Like the guy I bashed in the head with a hammer.
Blake wouldn’t say if the man lived or not. I almost feel bad that I don’t really care either way.
All I care about is that I’m done with school. This time next week, I’ll have my diploma and not long after, I’ll be Mrs. Blake O’Callaghan.
I even have a job offer from the hospital, which is where I most wanted to work after graduation. Bryce’s threats were meaningless and impotent, just like he probably is.
In the hallway, Dawn slumps against the wall and squeezes her eyes shut. “We made it. I can’t believe it.” She opens her eyes. “Thank you, Heidi.”
“Don’t thank me. I’m just as shocked as you are.”
“I got an offer from Empire Med, too.” She grins. “Looks like you’re stuck with me.”
I hug her, not at all upset by this news. I don’t have a lot of friends outside the club, and it’s nice to have someone to bitch to about school stuff. Or work stuff.
Oh my God. Am I really a college graduate with a job, now?
Thirty-One
Murphy
Everyone keeps telling Heidi this afternoon’s event is a pre-wedding dinner. But it’s more of a graduation party for her. She didn’t want to attend her official graduation ceremony, but this wasn’t going uncelebrated.
“Are you sure you want to do this today?” she asks.
“We shouldn’t put it off any longer.”
She slips on a pair of denim shorts, and I groan. “How am I supposed to concentrate?”
“That’s not my problem.” She pulls on a T-shirt. “Is this going to distract you, too?”
I deliberately drop my gaze to her ample tits pressing against the thin cotton material. “Yes.”
As much as I’d love to strip her out of every last piece of clothing, we have a big day of events.
First, we have an appointment with the town clerk at the Sterling Town Hall to apply for our marriage license. “Have everything?” I ask Heidi for probably the tenth time.
She waves the hot pink folder at me. “Right here.”
Gathering all the documents we needed to apply for our marriage license had been depressing as fuck. Turned out, I had no idea where my birth certificate was, so I had to get a new certified one, which took for-fucking-ever to show up. Looking at it was almost surreal. My parents’ names might as well be the names of strangers. My mother was long gone now, but every second she’d been alive, she’d made my life hell on Earth.
Heidi’s hell was unpacking boxes of paperwork she’d stored away. She needed to bring her birth certificate and Axel’s death certificate with her to the appointment.
Nothing steals the joy out of what should be a happy time like digging up the ghosts of dead husbands and abusive parents.
And lots of paperwork.
No wonder so many bikers skip an official state-recognized marriage. Ol’ Lady status is good enough with none of this extra bullshit.
Heidi flips through all the documents again, lingering on the final one. “I’ll need his death certificate later.” Heidi flicks her brown eyes my way for a second. “If you still want to adopt Alexa.”
“How is that even a question? Of course I’m adopting her. As soon as Charlotte says it’s the right time to file the petition.”
Heidi finally seems to relax and squeezes my hand. “I wish we didn’t have to wait the twenty-four hours after getting our license. I want to marry you right this second.”
My chest squeezes. “Same, beautiful.”
The appointment doesn’t take long. We sit and answer a few questions while a kind older woman quickly taps away on her typewriter. A fucking typewriter. Empire county and the town of Sterling have some of the highest taxes in the state, but they still use motherfucking typewriters.
Not that I care. I only pay the bare minimum of taxes to seem like a respectable businessman.
Outside the clerk’s office, Heidi beams as she stuffs the pink folder into her backpack. “That was quicker than I expected.”
“Ready to have that talk with Rock and Hope now?”
She bites her lip but nods. We’d been putting this off for a while, but today seems like the day to get all these important details nailed down.
I send Rock a text before starting up my bike, asking if we can sit down with him and Hope in twenty or thirty minutes.
Rock: We’re home.
“How’d it go?” Hope asks as soon as we walk in the front door. Alexa runs over and hugs Heidi’s knees, eager to tell us all about her morning with her aunt and Pop-pop.
“Easy-peasy. We’re all set.” Heidi scoops Alexa up, but her nervous gaze shoots to me. Why she’s so worried about this, I don’t understand. There’s no chance they’re going to say no.
Rock and Hope sit at the dining room table. “What’s on your mind?” Rock asks.
Heidi takes the seat next to me, and Alexa jumps into my lap. I pull over a sheet of paper and some crayons, which she grabs right away.
Heidi’s still sitting there, nervously fiddling with the ends of her hair.
I nudge her to answer Rock’s question.
“I wanted to ask you guys something?” Heidi’s voice quivers, and I wish I’d done it for her.
Rock frowns. “What’s wrong, Heidi-girl?”
She glances down and I feel her struggle. Under the table, I squeeze her hand, encouraging her to continue.
She squeezes back and lifts her head. “Well, Blake and I were talking about our honeymoon the other day…”
“Decided where you’re going?” Rock asks when Heidi doesn’t finish her sentence.
“Well, yes. Sort of. But that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about.”
“What’s wrong, honey?” Hope asks.
I clear my throat before answering. “Nothing’s wrong.”
Gathering her courage, Heidi finally meets both their concerned gazes. “Before we go away, we thought we should…or I should have guardianship papers, or something drawn up for Alexa.”
Hope blinks and glances at Rock. “That’s probably a good idea.”
“With Axel’s parents out there,” Heidi rolls her eyes and waves her hands in the air. “My mother lurking about, I want to make sure there’s no question who would take care of Alexa.”
At the mention of Heidi’s mother, Rock’s jaw tightens, his fists clench, and he glances away.
“Those are good reasons, Heidi.” Hope shoots a quick look at Rock before continuing. “Absolutely. Mara can draw that up for you if you don’t want me to do it.”
“Well,” Heidi’s voice falters, and she glances at me. “I wanted to ask if you and Uncle Rock would be Alexa’s guardians?” She clears her throat and asks in a firmer voice. “Can I name you as her guardians?”
Before either of them answers, Rock curls his hand around Hope’s and squeezes.
“Of course, Heidi,” Hope says.
“What did your brother say?” Rock asks.
Heidi nods as if she expected this question. “Well, I want to name you and Hope as well as Marcel and Charlotte. Just in case. I think he’ll understand why I chose you first. Alexa loves you guys, and she and Grace are close. But if you can’t or don’t want to or something. I want to make it clear custody can’t go to my mother or Axel’s parents, so I’ll name Charlotte and my brother as alternates.” Her voice falters. “If you don’t want…I was going to ask Lilly and Z, but you guys have spent the most time with her—”
“Heidi, of course we want to. Absolutely,” Hope says, cutting Heidi off.
“No question,” Rock adds.
Heidi blows out a breath and sits back, finally allowing a small smile to play over her lips. “Thank you.”
Hope reaches over and pats Heidi’s hand. “Are you going to wait until Murphy adopts Alexa?”
“No, we thought we should do this before we go a
way on our honeymoon…just in case. And Charlotte doesn’t want to file the adoption papers until after the wedding.”
“Smart.” Hope smiles. “Good thing you’ve got a few lawyers in the family.”
Heidi laughs and finally seems to relax. “Charlotte promised me the friends and family rate.”
“Is that it?” Rock asks.
Heidi breaks into a full smile now. “That’s it.”
“Are you ready to show her the house?” Hope nods to Alexa.
Heidi glances over at us. “I’m a bit worried.”
“She’ll be fine,” Hope says. “It’ll be an adjustment, but she’ll be okay.”
Teller, Charlotte, and Carter meet us outside to walk over to the house. Alexa’s more than thrilled to have her Uncle Teller’s attention, and he gets to carry her through the woods while Heidi and I hang back.
“I told you they’d be happy to do it.” My voice is low enough not to travel.
“I can’t help it, you know?” Heidi stops and turns to me, pressing her hand over her heart. “No matter how hard I try, sometimes the little girl inside me that my mother abandoned won’t shut up.”
I gently grasp her shoulders. “Maybe you should stop trying to shut her up and just talk to her.”
“Maybe.” She leans up and kisses me. “Thank you.”
“You ready to see the house?”
“How much more have you done?”
“You’ll see.”
We’ve taken Alexa over to the house a few times, but I don’t think it’s sunk in that we’ll be living here soon.
As Teller mounts the steps to the house, Alexa wails and tries to wriggle out of his arms.
Okay, maybe she suspects something’s up after all.
She still cranky and fussing while we tour the downstairs.
“What’s wrong?” I lean down and kiss her cheeks. “Don’t you want to see our new house? And see your new room?
Alexa shoots an eerily-similar-to-Heidi’s glare at me. “No!”
“We’ll go with you,” Hope says.
“Oh boy,” Heidi murmurs. “I knew it.”