Sometimes being the president of a biker club was not so bad, and other times, like today, it was hell.
It was hard watching the younger brothers teetering on the verge of making a mistake that might come back to haunt them, and not say anything about it.He couldn’t tell them how to live their lives any more than they could tell him how to live his.All he could do was sit back, let them make their mistakes, and hope they learned from them.It was a lot like being a dad, he supposed.
Race was one of the very few who knew Jed’s history.As far as he knew, he was the only one in the club he’d ever told.It was tragic what happened to him when he was still too young to process things, but he’d hoped Jed would one day find the right woman and she could help him heal those old hurts.Losing a child?Race couldn’t fathom how painful that had to have been.The thought of losing any one of his children or the one Bellamy carried would gut him.
As president, all he ever wanted for his brothers was for them to live free and be happy.But being president also meant he worried a lot.
He worried that Jed was so blinded by his past that he might wait too long to see what was right in front of him.
He worried that Sadie’s pregnancy would be the last straw for Kylie.After almost losing Darren to his own dark path, would this be what broke them apart?How would this news affect Tuck and Darren’s friendship and the club dynamics?
He worried Darren’s need to provide for his child and its mother could strain things not only with Kylie and Tuck, but with Jed as well.Whether Jed wanted to admit it or not, he was falling for Sadie, if he hadn’t already fallen.Could he find a way past the fact that Darren was the father of Sadie’s baby or that he would always be in her life?
He worried for Sadie.She was already doing the single mom thing, and having a baby would put more stress on her.He was aware that, financially, she wasn’t prepared for another mouth to feed.No longer working at Bottoms Up, she didn’t have insurance, but Race already had a plan for that.
She had a little nest egg, but it wouldn’t last forever.She had her house to sell in Taos that could add to that cushion and help her move into someplace bigger, but he hadn't had the heart to tell her how badly the Phantoms had destroyed it.He was taking care of having the repairs made, but he couldn't tell her about that either.The stubborn, prideful woman would want to pay him back.
Sadie wasn’t any more prepared for this baby than Darren.He at least had Kylie and Tuck for support; she had no one.Bellamy had tried pulling her into the old ladies' fold, but so far she’d been unsuccessful.Sadie was already gun-shy of biker clubs because of her history with the Phantoms, so Jed dumping her after finding out she was pregnant was going to have her pulling back even further.The last thing she would want was to cause problems for Darren with Kylie or cause strain with the brothers.As for Jed, she was definitely going to want to avoid him.
It was a good thing he’d had Jackson install camera monitors downstairs in Ink Envy to monitor her security.They could keep an eye on her without having to be in the apartment with her.She was a strong, independent woman who valued her privacy.He got it.But he also needed to make sure Tinker didn’t get his hands on her.The fact that she rebuffed his advances and it appeared she was with Jed, at least for a while, only made her more desirable to Tinker.She was a tool for his revenge.
Part of being the club president was knowing when to step back and let his brothers stumble.Sometimes it was what was needed so that the reward was that much sweeter.There were many times he wanted to shake the shit out of one brother or the other and tell them to wake the hell up and get their head out of their ass before it was too late.He loved his brothers, but they were also a pain in his ass.
He parked his Tahoe in front of Bling and hurried inside.After everything that went down earlier, he felt the need to see his wife.The bell above the door jingled as he entered.His eyes immediately went to the counter, hoping to see Bellamy.Cathy smiled and pointed toward her office.He nodded his head in thanks and meandered between the tables and racks of clothing and whatever some of this stuff was.Outside his wife’s office door, he stopped to watch her work.She had her back to him and was busy filing something away.He got such a kick out of watching her in her element.
The view from behind had his dick waking up to attention.He made a quick adjustment and continued to appreciate the view.She was convinced she was getting fat but, honest to God, he found the baby weight only added to her already intoxicating curves.She reached for something to the side, giving him a good view of her baby belly, and it was all he could do not to pound his chest and declare to the world he’d done that, he’d put that baby in there.Yeah, yeah.It made him sound like a complete caveman, but he didn’t give a fuck.
“Race?What are you doing here?”Her smile was warm and lit up any room she was in.The last several weeks had been rough for her because she could never find a comfortable position to sleep in.As she slipped into his arms and tipped her head back, he was able to see how tired she was.He vowed to himself that he would make her take it easy when they got home tonight.He could start by swinging by her favorite restaurant and picking up dinner on his way home.He’d love to convince her to take off early today, but knew how that would turn out.So far, any effort to get her to cut back on her hours had been met with “not yet.”
“Had some shit going down at the club today, and it made me want to come see my woman.”He brushed her hair behind her ear and cupped her cheek.Her belly bumped up against his, keeping them from getting as close as he’d like.A swift kick that he felt against his stomach let him know his little one didn’t like to be crowded.“You know how much I love you, right?”
“Yes.”She turned so that she fit sideways against his front so she could be closer.She wrapped her hands around his middle and dropped her head to his shoulder.
“And you know that you’re the best thing in my life, right?”He settled his cheek on top of her head, holding her close.
“Yes.Where’s this coming from, Race?Did something bad happen?”She tipped her head back to see his face.
“No.Sometimes it takes seeing someone else fuck up a good thing to make you appreciate when you’ve got it good at home.”
“Who’s fucking up?”
He shook his head.“You’ll find out soon enough.For now, I just want to hold you and tell you how much I love you.Can we do that?”
Bellamy’s smile was breathtaking.“Yes, honey.We can do that.”
Perfect.For this moment, with his woman in his arms, his world was perfect.
12
Sadie
Sadie sat at the kitchen table, her elbows resting on either side of her laptop with her head in her hands.No matter how many times she ran the numbers, this baby was going to devastate her savings unless her house sold.Considering this was the worst time of year to try to sell a house, it was no wonder her house wasn't selling.No one in their right mind would try to move into a new house around the holidays.
Then there was the fact that sales for houses during the winter months were horribly slow.What if it didn’t sell until spring or early summer?!That would, if her calculations were correct, put her close to when the baby was due.How was she supposed to move and care for an infant and Oliver at the same time?She massaged her head and prayed for a miracle.She needed the moneynow.
For a very brief moment, she contemplated moving back to her house in Taos.At least if she was living in the house she was making a payment on, it wouldn’t feel like she was throwing her money away for no reason.She also reasoned that now that the Phantom Furies were no longer a danger to her or Oliver, it would be safe to return.Logical, right?
She took a moment to look at everything through a critical eye and concluded that it would be selfish of her to move back to Taos.Just because she wanted to leave town to avoid Kylie and Jed, it wouldn’t be fair to Darren.Her move back to Taos would deny him easy access to his child.He would miss all the special moments and firsts in the child’s life, and that didn’t sit well with Sadie.There was no way she could do that to Darren.He’d been nothing but kind to her, and she wouldn’t repay him by moving to another state.For now, she would have to settle for moving to a neighboring town to Redemption.That being said, she felt it was a fair compromise considering the situation she found herself in.
