“I’m there if she’s making her lasagna.” Jesse smirks.

“You’re there even if she’s makin’ fuckin’ eggs,” I warn. His brows rise, but he doesn’t say anything else.

“But she’s making her lasagna though, right?” Hunter, our newest brother calls from behind the bar.

“Yeah.” I turn and watch a shit-eating grin spread across his face.

Yeah my woman can cook a mean fucking lasagna. My phone beeps in my pocket letting me know I have a text. Pulling it out, I see Kadence’s name flash across the screen.

Kadence: Ready, baby.

A small smile plays on my lips and I try to ignore the pansy-ass feeling that stirs in my gut at seeing her call me baby. The last four months have been focused on getting Kadence back to a place where she is happy and healthy. But along the way, I’ve also been hurting. I’ve been missing the woman I fell in love with. Underneath the broken woman who would stare back, was the woman I needed. I just had to take a back seat until she returned.

Nix: On our way. Love you.

I send the message and look up, catching Brooks watching me. Brooks is close to a big brother, always giving me advice, my voice of reason when I’m losing my shit.

“You okay?” he asks. He picks up on everything, always watching everyone.

“Yeah, girls are ready,” I say, nodding to Sy. He lifts his chin and stands, ready to head out and get Holly.

“Thank fuck. This daddy-daycare bullshit you’ve got going on here is ruining my mood,” Jesse snarks, before snatching Low from Beau’s arms. He talks shit like this all the time. Says having Low and X here is a pain in his ass, but we all know he secretly loves it. 

He lays Low down on his lap, tickling her belly until her high-pitch squeal escapes her little mouth. The one she only does for her uncle Jesse. Fucker.

“To do that, I need my kid, asshole,” I retort, waiting for him to get his fill.

“You’re so fuckin’ full of it, Jesse.” Sy calls him out, picking up X’s baby bag and shaking his head. Jesse ignores both of us as he continues to blow raspberries on her belly.

Just watching the scene, I find myself chuckling at how Low already has fucking bikers wrapped around her little finger. Fuck, we have turned into a daddy daycare.

“Quit fuckin’ around, Jesse. I wanna go see my wife,” I snap, watching the clock and knowing I should be on the road.

“Fine, but when are you going to let me babysit her?”

“Fuckin’ never,” I respond, taking her from him and the boys all snort.

“Why the fuck not?” He sounds offended, but I’ve no idea why. The fucker can’t take anything seriously.

“‘Cause I’ll come home and you’d probably be fuckin’ some bitch on my couch while she’s having a nap.” I laugh as I see his eyes glaze over.

“Fuck off.” He shakes his head, clearing whatever was running through his mind. “Laugh all you like, but one day you will need me, and I’ll fucking remember this.”

“Don’t hold your breath, Uncle Jesse.” I shake my head, walking to the bar to get one of Harlow’s bottles. “Don’t forget, dinner next Saturday night, seven. Don’t be late,” I remind them without a backward glance as I head out to my truck.

After buckling Low in, we drive out of the compound with Sy following. Five minutes later, we pull onto Main Street, a few blocks away from the spa the girls spent the afternoon.

“You okay, bud?” I ask Z when I realize how quiet he’s been on the drive over.

“I’m good, Dad.” He looks up and gives me a grin, and I relax. After all the shit with his mom and the stress over Kadence, I’ve been worried. But with the help of Kadence’s parents and Red, we’ve been able to keep him feeling all the love around him.

“Thanks for helping me out today with Low.”

“Not that I did anything, anyway. Jesse and Beau just hog her the whole time,” he complains, and I chuckle at how true that is. The kid is pissed that he has to share his sister. But he’s right. Jesse and Beau are taken with her. If Sy let anyone touch X, they could share, but that fucker has a lock on him that no one is touching. Except when Holly is around to tell him to pull his head out of his ass.

“Get used to it, bud. She is kind of cute.” I smile as we pull up at the spa where the girls are waiting out front. Once we come to a complete stop, Z jumps out of the front seat as Kadence waves goodbye to Holly and walks to the passenger side.

“Hey, Mom.” Z throws his arms around Kadence.

“Hey, bud. How are you?” She kisses the top of his head as she looks up at me and smiles, one of her fucking amazing smiles. Z started calling her mom around the time things got heavy. He never asked and we’ve never talked about it. I’ve given him plenty of opportunities to open about it, but he won’t. It’s something we will keep an eye on, but at this point, we aren’t concerned. He seems grounded, happy.

“Did you have a good time?” Z asks, letting go and moving to the back seat. Kadence holds the door open for Z, before leaning in and kissing Low on the forehead.

“Hey, Low baby,” she whispers before closing the door and moving back to the front. I keep my eyes trained on her waiting for her answer.

“Yeah, we did.” She smiles and climbs up into the truck.

“Did you guys have fun?”

“Jesse and Beau hogged Low.” Z tattles on his uncles, pulling a laugh from Kadence. The sound causes me to close my eyes and savor the joy in it.