Payne (The Soldiers of Wrath MC: Grit Chapter Book 3) (10 page)

T
hey’d gone back
to their place after she was discharged from the hospital, and although everyone from the MC had wanted to see them, they’d stayed cooped up, just enjoying the time with their little man.

Ryan Cooper.

Their son.

A little bit of both of them.

“He’s gorgeous,” Payne said, and she looked over at her man. Ryan looked just like his father, or he would to a T once he was full grown. But he had Payne’s features, and that made her smile.

“He is. He looks like you.”

Payne grinned, looking all proud, and leaned over to kiss her. “We can’t avoid them for much longer. They are chomping at the bit to see him.”

She nodded. “I know. Let’s go and say hi. Ryan should see where he’ll probably be hanging out a lot when he’s older.”

Payne chuckled. “My boy has to learn the ropes of the MC at an early age.” He kissed her once more and took Ryan from her arms.

Once they had him in the carseat and both of them were in the SUV—a new one Payne had gone out and bought after Ryan was born because of the safety features—they headed to the MC.

It was a short drive, and with Payne driving like he was eighty years old, Vicky couldn’t help but smile. He was extra cautious, overprotective, and she loved him even more for it. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him, to have more children, to be his wife. Yes, she was his old lady, and in the MC world that was even more coveted than being legally married. But call her old fashioned … she wanted that little piece of paper. Even if it never happened, because truth was they never actually talked about that aspect of it all, she was deliriously happy, and knew Payne would never let her down.

She’d been afraid in the beginning, and running hadn’t been the best course of action. He’d missed out on the first months of her pregnancy. After it was clear he wanted this just as much as she did, Vicky knew things would work out perfectly.

They were meant to be together.

* * *

T
hey’d arrived
at the MC about half an hour ago, and Payne couldn’t get his focus off Vicky and how vibrant she looked. Everyone was cooing over their son, and although these men were in leather, sported tattoos, and had badass personalities, they were gentle with Ryan.

Beast was now holding the little guy, but when Ryan started wailing Beast looked scared as fuck and handed him off to King. Surprisingly, King was able to calm Ryan down enough so that he only whimpered. He cooed down at the baby, stroked his cheek, and looked totally in love. King then looked over at his old lady and smiled, and there was some exchange going on there, something private and special.

“You did good, man,” Smalls said as he walked up to him.

Payne grunted. “You don’t have to tell me, brother.” He looked over at Vicky. “I’m one lucky fucker.”

“You sure are. I swear, it’s one after the other with the patches finding old ladies and settling down.”

He looked over at the other man. “You want to settle down?”

Smalls seemed to think about it for a second, then shook his head. “What the fuck would I do with an old lady?”

Payne heard this strange emotion in Smalls’ voice.

“Although I’m starting to think something is up with the twins.”

Payne glanced at Grim and Reaper. They were off to the corner, looking scared as fuck as they looked at Ryan.

“You see how they were acting in the meeting?”

Payne nodded. “Could be anything. You know how those two work.”

“Nah, I think it’s something else. I think they might want something more than what they’ve had.”

Payne looked at Smalls again. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

Smalls just shrugged.

The other man ended up walking away after a little while, and Payne went back to looking at Vicky. She was holding Ryan now, and the old ladies were around her. He saw the love in his woman’s eyes as she looked down at their son. And when she looked at him he felt his heart jerk in his chest. He mouthed, “
I love you,
” and the smile on her face could have sent him to his knees.

God, he was one lucky bastard.

I
t took
Payne three months before he went back to dealing with club business. Vicky was more than happy to deal with Ryan. He was such a sweet and charming boy. Payne didn’t like being away, and she did miss him at night. She was determined to prove to him that she could do all of this on her own. It wasn’t that she wanted to do it on her own, only that she could.

She had run because Payne wasn’t willing to give her a chance. The truth was, she truly believed he didn’t love her, or want anything to do with her.

“Daddy will be home soon. Yes he will, and if we’re lucky, he’ll sing you to sleep. I know you love it when Daddy sings.” She pressed a kiss to his temple, and laughed at the baby noises he made. The love she felt for Ryan was soul deep. He was everything she loved about Payne, and so much more.

“I hear my name,” Payne said, making her gasp and turn toward him.

“See, Daddy’s here.” She held Ryan close to her chest and turned to smile at her man. He wore his leather cut with the patch clearly stating his Prez status within the club. He held his arms out, and she handed Ryan over to him. “Has he eaten?”

“I’ve just fed him.” She stroked Ryan’s cheek, smiling as he nuzzled against his father, clearly happy and safe. “You got back quickly.”

“Always. You know I like to be there with him when he goes down to bed. I always try to be home for you two.” He reached out, cupping the back of her neck and drawing her closer. “I missed you.”

“I missed you, too.”

Vicky watched and listened as he sang to Ryan, leading him back to his crib. Then he turned and faced her, that arousal clearly on his face, that had her instantly ready for him.

She backed up, out of Ryan’s room, and Payne followed.

“Come here,” he said in a low voice, and shut Ryan’s door softly.

Her pussy grew slick, and she closed her eyes, just listening to the depth of his voice. Payne had so much power with his voice.

Leaving the room, she made her way downstairs toward the basement. Flicking on the lights, she removed her shirt and stood on the mats. The basement was set out with plenty of soft mats, like in a gym, one that she had insisted on.

Tying her hair up in a band, she stood in the center, and started to stretch out all of her muscles.

Payne came down, removing his jacket as he did. “You know, you don’t need to keep proving to me how good you are. I can see that.”

“I want to be able to protect Ryan and myself. King teaches Clara all the time.” Even though that had come to a stop since Clara was now pregnant with his child. Vicky was going to be a Godmother, and she couldn’t wait.

“I see that smile.”

“I can’t help it. Clara has all these hormones now, and she struggles with the littlest thing. She was crying the other day because she forgot to put deodorant on one of her arm pits.”

Payne laughed. “I know. She’s now all bark and no bite.”

Once she was stretched and ready, she turned toward the man she loved.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes. I’m ready.”

Payne moved onto the center of the mats and approached her. She grew tense, waiting for him to lash out. It had taken her a lot of persuading to get him to teach her self-defense. He didn’t like the thought of her taking care of herself. She didn’t mind. His caring and love always made her smile.

There were no doubts in her mind when it came to Payne’s feelings for her.

His hand came up on the left. She ducked and slammed her fist against his stomach. He recovered, and went to grab her. She moved out of his way and stepped on his foot.

“Good. Remember, what is the most important thing?” he asked.

“If I can’t take my opponent down with one hit, I must injure, and get away as fast as possible.”

“What must you have on you at all times?”

“My cell phone to call you, and the club.”

“Excellent.”

They sparred for several minutes, Payne showing her some new moves, and how best to escape. The moment he called time, she collapsed to the mat, and he moved on top of her, trapping her hands above her head.

“Would you like me to get out of this one?” she asked.

“Nah, I’ve got some very naughty plans for you.” He held both of her hands within one of his, and with his now free hand, he glided it down her body. “While I was on the road, I couldn’t stop thinking about your tits, and how good they would look pressed together with my dick sliding between them.”

“How do you even ride with all these dirty thoughts?”

“It’s not easy. I’ll tell you that.”

She started laughing, which quickly turned into a moan as he pulled her shirt up over her head, leaving it resting over her arms. “If you don’t want to, tell me no.”

“Don’t stop.”

“Never.”

T
he months had seemed
to fly by, and Payne had never been happier. They were currently working with negotiations with another MC in Colorado to set up a unified alliance. It was something the Grit Chapter would need to expand and grow. They already had a reputation in the surrounding states for not taking shit and getting jobs done, but they were more than that. They weren’t just a band of brothers, they were a family, a business, and they needed to make connections outside of Grit, and outside of the other MC, in order to continue to make an impact.

What that impact was really wasn’t set in stone yet. They didn’t follow rules, didn’t put up with anyone’s shit, and because of it they were able to focus on what was important.

Payne looked at Vicky. She was sitting with Clara over at one of the empty tables, Ryan on Clara’s lap, and this look of amazement on her face. Being a father was something that had opened up Payne’s eyes. He never thought he could love someone as much as he loved Vicky, but the truth was what he felt for these two people in his life went so above and beyond he couldn’t breathe at times.

And Vicky … the one woman that owned his heart and soul, was everything to him. Did she truly know how much he loved her? Did she really know he’d kill for her, gladly die for her?

“Hey, brother.” King clapped Payne on the back, but didn’t sit beside him. “You doing good?”

Payne grunted. “With my woman by my side, and my son happy and healthy, I’m golden.”

King nodded in agreement, the expression on his face showing that he understood.

“We got an announcement,” King said after a few seconds, and Payne looked at the other patch again. But King was looking at Clara, and his old lady was looking back at him. He gestured for her to come over, and once she handed Ryan back to Vicky, the two moved away so everyone would be able to see them.

Vicky came over, Ryan on her hip, and he pulled his old lady down on his lap. He kissed Ryan on top of the head, and his son started giggling.

“We’d like to announce something,” King said and pulled Clara in close to him. She was looking up at him with this big smile, and then looked around the room. Everyone was here, together, and the atmosphere in the MC was light, happy.

“I’m going to be a fucking father,” King said, his smile huge. He pulled Clara in and kissed her soundly, and there was a round of cheers.

Vicky gave Ryan to him, and she promptly rushed up to Clara and embraced her. He stood, walked over to King, and clapped him on the back.

“Congratulations, brother.”

“Thanks, man,” King grinned wider.

Ryan sated getting fussy just then, and Payne asked, “You ready for this?”

King looked down at Ryan. “More than ready.”

Payne couldn’t help but smile. “It’s the best fucking thing in the world, man.” They looked each other in the eyes, and King nodded.

“I think we’ve been waiting for this our whole lives, Payne. I think after all the shit we do, and have been through, we deserve this.”

Payne couldn’t agree more.

He looked at Vicky, saw she was crying and smiling, and held his son tighter. This was where he was supposed to be, and fuck, it felt good.

He looked at Ryan, saw his saw smiling up at him, his two bottom teeth poking out. “I’m going to love you and your mom until the day I die.” And it would be the happiest days of his damn life.