"Rowan!" Gunner called as he walked around the park. It was a day before the police conference that the bikers would be crashing. Lily's nerves were high and when he wasn't working with the club he tried to keep the two of them occupied.

Hence how they ended up on the park trail. But he couldn't explain how he ended up seeking after Rowan and Lily.

He could hear echoes of their giggles and stray footsteps crunching on the grass.

"Rowan come tell me where you and yer mama are at? C'mon princess, you don't miss me?"

Hearing him from their little hiding spot, Lily rolled her eyes as Rowan pressed her chubby hands over her mouth like Lily did dramatically. Of course, it didn't muffle her giddy laughter.

"I know your mommy misses me for sure."

Lily's mouth fell open with an offended gasp. Huffing, she shuffled her and Rowan behind the array of trees hiding them. "C'mon Row, we can sneak this way," she whispered to the little girl who stumbled along quickly. Her little feet lifted high up and she teetered and tottered side to side.

But, as if in a flash, Gunner slid between the trees and squatted down. Both the girls nearly took him out as they trampled into him. Groaning dramatically, he wrapped his arms around the two of them.

Both of the girls laughed loudly, being lifted up into Gunner's strong chest. Snarling playfully, he stuffed his face into Lily's neck before biting at his softly. Lily squealed with a wide smile, he hiked Rowan's butt up onto his forearm as she gripped him tight.

"How many times have I told you that yer mine? No running away from me," he growled under his breath. Lily's smile was carefree, nuzzling against his jaw.

"No more running," she agreed softly as she kissed below his ear. "Now, put me down, I'm too heavy," she patted his shoulder.

Gunner scoffed, offended as his arms tightened around the both of them. "How dare you, I'll have you know these muscles aren't just for show. They keep you satisfied don't they?"

Liliana snorted, squirming until she was free and snatching Rowan back only to sprint away. Playing along, he quickly jogged after him.

At the end of the day, Gunner was pulling into Lily's driveway in his Durango. His truck that by now had a spare car seat strapped in the back. He planned to keep it there.

Rowan was asleep in the seat, Lily nearly was too as she leaned her head against the window. Gunner put the car in park, sliding his hand over her nearest thigh and gripping it tight.

He knew after they fell asleep tonight, he'd be waking up before the sun rose to trek all the way back to the club. A place he loved and always would but found himself dreading when he had to leave the little house he'd grown fond of.

Glancing out his window, listening to the radio play softly in the background with some kidz bop crap Lily insists on putting on for her daughter. The sun was barely setting and they were both knocked out, he snorted.

If there was one thing he knew about the George girls it was that they stuck to their early bedtimes. They were certainly sleepy, as if on cue.

Yawning himself, he recalled the nights he stayed up ungodly hours just for a party. Or for some pussy. Or for a fight.

He had a plethora of reasons, looking back. Gunner paused for a moment, he tried to remember the last time he craved any of those things.

Besides a good fight maybe... that would never leave him. He'd have to step down as President of Mayhem Men if it ever did.

The parties, the girls, and the flings howevernone of it sparked any interest in him. Looking at his phone as he opened his car door, he realized it'd been months of pursuing Lily by now. Not once has he grown distracted or lost interest. If anything, it was like he ached for Liliana. When she wasn't near it was like his bones gnawed at him and creaked until he edged his way back to the light of his life.

God, come to think of it... how did he even get this far without her? It was like any and all motivation stemmed from her. He was a better man for it. His club was better for it as well, before her he would've picked off Daminger and left it at that.

The system would've stayed corrupt and another Daminger would have been spit back out. But his stomach twisted with fiery determination to get the police in this town on the right track. Or at the very least under his thumb so he could make them do the right thing. He'd burry them so fucking deep in blackmail and threats that he'd own the fucking precinct. His name would be on the goddamn front door.

And his ambition to do so was fueled solely by the pretty woman sat to his right. Not only her, but the little girl who was in dire need of a pullup before she pissed in the car seat. He wanted this town to be better for her and for Addy when they got older.

Twitching, his fingers itched with the urge to wake Liliana up. To spill his guts about how he was feeling and the overwhelming swelling in his chest that made him want to lock the two of them away and keep them to himself. Forcing out a harsh breath, finally he pushed himself out of the truck.

Opening the passenger side door to see Liliana asleep, he cupped her soft cheek. "Mm, my gorgeous girl," Gunner hummed as he leaned down to graze his parted lips over her jaw.

Liliana, blearily blinking, tried to sit up quickly while turning towards Rowan. "Shh, shh," he distracted her by kissing her soundly. Murmuring tiredly, she nearly fell back asleep in his hold. "I'll get the baby, Lily. Go lay down for me," his tone left no room for arguing. Pulling away to squint up at him, looking him in his eyes to see if he was sure, Lily nodded slowly.

"Thank you," she croaked, pecking his cheek before swaying shakily inside.

Watching her make it to the door, he moved on to the princess in the back. Sighing, he looked over the car seat. He knew, in theory, that he could detach it but for the life of him couldn't figure out where to start. Let alone reinstall it safely when he was done.

Biting the inside of his cheek, Gunner cursed under his breath before unbuckling Rowan very carefully. Wincing lowly and constantly at every move he made, he began to lift her up. At the first twitch of her brow, he knew it was over.

Soon enough, her eyes cracked open and she let out a whine. And then it was a full blown cry.

"I know, I know," Gunner cooed while looking comical. He was huge, cradling the toddler baby to his chest almost immediately. His t-shirt strained against his bicep while she dug her little nails into his pale, tattooed skin. Pressing her chest against his upper body, he let her slump against his wide shoulder. Rowan sniffled and teared quietly while burying herself into his neck. "I-I know, princess. It'll be alright, Gunner's gonna get ya to bed."

She gurgled, crocodile tears wetting his shirt as he shut the car door. He heard her stringing together slurred words like 'no more' and 'no thank you'... basically a lot of no's were flying his way.

Turning her over to cradle her like a baby, the two looked at each other. Rowan looked at him like she didn't know why she was even crying and like she could fall asleep right at that moment. The big bad biker shushed her softly, she pursed her lips and did the same. Mimicking his noises while sniffling.

"You and the whole rest of the town want me to shush, better not hold yer breath, Row," he snickered at his own joke. Rowan huffed just like her mother but barely fought off her little smile.

"Crisis averted? No meltdown? Y'know I'm good at this thing... Remember Addy? The one you allegedly had a playdate with without me? Yeah I had the whole trial by fire thing with her," he whispered as the two of them walked through the house. Rowan scraped her nails over his scruffy jaw that he needed to shave. Making their way to Rowan's room, he cradled her along his forearm as he got her pajamas and pull up ready with the other.

"So you get to reap the benefits, lucky you huh?" Gunner smile down at her.

Sitting down in her little bed, he balanced her squirmy body on his legs he changed her haphazardly. Rowan growled and kicked but they ultimately got it together with having to call for help.

Glancing up at the ceiling, he tried to rake his mind through anything that they could be missing. She's eaten the dinner Lily packed before they left the park. She has a pull up. He'd wiped her down with a wipey and decided to count that as a sponge bath. Checking her bed, he saw nothing wrong with it.

Gunner grunted, turning back to Rowan only to find her passed out across his lap. Wincing, he scoffed under his breath before lifting her up and under the covers. Squatting down, he carefully took out the hair ties in her loosely curled hair.

When he was done, he brushed his knuckle over her chubby cheek. In the back of his mind, he'd wished he had gotten to meet her earlier. Gunner wished he knew her bedtime routine by heart by now and he wished he'd gotten to see her even smaller lying in a true crib instead of this toddler proof one.

Resting his elbows on his knees, Gunner rubbed his face roughly before parting with one more look at Rowan. He retreated back to his snoring girlfriend happily.

***

When the sun rose slowly, breaking through the curtains hung in the bedroom, Gunner was already up and dressed. The careful clink of a belt drew Liliana out of her sleep, blinking confusedly she reached for Gunner's warmth and found none.

Inhaling deeply, Liliana sat up and looked around confusedly. Her dark eyes found Gunner with his back to her as he pulled out a new shirt from his side of the closet. Glancing over his shoulder, he frowned when he saw her awake.

"Sorry honey," he rasped in his morning voice. Sliding the shirt on lazily, once he was in arms reach she reached for him. "Didn't mean to wake ya-"

Winding her arms around his neck, he groaned in surprised when she yanked him down for a deep kiss. The two's moans reverberated against one another, his hands coming to cradle her hips. She only wore underwear and a tiny t-shirt to bed last night and he more than appreciated it. Sliding one hand up her back, he felt her muscles contract under his touch while arching into his body. His other dropped down to her ass, squeezing it heartily and feeling it overflow in his palm. He loved feeling the fat ripple against his palm.

Parting for air, it didn't last long since they immediately gravitated back to each other as if magnetized. Lily's dainty, soft hand slid down his chiseled chest and grazed over his groin teasingly. "Baby," Gunner didn't mean for it to come out so whiny. But she doesn't know what she's doing to him.

"I know," she husked as she pulled away out of his reach even as he leaned in closer. "Just want to remind you to come back to me. In one piece, preferably."

Groaning with what sounded like anguish, he knocked his forehead against hers. The two looked at one another for a long moment. Lily cupped his cheek, watching him lean into her palm as if instinctively. His eyes fell shut as he breathed in her scent, kissing the tender skin.

"Be safe, be safe please," Lily didn't care if it sounded like she was begging. She would beg for his safety.

Gunner nodded, utmost seriousness in his eyes. "I will, I'll do my best. Taz should be outside now, I'll let him in. He'll stay in the living room 'till you guys are up. Listen to him, please."

Liliana nodded quickly as her eyes welled with tears, she couldn't exactly pin why she was crying other than the paralyzing fear she felt about the rest of the day. All she knew was that it was risky whatever he was going to do to those crooked cops.

Gripping the sides of her face, he smashed his mouth against hers once again for the last time until he'd see her again. Neither could care less about morning breath or chapped lips over the night, they both savored one another dutifully. Gunner had never dealt with these feelings before a run and he wasn't a fan of it, but he knew he had to go now.

"Tell Rowan I'll be home before she goes to bed tonight," Gunner's throaty voice made her shiver but she nodded immediately. Her hands slipped from his torso but he faltered at the door, she peered up at him as she watched his face turn pink from the bed.

"I... L-Lily I think..." The thought on the tip of his tongue had kept him up all night and fired him up for the rest of his day. But his throat felt like it was closing and he felt hot all of a sudden. Just like that first day he'd seen her. And all other times he'd tried to talk to her- to say something.

"Lily I'm in-" Nervousness swallowed him whole and he faltered. Growling in frustration, he thunked his head against the door frame. Lily was watching him with a tender look in her eyes, he didn't even realize she'd gotten up until she was hugging his side tight.

"Tell me when you get home tonight," Lily insisted, leaning up to give him one more soft kiss.

Nodding with pink ears and a look of determination in his eyes, he nodded before giving her hand a squeeze and an instruction to get some more rest as he made his way out the door.

Lily worried her bottom lip as she curled up on his side of the bed, hugging his pillow tight as she heard the front door shut.