Page 28 of Protected By the Bikers Next Door
The table goes quiet. Even the sound of Hawk flipping bacon in the skillet stops. Harper looks stricken, her eyes darting between us, clearly trying to figure out how to answer. We haven’t even said the L word to each other yet, not out loud. My chest tightens waiting for what she’ll say.
“Of course I do, sweetheart,” Harper says gently. Then she tries to deflect. “Don’t you?”
Jenny nods, chewing thoughtfully. “Yes. But I love them differently from you.” She pinches her thumb and forefinger together, leaving the tiniest sliver of space between them. “And maybe I love Bear a little bit more.”
That cracks us all up. Even Hawk, who doesn’t usually laugh out loud, lets out a chuckle. The tension breaks, and Harper breathes easier, shaking her head. Jenny beams at us like she knows she just scored the winning point in a game.
Then she hits us with the real question, her little voice sweet and earnest. “Does this mean all of you are my daddies now?”
The smile slips from Harper’s face, and I can see the panic rising in her. Before she can say anything, I lean in, speaking softly. “No one can replace your daddy, sweetheart.”
Jenny sighs, clearly not thrilled by that answer. “I know. But if you’re Mommy’s boyfriends now, will you be my daddies too?”
Harper looks at her like she’s trying not to cry. She swallows and asks tentatively, “Would you like that?”
Jenny nods. “Yes. Lucy at school has two dads. I think it would be pretty neat to tell her I have four!”
The look on Harper’s face is priceless—relief and amusement all rolled into one. Hawk clears his throat and mutters, “Technically three,” which only makes Jenny giggle.
We explain, carefully, that our family is different from Lucy’s, but if she wants us to be like dads to her, then we’d behonored. She grins, satisfied with that answer, and goes back to eating her cereal like it’s no big deal. Meanwhile, Harper sits there stunned, realizing all that worry about how to tell her daughter was unnecessary.
Turns out kids aren’t the ones we should be worried about.
After breakfast, life moves on as normal. Hawk insists on packing Jenny’s lunchbox himself. He’s methodical about it—carrot sticks in one corner, sandwich cut into triangles, and some apple slices. We tease him that he’s a natural, he brushes it off, but I can tell he’s proud as anything.
Once Jenny’s been dropped off at school and we’re back home, Harper curls up on the couch with a mug of tea, finally stealing a moment for herself. I join her, draping an arm around her shoulders.
“You okay?” I ask.
She smiles at me, tired but radiant. “Better than okay. I thought it would be hard, explaining all this to Jenny. But she just… got it. Like it was the most natural thing in the world.”
“Kids are smart,” I say, kissing her temple. “Smarter than adults most of the time.”
She chuckles softly. “You know, I never imagined my life would look like this… but it’s perfect.”
“Yeah,” I murmur, squeezing her closer. “It really is.”
***
This evening, the five of us head to the supermarket to do some shopping—a simple, family activity. Jenny happily walks along, holding mine and Hawk’s hands as we wander the aisles.Up ahead of us, Harper struggles to reach something, and Wolf playfully spanks her ass, kissing her as he grabs what she’s trying to get with ease.
With all of our items found, we head to the checkout to pay. The surly cashier starts to ring up our items.
“Oh shoot, I forgot laundry detergent,” Harper says.
“No stress, I’ll go grab it,” I offer, aware that the big bag is heavy.
As I’m grabbing it, I overhear two women talking, and I realize it’s about us. “Did you see them? Can you believe how flagrant she is about it? Living with three bikers and flaunting it like it’s normal. What kind of example is that for her daughter?”
“Slut,” the other agrees, the word dripping out like venom.
I’m unsurprised by their small-mindedness; people can be ignorant and cruel. I’m just grateful that Harper didn’t hear. I know how much it would upset her. However, just as the thought crosses my mind, I look up to see Harper standing there looking stricken, her gorgeous eyes filled with tears.
She turns and flees, her hands covering her face as she runs away. I wrestle with my desire to go and give those hags a piece of my mind, torn between that and following Harper to comfort her. I know Wolf would unleash his fury on them. But I’m not him. Harper needs my comfort more than she needs those bitches to be put in their place.
I find the guys at the cashier briefly explaining what happened before rushing outside to see Harper. I find her leaning against the truck, almost hyperventilating. I wrap her in my arms, holding her close as she calms down.
Hawk and Jenny appear first with the shopping cart. Hawk calmly unloads it into the truck, helping Jenny inside and buckling her in while reassuring her that her mom is fine. He distracts her with a video on his phone and comes over to us. At that moment, Wolf appears, with an expression of rage and satisfaction that I recognize well, and I know that he tore into the women.
