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“I think Kevlar said they were gonna put it in storage for now and then they’d go through it when they could. Lyric isn’t ready to deal with some of the stuff in those boxes that belonged to our dad and I don’t blame her. None of us want to push her into doing it when she’s not ready,” I tell him, looking up from the box in front of me that’s filled with pictures and shit.
I really need to get some picture albums and frames. There’s nothing up on the walls of the house yet and there’s such an echo that it’s annoying as hell. Even with the furniture in here, the echo is still there. Ricochet said he doesn’t care how I decorate the house as long as I feel as if I’m home. He wants me to put my stamp all over our space and make sure that this is where I want to be. Where I want to raise our family and my safe space when I’m having a horrible day.
I still meet with Valerie. We’ve just started cutting down our sessions from every day to three days a week. Valerie’s excited about me starting a family of my own with Ricochet. She’s also really happy that we’ve found Tara and that she’s stepping up to help us. We went over everything that might possibly happen during this and I’m ready to deal with anything that comes up. I’ve thought of every possible scenario on my own. It’s nice to work through this stuff with Valerie though. She’s been exactly where I am and had the same thoughts when her and her husband were going through the same process. The counseling center couldn’t have paired me up with a better woman than Valerie. She makes me feel as if I’m not alone in the world and that there are other women out there who have been through what I have. It’s one of the best feelings in the world.
“Okay. I’ll have him come up and help me take these to the basement when he gets home from work. For now, I’ll set them by the door leading down to the basement. They’ll be out of the way and we can get finished workin’ on the rest of the boxes. You know, if there’s other boxes you want in storage, we can put them down there. You don’t have to go through everythin’ right now, baby girl,” he says, sitting down behind me as I look through the pictures in the box.
I could’ve already been done with this box, but I really enjoy looking through the pictures showing a better time in our lives. A time when we were happy and our dad wasn’t an alcoholic because of a selfish piece of shit. I really want to see my mother again. Not when I’m strapped to a fucking chair either. I want to give her a piece of my mind and make sure she feels every ounce of pain those fuckers inflicted on my sister because the asshole she chooses to be with wants something that’s not his. A town that he’ll destroy and leave behind like he’s done in the past.
The guys really haven’t told any of us much about what’s going on or about Lucifer and his club. I’ve overheard a few things and what I’ve put together is that he thrives on destroying everything in his life and the towns he goes to. He’s a greedy fucker who doesn’t want to earn anything and only wants to take it from everyone around him. That’s the kind of person that doesn’t need to be breathing the same air as anyone else. He needs to be taken out permanently so he can’t continue destroying anything, or anyone, else. That’s my hope for him and I know the guys are itching to get their hands on the bastard before he brings anyone else in to help him.
“I know I don’t need to go through it all now,” I tell him, leaning back into his embrace. “I like going through these pictures though. It reminds me of what life was like before it all turned to shit. Before that skank left us behind for her own selfish reasons. I love seeing how happy my dad was and remembering everything he’d do with the two of us just so we knew how much he loved us. When she left, that all went away. He couldn’t love anything anymore. Lyric and I were in the same trailer as him and I think most of the time he didn’t see us in his drunken stupor,” I say, a lone tear sliding down my face at the thought of our dad so unhappy and miserable.
“He saw you, Paige. Whether you believe it or not, your dad saw you. I can’t imagine what was goin’ through his mind or how shredded his heart was at her leavin’, but Lyric and you aren’t girls who can be forgotten about. You’re both great girls and I’m sure the fact that he was lettin’ you down didn’t help the drinkin’,” Chance says, wrapping his arms tight around me and kissing the side of my neck.
“Maybe he did. I just hope he’s finally found some peace and is watching over us. Guiding us in a way since he’s no longer here. I want him to see how happy Lyric is in her life and as she prepares to become a mom,” I murmur, my voice barely above a whisper as I run my finger down the picture of my dad and Lyric.
“Always fuckin’ thinkin’ of everyone else, baby girl. Your dad is watchin’ over you too. Not just Lyric. He wants you to be happy and will do anythin’ to help make it happen. Let’s put these pictures up until we have the frames and whatever else you need for them. There’s a ton more boxes to go through. If you want, I’ll go through this with you later after we get back from our appointment. You can tell me about each one so I can share the memory with you,” Chance says, kissing me again.
“Okay. Thank you, Chance,” I say, putting the picture back before closing up the box and setting it aside.
Chance helps me up off the floor and we grab a few more boxes to go through. We work all morning long and it really makes the time pass quicker than if I were sitting here twiddling my thumbs. I’d be thinking all the worst case scenarios about everything and wondering if I’m making the right decisions regarding everything. I know deep in my heart and soul that I am, but there’s always that hint of doubt. At least for me there is.
Ricochet pulls up to the lawyer’s office and parks. We’re not on his bike today. Tara asked if she could ride with us so we’re in the truck. I’m sitting up front with him and Tara sits in back with Hawkeye. I didn’t know he was coming, but he jumped in the truck just before we left the house to go pick Tara up. He didn’t say a word, just got in and closed the door behind him. Ricochet didn’t even know he was coming if the looks he was tossing his brother’s way in the rearview mirror were anything to go by. Neither one of us said anything to him because Hawkeye kind of does what he wants and if he’s here there’s a reason for it. I’m sure that reason is Tara. He wants to be here for her but doesn’t want to make it seem as if he truly gives a shit.
Ricochet said he talked to Hawkeye to make sure he didn’t do anything to push Tara away or stress her out when she becomes pregnant. He didn’t say what was said, just that he talked to him. I won’t ever ask him to betray the secrets he carries for his brothers. If they were meant for me to know, they’d tell me. Since I don’t know, I’m not supposed to and that’s okay. I wouldn’t betray my sister and what she tells me, so I can’t expect him to do the same when it comes to his brothers. Or anyone else. That’s just not who I am and I don’t ever want to become that person.
“Are you ready for this?” Ricochet asks as he looks between Tara and me.
I look back at Tara and see her smile. I smile in return even though I’m so nervous. I’m sure it’s written all over my face how nervous I am right now.
“We’re ready,” I finally answer, my voice wavering slightly.
“You girls stay here until we open the doors for you,” Hawkeye grunts out, his voice nothing more than a growl as he opens his door and hops out of the truck.
Tara and I both laugh at him because he’s so damn bossy. I swear, the only time I’ve heard the man speak is when he’s giving out one demand or another. I love it when he’s doing it to his brothers, but not so much when it’s directed at me. It’s funnier when Kevlar and Ricochet are on the receiving end of Hawkeye’s demands because they give the shit right back to him. Then it turns into a wrestling session between the triplets. It’s some of the funniest shit I’ve ever seen in my life. The rare times when they all forget their roles in life and act like children instead of the men they are.
Ricochet opens my door and takes my hand to help me out. Once I’m on the ground, Ricochet links our fingers together and the four of us walk through the parking lot toward the office building. I haven’t been here before. We all agreed to meet at Tara’s lawyer’s office instead of my lawyer’s. We want this as easy as possible for Tara and if this makes her feel better and more comfortable, then I have no problem coming here instead. Ricochet didn’t either. He feels the same way and will make sure Tara doesn’t have any regrets about doing this for us.
Walking into the office building, Tara steps forward and tells the receptionist her name and what we’re here for. She picks up the phone and makes a call before telling us to take a seat and that our lawyers will be out in a few minutes. The four of us sit closest to the hallway that we’ll have to head down for our meeting. None of us says anything. I do notice Hawkeye leaning closer to Tara though. He wants to say something to her, but he’s not sure if he should or not right now. I watch the indecision roll through his eyes before he sits back slightly and is just there for her.
It doesn’t take very long for us to be called back to the office by a younger girl who leads us to a conference room. We all take seats on either side of the table where our lawyers are already sitting and waiting for us. They both kind of look at Hawkeye unsure why he’s in here with us, but they don’t say a damn word about his presence.
“We all know why we’re here today. The contract is standard for a surrogacy. We did add in the stipulations that both parties requested and were in constant contact with the other lawyer so we’re all on the same page. You guys are fast tracking this process and I want to make sure everything is the way you want it so there’s no chance of misunderstandings or hurt down the road. So, the first thing I want to ask is if either party has any other stipulations they haven’t thought of yet for the contract between all of you,” Tara’s lawyer, Jessica Collins, says, wanting to make sure we’re happy with what’s been said so far.
“We haven’t thought of anythin’ else,” Ricochet states, his voice gentle instead of cold and hard like he can be at times. “If Tara has anythin’ else she wants to add, then we can talk about it and make sure we come to an agreement. I don’t want her to feel as if we’re fuckin’ her over or she’s losin’ out in some way. This is a huge decision on her part and we’re so fuckin’ happy that she’s givin’ us a chance to have our family.”
“I don’t think there needs to be any further negotiations or anything else put into the contract. I will say that I did ask my lawyer to remove the part about you paying me for carrying the baby for you. I don’t want your money. I’m doing this because you’re both my friend and if I’m able to make your dreams come true by doing this, then that’s what I’m going to do. You’ve already said you’ll cover the medical side of this and you’re giving me a room in your house while I’m pregnant. I’ve agreed to follow all orders given to me by Doc moving forward and that you’ll both be at all appointments for the baby. Unless they want to add anything, I’m good with what’s in the contract,” Tara says, her voice strong and steady as she looks around the table and I notice Hawkeye’s arm move as if he’s placing his hand on her thigh.
“Are you sure you don’t want some kind of compensation for this, Tara?” I ask, needing her to be completely sure of what she wants before we move forward.
“I don’t want anything guys. I’m serious. You’re giving me more than enough by covering the medical end of things and by putting a roof over my head. I promise you that I’m not going to change my mind about this or what I want,” she says, looking between Ricochet and me and no one else.
“If at any time you think of somethin’ else you want, I don’t want you to hold back Tara. I want you to come talk to us and we’ll make sure the contract gets amended. We can do that, right?” Ricochet questions as we look between the lawyers.
“You can make changes to the contract at any time. We’ll work with you guys as long as you tell us what you need,” Neil, my lawyer, says as he looks between us. “If you could read through what’s been written, we’ll watch you sign and be done here for now.”
Ricochet and I read through the contract while Tara reads through the copy she has. Hawkeye looks over her shoulder and reads along with her. I hear him grunt a few times before we’re all done reading through the contract. It’s not as long as I thought it would be, but everything that we’ve discussed is in there and I’m happy to see that Tara’s getting what she wants. Even if it’s a lot less than we’d give her.
