by T. O. Smith
I shook my head, thinking about Joey’s death, and then the fact that she had just found out that she was pregnant with his kid on top of it all.
No fucking way was I about to sleep with her, much less try anything like that. I was a bastard, but I wasn’t that damn cruel.
I nodded in my head in the direction of the chapel, signaling for Jesup to follow me into the room. Once we were in the chapel, I shut the doors and locked them. Walking over to one of the windows, I crossed my arms over my broad chest and looking out at two of the prospects working on a car in the garage. “I think she’s pregnant.” I bluntly informed him, cutting straight to the chase.
“Woah, what?” Jesup demanded. I turned to face him. His face was a mask of absolute shock and disbelief. “You’re fucking serious?” He asked after a moment. “She’s fucking pregnant?”
I shrugged with a deep sigh. “She woke up in the middle of the night last night to throw up. Probably a bit TMI for you, but I asked her when her last period was since she didn’t seem sick to me – no high temperature, not throwing up actual food since she didn’t eat anything yesterday. Her period is late.” Jesup’s eyes widened. “I’m going to take her to Dr. Howard when she wakes up so he can run a pregnancy test. She needs to know for sure.”
“Holy fuck, man.” Jesup breathed as he ran his hand through his hair. “How do you feel about that?” He asked me. That was the question I was dreading. He shook his head. “On second thought, how the fuck does she feel about this?” He asked me.
I was dreading that question even more.
I sighed and stuffed my hands into the pockets of my cargo pants. “I’ll step up and do what I need to do for her,” I told him, though I knew Jesup already figured that much. “I love Addy. I always have. If she’s pregnant with Joey’s kid, it’s not going to change how I feel about her.” I swallowed hard, blowing out a harsh breath as I glared at the table in the center of the room that had the club emblem engraved into it. “As for her – well, she fucking cried herself to sleep last night on the bathroom floor,” I told him quietly, pain lancing through my chest as I thought about how fucking heartbroken she had looked last night. “So, I don’t know how the fuck she’s feeling about this shit. She just lost Joey, only to find out she’s probably carrying his kid.”
Jesup leaned against the wall, crossing his ankles and his arms as he steadily regarded me with that unnerving gaze of his. “What’s the plan if she is?” Jesup asked me.
I let my eyes meet his. “We protect her and that baby at all costs,” I told him. He nodded. “And we keep the Sons of Hell intact as much as we can because in about nineteen years, that club is going to fall into that child’s hands.”
Jesup nodded in understanding. “Charles looks like he might become a problem,” Jesup commented.
I nodded. “Addy has already warned me,” I told him. He raised an eyebrow at me. Adelaide had been in a lot deeper than he or I had originally thought, and she knew how that club worked. “When that club does fall apart, we’ll do what we have to do to make sure that the Sons of Hell stays a club.”
Jesup pursed his lips. “You think they’ll make Addy a president since she’s carrying Joey’s kid?” He asked me, knowing that was a possibility since she had been an actual club member.
I clenched my jaw. “Over my fucking dead body.” I snarled. Jesup smirked. “The life of a president is too fucking dangerous, and she’s a mother before anything else if she’s pregnant. Her only worry and concern will be to make sure that child is safe, protected, loved, and taken care of. Nothing else. If the Sons of Hell eventually need a fucking leader, we’ll patch them over, but I will not have Addy as the president.”
Jesup nodded. “Understood.”
“I don’t know who the fuck you think you’re talking to,” I heard Addy snap at someone through the closed chapel doors, “but you better back the fuck down before I give you a goddamn reason to need plastic surgery.”
“And she’s awake,” Jesup said with a chuckle as he opened the door and we rushed out of the meeting room to stop Adelaide from getting into a fight.
Addy was glaring at Emma, one of the newer women, and Emma was glaring right back at her. I let my eyes run over Addy, taking in her curvy figure. She was wearing a pair of jeans that clung to her round ass and thick thighs, and a black t-shirt with her black combat-style boots. I swallowed hard.
Fuck, I was never going to get over how fucking sexy she was.
“I don’t think you understand how things work around here.” Emma snarled at her. Adelaide sighed in aggravation. I noticed River gently push Adelaide back, giving her a stern look to stay back. My blood pounded in my veins, but I tampered it down. It wasn’t like he was hitting on her. He was merely keeping her ass out of trouble. “The president doesn’t allow women to fucking call on him. He gets us when he’s ready to have one of us. So, no, you don’t need to know where the fucking president is.” Emma snarled at Adelaide.
Emma wasn’t wrong, but Adelaide was different.
Before I could stop Addy, she grabbed River’s half-empty beer and threw it at Emma. Emma shrieked and ducked down right before the bottle could hit her in the face, letting it crash against the wall instead.
“Woah; everyone chill the fuck out!” I roared, coming up behind a seething Addy. River stepped back, letting me take control of the situation. Jesup’s sorry ass was too busy laughing at the entire situation to be of much help.
I laid my hands over Addy’s shoulders, feeling some of the tension drain out of her shoulders as she subconsciously stepped back against me. “Grim, she’s fucking crazy!” Emma shouted, calling me by my street name.
“Watch your tone with me.” I snarled at her, making her flinch back and cast her eyes away from me. Adelaide snorted. I gently squeezed her shoulders, warning her to tamper her attitude down. “Now, what’s going on?” I demanded to know.
“I’m about to break her fucking fake nose.” Addy snarled, the tension entering her shoulders again. “That’s what’s fucking going on.”
I massaged her shoulders gently. “That’s not what I asked,” I stated calmly, knowing that arguing with Addy wouldn’t get me anywhere. The woman was hotheaded as fuck. “I asked what was going on.”
“She demanded to know where you were, Grim,” Emma stated. “I told her what you tell all of us – not to ask for you.”
“You really don’t have any fucking idea who I am, do you?” Addy asked Emma as she tilted her head to the side the tiniest bit.
“Obviously not.” Emma snarled at her. “But judging by the way Grim is with you, you mean something to him.”
“Smart girl,” Jesup commented. I sighed. He really didn’t help situations much. “I knew Grim kept you around for a reason.” He lightly teased Emma.
I rolled my eyes at Jesup. “Adelaide, meet Emma.” I introduced. “She’s one of the newer additions to the club. Emma, meet Adelaide, my old lady.”
“Your old nothing.” Adelaide snarled, snatching herself out of my grip as she turned her angry eyes on me. I vaguely heard River snort in amusement, but I turned my gaze to his. He only raised his fresh beer to me before rolling his lips into his mouth, staying silent.
I looked back down at Adelaide. Fuck, she looked so gorgeous when she turned that fiery gaze on me. “I’m no one’s goddamn old lady, Tristan, and you better get that through your thick fucking head.”
I narrowed my gaze at her. I hated when she fought this shit between us. We could be great together if she would just stop fighting me every damn step of the way. “You are mine, Adelaide,” I said, my tone coming off cold, but there was a hint of a warning there for her to stop while she was ahead.
She stepped up to me, jabbing her finger against my chest as she glared up at me. Fuck, she really wasn’t scared of anything. “I am no one’s, Tristan. I can be a girlfriend, but I am not yours, and I am certainly not your old lady."
I gripped her finger in my hand and yanked her against me, wrap
ping an arm around her waist as I dipped my head down, covering her lips with mine. She instantly kissed me back, her hands gripping my cut tightly in her fists as she tugged me closer to her, a low moan sliding from between those perfect fucking lips.
God, she was fucking addicting.
I pulled back enough to stop kissing her, but my lips still brushed against hers as I spoke. “You are mine, Adelaide, and to claim anything different will only get you fucked into submission, understand me?”
Her breath hitched in her throat at my words as she nodded her head. I released her, stepping back as she drew in a deep, shaky breath. Jesup barked out a laugh. I glared at him, but Jesup had known me for so long that he didn’t even heed my silent warning to shut the fuck up. “I swear, even though she’s obviously not the same girl that she was when she was eighteen, the effect you have on her is still the same.”
Addy scowled at him. “Watch yourself.” She snarled at him, not amused by him in the slightest.
He held his hands up in a defensive gesture, but the smirk didn’t drop from his lips. She sneered at him before she turned her beautiful eyes back to me. “Want to go to the doctor?” I asked Addy.
She swallowed hard, and I saw fear flash through her eyes as the fight inside of her quickly disappeared, leaving behind a frightened, vulnerable woman. I stepped closer to her, resting my hands over her upper arms as I ran my hands up and down them, trying to soothe her. “You need to,” I told her quietly. She drew in a deep, shuddering breath. “I’ll be by your side the entire time; I swear,” I promised her.
She swallowed hard again but nodded her head. I grabbed her hand in my own and laced my fingers through hers as I pulled my bike keys from my pocket. “Jesup, can you hold everything down here?” I asked him, though I knew he could without me having to ask.
He nodded, his eyes flickering to Addy for a split second before he returned them to me. “Got it, Grim.”
■ ■ ■
Addy nervously bounced her leg up and down as we waited for Dr. Howard to come into the little room that we had been placed in. I knew that nothing that I could say would calm down her nerves right then, so I just sat behind her on the little cot with her between my legs as I held my arms around her, pressing light kisses to her neck and shoulder in a silent reminder that I was still with her – that she wasn’t alone.
A light knock came on the door, and Dr. Howard stepped in with a warm smile on his face. Judging by the way Adelaide tensed in my arms, though, it did nothing to soothe her. “Good to see you again, Tristan. How’s your collarbone?” He asked me.
About a year ago, I’d had a motorcycle accident that had broken my collarbone. But after months of physical therapy, I was perfectly fine. I didn’t even have a scar from the accident.
I shrugged. “Never been better,” I told him. “Able to function perfectly again.”
Addy shot me a questioning look, but I just shook my head at her. She sighed and turned her attention back to Dr. Howard. He smiled at her and held out his hand for her to shake. She slowly took his hand in hers. I pressed a light kiss to her shoulder, wishing I could help calm her in some kind of way, but I knew nothing was going to work right then.
“I’m Dr. Howard – Tristan’s only trusted doctor within a two-hundred-mile radius.” I rolled my eyes, though it was true. I didn’t trust anyone else. “You’re Adelaide Berkeley, correct?”
She nodded in answer, only bouncing her leg faster as she did so. I pressed a gentle kiss to her neck as I momentarily tightened my arms around her. Dr. Howard sat on his stool and looked up at her. “You are pregnant, Adelaide.” He confirmed, not beating around the bush.
Her body went rigid in my arms. I pressed another kiss to the side of her neck as I tightened my arms around her. “Breathe, Addy,” I told her gently. “I’m right here,” I assured her. “It’s okay, baby.”
She drew in a shaky breath, her hands coming up to grip my forearms in a death grip, her nails digging into my skin. “Is Tristan the father?” Dr. Howard asked her.
Adelaide shook her head in answer. I could practically feel her body struggling to hold in her tears as her nails dug further into my arm, almost drawing blood. I ignored the pain. “Do you know the family history of the father?” Dr. Howard asked her.
Adelaide nodded silently. I drew in a deep breath. She was on the verge of breaking; I could feel it.
“We need to write down any history of diseases on the father’s side. Can you do that for me?” He asked her, sensing her sadness.
“If you’re not ready, just say so,” I told her gently before she could answer him. “You need time to heal.” I softly reminded her.
“I can do this.” She whispered.
I pressed another kiss to her shoulder as Dr. Howard began asking her questions about Joey’s family history. Fuck, she was so goddamn brave. I didn’t know anyone who could do this so soon after losing someone so close to them. “Is he going to be in the picture?” Dr. Howard asked her after a few minutes of asking her questions about Joey’s family history.
That was all it took. She fell apart. Dr. Howard swung his alarmed gaze to me. I just shook my head at him wordlessly, and he nodded, stepping out of the room to give us some privacy. I wrapped my arms around Addy tightly, dragging her tight against me. “Hey, calm down,” I told her gently. “Stressing yourself out isn’t good for the baby.” I quietly reminded her, hating her being so upset.
“S-sorry.” She hiccupped. “It’s - it’s just . . .”
I pressed my lips to her forehead. “I know, baby girl,” I assured her gently. She whimpered, her fingers clenching my cut in her fists. “It’s okay to cry, but I don’t want you to work yourself up too much. You have a little one to take care of.” I reminded her, grabbing her hand and placing it over her still flat belly, pressing my hand on top of hers as she looked up at me.
She sobbed, and the sound was so fucking broken that it tore at my soul.
She leaned up and kissed me softly. I knew she was using it as a distraction, but I took full advantage of the kiss. I groaned, instantly moving to deepen it. It was the first time she’d kissed me on her own, and it fucking drove me insane for her that she was finally moving forward me with that tiny bit, even if every part of me was telling me that she was just looking for something in that moment to make her feel better.
“Promise me that you’re going to help me get through this?” She asked me softly.
“I promise, Adelaide,” I swore, letting my eyes meet hers. “I’m not leaving your side.”
A few moments later, Dr. Howard came back into the room, acting as if nothing had ever happened, and for that, I was grateful. “Alright, Adelaide, we’re going to do an ultrasound to check on your little one, okay? Based on the date of your last period, you’re almost six weeks along, so you should be able to hear your little one’s heartbeat if you’d like.”
She nodded at him. “Alright. You two – follow me.” He instructed.
Addy stood up, and I did as well, instantly lacing my fingers through hers as we followed Dr. Howard down a couple of halls to a dark room. A huge TV screen was on the wall, and beside the little cot in the room was a machine with a couple of wands attached to it with a small screen and a tiny printer. He told us that he would see us back in the room we had just come out of once we were finished here before he dipped from the room.
A lady came out from behind a curtain, a smile lighting up her face. “Hi!” She exclaimed, overly chipper. “My name is Alyssa, and I’ll be doing your ultrasound today.” She explained to Addy. “I just need you to lay back on the cot and pull your shirt up and unbutton your jeans. Just slide them down for me a tiny bit, okay?”
Addy nodded and did as she was instructed. I stood beside the cot, holding one of her hands in mine as I slowly ran my fingers through her hair. Alyssa squeezed some gel on Addy’s belly and then pressed one of the wands against her skin. Instantly, a gritty image popped up on the screen. Everything around it was gray, a
nd there a black looking hole.
Addy squeezed my hand tightly, and I could feel her rapidly beating pulse through her hand. I gave her hand a gentle squeeze in return – a silent reminder that I was still here with her.
Suddenly, two tiny balls popped up on the screen. Alyssa stopped the screen, taking what seemed to be measurements. “This is your baby,” She said, pointing an arrow to it on the screen and typing the word ‘baby’ “and this is the yolk sac.” She said doing the same thing.
Alyssa smiled over at Addy who was rendered speechless. “Would you like to hear the heartbeat?” She asked.
Addy nodded. There was a couple of taps on the keyboard, and then suddenly, I heard it.
Whoosh-whoosh. Whoosh-whoosh. Whoosh-whoosh.
It wasn’t even my kid, but at that moment, I fell in love with Addy’s baby, and I was jealous as fuck of Joey, even if he was no longer with us.