than that crazy fucker.

Atlas had gone from a man who didn’t want connection to a man who couldn’t live without it, and the care and attention he bestowed on Sophie and Belle made my heart sing.

Danny had become a father at an early age when his own passed away and he’d taken over the parental responsibility for his younger sister. Over the years, he’d worked hard to provide not only material things but also support, and it came at a cost; he never got to be a kid, but the benefits it gave him as a man couldn’t be ignored.

My oldest girl recognized what he needed and fought to give it to him. She was fierce, caring, and beautiful inside and out. Sophie Woods—nee Green—nee Stone—had a way about her that made people trust, and Atlas knew those parts of his ol’ lady needed to be protected at all costs for the good of humanity.

And he did it gladly, every day of his life.

My melancholy mood made my mind turn to my baby, Freya, and as always, my heart ached because she wasn’t here.

What made my cross harder to bear was the reason she left. As always, my ego prevailed, and I drove my baby away. There was so much of my dad inside my heart that it scared me. What if, eventually, I drove everybody I loved away?

My eyes flickered over my boys, and it hit me.

---