Forty-Eight

Sitting at the end of the bed to check in with Tig via his burner phone how their unexpected guest was faring back at the cabin, Chibs couldn't help smiling despite himself when he glanced up to see Eden twisting and turning in front of the full length mirror in the corner of the room.

In her usual clothes, it was still unlikely anyone bar the most eagle-eyed observer would notice anything different, but in the cute, clingy little nightie she'd changed into to sleep, there was no longer any doubting the slight swell of her stomach and it was clearly that small beginning of a bump that had her nose wrinkling critically.

"Don't be looking like that, lass," he half scolded, half teased, grinning when her reflection only stuck her tongue out at him. "And don't be sticking that out unless you're sure you wanna use it. C'mere to me."

She did as she was told, padding barefoot across the room as his dark eyes swept from those tan bare legs to the long hair that tumbled freely down her back in soft waves, and then back to the obvious sign of their child growing inside her. She shifted her weight from foot to foot under the heat of his gaze, ducking her head as her cheeks flushed lightly.

Fuck, it did things to him he couldn't even put into words.

He still couldn't get his head around this incredible woman being his in the first place, so the fact she was going to make him a father again just about blew his damn mind.

"Could give a girl a complex staring like that, Telford," Eden said softly, making him realise he had in fact just lost himself in drinking in the sight of her.

Chibs beckoned her closer with a finger, a slow smile tugging at his lips as she straddled his lap, her arms around his shoulders and that little nightie he was definitely appreciating hiked up around her thighs, leaving his hands free to caress the exposed bare skin. She gave him a tiny kiss, just a tantalising taste of soft, warm lips, and then another, making him wrap her up in a loving cuddle with a contented little sigh.

"You, right now, my wee baby in your belly … You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, my darlin'," he murmured, his lips pressed against her bare shoulder as her fingers trailed lazily through his hair. "I love you."

"I love you too," she whispered, tilting his head up so she could give him another of those sweet little kisses. "I've never wanted this with anyone else …"

The biker captured her mouth with his at that, a hand burying in her hair to cradle the back of her head as he kissed her hungrily, drawing a little whimper from her at the feel of him pressing up hard against her through the rough denim of his jeans and making her shift on top of him, her hips rocking slowly against his.

"Something you're after, lass?" Chibs growled in her ear, his voice low and rough as his strong hands cupped her ass to hold her tighter against him, stilling her movements.

Eden pouted at that, her hands resting on his chest and her green eyes sparkling playfully. "It's mean to tease a hormonal pregnant woman, Filip."

He chuckled at that. "Easy now, pet, you know I'll take care o' you."

"Oh, you will, will you?"

"I will, aye," came the husky response, his hands sliding under the silky material bunched up around her thighs. "Always …"


Slumped on the couch with his boots kicked off and his feet propped up on the edge of the coffee table, Seth took another long pull of his beer, glancing at the empty bottles already lined up. He hadn't even bothered to get up to turn on the lights when darkness fell, just sitting there drinking in the glow of the television he wasn't really watching. Nothing seemed to be able to hold his attention. Well, almost nothing.

Reaching for his phone for what felt like the hundredth time, he found himself staring at those messages again. Just a grainy image and a few short words. A tiny spark of life.

Please, Uncle Seth.

The words seemed to reverberate in his booze-soaked brain.

Uncle Seth.

His baby sister was having a baby of her own.

He didn't know why it was such a shock to him. Maybe because he hadn't fully thought through the implications for the future of her, in his mind, less-than-ideal relationship with the Samcro president. Oh, when they'd first gotten together, he'd told Eden he would accept it. Let her live her life. And he'd meant it. But maybe part of him had never been convinced that she and Chibs would last. And he had so swiftly almost been proved right – Eden hadn't had long to wait before getting her heart broken by the older biker.

Seth took no pleasure in that. It wasn't about being right – it was just about protecting his sister, especially when she'd already been through so much. Maybe that wasn't his place, but then no one knew quite like he did exactly what she'd endured. She may have confided in Chibs, but hearing it wasn't the same as being there.

He shook off those memories with another long swig from the bottle in his hand, his racing mind flitting back to the present cause of his unease.

Please, Uncle Seth.

He should have known Eden would be drawn back to Chibs. He wasn't blind – he could see how deep their connection ran, no matter how relatively brief their relationship. But even though it may have seemed inevitable, he'd just never really pictured what that would actually look like. Certainly hadn't imagined Chibs wanting a wife and kids again, no matter how he felt about Eden. If he was really honest, he supposed he had just assumed they'd eventually realise their differences and drift apart for good.

He could well imagine his sister's indignation at being viewed like a lovestruck teenager though. And rightly so, he reluctantly acknowledged.

Seth grimaced as he downed the rest of his beer and simply reached for another. Falling for the biker was one thing – getting knocked up so soon, by accident no less, and when they'd already broken up once … That was something else entirely. Eden wasn't stupid, or careless. And actually, he'd credited Chibs with more sense too. Out of self-preservation if nothing else. So much for that.

Having a kid was not something you jumped into blindly. Having a kid changed your life forever.

He knew that from experience.


Laid in Chibs' arms, enjoying the way his fingertips traced lazy patterns on her bare back, Eden could feel herself fighting sleep and smiled as she stifled a yawn. She knew she should just let herself drift off, but couldn't help savouring the moment of blissful peace.

"Tired, lass?"

"Mmm."

"Close yer wee eyes then. I don't have to head out again tonight. The lads have everything under control."

"That's good," she murmured, snuggling even deeper into his arms. "Although there's so much we should probably be talking about …"

"Oh aye?" the biker cracked open a wary eye at that, having already suspected he'd gotten off lightly earlier when - knowing he could hardly knock her up any more, but unsure of her trust in him when it came to not shagging around - he'd reluctantly reached for a condom as usual, only to be intercepted. Maybe she felt now was a better time to impress any red lines on him though. Now all he could think about was how good it felt to be buried bare inside her tight, wet heat. He hadn't exactly been in the right frame of mind to appreciate it last time after all. "Such as?"

"Well, how we're gonna share the bills for this place for a start."

"Ach, you don't gotta go worrying your head about that shite, love," Chibs said, half relieved that was all that was on her mind and trying to wave it off, only for her to cut him off with a shake of her head.

"Oh, no, that's not how this is gonna be, buddy," Eden said, pushing herself up out of his arms to sit wrapped in the sheets, her rumpled hair flipped over one shoulder. "I'm not living here like your … your … lodger."

"You ain't gonna be my lodger!" Chibs scoffed, bemused by the notion. "You'd have to pay rent for that for a start, and I wasn't planning on charging ya."

"I'm serious, Filip!" she protested, laughing despite herself. "That's how I'd feel if I didn't pay my way. Like this is your home and I'm just staying here for a while. Like I'd have to cook and clean and iron your shirts to earn my keep. I'm not saying I'll never do those things, but I'm a grown-ass adult with a job and money of my own and-"

"All right, all right, I get it," he held up his hands in surrender. "I don't want you feeling like a fucking guest in our home. I'll … look into it. Get something sorted."

"Yeah? You promise?"

"Yes," he sighed. "I promise. Jesus. Can't a bloke just want to take care o' his missus without being left feeling like a right sexist aul' bastard?"

"Thank you," Eden simply smiled, ignoring his grumbling and dropping a little kiss on his lips before laying her head back down on his chest to get comfortable. But she could feel that he wasn't quite as relaxed as before. "What?"

"Nothing …"

"Tell me."

"Look, this wee independent streak o' yours," he blurted out. "I ain't got a problem wi' it, darlin', but, well … It ain't 'cause you reckon I ain't in this for the long haul or some shite like that, is it? Because I definitely am. This ain't something the novelty's gonna wear off."

"Glad to hear it," Eden said wryly, gesturing towards her stomach. "All things considered."

His fingers grazed lightly over the small swell of her abdomen at that, bringing a smile to his lips before his hand shifted to curl over her hip and pull her closer.

"It isn't that, honest," she told him softly.

"Good. 'Cause I mean it – you're all I want."

Eden hesitated. "What about on the road?"

The quiet question was almost lost, directed as it was into his chest as they lay snuggled up under the covers in each other's arms.

"What about it?"

She tried so hard to keep her voice casual, but couldn't quite pull it off. "Do you think there'll be … you know? Croweaters?"

Ah. There it was.


Chibs pulled back from her, his dark eyes raking over her face where a mix of emotions warred for dominance. Uncertainty was winning the battle.

"I just … I've talked to Lyla some. And I know what happens – the rules and stuff …"

"Oi," Chibs said sternly, making her close her mouth abruptly, her green eyes wide. "You listening to me?"

Eden could only nod, trying to avoid looking at him, until a finger beneath her chin tilted her face back up.

"It ain't happening," the biker said firmly. "I swear, Eden, I ain't gonna be fucking around on ya. I ain't interested in anyone else."

"Not even when I'm the size of a whale and too tired for sex 'cause your kid's been using my bladder as a football all night or something?"

Chibs leaned in to press a kiss to her forehead. "Especially not then. No bullshit, no get outta jail cards." He regretted the choice of words at the flicker of fear in those green eyes, even though she tried to hide it.

"What if … What if you have to go inside?" Eden asked quietly.

He took a deep breath, his stomach lurching at the thought of everything he would now stand to lose out on if it did indeed come to that.

"I definitely won't be fucking around on ya," he tried to joke, but he knew what she was asking and quickly turned serious again. "I can't promise you it won't happen," he said finally. "I wish I could. And I will do everything I can to make sure it doesn't. Everything. But sometimes these things are gonna be beyond my control … Jax was in prison when his youngest was born, wee Tommy. Damn near killed him to think o' Tara going through that alone. Not that she was alone, but that didn't make much difference to him. He wasn't where he shoulda been, by her side. I can't stand the thought o' that for us, darlin'. If anything happens to me, I'll make sure you're supported. Protected. I know you already got family, but the club's your family too now. Anything you need, they'll always have your back."

She tried to manage a smile for him, but he could tell her heart wasn't in it.

"Sweetheart, I don't want you worrying about shite that unless you have to. Not in your condition," Chibs frowned. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. If we come to it. I ain't planning on going anywhere."

But she slipped out of his arms to turn onto her back by his side, taking a shaky little breath as she stared up at the ceiling.

"Eden?" Chibs tried, reaching to caress her cheek.

"I … I think I know more about why Seth can't bring himself to talk me than I've said," she admitted in a whisper, her eyes closing as if in pain. "He's always tried to say he doesn't blame me for him going to prison and everything around that, but now … Maybe the baby just hits too raw a nerve. I think he's still trying to protect me – from the fact he wouldn't be able to keep the blame off his face anymore."

"I ain't following, darlin'. Seth loves you, you know that. The baby shouldn't change anything."

"Shouldn't it?" Eden said bitterly, shifting to reach for her phone and finally showing him the screen when she'd found what she was looking for – a picture of her, crouched on the grass and pointing at the camera as the little blond-haired boy being held in place with a arm snug around him laughed up at her happily instead.

Chibs, his hand settling protectively on his girl's stomach without him even realising it, suspected he knew where this was going.

"That's Theo," Eden said softly, her finger tracing over the little boy's image longingly. "When he was three. He was four when his dad went inside. He's my nephew. Seth's son. He's seen him like twice since he got out. His mom, Seth's wife … she couldn't get her head around what he did. The violence of it, I guess. So after everything, I get you, our baby, a chance to be happy, and Seth …"

"Shit." Chibs sighed heavily, kissing her temple as that hand on her stomach rubbed softly.

He knew the blame still shouldn't lie with Eden for any of it, but he also knew how deep it cut to be kept from your own child. Rational thinking wasn't exactly high on the agenda. Maybe he was going to have to rethink his plan to knock some sense into his old lady's brother, but he still couldn't let this drag on any longer.

It just needed a different approach.