Ari

I'm so irritated while we were at the restaurant I couldn't even eat. Southern hospitality my ass. I can't believe they thought it was okay to call a toddler a brat because she didn't want them hitting on seb.

"Angel?" Seb says as he enters the kitchen "charlie is down for the night"

"Thank you"

"Thank you for today, ari."

"You love her seb. She desevers to have a dad in her life. Someone to love and protect her. Like my dad does for me. I didn't get that until I was way older. I don't want that for her. I don't want her to ever know seb. If you're okay with that I would rather her not know the truth about what happened that she shares the DNA of one of those men. It might be wrong to keep it from her, but I can't tell her ever."

"I get it ari. I'm her dad, she doesn't need to know any of it. She won't remember it. She'll grow up knowing me as her dad, there's no reason to tell her any different."

"Thank you, seb"

"I'd do anything to protect her, physically and mentally. I don't think it would do her any good to know the truth."

"I don't think so either."

"Ari, I want you both home" He sighs moving closer to me.

"I don't know if I can seb"

"I know you're having a hard time right now, but charlie misses home. She was asking about her grandma and grandpa and especially her aunt El. I know I fucked up angel, I will spend the rest of my life trying to make up for that. I need ny girls home. I don't mean home as in your dad's house, I mean our home. The place I planned on us living together since we were kids. Come home angel, be my old lady, let me put a ring on your finger, let me make you my wife, let me put beautiful babies inside of you."

"Seb, things will never be the same."

"I know that, ari. But they can be better... we can fight harder than ever to be together to raise that little girl together and ten more if you want them. I can fight harder to make sure that nothing ever happens to you again. You are my heart ari. It doesn't beat right without you."

"I'll think about it okay?"

"Okay my love. Are you ready for bed?"

"Yeah. I'm assuming you'll be joining us for our walk to the park tomorrow?" I ask as we climb the stairs.

"Anywhere you go I'll be there."

"Okay you want to let Shane know he doesn't have to anymore?"

"Nope, Shane isn't here. He should be half way back to California by now."

"Why I thought he was supposed to be here to protect charlie and me?"

"I'm here angel, I will protect my girls. I told your dad I wasn't leaving until you did."

"What about the club seb?"

"They will be fine without me, you and charlie are more important, you two are the most important. Come on I'm ready for bed." He says pulling ne into my room.

"You're sleeping in here?"

"Obviously" He says climbing into bed.

When I wake up there two strong arms wrapped around me "Good morning angel" He whispers in my ear.

"Good morning."

"Daddy" charlie calls out from her bed.

"Come here princess."

Charlie climbs up on the bed wiggling right between us. "Good morning" she sings

"Good morning, baby" i say amd kiss her head.

"Good morning, princess." Seb says and does the same giving her a kiss on the head.

"Mommy? Go home?"

I look up at seb, I'm breaking my daughters heart she misses her family. She misses dad and peyton, ellie, eli and locklynn, Parker. "You want to go home charlie?"

"Yes" he nod.

"Okay" I sigh still looking at seb.

"With daddy." She said assertively

"Baby, that's daddy's house. Our house is with grandpa."

"No, home with daddy. Princess room."

I can see the excited smile on sebs face. Charlie wants us to go home with seb. She wants a real family. Doesnt my dauggter deserve that two parent to wake up each morning and to put her to sleep each night? Or am i just using it as an excuse because as much as i try to convince nyself otherwise, i love seb, i always have and i always will. Maybe I just need her as the ultimate excuse to protect ny heart, that way if everything falls apart I can tell myself I didn't want it anyway.

"What do you say angel? Can I take my girls home?"

"You're telling dad"

"Fine" He shrugs.

Seb

"They're coming home?" Prez asks I decided to call him after we got back from the park.

"Yeah we'll pack up tonight. I have flights booked for the morning."

"Okay I'll let peyton know, I'm sure she'll want to cook them something special when they get home."

"Ummm... yeah. About that prez."

"What?" I feel the heat of the word through the phone.

"So, they're coming home.... with me."

"I know seb I didn't think you'd stay in texas."

"No, I mean they are coming home with me. Charlie asked last night who her dad was. You know I love ari more than anything in this world. I love charlie too, I want to be her dad. I told her I wanted to be her dad. I know you understand that feeling because eli and ellie."

"Okay, be her dad then. You know DNA doesn't mean anything family is a choice. Charlie is lucky to have you, but not as lucky as you are to have her. Never forget that."

"Charlie wants to come live with me. Not just me she wants to live with ari and me, at my house."

"What?" The anger back in his voice "I just got my daughter back."

"I know that prez. Look they will be living on the compound I don't plan on moving you'll still see them all the time."

"What does ari say about this?"

"She said I had to be the one to tell you "

"Always the brave one seb. You know that's the only reason I let you date her in the first place right? In school boys wouldn't even talk to her because they were too afraid of Eli. I told her if they were too pussy to talk to her because of who her brother is they were too pussy to protect her. You came right up to me and asked, you got my respect that day. I won't stand in my daughters way of happiness seb. Don't fuck it up. I'd hate to have to kill you."

"They are the most important thing in this world to me. I will protect them with my life. I won't fuck this up, I'd sooner cut my own heart out that let them shed a single tear for something I said or did."

"Send me the flight details, I'll pick yall up"

"Thanks" I say remebering I had knight get my bike from the airport. I didn't know how long I would be in texas I didn't want to leave my bike there.

"Angel?" I call out when I get inside.

"Kitchen" ari hollers

"What are my beautiful girls up to?" I ask when I see ari at the stove and charlie on the floor coloring.

"Making lunch, you hungry?"

'Yes. What are you making?"

"Chicken fettuccine Alfredo"

"That sounds good" I tell her as I step up behind her wrapping my arms around her waist and kissing her temple. "I love you" I whisper in her ear.

She turns her head and looks up at me "I love you too seb."

"You do?" I ask trying not to sound surprised.

"You know I love you, I've always loved you. It's never been about that."

"What's it been about pretty girl?"

She shakes her head focusing back on the pan "not infront of charlie"

"Okay" I squeeze her a little tighter to my body. I never want to let go of her if I could stand here and hold her in my arms for the rest of my life I would die a happy man.

"Daddy color?" Charlie asks from the floor holding a crayon in my direction. That's how I got roped into a half an hour of coloring unicorns and rainbows, and I smiled the whole time.

Ari and charlie are my family. There isn't a single thing in this world I wouldn't do to put smiles on their faces. They are my home. I didn't know it was possible to feel as much love and protectivness as I feel for ari for another person, until charlie. I will kill for her, for them both. I will maime every single person that had anything to do with what happened to my girls.

I'm so happy that charlie is here, don't get me wrong. But it still kills me inside thinking about what ari had to go through. Then theres charlie who didn't go outside, didn't see sunlight, didn't breath fresh air for the first two years of her life. For everything my girls went through people will pay.

Three are already in cells, just waiting for the day the club and ari make the decision. All the men will die slow painful deaths. The club isn't into hurting woman, but like I said there is nothing I wouldn't do for ari. If she wanted daisy and lexia dead I would do that for her. Knowing my angel that's not what she's going to want. One day she'll ask for them to be set free, and the club will do that for her too.

Family, the word to most people means mom, dad, sisters, brother. Grandma, ect. Not to me, not to the memebers of the club, yes some have blood families they are close to and love, but they do so by choice not by obligation to blood. Family is who you choose, blood, or not. The club members and their families, ari, and charlie, those are the people I choose.

I'll happily burn in hell for my sins when that days comes knowing what those sins gave me. When prez saved me off the streets I vowed to always have his back, that is a vow I will never break. When I promise to protect my girls I mean it with ever fiber of my being. I'll do whatever it takes even if the fire in hell waiting for me is getting hotter with every action.

There is no greater happiness then this. Having everything I thought I never would. A beautiful, smart, strong woman. A daughter who I love more than life itself, and a club full of brothers who will ride through hell with me on any given day.