Page 22 of The Paths We Cross
After another night of Everly having a rough time settling Hazel down, I decided to make a change. I grab Ev’s keys and my brother and Axel and head to the store.
“So, what exactly are we buying?” Axel asks as we pull up in front of Walmart.
“Everything we need for a nursery at Everly’s house.”
They both stop in their tracks. “What? What about the clubhouse?” Gray asks.
I shrug my shoulders. “Hazel is having a hard time settling every night with the excess noise and I think Everly would feel more comfortable there.”
“We can tell the guys to shut the fuck up,” Gray offers.
“Nah,” I mutter as I grab two carts. “It’s their clubhouse. They deserve to enjoy it.”
“You sure man?” Axel asks as he takes one of the carts. “What about the Devil’s Knights?”
The Devil’s Knights have been relatively quiet. There have been a few dust ups between our members and theirs, but nothing bad has happened, which makes me a little nervous.Why haven’t they made a move?
“I’m going to move in with them.”
I swear you can hear a pin drop at my words. “You’re what?”
“You heard me. I’ll move in with them so they stay safe but that way the baby and Ev can actually have a good night of sleep. The Devil’s Knights aren’t going to cause any problems for them if I’m around,” I say as we walk into the store.
“If you’re sure,” Grayson hedges.
“I am.”
We spend the next few hours stocking up on everything that we’re going to need for the nursery at Everly’s house. We load everything into the vehicle and head over there.
I let the guys inside and we go to her spare bedroom to clean it out. There’s not much to move because the room just had a few things for storage that we move into the garage. The guys help me assemble the crib, changing table, and dresser we bought, and I start a load of laundry with the crib sheets.
I walk into the finished nursery and smile. We left the walls white but added soft pink accents. We kept everything gender neutral at the clubhouse, but I wanted to make this more special for Everly and Hazel.
The crib, changing table, and dresser that we picked out are all made of the same lightly stained wood. We also did our best at picking out some flowers, all in different tones of pink, to hang on the wall with letters that spell out “Hazel” for the wall behind her crib.
The room looks surprisingly good for three men putting it together. Especially three men who have no idea what it takes to care for an infant. Hopefully, Everly is going to like it.
“Am I crazy, or does this actually look good?” Axel asks, his hands planted on his hips.
“You’re definitely crazy,” I chuckle. “But I think it looks good, too.”
“You’re a good man, brother,” Grayson murmurs as he pats me on the back. “I hope she realizes it. But where the hell are you going to sleep?”
“I’ll sleep on the couch if I have to,” I chuckle.
He turns to walk out of the room, and I follow behind contemplating his words. Does Everly think I’m a good man? I didn’t think this would be my life, but now that it is, I want to excel at it. I want to make Everly proud. I want to give Hazel a good life. One that her father won’t get the chance to give her. No matter what he did, he was still Hazel’s dad and will still leave a hole in her life. I know that I can’t completely fill that void, but I would like to try.
We finish cleaning up Everly’s house and head back toward the club. I’m eager to get back to her and Hazel. There are quite a few bikes in the lot when we pull in, meaning most of our members are here. Odds are it will be another loud night at the clubhouse, which is even more reason for Everly and I to move into her place.
I park the SUV and climb out, waiting for the guys to follow suit before locking it and pocketing the keys. The nights are cooling off, so we’re finally not uncomfortable in our cuts. Fall is the best in North Carolina. We don’t usually get too cold during winter, but fall is my favorite. We can wear our leathers comfortably. We’re still a way off from then, though.
Axel opens the metal door and steps through as the music greets us. It’s not super loud inside, yet, but that’s because of Grayson’s rules for the club. The guys know that nothing crazy can happen in the presence of the kids, and since my brother became president, the kids are around a lot.
It’s been a nice change for the club. We all indulged in the club sluts and partying, but it gets old. I don’t know how the old timers did it all the time. Not that any of them really believed in being faithful. Or being a part of their kids’ lives. My dad and a few others were the only exceptions, and none of them are acting members anymore.
Cane has been an active father to his daughter Paisley since her birth, but none of our other members have children. At least, none that we know of. The club sluts have progressively gotten less interesting to me, and when Everly came to live here, I got tested to make sure I was in the clear. I didn’t expect her to sleep with me, and I still don’t, I just want to know that I’m safe if it ever does happen. Which, I am thankfully, because younger me didn’t believe in condoms.Like a dumbass.
We walk into the main room, and my eyes immediately search for Everly, finding her with Sophie, Asher, Paisley and Hazel at the large dining table. Everly and Sophie watch as Paisley holds Hazel and Asher sits beside them. I can’t help but smile at the sight. Everly must feel my presence, because she turns toward me, her face instantly brightening when our eyes lock across the room.
