by LeAnn Ashers
I decide to text Lee, pretending to be the fucker I just knocked out.
She will be home alone tonight, he will be gone with his brother.
I send the text and await his reply, rubbing my face as anger pulsates through my whole body.
It’s time to end it once and for all.
The phone dings and I open the text.
Good. Get the fuck out of there, before they find you, and disappear.
Trey steps forward. “We will take him to the clubhouse and leave him there until all of this is over. Tonight we will be with you. We will wait for him. Send the guard home.”
I nod. “I agree with you.” I look at Ben. “Jessica will need to stay here until all of this is over.”
“Alex and I will stay here to make sure she’s safe. Bell will have to stay here too, because she lives with you guys.”
“I will stay here too,” Maverick says.
Trey says, “I am going to tell Techy what is going on. We will load the guy in the back of my truck and lock him in the basement of the clubhouse. Go spend time with your family, and we will take care of this part.”
“Thank you, brother.”
I walk back outside and slip into the crowd with ease. Nobody notices we’re gone except those who know what’s going on.
I look at Kane and Ethan. “Later,” I tell them as I pass by, and I catch their nods. I wrap my arms around Jessica, who is holding Hunter tightly in her arms.
“It’s okay, baby.” I kiss her forehead and hold her shaking body until she calms down. I think she knows what’s going on.
I pull her to the side. “Angel, Lee is out of jail and he is coming for you tonight. The guy in there was a scout of sorts, a lousy one but he came to see if you were here. I need to finish this so you can be safe and live your life, baby.”
“Okay, I am so scared for you, Chase, I don’t want anything to happen to you. I don’t think I could make it.” Her eyes fill with tears and I hug her again. Hunter is lying on her shoulder, sensing she is sad.
I pull back and wipe her tears away. “I will be fine, baby. I won’t be alone. I will have the guys with me. it just needs to end, honey, because he is never going to stop. It’s my job to protect you, and I am going to do that.”
She lets out a deep breath. “Okay.” She grips my arm, but I know she won’t rest until this is all over—and it will be.
Soon.
Chapter 18
Chase
It’s eight o’clock. We sent the guard home and River is here. She works for the Grim Sinners MC, doing surveillance. She heard what was going on, and she had to be here. She wants to pretend to be Jessica, to make it more believable.
She left with me, and I dropped her off at the house. She was holding a bundle that could pass as a baby. I parked my truck in the hills and slipped into my house the back way as did Trey, Kane, Ethan, Techy, and my dad (Alex).
I know he was watching; I saw a car parked right down the street that shouldn’t have been there.
We left the gate shut but unlocked. We can’t make it too obvious, but I want him to be able to make it inside.
So we wait.
The men are hiding in another room, close enough to River to get her out in a split second. That’s actually Ethan’s job. Cameras are surveilling the property, and we can see it all on the flat-screen in this room, so we will know the second he gets close.
I am sure Jessica is going to kill me when she finds out her sister was here, but River is a part of the security team.
I check my gun for the hundredth time. As a SEAL I am used to things like this, but this is personal.
That shit fucking kills.
I notice movement on the camera; a man is walking up to the gate and I peer closer. It’s Lee.
I grin at the guys. “It’s fucking go time.”
We all stand up, getting into the headspace of what’s about to go down. He presses the button on the keypad to open the gate. Usually you have to put in the code, but we disabled that part.
Lee grins on the camera and strolls inside the gate like he has this shit in the bag. Then he runs up the driveway, right in fucking broad daylight. “I think this fucker is the dumbest person I have ever had to take out.”
Lee looks in the front window and grins even wider as he sees River. He runs toward the back of the house, as we’d expected, breaks in the door with a lock-picking kit, and steps inside.
Alex is at the back of the house, so if Lee decides to backtrack, he will be there to meet him.
Lee slowly moves toward the living room, and I stand at the entrance. I don’t see a gun on him, but he could have it hidden.
When he walks into the living room, River looks up at him. “Hi honey, did you miss me?”
His mouth opens in shock, and he starts to pull out a gun. I run and tackle him to the ground, and I punch him hard in the face, over and over, until he is unconscious. I look up and River is out of the room.
“Let’s get him out of here and finish it.” Techy and Trey carry him out of the house, and we follow them. Ethan is going to stay here with River until it’s taken care of.
We tie him up and put him in the back of the truck. We will be taking the back roads to an MC property, where his grave is already dug. He is going to be right next to his brother.
The ride there is silent.
Trey pulls the truck right up to his grave, and I hop out and pull open the tailgate. Lee is screaming and rolling around, trying to get the duct tape off.
I laugh at this pathetic excuse for a man. He thought he was fucking big when he was planning to take Jessica and Hunter. Now he is a whimpering dog.
I grab his feet and pull him out. His back hits the ground, and he groans as the breath is knocked out of him. I grab his hair and pull him right next to his grave. He looks over and comes to the realization that this is the end of it.
I take the duct tape off his mouth, and he sucks in a deep breath. “Don’t do this…” he starts and I laugh. Is he fucking serious?
I kick his side slightly, not enough to hurt him. I just want to fuck with him. “You’re not serious, right?” I bend down until I am eye level with him. “Do you think that I am going to let you live another day after you came here today to take my fiancé and my son? Yes, he is my son.” I grip his face, putting my face right in front of his. “You will never experience how amazing he is or how beautiful Jessica is. You are going to hell, where you belong.”
I stand up and point the gun at his face.
“She was fucking worthless anyway.”
I ignore that, because it doesn’t mean shit. I smile, taking the safety off the gun. “Tell your brother I said hello.”
His face contorts as it sinks in. I took everything from him just as he tried to take everything from me.
I pull the trigger, shooting him in the forehead.
But I won.
* * *
Jessica
I lie in bed awake, with Hunter in his crib beside me. I stare at his sleeping form, counting every breath as I watch the rise and fall of his chest.
I check my phone, probably for the hundredth time. I just want to make sure he is okay.
I rub my eyes before looking at the clock on the wall: ten thirty. It’s been hours since I heard from him.
The door to my bedroom opens, and I sit up. It’s Chase. He has already changed into sweats and a shirt. “Baby?” I whisper and he picks me up, holding me close.
“It’s over, angel.”
His words are sinking in—it’s done. I won’t ever have to fear again. I sit up, my hand shaking as I touch his face. “I love you so much.” My lip trembles as I try not to cry because it’s like the weight of the world has been lifted off my shoulders.
His face softens. “I love you, my angel. You’re my every fucking breath. Soon you will be my wife and make me a father again. You gave me my world, baby, and I will do whatever it takes to protect that.”
I close my eyes, his words
washing over me, and peace settles into every single part of my body.
“Together, we will cherish it and make it grow,” I say. “Our love, our kids.”
He smiles at me. “I am cherishing my forever.”
Epilogue
Jessica
* * *
“It’s a girl!” the doctor yells, and Chase’s expression changes to shock. I collapse back onto the bed, shaking as she sets my baby on my chest.
We decided to wait until I gave birth to find out the sex. Chase swore it was going to be a boy, but I knew it was going to be a girl.
“Baby girl,” Chase whispers and touches the back of her head as the nurses rub her with a towel. “You did so good, angel, I’m so fucking proud of you.” His voice is full of emotion. My eyes connect with his, and my heart skips a beat when I see the tears in his eyes. He bends down and kisses me, keeping his hand on Whitley’s back. We decided if we had a girl it would be Whitley.
The nurses take her away, and Chase is right on their tail, his eyes never leaving her. Mom steps up and takes my hand, and I look down at the ring on her finger. She is getting married.
Hours later it seems everyone is leaving me, Chase, and Whitley. Chase is sitting in bed beside me, his shirt off, having skin-to-skin contact with Whitley.
“She is so tiny.” I touch her little foot. She can fit in Chase’s hand; she wasn’t born early but she is tiny.
Chase is so in love. He kisses the top of her little head.
I lean my head on his shoulder, watching her little face move as she sleeps. “She is beautiful.”
Chase rests his head against mine. We are so in love with her. There’s nothing like the love you have for your baby. “She’s just like her momma,” he says. I pull her little hat up and look at her hair. She is going to have red hair like me.
“She looks like her daddy too,” I say. “She has your nose.” He smiles widely at that.
“Daddy loves you so much, angel. I am going to keep you safe, love you, and give you the world. You, Hunter, and your mom own a part of my soul.”
My poor heart. It’s taking everything in me not to burst out crying because he is unbelievably amazing.
The baby starts to cry, and Chase jumps up and rubs her back. “It’s okay, angel, daddy has you.”
I laugh at him. I feel like he is going to be so protective over her. It comes from a good place; he loves with his whole heart—he can’t help it.
The door opens, and Hunter walks into the room with Chase’s mom. I sit up in bed as he runs over. Chase hands me Whitley and picks up Hunter, holding him on his lap.
“I missed you, my boy.” Chase hugs him, but all of Hunter’s attention is on Whitley.
He points at her. “Baby sister?” he says in his cute little voice.
I lean over so he can look at her. “You want to hold her?”
Hunter reaches out, and Chase and I set her in his arms. He looks down at her. “Sister.” He kisses her so gently on the forehead.
Oh my god.
“Her name is Whitley,” Chase tells him, and his eyes are filled with so much love looking at them.
This is the life. This is everything I ever dreamed of, and I’m living it. “Are you done holding her?” I ask and Hunter shakes his head, patting her small back gently.
Chase grins. “All of the practicing is paying off, isn’t it, Hunter?” One day Hunter found one of Whitley’s dolls and played with it. Chase took it upon himself to show Hunter how to hold the doll and change its diaper; then he let him play as he wanted.
I’ve gotten some weird looks over Hunter playing with a doll in the park or a store, but I don’t know why. That just means that he could be a really good dad someday, like Chase.
I sigh with contentment—my little family.
Whitley’s First Day of Preschool and Hunter’s First Day of Kindergarten.
Chase is staring though the windshield, heartbroken that we are about to drop them both off.
“They’ll be fine.” I touch his arm, trying to dial down my own sadness.
The years have passed by too quickly, and it’s like yesterday when they were born.
Chase growls and puts the truck in park. First he helps me out of the truck. I am very pregnant at the moment. We weren’t trying for a third, but we are over the moon anyway. Then Chase opens the back door. Hunter is already out of his seat and helping Whitley. They are so close; I love that.
Chase picks up Hunter and sets him on the ground. I look at my baby. He is wearing a Levi’s jacket, dark jeans, and a white shirt. His hair is gelled to the side, and he has little freckles on his nose.
Hunter catches me staring at him. “Mommy, it’s ’kay.” He takes my hand, and I fall in love with my precious boy again. He is the sweetest.
Whitley fixes her little dress. She has a bow in her hair, holding back her bangs. She has my hair color, but the rest is Chase. She has his beautiful blue eyes, which make her red hair so striking.
Chase’s jaw is tight as he looks down at both of them, and Whitley looks up at him and smiles so beautifully.
“Daddy, I have Hunter. I will be fine,” she says in her sweetest little voice.
Hunter nods. “I will watch over my sister.” He takes her hand, and Whitley nods.
“When did my babies grow up?” He looks at me, so heartbroken.
“Right before our eyes, honey.” I take his hand, and we follow Hunter and Whitley as they walk into the school, not one bit scared.
“Hi guys!” Braelyn is walking in with Xavier and Samantha. Xavier is starting preschool too, but Samantha is too young.
“Huntwerrr!” Samantha calls and runs over to him.
He pats her back gently. “Hi, Samantha.”
So cute.
We stop at Hunter’s room first, and I bend down so I can be eye level with him. “Mommy will see you later, okay?” I tell him, trying to be strong and not take him back home with me.
“I know, Mommy, you will be outside waiting for me and sissy.” He hugs me and then Chase.
“I love you, son.” Chase’s voice cracks, and Hunter walks into his room with his little backpack in his hand.
I take Chase’s hand, and we walk to Whitley’s room. She hugs both of us. “I wuv you mommy, daddy. See you in a wittle while.” Chase grips my hand hard as she leaves us and walks in.
I wrap my arm around Chase’s back, and he puts his hand on my stomach. “This one we will homeschool.”
I laugh. “Deal.” We go from room to room, making sure both of our kids are okay, but they are just playing with the other kids.
“Come on, angel,” Chase says when we’ve both reassured ourselves that they’re fine.
We walk out of the school, and Chase lifts me up into the truck. “That was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do,” I tell him, running my fingers through his hair.
“Fuck yeah, it was.” He kisses me. “Come on, angel. Let’s go practice for more babies after we have this one.”
“Really?” I roll my eyes, but he just winks. Why do I feel like this won’t be the last one?
* * *
Jessica
Hunter, Senior In High School
* * *
“Go Hunter!” Everyone in the stands gets up, screaming, as he runs across the field with the football in his hand. Hunter is an amazing football player, like out of this world.
He has a full scholarship to the University of Texas, and we all know that he is going to drafted into the NFL. Hell, we have scouts from there, but he wants to go to college first. He wants to improve and have the college experience.
I love that he doesn’t want to grow up too quickly. Whitley is on the field with Samantha; they’re both cheerleaders.
“Touchdown!” Chase yells and we all scream, because they just won the championship.
Whitley runs out onto the field to meet her brother, and Samantha is right by her side. Those two are inseparable.
My other baby, Kenton, is standing at th
e fence below us, talking to his friends. He is the genius and insanely good with computers, like my sister River, but don't let that fool you. He is just as great at sports as his brother, but he doesn’t love it like Hunter does.
Hunter rips off his helmet and throws the football, yelling, and he runs straight for Samantha. He picks her up, and I hear Ethan cussing behind me. I laugh because those two have had crushes on each other since I can remember.
Whitley is met by Hunter’s best friend, who is actually a kid of the Devils Souls MC. He picks her up, and Chase is on his feet instantly. He points at him. “Down!” he yells, and the kid just smiles and hugs her tighter.
I smother my laugh, and Chase charges down the bleachers, ready to snatch his daughter.
Why do I feel like this is just the beginning? I look at all the kids. They are all mirrors of their parents, but they’re more.
Oh yeah, we’re in for it.
About the Author
AUTHOR LINKS
My Social Media’s under LeAnn Ashers
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeAnnashers
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leann_ashers/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LeannAshers
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14733196.LeAnn_Ashers
Email: [email protected]
* * *
Teagan Wilde
Page: http://bit.ly/33pRfUD
Facebook Reader Group: http://bit.ly/2rtE5J9
My email is: [email protected]
Want more to read?
Here is my other works!
Forever Series
Protecting His Forever
Loving His Forever
Cherishing His Forever