Page 6 of Falling for Lucifer
He nodded, and a second later, they heard the sound of Ellodie’s phone ringing from the corner of the room where her purse was before it stopped.
“I’ll hit you up.”
Harley walked back into the room, interrupting their moment. A sad look covered her face, and Ellodie already knew what that meant. “She wasn’t in there. I’m sorry, Ello. Is there anything else you need?”
Tears stung the back of her eyelids, so she focused back on her daughter. “No, I have everything I need right here.” She looked back up at Harley, who looked dog tired. “Go home, girl. Get some rest.”
Harley breathed in relief but looked at Ellodie with worry painted across her features. “Are you sure? I don’t mind hanging around a bit longer.”
Ellodie shook her head. “I’m sure. Go rest.”
“Okay,” Harley said hesitantly, “but call me if you need anything. The nurses will take it from here and help you get cleaned up and adjusted to motherhood. I’ll stop by your place in a couple of days for my first follow up visit, okay?”
All Ellodie could muster was a head nod because she realized she would be left completely alone with her daughter, and thatterrified her, but it was her job. She prepared for this, and it was time to put her big girl panties on and do it.
Harley gave her a quick hug, and it surprised Ellodie when Lucifer grabbed her hand and kissed it tenderly. She managed to lift her tear-filled eyes to meet his gaze, and he gave her an encouraging smile.
“I’ll hit you up soon.” With that, he and Harley were gone, but Lucifer managed to leave her with something to look forward to.
“Lil nigga, you need to slow the hell down before my size fourteen foot goes upside ya head.”
Hade’s booming voice startled Dante so badly he tripped and fell right on the hardwood floor of the dining room.
Eris hopped up while Cade’s shoulders shook with laughter.
“Hades, cut it out. You’re always startling my baby,” Eris complained as she helped Dante stand up. He was a tough boy who didn’t cry much, not even when it came to his uncle Hades. He did, however, mean mug Hades as he slowly walked out of the dining room to go play with his Switch in the living room, no doubt.
Lucifer shook his head and shoved a heaping forkful of sweet potatoes into his mouth. Family time was always chaotic, but Lucifer loved it. All he had was his family, and if it wasn’t for them, he probably wouldn’t have much of a social life. It wasn’t that he disliked people. He just grew up with a strange familydynamic. His father had two faces. He always ran in the political circles in Ellwood and served as a judge for many years. He could charm the panties off a nun and make a crook look like a saint. When he got home, he had a problem keeping his hands to himself though. His mother and Hades were always on the other end of his fists. The two of them worked overtime to keep his father from turning his rage toward him and his sister.
It was always a big family secret that caused Hades, Lucifer, and Eris to stick to themselves. When their mother killed herself when Lucifer was only fifteen, Hades immediately took them away from their father and made sure they wanted for nothing. He and Lucifer started slanging dope, and within a year, Hades was able to buy them a big ass house—the very house they currently occupied for their family dinner.
They didn’t stay in the game long. They made enough money to open Underworld Customs. It was their custom motorcycle shop that doubled as headquarters for The Obsidian Riders, which was the motorcycle club Hades founded. They never looked back on the street life after that.
Lucifer helped Hades work on bikes from time to time, but mostly, he invested his money and made a healthy nest from that. Lately, he had been wondering what kind of legacy he would leave behind. He’d been fine with being his brother’s right hand since they were kids. He was his brother’s keeper and felt he owed him for giving him a better life than their father ever could have. But that line of thinking had gotten old to him.
He loved designing and customizing bikes with his brother.
He loved being a part of a motorcycle club founded by his brother.
He loved being the glue that held his family together.
But his passion was with fixing things. Since he was a kid, fixing things had been Lucifer’s thing. It was why he made such a good right hand for Hades’s hotheaded ass. Lucifer notonly always had a solution for everything, but he was good with his hands, which was why opening up an auto shop for motorcycles had been on his heart lately. He hadn’t spoken the words to anyone yet, because he didn’t think the timing was right. Hades and Harley were getting ready to welcome their baby into the world, and Hades needed him to run things at Underworld Customs and with The Obsidian Riders while he was on paternity leave.
“Why you so quiet, Lu?” his sister, Eris, asked, knocking him out of his thoughts.
“Just thinking. What y’all up to the rest of the night?” Lucifer asked to get the attention off of him. He pushed his plate away from him since he was good and full. At the same time, he felt a nudge on his calf.
One peek down at his feet confirmed what he already knew. Hades and Harley’s dogs, Pixie and Gotham, sat under the table, looking up at him with puppy dog eyes. He chuckled and discreetly cut a piece of baked chicken off from the platter in front of him. He split it into two and fed them while listening to his sister list off their plans for the weekend. It sounded like a busy one filled with karate lessons, swim lessons, a movie night, and a day at a local theme park.
“Well,” Harley announced after Eris finished, “I’m happy to say that I’m about to go to my final appointment before I’m officially on maternity leave.”
“Congrats, sis,” Eris cheered as she beamed at Harley. “I bet that means Cati will be moving in soon.”
Hades mugged Eris. “Ain’t nobody moving in here.”
Lucifer chuckled. “Ain’t you the same man that forced Eris and Cade to move in here when she gave birth?”
Hades glanced at Eris before landing his mean mug back on Lucifer. “Exactly. That shit was my choice. My house. My decision on who stays here. Cati ain’t coming.”
