“What’s a devil?” Mia asked.
Aaliyah’s eyes widened at the word drop.
Slade threw his arms wide and puffed his chest out. “Someone who’s awesome.”
Nice save, but it wasn’t enough to stop the reproachful frown from our mate. Something that would have made me laugh if I wasn’t on edge.
The ensuing banter eased the tension darkening my mind, but not the dent to my pride for letting my anxiety rule me. Insatiable need to prove myself, beat these nerves, never let them touch me again proved too much, and I had to stop being so hard on myself.
The wicked gleam sparking in the president’s eyes signaled a teasing to follow. “You’re not awesome enough yet, but I’ll teach you.”
“I am too.” Mia swept him from head to toe with a withering glare.
“You’re awesome.” Slade glanced across the crowd, feigning indifference. “But not super awesome.”
I let out a tense laugh, still restless that my little bird was taken from me.
“Am too!” Mia poked his arm and he chuckled.
“Yeah, you’re pretty awesome.” He kissed her cheek and nuzzled into her, making her squeal with delight.
Aaliyah shook her head, her gaze coming to me. “Our daughter’s going to have a massive ego like Slade.”
“What’s an ego?” Mia was full of questions, and I appreciated that she kept asking them. Anything to smother my unease.
“It means I think I’m cool.” Slade picked Mia off his bike and tipped her perpendicular to him, pretending to fly her like a plane. “You’re not cool enough to have an ego.”
“Yes, I am.” And the game went on like that until Zethan and Castor returned with our ride numbers and route details.
Guilt burned under my skin that he was the fun one and I was the cautious, strict one. I wanted to be less vigilant and more carefree. Fun fucking daddy for once.
Castor handed them out to the rest of the club who attended, along with mine and Slade’s.
My anxiety reared its head again and I got off my bike to perform one last safety check on Mia.
“You hold onto Slade tight.” I double-checked her jacket and pants, making sure they were zippered correctly. Checked her boots to see if they were snug and unlikely to fall off. Checked everything. Hair secure in a ponytail. No loose clothing beneath her riding gear.
“Alaric,” Mia grumbled, trying to snake away whenever I tugged her back for examination.
“Relax. She’s fine.” Slade gently shoved at me to back off. “Aren’t you, sweetheart? You got Daddy Slade to protect you.”
Mia snuggled up to his back, which pissed me off, since I was the one concerned for her.
Slade shot me sharp glares to piss off. Barbs on the bond warned me to cool down and leave her alone. Get in my lane. Stop fucking scaring her with my worry. Get myself in check, or he would send me packing.
Fuck, this was her first ride with us, and she was excited until she saw the mass of riders and the clash of engines competing for dominance.
I reached for her hand, tickling it with my fingers. “There’s nothing to be scared of, Little Bird. I checked your gear out of habit. It’s my job to be cautious.”
She peeked up at me through thick, dark lashes like her mother’s. “It’s okay. And I’m not scared.”
That was my girl. Frightened, but brave enough to conquer her fears. Pride swarmed in my chest like a hive of buzzing bees.
“Hey.” I tickled her chin. “Are you going to fly just like I taught you?” I threw my arms out wide like we practiced.
Excitement dampened the fear in her gaze. “Yes!” She copied me.
“Good girl.” I ruffled the top of her head. “You can tell me all about it afterward, huh?”
