Lyla

"Mommy, what am I supposed to say to Uncle Austin again?" Adrianna asks me from the back seat. I roll my eyes with humor since this is the hundredth time she has asked that very question in the last ten minutes.

We are currently on our way to the engagement party for Austin and Candice. I was supposed to go alone, but Lisa had a date tonight and although she told me she would cancel so she can watch Adrianna, I didn't want her to have to do that. With everything going on these past few weeks, I just wanted to spend more time with my daughter. After Shane left, Austin and I had a long chat over the phone about what I do from here. I told him I just wanted my life back, but my daughter protected. He gave me Miles and Ghost for protection and promised me that I wouldn't even notice them.

He was right so far.

I think about Shane all the time. Part of me feels terrible about how I treated him that day and the words I used weren't fair. I had told him that I wouldn't stand for how he treated me, then turned around and called him out on not being able to protect me and my daughter after he had done just that. He was right, I was scared and worried, but not just about the Rejects. Rory's threat is constantly on my mind and as we near the court date, I have even more of a reason to be afraid. Rory has connections and if he sees me having Shane, the same man that had just shot someone in the shoulder regardless of what said person was doing, living with me, things won't be pretty in that court room.

"Just say congratulations baby. When you see Aunt Candy or Uncle Austin, just say congratulations. It was very nice of them to ask you to be flower girl, don't ya think?" Adrianna nods her pretty head eagerly and continues to look out the window.

It's been a while since I have brought Adrianna to the clubhouse where the party is being held. Candy had called me and told me not only about the late last-minute engagement party, something I felt terrible about not hosting myself as the maid of honor, but about Adrianna being a part of the wedding. It was perfect, and that way I wouldn't have to have Lisa babysit. Plus, who wouldn't want to see their baby girl in a fluffy white dress.

"Is Shane going to be there mommy?" She asks, and I look into the rearview mirror at her once more.

"He should be baby."

"Good. I miss him." She states, and I focus my attention back on driving.

Once we arrive I follow where a few prospects are leading the parked cars. A few of the Warriors are walking around and of what I can see there are tons more in the clubhouse. I've been here plenty of times, mostly when Shane and I were going back and forth, and I was trying to get him to talk to me and have never seen as many brothers as I do now.

I hop out of the car and am just about to get Adrianna out as well when two giant hands grab the door before I can. I look up to see Shane with his typical brooding stare and smirk at him.

"Could have gotten it ya know?" I sass him with a slanted hip on my car door.

"Didn't doubt it babe." He opens the door and Adrianna lunges at him while giggling and talking a million miles an hour about her souvenirs that her Aunt Lisa had gotten her.

We head inside where Shane pulls me into him and walk straight over to where Austin and Candice are standing with an older couple. The man has a cut on, like the rest of the Warriors, but this one looks different. It's worn, a few holes in it, and on the bottom of the Nightmare Warriors lettering, it says Chesapeake Chapter.

"Shane?"

"Hmm?" He answers stopping with Adrianna still flung to his chest. She somehow managed to grab hold of one of the mini sandwiches from the platters of food.

"Who are all these people?" I see a few scantily clad women walking around and some of the brothers are knocking back shots like it's water. This may not have been a good idea to bring Adrianna to.

"Same club, different chapters. The man that's talkin' to Austin is president of the chapter they have down in Virginia."

"Should I just say hi and take Adrianna home?"

"No mommy, I want to stay." She complains obviously overhearing me talk.

"No babe. There are other kids running around here. Everyone knows not to get wild until the kids all go home. She ain't got nothing to worry about." I nod my head and continue walking over to Candice who looks happier than I've ever seen her.

"Lyla, hey so glad you could come." She shouts and leaves her fianc¨¦'s arms to run over to me.

"Candy, you look beautiful honey." I say holding her hands out to look at her. She is wearing a navy skater dress that stops mid-thigh and has sheer sleeves. Her hair is down and in a loose curl and her makeup is light.

"Thanks Lyla. I'm so glad you were able to make it." She says then looks over at Adrianna whom is playing with Shane's necklace. "Hey Adrianna, there are some other kids outside playing with some water guns and other toys that I bought. Want to go and play?"

Adrianna looks over to me and waits for me to nod. Once I give her my okay she takes Candy's hand and walks out to the back area. I look at Austin whose eyes are glued to his fianc¨¦'s ass and laugh causing him to turn to me.

"So, you two good?" He asks, and I can tell he has already began drinking. I look up at Shane whom shrugs.

"Can we go outside and talk?" Shane nods his head and we follow where Candice had lead Adrianna.

The back area is filled with kids. There are about ten brothers out here with a few old ladies whom are helping the kids with the toys. Candice is introducing Adrianna to another little girl who has a few barbies with her. There is a large area of grass and even a small pool near the fence. The club has rented a jumper for the kids and someone is manning the grill. The smell is amazing as I take in the blue and silver d¨¦cor around the fence.

"Want to sit?" Shane asks pulling me from my thoughts. I shake my head, knowing I need to stand to do this.

I have thought long and hard for days about what I wanted to say to him when I saw him. I didn't know if he would be angry when he saw me or act like he did right after we broke up and simply pretend I was invisible.

"I wanted to apologize Shane. I shouldn't have acted like that towards you, it wasn't right. I blamed the club for all my problems, when you guys are also the solution. I also want to apologize for kicking you out that night. You saved our lives and I acted like a brat. I'm sorry."

"Fuck babe." He runs his hand through his hair. "I know you were mad, can't blame you. Hate to say it, but you were partially right. We brought this shit to your door and I can't apologize enough for that. I promise that no matter what, even if I'm fuckin' pissed at you, that I will protect you and Adrianna."

"It's not just about protection Shane. We need you. Need you in our lives. I don't want to rush anything, and we eventually need to talk about everything going on with other things in my life, but I want you. I want you with me at all times."

Shane pulls me into his embrace and holds me there. I look up at him and he leans his face down into mine and his lips caress mine with the sweetest kiss I have ever felt.

"Yay!" Adrianna shouts making me laugh on Shane's face. When I open my eyes, his genuine smile is back, and I turn to see my daughter and Candy gushing over us.

"Alright babe. Let's head over and get our girl. She's going to want to know I'll be coming home with you two." Shane holds my hand and together we walk over to our girl.

ùùù

It's been a few days since the night of the engagement party. I had confided in Shane about feeling like I wasn't there as much as I wanted to be for Candice during this exciting time in her life. He had done his typical Shane thing and told me to fix it. I called Lisa, had her come and get Adrianna when I noticed the other kids were going home for the night, and decided to let loose a little and have some fun. Long story short, me, some tequila, and a very embarrassing subpar speech were what came out of that night.

Well, that and lots of hot sex in Shane's room at the compound.

Shane has been staying with us each night, making Adrianna extremely happy. Lisa had pulled me to the side last night and told me I needed to tell Shane what was going on with Rory but between my work, Adrianna's school, Lisa's work taking her out of town once again, and Shane having to deal with the side businesses for the club, it's been an exhausted week for all of us. I just haven't had any time to sit and speak with Shane about the court date.

Today is Monday and after having a wonderfully lazy weekend due to the rain, I felt more than ready to conquer this custody issue. I had told Shane that I was at work because I knew the day I told him about Rory asking for custody, shouldn't be the morning of the court date.

Shane has been open and honest with me about everything happening with the club. I know about Alberts and how they assume it's him pulling the strings. Finding out that the chief of police could behind such terrible things had me feeling on edge, but I know now, seeing all the brothers at the engagement party the other night, that this club is one to reckin' with.

Candy and I had talked about maybe going to Alberts as two people not necessarily affiliated with the club and see if we can get something out of him, but when we tried bringing Abby into the mix, she admitted to us that she had already tried. Alberts wasn't saying anything about the club or the man that shot at me and Adrianna.

I park my car and walk into the building that was assigned to Rory and me via email. Today is supposed to be just a day to hear Rory's plea, and as much as I want to strangle him as soon as he begins speaking, I know nothing will be decided today. Still, he is that much closer to getting my daughter and the thought makes my skin itch.

I decided to wear a simple outfit this morning. I'm in dark denim jeans and a white off the shoulder blouse. I have a light gray cardigan on and my black heels. I want them to see me as someone that has everything she needs without the piece of shit sperm donor that helped bring Adrianna into this world.

The building is made up of several different corridors. The beige walls and light d¨¦cor of flowery paintings fill the emptiness, and the dark blue doors are a strange contrast to it all. I find room two hundred and walk inside.

It's a large room, filled with what looks to be maybe thirty seats on each side and a large raised mahogany desk in the middle. I immediately spot Rory with his parents. They are all speaking in hushed tones with a few men in suits whom I assume are the lawyers he has hired.

His parents give me dirty looks as I sit and place my purse on the small desk opposite them. Anger consumes me as I think of the many times they could have reached out to me and come to see their granddaughter but didn't. These people only think of money and I'm sure if I dig a little deeper, I would find some hidden motive to get our daughter in their clutches.

Rory only wants revenge. That much I could tell, and it looks like his parents, as usual, are on the same side of that profitable scheme.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to get ready. Please stand for the honorable Judge Phillips." An officer speaks and we all stand.

I would have loved to have some support here today. Lisa, Shane, Candice. Hell, even Max would have been nice to have in my corner, but I wasn't ready to give that side of my life up for grabs just yet. I needed more time but judging by the way Rory keeps smirking my way, I may be out of time.

"Please sit." The judge says walking in and sitting down at his chair. He immedicably begins going through paperwork on his desk then finally looks up to address us. "So, today we have Mitchelson vs. Monroe in the case of one Adrianna Monroe for full custody arrangement. Is that true?" I look over at Rory with shock. He's going for full custody? He doesn't even know Adrianna.

"Yes, your honor, and might I add, what a pleasure it was to meet you on that golf course the other day sir." Rory flaunts his charm making me want to gag aloud.

"Yes, I thought I recognized you Mr. Mitchelson. These are your parents yes?"

"Yes sir. Ronald and Claudine Mitchelson. Big fans of yours sir." Ron, Rory's father proudly acclimates.

Shmuck, just like his son.

"Very well. Mr. Rory, I have read and reviewed your proposition, but I must regret to give you the opportunity of full custody. Although I am no fan of the fact that Miss Monroe had kept the child from you, the court is not here to rip her of her parenting rights. Miss Monroe has been taking care of the child all on her own for almost four years now and there are no legal bounds to remove the child from her. Therefore, Mr. Mitchelson, you are now hereby able to have visitation for your daughter. My bailiff will set up arrangements with you and Miss Monroe to have supervised visits. After a few weeks, if the court deems it alright, you can then try to obtain partial custody."

"What?" Claudine screams causing he husband to reign her in. I look over at Rory with shock watching him loosen and fasten his tie over and over again. I remember those gestures. They always meant anger, which always spelled trouble for me.

"Your honor, I strongly advise against that. All we wantI mean all I want, is to see my daughter, meet her and get to know her."

"And you can still do that Mr. Mitchelson. Let me ask you something. What is the child's favorite color?" Rory stays silent. "What about her food allergies? Does she go to school yet? What about the toy she refuses to sleep without?"

My mind answers for Rory automatically. I know everything there is to know about Adrianna. Everything a parent is supposed to know about their child.

"I thought so. You see Mr. Mitchelson, children are not jewelry. They are not some token you can keep in your pocket and let out occasionally to show off to the next person with pockets full of money. They are innocent version of ourselves and although I applaud you for now wanting to be a part of your child's life, that is still something that must be earned. In the meantime, you can start by paying for your child support. I understand you not knowing about your daughter and that is something that cannot be forgiven easily but coming to a truce for the good of the child must be done here." The judge slams down the gavel and leaves the room. We all stand there in a silent stupor.

My feet eventually move my body to grab my purse and head over to Rory. I cannot believe what just happened. Rory meets me in the middle of the court room, taking note of where the bailiff remains. Smart man.

"Hope you're fucking happy Lyla. Thanks to you, I not only don't get my daughter, but now must pay you for child support. How the hell is that fair?" He mumbles, careful not be loud and be seen. He always did.

"Of course I'm not happy Rory. My daughter still has to meet you. She still has to go through this awkward ordeal of finding out just who her father is."

"Think you mean our daughter Lyla." He smirks. I shake my head at him and walk way.

I was in such a hurry to get away from Rory that I ended up coming out of the opposite end of the courthouse that I parked on. I cut through the alleyway intent on getting in my car and letting all my stress out on the steering wheel. I'm halfway through the alley when something grabs me from behind and pushes me against the wall.

I scream out in agony as blood and heat rush out of my nose. I look up from my kneeled spot and see Rory staring down at me. Son of a bitch. I slowly stand up, ignoring the pain from my knees and face.

"Always did hit like a little pussy." I snarl. God, I hate this man with all my passion.

"Yeah, let's see just how much of a pussy I am after all these years." He says then grabs hold of my neck and shoves me back flat against the wall. I fight him to get off me, but he uses more force cutting off my air supply. "You fucking bitch. Not only do I have to do this stupid DNA test, but I must hand you over all this fucking money you don't deserve. Hope you're fuckin happy Lyla."

Rory quickly lets go and fixing his tie as if nothing in the world is wrong. I choke out my coughs and try to get my breathing back in check. This isn't the first time Rory has put his hands on me and once again I have no proof of it. He's smart, always has been. At least when it came to making sure my bruises were always superficial.

"Let that be a lesson to you." He states then walks away glaring at me.

After a few moments, my breathing is once again in control I stand up, fix my clothes and head back to my car. Once inside, I let out all my tears that have threatened since I woke up this morning with the impending doom of what today could mean for my family.

I get home about an hour later and don't see Shane's bike or car outside. Lisa's Prius is outside, so I hop out and head straight inside.

Lisa is the first to notice me when I walk in the door. She is sitting on the floor with about a dozen or so different coloring books in front of her. Have I mentioned my sister is a little OCD? She can't have certain things right in front of her. She tends to like things scattered in a random pattern around her. Adrianna has learned her quirks and usually goes with the flow.

"Hey sis, how was everything today?" She turns to me with Adrianna in her lap but frowns the moment she sees my face. "What the hell happened to you?"

Her outburst causes Adrianna to turn as well, but not noticing my face in the dim lamp light, she simply goes back to her coloring. Lisa stands, depositing a very concentrated Adrianna back on the floor and marches over to me.

"Are you okay? Were you in an accident or something?"

"No, and please keep your voice down. Is Shane here?" I whisper. Last thing I want is Shane to come marching out of thin air and demanding I tell him everything. My head is pounding, and my throat is sore. All I want is some tea and a nice hot shower.

"No, he said he had a family emergency. Came home and he quickly took off. Said something about his mom being in the hospital."

"What? Why didn't you call me?" I push past my sister and drop my purse on the kitchen bar fiddling around for my cell.

"Ly, he made it seem like she simply tripped or something. I think if it were that important he would have called you. Besides, I didn't want to interrupt. You can call him in a moment, first you need to tell me why you look like someone took a bat to your face."

I roll my eyes and ignore my sister as I walk down the hall to the guest bathroom, aka, mine and Adrianna's bathroom. I flick the lights and almost gasp when I see my reflection. My eyes are puffy and red from crying and I have mascara running down my cheeks. My nose is red from the impact from Rory and there are small bruises along my neck. I quickly turn the faucet on and gently clean my face. I can't let Adrianna see me this way.

I dry my face and hands with a towel and when I look back at my reflection, Lisa catches my eyes and narrows hers while crossing her arms at her chest.

"Did Rory do that to you Lyla?" Her voice is deep and dark, and I know if Rory was here right now she would grab her shotgun and end him.

Stand in line sister.

I blow out a deep breath and answer her with a slight nod. "Yes. He met me outside the courthouse today. Got a little upset with the verdict."

"That smug son of a bitch." That's funny. That's what I had called him. "I'm calling Shane. Time this asshole learns he can't treat people like disposable condoms."

If I weren't so freaked about what she was planning on doing, I would have laughed my ass off at that joke.

"Lisa, you can't." I stop her from leaving by pulling her arms towards me. "I uhI never told Shane about the custody battle."

"Ly, what the hell are you thinking? What's he going to do when he comes here one day, and Rory is at the door waiting to pick up his daughter for their weekend together?

"Nothing, because it's not exactly going to happen that way. Judge only granted supervised visits with me until the court feels him worthy enough to have her with him alone. Which will be never."

"So, I don't get it. It explains his punching mood, but why won't you tell Shane. You have to tell Adrianna what's going on anyways."

"I know that Lisa. I just got home from a horrible day and I can't get ten feet in the door without a second degree from you. I just need time to figure everything out." I say breathing in and out as calmly as I can.

Lisa stares at me with a perturbed look. "I'm sorry Ly. I'm just worried about you and Adrianna. So much has happened to you guys in the last few weeks that I'm still playing catch up. I'm sorry if I am adding too much to your already full plate."

I hug my sister and lay my head on her shoulder. We stand like this for a few seconds until we hear a cute little knock and a small voice.

"Aunt Lisa? Mommy? Are you guys taking a shower together? Uncle Max says that's hot."

"Oh my god, I'm going to kill that idiot." Lisa calls out releasing me and opening the door. I'm too busy laughing to answer my daughter but I do sweep her up in my arms and kiss her about a thousand times. She giggles straining to climb off me, but I hold her to me and relish in her youth, in her innocence.

I won't let anything happen to you baby girl.

My mind quickly thinks of Shane and what he may be going through at this moment.