is me. The beautiful, unscarred, flawless skin of my childhood remained with me into my early teen years. My friends said I was lucky… I took it for granted, certain my face would always be that way.
The worn picture shows me at age fourteen.
Less than a year later, the life I loved was over and a painful, new reality took its place.
“You okay, sweetheart?” Angel squeezes my hand between his. Jax follows by doing the same, and they squish me between them. Their strength is the glue that holds me together.
I nod. “Yeah. I mean, I can’t believe he’s finally dead, but I can’t say I’m surprised either. He caused a lot of bad men to lose a lot of money when the church was seized by the FBI. Honestly, I can’t believe he lasted this long.”
Jax and Angel stare at the screen in silence, confirming their shock as they take it all in. “Honestly… and I know this is going to sound terrible, but it’s kinda a relief. Yes, he was in prison, but things happen, you know? People get out. I don’t think I would have ever been able to feel free knowing he was still alive.”
While the words make me feel dirty for even thinking them, it’s also freeing to be able to speak them aloud. Jax and Angel will never judge me, but I never want them to think badly about me either. “Do you think I’m—”
Angel cuts me off. “That doesn’t make you a bad person, sweetheart, it makes you human,” he stresses.
Jax nods in agreement. “It’s also a thought and worry that we’ve shared as well,” he admits.
“It is?”
Jax rubs his hand over my thigh. “It’s no secret that we plan on making a life with you, little one.”
Angel snorts. “Well, I’d hope so…” He playfully rubs my flat belly. “You’ve been drinking Mama’s tea for months, we may already have you pregnant right now.”
They don’t and they both know it seeing as I had my period last week, but the meaning behind their words stands. We—well, they—have known where this was going from the start. It took me a little time to catch up, but there’s no doubt in my mind that as the years pass, our family of three will continue to grow.
I take Angel’s hand. “You know I’m not pregnant,” I say, “Besides… that soft and gentle stuff you guys call sex is not the way I’m planning to get pregnant. You actually need to fuck me hard enough to shoot past my cervix.” I raise my brow and Angel’s eyes grow wide.
“Maybe it’s time we get to work on changing that,” Angel says.
“Right now,” Jax growls into my neck.
Oh my God, it worked! Yesss!
Jax is the first to stand, and when he does, he grabs me and tosses me over his shoulder while I cling to him, smacking his ass as he heads to the bedroom, Angel hot on our heels.
Together, they spend the next hour draining every ounce of themselves inside of me, nearly guaranteeing I’ll be knocked up by tomorrow.
Mama will be thrilled.
***
ANGEL
My phone rings and Priest’s name flashes on the screen.
I accept the call and hold the phone up to my ear, waiting until I’ve stepped out of the room before speaking.
“Yeah.”
“Did I interrupt something?” Priest’s teasing tone tells me he knows it was a close call.
“Nah, just finished,” I confirm, chuckling.
“I take it you saw the news earlier.” Something in his tone has me taking pause. Realization creeps in as the pieces fall into place. “Yeah, I did. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that would you?” I question my Prez.
There’s a long silence before he confirms, “It was past time you got your happy ending, brother. Now you can do that without any concern about the past hanging over your head, it’s time to focus on your future.”
A surge of love and gratitude washes over me. “Thank you, brother,” is all I can say. But my voice is thick with emotion, and I hope Priest knows the true meaning of what seems like three simple words.
Love you, brother.
When he replies, “Bottom of my heart... same.” I smile.
Yeah. He knows.
“Have you heard from Demon?” I ask.
“I’m afraid that’s the other reason I called.” He pauses briefly, the sound of a pen tapping against his desk is all I can hear. “It’s time.”
I inhale and close my eyes as pain and dread envelop me. A grim sense of foreboding settles deep in my bones. “Fuck,” I