Chapter 7

Something was tickling his nose. Bulldog swiped at his face. They didn't normally get flies in the house during the winter, but maybe one got in.

Except flies didn't giggle.

Bulldog's eyes flew open to find Lila standing over him. His military training immediately put him in bed next to a sleeping bundle of Caleb and Abby. Based on the small amount of light coming in through the window, he'd place the time around dawn.

"Good morning, Dog Man," she announced as only a six-year-old child could: very loudly and very happily. "I'm hungry."

Bulldog quickly shushed her. He rolled out of bed, picked her up, and carried her out of the bedroom. Closing the door behind him, he whispered, "Are you the first one up?"

She nodded. Her newly cut hair gave new definition to the term bedhead. Part of it laid flat while the rest looked like a brunette version of Bozo the Clown. Jenna or his mom must have helped Lila, and hopefully Cassie, shower yesterday too.

Bulldog stretched, feeling a kink in his back. When Keys had brought over the surveillance equipment, he'd also brought some sleeping bags and a blowup mattress. Wanting to make sure the girls had immediate protection too, Carlos had put the mattress on the floor of his bedroom where they slept.

Louisa had offered to take Caleb into her room and had said she'd handle his feedings and changings, but Bulldog thought Abby would want to keep Caleb close to her. He'd had some learn-as-you-go experiences with diapers in the middle of the night but had handled everything well enough. Who knew an engineering degree was needed to know how to put a diaper on.

After the meeting, he'd been hoping to catch another hour of sleep before having to start the day. Glancing down at his watch, Bulldog saw that Lila's stomach had deprived him of a whole eight minutes more of sleep. He suppressed a groan. The little girl was practically bouncing off the walls with energy and he hadn't even gotten any food into her yet.

In the six years since he'd gotten out of the Army, his body hadn't forgotten how to sleep on command or how to survive on little sleep. As he got older, his body just protested those sleepless nights more. Generally, with backpain.

He shook the fatigue off though. He needed to get Lila fed before she started eating the furniture. Indicating for her to stay quiet, Bulldog slipped back into his bedroom and picked up Caleb. He'd be waking up soon and he didn't want him to disturb Abby.

Before going home the night before, Tessa had warned the adults that Lila would be more prone to overeating than the others. For her to have lived off limited food for all of her life and then to suddenly have access to as much food as she wanted, her young mind would switch into survival mode. This might cause her to gorge herself on as much food as possible, even to the point of making herself sick, because she didn't know how long she'd have access to the food or how long the food would last.

Bulldog wished Adrian was in front of him so he could punch the man in the face for how he treated his own daughter. The man's transgressions just kept growing the more Bulldog and the others learned about Abby's, Cassie's, and Lila's pasts.

Bulldog paused partway down the hallway, glancing down at the little boy in his arms. Adrian was Caleb's father too. He and Lila were halfsiblings. Abby had said that she was the only mother Lila had ever known. Cassie was the outlier in the group. She had no blood or familial connection to either Lila or Caleb, but she also had no home and no family to return to.

Before he realized what his heart and brain were doing, Bulldog's instincts claimed Lila and Cassie as his. Cassie was thirteen and might not want a father-figure in her life, but she was going to get one. She'd saved Abby's life during their escape. Bulldog owed her as much as he owed Milly, whom he hoped was still alive. And Lila? That little girl craved attention and a place to belong.

He doubted Abby would have a problem with it, but he'd tell her his intentions all the same. He needed to get Keys to start working on creating new identities for Abby and the kids. With new identities, they could take them to the doctors and get them on Bulldog's veteran insurance. Maybe Cassie and Lila could even go to school at some point in the future.

Bulldog got Lila into the kitchen, switching on lights as he went. He placed Caleb down in the pack ‘n play Bear had left for them. Stretching to get the kink out of his back, Bulldog got Lila out a bowl, spoon, cereal, and milk. As she climbed up onto the chair, Bulldog noticed she was wearing one of his or Carlos's undershirts like a nightgown. The neckline was so big, it hung off her shoulders on both sides and she kept tripping over the bottom seam because the shirt was too long for her.

He frowned. Not because she was wearing one of his shirts, but because this little girl deserved to have frilly pink pajamas with princesses and unicorns on them. He needed to get the ol' ladies to take the girls shopping. Maybe not Abby, unless Tessa was going too. At least not until their baby was born. He'd also have to set up an escort. Bear, Lucky, and Steel would be with their women and, of course, he had Abby, but Lila and Cassie each needed someone. Plus an extra to?—

"More please!"

Bulldog looked down to see the cereal bowl empty. There were milk smudges on the table, as if Lila had spilled flakes over the side of the bowl and then eaten them off the table. She'd drunk all of the milk from the bowl too. How had she possibly eaten all that cereal so fast?

Her big brown eyes stared up at him pleadingly as she held the bowl up to him like Oliver Twist.

With Tessa's warning in mind, Bulldog crouched down next to her chair. "Sweetie, why don't we let your tummy settle a little before you have more?"

Tears filled her eyes and her chin started to tremble. Jesus, Bulldog felt her misery go straight to his heart. Before he'd even made the conscious decision to do so, Bulldog was pouring more cereal and milk into her bowl. Lila immediately dug in.

Chuckling from behind him had Bulldog looking over his shoulder to find Abby leaning up against the kitchen doorframe. He was pleased to see her, but annoyed she'd journeyed from the bedroom alone. Quickly, Bulldog put the cereal and milk on the counter out of Lila's reach before hurrying over to her.

Christ, she was beautiful in the morning. Her ginger locks outlined her lean face. The freckles littering her arms seemed to sparkle in the sunlight from the kitchen window against her pale skin. Some of her bruises were a rainbow of color, giving away that they were older than Adrian's last attack on her. The ones on her face were starting to get a blue/purple hue to them. Bulldog knew she had more on her abdomen and legs. He wanted Tessa to take a look at Abby as soon as she got here today.

He wondered if his mom had any Epsom salt in the house. If so, Abby could take a bath rather than a shower to help her bruises heal. Then he wondered if pregnant women were allowed to take baths.

He gently put his arm around her back to steady her before giving her a good morning kiss. Then he scolded with no vehemence, "I didn't hear you get up, Red. You shouldn't have walked out here on your own."

"I'm fine," she insisted, even though she stumbled slightly taking a step forward. "I was hungry and had eaten all the crackers you'd left for me. Thank you for those," she added.

"Of course." Movement from behind Abby caught his eye. He looked up to see Scar standing behind her in the hallway. Bulldog mouthed his appreciation to his friend over her shoulder. Scar nodded once before turning to head back down the hallway. Since there were no doors in that direction, Bulldog had no idea where Scar was headed. He turned his attention back down to Abby. "Let's get you over to the table."

Though their progress was slow going, Abby walked herself to the table while leaning against him. He noticed how heavily she was breathing by the time she sat down. He frowned. He needed to get her a phone so she could call him to the bedroom when she needed something.

He wondered if Lucky still had his wheelchair from when the bottoms of his feet had been burned in the housefire or if that had been a rental. If so, perhaps Abby could use it to get around the house instead of walking—with him pushing her, of course. Bulldog mentally added it to the list of things he needed to ask Tessa.

"Hi, Abby!" Lila waved enthusiastically from her chair. Bulldog had to quickly reach across the table to save her bowl from a terrible fate. Apparently, he also needed to get more kid-appropriate kitchenware.

Abby smiled fondly in the direction of the little girl across the table. "Hi, Lila. How did you sleep?"

Lila made an unhappy face. "Cassie moves a lot in her sleep."

"I'm sorry. Why don't you sleep with me tonight? See if that's any better."

Bulldog frowned at the idea, fearing the girl might be just as energetic in her sleep as she was awake. "If she moves around, she might hurt your injuries."

Abby shook her head. "It'll be fine. Your bed's big enough for all of us."

Bulldog leaned over her and pressed a kiss to her mouth, ignoring Lila's gagging noises at the display of affection. Then he corrected her, "Our bed, Red."

Her blush was one of the cutest things he'd ever seen.

* * *

Breakfast was loud and crowded—andAbby loved it. There were the occasional startles for all three of them, but Cassie and Lila seemed to be adjusting. José had to calm Abby down after a plate fell to the floor and shattered. Her mind had immediately taken her back to the times when Gordon would throw his plate across the kitchen at her when the food didn't meet his standards. Sometimes the plates would shatter and sometimes they would hit her instead of the wall… Abby's reaction to cover herself had nearly knocked her out of her chair. José was able to bring her back to the present, though, just as he had the day before.

Abby's breakfast ended up having to be oatmeal with a little bit of brown sugar. She'd thrown up when she'd tried to eat the omelet José had made her. José had immediately called Tessa to ask her advice and her opinion was that Abby's stomach was rejecting rich foods as she neared the end of her pregnancy. Tessa was going to put a call in to her OB before coming over to the Santiago house.

Jenna and Steel arrived partway through the meal. Louisa was grateful as she had her hands busy between Caleb and keeping Lila from making so many messes. Abby wished she was able to help more, but she couldn't move quickly or easily. She also wasn't sure her role in Cassie and Lila's lives now that they were free of Adrian. She wasn't their mother. They were thrown together through unfortunate and horrible circumstances. Would they even want to stay in Abby's life now that they were free? What were the girls' choices? Foster care? Surely, they weren't going to be remaining in the Santiago house forever.

No matter how much Abby wished they could stay, she wasn't sure it was possible.

Steel and Jenna had brought clothes with them for Lila and Cassie. Lila's was from their children's consignment store that the couple owned in town. Cassie's were hand-me-downs from Jenna. Though her clothes were big on Cassie, of the three ol' ladies, Jenna was the closest to Cassie's tall, willowy stature. Tessa had more maternity clothes she would be bringing for Abby.

Tessa and Bear showed up without Maggie just after breakfast. When asked where her daughter was, Tessa told them she was at Bear's parents' house. Jenna, who was now holding Caleb to give Louisa a break, proclaimed that she still required her daily Maggie snuggles, to which Tessa laughed.

Abby sat back, closed her eyes, and just listened to the exchange between the women. She didn't completely understand the motorcycle club that José was a part of, as in the dynamics or even why he was in it, but it was obvious that they were all close. She was starting to pick up on the hierarchy of the group. Jenna was definitely the matriarch. Abby hadn't met Harper yet, and she wondered if Harper deferred to Jenna like Tessa did. Much as José—Bulldog—and Bear did with Steel. She only met Lucky briefly the day before. From what José and Steel had said, the club had over a dozen members, but there were only three wives.

As the adults, including Steel and Bear, started to clean up from the large breakfast, Tessa pulled Lila and Cassie into the living room to do a quick exam. Louisa followed Tessa into the living room to try to help with Lila and Cassie. Jenna remained in the kitchen, making cooing sounds at Caleb in her arms.

Comforted by the domestic sounds around her, Abby started to drift off again.

* * *

Church was heldfor all of the VDMC members two days after the executive meeting. Once again, they met at Bulldog's house. Bulldog still wasn't ready to leave Abby to head to the clubhouse. Surprisingly, Steel hadn't even twitched a muscle; he'd simply declared they would meet at Bulldog's house. Due to the number of people attending, the meeting had been held in the living room instead of the kitchen. Abby, Jenna, Louisa, Cassie, Lila, and Caleb watched a movie in Bulldog's bedroom with the volume turned up slightly higher than normal. Bulldog had asked Carlos to specifically not come home for lunch that day.

The start of Church had been ordinary. Jumper had read over the minutes from the previous Church meeting as well as the weekly executive meeting and Demo went over their treasury report. The club had purchased a Harley-Davidson dealership six months ago. The members took rotating shifts on the sales floor while wearing their cuts. Sales were understandably down with the winter months. Steel wanted the officers and members to think of ideas of how to encourage sales during the cold weather when even the club wasn't riding their sleds.

Steel had brought up his idea about getting emergency housing on club property. While he didn't mind Clara and Kyle staying in his house, he wanted to offer them another option for however long they ended up staying with them (it was an open-ended offer as far as the club was concerned). If another situation like Abby's or Clara's presented itself, Steel wanted to have housing other than a club member's personal home available. Demo said he would crunch some numbers, as well as contact the modular home company Bear, Lucky, and Angel had recently used, and would get back to the officers the following week with suggestions. No one voiced any objections but official voting wouldn't take place until Demo showed them the numbers.

Then the issue of the Heaven Haven Community was raised. Keys had given Steel a report of everything he could find out, but unfortunately it wasn't much.

Standardly as SAA, Bulldog would lead the surveillance mission. He thought he'd been ready for it but had nearly had an anxiety attack when he'd actually sat down to plan it. The thought of leaving Abby for such an extended amount of time as a recon mission of this magnitude would take was debilitating. Instead, he put Ghost, a former SEAL, in charge of the team.

Bulldog knew that he would have to leave Abby eventually. Not only was it his job as SAA to lead the mission when the VDMC did finally strike, but he needed to personally see that Abby got her retribution.

Ghost had tried to say that Scar would be on the team going to Roanoke, but Bulldog had immediately gotten a text message stating that Scar's place was guarding, not surveilling. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going through Scar's head just then: the last time he'd been on a surveillance mission, Harper had nearly been gang-raped. It had taken a lot, including the destruction of many pieces of clubhouse furniture, to get Scar to calm down when the Cottonville mission members had heard the news. Bulldog knew that his friend believed he'd been in the wrong place, that if he had been in Mount Grove then he would have been there to protect Harper when she, Lucky, and Bear had been taken hostage.

Bulldog wondered if any of the members even comprehended how much time Scar spent watching over them, watching out for them. The women especially. When the club had started, it had just been Jenna, five club children, and the Honeys. As annoying as Scar found the Honeys, he still looked out for them because they fell under club protection. Now that there were four ol' ladies, ten club kids, and one club grandkid, Scar was busier than ever. When Abby had her baby, she would be the eleventh club kid and, when Harper had hers, he would be the twelfth.

If the club knew how much Scar cared, it would shock most of the brothers into cardiac arrest. Bulldog had overheard more than one brother over the years refer to Scar as creepy—and there was no arguing with that. Even Bulldog got unnerved by him at times. But at least Bulldog knew it was a mirage. Scar had one of the biggest hearts Bulldog had ever seen. Once he placed someone under his protection, there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for that person. Yes, Scar was creepy, reclusive, and standoffish. Bulldog couldn't even argue with that, but there was so much more to his friend that the other VDMC brothers simply didn't see.

Including Steel.

It was one of the reasons Bulldog had been thrilled when he saw how inclusively Sissy, and then Harper, treated Scar. Like his scars and silence didn't bother them in the slightest. Sometimes, Bulldog liked to imagine that it wasn't Scar standing with the ladies, but Julian, the respected soldier who once had a flag on his shoulder and God in his heart. Bulldog hadn't seen Julian in nearly a decade. So much of his friend had changed in that Afghani cave where he'd been held prisoner for weeks, as if he'd been shattered like glass and pieces of his former self had been left behind when he'd been rescued.

Unlike when they had surveilled Crisco's warehouse in Cottonville, this would be an extended trip where none of the club members going could easily come back to create the illusion that they'd never left Mount Grove. It was a four-hour drive to the Roanoke area. Instead, Ranger had posted on social media as well as announced to several of his customers at Demon's that he, Ghost, and a few of his brothers were heading to Atlanta, Georgia to help his mom and sister move his grandma out of her condo and into an assisted living facility. This trip would last approximately a week, maybe more. It had been a while since Ranger had visited with family.

Ranger did plan to head to Georgia, but he was only bringing Grumpy with him to help in the move. Meanwhile Ghost, Pumpkin, and Keys were heading to Roanoke. After getting some pictures with Ranger and his family, Grumpy would leave Atlanta after a few days to meet up with the surveillance team. Ranger would follow once he'd met his family obligations. As far as anyone else knew, though, all five members would be in Atlanta for the next week plus. Other members would be covering for them at their places of business.

Once Ghost, Ranger, Grumpy, and Pumpkin could no longer use the excuse of aiding Ranger's family, they would have to return to their daily lives. However, the club would get a week plus of surveillance first. Keys ran a cyber-security business and could work from anywhere, so he was in Roanoke for the foreseeable future, while somehow making it look like he was at the clubhouse.

A now familiar rage churned in Bulldog's belly. He needed to make those sonsofbitches pay, but he also knew he couldn't leave Abby.

Not yet anyway. He'd get there. He'd have to. Bulldog had plans of leading the charge that destroyed the Heaven Haven Community. Those sick bastards loved church and religion so much, they should watch Bulldog go all scorched earth on their home. He'd make them watch. Tape and glue their eyes open if he had to. They'd see what Bulldog did to their community first before he turned his vengeance on them.

Adrian would be the last to die. He owed Abby a lot of suffering before he took his last breath. Bulldog would see to it that she was paid in full.

* * *

The week wentby in a flash. Abby's injuries were healing well, but her fatigue was worsening due to the pregnancy. Despite having a newborn at home, Tessa stopped by each day to check on her as well as Cassie. Caleb and Lila were adjusting the best. Though she was always hungry, most foods Abby tried to eat still made her sick and she had to be put on IV fluids. Tessa was consulting a colleague who specialized in nutrition to see if he or she had any suggestions and had also shared with the adults that it might be psychological rather than a physical ailment.

As promised, José was always around to help her or the girls. His mom had taken over caring for Caleb, leaving the rest of them to José.

Abby had been over the moon when José had mentioned his intentions towards Cassie and Lila. Her fear that she'd soon be separated from the girls evaporated at his proclamation. It would be unconventional but the five of them, soon to be six, would be a family.

They hadn't informed Cassie and Lila of any decisions yet, wanting the two to become more acclimated prior to springing even more on them. To Abby's surprise, José was great with Lila. Her giant of a man got through to the little girl in a way no one else could.

On their third day in the Santiago house, Lila had made herself sick from overeating. Even after vomiting and crying her tummy hurt, she'd still wanted more food. José had cleaned her up before sitting her down to talk through her fears and worries. He explained that she would never go hungry again. He said he understood things were confusing now with her future being unknown, but he swore to her that, no matter what, she would always have food, water, and shelter. José, or ‘Dog Man' as Lila called him, was now Lila's favorite person. They even had a secret handshake.

By their fifth day, Abby was ordered onto bedrest by Tessa. Since Lila had been sleeping in Abby's room—which was technically José's room, even though he now referred to it as their room—she'd had to be moved back into Carlos's room with Cassie. Carlos had offered to take the couch in the living room so Lila could have the blowup mattress. Abby feared José wasn't getting any sleep. He seemed to always be up in the middle of the night, helping her to and from the bathroom, getting her crackers or changing out her IV bags, and keeping her company when the baby was moving too much to let her sleep.

Watching José with Caleb though was Abby's favorite form of entertainment. Now that she was bedridden, the others had to come into the bedroom to visit her. Every day, like clockwork, José would bring Caleb in for her to see and spend time with. Caleb had an obsession with José's beard, which Abby supposed he got from his mom.

Scar often visited her, but only at night. Though their conversations were one-sided, she felt like she was getting to know the stoic Enforcer. When she'd asked José why Scar wasn't around throughout the day, José had been surprised that Scar had revealed himself to Abby and was even more shocked that Scar made such an effort to communicate with her. José had then explained that Scar was a loner and didn't socialize with people, but he also stressed that there was no one José trusted more with her safety than Scar.

Louisa was one of her most frequent visitors. The two women would lay on the bed and talk for however long Abby had the energy to talk for. More than once, Abby had fallen asleep mid-conversation—and possibly mid-sentence once. Louisa was excited for the prospect of grandchildren. She knew of José and Abby's intention to take in Lila and Cassie and was honoring their decision to wait to tell the girls until things were more settled. She couldn't wait though until she became "Grammy".

Nearly a week after their arrival, Tessa put her foot down and insisted that Abby go see her OB, Dr. Pedaleck. Abby was extremely nervous about leaving the house and the children behind, but trusted José when he said that they would be safe. He'd said another of his brothers was coming over for extra protection. It turned out that that brother was actually a sister, and that was how Abby got to meet Angel.

Abby couldn't remember ever meeting a woman like Angel before. Angel stood tall at five-eight, muscular, and was heavily tattooed. Her short, dark hair was spiked. Abby learned that Angel was former Army and had served with José. Abby was in awe of the tough, take-no-shit woman. She also felt more comfortable about leaving the house with Angel staying behind to guard the children.

In addition to Angel, Steel, and Lucky were also at the house. Carlos promised to make an appearance too, uniform and all.

Abby liked Dr. Pedaleck, despite that the woman didn't have good news for her. Even though she had gained weight within the last week, Abby and her baby were still malnourished and underweight. Abby was diagnosed with preeclampsia and ordered to remain on bedrest for the rest of her pregnancy. She'd learned that the backpain she'd been having were due to Braxton Hicks contractions. Dr. Pedaleck was able to confirm that Abby was thirty-eight weeks pregnant. The doctor had wanted to admit Abby to the hospital, but Abby had panicked so much at that idea that Dr. Pedaleck agreed to allow her to go home in an effort to keep her calm.

However, Dr. Pedaleck wanted to see her the following week. Depending on Abby's results, she might schedule an emergency C-section rather than allow Abby to deliver her baby naturally.

José was… Well, he was simply wonderful. Abby wasn't sure what she'd done in her life to deserve having this second chance with him. He made sure she was fed and drinking enough, per Tessa and Dr. Pedaleck's instructions. He helped her bathe or shower regularly. He'd gotten her a tablet so she could read, listen to audiobooks and music, or watch tv shows. She was also the proud owner of a new cellphone, in case she needed something and no one was in shouting distance.

With her phone, she could text people. The first message she'd gotten was a group message named Ol' Ladies that included Tessa, Jenna, Angel, and Harper, whom Abby had yet to meet. Technically, Angel wasn't an ol' lady, but she was an honorary member of the group. Her second message was from José, though he'd been standing right next to her, telling her that she looked beautiful.

Cassie had also been given a phone. It kept her entertained with games and let her explore the outside world without actually going outside. She'd been communicating with Angel's daughter Bree, who was fourteen. Once José had shown Cassie how to make a FaceTime call, Bree and Cassie talked constantly when Bree wasn't in school.

It broke Abby's heart when Bulldog had told her Bree's history.

Lila had been upset that Dog Man had told her she was too young for a phone. However, he did give her a tablet like Abby's for her to play on and work on her reading, writing, and math. He'd even downloaded an app that helped Lila start to learn Italian. Even though it had only been a few days, Lila was picking it up extremely quickly. She and José spoke together like it was a secret language only they knew, even though Louisa and Carlos understood too.

Dreams of their escape continued to plague her. Sometimes they were fictional, featuring José or one of the girls getting hurt. Other times, Abby believed they were her memories returning. The dreams were too vivid to be otherwise. No matter how hard she tried, though, she could not remember what happened to Milly. She couldn't believe she'd left her behind. Milly had been at the minivan—why would she leave?

The night before her follow-up appointment with Dr. Pedaleck, Abby had trouble falling asleep. Her back was hurting something awful, but Tessa had already given her as high of a dosage of painkiller as she could. She was nervous about the next day and the possibility that, by tomorrow night, she could be holding her daughter in her arms.

A new worry had occurred to Abby earlier when she saw José give Jenna his credit card for anything "my Abby" needs. She wondered if he was paying for the girls' things too. What about Caleb's? A baby wasn't cheap and she was about to give birth again. He had to be paying for everything. Who else would be?

One thing she had never had to worry about as an adult was money. It wasn't like she received a paycheck, but it also wasn't like she paid rent either. She would need to get a job one day. Despite José's assurance that he could financially take care of her, Abby didn't want him to have to. She needed to contribute to this relationship too.

But with no diploma and no work history, what sort of work could she possibly do that would bring in any sort of substantial income? It was just one more thing for her to worry over.

When she'd brought up her concerns to José, he'd grabbed her face between his hands and kissed her. He'd been doing that regularly, and in front of the others, which made Abby feel all mushy inside. "Instead of concentrating on things you've never done or can't do, whether it's new to you or not, only worry if it's something you truly want to do. If it's not, then forget about it. No one can make you do anything anymore, Red. I won't let them."

Strictly speaking, Abby didn't want to get a job. There were so many other things she needed to concentrate on, like getting to know her son and the girls, not to mention her new baby that might be born the next day, but still felt like it was something that she should do in the future regardless of José's promise that he had enough to take care of her.

Arms slipped around her under the covers. Abby jumped slightly, so lost in her mind that she hadn't heard him enter the room or felt him get on the bed. José was wearing a pair of gym shorts and an undershirt. He curled himself around her back, resting his head on the pillow beside hers.

"Scar said you were having trouble sleeping." His voice was low and comforting. "What's on your mind, Red?"

Not wanting to answer him, Abby asked back, "Scar said I was having trouble sleeping?"

José chuckled in her ear. "Touché. Fine, he got me and pointed into your room, and I found you lying restlessly. I inferred."

"He certainly has a way of getting his point across."

"And you have a way of avoiding my questions. I ask again, what's wrong?"

Abby crinkled her nose. "I'm nervous about tomorrow's appointment."

"It's understandable to be nervous. Just remember, I'll be there the whole time and so will Tessa."

"And if I have to have the surgery tomorrow?"

"Then by this time tomorrow you and I will be holding our baby girl, taking lots of pictures, and celebrating a new member of our jigsaw family."

Abby hesitated before asking, "This is really what you want? Four kids that aren't yours and… I come with a lot of baggage, José."

"Oh, I've noticed." Unfortunately, his quip had the opposite effect on her. Abby winced. "Hey, I didn't mean that negatively." He pressed a kiss to the back of her head. "Abs, there's only one woman that I have ever loved and I'm holding her in my arms right now. I wouldn't care if you came with a hundred kids. Well, I wouldn't. My wallet might, but I wouldn't." When he got her to chuckle, José squeezed his arm gently against her large belly. "My point is, it wouldn't matter. Caleb, Cassie, and Lila aren't by-products just so I can have you. They're each a part of you. The way you love them, it makes me love them too."

Abby felt tears gather in her eyes. "Really?"

"Truly," he responded. Then shrugged, "And who knows. Maybe one day you and I will have a kid of our own too." Abby winced, turning her face away from him. Of course, José saw it though. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Abby shook her head.

"Abigail Knight, you tell me what's wrong right now. We swore never to keep secrets from each other."

Her face pinched, but he was right. She owed him an explanation and he had a right to know where her head was at. "This is going to sound awful," she said softly. "It's not that I don't want to be intimate with you, but I'm afraid, if you and I have kids, I'll love them more, or rather differently, than I would the others."

José was silence for a heartbeat. "Because the others would be a reminder of what happened?"

She shook her head. "Because our baby would be part of you."

José's arm tightened around her. "Shit, Red, sometimes you slay me with your words. I get it. I'm fine with what we have and are about to have." He placed his hand over her large belly. "I think four kids is going to be enough of a madhouse. We don't need to add to that."

"Are you sure? You deserve to have?—"

"I deserve you, Abs," he cut her off. "I'll never regret what we have. I'll never regret not having a kid that's biologically mine. Those are my kids and fuck what their DNA says. Tomorrow, or whenever our daughter is born, it will be my name that gets written down as her father. She'll only ever know me."

Abby's heart felt like she was going to explode. She sniffled. "I love you, you know that right?"

"Fuck, Abs, those words only express a fraction of what I feel for you." He kissed her cheek.

Needing to change the subject or risk having her heart explode, Abby asked him a question that she had been wondering but always seemed to be put on the backburner by other conversations or questions. "Why do they call you ‘Bulldog'? I mean, Bear looks like a bear, but you don't look like a bulldog. There's got to be a different story behind your name."

He chuckled. "I got the name while I was serving in the military. I chose to keep it as my road name when we formed the club."

José had also been telling her more about the VDMC and how they worked. She was excited for when she was off bedrest and could go to the clubhouse. José had told her about the house he was planning on building for them. He'd even gone through his favorite floorplans with her for her input. Unfortunately, construction wouldn't be able to start until end of March or early April, and that was weather permitting.

"So the military gave you the nickname?"

"My buddies in my squad did, yeah. When I joined the Army, it was mainly for the paycheck and benefits for my mom."

Abby had also learned about Louisa's two battles with breast cancer. She'd been heartbroken to learn the details of Louisa's struggles, and it was also a blatant reminder that life outside the community had not been sunshine and roses either.

"However, I found out that I was really good at being a soldier. While there were hardships, I found the work fulfilling. Apparently, though, I was also extremely stubborn and could be a bit single-minded when it came to certain missions. It started out with them using the expression ‘you're like a dog with a bone', which then turned into ‘you're like a bulldog', which turned into just ‘Bulldog'."

"Do you like the name?"

She felt him shrug. "It's better than some of the other names that were given out. My brother Pumpkin was named because, he claims, he fell asleep with a girl, but we all found him passed out in the clubhouse cradling a pumpkin. None of us know if the girl was real or not, but he swears up and down she was. Regardless, he can't shake the name or that memory. He wanted a different road name, but we'd dubbed him Pumpkin and refused to call him anything else. He now boycotts the fall season and anything pumpkin related," José chuckled. "And every fall we fill his room with pumpkins, pumpkin scented candles, pumpkin pillows, and even fill his fridge and freezer with pumpkin pies, pumpkin rolls, and pumpkin ice cream, and we replace all his beer with pumpkin beer. One year, Ghost and Ranger refused to serve him anything at the bar except pumpkin spiced whiskey they'd gotten in special for Pumpkin."

Abby didn't know if she should laugh or feel sorry for a man she'd never met but now knew what was probably one of the most embarrassing stories of his life. "Everyone calls you ‘Bulldog', even Carlos. Do you mind that I call you José?"

"Honestly?" He tightened his arm around her middle. "I don't think I'd like you calling me ‘Bulldog'. Maybe if we'd met later on, after I was already Bulldog, I'd feel differently. Tessa and Harper call their men by their road names. But for you? No. It'd be weird to be Bulldog to you."

She smiled. "Good. I wanted to make sure you didn't mind that I call you ‘José' in front of the others but wasn't sure I could call you Bulldog either."

José pressed a kiss to the side of her face. "You have a big day tomorrow. Do you think you can sleep now?"

Abby hesitated. "Could you stay? Just until I fall asleep. Please."

"It'd be my pleasure."

* * *

At 12:18p.m. on February 27th, Georgianna "Georgie" Santiago was born by Cesarean. She was underweight, but her organs were fully developed. ‘Abigail Knight and José Santiago' were written down as the birth parents.

Bulldog couldn't have been prouder of Abby as he held his baby girl in his arms. Her mama was the bravest person Bulldog knew.

The birth of Georgie got Keys to work faster to get Abby and the kids legal identities. Even though he was in Roanoke, a few days after Georgie was brought home, a package showed up for Bulldog. It had a veteran spouse identification card and driver's license for Abigail June Santiago and veteran children IDs for Cassandra Marie Santiago, Lila Michaela Santiago, and Caleb José Santiago. Also in the package were birth certificates and social security cards for all four of them, a marriage license for José and Abby, and adoption papers stating José and Abby had adopted sisters Cassie and Lila two years ago. How Keys got a judge's signature—assuming it was a real signature—Bulldog would never know.

Lila couldn't stop running around and showing everyone her ID card. Bulldog went online and purchased an ID card holder with a lanyard so she could wear it instead of carrying it everywhere.

* * *

With their excusefor their absence from town almost up, Ghost, Ranger, Grumpy, and Pumpkin had to make the decision to stay or leave Roanoke. Unfortunately, even after almost two weeks of surveillance, they had nearly nothing. Ranger was able to plant several bugs inside the community church, which unfortunately meant they had hours upon hours of sermons about how a man should treat his wife but nothing that stated that wife was twelve years old. The cameras Keys had installed around the community mainly showed men walking about and boys playing in the streets. Very rarely did anyone female come on camera.

Keys's headcount put the average number of church attendees at sixty-five men, including teenage boys. The highest number of attendees was sixty-eight and the lowest at sixty-two. They did get a picture of the High Reverend, but Keys could not locate him in using his facial recognition software.

Though they looked, they couldn't find the house that Abby described as the communion house where girls go for further training when they turn eight. Ghost was assuming it was a residence and not a school-type building, but they were no closer to narrowing it down.

The only good news was that there were no signs of weapons. They'd broken into the church to look for a stockpile but found nothing other than a shit ton of bibles. Men did not walk the streets with weapons, nor were there armed guards patrolling.

Eventually Ranger and Ghost had to return to take over managing the bar from the prospects. Pumpkin and Grumpy both worked at the garage and were leaving their work to their employees, who weren't club members, and Jumper, who worked part-time at night to avoid triggering his PTSD. However, if the mission in Roanoke lasted much longer, they were going to have to be swapped out too. Cage and Bones were prepared to go whenever they needed it.

* * *

Everything was feeling wonderful.Cassie and Lila were both thrilled to have parents—Lila more than Cassie, but Abby had caught Cassie's smile when she'd seen her ID and knew the teenager was happy too. Georgie was steadily gaining weight and Louisa could finally claim the title of "Grammy". Uncle Carlos was fantastic with the kids, even if he had to start sleeping at the station because of the lack of beds. Abby had met nearly every club member, with the exception of five who were on vacation helping one of their grandmothers move into an assisted living facility, when they'd come over to meet the baby.

Best of all was José. He took on the role of fatherhood like he'd been born to it. He was patient, kind, sweet, understanding, stern, and loving. Abby's new phone was filled with pictures of him and Georgie, him and Lila, him with Georgie and Lila, him and Caleb, him with all four of their kids… Plus the family pictures others took of all six of them.

José's favorite was a picture of the six of them piled into his king size bed. Georgie was on José's chest, Caleb was between Lila and Cassie, and Abby and José were on the outside. They were all sound asleep. The only reason Abby didn't love the picture as much as José did was because she thought she looked sweaty and gross from lack of showering and exhaustion. José argued back that she looked like a mom. There was such admiration and desire in his voice that made Abby almost believe he thought her the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen.

Though Cassie called José as ‘Bulldog' and Abby by her name, Lila had started rotating between calling him ‘Dog Man' and ‘Daddy' and calling Abby ‘Mommy'. Abby thought José preened like a damn peacock every time Lila said the title ‘Daddy'. He had told Abby that he hadn't imagined having kids of his own—not since he had read her breakup letter anyway. While the idea of a family had always been there as an adult, he'd never felt that drive as others had to have kids. Louisa claimed it was because he'd been waiting for Abby, but José said he wasn't so sure, saying that the word ‘waiting' implied he knew they'd be reunited one day. He felt it was more likely that his mind and heart simply hadn't been interested in having kids unless it was with Abby. Since she was gone, he'd subconsciously written off children too.

One would never know by looking at him now. José was always the first to get up when Caleb or Georgie needed something. He tried to only disturb Abby if Georgie needed feeding.

The two of them were still just as affectionate as they'd been since Abby had returned to Mount Grove. He was constantly touching, kissing, and whispering how much he loved her. One night while Abby was feeding Georgie, she'd asked him about his past relationships.

José had laughed and said he'd only ever had one relationship, and he was currently in it. Then he'd explained how he hadn't been a monk during their sixteen years of separation, but he also hadn't been emotionally invested in any women that he'd been intimate with. He seemed almost guilty that he'd been with other women, which would be ridiculous. Of course, he'd been with other women. It wasn't as if she'd asked him to wait for her; she'd told him to move on.

They'd discussed Abby's feelings on sex and increasing the intimacy between them. She'd expressed that she wasn't sure when or if she'd want to have sex again. While sad by this, José hadn't been sad for himself, but for her.

"I want it all with you, Abby. There's no pressure on a physical relationship between us. I know you need time to heal. I will never pressure you or guilt you into doing anything you're not ready for. We'll get there eventually or not at all. Just know that you'll always have my love, my body, and my loyalty. They've been yours since that apple juice box spilled on your lap and I saw your tears."

While finding his words sweet, she expressed how unfair she was being to him. She felt like he was giving her so much, and she wasn't giving him anything in return.

José had snorted. "Not given me anything? I am honored to be the father of four beautiful children and the proud husband of the strongest, most wonderful wife on the planet. Given me nothing?" he scoffed. "You've given me everything. As for sex? Abby, there's so much more to intimacy than penetrative intercourse. Our sex life doesn't have to be conventional. It just has to be ours, however we make it. Maybe we just do oral or simultaneous masturbation." He shrugged. "And if that's too much, that's fine, Red. I have two hands and I am very experienced at getting myself off."

About two weeks after Georgie's birth, José had come into the kitchen with a surprise. Lila and Cassie were given denim cuts that proclaimed them as club kids. Abby's cut was leather, meaning she was an ol' lady. Their names were on the front, as well as patches that claimed them to be survivors. On the back was the club's logo and Property of Bulldog.

They now had a new challenge of getting Lila to take her denim cut off each night before going to bed. Or showering. Or, well, ever.

Tessa no longer came over daily and did check-ins by text message. She was extremely pleased with how much weight all of them were gaining.

Other than being cramped in a small house with too many people and too few beds, everything was going wonderfully.

Abby should have known her happy bubble had to burst eventually.