Road to Peace Page 21

  Payton poured everyone another Margarita and grinned. “Elyse said you could come and look at the house tonight.”

  “Seriously?” I asked.

  Payton nodded. “Want to? Huh, huh? Wanna? Wanna?”

  I giggled. “If we can pry Hatch away from whatever he’s doing, I’m open.”

  Payton glanced at the ladies. “Do you mind if we leave you for a little while?”

  “Um, no. I want to go,” Kim said.

  “Yeah, me too,” Dani said.

  “She won’t care,” Cassidy said. “I’ve seen it, so I’m happy to hang here with Emily and the kids.”

  Leaving our margaritas in the kitchen, we headed downstairs and I put my finger to my lips as I approached Hatch. He was getting ready to make his shot, so I slid up behind him, but before I could grab his ass, he said, “I know you’re there, Sunshine.”

  “Bloody hell,” I snapped.

  He chuckled, made his shot, sinking a stripe into the side pocket, then turning to pull me in for a quick kiss. “Give me a second here, babe, gotta take Hawk’s money… again.”

  “Oooh, yay, we get to send Poppy to a fancy college,” I retorted. “Thanks, Hawk.”

  Hawk laughed as he wrapped an arm around Payton and waited for Hatch to finish up the game.

  “Poppy, do you want to come look at a house across the street?” I asked.

  “Like to live?”

  I shrugged. “Maybe.”

  “Sure,” she said.

  Game won, Hatch agreed to look at the house, but the other guys begged off, so Hatch, Poppy, and I followed the rest of the ladies across the street.

  Cassidy was right, Elyse couldn’t have cared less that everyone converged upon her home. She was a lovely woman in her early fifties, and the only reason she was leaving was her husband had been relocated. The home had just been finished six months ago, so it was essentially brand new.

  Hatch, Poppy, and I broke away from the rest of the women and followed Elyse around the house. I kept my expression neutral, however, I’m pretty sure I squeezed Hatch’s arm black and blue.

  Five bedrooms, four bathrooms, plus a den. A large kitchen and family room, and there was a basement with yet another bedroom, bathroom, movie room, and large area that could be anything. The house was ridiculously large, over four-thousand square feet, so that was a concern, but if we were going to do this, I kind of wanted to go big.

  Once the tour was over, we thanked Elyse, and headed back to Payton’s. “They don’t want to list it with a realtor,” she said. “Which is why they’re offering it so low.”

  “It does seem really low,” I said.

  “Mack can help with the paperwork,” Hatch said. “Make sure everything’s legal.”

  “Do you like it?”

  “Do you?” he asked.

  “I love it,” I whispered. “What do you think, Poppy?”

  “I really like it and we’ll be close to Lily.” She frowned. “But we’ll be really far from Grace, Mum.”

  Grace was now back home with Ryan and Merrick, and Poppy was missing her. I cupped her cheek. “I know, Poppet, but she’s going to a different school next year anyway, so you’ll still get to see her just as much if we move up here.”

  She chewed on her bottom lip. “Do you promise?”

  “I promise.”

  “Then I love it, too.”

  “Okay, Hatch and I’ll talk about it tonight and see if we can swing it.”

  She nodded and headed off to wherever Lily was, and Hatch pulled me down on his lap in an overstuffed chair while we watched the rest of the guys finish up their pool game.

  Hatch had gone suddenly quiet… well, quiet for him… which I didn’t like, but I figured he was processing the house information and next steps.

  An hour later, we said our goodbyes and took off for my place. We pulled into my garage and Hatch turned to me, leaning over to kiss me. “You okay with me sleepin’ at my place tonight?”

  “No.”

  He sighed. “Babe.”

  I glanced at Poppy in the backseat and then focused on him again. “Come up and we’ll talk.” He frowned but I reached over and squeezed his knee. “No,” I repeated.

  Hatch turned off the engine and we walked up to the condo in silence.

  After meeting Poppy in her bedroom and doing our night time ritual, I joined Hatch in the kitchen. He grabbed a beer and I cornered him by the fridge. “If you don’t like the house, just tell me.”

  “Liked the house, Sunshine.”

  “Then why are you all grunty?”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Grunty?”

  “Connor, what the hell, love? Just talk to me.”

  He moved away from the fridge and leaned against the island, continuing to sip his beer. I shook my head and threw my hands in the air, but I didn’t let him off the hook. “I’m not buying that house without you, Hatch.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah,” I snapped.

  “It’s a lot of money.”

  “I’m aware. And I’m only paying half. So you better figure out how to come up with the other half, because I’m not paying more than that.”

  I saw his lip twitch and I knew I’d hit on what was bothering him.

  “What if I can’t come up with the money?” he asked.

  I shrugged. “Then we don’t get the house.”

  He took another swig of the beer. “But you love the house.”

  “Yes, but I love you more.”

  Hatch set the beer on the counter and then his mouth was on mine and I was in his arms, my legs wrapped around his waist, and we were headed to my bedroom. He kicked the door shut, locked it (somehow) and tore my clothes off, his mouth settled between my legs and he sucked my clit into his mouth, his tongue swirling as he added pressure each pass he made.

  He slid his fingers inside of me and my body shivered. Then I lost his mouth and I whimpered. Hatch finished removing his clothes before he climbed up my body, linking his fingers with mine and holding them over my head, and then pushed into me. I sighed as I wrapped my legs around him and arched up. He slammed into me over and over again and it was sweeter than it had been, more emotional that it ever had been, and I didn’t think I could love him more.

  “Con, I… ahhh…” I came undone and Hatch kissed me, releasing one of my hands to stroke my neck as we climaxed, and anchored me to him as he rolled us to the side.

  His hand cupped my bottom and he kissed my temple. “We’re gonna get you that house, Sunshine.”

  “I know we are.”

  He chuckled.

  “You need to stop shutting down on me, love,” I admonished.

  “I know, Sunshine. Workin’ on it.”

  “Work harder.”

  “You always been a ball buster?” he asked, slapping my bottom.

  “Yes.” I shifted so I was straddling him and cupped his face. “I love you, you ridiculous prat.”

  “Fuckin’ sexy, even when you’re insultin’ me, baby.” He slid his hand between us and thumbed my clit. I dropped my head back and rocked against him. “Grab the headboard, Maisie.”

  I did as I was told and he slid down so his face was between my legs, lifting his head up so his mouth covered my core. I pressed my body down, but he gripped my hips and anchored me where he wanted me. I tried to move (because I had to, God, I had to), but he was way stronger than I was, and he held firm, his tongue sliding in deeper and deeper.

  “So fuckin’ wet, baby,” he rasped, and sucked my clit.

  “Thank you, Captain Obvious,” I retorted.

  He chuckled and slid out from under me, shifting me so I was on all fours. “Cheek to the mattress, Maisie.”

  I obliged immediately and he lifted my hips, kissing the area just above the rise of my bottom. “One day, baby, I’m gonna take this.” He slid his finger over my wetness and moved it to my very forbidden area. I blushed, but the feeling was so unbelievable, I whimpered with need.

  “Finger your clit, b
aby,” he ordered, and I reached back.

  His cock slid inside me, slowly at first, and I worked my clit while he tortured my pussy. “Connor,” I breathed out.

  “Brace, baby.”

  I grabbed the edge of the mattress and he slammed into me, harder and harder. “I’m—”

  “Don’t come,” he ordered.

  “I have—”

  He slapped my bottom, which really didn’t help. “Hold it, Maisie.”

  I bit my lip and tried to keep my orgasm at bay, but then he did something he’d never done before and I was done. His finger slid into the tightness of my ass and I exploded, screaming his name into the pillow as I collapsed onto the mattress. Hatch rolled us to our sides again, staying connected as he continued to move, his hand sliding between my legs and cupping my pussy as he worked my clit. “Greedy fuckin’ cunt, Sunshine.”

  I just nodded. I didn’t have enough breath to speak.

  While one hand worked my clit, his other rolled my nipple into a tight bud and he slammed into me, building yet another orgasm.

  “Come, baby,” he whispered, and I let go.

  Hatch held me tight as we caught our breath and I closed my eyes unable to focus. “Holy… oh, my… I’m…”

  He kissed my shoulder. “Fuckin’ beautiful, baby.”

  “Back atya.” I craned my neck so I could meet his eyes. “I loved everything we just did there, kind sir. I’d like that on the menu next time as well, please.”

  Hatch laughed, kissing me gently. “I think that can be arranged.” He climbed off the bed and headed to the bathroom, returning with a warm washcloth and cleaning me up.

  Slipping back under the covers, he pulled me onto his chest.

  “I love you so much it hurts sometimes,” I whispered.

  “I’m not goin’ anywhere, Sunshine.”

  “Promise?”

  He lifted my chin and stared at me. “I promise.”

  “Do not ever threaten not to be in my bed, then.”

  “Momentary lapse.”

  I tugged on his beard. “Connor, I love you. I honor you. If you’d let me pay for that house by myself I would, but I know you, so however you want to handle it is fine with me. But once we’re married, my money’s your money and I need to know you won’t be threatened by that fact. It’s important to me. Because I swear to God, I’ll give everything I have to the closest Catholic church if my money means losing you.”

  He closed his eyes briefly and then kissed me. “You’d really do it, wouldn’t you?”

  “Yes. I’d really do it.”

  “Fuck me, I love you.”

  “That’s good,” I said. “Because I love you, too. But do you love me enough to get over this?”

  He smiled slowly. “Yeah, baby, I love you enough to get over it. It’ll take a little time, but I’ll get used to havin’ a sugar mama.”

  I giggled. “Well, once I sell the business, I won’t know what to do with myself, so be prepared to have a sugar mama who wants to hang out with you all day.”

  “Sex slave, Sunshine. Already told you.”

  “Will you let me have your babies, Hatch?”

  “I’d be privileged, Sunshine.”

  I slid my hand to his pec and traced the tattoo honoring his mother. “How did you get involved with the Dogs?”

  “It was right after Mom died. Met the Prez of the San Diego chapter at one of Dad’s fights. Back then, the club wasn’t as clean. Still not a one-percenter, but not as clean as it is now.”

  “What’s ‘one-percenter’?”

  “If an MC is a one-percenter, they operate outside the law. They have their own code of conduct and, when they can, will pay off law enforcement, law makers, judges, people like that.”

  “Like in Sons of Anarchy.”

  “Sure.”

  “I’ve only watched a couple of episodes,” I admitted. “It was way too violent for me.”

  “Yeah, well, that’s what motorcycle clubs generally are, Sunshine. You don’t fuck with ’em.”

  “So you were like that?”

  “Not quite, but close. Again, not one-percenters. But we still did our own thing. Owned a few legitimate businesses, strip clubs, bars, places like that. I kept the peace.”

  I giggled. “My man was the peace maker.”

  “Fist or gun, baby. I got the peace.”

  “Oh, that kind of peace.”

  “Yeah,” he confirmed. “Prez was there for me when Dad got sent up. Helped me keep the family together. Couple of the old ladies helped me with Cricket, ’cause what the fuck did I know about raisin’ a girl, especially a baby?” He sighed. “Cricket found a box of band-aids in Mom’s bag I think… and she sat on Mom’s hospital bed and kept saying, ‘Mama has owie. I gonna fix it.’ And she’d stick these band-aids on Mom’s arms. Fuckin’ broke my dad’s heart. I’d never seen him cry before, but he picked Cricket up and Mom passed a few minutes later. Dad lost his mind after that.”

  “That’s devastating,” I whispered quietly against his chest, trying desperately not to cry. “I’m so sorry, darling.”

  “This,” he squeezed my bottom, “makes it better.”

  I met his eyes. “It does?”

  “You give me peace, Sunshine.” He kissed me gently. “Don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m not big on sharin’ my feelins’—”

  “You? No way,” I quipped.

  He grinned. “Thought if I didn’t talk about shit, I wouldn’t think about it, which is true to a certain degree, I guess. But when I talk about it with you, you heal it.”

  I blinked back tears. “Connor.”

  “Make sense?”

  “Total sense.”

  “I love you, Maisie.”

  “I love you, too.”

  We talked quietly into the wee hours of the morning. Despite the vast divide of our worlds, they’d collided to bring us the richness of newfound peace and I drifted off to sleep knowing I’d been given a second chance at an even greater love.

  I was taking that chance and I was holding on with all I had.

  Maisie

  A little over a year later…

  “POPPY, YOU’RE GOING to miss the bus!” I called up the stairs. It was the first day of school… the first day of high school for Poppy, and she was still fussing with her hair in the bathroom.

  The doorbell pealed and, since I was right by the front door, I pulled it open.

  Lily smiled, looking gorgeous as always. “Hi, Maisie.”

  “Hey, Lily. Come on in, love.”

  “Poppy Kenna Mann Wallace, get your ass down here, now,” Hatch walked into the foyer and bellowed up the stairs, adding a little bass to his voice for oomph.

  She appeared at the top of the stairs and I gasped. No, this was not my daughter. I leaned against Hatch and settled my hand against my chest. She was so grown up. She’d pulled her long, blonde hair to the side and braided it, and wore dark jeans, knee-high boots and a tight T-shirt, not too tight, but tight enough to show off the boobs she suddenly developed this summer… damn it.

  “Fuck,” Hatch whispered for my ears only. “Go change, baby girl.”

  Poppy’s eyes widened. “What? Why?”

  “Burlap sack. Garbage bag, whatever. But that’s too revealing.”

  She rolled her eyes and giggled. “Oh, okay, Sid. Whatever.”

  My heart sang in my chest and I grabbed Hatch’s hand. Poppy didn’t notice as she let out an excited squeak and hugged Lily. They grabbed breakfast (which had been the plan… to eat at our place), then I took pictures (too many according to Poppy’s copious amount of eye rolling), and then they were off, walking to the bus stop that was just at the corner of our street. Technically, Lily was old enough to get her license, but Hawk was having none of it, and she didn’t seem to be in a rush, so they bussed it.

  I watched them through the window and thought about everything that had happened since we bought the house. It had been a magical year, to be honest. Hatch had officially proposed
to me in London in front of my entire family (after speaking with my father, who adored him… in fact, my whole family adored him), and he’d done right by me in the ring department. A beautiful two-carat princess cut diamond set in a Celtic knot woven ring. He’d bought the matching wedding band, and he’d also bought Poppy a promise ring which he presented to her on our wedding day, promising to always protect her and cherish her and be her stand-in dad for as long as he lived. I don’t know which part of the ceremony I cried more during… him saying his vows… or him promising my daughter he’d always be her stand-in dad. From that moment on, she called him ‘S.I.D.,’ and it was just as special to her and him as ‘Dad’ could ever be.

  Hatch had also had Mack draw up adoption papers which he and I signed after Poppy agreed it was what she wanted. A judge signed the paperwork two days after Hatch and I got back from our honeymoon (Hawaii), so we started our lives in our new home a complete and official family.

  Jeremy Marville had bought the company, fired Bill, but kept the rest of the employees right where they were, including Cricket. She even worked her way up to CFO in less than six months after Nicole got herself knocked up (she said because her and her boyfriend were always in a state of arousal having all of our products at their disposal…best endorsement ever). Nicole chose not to come back to work, so Cricket took her job and was flourishing. Another testament to the incredible woman Hatch had raised…not that he’d take any of the credit.

  Ryan and the kids were doing well. Ryan had asked me if I wanted to read Alison’s suicide note… I had quickly declined. I didn’t want to know why, because to me the why didn’t matter. She wasn’t here anymore. Nothing could bring her back and my focus now was to make sure her kids were okay.

  We had “family” dinner once a week, a tradition Hatch held onto with his siblings every Sunday, and we kind of rolled Ryan, Merrick, and Grace into the mix. I cherished our huge get-togethers, and they bled into holidays since our house was the biggest and no one had to go home if they drank too much… there was plenty of room to sleep it off.

  “Sunshine?”

  “Hmm?”

  “You got somethin’ you need to tell me?”

  I forced myself away from the window and walked down the hall to the kitchen. Hatch was standing in front of the recycling bin, his face void of expression.