Page 17 of Emergence: Prequel
“Is she your sister?”
Ford nodded, answering, “Yes, sir.”
“Then she’s my granddaughter,” Dad informed him. “Blood doesn’t make family, son, but love and loyalty do. If you ask anyone, they’ll tell you I had three children: two boys and a girl, when in actual fact I had five.
“Four boys and a girl because I considered Tinman and Cash both my sons. They’re waiting outside to meet you. Tinman was closer to your dad than Maestro was. Cash is closer to Maestro than Chains. It didn’t matter, though, because when push came to shove, they’d be there for each other, and not because they shared blood—because they don’t. No, they’d be there for each other because they’re a brotherhood, and if you come with us, you and Poppy will be part of that.
“And Ford,” Dad spoke his convictions firmly, “there’s nothing better than knowing the people at your back will do anything for you, as long as it’s earned. You earned it yesterday with what you did standing up for the girls.”
With those words, he stood and shook Ford’s shoulder. “Go pack bags for you and Poppy. Maestro is going to call Stacey, and while you’re all doing that, Poppy and I are going to go across the way to the swing I saw there, and we’re going to spend some time getting to know each other.”
With that, he walked out the door, Poppy still perfectly happy in his arms, leaving a gobsmacked Ford in his wake.
Laughing at the look on the kid’s face, I pushed him towards the bedrooms, “Go pack, Ford. I’ll sort out getting a cage here to pick it all up.”
Knowing it would take some time to let it all sink in, I left him to it, walking outside to find what I knew was some of the toughest men cooing over a baby girl who seemed happy as a lark with all the attention she was getting, smiling prettily as Tinman held out his hands for her, and she happily went to him.
Leaving Dad scowling at the man he’d just likened to a son.
Kyle walked up to me. “Now I know why he always looked familiar. I’m sorry I didn’t put it together sooner,” he apologised.
“No need to apologise, son. I’m just glad we’ll have them home with us soon. Can you go and give him a hand packing? I’m going to call your mom and let her know her offer to have Ford come stay has been extended to include a cute six-month-old baby girl.”
Kyle grinned, “She’s going to be stoked. There’s nothing Mom likes more than babies, especially ones named after flowers. Poppy will fit right in.”
With that, he left me to put a call into Hard-Drive, who answered immediately and assured me that he’d get a cage to me as soon as possible.
Then it was time to put a call into my Old Lady. I can’t lie, I was hesitant; we were new, and I was about to throw two more children at her, one of them only six months old.
Her phone rang and rang until she answered with a happy, “Hi, honey.”
“Hey, baby,” I hesitated to continue, and she must have heard something in my voice because the music I’d heard in the background disappeared, and over the line I heard a door close.
“Talk to me, Roman, what’s wrong? Whatever it is, we can sort out a plan.”
“Oh, baby, I hope so. Once I tell you though, you may change your mind.”
“I doubt that,” she laughed softly, “now stop wasting time. Tell me.”
So, I did. I filled her in on who I thought Ford was, about how he’d come to be the sole carer for his sister and how I’d asked them to move in with us.
“Oh, Roman. That poor boy. Bring them home. Rosie and I’ll get the room sorted next to ours for Poppy. Love her name, he did good.
“We’ll have to go shopping, though. Send me a list of what they have, and I’ll get a prospect to go and pick up whatever else they need if you can arrange to send one of them over to me.
“Oh, and whoever is picking up Ford and Poppy better buy a car seat first. Don’t worry about anything else, honey. Just bring them home.”
This woman I’d known was right for me from the start. She was true Old Lady material, and the way she was handling this situation made me proud that she was mine.
“Thank you, baby. I’ll get a prospect to you as soon as I have a list of what they have so you can buy whatever is missing. Kyle is helping him pack up, and I’m watching a bunch of grown men make fools of themselves over a pair of gorgeous blue eyes and a milky smile,” I chuckled as I watched Poppy being handed from biker to biker. “Love you, darlin’, we’ll be home in a few hours.”
“Love you too, honey. Rosie and I’ll be waiting.”
Ending the call, I filled the men who’d accompanied me in on what was going to happen.
“We have eyes on us,” Cash said casually as he tossed Poppy up in the air before catching her.
“Figured,” I grunted. “You do know she’s just had a bottle of milk, right? I’d stop tossing her up in the air like that.”