Page 56 of Legacy

Soul was wrong when he said I should fuck her out of my system. She’s under my skin. In my bones. At the pit of my soul. There’s no getting enough.

Her skin bathed in moonlight is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

She wanted it. Begged for it. She felt so good I didn’t even second-guess the fact that I was taking her bare. I didn’t have a condom on me, and I couldn’t find it in me to give a fuck.

It’s a dangerous line of thinking.

She deserves more than a biker who wants to twist her into a pretzel and ruin her for all other men. Or worse, do something more permanent. But if she’s not careful, that’s what she’s going to get.

The sun breaks the horizon as Ghost and I ride the final stretch to the compound. Some of the guys are probably still partying, while Reagan went to bed hours ago. It’s been a long night, and I could use some sleep, but it’s also Bea’s first day of kindergarten, so my head won’t be hitting the pillow for a while.

At least the mess at the strip club is under control. When Ghost and I showed up, we were cornered by a group of pissed-off strippers who were upset their paychecks had bounced.

The Iron Sinners finally figured out we drained their ancillary bank account and found a way to pay us back for it by planting a code in the bank’s system to reject anything tied to our payroll account.

Ghost dealt with the issue in the system, but it took all night. And while he was hiding behind his screen doing whatever it is he does to fix shit, I was stuck talking down pissed-off strippers with Kansas.

Which is why it’s a relief to reach the compound gates. Ghost rolls to a stop at my side while we wait for the prospects to open them.

“You coming to the clubhouse?” he yells over the engines.

I shake my head, and he takes off in that direction, while I peel to the left and head for the neighborhood.At this rate, I’ll barely have time to shower before I have to take Bea to her first day of school.

School.

My chest tightens.

How is she already old enough for that?

When I look into her bright-blue eyes, I still see the little girl who refused to sleep anywhere but on my chest until she was six months old. I see those little fingers that would wrap around one of mine when she cried. I see her blonde hair getting blonder and her first giggle turning into bigger laughs.

I hear her voice that first time she said Daddy.

My whole chest squeezes.

I’m not ready for Bea to take this next step, even if she is. Next thing I know, I’ll be buying her dresses for school dances and preparing for her graduation.

Being a father wasn’t something I planned, but that little girl is my whole heart walking around outside of me.

My house comes into view up ahead, and the invisible band around my ribs tightens. It doesn’t let go when I come to a stop and cut the engine. I peel off my helmet and rake my hair off my forehead.

It’s still early, but the sun is already warming the air.

The porch steps creak under my boots, and when I step inside, I’m in a different universe than the one I spent last night in. Glitter and throbbing lights are replaced by the warm glow of the sun streaming through the windows and the smell of breakfast.

Bacon. Pancakes.

I tell myself I’m hungry, and that’s why my stomach clenches. Not the fact that walking down the hall feels like coming home to something I shouldn’t be allowed to keep for too long.

Bea’s music fills the house. She’s listening to the soundtrack for her favorite princess movie and singing along. It pulls my exhausted body down the hall, toward the music and voices.

Margaret sits on one of the barstools in the kitchen, smiling as she talks to Reagan. Her eyes are brighter than they’ve been in recent days. There’s color to her cheeks, and she’s smiling brightly.

I wish that meant she’d get better, but I know it’s only because the doctors have pulled back on the medications that were making her hazy.

“Look what the cat dragged in,” Margaret says when she spots me coming around the corner.

“Daddy!” Bea drops her backpack and runs over to me, launching herself into my arms. “You made it.”

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