Cherishing His Forever

by LeAnn Ashers

  Even if that means I will have to fucking take down a whole cartel.

  I turn my back to him as the prospects drag his body away to bury it.

  “Let’s go home,” my dad says and I nod.

  * * *

  Jessica

  Seeing Chase get out of his truck, I almost fall to the floor with relief. I was so terrified at the thought of something happening to him.

  I’m not sure if I could get through it.

  I never realized how much he meant to me until the thought of him not being in my life paralyzed me.

  I open the door and run down the steps, and I jump and latch onto him like he is my lifeline. “I love you so much,” I whisper over and over in his ear.

  “I love you too, angel. It’s done.”

  It’s done. Those words repeat over and over in my head. The person who put the bounty on my head—the person who wanted to take my son—is gone. Lee is in jail, and he is going to be there for a long time, I hope. So now I can breathe easy.

  Chapter 12

  Jessica

  Jessica

  Six Months Later

  * * *

  I wake up with Chase between my legs, his mouth doing amazing things to my pussy. I raise my arms above my head, throwing my legs over his shoulders, and hang on for the ride.

  “Does my angel like my mouth between her legs?” he says between licks.

  I can feel my legs shaking on either side of his face. “Don’t tease me, Chase.”

  He chuckles and quits touching me. “Whose pussy is this?” I feel myself getting wetter at his words. I love how demanding he is in the bedroom.

  He smirks at me, when I don’t say a word, and grips my hips, turning me over until my face is buried in the bed.

  Smack! He hand makes connection with my ass cheek. I moan as he rubs the soreness out after the smack.

  His hand drifts down to my clit. He slowly rolls it between his fingers, and I shiver. “Who’s is it?”

  I shake my head and try not to smile, because that’s really going to get him. I feel him move, and I look back just as he presses himself against my entrance.

  He slams his way inside me, and I throw my head back and grip the sheets. His hand wraps around my hair as he oh so slowly moves inside me.

  “Who’s is it?” he asks again, hitting that sweet spot, which has me almost falling to the bed.

  I shake my head.

  He grips my hips as he pounds hard. My knees give out, and he shifts his position so his legs are on either side of mine. He is much deeper this way.

  Just as I’m about to come, he stops and smacks my ass. “Whose is it?”

  “Yours, always been yours.”

  He whispers in my ear. “That’s right, my baby.” Then he finally gives me what I want. I bite the pillow so I don’t scream, my whole body shaking from the powerful orgasm I just had.

  He isn’t far behind me. I don’t even bother moving, because I am not sure I could, even if I wanted to. I look at the video camera on the nightstand; Hunter is still asleep in his room. He woke up an hour ago, and Chase took care of him for me.

  “Come on, sweet ass, let’s wash you so I can dirty ya up again.” He smacks my ass, throwing me over his shoulder.

  I laugh and squeeze his ass cheeks, and he retaliates by smacking me again. “Someone’s a little feisty.” I pinch his cheek, and he laughs. He turns on the water, stepping inside the shower. The water is cold and it’s hitting my back. I kick my legs, laughing. He puts me down and I pinch his nipples. He narrows his eyes at me, and I suck in my lips, trying not to laugh at the insulted look on his face. I reach out to pinch his nipple again, and his face darkens. This is our relationship. We are mean to each other all day long, teasing.

  I smile sweetly, making sure my dimples are showing.

  One second I am smiling and the next he has me in his arms. He licks the side of my neck and grips my ass. “You’re so fucking hot.”

  I snort and he nips the side of my neck, causing me to laugh. I try to pull away, but he digs his fingers into my side. His fingers drift from my sides to my belly, where his hand stays. His mood has shifted. He is looking at my stomach. I touch his face. “What’s the matter?”

  “I was just thinking I want you pregnant.”

  My heart warms. Hunter is just absolutely amazing, and I know I would love to have another baby. It would be wonderful to have someone go through the pregnancy with me. I wouldn’t be alone through the morning sickness. I grip the sides of his face. “I would love to have another baby.”

  His face changes, smiling so beautifully. “You want to?”

  I nod. “I will make an appointment to get my Mirena taken out.”

  He picks me up, I curl my legs around his waist, and he hugs me tightly.

  “Hunter would be the best big brother,” I tell him.

  I haven’t gone back to work. The idea came to me but, honestly, the thought of leaving Hunter all day long kills me. I had a talk with Chase, and he told me to do whatever I wanted to do. If I want to work, do it for me, and only if I love it. Money is not an issue whatsoever.

  So I decided to just be home with my guys all the time. Well, I do volunteer at the hospital. I hold babies who don’t have anyone and will be put up for adoption.

  I help Sydney quite a bit, babysitting as she writes and does what she needs to do. I’m content with my life. I am so blissfully happy.

  “Chase, do you want to go to the hospital with me to hold all the babies?” I ask. “To feed our baby fever?”

  Katherine just pulled up outside. She literally waits by the phone for me to call her to babysit. I could have easily taken Hunter with me, but I want her to have this connection with him.

  I look out the window and try not laugh as she practically runs up the stairs to the front door with a bag in her hand. He is so spoiled; every time she sees him she has another thing for him to play with.

  I open the door for her and she rushes in, giving me a quick hug, and Hunter raises his arms for her the second he sees her.

  “Nana’s baby!” she says and picks him up, smothering him with kisses. Chase stands next to me, and we watch his mother.

  “Yeah, baby, I will go to the hospital with you, then we can go to that appointment,” he says just loudly enough that she hears.

  Her head whips around, grinning at us. “Is everything okay?”

  Chase nods. “She is getting her birth control taken out,” he says casually and Katherine turns pale.

  “Oh my god, I have never been so happy in my entire life.” She looks like she is about to burst into tears any second.

  I laugh and hug her. “We will see you later.”

  Chase hugs her next and we head out. I’m still getting used to not being afraid to leave the house. I went from running for my life, terrified of everything, to breathing easy. You know how amazing it is to just go shopping and not worry?

  Lee is still in jail—that I do know. He is still being held without bail.

  At the hospital, I wave at the ladies at the front desk. Standing at the door of the emergency room is a woman who could be my twin. She is my twin.

  I look at Chase to see if he notices it too. I can tell that she is younger than me by a few years, and her eyes are brown while mine are green. But her hair is exactly the same shade of red. She is fit and strong; I can tell she takes really good care of herself.

  I stop in my tracks as we stare at each other. She covers her mouth as her eyes widen in shock, and I’m sure I look the same way. Chase is turning back and forth, again and again, looking at us. He looks like a bobblehead.

  She walks over and I can see she is shaking, I mean really shaking. “What is your name?” she asks and my eyes widen as she get closer.

  “Jessica.”

  She closes her eyes and sits down. I don’t know what to do or say.

  She finally looks at me, and her eyes are filled with tears. “I have looked for you for years,” she whispers and my mou
th opens.

  “What do you mean?”

  She pats the seat next to her and, without a second thought, I sit down beside her. Chase stands at my side protectively.

  “I have been looking for you…” She trails off, looking at me like she can’t believe it.

  “Uhh, I am not sure what you mean,” I tell her softly. I’m so confused. We do have a weird resemblance, that’s for sure.

  She wipes the tears off her face and puts her hands in her lap. “I just turned nineteen a few months ago, and once I was out of foster care, I found my biological mom. Then I learned that she gave you up too.” She looks at me with such hopeful eyes. My heart hurts at the realization that I just may have a sister. “I found you in the news because of what happened here at the hospital, when you were attacked, which is why I am here. ”

  Wow, just wow. It’s hard to wrap my head around the fact that this is happening, that I have a sister. I thought for a long time that I didn’t have anyone left in this world. I knew that I had a mother somewhere, but I didn’t give it a second thought. She didn’t want me, and that was the only answer I needed.

  The young woman scoots a little closer to me and reaches behind her. Then she pulls out a piece of paper and hands it to me. It’s a birth certificate with our mother’s name on it and no father’s signature—just like mine.

  “A sister, I never thought.” My voice cracks and she smiles. She wraps her arms around me, and I hug her back tightly.

  Chase catches my tear, smiling at me, and I can see that he is affected by this too. My family is becoming more complete.

  I laugh and pull back, and I push her hair out of her face. “Now tell me, what is your name?”

  She grins. “River.”

  “I love that name.” I notice her bag sitting on the floor by her seat. “Do you have somewhere to stay?” I ask, looking at Chase to see if it’s okay, and he nods.

  “I was just planning on getting a hotel.” She shrugs.

  “You can come stay with us. We have plenty of room, and you’ll get to meet your nephew.”

  She grins. “I can’t wait to meet him!”

  Chase bends down and takes her bag for her, and we walk out of the hospital. He opens the door for her and then for me. She gives me a look that seems to say, He’s so cute!

  We have been together for months and, even now, it still hits me how incredibly blessed I am to have him.

  “Oh wait, my appointment!” I tell Chase, and he puts the truck back in park and laughs. “We can’t miss this shit, I want you knocked up by next week.”

  I snort and cover my face. “River is going to think we’re crazy.”

  Chase smirks and leans over to me, cupping the back of my head in his hand. “The only kind of crazy I am is crazy about you, my angel.”

  I put my hands on his face, kissing him deeply. “When you put it like that…” I say breathlessly.

  “Aww, I love this for you guys!” River bends over the back of the seat and hugs both of us, causing Chase’s head to land in my boobs.

  “You know, I really don’t hate my life right now,” Chase says, his voice muffled against my boobs. “Let’s grab lunch, and we can go to your appointment.”

  “Sounds good to me.” I look back at River, who’s grinning at both of us.

  Half an hour later, we’re all seated in a booth. River is sitting across the table from us. “You know we look exactly alike,” I tell her.

  She laughs. “We look exactly like our mother, and I even got a picture of our dad; we apparently have the same one.” She scoots forward and moves her bag into her lap. Then she digs through a massive pile of clothes and pulls out a mini photo album.

  I lean over the table and she shows me a baby photo. “This is you.”

  I can’t believe that she has a picture of me. Then she shows me a photo of a baby who could be Hunter. “Hunter looks like you as a baby,” I say.

  Her eyes light up at the compliment. She turns the page to an older woman who looks just like me and River. It makes me sad that I never had a part in her life. She looks so beautiful, but I can tell she is sad. I can see it in her eyes.

  “What’s the story?” I ask. That is something I have always wondered. I just can’t fathom the idea of not having Hunter in my life. The thought alone makes it hard to breathe.

  She leans back in her seat. “That’s part of the reason I wanted to find you. Mom is in a horrible relationship. She had to sneak out of the house to give me this.”

  Oh, wow. That I never expected. I thought that she was probably on drugs or just didn’t want me or something like that.

  River’s eyes fill with tears. “I looked at her medical records, and I found out days after she gave birth she was severely beaten.” She lets out a long breath. “It was because she was trying to protect us. She knew if she couldn’t protect herself, she wouldn’t be able to protect her children. But he kept on throwing out her birth control.”

  My back hits the seat with a thump; I just can’t believe all of this. I never, ever imagined this. Now my heart is breaking because I have a mother who is in a horrible position.

  Chase is looking out the window, his hand gripping his leg. I can tell he is pissed.

  “I just never guessed she was in this situation,” I whisper.

  River shakes her head. “I never thought that either. I always wondered about her, but I never expected that. She had a black eye, Jessica. She is so scared, and she is stuck with no way out.”

  I rub my chest, over my heart, and I feel really sick to my stomach. Lee has made me feel so deeply for women in abusive situations. But it hits me a little more deeply that my mother might have given up my sister and me to protect us.

  Chase takes my hand. “Let’s go get her.”

  I shake my head in disbelief. “I love you so much.” I kiss him fully on the lips, and he grins, being silly.

  “But…” He pulls back. “We are still going to your appointment.”

  I lay my head on his shoulder, laughing because he is so ridiculous.

  Chapter 13

  Jessica

  A Couple of Days Later

  * * *

  River fell in love with Hunter the second she saw him, and it makes me so happy to see them bond.

  Katherine, Ben, and Alex are on their way over right now. They are going to be watching Hunter for us because we are flying to Michigan. We are traveling up there to take my mom out of the situation she is in. First I need to see her and talk to her.

  Chase is going, obviously. Trey, Vinny, Lani , River, and I are all going. We will fly on a private plane that, apparently, Chase’s family owns.

  Katherine is at the front door. “River, open the door,” I say. I cover my mouth because it’s going to freak Katherine out. I mentioned to her that I have a sister, though, and Chase explained everything, because we had to ask them to babysit. It’s going to kill me to be away from Hunter for a couple of days, but I need to do this.

  I have to try.

  Katherine knocks on the door, and River opens it. Katherine grins. “Hi, Jessica.” Then she does a double-take and points at River. “Wait, you’re not Jessica.”

  River laughs. “I am River.”

  Katherine laughs. “Well, it’s nice to meet you. Welcome to the family.” She hugs River and closes her eyes. I know River is feeling the same thing I did when I first hugged Katherine. She screams safety and comfort.

  I walk around the corner. “Hi Jessica, how is my boy today?” Katherine lets go of River and hugs me next.

  “He is good! I actually made his baby food, and it’s enough for a couple of days. It’s in this cooler here, and you’ve just got to put it in the fridge at your house.” As a chef, I decided to make Hunter’s baby food, because it’s healthier and I am extra like that.

  Hunter is in his high chair in the kitchen, where Chase is putting the finishing touches on dinner. We are leaving soon, and staying at a hotel tonight, so we can go see my mother tomorrow mornin
g.

  Apparently River is amazing with computers, like she can hack into literally anything. When Trey found out, he said, “Kyle has been looking for someone to help out at one of our businesses.”

  So she probably has a job lined up for her if she wants it. River and I have gotten to know each other well throughout the course of the day, and we have a lot in common. She was in foster care, but she was in the same home for the last couple of years. Despite having grown up in foster care, she’s thriving. She is happy, and that makes me so happy.

  She is going to stay with us for a while. We offered her the guest house, but she didn’t want to be so far away from us, which I love. I want her to be around.

  There’s another knock on the door, and Trey, Lani , and Vinny walk in. Lani’s pregnancy bump is showing. She is around six or seven months pregnant.

  “Hi you guys!” I hug Lani and touch her belly. “How are you feeling?”

  She grins and rubs her stomach. “Very pregnant.”

  Whenever we get back I need to plan her baby shower. It’s going to be at the MC clubhouse. Her brother is a member of the club, as are Trey and Vinny, so it’s the best fit.

  I’m excited to have a little niece. When Trey and Vinny found out, their reaction was one of pure terror, and Lani and I ate it up.

  “The food is ready if you guys are ready to eat.”

  We all make our way into the dining room, where everything has been prepared. I can make a feast in no time at all, but Chase is the grill master. I have to give him that.

  I kiss my precious baby and move his high chair between me and Chase. “Are you hungry, my boy?” He throws his pacifier, and I catch it before it can hit the ground.

  Chase leans over and kisses me. “I love you, my girl,” he whispers.

  I press my mouth against his ear. “You’re so getting some later.” He leans back and winks. This man will be the death of me.