... and Forever (Next Generation: Chaos Bleeds 1)

“I hate them,” Simon said, wrinkling his nose. “They’re way too big and weird.”

Nathan giggled. “Mom hates them too. She likes watching movies with them in.”

“You don’t watch them?”

Nathan shook his head. “No. Mom says I’m too young but sometimes Uncle Miles, if he’s watching me, he lets me.”

“I bet your mom isn’t happy about that.”

Nathan agreed.

“I’ve got to head for the shower. I kind of stink. You good, or do you want me to stay here until you fall asleep?”

“I’m good.”

Leaning down, he kissed his son on the head and stood.

“Daddy?” Nathan asked as he got to the door.

Gripping the handle, he looked back.

“Will you be here in the morning?”

He nodded. “Yep, here in the morning and the day after that, the day after. You’re going to get so sick of seeing me.”

Another giggle. “I won’t, Daddy. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

Closing the door, he turned to see Tabby standing there watching. Tears were in her eyes.

“See, I’ve got this.”

****

“You’re thinking again,” Lexie said.

Devil put the bottle of whiskey away and looked toward his woman. “Is that a bad thing?”

“I don’t know. I think every single time you’re thinking it means bad news.”

“I’m not and this is good news. We should be celebrating,” Devil said. “Our son has returned. He’s back with his woman.”

“And we know Tabitha may still want a divorce,” Lexie said. “If she does, it’s going to get ugly.”

“Yep, really fucking ugly, but I’m hopeful. You know? I don’t know what to expect and Tabitha has been known to surprise us.”

“I remember that day so clearly. Never have I wanted to hold that girl so much,” Lexie said.

“Tell me about it. I think we all have a love for that girl. She’s tough. A fighter. She’s everything Simon needs, especially now.” Devil chuckled. “I’ve gone from wanting their silly crush to be over with to hoping she’ll give him another chance.”

Lexie stood up and walked into the kitchen, cleaning up her cup. “Do you think he’s ever going to find out the truth?” She put the cup on the draining board and turned to look back at Devil.

“You mean the part where I found the results that showed Simon wasn’t in any way the father to Nathan?” Devil asked.

He saw his wife’s eyes fill with tears.

“How I wiped all the evidence of the system with Anthony’s help in order to keep that shit private and so the Monster Dogs don’t try to take him?” Devil asked. He took his wife in his arms. “No, my lips are sealed. So are Anthony’s. We’re the only two who know the true answer.”

Lexie slumped against him. “I don’t know how you can be so calm.”

He held her close. “There’s so much at stake I’ve got no choice but to be the calm one. Look at you, you’re not helping.”

She let out a giggle and he loved the sound. “We’ve just got him back.”

“And nothing we do is going to change that. Simon is here to stay. There’s no reason for you to be stressing about any of this. Trust me.”

“I do, trust you, I mean. It’s just, ugh, it’s … I don’t know. I felt like they both need a lucky break, you know?”

“They’ll get it and we’re here to help them. We’ve got Thanksgiving coming up. Christmas. The New Year. We can make this work.”

“Did you see the way they were looking at him?” Lexie asked, pouting, referring to his brothers and sisters.

“Stop it. Of course, they’re going to look at him like that. For now, he’s the crazy big brother on a tight leash. Give them all time. They haven’t seen Simon like this. He was their goofy big brother. Now he’s a man and regardless of how much we protect them, they know he killed someone. Probably a lot of people. We’ve just got to be strong, keep it together, and move forward.”

“There you go again, being the perfect model citizen.”

“Clearly, all of your life lessons are rubbing off on me. In fact, I think I need a brand-new rub.” He lifted Lexie up into his arms.

“You’re crazy.”

“I’m crazy in love with you and that, baby, is never, ever going to change.”Chapter Thirteen“You mean after all that, you didn’t kick his ass?” Daisy asked.

Tabitha laughed. It was so good to hear her friend’s voice again. She’d missed her. “No, I didn’t. We did a lot of other stuff instead, and no, I’m not going into the details.”

“Please don’t. I just can’t believe it. In a weird way, it’s a little romantic, don’t you think?”

“You think being kidnapped by my husband is a good thing?”

“No, not a good thing, but he was willing to do whatever it took to win you. Don’t you think that has merit?” Daisy asked.

“I think we’re both on the wrong page about all of this. Let me be clear. He left me for five years.”