Page 8 of Property of Quake

I throw my hands up to shut everyone up, and surprisingly, it works. “Lyric just told me,” I explain.

Pres steps around me, and all eyes turn to him. His expression is carefully blank for all of two seconds before a grin appears, confirming what I’ve told the room.

Chaos erupts again as brothers leap to their feet, some shouting while others are laughing and dropping every cuss word known to man. Congratulations are thrown at him before he can even say a word.

Trick gets to Lyric first, wrapping him in a hug.

“Get the fuck off me,” Lyric grumbles, but there’s no heat in his words as he returns the gesture.

“No,” Trick retorts.

“Trick.”

“You made a baby, pres.”

“I’m aware.”

“A whole fucking baby,” Trick states.

“Pretty sure that’s how pregnancy works.”

“Hey, no one was this over the top when I knocked Lucy up,” Zombie grumbles as he makes his way to Lyric. “What the fuck’s that all about?”

No one responds because that’s not true. The entire club was elated for Zombie and Lucy when she got pregnant. And when she gave birth to Sari, their daughter, happy doesn’t even begin to cover the emotions we all felt.

One by one, brothers hug Lyric, slapping him on the back in congratulations. He tries to move but never makes it more than a foot or two before he’s swept up by another biker.

I stand back and watch it all unfold. Moments like this are special. Not many people understand motorcycle clubs. All they see are the bikes, the tattoos and rough edges, the leather cuts and criminal activities. What they don’t see is this.

They don’t see the family or the way life events belong to all of us. They don’t see the way one brother’s happiness is felt by every brother.

Just as I’m about to wrap my arms around Lyric, the door opens, and Mellie walks in, Lucy and Zoey on her heels. Mellie takes in the barely restrained chaos of the room and stops.

Every head swivels to take her in, but she’s focused on me.

“Don’t,” Mellie snaps, pointing at me like a mother would when scolding a child.

Oh, shit.

I raise my hands in mock surrender. “Didn’t say a word.”

“Quake,” Mellie says, dragging out my name.

“What?”

“Quake.”

“I didn’t, I swear.”

“Quake,” she snaps.

“Okay, I may have said something.”

“You fucking screamed it, brother,” Lyric comments dryly, catching the attention of his old lady.

Mellie sighs. “You said he wouldn’t say anything,” she accuses her husband as her gaze drifts from one face to another around the room. “So, all you idiots know?”

“We know,” Zombie says as he walks toward her. Zombie and Mel have always been close. Hell, when she first lost her memory, he was one person she didn’t forget, much to Lyric’s dismay. They love each other like siblings. “I’m so happy for you, little mama,” my VP says, wrapping her in a careful hug.