Hurricane

Eight Months Later

H urricane walked into the baby's nursery and found his son sleeping peacefully in his crib. They had just switched him over to his own room after trying to co-sleep for a few months. The problem was, all four of them would end up in one bed and there was no room for him to actually get some sleep. Most nights, he'd end up on the sofa, trying to at least catch an hour or two of sleep before the sun came up. He was dog tired, and convincing both Tina and Chasity that James needed to sleep in his own bed was an uphill battle. They were both so protective of the little guy that he basically had to put his foot down—and promise them a trip to Alabama to visit Savage and the guys.

Chasity had really come into her own over the past eight months. She and Tina had formed not only a family bond, but a friendship, and it was nice to see them getting along so well. It left some much-needed time to spend at the club because a new Vice President wasn't going to show up out of nowhere. He had a few candidates in mind, but convincing them to take the very time-consuming job was another issue. Everyone seemed to be busy with their own lives and he worried that he'd never find a second in command to help him out around the clubhouse.

They also had a bunch of new prospects who were trying to patch in and without the extra hands, he wasn't sure when that would happen, and with the new club down the road threatening their territory, they needed all hands on deck.

"I knew I'd find you in here," Tina said, walking into the nursery and wrapping her arms around him, hugging him from behind. "The lawyer called and the paperwork for Chasity's adoption will be ready to sign in a day or two. He'll schedule everything and wants us to meet him down at the courthouse."

"Good," said. He had been holding back from what he wanted to say to her next, giving them all time to adjust to their new normal, but it was time to finally say what had been on his mind since the day that she walked into the diner to discuss Chasity breaking into his clubhouse. "How about you marry me while we're down at the courthouse?" he asked. He could feel her body still behind his and worried that he had made a mistake just blurting it out, but that was his go-to move. He usually wanted to just get things out in the open, but sometimes, it caught the other person off guard. He worried that he had just done that with Tina.

"Say that again," she whispered. He pulled her around his body, to stand in front of him, wanting to see her eyes when he asked her again.

"How about we get married when we go to the courthouse in a couple of days to adopt Chasity? I think it's about time that we are all a real family, don't you?" he asked. "It would be nice for us all to have the same last name."

"A common last name doesn't make people a family, ," she insisted. "Love does." That sounded like a no to him, but he needed to be sure.

"So, that's a no for marrying me then?" he asked.

"Now, hold on a minute," she insisted, "I didn't say no—yet."

"Okay, then what are you saying, honey?" he asked.

"I'm saying that I like the idea of us getting married. As for the four of us being a real family, we've been that for some time now, ," she insisted.

"You're right," he said, pulling her into his arms. "We have been a family for a while now. Having James and Chasity here with us makes this house feel like a home. You've made this house a home, honey," he whispered. He dipped his head to kiss her and as though on cue, James started to fuss.

"I think he wants to be fed," Tina whispered.

"He never lets his old man get even five minutes with his mama," grumbled.

Tina giggled, "How about you go downstairs to help Chasity with dinner, and I'll get James settled back down. Then, you and his mama can spend some quality time together."

"I thought Chasity wanted to watch a movie or something tonight," said.

"Nope, she's decided to go hang out with her friends at the mall and we'll have a couple of hours to ourselves," she said, bobbing her eyebrows at him.

"Good to know," he said, playfully swatting her ass on his way out of the nursery.

found Chasity in the kitchen, cooking some kind of pasta dish that smelled as though she had burnt it. The kid was trying to learn to cook, but so far, her meals had been hit or miss. "How about pizza tonight?" she asked, scrunching up her nose at the pot of pasta. "I kind of messed this one up tonight too." They had pizza about once a week, but that was good with him. It was one of his favorite food groups.

"Pizza it is," he agreed. "I hear that you're going to the mall with friends," he said.

"I am," she mumbled. "Is this the part where you start giving me the lecture?"

"No," lied, "I'm just going to tell you that boys aren't always what they claim to be. Most of them are liars," he insisted.

"Kind of like you when you just told me that you weren't going to give me a lecture," she grumbled.

"Yes," he breathed, "just pay attention."

"Don't trust boys, got it," she interrupted again. "Any other ridiculous rules that I need to follow?" she asked.

"Yes, be home by nine and keep your cell phone on at all times so that I can call to check on you if I want to. Plus, you can call us if you need us," he said.

"Okay," she said. "If that's all, I'm going to go get ready to leave. I'll just grab something at the food court with my friends for dinner. Can you drop me off at the mall in about thirty minutes?" she asked.

"Sure," agreed.

"Oh, and can I have forty dollars for dinner?" she asked. "Please," she quickly added. He smiled and handed her over two twenties from his wallet.

"What the hell are you planning to eat for forty dollars?" he asked.

"Everything," she said, "I'm starving." She started to walk out of the kitchen, and he called her name.

"I forgot to tell you that I asked your aunt to marry me," casually said. Yeah, blurting out shit was his go-to, but he really needed to work on his delivery.

"And that's the way you tell me?" she almost shouted.

"Well, you were busy asking me for food money, and a ride," he challenged.

"Yeah, and you were busy giving me a bunch of stupid, made-up rules that are basically useless," she insisted.

"They are not useless rules," he insisted. "They are very important rules, Chasity."

She smirked at him, and he knew that he had played right into her hands. "So, did my aunt agree to marry you?" she asked.

leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. "Would you be okay with it if she did say yes?" he asked.

She mimicked his stance and demeanor, and he couldn't help his smile. "I think that I'd be more than okay with that, ," she agreed. "I'd love it. We'll be a real family."

"That's what I said, but don't let your aunt hear you say that. She insists that we are already a real family, but she's still agreed to marry me anyway," he said.

"Geeze, you really are lucky, . If my aunt agreed to marry you, then you must not be too bad. I think she's right—we are a family already, and that makes us all pretty lucky." pulled the kid in for a quick hug, loving the way that she allowed him to. They had all come a long way from him spotting Chasity on his video footage, sneaking into his club to sleep for the night. Luck had nothing to do with the universe bringing him and Tina together. That honor was all Chasity's to claim. She was just a little girl trying to find her way in the world, and in doing so, created a family. She was right—he was the luckiest bastard in New York, and it had everything to do with the teenager standing in front of him.

The End

I hope you loved and Tina's story! Now, buckle up and get ready for another Yonkers, NY Royal Bastard! Reacher's Ride or Die (A Royal Bastards MC: Yonkers, NY Chapter Book 2) is coming in June 2025 from K.L. Ramsey!