Page 34 of Bonita Brynne
I reeled Brynne into my side. “Watch yourself bitch,” I sneered at Becca. “If you disrespect my woman, you’re disrespecting me, and I will kick your ass to the curb.”
“Oh, come on. She’s not even your old lady. If you want us, you can have us.” Becca laid on the attitude.
“Hear this, kittens. I didn’t want you before, and I don’t want you now.” I escorted Brynne out. Fuck, my blood boiled. “Are you okay, Bonita?”
“Sure. When you claim me, they’ll stop, right?”
“They better, but it would help if you put them in their place. The old ladies usually deal with the kittens.” This might be a deal breaker for my girl. She had a streak of fire in her, but overall, she was a sweet, caring woman like her mother.
She bit her bottom lip. “Okay. I’ll try to be more assertive with the kittens.”
“If you need help, Tina and Sugar will guide you.”
“This is all new to me. Seems like there’s a steep learning curve for life in an MC.”
“I have faith in you, Bonita. You’ll be a badass old lady.”
Her cheeks turned pink. “Thanks.”
We approached the family wing. For all of our sakes, I prayed Valerie didn’t flip out or have a tantrum. My old man didn’t handle her tears well.
11
Brynne
She stared at me with stars in her eyes, like I was a celebrity on the red carpet. I smiled like a fool, overwhelmed with happiness. I had a little sister and brother. All these years, I’d thought I was alone, with no family other than my dad and Dorian, but I had a sister and brother.
I had a complete family, my mother, siblings, a stepfather, and… No, I wouldn’t add Joseph to the list.
Joseph was my everything. My friend and lover, and the father of my baby.
I didn’t care if our parents’ marriage connected us. They wouldn’t allow them to destroy our relationship because of a piece of paper and wedding vows. Not happening. Our baby, our precious child, deserved to have both parents under one roof.
“You look like our mom.” Valerie’s dark eyes ping-ponged back and forth as she studied my mom and me. “More than me. I take after my dad more.” She scrunched her face like it was yucky to resemble her dad… So cute.
Her skin had a golden tan I could only dream of having. If I didn’t slather on a bottle of sunscreen, I’d burn and look like a lobster. I was tempted to run my fingers through her thick black hair to check if it was as silky as it appeared. But I was positive her hair was soft and touchable like her brother Joseph’s.
“You’re a beautiful girl, Valerie. I’m sure you have qualities like our mom.”
“We both love to dance, don’t we, Val?” Mom asked.
“Yes. I’m in ballet. Have you taken any dance lessons?”
“Nothing worth mentioning. I love to dance, though. Usually at parties and in my bedroom.” I swept my gaze to Joseph and felt my face heat. He knew about the things I did in my room and how I danced provocatively. He’d seen my routine at Ted’s Peep Club.
“I like to write too. Someday I want to write a book.” Valerie beamed with pride.
“What kind of story?” At her young age, she amazed me. I hadn’t been around many kids, but clearly, Valerie was more intelligent and mature than her peers.
“Romance, I think.” Her eyes went to the ceiling as if imagining her story. “A fairytale with a prince rescuing the princess, some danger, and a happy ending. And—”
“We’re going to the clubhouse,” Raul rudely interrupted. I understood he wasn’t thrilled about us, but he could at least try a little. “Maddox is guarding the door.”
“Ugh.” Valerie leaned toward me on the sofa. “Ever since Raymond was taken, Maddox never leaves me.”
My heart wept as I felt responsible for bringing Dorian into their lives. If I hadn’t fallen in love with Joseph, maybe things would have turned out differently.
Wait. Joseph was in Montana to capture and bring me to the compound in Minnesota and reunite me with my mom. The Knights would have started a war regardless of my feelings for Joseph. Logically speaking, none of this was my fault, but my heart didn’t agree.