“Would you look at that,” LoneStar exclaims. “We made that.”
My eyes stay focused on the screen. I can’t tell what I’m seeing because it looks like an alien to me. Everything is unrecognizable at first glance until the sonographer points out the fingers, toes, torso, and head. “It looks like a bean to me,” I tease.
“Babies usually do at this stage of pregnancy,” she tells us, not making me feel stupid for referencing our baby as being bean shaped. “You won’t start seeing the details more clearly until you hit your second trimester.”
“Something to look forward to,” LoneStar states, still mesmerized by watching our baby move inside of me. “You’re holding my soul inside of you.”
Those words make me break out into hysterical sobs. I wave away his concern when I see him out of my peripheral lean down into me. Sniffling, I say, “S-sorry. Hormones.”
“Would you like me to print out a copy of your baby’s first photo?” she asks as we hear the machine spit out images of the sonogram.
“Two if you could,” LoneStar requests. “I’m gonna keep one in my cut, close to my heart.”
“Dammit!” I wail, losing the battle of keeping my emotions intact.
The sonographer, Kim, leans over and whispers in my ear, “He’s a keeper.”
“Yeah, he is,” I reply, agreeing with her wholeheartedly.
An hour later, Riptide comes back to the room after heading down to the lobby to make a private call. “The brothers are here to escort us home. Indiana took Splicer to get your car, Britton, and he’ll be driving you back to the compound. I want him with you in case there are any complications.”
“I don’t care how I get home or who drives me, as long as I get out of here. I hate hospitals and doctors. Fuck knows not one of them ever did a damn thing for me when I went looking for medical help,” I admit, thinking of all the times I needed it most. Instead, they slapped a Band-Aid on the problem and sent me on my way.
“You’re going to explain that to me later, once you’ve had some rest,” LoneStar insists.
I’ve opened up to him a little about my youth, but some of the deepest scars inside me come from more than just my parents. I buried those wounds a long time ago, but I guess it’s finally time to start repairing the damage left by the adults who passed through my life, one way or another.
CHAPTER
EIGHTEEN
LoneStar
As we ride home,I find myself thinking about which plot of land would be best for building my dream cabin.
I’ve had my eye on a prefab one built by the Amish—something that can be slapped together in days instead of taking weeks to construct. As for the location, I want us close enough to the clubhouse in case shit hits the fan, but far enough away to have some privacy while we build our family without my nosy-ass brothers all up in our business.
It’s probably a crapshoot, though, because they can’t help themselves. The only thing that saves them from a beating is the fact that we wear the same patch on our backs.
My brothers, who’ve already found their old ladies, are fiercely protective of those relationships, as they should be. They may spout some bullshit about their significant others when they’re ranting, but if anyone else says a damn thing negative about their women, they’re fucked. My brothers will hand them their asses without a second thought.
As we pull off the freeway, we slow down and scan our surroundings. You never know when an enemy might catch you off guard. With Britton’s abductor still on the loose, I’m more alert than ever. After we got her settled in the car outside the hospital, she told Riptide and me there was something she needed to say. But she was too exhausted to get the words out, so we convinced her to wait until she’d had a few hours of sleep and could think more clearly. She didn’t seem happy about it, but she has to come first. Especially now that she’s carrying precious cargo.
I still can’t believe I’m going to be a dad. It’s something I’ve always wanted and longed for, but never thought I’d find the right woman to make that dream come true. Funny enough, that word,dream, has been circling through my mind a lot lately, and it’s all because of a feisty woman who opened my eyes and filled a void I didn’t realize was there needing to be replenished.
Fuck, I sound like a sap, even to my own ears, but it’s the downright truth. She reminded me to believe and to cherish every moment, because tomorrow isn’t promised, and that’s a scary thought because everyone in my life is important to me.
Not every gift comes wrapped in shiny paper with a huge bow on top. Sometimes the best ones are the ones that sneak up on you, and you don’t understand their true value until they’re gone and you no longer have them there in front of you to admire. And that’s what Britton and our unborn child are—a gift to be cherished. I will never take either one of them for granted because they deserve more than that from me.
As we pull through the gates guarding our compound, a flash of movement across the way catches my attention. But it vanishes as quickly as it appears, and I chalk it up to my overactive imagination. When you’re expecting something to crawl out ofthe woodwork, nine times out of ten, you’ll see it whether it’s really there or not. I shake off the thought, knowing it won’t get me anywhere, then dismount and head for the passenger side of Britton’s car.
After opening the door, I crouch until we’re eye level and ask, “Do you want to stay with me or Jersey?”
She chews on her bottom lip, her eyes full of conflict. “Can’t I have both?” she inquires, her voice no higher than a whisper.
“I don’t have a concrete answer for you on that, we’ll have to talk to Jersey about it. Her home is just that, hers, and I refuse to make myself welcome at her place without getting her permission first.”
“Can we do that now before I make a decision?” she continues, looking uncertain and I can understand where she’s coming from after everything she’s endured. “I need both of you.”
