Author's Note: Apologies for the longer than usual wait - I've had some real-life complications recently that have made it difficult to find time. But hopefully I'll be able to keep going at a reasonably regular pace because writing really is all about escapism for me. Thanks, as always, for reading. T x


Fifty-Three

As the leader of the Sons, Chibs was well used to having to juggle his priorities.

He was spinning a lot of plates on a daily basis just to keep their heads above water, keeping his men in line and their businesses – legit and less-so – ticking over. But only his long-held and so often thwarted desire to spend time with his estranged daughter could have dragged him away from his new fiancée right then. With everything that had happened over the last couple of years, the last thing he had ever expected was to feel the kind of deep, genuine happiness that came from being with Eden.

He had lost so much over the years, more than he could bear to fully take stock of. But now, he had something more than grim determination and loyalty to his club and the memory of those who had gone before him to keep him going. He had a beautiful woman he adored, an unexpected but already no less loved baby on the way, and the prospect of finally building bridges with his precious firstborn.

It was more than he could ever have dared hope for. More than he felt he deserved.

He'd had to order Eden to stay tucked up in their bed while he hit the shower. If she'd joined him, Kerrianne would have been lucky to get a lunch date, never mind breakfast. But, as it was, he'd quickly gotten ready while his girl curled up on his side of the bed, tilting her hand back and forth to watch the diamond on her finger sparkle.

"Ya said aye already, babe - no backsies," Chibs grinned, draping his rosary around his neck and leaning down to kiss Eden's lips tenderly. "I'm gonna go see if her ladyship's up yet. Be good. Go see that brother o' yours."

Eden nodded, but caught hold of his hand with a little smile, keeping him there so she could keep stealing one more kiss and then another, until she finally deigned to let him go.

"I love you," she said softly, slipping out of bed to get ready herself, only to be tugged into the biker's arms for yet another one last kiss. "Good luck with Kerri."

"Here's hoping she's had time to think shit through and I won't need it," he tried, sounding even less convinced than he felt, even to his own ears. "See ya later, darlin'."

Eden watched him go, feeling like she could just about burst with love for the rough-and-ready biker who had well and truly stolen her heart and sinking down on the edge of the bed to admire her ring again.

"Your daddy's got good taste, baby," she murmured, her hand settling on her stomach. "Yes, he does."


"It's no Ulster fry, but it does the job, right?" Chibs grinned, eyebrows raised and gesturing with his fork in the direction of the stack of pancakes, bacon and maple syrup in front of his daughter – something of a novelty for the Belfast born and bred girl, despite the growing number of posh cafes with hipster tendencies popping up in her city. Crushed avocado and sun-blushed tomato on fancy toast was probably more common than the perceived all-American style breakfast. And no less overrated, as far as the biker and his much more traditional tastes were concerned, although he was more than happy to treat his daughter.

"It's good," Kerrianne agreed, shooting him a small smile across the booth. She'd been quiet all morning, no doubt feeling like she was on the back foot after her outburst the night before. "Ma would have a fit."

"Still on her fucking muesli, or whatever that shite is? Like something out o' bloody hamster's cage," he chuckled, remembering Fiona always had been into looking after herself. Sometimes he wondered how two people who were so fundamentally different had ever seemed like a good match at all. "Nah, gimme a proper fry-up and a cuppa any day."

For a while, the pair ate in silence, but at least it leaned towards companionable rather than awkward. Chibs sat back first though, taking pleasure in simply watching his not-so-little girl right there in front of him.

"What?" she asked, just a little self-consciously, dabbing a napkin to her lip in expectation of having smeared syrup there or something.

"Nothing, darlin'," he chuckled, his mug of tea cupped in both hands. "Just can't get over you really being here. My wee girl all grown up. Means the world to me to get to spend time wi' you. You know that, right?"

Kerrianne glanced up at him briefly, her gaze returning to her plate with a little shrug. "Wasn't sure you'd want your old life getting in the way o' things here," she confessed, no animosity in her tone, just genuine uncertainty.

It was like a dagger in Chibs' heart and he set down the mug at once to reach for her.

"Sweetheart, you will always be my wee girl. Always. You hear me?" he vowed roughly, his fingers squeezing hers. "Kerri, you're my baby, my blood. I'm so sorry I ain't been there for you like a da should, but ain't nothing ever gonna change the fact that you're mine. My precious daughter. Oh, love, don't cry …"

Clinging to his hands, her bottom lip trembling, Kerrianne blinked furiously to try to keep the tears from falling, unable to look her father in the eye. She could practically hear Jimmy's harsh voice in her head, telling her to grow up, to quit gurning like a wee cry-baby. In a perverse way, she'd have welcomed his approach right now. At least it would have dried up tears and, unlike her dad's gruff tenderness, allowed her to harden her heart.

"Why can't you just come back home wi' us?" she blurted out, without even really meaning to. "Why can't we just be a family again? You and mum could still make things work, if you just try!"

"Ah, pet, you have to put that out o' your head-"

"But why? You have to still love each other – you're still married!"

Chibs took a deep breath, quickly dashing the back of a hand over his eyes before taking hold of both his daughter's hands again. "Listen to me, darlin', listen. The last thing I wanna do is cause you hurt, but you ain't a kid anymore and I need to be straight wi' you. Me and your mum, we ain't been together in a very long time, you know that. Too long. No, I know this ain't what you want to hear, but it's important. We have talked, me and your mum. And we know we'll always have some kind o' bond because o' you. We both love you so much, Kerri, and we ain't always got things right over the years, but all either o' us tried to do was whatever we could to keep you safe. But now … we've decided it's time for us to move on. You're old enough to understand that sometimes these things, they just don't work out, pet. It ain't anyone's fault, that's just how it goes."

One of Kerrianne's hands had slipped free of his and she picked up her fork again, not looking at him as she pushed an abandoned piece of pancake around on her plate, making trails in the smears of syrup left behind.

"You're getting divorced," she said flatly.

"Aye," Chibs said finally, ducking to try to draw her gaze back up to meet his. "Aye, we are. It don't change anything for you, pet. Your ma still loves the bloody bones o' you. She ain't thrilled wi' me – that'll be the aul' Catholic guilt kicking in. But, frankly, we ain't exactly been sin-free before now, so I doubt a divorce is gonna be the clincher for aul' St Peter at the pearly gates. And she gets it, she does. She knows it's time. And I still love you like I always have, my darlin'. I still want to be part o' your life. More so, if you'll let me. Now you're older and things are hopefully at least a wee bit safer, maybe we can do this kinda trip more often …"

The knuckles gripping the fork had tightened, the jaw set in a way that reminded him so much of Fiona.

"Is this because o' her?"

The biker sighed at the distain in his daughter's tone. "No. I told you, sweetheart, you can't blame Eden for any o' this. Even if she wasn't in my life, this would still be for the best."

"I'm not stupid – I've been around Sambel long enough to know what goes on. The girls that are always sniffing round. Slappers who only care about the patch."

"You really think your aul' da's that daft he don't know that?" Chibs tried. "But I promise you, pet, Eden ain't some croweater. If you just gave her a chance-"

"Why should I? Gi' it six months and she'll be gone and then what?"

Her father blew out a breath, bracing himself for an inevitable storm. "She won't be going anywhere, darlin'. She's gonna marry me."


Admittedly a little relieved to have a morning off from worrying about what a hostile teenager thought of her, Eden still felt uneasy at the prospect of walking through the doors of the Scrapyard uninvited. And it pained her to feel that way, when she and her brother had always been so close.

But she took a deep breath and forced herself not to back out now, despite the fluttering in her stomach.

"Oh, uh, Eden … Hi. Can I help you with something?"

For an uncomfortably long moment, Eden could only stare back at the clearly flustered receptionist in her tight lycra leggings and cropped tank top, thrown by the spark of resentment she still felt towards the blonde. Not to mention the envy over her toned midriff. She'd tried so hard to rationalise the other woman's dalliance with the Samcro president as just a meaningless hook-up, and one when he hadn't even been hers to get possessive over, but the thought of them in bed together made her stomach churn all the more.

"I don't think so, thank you," she finally said, her voice sounding clipped and tight even to her own ears. "I'm here to see my brother."

"Of course. Do you, uh, want me to get him for you? I think he's just-"

But Eden, having spotted Seth working up a sweat at one of the heavy bags in the corner, had already walked away without another word, leaving Lisa crestfallen.

"You're holding back with that left arm," she said quietly, just loud enough to be heard over the dull smack of gloved fists on canvas, as she tried to shift her focus back to why she was there. "It giving you trouble again?"

Seth threw one more hard right, then a left as if trying to prove her wrong, but it was obvious it didn't hold quite the same power and he grabbed hold of the bag to steady it on the chains suspending it from the ceiling. "May have overdone it a little," he admitted, leaning his sweaty forehead against the bag as he tried to get his breath back.

"Not as young as you used to be."

"Fuck you, kid," came the retort, but even she could hear the smile in his voice and her heart lifted just a little.

"You gonna let me take a look?"

"You gonna give me any choice?"

"Can't force you to be around me …" Eden said lightly, but she couldn't help the tearful little waver in her voice and it went straight to Seth's gut.

"Eden …" he sighed, not seeming to know where to start – and abruptly pushing away from the bag he'd been half leaning on to simply wrap her up in his arms. "I'm a fucking asshole. I'm so sorry," he said gruffly, his words half muffled in her hair. "I know that probably don't mean shit, but—"

"I missed you," Eden managed, tightening her hold on him. "Turns out I need my big brother. Even when he's being an asshole."

"I deserve that," Seth laughed, drawing back just enough to plant a kiss on her cheek. "And more. Fuck, Eden, could I have picked a shittier time to be a dick to you? Whatever else is going on, you got my niece or nephew in there!"

"And I'm just hoping he or she leaves following in their uncle's footsteps until after I'm done baking them," she said wryly, glancing down at her stomach. "Not sure I need a little boxer throwing fists and keeping me awake all night. Come on, let's talk and I can take a look at that arm while I'm here."


"So, just remember Kerri doesn't know about the baby yet …" Eden warned, thrilled to have gotten back on speaking terms with her brother and having persuaded him to join them for lunch. Now though, she was getting anxious and just hoping it would go smoothly.

"Baby, engagement – you don't do things by halves, do ya, kid?" Seth said wryly, but she was too focused on what lay ahead to really pay attention.

"Oh, and maybe don't have a go at her dad in front of her," she continued, as if she hadn't even heard him. "If you've still got an issue with him, now is so not the time."

"Ah, sis, stop worrying. I'm sure me and Chibs can keep our shit in check like adults for one damn lunch. I ain't happy with him knocking you up like some overgrown horny teenager and I'm sure he's pissed at me for upsetting you, so we're kinda even for now."

"Thank you, I think," she sighed. "I just really want us all to get along and it's tough enough trying to win Kerri over. Really don't need you two in some dick-swinging contest."

"Okay, that is so not what this is," Seth protested, following his sister into the house she now shared with the Samcro president.

"Hey," Eden said brightly, heralding their arrival. "Look who's here!"

"Seth," Chibs said with a little nod, trying to suss out where things stood with them, but prepared to make an effort for his old lady's sake. "Good to see you, man."

"You too," the boxing coach conceded, also making the effort by holding out his hand to shake and getting a grin in return. "And this must be Kerrianne …"

"Aye, this is my wee girl," Chibs smiled, nodding towards the sullen teenager. "Darlin', this is Eden's brother Seth. He owns a gym in town, been working wi' some o' the lads."

Kerrianne muttered something that might have passed for hello, just about shaking the huge hand held out to her under her father's pointed look.

"Why don't you see about setting the table, pet? Seth, take a seat, mate – beer?"

"Wouldn't say no."

"I'll help," Eden said quickly, looking for an excuse to get her old man on his own in the kitchen and following in his wake. "Well, I take it you told her something, given that she looks completely unimpressed."

"Aye," Chibs sighed. "Told her about the divorce - and that you've taken leave o' your senses and agreed to marry me. She'll come round. Eventually. But here, never mind that for a second, you and Seth? You good?"

"I think so," she smiled, a weight clearly having lifted off her shoulders and Chibs smiled to see it, snaking an arm around her from behind and kissing her neck. "I think he's pleasantly surprised you're making an honest woman of me."

"Good, I'm glad, love. Truly. Hated seeing you upset and fretting."

He cuddled her close, blowing a raspberry on her shoulder just to see his girl laugh, his hands palming her growing belly - only to quickly pull away with a caught look at the loud tut from the doorway.

"I needed more cutlery," Kerrianne grimaced.

"Uh, top drawer over here, love – let me …" Chibs tried, in an effort to distract his daughter from registering exactly what she might have seen, but already sensing it was too late and her brain was catching up.

Sure enough, Kerrianne's dark eyes narrowed suspiciously and then widened all at once in something close to horror. "Are you … Oh my god."


"Kerri-"

"Oh. My. God. Are you pregnant?" she demanded, in a tone that wouldn't have been out of place had she been inquiring if her father's girlfriend was in fact carrying the bubonic plague.

But it turned out the teenager didn't need an answer. Eden's awkward hesitation was all the confirmation it took and Kerrianne shook her head in disbelief, reeling at the unexpected revelation.

"Jesus, could this be more embarrassing?!"

"Embarrassing?" Eden said finally, torn between bemusement and exasperation. "You know, for someone who doesn't want to be treated like a child, you're definitely acting like one."

"Oh, and I suppose you and my da were being responsible grown-ups when he got you up the duff?" Kerrianne practically spat back. "At least now I know why he's in such a hurry to marry you – he just feels guilty for knocking you up!"

"Oi!" Chibs interrupted loudly. "You watch that flaming tone, young lady."

"I'm sorry," his affronted daughter started, her voice rising almost hysterically. "Were you talking to me or your bloody child bride?"

"Kerri!" the biker roared after her, but the door had already slammed behind her hard enough to rattle it on its hinges and he winced before turning to his weary old lady. "Jesus Christ … Sorry, darlin'."

"Child bride?" Eden echoed, still staring after Kerrianne, even though she was long gone. "I'm thirty-five!"

"And I'm sick o' being made to feel like I've been let out o' some bloody nursing home on day release," Chibs scowled. "Although, if that lass carries on like this, I'll be begging one to let me in for a bit o' fucking peace!"

Letting him tug her into his arms, Eden wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his chest – dissolving into helpless giggles despite herself.

"How much o' that did you hear, man?" Chibs called out to Seth, as their guest waited it out in the lounge.

"Every word," came the good-humoured response.

"Bloody marvellous," Chibs muttered.