Page 19 of Harley's Hex
Harley
Four Months Later
Everything had seemed so normal in her well, a new normal. Having little Henry in their lives now was a dream. She loved her son more than she thought that she could love anyone or anything, and she could tell that Hex felt the same way about their baby.
Harley stood in the nursery doorway with her arms folded tightly over her chest as though trying to convince herself that she wasn’t about to lose her mind. Henry’s little chest rose and fell in the soft glow of the night-light; his tiny fist curled around the corner of the fuzzy blue blanket. He looked peaceful. He was perfectly oblivious to the fact that she was about to leave him with a sitter for the very first time. Why did she feel as though she was abandoning him? Maybe she was. Brandi had told her that it was normal to feel that way when leaving the baby for the first time, but nothing about turning him over to a babysitter felt normal to her.
“I can’t do this,” she muttered, even though she knew she was being overly dramatic.
From behind her, Hex chuckled, his tone deep and warm. “Babe, you’ve checked the diaper bag three times. And the bottles are ready to go in the fridge. The emergency contacts are listed in bold red Sharpie on the fridge for the sitter. I’m pretty sure the sitter’s more prepped than the goddamn ER to take care of Henry, and as a doctor who now runs the ER, you can trust me on that.” Hex had worked his way up fast at the ER, but with his military background, it was a no-brainer that he would become the head doctor in charge of the emergency room in record time.
She shot him a look over her shoulder. He was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, looking unfairly good in a black T-shirt and his cut. His hair was a little messy from wrangling Henry earlier to change his dirty diaper, and the faint smudge of spit-up on his sleeve made him look more “dad” than “dangerous.”
“This isn’t funny, Hex,” she said. “He’s never been without at least one of us. What if he wakes up and we’re not here? What if he gets scared? What if—”
“What if he sleeps through the night like an angel and we spend three hours at Hurricane’s eating bad chili and pretending to dance?” Hex countered.
“Hex.” She knew that he was right, but a part of her wanted to keep on fighting with him. At least then, they’d be staying home with Henry.
He grinned, stepping forward to wrap his arms around her from behind. “Darlin’, he’s going to be fine. Jodi has babysat for half the club’s kids. She’s got him.”
Harley let herself lean into his chest, the steady beat of his heart grounding her. “I know. I just—I don’t like not being here with him.”
“I get it,” he said softly. “But we also promised ourselves that we’d keep living. And it’s just one night. Besides, Savage, Bowie,and Ryder are all flying up for the night just to see us and meet Henry.”
She tilted her head back to look at him. “I’m excited to see them too, but this will be one night where I’m going to check my phone every five minutes.”
“Yeah,” he said, smirking. “I figured as much, and the guys will all understand. They have wives who probably do the same when they leave the kids to go out with their husbands.”
The doorbell rang and Harley softly cursed. “Get that before it wakes the baby,” she hissed. Hex ran down the stairs, cursing when he stumbled over what she could only assume were some of Henry’s toys. They were usually everywhere, and she loved how having the baby home made their new house feel like an actual home.
She could hear Hex talking to Jodie, and she smiled. The teenager was more than capable of taking care of Henry, and she knew that she was being silly, but she still worried. Hex ran back up the steps and pressed a kiss to the side of Harley’s neck and then her temple. “Come on, mama. Let’s go remind the world we’re not just someone’s parents now. We’re still us.”
She exhaled, glancing back at Henry one more time. Her chest tightened, that protective ache that had lived inside her since the moment that she held him for the first time. “You better behave, little man,” she whispered. “Mama’s already missing you.”
Hex took her hand, fingers twining with hers. “Hurricane’s Halloween party awaits. And Savage Hell’s rolling in for it. You know Savage is going to give me hell if we don’t show.”
She laughed despite herself. “Yeah, and I kind of want to see Bowie dressed up like a pirate again.”
“God help us all,” Hex muttered, making her laugh.
As they headed down the stairs, Harley cast one last look toward the nursery, and Jodi gave her a reassuring smile, gentlyrocking the baby monitor in her hand. “Go have fun,” Jodi said. “If he so much as hiccups weird, I’ll call.” Harley nodded, finally letting Hex tug her out the door. The cool Yonkers night wrapped around them, full of the smell of leather and October and the distant rumble of bikes gathering for the party. She loved living so close to the clubhouse. Brandi and Reacher were just down the road, and she felt so lucky to be surrounded by so many friends.
And even though her heart was still half upstairs with Henry, the other half swelled at the sight of Hex climbing onto his bike, turning to give her that lopsided grin that always made her melt a little. She wondered if she’d ever get used to the way he gave her butterflies, but she was sure that she wouldn’t—not that she’d want to. Being with Hex was more than Harley thought she’d ever find in a partner. He was the love of her life, and she was his Ol’lady—for the long run, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
They were building something in Yonkers, NY— a life, a family, a future. Tonight was a piece of it, and Harley honestly couldn’t wait for more.
The parking lot at Hurricane’s House was lit up with strings of orange lights, flickering jack-o’-lanterns, and the low rumble of bike engines. The crisp Yonkers air carried the now familiar mix of smoke, leather, and laughter — a scent that felt a little like home no matter where you were.
Harley swung her leg off the back of Hex’s bike, pulling off her helmet as she stared at the packed bar in front of them. The porch was crowded with patched members and women in costumes. Country music tangled with rock through thespeakers of the sound system, and someone had already started a bonfire out back.
“God, I forgot how rowdy Halloween with the club gets,” Harley murmured, adjusting her jacket. “I don’t miss bartending on this crazy night either—although tips were great.”
Hex chuckled beside her. “Yeah, I’m sure the guys at Savage Hell tipped you very well,” he teased, looking her over. But I’m betting that once the guys from Savage Hell show up, it will get even worse.”
As if summoned, she heard the deep growl of a familiar baritone laughter from behind. It was followed by another deep laugh, and a few others joined in. Harley turned around just in time to see Savage, Bowie, Ryder, and a few of the other guys from Savage Hell.
The first one to pull her in for a bear hug was Savage himself, towering over her. He was dressed in the world’s most poorly executed vampire costume—a plastic cape and fangs that looked like they came from a gas station.
