Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 118333 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 592(@200wpm)___ 473(@250wpm)___ 394(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 118333 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 592(@200wpm)___ 473(@250wpm)___ 394(@300wpm)
“Charon,” Mae whispered and smiled up at me. She was exhausted. But I could see her excitement in her perfect fucking face. Her wolf eyes locked on mine. “His name is Charon,” she told the doctor.
“Then next push, and Charon will be here.”
“You good, b-babe?” I said in Mae’s ear.
“He will be here soon, Styx. Our son . . . our boy.” A lump the size of Mars fucking clogged my throat. I kissed her, then Mae was pushing. My bitch gave it all she fucking had in her tiny body. Then the sounds of crying filled the room.
My head snapped to the doctor, and my stomach fucking dropped when she lifted our baby onto Mae’s chest. Mae’s hand slipped from mine and wrapped around our kid. I was fucking dumbstruck as I stared down at him. At Mae crying, holding him and looking at him like he was already her fucking world.
“Oh, my goodness . . .” she cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. “He is perfect, Styx.” She looked up to me and smiled though fucking tears. “Charon . . . our little Charon.”
I stared down at Mae and Charon and couldn’t fucking breathe. The python that was always wrapped around my throat squeezed tight. I wouldn’t be able to talk. But I didn’t fucking care. I had my woman, and now I had my son . . .
I had a fucking son.
“Styx,” Mae whispered and held out her hand. I put my hand in hers and she pulled me down. I kissed her lips. “Look, River. Meet Charon. Meet your boy.” I did as she said. He had dark hair. I didn’t think kids had hair when they were born. But Charon did. Black hair . . . just like Mae. My chest tightened when I studied his little face. But then he opened his eyes, blue eyes, and I was fucking done. He had black hair and blue eyes.
Just like fucking Mae.
“They might change,” Mae said, reading my damn mind. I looked at my woman. “All babies are born with blue eyes.” But I didn’t think they would change. Mae’s eyes were fucking perfect. Made sense our son would have them too.
The doctor took Charon away and cleaned him up. The nurses took care of Mae. But it wasn’t long before Charon was back in Mae’s arms. I was pretty fucking sure no one had ever looked so good holding a baby. I sat on the edge of Mae’s bed, my arm around her, touching my son’s cheek. I was clearly fucking tired too, because in that moment all I thought about was my mama. She must have felt like this too. My old man wouldn’t have given a shit about me. I doubted the cunt was even there when I was born.
I watched Mae kiss Charon’s head, tears rolling down her face in happiness, and my heart fucking cracked. This, right here . . . it was all I’d fucking dreamed of. Ever since I’d met the girl behind the fence with the wolf eyes and weird voice. It’s all I’d ever wanted. To have her as my bitch and our kids running around my club and my feet.
My mama ran away. Being here right now with Mae and Charon made me realize just how fucking desperate she must have been to have left. Then to have come back, knowing my old man would most likely kill her.
“I love him, River,” Mae whispered. “I love him so much already. I cannot stop staring at his face . . . he is a dream come true.”
As I lay with Mae and Charon, I thought of the fucking war we were in. The war that was building, getting ready to explode. And I knew, now I had this—them—I’d fucking fight harder than before. I’d protect my club harder than ever. And if any motherfucker tried to take them from me, I’d kill them. I’d cut them open and make them bleed until no blood was left.
No fucker was getting to my family. Nobody.
I smiled coldly when I thought of someone even fucking trying.
Chapter Ten
Adelita
“You’ll be fine,” Tanner reassured me and took hold of my hand. He pulled me to him on the bed. I went—I would always go—crawling onto his lap and wrapping my arms around his neck. As I stared into his blue eyes, I still couldn’t wrap my head around the fact we were here.
At night, when Tanner slept, I would lie awake in fear. Dread would course through me at a rapid pace. A suffocating weight would gather in my sternum, a dull persistent ache when I let myself succumb to the idea that scared me most—that this was all a foolish dream. That right now, Tanner and I were playing house. Locked up in his room like we were free from our pasts, free from the shackles that had held us back from running away when we first fell in love.