Chapter Three

P icking up the permanent marker, I put the date on the bags. After opening the bags, I very carefully pour the breast milk Kaitlyn pumped before her shower into each one. She looked at me like I was crazy, but honestly, I'll do anything to push my father and his impending visit out of my mind.

When Kaitlyn asked why my family hadn't visited, I didn't lie. I didn't think she would want my people to stop by, but at the same time, I wasn't sure if I wanted my dad to. We've never had a great relationship, and I've taken steps to separate myself from him.

"Hey, thanks for doing that for me," Kaitlyn says, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I look over and see that she's wearing a flowy tank top and shorts. Her hair is still partially damp from her shower, and her skin is still flushed from the heat.

Fuck, she's beautiful.

It takes everything I have not to walk over to her and kiss her like I deserve to. If this was before the baby, I would have. I know I would have been welcome, even if for a little while.

Right now, we have too much going on to complicate it more. I wouldn't be able to handle it if things between us went sour and it made it harder for me to see Kolby. Kolby needs to come first now.

"You're welcome," I tell her as I put the pieces for her pump on the drying rack.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

I pick up the towel and dry my hands. "I'm fine."

Kaitlyn opens her mouth to say something but is cut off by a pounding on the front door.

"I'll get it," I say as I push off the counter.

Kaitlyn and I move into the living room, and while she goes for Kolby, I go to the door and look through the peephole. When I see who it is on the other side, I open the door.

"Son." Dad nods.

"Dad."

"Can I come in?"

I move to the side and let him pass by before shutting the door.

I take a deep breath and move back to Kaitlyn's side. "Dad, this is Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn, this is my father, Rogue."

Kaitlyn steps forward and offers my father her free hand. "Nice to meet you."

"So you're the woman that let my son knock her up."

"Dad…" I warn.

Kaitlyn shoots me a smile over her shoulder. "It's fine." She looks back at my father. "I am."

"It's nice to meet you as well," he tells her before looking down at the baby in her arms. "And this is your son, huh?"

"Yes, this is Kolby, your grandson," I tell him as I move back to Kaitlyn's side.

"Would you like to hold him?" Kaitlyn offers.

Dad shakes his head. "Oh no, I couldn't."

"Sure you can." She tips her head toward the chair. "Sit."

"Alright," he says gruffly as he does as she asked.

She hands him Kolby before moving back to my side. She gently pushes me onto the couch, sitting next to me. Right before my eyes, I watch the shift happen in my father. His face softens, and he looks at my son with nothing but love.

Love that I've never felt from him.

My jaw clenches. It's fucking odd seeing him look at someone with such fondness.

"So how did you two meet?" my dad asks after a moment of silence.

"Dad." I sigh.

Kaitlyn pats my leg, silently telling me to knock it off. "We met at a bar and had no idea who the other was."

It's a lie. One we agreed upon when we started the fling that changed both of our lives. The truth is, we have known each other since high school. Well, we knew of one another.

She was always the beautiful girl I wanted to talk to but couldn't. I had such a huge crush on her. Whenever she was around, I would do stupid shit to get her eyes on me. Oftentimes, those stunts cost me punishments with my father, but it was worth it to see her smile at me.

It turns out she felt similarly. She would watch me, wishing I wasn't the son of the Lotus MC president. Just as I wished she wasn't the princess of the Noche Oscura.

We didn't act on it back then, but when we found each other again on my last trip, we let the sparks fly. We wanted to experience everything we always dreamed of.

Dad nods knowingly. "How is your father handling it?"

"He was a little shocked, but he loves me and his grandson," Kaitlyn says diplomatically.

"Good. That's good. I'd hate to go to war with your father over this little one," Dad says without looking away from my baby. "Well Colt, it's been a while since you've spent this much time in Texas. Miss Vegas yet?"

"While I miss the guys, I'm right where I want to be." I squeeze Kaitlyn's thigh.

"Well, you can't stay down here too long. You have obligations to your club. Especially with the current issues you have been dealing with. Did you guys get rid of that pissant?"

I grind my teeth. "The brothers have it handled and understand that I am where I need to be at the moment. If they need me, they will call."

"Are you at least going to make a trip up there and introduce little man here to the club?"

"When the time is right and he's a little older," I say, but the truth is, we haven't talked about it.

There's a lot we haven't talked about. Like how we are going to share custody of this little one with one thousand two hundred and eighty miles separating us.

Dad looks over at Kaitlyn. "Have you ever been to Vegas?"

She smiles sweetly at him. "No, but I'm looking forward to it."

I'm relieved she doesn't reject the idea right away. It gives me hope that maybe this will be okay.

"Well just be careful. They say what happens in Vegas doesn't always stay in Vegas, and you don't need another one of these just yet," he jokes.

Kaitlyn laughs. "You're not wrong."

My heart clenches at the thought of having another baby with Kaitlyn. Fuck, maybe then I could actually be present for the entire pregnancy from start to finish. My cock twitches in my jeans at the thought.

Kaitlyn smiles over at me as she laughs with my father. It's a surreal feeling. My father is being pleasant enough. It's like one tiny human took away the asshole I grew up with.

Kolby starts to cry, startling Dad. Kaitlyn jumps off the couch to take our son from him.

"Sorry about that. It's time for his lunch. I'll be back if you guys want to chat."

Dad stands and adjusts his cut. "Of course. Thank you for welcoming me into your home."

"You're welcome anytime." Kaitlyn walks down the hall.

"She's nice."

"Nicer than I deserve," I admit.

Dad nods. "Walk me out?"

"Sure."

We head to the door and step outside. We walk down to his bike in silence. He straddles his bike and gets ready to take off.

"You haven't been by the clubhouse since you've been in town."

I laugh sarcastically. "I've been a little busy, Dad."

"Well, you need to make time. I'm sure the guys would like to see you, and you need to make sure you're keeping Reaper in the loop on what you have planned."

I clench my jaw, trying to bite back my temper. "Reaper knows what's going on. Don't worry."

"How long are you sticking around here?" he asks as he puts his sunglasses on.

"For a while."

He nods once. "You need to come by the clubhouse and get permission to hang around the area. Same with who you brought with you."

"I'll get right on that."

"We're having a get-together soon. Bring your woman and Kolby," he demands rather than asks.

I nod and step back. "Have a good ride."

I watch as he takes off out of the parking lot and try to gather my thoughts. His coming by didn't go exactly how I thought it would, but I'm glad we were able to put down our shields and play nice for Kaitlyn and Kolby's sakes.

"Everything okay?" Fang asks as he walks up to me.

"Yeah. He said we need to stop by and petition to stay longer."

"Do you think he will deny it?"

I shake my head slowly. "No, I don't think he will."

L eaving my bedroom, I pause outside of Kolby's room.

"Are you going to be good for Mommy while Daddy runs out for a while, little man?" Colt murmurs to him.

Kolby grunts, making Colt chuckle. "Yeah, we both know you'll be good as soon as she gives you her tit."

"Really?" I laugh as I lean against the doorframe, making myself known.

Colt looks over at me and smiles. "I knew you were there."

"Did you?"

He hums as he carries Kolby over to me. "You okay with me leaving for a while? I have some business I need to attend to, but I know your mom's coming over, so I can stay if you want."

"I'll be fine," I say as I take Kolby from him.

And it is. Honestly, I'm surprised he has waited this long to swing by his dad's club after his visit.

"I'll call you before I head this way and see if you want me to pick anything up for you."

"I'd like that," I tell him softly.

Colt leans down and kisses the back of Kolby's head. When he stands back up, he looks at my lips but doesn't make a move for them, instead kissing my forehead, making my stomach flutter. I follow him out of Kolby's bedroom and to the living room.

"I'll be back," Colt says as he opens the front door.

"Later."

With Colt gone, I sit down on the couch and look down at my little boy. It seems crazy to me that he's almost three weeks old. It doesn't feel like it's been that long. Then again, I bet Colt has something to do with that.

The man dotes on both Kolby and me. We've settled into a routine, and I kind of love it. He takes every night shift and most of the day ones too. He picks Kolby up as soon as he starts crying. The man never shies away from changing a dirty diaper, and when I'm feeding our son, he always makes sure to bring me a new glass of water and a snack.

He's the best, and I don't know what I'll do when he goes back home.

If he goes back home.

"I really need to have a talk with your daddy. You'd like him to stay too, wouldn't you?" I tell him quietly.

Kolby kicks his little legs and gives me a gummy smile.

"That's what I thought." I bring him up to my face and kiss his cheeks. "I love you oh so much."

There's a knock at the door, and I sigh.

"Looks like grandma is here, little man." I get off the couch with him still in my arms and make my way to the door and open it.

"Hey, Mom." I look over her shoulder and jerk my chin. "Morgue. Thanks for bringing her by."

"Kaitlyn Marie, let us both in. It's much too hot for him to wait out here for me," my mom scolds me.

"Fine." I sigh as I open the door further, and they both pass by me.

"Can I get either of you anything to drink?" I ask as I shut the door.

"You can give me my grandbaby."

I nod to the bottle on the coffee table. "After you use the hand sanitizer."

"Is that really necessary?" she asks.

"No sanitizer, no baby."

Mom rolls her eyes but does as I ask. Meanwhile, Morgue checks out the photos I have on the walls.

"Happy now?" Mom asks sarcastically.

"Very." I walk over and hand her my boy before sitting down.

"Oh, he's grown so much since you brought him home."

"He has. It will be interesting to see how much he's grown at his second doctor's appointment coming up."

"Is he sleeping through the night?" Morgue gruffly asks.

I shake my head. "No, he still wakes up once or twice, but it's not bad. Colt brings him to me after he changes him, and I feed him. I never even get out of bed."

Mom makes a noise in the back of her throat. "He should be feeding him himself instead of waking you up."

I pinch the bridge of my nose. "I exclusively breastfeed him, Mom. Last I checked, Colt can't do that."

"But you pump," she points out.

I nod. "I do, but I'm saving everything I pump for later on when my supply starts to dry up."

Mom hums in disapproval, and I roll my eyes.

Nothing I do will ever be good enough to her unless it was her idea first.

"Speaking of Colt…where is he?" she asks after a moment of silence.

"He ran out to get me some things," I lie.

"When is he going home?"

"Not any time soon."

She tsks and shakes her head. "You really should send him home, Kaitlyn."

I lean back on the couch and cross my arms. "And why would I send the father of my son ‘home?' Last I checked, his place is with us."

"Kaitlyn, you can't be serious. There is no future between you two. You need to settle down with someone from our club." Her eyes shoot over to Morgue.

He leans against the wall, next to the window, and crosses his arms. "You know I have feelings for you, Kaitlyn. I'd gladly help you raise your son as my own."

"Thank you, but that's unnecessary. He has a father already. One who loves him very fucking much," I tell him, not trying at all to hide my anger.

"Kaitlyn, language."

I shake my head and look at her like she's crazy. "Don't language me, Mom. This is my place, not yours, and last I checked, you're the one who came in here and started disrespecting me."

My mom gasps as Kolby starts to cry. "I did no such thing, and look, you upset the baby."

I get up and take my son from her. "His name is Kolby, not the baby, you should start using it now. Second, you need to get this through your head, I'm not going to date someone just to make you happy, and if you keep pushing for Colt to leave, Kolby and I will go with him. His place is with us, whether you like it or not." I look over at Morgue. "I like you, really I do. You're a great guy, and I'm sure you will make a woman extremely happy someday, but I'm not that woman."

"Has he claimed you yet? Because from where I'm standing, you're free game until he does," Morgue says as he pushes off the wall.

"That's none of your business, and you need to leave." I look back at my mom. "Both of you."

"Kaitlyn…" Mom says, trying to calm me down.

"Now," I demand as I gently bounce a crying Kolby, trying to calm him down.

Mom sighs as she gets up as Morgue makes his way to the door and opens it.

"I'll give you grace today because your hormones are still out of control, but you really need to think about what I said," Mom tells me.

Morgue nods. "My offer still stands. Just let me know when you change your mind."

"Don't hold your breath and have a safe trip home."

They share a look and shake their heads as they walk out the door, closing it behind them.

I look down at my son and start swaying from side to side. "It's okay, little man, they're gone."

Picking up my phone, I dial my dad.

"What's up, Katie bug?" he asks as he answers.

"Did you know Mom just came over and brought Morgue to try and strong-arm me into a relationship with him?" I ask him, trying to withhold my anger.

"She did what?" He sounds as outraged as I do, calming some of my anger.

My father has always been on my side. While my relationship withmy mother is strained, I was my father's best buddy growing up. Even in my teens, I never rebelled against him much. It was always my mom and her idea that I needed to be this MC princess. She basically had me married to Morgue the moment he showed interest.

My father is more level-headed, though. He understood that while I love the MC and my family, I didn't want to be tied to the life the way they wanted me to.

"She seems to think I should send Colt home and marry Morgue so he can raise my son," I tell him.

"I have no clue what has gotten into your mother lately. Ever since she found out you were pregnant, she has gone off the deep end. She seems to think you are going to abandon us and leave with that boy. I do agree he needs to go home before he causes issues, but Morgue is not the man for you. I won't approve that union," he says vehemently.

"Then tell her that." I raise my voice, but take a deep breath as I look down at Kolby. "I know you don't agree with the fact that I had a child with Colt, but I did. Kolby is as much his as he is mine. I don't want to kick him out of my life for no reason. I want Kolby to know his father, especially since Colt wants to be one. He might be a Lotus member and you might not trust him, but he is a good father. He has been a great support system to have. He's a good man, Dad."

He is silent for a moment. "I don't trust him, but I do see that he is making the effort. I'll cut him some slack for now. As for your mother, I will talk to her about Morgue. She has a point, though. What are you going to do when Colt leaves?"

That's the big question. We keep saying we will cross that bridge when we come to it, but when that happens, what decisions will we make? I don't want to leave the only life I have ever known for another club that's likely the same or maybe even worse than my father's.

Then again, would Colt be part of a club that wasn't good to their people?

While staring down at my son, I can't help but wonder if moving to Vegas with Colt wouldn't be such a bad thing.