“I need to tell Fury,” I say, my voice pitched low. I don’t want to disturb this moment, but I’m eager as fuck to get the ball rolling on this. I want my kid fixed.

“I want to come with you,” she tells me, and I can see it takes a whole lot of strength for her to say it.

Is Sasha ready to face her own demons?

She’s going to have to stare her past in the face at some point, the clubhouse is home, but I didn’t expect she’d want to do it so soon. My brave girl.

“Okay, baby,” I say, my hands moving to her shoulders. Since I got her back, I want to touch her every opportunity I can, to remind myself she’s real and that she’s here. That Sasha lets me tells me more than her words could. Despite being scared, she’s letting me in.

I watch her nibble at her bottom lip as she peers down at Lily-May. “I’ll see if Lucy can stay while we’re gone.”

“There will be a prospect or brother here, too.”

Sasha nods and slips out of my touch as her phone finds its way into her hand. I watch as she walks out of the room, leaving me alone with my daughter for the first time.

Lily-May peers up at me as she sucks on her fingers. My kid is so fucking cute. How did me and Sash make something so perfect? I reach my hand out and touch her belly, like I’ve seen Sasha do before, avoiding the wires. Lily stares up at me with big blue eyes. She doesn’t flinch or move away. There’s no fear in her eyes, something I’m used to seeing from others, just acceptance. She doesn’t see the monster I am and that’s liberating in a way I never expected. I doubt she understands who I am to her, but she will in time. Lily-May will never know another day without a father in her life.

The door snicks open behind me, and I don’t move my hand, but I do turn my head as Sasha steps back into the room.

“Lucy’s on her way.”

I return my attention to Lily-May. “You did good with her, Sash. She’s so fucking perfect.”

It hits me in the gut when she says, “It didn’t feel like I was doing good at the time.” Sasha moves next to me and I feel her heat at my side. “Especially when she got sick.”

I’m not good with words, so I reach out and pull her into me, engulfing her in my hold. My lips press into her hair. “It ain’t your fault she got sick.”

“It felt like a punishment.”

“For what?”

She peers up at me, tears staining her cheeks. I want to wipe them away, but I don’t want to release my hold on her.

“For the recklessness of my life before her. I did a lot of stupid shit I’m not proud of.”

“Your lifestyle didn’t give Lily-May cancer. It’s just one of those things. A shitty hand of cards.”

Her thin smile tells me she doesn’t believe my words. How the fuck do I convince her she didn’t give our daughter this terrible disease?

Lily-May fists her hands against her eyes, rubbing them. I wonder what she would be like without the cancer ravaging her little body. Would she be running around the clubhouse, going from brother to brother, keeping me on my toes? It’s hard to gauge whose personality she has inherited, because most of the time she’s sleeping or out of it because of the medications. When this is over, I can’t wait to get to know my daughter.

Neither of us speaks for a while, just content to watch as Lily-May’s eyes flutter shut, so when the door opens behind us, instinctively, I put myself between Sasha, my daughter and the threat. Nothing will touch them ever again.

I relax a little when I see it’s Kyle.

“What?” I bark out, annoyed at having our moment ruined and at the fact the fucker didn’t knock before barging in.

Kyle doesn’t even flinch. Yeah, this one will make a good brother once he’s through his probation period.

“That chick with the blonde hair is here.”

“It’s Lucy,” Sasha tells me, her hand coming to my arm, a silent warning to calm my temper. I must be telegraphing my rage.

I force myself to relax, because neither her nor Lily-May deserve to be subjected to my temper—not today, not after receiving the best news we could ever have hoped for.

Even so, I give Kyle a sharp inclination of my head, telling him without words that it’s okay to let her through and one I hope tells him silently I’m pissed off.

Lucy steps into the room, her eyes wild as she takes us both in. As always, she’s wearing her hair in a messy topknot, and she has on a sweater that is a size too big and hangs off her, exposing one shoulder.

“I came as soon as you called. What’s going on?”

Sasha’s mouth splits into a grin and I vow to make her do that every day. She looks so beautiful when she smiles.

“They found a match.”

Lucy shrieks, then covers her mouth with both hands. My anger flares as I peer at the cot bed, but Lily-May is out of it still. Luckily.

“Oh my God, I can’t believe it.” Her voice comes out in a whisper.

“We want to tell him in person that he matched, so can you stay with Lily-May while we do?”

Her head bobs up and down. “Absolutely. I can’t believe we have a match.”

“Me neither,” Sasha says with a smile on her lips, and I can see the relief in her eyes. I feel it too. Since I learnt Fury was a match, the weight on my shoulders seems to have lifted off them. I feel lighter, like for the first time since I learnt Lily-May is sick, I can breathe easily.

I pick up Sasha’s leather jacket where it’s draped over the back of the chair and hand it to her. She shrugs into it, fixing the collar as she settles it into place.

“We won’t be long,” she says, unable to tear her eyes from Lily-May.

I feel her reluctance to leave, as does Lucy, because she says, “I’ll take good care of her, Sash.”

“I know.”

I hold my hand out to Sasha and she takes it. There’s still a hint of hesitation there, but not enough for me to address it. I know trust will take time to rebuild. My woman was hurt, both physically and emotionally. She has to learn I’m someone she can rely on again. I’ll spend a lifetime proving that if I have to.

Because I’m never letting her go again.

Her hand feels so warm and good in mine. She completes me with her touch. I ignore the looks we get as we walk through the hospital. People stare at my kutte, seeing the monster I am. I’m used to being studied like a slide under a microscope, but with Sasha at my side, I want to protect her from this shit. She doesn’t seem bothered, though. She walks tall and proud, and why wouldn’t she? Her entire life has been embroiled with this MC. Her father was a member; she grew up in this world. She may have been out of it for a few years, but I can see she’s going to slot back into it without missing a beat.

When we get outside, I lead her over to the motorcycle parking area. There are a few crotch rockets parked, and two Harleys—mine and Kyle’s. I notice the other riders have been careful to park away from us.

I see the flicker of excitement dancing in her eyes as she takes my bike in.

“We’re riding?”

“Unless you want to walk.”

She shakes her head, then grabs my arm, stopping me. “Are you sure about this?”

I know why she’s asking. Having a woman on the back of my bike is a big deal. It says she’s mine. I thought Sasha understood that’s where I stood with her. I thought she knew I’d claimed her. I haven’t exactly been quiet about the subject.