Chapter 6: Chapter 6

“If this is about the girl, no worries. She’s cool,” Tucker assured Blake as they closed themselves inside the “war room.” A room he had spent so much time in as of late, behind that enormous slab of wood, he didn’t have to look around to refresh his memory. Long, narrow, and outfitted with enough chairs to accommodate his brothers in arms, the room was anything but luxurious—functional was more apt.

His thoughts momentarily drifted to Talia and what she would look like spread out naked on that stretch of wood. He couldn’t picture it, though, having no idea what she looked like without her clothes on yet. He would soon enough. Just knowing that she was waiting for him in his room was enough to make his palms sweat. Whatever Blake needed to talk to him about, it needed to get sorted. Fast.

“This ain’t about the girl. Although you know how I feel about outsiders in here. Especially now, with the shit we’re facing down.” Blake slumped down into his chair at the head of the table and closed his eyes, a heavy breath whistling through his nose.

Frowning, Tucker took his seat at Blake’s side. “What’s up? You look stressed.”

Peeling those silver, wolf-like eyes open, Tuck had to appreciate the sheer handsomeness of the man. His president was tall, built like a brick shithouse motherfucker, with sharp eyes to match his wit and angular features that could make even Brad Pitt envious.

Yep, the Prez’s milkshake definitely brought all the bunnies to the yard.

Good thing he wasn’t looking for a quick lay. No, Blake Mahone, badass president of the Spartan Riders, had fallen head over ass in love with his kid’s school teacher, effectively putting an end to all extracurricular activities.

And thank fuck for small miracles. The man had been a pussy magnet like nothing he’d ever seen, and now that he was out of commission, he and the rest of the brothers were like goddamn Little Bunny Foo Foo, scooping up all the field mice.

Knocking his knuckles against the hardwood, Blake got real focused on the grain pattern. “Gabby isn’t sleeping at night. Hell, I’m not sleeping either. Every bump in the night is the fuckin’ Boogeyman, you know?”

Tucker nodded. He totally got that. With Cruiz free, there was a giant question mark hanging over everyone’s head, most especially Blake and Gabby’s, who would no doubt be the prime target if and when Cruiz decided to roll back into town. “I’ve got my ear to the ground. If the asshole or any of his minions dip a toe in the water, I’ll know about it.”

Blake grunted. “What about the money?”

“S’all covered. Put it in a dummy account, wide open and waiting.” Cruiz wanted that money, and a want like his just didn’t evaporate into thin air. No, he was coming back for it, of that Tucker was certain.

Scrubbing his hands over his face, Blake didn’t answer right away. Lines of tension wrinkled his brow and pinched his lips as he continued to stare down at his now-balled fist. “That’s not all.”

Tucker sat forward. “Yeah?”

“Gabby…” Blake’s haunted eyes lifted to his. In a grave tone, he said, “Gabby wants another kid.”

For a moment, Tucker wasn’t sure he’d heard right. He’d been waiting for a nuclear explosion to go off from the look in his president’s eyes, but this? He started to laugh. “Wait, this is what’s stressin’ you out? Another kid?”

Blake’s brows rose in confusion. “Yeah, a kid, goddammit.”

“Forgive me, Prez, but I’m not seein’ the problem here.”

“I already got a kid, is the problem, and I’m still gettin’ a handle on that one. Do you know just the other day he asked me how the fuck babies are made.”

“What did you tell him?”

“What do you think? I told him to go ask Gabby. She’s the teacher.”

Tucker laughed harder. “Dude, you did not pawn him off on your girlfriend. So not cool.”

Blake shrugged. “Better than throwin’ a box of rubbers on his bed like my pops did for me. I learned everything I need to know about sex from the club. And y’all are some dirty motherfuckers, so no, I ain’t tellin’ him shit.”

“Understandable. Don’t need the little guy jumping from amateur straight into porn star or anything.”

“Ha, no kidding.”

Tucker scratched at the beard growth dusting his right cheek. “So I take it you brought me in here for advice? ‘Cause you do know that I don’t have any kids—that I know of—and I sure as hell ain’t wifed up.”

Blake’s expression was a touch sour and a lot impatient. “If you weren’t my friend…”

“You know you love me.”

He chose not to comment. “The truth of it is, out of all the brothers, I trust your judgment the most.” Which was like a compliment straight from God, as far as Tucker was concerned. “So what’s your opinion? What would you do if you were in my shoes?”

Tucker rolled the question around the old gray matter for a minute, weighing the options, measuring the cons, but there was only one path that he could see. “Truth? I don’t think you have much choice here. She wants a kid, and if she were my ol’ lady, I’d give her one.”

“Did you not hear what I said about not sleeping at night, about danger lurking around every corner? Fuck, Country, I’m not about knocking Gabby up and then having Cruiz come in here and slice her up like he did last time. And putting that shit aside, I already have a kid. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. Why the hell would I want to go from one form of insomnia to another? I’m pretty sure that’d make me a masochist.”

“One,” Tucker said, leaning back in his chair, “you can’t live your life around what some outside force may or may not do. Besides, we traveled that road once, we know what to look for, and shit ain’t happenin’ again. Ever.” He held up two fingers. “Two, you got a kid, yes, but Gabby doesn’t. She’s a damn school teacher, for cryin’ out loud. Pretty sure that means she likes kids. It’s not a big leap to guess that she’d want some of her own.”

“We have Ash.”

“Yeah, you do, but that’s not the same. He’s yours and Jodi’s. I’m not sayin’ Gabby doesn’t love Ash, because that’s obvious, but it doesn’t mean she doesn’t want to have another. Hell,” Tucker continued as he stood, “if it were my ol’ lady wantin’ my kid in her, I’d be fuckin’ honored, ‘cause that’d mean she cared that much about me that she wanted a piece of me forever.” Not that he wanted kids, because that would mean being tied to a woman for, bare minimum, eighteen long years, but it might be cool to have a slice of his DNA floating around in the world.

“Anyway, my appetizer is waiting. We done here? Or did you want to discuss mortgage insurance rates and—shit!” Tucker ducked as the gavel Blake kept on the table to his left came sailing toward him. It missed completely, cracking against the door and falling with a dull thump onto the floor.

Blake scowled. “Bastard.”

“Does Gabby know how violent you are? Does she know you beat us when she’s not around?”

“Shut up, asshole,” Blake said with a chuckle.

Tucker grinned, happy to see his friend smiling again. He bent to pick up the gavel, handed it back to Blake, and then headed for the door. He sobered as he opened it. “Just so you know, I think you should do it. You got a good thing with Gabby, and for some crazy reason, she loves you. And I can’t think of a better way to show it than to create another human being. Plus, it’s just more reasons for sex, so win-win.”

The harsh light in Blake’s eyes faded as he regarded him. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks, man.”

Tucker gave him a two-finger salute before walking out the door. But he didn’t head straight back to his room where Talia was waiting for him. No, in lieu of all the baby talk, he was in need of a drink. And condoms. A lot of them. And he knew just where to get both.

“Hey, Red! We need to talk!”