Page 31 of Bren

“Thank Christ that’s over, baby,” Alec whispers against my temple. “Maybe now we can have a party and have you officially become my Old Lady.”

Tilting my head back so that I can see his eyes, I grin, “Set it up, I can’t wait to get my cut. It’s way past time, don’t you think?”

“Way past time, baby,” he agrees. “Are you about done here?” he asks.

“She’s done,” Ellie says with a laugh. I’d been so engrossed in Alec that I’d forgotten we had an audience. Turning towards where Dad and Ellie are still standing, I catch Dad smiling before he changes it to a scowl, but I know that he is happy that Alec and I have found our way, as bumpy as it has been.

“I’ll send a message out,” Dad assures me. “We’ll do it tonight; it’s Friday, so you lot may want to let your group know of the change of plans and cancel your table at the Café. We’ll barbecue; it’s not that cold.”

“Sounds like we have a plan. Do you want me to stop and get the meat?” I ask, and Dad nods.

“I’ll go with you,” Alec says, letting me go and walking towards the playpen that Lexi’s lying in and picking her up. Wrinkling his nose when he lifts her to his face, he blows a raspberry on her cheek, saying, “I swear, baby girl, you know when I’m going to pick you up and keep the smelly ones for me.”

Picking up her diaper bag, he takes her over to the small changing station, the same one that Mum had used for KJ when he was a baby. Catching Dad watching Alec with a smirk from the corner of my eye, I turn and look at him with my eyebrowsraised as if daring him to say something. They’d had their time, and I knew that if they happened to be in the ring together, then Dad went hard at Alec. I was about done with their idiocy. Alec and I were good, and the rest of the males in my family better start getting on board, or I was going to have to get involved.

Dad must have read my expression because he just smiles sweetly before saying, “We’ll see you later, baby girl. Love you.”

Ellie snorts out a small laugh, and Sam’s Old Lady outright laughs at his comment. Narrowing my eyes, I ask, “Will you take Ellie home then?”

Dad nods and turns to Ellie, “Grab your stuff, kiddo, let’s get this show on the road.”

Ellie rolls her eyes at being called kiddo but does as Dad asks. We all end up leaving together, with Alec driving me and Lexi, as he’d left his bike at the house this morning.

We stop off at the grocery store and load up on meat for tonight, as well as dessert, that way Aunt Maggie can take a break. I’m excited to receive my cut because it’s not something I’d ever expected, especially not from Alec.

In the backseat, Lexi is making happy cooing sounds while batting at the toys dangling from her car seat, and with Alec next to me, I realise that for the first time in a long time, I have no worries, and I’m happy. So bloody happy. It’s an amazing feeling to have.

All my life, I’d worried, first about Ben, then Ellie when she came along. How to keep us all safe and fed while we still lived with our biological parents. Then when Mum and Dad took us in, at first, I worried for how long before they gave us back; that worry didn’t go away until they adopted us. Then I worried about ensuring that we all had enough money, and I spent the next years working at ensuring we had businesses that would keep usall employed and making money, but I especially needed for the businesses to be successful to keep Mum, Dad, KJ, Ellie, and Ben afloat should anything happen. I was happy and worry-free for what felt like the first time ever.

A smile lifts the corner of my lips up slightly, “What are you smiling at, baby?” Alec asks, taking my hand from where it rests on his thigh and kissing my fingers.

Tilting my head towards him, still smiling, I tell him, “I’m happy, Alec, for the first time that I can remember, I’m completely happy and worry-free. You are a huge part of that.”

Alec’s face softens, “You deserve it, Bren. If anyone deserves to be happy, it’s you. I’ll do my best to make sure that you always are.”

My heart warms at his words. Who’d have thought that we’d ever end up here? It’s taken years and lots of heartache for both of us, but after tonight I’d finally be all his. We’d be married… well, in the biker world anyway.

Chapter 17

ALEC

Watching Bren smile happily and with Lexi cooing from the back seat, it hit me that I was finally grown up.‘Holy fuck,’I thought, waiting for the familiar panic to take me at the thought of being responsible. When it didn’t, I was both surprised and relieved. I’d kept my worries to myself that maybe I wouldn’t be what they needed, no matter how much I wanted to be. Instead, relief filled me at Bren’s words that she was happy, and if my chest puffed up with pride that I was part of the reason, nobody but me had to know. After tonight we’d be married in the eyes of the biker world; I planned on marrying her legally in the not-too-distant future too.

Sam, Ben, and the rest of our group are waiting for us when we arrive and make quick work of unpacking the groceries. The festive air is a marked difference to the stressed atmosphere we’d been walking around in for the last few weeks while the threat to Bren and Ellie had been around.

Ben opens the back door to get Lexi out, leaving Bren for me. Going around to Bren’s side of the vehicle, I help her down and wrap my arms around her in a hug, smiling when she returns it with a squeeze of her own.

Before we head to the clubhouse, I need a bit of time alone with her. We stand there as the voices of our family fade away downthe path that leads to the clubhouse, taking our daughter with them.

Once we were alone, I thread my fingers through Bren’s long hair and tug gently on the strands to bring her gaze up to mine. When her attention is fixed on me, only then do I speak because I need her to know that I love and need her, “I love you, Bren. Thank you for agreeing to be my Old Lady. I can’t imagine my life without you and Lexi in it. I’m sorry it took me so long to pull my head out of my arse, but I promise that you’ll never have to worry about me ever hurting you like that again.”

Bren’s eyes soften and tears fill her eyes. Her lip trembles slightly when she replies, “Thank you for asking me. I love you, always have, always will.”

Lowering my head, I press my lips to hers in a soft kiss. Bren’s open, allowing me entry, tongues intertwining as I deepen our kiss. Lowering my hands from around her waist, I wrap them around her thighs and lift, groaning slightly as her legs wrap around me. Walking us, I rest her back against our vehicle for support.

A door closing in the distance pulls me out of our kiss, reminding me where we are and that anyone could walk in on us at any moment. Ripping my mouth from Bren’s, I nip and suck at her neck when she tilts her head back to take a breath, “Fuck, Bren, you make me lose my mind, baby.”

Bren giggles, “I’d apologise, but I’m not sorry. Put me down for a minute.”

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