Page 29 of Derick

As soon as I said ‘chapter of members’, I saw when Ruby realized it was a biker gang that took my brother and me. She sighed. “Was it my father’s gang?”

“Yeah, but a different state’s chapter.” I gathered her as I stepped under the shower spray. My anger that usually rose when I spoke of all this was simmering, but nothing like what it normally was; with Ruby close, I was still content. Her presence calmed me.

She was quiet while we showered and left the room covered with a fluffy towel. “Okay, let’s go get Hope, and I’ll have a chat with her. But I want to go through the stuff and be there when Hope picks out what she wants.”

Going to my walk-in closet, I grabbed a shirt for Ruby and got my own clothes and placed them on the bed. I handed Ruby the shirt. “Thank you. I don’t think you know how much I appreciate you being so easy about this.” My thumb caressed her cheek. I loved how soft her skin was. “Hope is your daughter and you’ve done an amazing job. I know you deserve to get to do things like this party for her, but I really appreciate you sharing this with my mother. I promise she means well. Thank you.” I leaned down and captured her lips to my own. I wanted to show her how much I appreciated her letting not just me but my whole family into her and Hope’s lives.

When I stepped back, I loved the golden-eyed gaze she set on me as her beaming smile lit up her whole face. “I can’t believe you’re thanking me.”

She shoved the shirt of mine over her head, and it fell to cover just past her arse. Ruby looked damn sexy in my shirt. My cock was hard from our shower, but right now it was painful as I stared at her arse as she walked to the door.

“What your mother is doing is helping me. She’s giving my daughter what I could only ever dream of giving her. So I should be the one doing the thanking.” She spun at the door and lookedme up and down. “I’ll meet you downstairs to take Hope on a walk. We can talk to her then.” She looked me up and down one more time, staring longer at my hard dick. The little minx licked her lips and then nibbled on her bottom lip as she turned and rushed out of the room.

“Fuck,” I moaned as my lust skyrocketed.

I clenched my fists and took a deep breath in before I slowly released it, so I didn’t go and chase my little vixen of a woman down. I turned and grabbed my boxers, knowing I would probably look like a grinning loon to anyone who saw me right now. I was one very lucky man to be blessed with Ruby.

“Daddy, whyzd Mummy comes from yours roomed?”

Shit! I startled when I exited my room and Hope was waiting, a bag overflowing with dolls, tea party stuff, and other toys were scatter in the hall between the three rooms Ruby, Hope, and I stayed in. Hope usually went to my parents in the mornings, as after my mother came and got her every morning for over a week straight, Hope then decided to just get up and go to my mother instead. My parents were early risers. So I was surprised to see Hope waiting and not with Nanny and Poppy.

Hope had her own room next to Ruby’s, and their rooms were across from me. The door handle to Ruby and Hope’s rooms had been moved lower so it was easier for Hope to enter and exit. We now had mini-stools scattered around the house for Hope too so she could reach things.

I had a feeling Hope had chosen her outfit today. She was adorable, as always, her ringlets in disarray with a bunch of pink Disney princess ribbons clipped all over. She wore a purple tutu skirt, a yellow shirt with a unicorn on it, and bright, sparkly rainbow boots. She didn’t match at all, but it worked.

“Princess, where is your mum?”

“Mummy gets dressed. I sawed her comes from yours roomed, butts I waited fors you.” She gave me a beaming smile. I crouched down and picked her up and kissed her cheek.

“Mummies and daddies sleep in the same room. Like Nanny and Poppy do.”

She nodded her head dramatically. “Aha, ’liva’s mummy and daddy sleep in same roomed. She’d tolds me. So dos Zoes.” Those were the two girls Hope was closest to at daycare. She gazed at me with big, bright eyes that were just like her mother’s. “Does yous snoreded like Poppy? Poor Nanny.” She shook her head and frowned.

Chuckling, I go to her room so I can fix her hair and make sure she has underwear and socks on. Her room looked like a toy store had exploded in it. I wondered how long she’d been up. I knew our housekeeper cleaned Hope’s room every day. I had a feeling today it would take her longer than it usually did to tidy. I wondered why Hope didn’t come into the room to wake Ruby and I up.

“No, baby girl, I don’t snore like Poppy.” I put her down and searched her dressing table for the brush. “Mummy did though.” I winked at her, and she giggled. “Why didn’t you come and wake us?”

“Nooo,” she said between giggles. “Mummy nots snoreded. I knowed. I watched her alls the times.”

Finding the baby hairbrush, I gripped it in one hand while I bopped her on the nose and then carefully removed some of the clips from her curls. “You’re right. I was just tricking. Why didn’t you come into the room and wake us?”

“I tells Nanny I go to Mummy, butts she not in her room.” She shrugged. “Sos I waits for her. I sees her comes from yours.” She dramatically looked around. “I sneaks and watchs. Shes goes to hers. Sos isa went and gots my toys so wes can plays when she dressed. I want Mummy.” She placed her hands on her hips and yanked her head away from me as I got the last clip out.

“Princess, le?—”

“Hope Decker. Where are you, young lady?” Ruby’s voice had turned darker. It was a mum voice. I’d never heard her use this stern voice before.

“Oh nos, isa in troubles.” Hope’s big gaze darted around the room before she ran around to hide behind my legs as Ruby entered the room, her hands filled with the toys from the hall and the sitting room they had.

Ruby tripped on a stuffed teddy and stumbled, dropping things. She gasped. “Who did this to your room? Hope Decker, this is not how we keep our room, is it?” Ruby placed the things left in her arms on the bed. She shook her head as she looked around the room. Her eyes narrowed when they caught mine, and her lips thinned in a frown when she spotted Hope hiding behind my legs. “We will be tidying this now.” Ruby had her hands on her hips as she looked at Hope, who now clung to my legs.

Now, I usually wasn’t so stupid as to interfere with a mother and child, but Hope was so cute and only two, she shouldn’t have to clean this, but I should have known to keep my mouth shut. “It’s all good. The cleaner will just clean it like she always does.”

Ruby’s gaze snapped to mine. “What do you mean ‘like the cleaner always does’?”

“Ooohhhh, troubles.” Hope’s whispered voice had a chuckle I tried to cover with clearing my throat. I leaned down and picked her up. She was just so adorable.

“No,” Ruby snapped. “Put her down, Derick. There will be no park until this is tidy. She needs to learn to clean up. Toys are in the hall, sitting room, and Hope knows we don’t get more toys out until we’ve finished playing with the others. Right, Hope?” Ruby dropped one of her hands from her waist and raised a brow, waiting for Hope’s answer.

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