Page 87 of Grumpy

Jigsaw tried to open the door for her, but he couldn’t get the latch to push forward all the way with the packages. When he went to do so with his elbow, Kelly rolled her eyes and—gently—pushed him out of the way. Ridiculous biker men and their ridiculous chivalry, she silently thought, opening the door herself with her empty hand. As she led the way back into the hospital room, Jigsaw’s actions made her reconsider her question about how her mom had paid for her purchases.

Long before Sophia had taken over the diner from her mom and partnered with Tally, Kelly had been working there. She’d seen many exchanges, conversations, and even several first dates between the club members and their women. She’d also watched them with women who were not theirs, and some who didn’t even belong to the club. Steel, the club’s first president and founder, had once told Kelly that no woman paid for her purchase in the presence of a club member. To further prove her theory, neither Grumpy nor Jacks—Splinters had allowed Kelly to pay for anything this trip.

Had Jigsaw and/or Pirate paid for all this? It made the most sense, given her assumed expense of all these purchases. While that also didn’t seem like her mom, who was the furthest person from a mooch that Kelly knew, it also was the only way she could see affording all this.

Her quandary stopped mid-thought, though, when her eyes landed on Maddie and Splinters. Grumpy’s daughter now sat on the right side of Splinters’ bed, one hand on her belly, the other gripping Splinters’. Her face was bent low, not quite in kissing range, but very, very close to it.

The second the door opened, Maddie jumped, sitting upright. Her eyes were wide, clearly startled, but thankfully didn’t look embarrassed. Still, Kelly felt guilty for not knocking.

As her mom aimed for the chair that had basically been a home for Kelly’s butt the past two days, Kelly instructed Pirate and Jigsaw to put everything down near the far wall. She didn’t want to block Grumpy’s bed’s way upon his return. The specialists had said it could take four to six hours for them to complete their task.

“Have the two of you met Maddie yet?” Kelly asked Pirate and Jigsaw. With Maddie being back and forth between her hospital room in a different ward and the club being so spread out and helping the hospital where they could, as well as Jigsaw not arriving until yesterday with Keys, she wasn’t sure if introductions had been made to all the club members yet.

“We’ve met,” Pirate said, a note of pride in his voice. He nodded a greeting to Maddie across the room. As Jigsaw put his payload down, Pirate clasped him on the back. “Maddie, I’d like you to meet another one of your new uncles. This is⁠—”

Kelly watched as Jigsaw turned and Maddie’s eyes went comically wide. “You!”

The tattooed man froze. Hell, everyone froze. Kelly and Ruth glanced at each other from across the room, but other than their eyes, they didn’t dare to move.

Jigsaw, his wavy, shoulder-length brown hair loose, stared gobsmacked across the wide hospital room. He looked just as shocked as Maddie. “Wait, you’re…” His voice trailed off and he wiped a hand over his full beard. Though his hand was steady, Kelly still got the impression the action was a nervous one. “Fuck,” Jigsaw finally breathed out.

Maddie tried to get to her feet, but she was too far back on the bed to do so gracefully. Both Pirate and Jigsaw leapt forward. Even Splinters tried to reach for her, only to fall back onto his bed with agony on his face.

Jigsaw reached her first, aiding her to her feet. His arms lingered around her even after she was steady. “You’re pregnant.”

Maddie stared up into his eyes. Kelly wondered if she even realized she still held onto Splinters’ hand.

Kelly wasn’t sure how old Jigsaw was, maybe late twenties to early thirties. She remembered when he first prospected for the club, four-ish years ago. Even fresh from the military with his hair short, she’d remembered thinking he was a strikingly good-looking man and way too young for her. Thick broad shoulders with tattoo sleeves down both arms, he’d grown out his hair and now sported a short full beard. Kelly might be head over heels in love with Grumpy, but she wasn’t blind or dead.

Jigsaw was hawt.

And clearly, this wasn’t the first time Jigsaw and Maddie had met.

A throat cleared from the doorway behind Kelly. Ghost, Lucky, and Bulldog stood there, the three highest ranking officers in the club.

Ghost crossed his arms over his chest, frowning. “We came to check on our newest brother and congratulate him. Instead, I walk in here to find a different brother holding onto my newest niece. Care to explain what is going on?”

There was a lilt to Ghost’s voice that brooked no argument. It was demanding, and left absolutely no doubt who was in charge of any room he stepped into. No doubt, in Grumpy’s absence, Ghost felt the need to stand in for Maddie.

To his credit, Jigsaw didn’t just drop his hold on Maddie and step away. A lesser man might have. Instead, he pulled the empty wheelchair over to her and guided her down. It seemed only then that she realized she was still holding Splinters’ hand. The younger man was clutching his chest with his free hand, trying to catch his breath. Sweat poured down his pain-stricken face. Maddie carefully extracted her hand from Splinters’.

Jigsaw looked between them, frowning, then turned his attention to Ghost. “I met Maddie six months ago when I went to Denver. We were on the same flight out of Dallas.”

“And,” Ghost pressed, though every single person in the room was already thinking the answer. From the look on the club members’ faces, they were in the know that there was a question of paternity for Maddie’s twins.

Jigsaw squared his shoulders. “And we were together. Biblically.”

Maddie dropped her face into her hands, hiding the embarrassment of having her sex life broadcast so publicly.

“Enough,” Kelly snapped, glaring at Ghost. “Unless he submits for a DNA test, their past is moot.” She walked over to Maddie. Though she was only one-handed, she was able to push the wheelchair towards the door. “I’m not going to stand here and let you judge or embarrass her.”

Ruth also stood, her tired face now filled with rage. “A shande un a kharpe,” she snapped, casting shame on Ghost.

Ghost, though, stepped into the path of the wheelchair, his hands raised as if in surrender. “Maddie,” he said gently. It took a moment, but slowly, the younger woman lowered her hands. She had tears in her eyes and her cheeks were bright red. “You misunderstand the intent of my question.” Ghost’s voice was still kind, softer than Kelly thought she’d ever heard him speak. “It was not to embarrass or judge you, but to defend you. You’re Grumpy’s daughter and under his protection, which means you’re under my protection. And I will defend you to my dying breath. I don’t give a shit if he is my club brother, if Jigsaw did anything to harm you, hurt you, or endanger you, he answers to me.”

The room was deathly quiet for several long seconds. There was something so final, so fiercely absolute in Ghost’s voice that it sent shivers down Kelly’s spine—and he wasn’t even looking at her with that intense green gaze. This topic was too serious for him to use the club’s newest nickname for Grumpy, which Kelly was grateful for.

Ghost knelt down in front of Maddie’s wheelchair, getting eye level with her. “Your father isn’t here right now, but I am. You tell me what you need, what you want, and I’ll see it done.”