The next day I’m lying in bed when there’s a knock at the door. “Come in Paula!” I call out.

The door opens, and I turn my head. Then I scream. “Dex! You’re here!”

He walks over. “Don’t get out of bed for me.”

With my size, it’s kind of hard to anyway.

He takes me into his arms, kissing my forehead, my nose, and finally my lips. “Missed you so fuckin’ much Faye.”

He kisses my stomach twice.

“I missed you too. I was going crazy. What happened? And how are you here?” I ask him, not letting go of him for even one second.

“Lawyer got me out on bail this morning, I stopped at the clubhouse first, then came straight here,” he says, nuzzling my neck. When he starts to trail kisses down my collarbone I struggle to breathe.

“I’m not done questioning you yet,” I tell him.

“What do you want to know?”

“Everything.”

“Cops raided the clubhouse. I was armed, they took me in. Got done with possession of a firearm,” he says, kissing my mouth before I can say anything in return. He pulls down the strap of my white sundress and brushes his thumb over one of my nipples. I moan into his mouth.

“I want you,” he says against my lips.

“Then take me,” I reply. I thread my fingers through his hair and grip on the ends. His lips don’t leave mine as his fingers start to explore my body. I start to pull his t-shirt off, gripping the hem that sits just above his ass and sliding it upwards. He pulls away from me for a second to tug it over his head and throw it on the floor. I admire it for a few seconds, before he lays back.

“I don’t want to squash you. Can you ride me?” he asks, lifting up my dress.

I grin and undo the button on his jeans. He lifts up his hips as I pull them down. His arousal stands up proud, begging for attention. I kiss the head of him then pull down my panties and straddle him. He plumps my breasts with his hands, then leans forward to taste. Unable to take any more, I slide his length inside me, slowly, inch by inch. We both moan at the same time as I start to ride him slowly. Our eyes stay connected as I take my time with him, showing him with my body how much I missed him and how much he means to be. We finish together.

“What aren’t you telling me?” I ask him after we catch our breath.

“Is this our pillow talk?” he asks, stroking my hair.

“Dex…”

“I have to go to court in a few weeks. Because I have a prior record, my lawyer thinks I might have to do some time,” he says hesitantly. His eyes flash with uncertainty.

“Possession of a firearm. You’d have to do about six months,” I gasp, sitting up on the bed.

Six months?

I cover my face with my hands.

“Babe, it will be okay,” he soothes, rubbing my back. “You will be safe. That’s all that matters.”

“What happened with Arrow?” I ask him, turning to face him.

“He’s fine, and it’s all taken care of.”

“Dex—”

“You don’t want the details Faye, trust me on that.”

I sigh. “Shall we drive back now? Or tomorrow morning?”

“Paula insisted we stay for dinner,” he says. “How have you been feeling?”

“Tired, but everything else is fine. I saw the local doctor here, and everything is as it should be,” I assure him.

“Good,” he whispers. “Do you know how happy you make me? You’re all I could think about. If something happened to you…”

“I’m fine, it’s you who was in jail,” I say with an eye roll. And has to go back there for six fucking months. What the hell do I do with that information? He might be going away as soon as Clover is born.

“What are you thinking?” he asks, wrapping me in his arms.

“You aren’t going to be here for Clover and me,” I whisper. “I know it’s selfish to even say but…”

“It’s not selfish. I’m sorry Faye. Let’s not think about this right now.”

How was I supposed to not think about it?

Chapter Twenty Eight

We can’t keep our hands off each other on the drive home. Even if it was just my hand on his thigh, or him kissing my fingers, we stayed in contact as much as we could. We didn’t talk about his possible jail time.

I just wanted to enjoy the moment.

“How did you get involved with the Wind Dragons?” I find myself asking him.

He glances at me before answering. “After I left home, I went in search of my dad. Eric and I have different fathers, which I assume you know.”

I nod my head. Eric’s dad is a dentist who lives in Sydney.

“Turns out he was a member of the club but had died a few years back. Jim and him were best mates,” he says, sadness lacing his tone. “That’s how I met Jim. And the rest is history.”

“They became your family,” I say, looking down at our intertwined hands.

“It felt like I was close to my dad, even though he wasn’t there. It turned out that he wanted to be a part of my life, but mum said no. She didn’t want me growing up around the club, so he sent her money and that’s it. Jim did tell me that he came to my graduation, and he was proud as hell,” he says, the tone of his voice letting me know that it did mean something to him. His dad had loved him, even though he wasn’t able to be a part of his life.

My throat starts to burn. “Your mum did to him what I almost did to you.”

Clover would have gone to find her father and ended up hanging around the MC anyway.

He squeezes my hand. “All in the past babe. I’ve forgiven you, you should forgive yourself.”

“Did anyone get hurt?” I ask hesitantly. He didn’t want to talk about it, but I need to know what went down while I was away.

“Trace got shot in his arm, Rake is a little black and blue,” he says, looking straight ahead.

“Okay.” That’s not bad, I guess. “And then the cops raided the clubhouse?”

“Yeah, we had just let everyone clear out, lockdown being over when they busted in,” he replies. “People heard gunshots at the Wild Men clubhouse, and I don’t know, I guess they must have seen one of us around there. Both clubhouses were raided. Unlucky for them they were found with drugs, guns, and women who were there against their will. We were only caught with a couple of guns.”

“So they’re in big shit then?” I ask, unable to stop the slow spreading smile taking over my face.

“Bloodthirsty woman,” he mutters, but I see his lip twitching, giving away his amusement. “Now where are we going? To the clubhouse or to our house?”

I think about it. “Clubhouse. I think we should move into the house after Clover is born.”

“I love that you love it at the clubhouse,” he admits.

I shrug. “Those guys have grown on me. Everyone has, even Allie that bitch.”

Dex laughs. We’re silent for a few minutes, lost in our own thoughts.

“I miss Mary,” I whisper. “She didn’t deserve to die.”

“I know,” he replies. “She was a good woman.”

“Too good,” I say on a sigh. I hope she’s in a better place. They say death is easy, it’s living that’s hard. I love my life, and I wouldn’t say it was hard. But I understand when they say death is easy, because those people who pass away don’t have to live with the sadness and the pain of losing someone.

When we arrive at the clubhouse, my mouth drops open as I see the women standing there with pink balloons.

“What the hell is this?” I ask, excitement coursing through me.

Dex wraps his arms around me from behind. “Baby shower. This is my clue to leave. Brothers and I will be at the bar.”

Then he and anyone with a penis, within a one kilometer radius, leave the clubhouse without a backwards glance.

We walk into the living area which has a table full of wrapped gifts. Tears well in my eyes. “You guys!”

Allie smiles sadly. “Mary was planning it before…”

I give her a shaky smile then look to Cindy, Jess, and the others. “Thanks, all of you.”