Chapter 10

"The house looks beautiful," Louisa commented from her seat in Bulldog's new kitchen. "You did a wonderful job, mio figlio."

Bulldog smiled at his mom over his shoulder as he worked to prepare her tea. Though there was room for her in the new house, Louisa had decided to remain in her home. Bulldog made it clear that she could always move in at a future time. Cassie and Lila were already moved in and getting their rooms set up. The prospects had painted each girl's room to her desired color. Cassie went with a plain off-white while Lila had one wall hot pink, one lilac, one lemon, and one tangerine. Princesses, clouds, rainbows, and unicorns were stenciled all over the walls and ceilings. The third bedroom upstairs was empty for now, though Bulldog was thinking of putting in a family movie theater or maybe a game room.

The nursery had ended up being placed in the den on the first floor next to the master bedroom. Georgie had come down with colic about three weeks ago, and Bulldog had needed to put Caleb close but separate while keeping Georgie in his bedroom with him.

Dr. Skurja had started to see Cassie remotely. Cassie was showing signs of agoraphobia, a fear of going outside. She had her safe places, like Bree's house or the clubhouse, but the journey to each location had started to become a grueling process. For weeks after Bulldog had moved the children into the new house, Cassie wouldn't even step outside to walk next door to Bree's.

Lila was adjusting exceptionally well. Her therapist was in town, and Lila went twice a week to talk with her. Her overeating could still be an issue at times, but she hadn't eaten to the point of excess or making herself sick in almost a month. She and Scotty were thick as thieves. A playset had been built in the middle of the communal pentagon shaped backyard. The two of them could generally be found out there with Spot supervising them.

Both Cassie and Lila still had the occasional nightmare, but that was to be expected after what each had suffered through.

Abby was around too. They were dating, as she'd suggested. Once or twice a week, Bulldog would take her out for dinner or another activity, just the two of them. She came over to the house to familiarize herself with it and to share meals with Bulldog and the kids. Though she'd taken a backseat role in the kids' lives, she was still very much involved with them. She was finding peace in their new routine and continued to breastfeed and pump for Georgie.

Dr. Skurja was very pleased with the progress Abby was making. She'd even commented that Bulldog seemed more grounded too. Bulldog's sessions had gone down to every other week; Cassie spoke with her once a week; and Abby was still on a twice a week schedule.

Once a week, Bulldog took Abby to see an acupuncturist. It had been recommended to her by Dr. Skurja for stress-relief. He'd originally thought he'd have to take her to Pittsburgh for something like that but then discovered a new clinic had opened in town. What was better, Abby loved the acupuncture doctor and enjoyed going.

As spring came, the club got out their sleds and resumed their weekly club runs. Abby, proudly wearing her cut that claimed her to be Property of Bulldog, took her first ride with him on his restored '65 Glide, and Bulldog had never enjoyed riding his hog more.

Since Harper was now eight months pregnant, her due date at the beginning of June, she was not able to ride. Tessa, who had been pregnant last fall and unable to finish out the season riding behind Bear, was as excited for her first club run as Abby. Lucky had told Harper that a prospect could drive her in a cage behind the procession, but Harper had declined. She'd offered to stay with Louisa and babysit Maggie, Caleb, and Georgie.

Lila was over the moon about riding on a "big bike!" Like Scotty and Bree, Cassie and Lila wore their denim cuts and helmets. Bree had a special harness that connected her to whomever was driving the sled she was on. Generally, she rode with Angel. Last year, Angel had traded in her Harley-Davidson Street Bob for a Tri-Glide Ultra trike. The trike was steadier and more secure for Bree. It also meant that Angel could dismount and leave Bree on the trike without worrying about it tipping over.

Cassie was riding on the back of Cage's FatBoy. She was extremely nervous about being outside, but Cage assured her that he would bring her back without argument if that was what she needed. Other than Bulldog, the brother Cassie seemed most comfortable with was Cage. Dr. Skurja had speculated to Abby and Bulldog that this was because of Cage's sacrifice to selflessly donate a kidney to Bree. Not only did this place him in a ‘safe' category in Cassie's subconscious, but Cage was also frequently around Bree and Angel's house, giving Cassie time to get to see him in a more personal setting. Bulldog hoped that Cassie would one day warm up to his other brothers as much as Cage, but considered how at ease she was around Cage to still be progress.

Scotty was riding with Lucky since Harper was staying behind. Lila was riding with Pirate. Bulldog had made sure she was instructed on how to behave and act on a motorcycle. They had even practiced falling in the backyard before he'd taken her for her first ride earlier in the week. Ghost and Ranger volunteered to ride behind Pirate and keep an eye on her as well. Lila understood that if she misbehaved in any way that she would not be allowed to go on another club run this summer, and she seemed to be taking the warning seriously.

Melanie generally did not go on club runs. She was not a fan of motorcycles, despite that her dad was the VDMC President. Sissy was also attending the club run. Her work schedule was getting busier, but she loved club runs and made the trip to Mount Grove especially for the first ride of the year. She rode behind Demo. Even though she was an adult, her cut was still denim. It differentiated her from the ol' ladies.

Tensions had been high between the Honeys and the ol' ladies prior to Bulldog firing Cheryl. It got worse after that. Steel had been forced to discipline each of the Honeys at one time or another over the past couple of months. It was getting to the point where Steel was ready to declare the Honeys no longer a ‘thing' and make them simple club employees. If they didn't like it, they could quit. Some of the single brothers were against that idea but several of them who weren't attached to an ol' lady agreed with ‘the Honeys' no longer being a club staple. Cage, to everyone's surprise, had been one of them. He was generally one that the Honeys could always count on for company.

The Honeys still prepared the clubhouse and the food for the after club run picnic, but then left. In the past, they'd hung out with the club, keeping everything PG due to the family members and kids around, then later would be more open with their affections when the clubhouse was open to the public for a party. However, with everything going on, the club hadn't been partying as much as they used to. Demon on the Rocks was still a club bar and a hangout for them with the public, but the club hadn't hosted a clubhouse party in months.

Having multiple families with children now on club property, security was a higher concern than ever. Bulldog put it to a vote that all club parties were to be hosted only at Demon's. The clubhouse and property were now for club members and families only. The Honeys were not happy about this and thought, if they left the party, the club would change their ruling.

Bulldog knew the Honeys were not long for the club. They still needed employees, but they wouldn't take the title of ‘Honey' or have the unspoken role of sleeping with the club members. For now, though, things were staying as-is with the Honeys. Steel would lose his patience one of these days, and then they would see.

School was not a consideration for either Cassie or Lila right now. Both of their tablets had been programmed with certain lesson apps that Bulldog was encouraging them to use, but he was more concerned about their mental and physical health than their education. Harper promised that once she had her baby, she would assess Cassie and Lila to see what their education looked like and if it was possible for them to go to public school in the fall. Abby had mentioned in private to Bulldog that Cassie was extremely concerned about how far behind peers her own age she would be.

This in mind, Bulldog had gifted Cassie with a set of encyclopedias he'd found at a garage sale, as well as many world history, American history, and general science books. He figured the more she read, the better at it she would be, so why not read something that taught her things too.

With the help of a nutritionist, Abby, Cassie, and Lila were steadily gaining weight. Abby had a harder time than the others with the pregnancy hormones still running through her system. She'd be gaining weight one day and then lose weight the next. It was a bit of a rollercoaster ride between her and her scale. In Bulldog's opinion, she could still gain more weight. None of them were in the under-weight category anymore and were working on building muscle.

Both Cassie and Lila had started to take self-defense classes from Bulldog as well. He set up a mat in the backyard for them to practice on. Scotty joined them on occasion, but his attention span generally ran out before the lesson was over. While it had originally taken some convincing to get Cassie outside for the lessons, she'd soon found they helped. Cassie had openly stated that she felt stronger since starting the lessons with Bulldog. Other brothers came to help too.

Bree, Cassie, and Melanie still hung out together. Melanie had declared her senior project "as done as I can make it while still holding onto my sanity" and was spending more time with the two younger teens while awaiting her final grades.

No one had seen or heard from Scar since the day the community had fallen. Bulldog had reached out to several contacts, but no one had seen hide nor hair of Scar in months. Guilt over Scar's decision to leave the club weighed heavily on Bulldog. Though Steel hadn't officially proclaimed Scar wasn't a member of the VDMC anymore, the writing was on the wall. Scar had gone rogue; he'd killed the High Reverend, tortured Warren Knight, and kidnapped Adrian, John, and Gordon without getting a club vote first. Bulldog dreaded the meeting when Steel would have to declare Scar stripped of his colors.

The club was monitoring the progress of the community's downfall carefully. The women and children were currently being housed in a facility in Charleston. Some of the women needed extensive medical treatment. All of them, including the older children, needed psychiatric therapy. Social services was working to figure out a more permanent placement for them. Many of the women did not want anything to do with the children they'd been forced to birth. Others wanted to be reunited with all of their children.

The number of children was mindboggling.

Keys had asked Bulldog if he thought Abby would want to be introduced to her half-siblings, the ones Warren Knight had fathered over the past sixteen years. The half-brothers who had already taken wives and had children of their own were awaiting trial with the other men of the community, but she had a good number of half-sisters and nieces and nephews at the Charleston facility.

Bulldog had decided to talk to Dr. Skurja and wait for Abby's next session to ask what Abby's opinion was of meeting her siblings. Abby hadn't handled the question well. She hadn't considered being united with any of her siblings. She thought not wanting to meet them made her a bad person, and it had taken both Bulldog and Dr. Skurja to calm her down enough to get her to listen that it did not make her a bad person. Eventually, Abby had asked if they were being well taken care of. Bulldog had answered with an affirmative, and Abby had decided not to meet her siblings.

Both Bulldog and Dr. Skurja assured Abby that that was perfectly okay, and she had the right to make the decision that was best for her. It was also okay if she chose to change her mind at any point in the future.

It was now the middle of May, and the clubhouse was decked out in white, green, and blue colors for Lucky and Harper's wedding. Unlike Bear and Tessa's re-wedding, the ceremony would be held outside under the pavilion. Harper's mom Cindy and her father the sheriff were invited. Harper had been torn whether she wanted her dad to walk her down the aisle. The sheriff had a lot of amends to make towards his daughter, and Harper wasn't sure if she was ready to make that contingency for him. She'd eventually decided that Scotty would walk her down the aisle. Her dad was attending, but he would have to deal with the fact that he wasn't going to be walking his daughter down the aisle.

Bear would be standing up as best man with Sissy and Tessa as dual maids of honor. There was no other wedding party. Jumper would be officiating as he had with Bear and Tessa—only this time he had to get ordained to do it.

Carlos and Louisa were still living in the Santiago house. Carlos was keeping his distance from the club of late. He wasn't unfriendly towards any of them, but he also wasn't around as much as he once was. Carlos used to just walk into the clubhouse freely and hang out with the brothers like he was one of them. Now, he was only on club property to drop off or pick up his mom and visit with his new nieces and nephew. Bulldog didn't like it but could admit that both of them were being equally stubborn. Carlos had not followed through with his threat to arrest Bulldog if the club didn't turn over Warren Knight and he also hadn't reported it to Hannigan. By giving the club the cold shoulder, he was essentially telling them that he no longer wanted to know their business. He'd also declined his invitation to Harper and Lucky's wedding.

Bulldog wasn't happy about the rift between him and his brother. He also didn't know how to fix it, since it wasn't like he could turn over Warren Knight to the police. The further secret that Bulldog had gotten his revenge against the men who'd purchased Abby over the years prevented Bulldog from reaching out to his brother.

No one had spoken a word about what Scar had left in the cellar. When Bulldog had finally emerged, he'd been drenched in blood and sweat, and in a bit of a daze. Lucky had taken Bulldog to his room while Steel had called the prospects to clean up. Bulldog hadn't been there, but he'd heard through the grapevine that at least one of them had vomited upon going down to the cellar.

Thankfully, there was a drain in the cellar for easy cleanup.

Quinten had been patched in a week after the community was disbanded. His patch-in party had been held at Demon's and no club kids or family members, other than ol' ladies, had been invited. He'd chosen the road name of ‘Lightning', claiming to be quick as lightning when he rode his hog.

However, the club had other plans for Q's road name. Quinten's jaw had dropped when he'd been presented with his new cut with full rockers and the road name Starbucks on the front.

"What the fuck?" he exclaimed.

"You're always bitching about how there's no Starbucks in this town," Lucky told the poor bastard. "Can't say that anymore."

The entire bar had roared with laughter. Quinten then spent the rest of his party trying to convince people to call him Buck.

Mitch, Steel's friend and former CO, finally arrived at the clubhouse about a month ago. After meeting the man, Bulldog knew he'd misjudged the former Marine. Mitch was hard as nails and didn't put up with any bullshit. He'd been voted in as the club's newest prospect after he called Steel ‘Jackie-boy' and had openly flirted with Jenna to get under Steel's skin. It was clear it was all for show, and he'd only done it to prove he had what it took to join "your little boy band on wheels."

Bulldog and Louisa were in his kitchen waiting for Cassie to come down. As much as Harper wanted the club babies at the wedding, it had been offered by Bear's parents for them to watch the babies during the ceremony and then they would bring the babies out to the reception. That way, there were no interruptions. Louisa had also volunteered to help.

Lila, who was wearing a frilly blue dress, was waiting impatiently in front of the television in the living room. Cassie had recently started wearing makeup and dressing in her own unique style after a very long, and expensive, shopping spree. Between the house and the cost of the kids, Bulldog was going to have to start watching his pennies. As a single man, Bulldog hadn't splurged much and most of his money went into savings after splitting the housing expenses with Carlos. He'd never realized how expensive children could be until he suddenly had four of them.

Bulldog placed the cup of tea in front of his mom and then glanced down at his watch. "I need to go pick up Abby. I'll take Lila with me. Can you make sure Cassie leaves on time please?"

Louisa shooed him towards the door with a flick of her hand. "Of course, go."

He leaned down and kissed his mom on the cheek. "See you at the reception. Thank you for watching the babies."

Lila was ecstatic to finally be able to leave. Bulldog hadn't wanted her to ruin her dress, so he'd been forcing her to stay inside since he'd put it on her. She skipped the entire way to Angel's house. It was hard to believe that three months ago, she'd been cowering in a minivan to get away from him. Now she stood at the top of the ramp to Angel's house and yelled, "Come on, Daddy! You're so slow!"

* * *

Abby wasnervous for several reasons, but the most prominent was the fact that her new suitcases were all packed and everything she now owned was boxed up and waiting to be moved to into José's new house. Her new house. She'd been working with Dr. Skurja on letting herself have things. She hadn't owned anything in sixteen years and, before that, one could argue that all her possessions belonged to her parents. Being able to own something, anything, was new to her, and a big part of her felt like she didn't deserve to have the items.

Her clothing didn't even feel like hers in the beginning. So much of what she had was hand-me-downs from the other ol' ladies or bought at secondhand stores. It had taken her a long time to feel comfortable claiming anything, other than José, as hers.

Her progress had been slow, but Abby felt the weight pressing down on her lift a little more each day. Though she was physically free of the community, she hadn't been mentally free. She wasn't there yet, but she knew she would be. That knowledge empowered her to move forward and to trust herself. To be ready to build a life with José and their children.

Angel and Bree were waiting with her for José to escort her to the wedding. She'd asked him to come a few minutes early so they could talk before they left. Angel knew how nervous Abby was and was doing her best to distract Abby with small talk, but it wasn't working very well.

Abby knew she didn't need to be nervous. She wasn't afraid of José rejecting her or telling her that she wasn't ready and should take more time. He would trust that she would know when she was ready and would have discussed it with Dr. Skurja first. No, her nerves were from stepping into the unknown.

She wanted to try to be intimate with José tonight.

Over the past two months, Dr. Skurja and Abby had talked at length about whether or not she was ready to have sex. José was aware that they were discussing it and had also spoken with Dr. Skurja to ensure that he didn't do anything that would cause Abby a setback.

He would kiss her while on their dates or after walking her back to Angel's house at night. Their kisses were generally short and, though loving, not heated. José kept his hands either on her face or on her hips.

About a month ago, Abby had thought she was ready to go further, but had had a flashback when José had laid down on top of her on the couch. Since Adrian had never pinned her down like that, Abby had not understood the flashback. Dr. Skurja had suggested that it didn't have to do with Adrian himself, but rather having José lay on top of her had triggered her mind into thinking that she was once again being held against her will. Adrian might not have held her down himself while raping her, but he had tied her to a bench that had held her immobile. Additionally, her ankles had been forced into chains that only allowed a two-foot distance between them for sixteen years.

José had suggested a very simple fix: Abby would be on top or they would lie side by side. He swore that he wouldn't be on top until, or if, she was ready. Since then, they'd had much more passionate make out sessions that had resulted in some heavy over-the-clothes petting, and he had kept his word every time.

She'd also been spending a lot of private time with the vibrator Angel had given her. At first, Abby had been embarrassed to use it and very self-conscious. But after her first ever orgasm, she'd moved passed her discomfort and was starting to relearn her body as a woman. Achieving self-pleasure gave her the confidence to try for pleasure with the man she loved.

While Dr. Skurja commended Abby for her determination to move forward, she cautioned Abby that the willingness to try is sometimes as successful as completing the act itself. Even if Abby wasn't able to have penetrative intercourse with José, it was enough that she'd tried.

That was something Abby could understand.

She'd gotten closer with the other ol' ladies over the past two months too. While Angel wasn't an ol' lady, they included her in their get-togethers like she was. A few weeks ago, Abby had mentioned to the other ladies that she was ready to start taking more care with her personal appearance. With the supplements she'd been taking as well as her weight gain, her skin and hair were becoming healthier. Additionally, her incision from Georgie's C-section was nearly healed and she was feeling stronger.

The next day, the ladies brought over different types of makeup, lotions, and hair products for Abby to try. They also helped Abby shave her legs, armpits, and privates for the first time in nearly two decades. Abby couldn't recall her own mother helping her as much as these lovely women. José had not only blessed her with his own presence and acceptance, but he'd also given her a found family and wonderful friends she'd never had before.

Bree, Cassie, and Lila joined in on the fun too, and the women helped show the teenage girls as well as Abby how to apply certain makeup and made recommendations for their skin tones. Lila was more or less interested in the dress-up aspect, plus she was far too young to be wearing makeup regularly in Abby's opinion.

Lila's shouting from outside the door gave the house, and probably everyone on club property, a head's up that José was on his way. Abby was beyond elated how well Cassie and Lila were adjusting. As much as it pained her to hear Bree's story, Abby was grateful that Cassie had a friend she could relate to. Dr. Skurja had also been working with Abby on her feelings of guilt that she hadn't been able to prevent Cassie from being repeatedly violated as well.

The door burst open, and Abby heard Lila's little feet on the hardwood floor. Angel's entire house was hardwood because of Bree's wheelchair.

"Mommy, I'm coming in!" Lila shouted, even though she was already inside and on her way towards them. Abby couldn't help but chuckle. Lila came running right up to her on the couch. "Hi, Mommy! Wow, you look pretty! We're going to a wedding! But this is a good wedding, not a bad wedding. Cassie's nervous and is taking forever to get ready."

It had been a concern how Lila and Cassie would take the invite to Lucky and Harper's wedding. Like Abby, Cassie had been through a wedding auction. She'd been bid on by men, knowing the one who won would rape her that night. While the community had called it marital relations, Abby refused to call it anything but what it was.

When Cassie had first heard about Lucky and Harper's wedding, she'd panicked. Dr. Skurja had been on-call, aware of the conversation that Lucky, Harper, Abby, and José were about to have with Cassie. Once Cassie had calmed enough to ask questions, the adults made sure she understood that Lucky and Harper's wedding would be nothing like Cassie's wedding auction had been. Cassie was anxious about attending but had accepted the invitation. Bree had promised that she would sit next to Cassie the whole time and that the two of them would be in the back row in case Cassie needed to leave or go inside the clubhouse.

José stepped up behind Lila, looking so fucking handsome in his cut, dress pants, and dress shirt. His hand cupped her face and then pressed his lips to hers. "My Abby."

She beamed at him. "My José."

Angel and Bree got themselves to the door. Angel said, "We'll take Lila to the clubhouse. Take your time. We still have forty-five minutes."

"Thank you," Abby called over to her. Angel shot her a wink for luck.

Lila followed behind, shouting back, "Bye, Daddy! Bye, Mommy!"

Both José and Abby chuckled. He moved to sit down next to her. Harper had asked for the guests to theme their outfits to green or blue. As a child, Abby remembered being told by her mom to avoid green, so she didn't look Christmas-y with her red hair. However, when she'd told this to the ol' ladies, they'd balked. Claiming she would look beautiful in a forest green dress.

Which was how Abby had ended up wearing a forest green A-line scoop asymmetrical chiffon cocktail dress with a bow ruffle. She didn't really know what all of that meant, but she'd memorized the name of the style in case she was asked and didn't want to sound ignorant. On her feet were matching forest green flats.

Shoes were still something she was getting used to after being barefoot for sixteen years. Cassie preferred sneakers and Lila preferred anything she could easily slip out of as soon as the adults stopped watching.

"You look beautiful," he told her. There was a bit of reverence in his voice that made her blush.

"Your tie matches my dress nicely."

"Do you honestly think Harper would have allowed me to buy a tie that didn't?"

She shook her head. It had been a silly statement, but she'd wanted another couple of seconds before she broke her news to him.

"What's got you so nervous, Red? Is it the wedding? We talked about this, and you remember going to your aunt's wedding as a kid. I promise, today is going to be nothing like your wedding auction."

Abby nodded, "I know that. That's not what I wanted to talk to you about." He waited patiently for her to get her thoughts in order. "I know living away from each other hasn't been easy for you. I know you struggled with my decision to listen to Dr. Skurja and have this separation, even if you never voiced any of that struggle to me. I know I've thanked you before for doing it for me, but I want to thank you again. I truly believe that I'm better for it, José."

He picked up both her hands and kissed her knuckles. "I would do anything for you, Abby. You know that." Then he added offhandedly, "Plus, I'm not really sure it counts as a separation when you live next door to me and come over every day."

She giggled. "No, probably not. But I still needed it. I've loved dating you again and getting to know who you are now. You're a wonderful man, José, and I'm so honored that you chose me."

"There was no choice, Red." He rubbed the back of his knuckles over her freckled cheek. "A broken juice box took all the choice away from me a long time ago."

Abby smiled. "I can't drink apple juice without thinking about you."

"Before you came back into my life, I hadn't drunk it since I got your damn letter. I couldn't, not if I wanted to move on." Dr. Skurja had also been working with José about his guilt for not knowing that Abby had written that letter under duress.

"I have all my things packed," she told him softly. "Angel's been helping me all week to make sure I have everything ready to go to yo—our house."

She heard the slight hitch in his breath. His hands tightened around hers. "Oh, Red, of course. We'll get everything moved over tomorrow. Do you have a small bag for tonight?"

Abby loved that he didn't question her decision and believed that she knew what was right for her. She nodded eagerly. "It's by the door. Angel suggested that too."

"That girl's pretty smart." José leaned over and claimed her lips. "I love you, Abby Santiago. You are smart, beautiful, and strong. And, best part, you're mine."

She grinned widely. "And you're mine."

"Damn straight."

* * *

The wedding ceremonywent off without a hitch. There were lots of tears, and a few laughs, and one exclaim from Scotty of "Just kiss her already, Daddy! I'm hungry!" The May weather had a cool breeze to it, but heating lamps around as well as tiki torches were set up in case they were needed as the day wore on. Bulldog was glad Abby had bought a shawl to match her dress, but still took the excuse to hold her close.

Once the ceremony was over, the crowd moved to under the pavilion where the tables, chairs, and caterer was set up. Harper, Lucky, and family remained behind for pictures with Bear and Tessa. Bulldog carefully guided Abby over to a table by a heating lamp in case she got cold. He kept one eye on Lila, who was running around like a chicken with her head cut off, and Cassie, who was in a corner with Bree. She looked pale but was still present. Bulldog's eyes narrowed; he'd need to keep a closer eye on her as the afternoon wore on.

The late lunch was a choice of honey glazed salmon, Cornish hen, or ratatouille. The server came around with the choices of red or white wine or champagne, but Bulldog declined for both of them. Abby did not drink alcohol and Bulldog wasn't a wine guy nor had he ever gotten a taste for champagne. Lila was sitting with Cassie and Bree and had dug into her ratatouille with vigor while Cassie picked at her salmon.

After everyone ate, Bear and Tessa made a speech together as best man and maid of honor before handing the microphone to Sissy. To everyone's surprise, Sissy waved her brother over to her. She then handed the microphone to Scotty without giving a speech herself.

The teenager was nervous as he glanced around at his audience of family, friends, co-workers, and townsfolk. Unlike Tessa and Bear's wedding, this one included more than just the club and immediate family. Sissy stayed behind him, muttering something in his ear.

Then Scotty turned to his parents. "I have the best daddy in the world. When I was a baby, I was abandoned by my mother, but my daddy, who is actually my brother, fought to keep me. I was never not loved. My daddy struggled to give the best life he could to my sister," Scotty turned and patted Sissy on the shoulder, "and me. I love my daddy."

Then he looked at Harper, who was already clutching a tissue between her hands. "And I love my daddy even more because he gave me a mommy." He smiled widely as he told the crowd, "My mommy's awesome. She teaches me at school, and I have to call her ‘Ms. Hannigan'," the audience chuckled softly, "but now I get to call her ‘Mrs. McCoy'. I've never had a mommy before and I'm really glad that it's you," he said to Harper. To the rest of the crowd, Scotty turned. "I know I'm different. But my mommy and my daddy and my sister and my aunts and my uncles and my cousins love me anyway. I want to say thank you to my daddy for bringing my mommy into my life and thank you to my mommy for giving me a little brother. I'll be a good big brother, I promise!" Again, a light chuckle ignited through the audience. There wasn't a dry eye in the house. "And I want to say thank you to my sister." From the look on Sissy's face, this was not part of the speech she'd practiced with Scotty. "You're the best big sister a kid like me could have." He leaned over and Sissy ducked down so he could kiss her on the nose. Then he added in a very cheerful voice, "I've decided my road name should be ‘Lucky Junior' because I'm the luckiest kid in the world to be loved by my family."

Laughter, cheers, and sniffles followed Scotty's heartfelt speech. Sissy, Lucky, and Harper all came around him into a big family hug—which was captured by many phone cameras as well as the professional photographers.

The cake was being cut when DeeDee and Lawrence, Bear's parents, brought out Maggie and Georgie while his mom walked slowly with a toddling Caleb. They'd originally planned on arriving in time for the meal, but the babies had all fallen asleep, and none of the adults wanted to wake them. The caterers had kindly brought their meals down to Bulldog's house where they had been babysitting.

Bulldog took Georgie, who Abby immediately started cooing over, loving how his little girl curled herself against his chest. Neither Caleb nor Georgie would ever know that they were the product of violence and violation.

The live band Lucky and Harper had hired did a wonderful job. The couple's first dance was to Elton John's Your Song. Harper then danced with Scotty to Bruno Mars's Just the Way You Are, causing tears in many of the audiences' eyes. Lucky and Sissy danced and cried to Best Parts of Me by Will Dempsey.

Bulldog watched father and daughter, and for the first time understood all the sacrifices and struggles Lucky had been through for his children. He'd probably never have a father-daughter relationship with Cassie like Lucky did with Sissy, and that was okay. Bulldog would be the best pseudo-big brother that girl ever had if that's what Cassie needed. There was no getting around the fact that Lila was now Bulldog's. That girl craved a father's attention. She'd even started using the title of aunt and uncle when referring to the VDMC members.

As the day wore on, the dance floor filled up and faster paced music was played with the occasional slow song. Others came up to them, but Abby and Bulldog were pretty much stationary in the corner. Georgie was stolen away by Jenna and taken to the dance floor. His mom still had a tight hold on Caleb and was swaying to the music by the edge of the dancers.

Harper was taking a break with her feet up. The skirt of her maternity wedding dress was wrapped around her legs, so it wasn't dragging on the floor under her. Lucky was hovering, getting her water or food. Scotty was the life of the party, in the middle of the dance floor with Lila. Both kids were going to sleep well that night.

A face Bulldog hadn't been expecting walked by. He supposed he should have, since she was Harper's sister-in-law, but he hadn't been paying much attention to the guest list. Scanning the dance floor, he saw two little boys amongst the crowd. He didn't need to guess their ages since he knew everything about that family.

Paige Hannigan was the widow of Richard Hannigan, Harper's brother and a gambling addict. They had two boys; Nelson was three and Matthew was five. While the world believed Richard to be a missing person, the VDMC knew otherwise. Richard had been one of the first to hang from the chains in the cellar. He'd admitted to abducting thirteen women as a way to pay back his gambling debts to Mateo Castillo and to the rape of one unknown woman at, he claimed, Castillo's behest to prove his loyalty. If the club hadn't rescued those women, as well as the other twenty who'd been destined for a slave auction house, who knows what would have happened to them or where they would be today. Many of them would likely be dead.

Paige was an innocent in her husband's mess. The club knew that and was trying to keep an eye on her. Harper's parents and Paige's in-laws hadn't spoken to her for months following Richard's disappearance. The sheriff and Cindy suspected their son was dead, but they had no proof. If Cindy was aware of how involved the club was in her son's death, she might not have gone to Harper last August when she wanted to divorce the sheriff. After the sheriff's attack by Mateo Castillo, Cindy had decided to reconcile with her husband. A way for her to make further amends was to reach out to Paige and apologize for vanishing from their lives. Cindy's reasoning of guilt and grief wasn't a lie, and Bulldog knew that Harper was helping the two mend bridges.

With Keys's help to fake the paperwork, Demo was able to send Paige money each month that looked like a life insurance payout to help her pay her bills.

As Paige walked by, Abby's head perked up. "Dr. Paige?"

Paige halted and turned, her face confused until she spotted Abby. "Abby, hi. What are you doing here?" Then she shook her head. "Sorry, obviously you're here for the wedding. Is this your husband?"

Though he was still trying to figure out how the two knew each other, Bulldog stood as Paige rounded the table. She took notice of his cut and seemed to nod to herself like something just made sense to her.

"Bulldog." He held out his hand to her. "It's nice to meet you."

Paige shook it. "You too. I can't believe we haven't met at the clinic before now."

"You're her acupuncturist?"

When Abby had first started acupuncture, Tessa had been the one to take her. It had been during their initial two-week separation when they hadn't seen each other often. Once Bulldog had started driving her, he'd go into the clinic with her but not to the back where she received her treatment.

Paige nodded. "I only opened up my clinic a couple of months ago. Abby was one of my first clients."

Bulldog gestured to the chair on the other side of him. "That's so great to hear. I can't believe I didn't make the connection."

Abby put her hand on his thigh as he also sat. "You've been a bit busy."

"What do you do for a living, Bulldog?" Paige asked and then giggled. "I'm sorry. I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around all the nicknames. A guy tried to flirt with me earlier who called himself Pirate and another named Ghost pointed out where the bathrooms were." She covered her mouth to try to stop her laughter. "I'm not trying to be mean. It's just so different."

Abby giggled too. "It definitely takes some getting used to. Have you met Pumpkin yet?"

Paige snorted. "No. Geez, where do you guys get these names?"

Bulldog wasn't offended by the turn of the conversation. Mainly because it was making Abby laugh. "Some are from our time in the military. Others chose their road name based on something important to them. And then there's Pumpkin, who we refuse to call anything else after an unfortunate incident with a pumpkin."

"Bulldog, huh." Paige eyed him. "I'm guessing you're stubborn, tenacious, and bullheaded."

Abby burst out laughing and Bulldog nudged her playfully. He turned back towards Paige. "Pretty much. And to answer your question, I'm a writer. I write military thrillers."

"Oh wow." Paige looked impressed. "I've always wanted to write, but, with two boys at home, I've never had the time. Now that I'm…" Her face fell. "Sorry. Um, now that…"

Bulldog reached over and patted her hand on the table. "Harper told us about her brother. I'm so sorry." His apology was sincere too. While he wasn't sorry to take a rapist and kidnapper out of this world, he was sorry he left this woman struggling to raise her sons.

Paige nodded, trying to rein in her emotions. "Thank you. Being a single mom is harder than I thought it would be. With Ron and Cindy back in our lives, it's better, but it got really bad for a while."

"Well, the club's been joking about starting up a daycare center now that we're bursting out with kids ourselves. If you need any help, give us a call."

Abby leaned around Bulldog and added, "Even if it's just to join in on Ol' Ladies' Night."

Paige looked confused. "Ol' ladies?"

"It's what the spouses of the club members are called. There's Jenna," Abby pointed at the dance floor where Jenna was swaying with Georgie, "obviously you know Harper," she pointed to the bride a few tables down from them, "then there's Tessa," she pointed to the same table as Harper where Tessa was with Maggie, "and Angel," she pointed towards where Cassie and Bree were and Bulldog spotted Angel standing next to them. "Angel's technically a patched member but we call her an honorary ol' lady. I'm sure the ladies would love for you to join our group.

"We've been meeting once a week and giving the kids to the guys to entertain. We've been rotating between houses or backyards, depending on the weather. Bulldog's and my house is finally ready, so I'll probably offer up our living room for next week's get-together. There's usually snacks like chips and salsa, plus wine. I can't drink because I'm still breastfeeding and Harper's pregnant so she can't either. But Tessa, Angel, and Jenna make sure to drink enough for all of us."

Paige let out a longing sigh. "It sounds wonderful, but I don't have a sitter for the boys."

"We'll take them," Bulldog offered. "Last week, we took all the kids to a Pirates' baseball game. We rotate how we entertain them to give our ladies a break."

"Oh, I couldn't possibly?—"

"I insist," he told her. "If you want to go to the ladies' party, we'll take your boys. There's enough of us that they'll be looked after, and I can promise you they'll be protected too."

"Thank you. I'll consider it." Paige looked like she was getting ready to cry. "It has been really nice talking to you, but I should go see what my boys are up to."

"Stay," Bulldog encouraged. Something had caught his eye that he needed to go check on. "Do you mind? I need to run to the little boy's room, and I don't want to leave Abby here alone."

Abby rolled her eyes. "I'm fine."

He leaned over and kissed her temple. "Humor me, Red."

Paige looked over to the dance floor where her sons were jiving away. "Yes, of course," she said with a smile. "I'd be happy to."

Bulldog leaned over towards Abby. "Be right back," he pressed a kiss to her lips.

"Oooh! Bring me another slice of cake on your way back, please."

He grinned. "Sure thing."

Bulldog got up, waving Paige over to take his seat. Then he headed towards the clubhouse. He'd been hoping for something like this today and should have known that it would be Sissy. She had no poker face and, the more she tried to act casual, the less casual she became.

She'd walked towards the clubhouse but had gone around instead of inside. Bulldog was only minutes behind her and hoped he hadn't lost her. She wouldn't leave the wedding, he knew that, but stepping away for a couple of minutes would go unnoticed.

The front of the clubhouse looked normal, other than the mass of cages and the two catering vans. The band had parked their bus further down the roadway, so it wasn't blocking parking for the other guests. Everything seemed quiet out front. Where would Sissy go to meet him?

Bulldog headed towards the trees to the left of the clubhouse. He heard some rustling the closer he got and picked up his pace.

Just as he hit the edge of the trees, Sissy came bursting out of them. Her blue maid of honor dress was a bit disheveled, a strap hanging off her shoulder before she righted it. Her breath was short, her lips swollen, and—son of a bitch—she had a fresh hickey on her neck.

Bulldog's eyes narrowed as she tried to smile nonchalantly at him. "Uncle Bulldog, hey."

Knowing he wasn't done with Sissy, but also not wanting to lose him, Bulldog called out, "Scar! Come out here, you asshole!"

Sissy's mouth flopped open. "Scar? Why do you think Scar is here?"

He lowered his gaze to her. He was aware she was an adult, but damn if he still didn't see her as the sixteen-year-old who used to ride on the back of his hog during club runs with her denim cut on. "The hickey is a bit of a giveaway, little girl."

Sissy's hand slapped to her neck, her eyes mortified. "Oh God." But she still shook her head. "Scar didn't do this. I haven't seen Scar in months."

Bulldog studied her face. While humiliated, she seemed to be telling the truth. His eyes narrowed. "You and Scar aren't together?"

Sissy's jaw dropped. "What? No. He's just a friend—or he was before he vanished. Now he won't answer any of my texts. I was hoping he'd show up today, but he didn't. I haven't seen him, I swear."

Bulldog pointed to her hand where she was still covering up the love bite on her neck. "Then who gave that to you?"

Her cheeks darkened. "That's none of your business."

"It is if it's a brother. Doesn't matter if you're an adult, you're still a club kid. He would need Lucky's permission before he could date you."

Sissy's eyes narrowed. "Please. I'm not some piece of property to be sold off. I'm an adult, as you said. I can make my own decisions and choices. The only person's permission anyone needs to date me is my own."

"Sis—"

"Don't you ‘Sis' me, Uncle Bulldog! I am a grown woman. I don't need you spying on me." She went to storm off but turned back to him. "And, for your information, if I was meeting up with Scar, I wouldn't have told you. You're the reason he left."

Bulldog flinched. "It's complicated."

"Oh really? I don't know what happened, but I do know that the only person Scar would risk the MC for is you. He might not talk, but he still says a lot." She paused before adding, "Did it ever cross your mind that the only reason Scar wouldn't return was if he couldn't? Scar's no coward. He'd return to face Uncle Steel if he could."

Bulldog's eyebrows drew down. "What do you mean couldn't?"

"I mean that maybe something is keeping him away." Sissy spun on her high heels and headed towards the party.

Bulldog called out, "Sissy!" She turned but didn't speak. He pointed to her neck. "Might want to cover that up before your dad sees."

Her cheeks flushed, and then she headed inside the clubhouse instead of around back to the pavilion.

Bulldog turned back towards the trees. Was Sissy right? Was something keeping Scar away from returning to face Steel? What could possibly be keeping Scar away from his home, his family?

Bulldog hung his head. He was really hoping that Scar would show for Harper's wedding. Question also was, if Scar hadn't given Sissy that hickey, who had? She hadn't brought a date to the wedding. Which brother was going behind Lucky's back to hook up with his daughter?