My phone hasn’t stopped ringing since six a.m. Fucking six a.m. And if it’s Billy or Camitro, I might actually end up killing the both of them.

Cutting up the piece of toast into squares and moving watermelon and grapes around his plate, I place it on the table, kissing Wolf on the top of his little head. He reminds me so much of him. The eyes, smile, and dimple. “Be right back, baby. Mama’s got a call with Santa!” Snatching my phone off the table, I head out of the kitchen and down the hallway before swiping to answer.

“What!”

“We got a problem…” Val chuckles in the background, and I hear doors shut closed before he continues. “You know that patch over?”

“Yes…” I hiss, peeking around the corner to check on Wolf. Mama is sitting beside him now, with Betty lifting him up to place him on her lap. “What has that got to do with me?” I whisper harshly. “It’s Saturday. You know weekends are for family.”

“Yeah, I know, which is why I wouldn’t bring this to you if it wasn’t important.” Val is my strongest soldier. I give him a lot of shit, but I trust him more than I do anyone else.

“Okay—” I breathe. I seriously need to take up Pilates or Tai chi or something to help with keeping myself in check. “Go.”

“There’s a bit of a bloodbath here right now.”

“So?” I snap, grinding my teeth. “That’s MC business, not mine!”

“Well… that’s the thing. You might need to get down here because I feel like this has to do with you too.”

I hang up my phone and make my way back into the kitchen, leaning against the doorframe. I watch as Betty airplane drives pieces of fruit into Wolf’s mouth and he giggles, flashing his cheesy smile. His smile, unfortunately, is almost a replica of his father’s.

My smile falls.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, baby,” Mama says, rubbing her hand up my arm. “You look at me.” When I don’t, her gentle hands come to my cheeks and she brings my focus down to hers. Mama hasn’t aged at all since I was a teenager. The genes are strong, and I know that whatever she needed to do to survive had to be done. I think it takes children growing older to realize the kind of sacrifices our parents make at times. “This is your life. It’s what you are here for.”

“But I just wanted to be a mom… like you were.”

“Baby, you are so much more of a mother than I ever was.” She straightens her shoulders and I watch as the sun beams behind her, making her already blue eyes brighter. “Now go and do what you were born to do. Your family will be here waiting when you get home.”