Chapter 366: 2020
*What are we going to do with the kids? – Pagan*
Shortly after little Tony was born, Molly told the club that Becks was going through treatment for cancer. Pagan only vaguely remembered the first time she had gone through the treatment. He had still been a kid, not quite in high school.
That had been a hard year for the club. Becks was diagnosed with cancer. The Brotherhood had attacked the Saints. And as they recovered from that, 9/11 happened.
It had been a hard few years for the club. For the nation.
According to Nessie, the next few years were going to be hard once again. She wouldn’t say what it was. Maybe her sight wasn’t clear on that. Or maybe she was adhering to the rules on this.
Pagan had gone to Ciara, and she confirmed something was on the horizon.
“I really don’t know.” Ciara had admitted and looked at their mother.
It was about a year ago that Pagan had spent the night with Shiloh on the couch and collected his daughters from Cookie’s small carriage house. Now his parents lived here, and it was his dad that was good naturedly losing to Ashlyn on the PlayStation. Her favorite was no longer a racing or wrestling game. It had become the latest NHL 20 game that she dominated.
Lilly shook her head with a sad look in her eyes. “The only thing that I know is that there is going to be a lot of death.” She sighed when both of her kids started to talk at once. “I don’t know. I don’t know who’s going to die. I don’t know who it’s going to hit. I just don’t know.”
And that was how the next few months went. The three witches trying to see what the shadows would allow them to see. And then trying to see a little more.
The three of them began dispensing unwarranted advice that no one had asked for. Not that they cared.
Nico had planned to go home to Italy for Christmas, but Nessie told him it would be better to go earlier in the year. He went in October and after returning to the States, they all heard the word that would change the world.
Covid.
Suddenly everything that they were seeing was falling into place. And then the year of hell began.
In early January, Toad called a church meeting. They were there for less than an hour. When he got back home, he asked Shiloh if she wanted to go to Vegas. It had been Becks final request. That was where she felt like her life truly began on that fateful Friday night that she had met Molly at a bar for her friend's birthday.
Before the weekend was over, they were married, and he had promised her a large family. A total of six wives and fifteen children later, Molly had lost his Becks. His heart. His soul. His life. His whole family was struggling. And he was barely holding it together at times. But putting her ashes in his saddlebags and riding across the country with her one last time seemed to help.
Several of the families with younger children opted to fly out to Vegas. Nico offered his private plane along with the one owned by the Wolf Pack Security.
The club had returned to Massachusetts and watched their friend grieve. Priscilla moved out to stay with Chance and Rye. Molly began hanging out with Evie and her brother Law. They had both buried spouses and understood what he was going through.
Pagan hoped he would never have to endure that. Even though it was quite a while after Tony was born before Shiloh would allow Pagan to even think about getting close to her pussy. His pussy, he insisted that it still belonged to him.
The multiple orgasms that he gave her most nights proved to him that it was still his.
On this March night, they simply lay in the large bed in the dark room. Pagan lay on his back with Shiloh pressed up against him with her head on his chest. It was still cold at night and the heated mattress pad and blanket were on. But only on her side.
“They’ve extended spring break by a week. And there’s the possibility that it will be longer.” Pagan said as they continued their discussion and plan making. “Some of the teens have offered to stay with families and help with the younger kids.”
“That’s sweet, but I don’t think we’ll need it.” Shiloh shifted and his fingers brushed against her hip.
“Why is that?” he asked as he began to draw a lazy swirling design on her skin.
“Your mom is across the street and I’m going to close the store for that week.”
“What about your employees?”
“I’m still going to pay them. None of this is their fault.”
“What if it goes longer?” he asked as his fingers dragged her sleep shirt up a little higher.
“I’m still going to pay them. Kenneth is taking photography classes at the university. Priscilla said that if he’ll take the pictures and send them to her, she’ll update the website and social media.”
“Just going to move online?”
“Pretty much. Do it for all three stores.”
Pagan didn’t have to ask; she was including the bookstore in with her own. The Dragon’s Lair might have been her friend’s dream, and Gertie’s name might be the first on all the paperwork, but Shiloh still saw it as her responsibility to ensure that it ran smoothly. The Lair already had a large online following with her monthly book recommendations and multiple book launches.
With dragon shifter books taking off, many authors wanted to launch their latest dragon book at a store called the Dragon’s Lair.
“What about the shop?”
“Several of the guys have forges of their own and have said that they can do their projects at home.” He brushed a kiss across the top of her head. “I’ve already told the welders that they can come get whatever they need to work from home. Those who can’t, can still come in and it will only be about four, maybe five, of us in the shop.”
“What about Carrianne?”
Pagan scoffed out a laugh. “She informed me that she could read her book just as comfortably at home as she could in her thousand-dollar chair at the office.”
“She has the perfect job.” Shiloh laughed.
“But believe it or not, she’s damned good at her job. I’ve never had to worry about making sure that I had enough stock or wire or anything.” He smiled as he pictured the other woman with her eternal resting bitch face. “Dad’s right, when I have to replace her, it’s going to be hard.”
“How long has she worked for the shop?”
“As long as I can remember. Before her first kid and he’s forty maybe forty-one.” He gave her an odd shoulder lift. “Karan is keeping the daycare open, if you want the kids to still go.”
“No. If it’s bad enough to close the schools, we don’t need them going to daycare. Especially with Alyssa’s asthma and Tony being so little.” she said, snuggling in close to him. “Your mom said that she was willing to tutor the girls. I never realized how many teachers are in the club.”
“There are a lot.” He chuckled. “Have you watched Alyssa playing school with Ashlyn?”
“I’m pretty sure we’ll have another teacher in the family. But Ashlyn,” she sighed, “is there a women’s NHL?”
Laughing, he squeezed her closer to him. “There’s a women’s league. I guess she hasn’t started telling you about it yet?”
“No, I’m being bombarded with trick plays, hat tricks, lighting the lamp and wingers. Oh, and what schools have hockey teams and which one she’s going to play at.” She shifted and rested her chin on his chest. “I think we have a few years before then.”
“It’ll go faster than you think.” He stroked her hair. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
