Page 19 of Wrath's Redemption

"Wouldn't be the worst thing," he murmurs, pressing a kiss to my shoulder. "Anna could use a brother or sister."

The casual way he says it – like having another child together is a foregone conclusion – makes my heart skip. Twenty-four hours ago, he didn't even know he had a daughter. Now he's already thinking about more children.

"One crisis at a time," I tell him, though I can't deny the image that flashes through my mind – a little boy with Wrath's dark eyes and my smile, Anna cuddling next to him.

His arm tightens around my waist, pulling me closer against his chest. The steady thump of his heartbeat against my back is oddly comforting.

"You're right," he says, his voice softer than I've ever heard it. "First we get Anna's surgery sorted. Then..." His lips brush my neck. "Then we figure out the rest."

The rest. Such a simple phrase for something so complicated. Moving in together, merging our lives, figuring out how a kindergarten teacher and a biker can make this work.

"Wrath?" I whisper, suddenly needing to know. "What is this? Between us?"

He's quiet for a long moment, his thumb tracing circles on my hip.

"You know what it is," he finally says. "What it's been since that first night. Anna just gave us the excuse to stop running from it."

"And the club?" I ask. "Will they accept... this?"

His laugh rumbles against my back. "Baby, you just gave Iron & Blood its first princess. Trust me, they already love you."

As if on cue, a baby's laugh echoes from upstairs, followed by what sounds like Crow making motorcycle noises. Wrath's body relaxes at the sound.

"Should we go check on her?" I ask, though my body protests the idea of moving.

"Nah." He presses another kiss to my shoulder. "Hellfire and my brother got her. Besides..." His hand slides up to cup my breast. "I'm not done with you yet."

Heat pools in my belly again at his words, at the possessive way he touches me. "Oh really?"

"Really." He shifts his hips, and I feel him hardening again inside me. "Got a year to make up for."

As his hands start to roam my body with renewed purpose, I realize something: This dangerous man, this biker who deals in violence and blood, has somehow become my safe harbor. The father of my child. The keeper of my heart.

It should feel overwhelming, this sudden change in our lives. Instead, as Wrath's hands and lips begin to work their magic on my body again, it just feels like coming home.

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

A MONTH LATER

The hospital waiting room is too bright, too sterile. My hand grips Wrath's so tightly my knuckles are white, but he doesn'tcomplain. He sits beside me, still as a statue, only the muscle jumping in his jaw betraying his tension.

I still can't believe how quickly he made this happen. True to his word, the morning after that first night, he'd made some calls. By afternoon, we had an appointment with the best pediatric cardiac surgeon in the state. By the end of the week, Anna was scheduled for surgery.

"Money's not an issue," he'd said when I tried to discuss payment. "The club has resources."

I didn't ask where those resources came from. Some things, I've learned, are better left unknown.

The sound of boots on linoleum makes me look up. The entire waiting room is filled with leather-clad bikers. Crow paces near the vending machines, while Hellfire sits stoically in the corner, his presence somehow reassuring. Angel and Ruthless occupy the chairs across from us, and various other members are scattered around, all wearing their cuts despite the hospital staff's obvious discomfort.

Iron & Blood showed up in force for their princess.

"She's strong," Wrath says suddenly, his voice rough. "Like her old man."

I squeeze his hand. "Like both her parents."

The past 3 weeks have been a whirlwind. Moving into Wrath's house (he refused to let us stay at the clubhouse permanently), watching him become a father (he's surprisingly good at bedtime stories), navigating this new life together (my kindergarten class loves when he picks me up on his bike).

"You’re Anna’s parents, right?"

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