Thunder (Hell's Handlers MC #10) - Lilly Atlas Page 0,144

the reality of his new life. A complete one-eighty from how he’d been living only a few months ago, he now felt full in ways he’d never thought possible.

His heart nearly burst whenever one of the kids came to him for help or gave him a spontaneous hug. Last night Emmie refused to hear a bedtime story from anyone but him, and he’d nearly melted on the spot. Never had he imagined himself a family man, but it turned out to be exactly who he was. He had as much fun staying in and watching a cheesy movie with the little girls as he did partying with his brothers.

Though nothing compared to the nights he had Makenna to himself. Those passion-filled evenings were everything, and he’d never take them for granted. He’d never take one second of his time with her for granted.

Witnessing her almost lose her life ensured he would cherish every single second with his woman and his new loud, crazy, loving family.

Mak looked up at him with a half-grin. “Regretting your life choices yet?” she asked. It came out with a chuckle, but he could tell she half worried he’d find living with all of them too much.

“Never,” he whispered. Who would regret the best thing to ever happen to them?

IT’D TAKEN A very lengthy and heated debate to settle on pizza for dinner. Then, of course, once that had been decided, they needed to figure out what kind of pizza they wanted.

This bunch could turn anything into an argument and seemed to do so with pleasure. Mak was used to it but always worried the reality of living with a hoard of unruly kids and teens would prove to be too much for Thunder.

Izzy had given her a slightly hard slap upside the head and scolded her when she’d mentioned it at a girls’ night. “You’re not being fair to him,” she said, eyes narrowed. “Actually, you’re kinda being a bitch.” The woman did not mince words.

Thankfully, Shell had been there, too, and had a better way with words than Izzy did. “What she means,” Shell said, whacking Izzy’s arm, “is that you need to trust him and what he’s telling you. Does he act like he wants out? Like being around your siblings bothers him?”

“No, not at all,” Mak had said. “He loves them.”

“Then stop waiting for disaster and enjoy what you’ve got,” Izzy had said.

Toni had rolled her eyes at that. “She speaks like she had no issues when she and Jig got together. Trust me, Mak, she was as hardheaded as anyone.” She’d sipped her wine. “Though she does have a point.”

So Mak had taken their advice and stopped looking for disaster around every corner. Listening to their counsel had brought her here. To a home where the kids had more space both indoors and out to live and play. To a carpet picnic complete with four pizzas, garlic knots, her salad, and a circle of happily munching family members.

To sharing a home with the man she loved and who she truly believed loved her back.

And loved her crazy family as though they were his own.

Of course, she hadn’t been able to sit next to him. As usual, Emmie and Kara monopolized him during the meal, sitting on either side of him and vying for his focus. He took it in stride, as he always did, expertly juggling their bids for attention and affection.

“This house is awesome,” Amy announced around a giant mouthful of pizza.

Mak didn’t bother to remind her she shouldn’t speak with food in her mouth. Moving day had proved to be too special to mar it with everyday scolding.

“I know!” Kara butt in. “We can all fit in a circle on the floor! It’s so great.”

With a chuckle, Thunder used his napkin to wipe sauce from Kara’s mouth. “This house is bigger, but once we get the furniture set up, we may not be able to sit like this. There are a lot of you.” He tweaked her nose.

“That’s okay,” Kara said, undeterred. “We can do it outside instead.”

“Now that we can definitely do,” Mak said. “We’ll have to get a grill so we can make hotdogs out there.”

“I lub hotdogs,” Emmie called out.

After her father’s death, the club had a contact monitoring channels for her name. Some computer whiz named Acer out in Arizona who knew Gumby, apparently. Copper had explained to her how they wanted to make sure she or the kids weren’t listed on any missing person