Wraith opens his mouth, then shuts it again, while Drummer guffaws loudly.
Sam puts her arm around her daughter-in-law. “Absolutely nothing at all,” she tells her, with a stern look toward mine and Liv’s dad.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Eli…
I’ve got a daughter.
Fucking hell. What on earth am I supposed to do now? I stare at my exhausted wife, and the scrunched up bundle she’s holding in her arms.
The last twenty-four hours have been a mixture of terror and exhilaration. Liv had woken me in the middle of the night having contractions. I, in turn, had woken Amy, who’d come right away, and suggested I get her to the hospital immediately.
Seeing Liv suffer as she laboured to bring my son into the world had torn me apart. I was part full of admiration for the way she was coping, and part afraid that her body couldn’t cope. As the hours had passed, I’d been more and more convinced it had to be a son she was having, an obstinate child who wanted to delay his entry into the world.
I’d been holding her hand when at last his head appeared, then his body. Then came the words, Congratulations, Eli and Olivia. You have a daughter.
A big girl too, she weighed in at eight and a half pounds. I’d told the doctor he was mistaken, he had assured me, he was not.
“You look like someone’s slapped you around the face.” Liv chuckles softly.
I rake both hands through my hair. “I feel like it. A daughter? Hell, Liv.”
She’s openly laughing now. “Don’t worry. It will be awhile before you need to think about borrowing Dad’s shotgun.”
I cross over to them. She taps the bed and I slide on, putting my arms around them both. “Wraith tried to keep you and I apart. It didn’t work. Fuck, Liv. I feel sorry for him now. I fuckin’ know how horny teenage boys behave. What if Wizard and Amy have a boy?”
“Oh, God. Eli. Don’t make me laugh so hard, I’m sore. But that would be fate, wouldn’t it? History repeating itself. The prez’s son hooking up with the VP’s daughter.”
“I’m not the VP now,” I remind her, unable to take my eyes off the baby who’s my daughter, who I already love with every fibre of my being.
“You will be,” she says firmly.
She could be right. Over the past month I’ve rediscovered my place in the club and have made progress in strides with the support of my brothers around me. I’ve seen the therapist a number of times. Now I’m a father. A father. I’ve no choice but to step up, if only to make sure no boy ever goes near her.
Gingerly I reach over and pull down the blanket to look at the face that already looks perfect to me. “She’s beautiful.”
“Layla,” Liv says, decisively.
“Not Sage?” I knew that’s what she’d suggested, when I’d been ignoring everything. Over the past few weeks we’d had discussions, but of course, my suggestions had all been boys’ names. Layla’s come out of the blue, but as I try it out, I’m happy with her suggestion. “She looks like a Layla to me,” I agree.
“Have you got over the shock now?” She grins at me. “Because I think it’s time we let everyone know.”
“Do we have to?” I ask, knowing what I’ll be in for as soon as I open the door.
“We can’t hide in here forever.”
No, we can’t. I kiss Liv, then Layla. Then…
“Oh fuck, this is ace.” Wraith’s clutching his stomach. “This is what you get for defiling my little girl.” He can hardly speak for laughing.
“She’s beautiful.” Sophie rocks her granddaughter in her arms having gone straight for the baby the moment I’d let them in.
“My turn,” Sam demands.
“I’m not fuckin’ old enough to be a grandad,” my dad complains.
“Where’s our niece?” Zoey, Hilda and Eliza demand as they rush in through the door together.
“Hey, girls. Give your sister some space.” Sophie tries to corral her daughters up, but unsuccessfully.
It’s utter confusion for the next hour as brothers, old ladies, and all the club’s grown and teenage children come in to meet our new addition. When Wizard and Amy appear, I snarl at them.
“You’re keeping any son of yours a-fuckin’-way,” I tell them, loudly. My words only serve to make Wraith crack up again.
Then his face falls as he realises Layla’s his granddaughter. “Better bide by what he says,” he growls in warning.
Wizard’s eyes are dancing when he holds up his hands. “We don’t even fuckin’ know what we’re having yet,” he complains.
“As long as it isn’t a boy, we’ll be fine,” I warn him. “And if it is, we’re keeping them apart from the fuckin’ start.”
“I’ve got a shotgun,” Wraith stage-whispers beside me.
Amy rolls her eyes, pushes past and goes to Liv. “Men.”
“Men,” my wife agrees, grinning widely.
When finally the nurse comes in and clears the room, I’m left with Liv and our daughter. As my wife drifts off to sleep, I gaze down at the bundle making gentle snuffling noises in the crib.
Over-brimming with emotion, I gently touch her cheek. “You, little madam, are going to be the death of me. I know that already.” I could deal with a son, be strict, impose rules and set limits. This baby girl already has me wrapped around her little finger, and I know I’ll never be able to deny her anything.
Except a boyfriend. She’ll live as a spinster, I’ve decided that. If Wizard and Amy have a son, they won’t have a chance to grow up together like Liv and I did.
Who am I kidding?
My wife is perfect for me. Without her, I’d have fallen apart completely. With her by my side, well, I can accomplish anything—even coming back from my darkest hour. If Layla turns out to be like my wife, she’ll make some man, or woman, or whoever she wants to spend her life with, very happy.
“Layla.” It’s a coincidence for certain, but her brilliant blue eyes open and stare straight at me. I crouch down by the crib. “You and your mother, you’re the reason for me to live.”
“I love you, Eli.”
I stand, closing the gap between us. “I thought you were asleep.”
“Bring her to me.”
Carefully I pick up Layla and pass her to her mom. Then I lay down beside them, wrapping them both in my arms, watching in awe as the baby with innate ability tries to latch on and feed.
I’m not kidding myself or anyone that all my dark thoughts have gone, but slowly I’m learning to cope with them, to deal, rather than always feel I have to run. Now I’ve got two reasons to keep them at bay.
“Not going to fail you, Liv.” I swear my vow softly.
“You never did,” she tells me. “You’re vulnerable, Eli. Just like any man. And just like anyone, you’re going to fuck up. It’s part of life, hon. If we fall down, we’ll just get back up. We’re going to make mistakes, all parents, all spouses do. But that’s not being a failure, it’s being human.”
I’m a work in progress, I know that. But it’s what my therapy is doing, making me re-examine how I look at things, changing my reactions from being inappropriate to those healthier instead.
I’ll get there. My reasons for doing so are right here next to me in this hospital bed.
Lost
All my life, it seems, I’ve made mistakes. Once, I lost everything. Failure seems to follow me around.
I didn’t spot what a snake Snake was—he planned a mutiny right under my nose. Yeah, he did well when he appointed me as his VP, I followed him blindly, never suspecting anything.
Now Snake is dead and I’m the prez. I still spend my days doubting myself, but I’ve got the whole MC depending on me and I can’t let them down. If I get it wrong, it won’t just be me who goes down.
Then I meet her, a woman who needs me to keep her safe. I should warn her to stay far away, tell her I’m not a man she should lean on. I’m not a person to trust when I don’t have faith in myself.
Patsy
Choic
es, always choices. I thought I did right when I left everything behind to make a new life, choosing which of my two adult children needed me the most now.
We should have been safe in our new life—nobody knew who we were.
But we’ve been found.
Luckily, before danger strikes, the Satan’s Devils ride up to our door.
I’m no spring chicken. I’m not looking for a man in my life. But I need protection, I need help. It’s time to make a stand and not run anymore.
There’s only one man I can depend on to keep us safe. The trouble is, he’s Lost.
Reading Order
Turning Wheels
Drummer’s Beat
Slick Running
Targeting Dart
Heart Broken
Peg’s Stand
Rock Bottom
Joker’s Fool
Mouse Trapped
Paladin’s Hell (Colorado Chapter #1)
Blade’s Edge
Demon’s Angel (Colorado Chapter #2)
Devil’s Due (Colorado Chapter #3)
Heart Mended: A Satan’s Devils MC Novella
Truck Stopped
Devil’s Dilemma (Colorado Chapter #4)
Amy’s Santa (Next Generation #1)
Ink’s Devil (Colorado Chapter #5)
Devil’s Spawn (Colorado Chapter #6)
Coming Soon
Being Lost (San Diego Chapter #1)
Note 1:
Each book can be read as a standalone, but to get the best reading experience for the Satan’s Devils, read the books in the order above.
Note 2:
While the Blood Brothers series is completely separate to the Satan’s Devils series, there is some crossover. Turning Wheels continues the story of a minor character who appears in Second Changes, and some characters appear in both series.
Other Works by Manda Mellett
Blood Brothers – A series about sexy dominant sheikhs and their bodyguards
Stolen Lives (#1) Nijad and Cara
Close Protection (#2) Jon and Mia
Second Chances (#3) Kadar and Zoe
Identity Crisis (#4) Sean and Vanessa
Dark Horses (#5) Jasim and Janna
Hard Choices (#6) Aiza
Satan’s Devils MC - Arizona Chapter
Turning Wheels (Blood Brothers #3.5, Satan’s Devils #1) Wraith and Sophie
Drummer’s Beat (#2) Drummer and Sam
Slick Running (#3) Slick and Ella
Targeting Dart (#4) Dart and Alex
Heart Broken (#5) Heart and Marc
Rock Bottom (#7) Rock and Becca
Joker’s Fool (#8) Joker and Lady
Mouse Trapped (#9) Mouse and Mariana
Blade’s Edge (#10) Blade and Tash
Heart Mended: A Satan’s Devils MC Novella
Truck Stopped (#11) Truck & Allie
Satan's Devils MC Boxset 1 Books 1-5
Satan’s Devils MC Boxset 2 Books 6-8
Satan’s Devils MC Boxset 3 Books 9-11
Satan’s Devils MC - Colorado Chapter
Paladin’s Hell (#1) Paladin and Jayden
Demon’s Angel (#2) Demon and Violet
Devil’s Due (#3) Beef and Steph
Devil’s Dilemma (#4) Pyro and Mel
Ink’s Devil (#5) Ink and Beth
Devil’s Spawn (#6)
Satan’s Devils MC - Next Generation
Amy’s Santa (#1) Wizard and Amy
Stay in Touch
Email: manda@mandamellet.com
Website: www.mandamellet.com
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About the Author
Manda’s life's always seemed a bit weird, starting with a childhood that even today she’s still trying to make sense of, then losing her parents in the late teens. Going from the tragic to the bizarre, who else could be unlucky enough to have had two car accidents, neither her fault, one involving a nun, and another involving a police woman?
There isn’t enough space to list everything that’s happened to Manda, or what she’s learned from it. But by using the rich fabric of her personal life, psychology degree, varied work experiences, and amazing characters she’s met, Manda is able to populate her books with believable in-depth characters and enjoys pitting them against situations which challenge them. Her books are full of suspense, twists and turns and the unexpected.
Manda lives in the beautiful countryside of Essex in the UK, the area’s claim to fame being the Wilkin’s Jam Factory at nearby Tiptree. She can usually find jars of jam which remind her of home wherever she goes. As well as writing books and reading, Manda loves walking her dogs and keeping fit. She lives with her husband of over 30 years, who, along with her son, is her greatest fan and supporter.
Manda is thankful that one of the more unusual, and at the time unpleasant, turns her life took, now enables her to spend her time writing. Confirming, in her view, every cloud has a silver lining.
Photo by Carmel Jane Photography