Finn (Dirty Misfits MC Book 6)

“Who’s ready to party!?” Sloane exclaimed as she walked out on the patio.

We all turned and watched Summer walk in right behind her holding up two unopened bottles of tequila. The guys started banging their fists on the table while I stood and clapped their presence. And as one of the guys plucked the bottles of alcohol from their hands, I sat back down. I let out a sigh of relief. It has been a long time since we were all able to just hang out like this. With Chops as good as dead we could finally all take a breath. Sloane walked over to me and I pulled her down on to my lap. Tanner gave me a look, but smiled as he wrapped his arms around Summer. Then all of the sudden, Brooks’ voice bellowed over our heads.

“Hey! Finn!”

Everyone fell silent as I turned my gaze in his direction. His stone-cold face froze my heart. I furrowed my brow as he marched toward me. Sloane slid off my lap and moved over to stand by Summer. Brooks plucked a chair from a random table and twisted it around, straddling it as he sat beside me.

I wondered what the hell I had done now to piss the fucker off.

“Yeah?” I asked.

His eyes narrowed. “I know we are celebrating. But I can’t help but notice that you ended up breaking one of our club rules.”

“What the fuck do you mean, I broke one of the club rules?”

“Looks like you guys got close,” he said as he nodded towards Sloane.

I looked over at her and saw her body stiffen slightly. I clenched my jaw. There was no way in hell I’d let anything happen to her.

“What the fuck does that have got to do with anything?” I barked.

He glared at me. “You got involved with a cop.”

Cole snickered. “He’s got a point.”

I gawked. “You’re fucking kidding me right now.”

Tanner chuckled. “Gotta pay the piper, my man.”

Archer grinned. “We’ve all had to pay up at some point in time.”

I studied Brooks’ face. “Are you actually upset? You know she is the only reason why we aren’t all fucking in jail right now.”

His glare held my stare for a very long time. An almost uncomfortably long amount of time. But then, a grin broke out across his face as he reached over and slapped his hand against my back.

“Ah, I’m just fuckin’ with you. I actually got something for ya,” he said.

Relief rushed through my body. I looked over at Sloane and she smiled at me. “Oh. Yeah. Wait, uh, what?”

“Is it happening!?” Raven asked as she rushed out with a drink.

Astrid was hot on her heels. “Please tell me it hasn’t happened yet.”

I shook my head. “Has what happened?”

And that’s when Brooks stood. “On behalf of the Dirty Misfits MC, we took a vote, and found it unanimous. You’ve waited long enough for this, prospect.”

Tanner threw him what looked like to be my leather cut, and I jumped to my feet. He tossed it to me and I held it up, admiring the stitched patch on the back of my jacket. It no longer had the big letters of prospect. Instead, it had my name on it emblazoned on top of our club’s symbol, and the damn thing almost brought tears to my eyes.

“I was wondering why the fuck I couldn’t find it this morning,” I murmured.

Tanner wrapped his arms around me for a hug and patted my back. “You earned it, my man.”

I couldn’t help myself as I clung to him and held on for as long as he’d let me. I didn’t know what to say, or how to react. The guys were clapping and all smiles, and all I wanted to do was sob.

I had finally found my brotherhood. All the sweat, blood, and tears of the last several years had finally paid off.

I’d never been this happy in all my life.

Sloane walked over as I slipped into my leather cut.

“It looks good on you,” she said as her gaze raked up and down my figure. I guess she liked it as much as I did.

“Ever thought you’d end up with a fully patched member of a club?” I joked as I pulled her body close to mine.

“No,” she said as she let out a laugh. “But you are worth it.”

I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers. The rest of the guys started to hoot and hollar around us, but I didn’t give a fuck. In that moment, I had everything that I ever wanted.

“Alright lovebirds,” Tanner said as he clapped my hand on my shoulder. “Can I borrow him for a second, Sloane?”

Sloane nodded and walked back over to Summer who was making more drinks for everyone.

“What’s up?” I asked.

He looked me dead in my eyes. “Will you come with me somewhere later? I’ve got something important I need you there for.”

I nodded. “Sure. You know I’m always down. What’s going on, though?”

His cheeks puffed with his sigh. “I want you to come with me to meet my daughter.”

My eyebrows rose. “Holy shit. Does she know that–?”

He shook his head. “That’s why I’m going. Summer and I have decided that it’s time for us to talk to Chey, and I have to admit, I’m nervous as hell.”

I barked with laughter. “Anyone would be. Little daughters bring down the walls of even the strongest men.”

His hands slid from my shoulders. “So, you’ll come with me?”

I chuckled. “Of course, dude, I’ve always got your back.”

Tanner gave me a nod of his head before I walked back over to the pack of men that were at least two beers’ deep.

“Lookin’ good over there!” Brooks exclaimed.

Archer raised his beer. “To Finn, our newest patched member.”

“To Finn!” everyone bellowed.

“To the Dirty Misfits!” I yelled and all the guys cheered and clinked their glasses together.

“You ready for this?” I asked.

Tanner, Summer, Sloane, and I stood at our front door. Chey and her grandparents had just pulled into the driveway. I patted his back as he shook out his hands, then Summer walked out of the house first. She wanted a moment with Chey and her parents first while we stayed on the porch, hoping to not overwhelm the girl.

But, the longer we waited, the more nervous he became.

“What if she doesn’t like me being her father?” Tanner asked.

I snickered. “It takes more than DNA to be a father. That’ll take baby steps. Right now, your only concern should be getting her into your good graces.”

He peeked over at me. “How do you know all of this shit?”

I shrugged. “I read a lot in my spare time.”

He blinked. “You read?”

“Just like I know you watch trashy reality television on your days off.”

His face fell. “That’s supposed to be a secret.”

I grinned. “And it’s one I’ll take with me to my grave. Just like you will. Right?”

He nodded. “Right, right.”

“Tanner?” a small voice asked.

We whipped our heads in front of us and I saw a thin, lanky, beautiful little girl standing there. She had Tanner’s eyes, and she definitely had his defined jawline. In fact, she looked a hell of a lot like Tanner, and I took a few steps off to the side to give them their moment.

“Yes, Chey?” he asked as he crouched down to be eye level with her.

The girl looked back up at Summer and she nodded, encouraging the little girl to speak. And when she did, I knew things would be just fine.

“Are you really my dad? Mom tells me you’re my father, and I’ve always wanted to meet him.”

Tanner took her hands in his. “Yes, I’m your dad.”

Cheyenne swallowed hard. “Does that mean we can hang out more?”

“That depends completely on you, Chey. If you want to hang out, we most certainly can. I don’t want to do anything that’ll–mmph!”

Cheyenne wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and almost took him to the ground with the force of her hug. I smiled as Summer’s eyes watered over, and I chuckled as Tanner and Chey fell to the ground. He caught her on top of him as she started rattling off all sorts of questions. And as quickly as she rattled them off, Tanner answered them.

“How old are you?”

“29.”

“What’s your favorite color?”

“Red.”

“Are you allergic to anything?”

“Season changes. You?”

She shook her head. “Do you live around here? Can I see your place one day?”

“Yes, I do; and of course, you can.”

Sloane walked up next to me and placed her hand in mine. I looked over at her and my breath was taken away. The way the sunlight played off her hair made her look radiant. Like an angel sent from heaven to try and redeem my scarred, darkened soul.

“Mom? Dad?” Sloane asked. “This is Finn. He’s a friend of Tanner’s.”

I watched an older couple step onto the porch while Cheyenne continued to rattle off questions. They shook my hand and smiled.

“Looks like things are going well,” Sloane’s mother said.

I nodded. “Tanner was nervous.”

She laughed. “Looks like he had nothing to be nervous about.”

I opened the door and led them to the back patio. Tanner and I had forced the rest of the club to go for a ride so that Tanner and Cheyenne could meet without everyone around. They all took their seats on the patio furniture while Sloane and I hung back in the doorway.

“Who is your favorite superhero?” Cheyenne asked.

“Ironman,” Tanner said with a laugh. “Who is yours?”

“Captain Marvel,” Cheyenne stated proudly.

“Ironman could totally beat Captain Marvel,” Tanner joked.

“He could not!” Cheyenne cried out.

Everyone started to laugh as I leaned over to Sloane and whispered in her ear.

“I think we should get out of here. You know, give them some time as a family.”

She scoffed playfully. “Hey, I’m part of this family, too.”

I winked. “I figured we could sneak away and get started on a family of our own, if you catch my drift.”

She turned to face me. “You want kids someday?”

I shrugged. “It’s always been in the back of my mind. I never really thought I could do it though, until I met you.”

And as her eyes sparkled with the bright rays of the sun, she laced her fingers with mine.

“Then, let’s get the hell out of here, big boy.”

A statement I couldn’t have expressed better myself.