ADVERTISEMENT
But now I have these two terrifying-looking bikers who love my kids like their own. Who text me dad jokes. Who show up when I have car trouble. Who brought groceries when I had the flu. Who are teaching my son that real men are gentle and kind.
The title of this story says I begged them not to bring my kids back. Here’s what I mean: Last week, Marcus asked if he could take the twins to his motorcycle club’s annual picnic. “Lots of families. Lots of kids. Completely safe. Jake and I will watch them the whole time.”
“Of course,” I said. At 8 PM, they called again. “So… Anna and Ethan fell asleep. They’re passed out on the couch. We can bring them home or if you want to come here and see how cute they look…”
I drove to the clubhouse. Walked in and saw my babies asleep on a couch, covered in blankets. Surrounded by a dozen bikers playing cards quietly, trying not to wake them. One biker was reading a book. Another was knitting. They looked like the world’s most dangerous knitting circle.
“Can they stay?” I asked. “Just tonight? Can you watch them overnight so I can sleep for once?” Marcus smiled. “We were hoping you’d ask. We already set up the guest room. Jake’s wife is on her way with pajamas and toothbrushes.”
That’s what I meant about begging him not to bring them back. Not because he’d kidnapped them. Because he’d given them something I couldn’t. A village. A family. Male role models who showed them what good men look like.
But these “dangerous” men are the reason my children have stability. Have love. Have father figures. Have a chance at a normal childhood despite everything stacked against us.
I used to judge people by how they looked. Not anymore. Now I judge them by how they treat a struggling single mom and her twins at a grocery store when nobody’s watching.
So yes. The biker “kidnapped” my twins for a day. And yes, I begged him not to bring them back right away. Because for the first time in three years, I had help. I had hope. I had family.
And that family wears leather vests and rides motorcycles and looks absolutely terrifying. But they’re the best thing that ever happened to us.
Because someday they’ll be old enough to understand that Mr. Bear and Uncle Jake aren’t just babysitters. They’re heroes. They’re family. They’re proof that angels sometimes have tattoos and ride Harleys.