by S. Nelson
I leaned over and we quickly shared a kiss before all the action began.
Two short minutes later, Addy began pushing, my ears ringing from the sounds of her effort. Every scream tore at my heart. Every tear sliced through me so deep all I wanted to do was hold and comfort her. But she was strong, in every way possible. The woman put me to shame with her bravery and will, her desire to persevere even when life threw her the biggest curve ball.
“That’s it, Addy, keep pushing. You got it,” Dr. Weber encouraged, cheering her on the entire time. “I can see the head. Okay, okay, hold on. Don’t push.” I had no idea what he was doing down there and when he spoke again, this time directly at me, I startled. “Stone, do you want to see your baby being born?” He smiled, and it was certainly contagious.
I gave him a quick nod before taking the couple steps toward the bottom of the bed. One of the nurses immediately fell into place, taking my position on Addy’s left side.
Let’s be truthful for a second. Childbirth, while truly being a miracle, is disgusting. There’s just a lot of stuff going on, but that being said, I don’t regret for one moment witnessing my child coming into the world.
“Okay, when you’re ready . . . bear down,” Dr. Weber instructed. A scream tore from Addy’s lips. Her back rose off the bed, and when she pushed down with all her might our baby’s head popped out. “Stop pushing now, Addy. I have to clean out the nose and mouth. Bear with me.”
“Oh . . . my . . . Please, Dr. Weber. I have to push. I have to push,” she repeated, lying back on the bed in utter exhaustion. Both nurses whispered encouragements, brushing her hair off her forehead and looking at her in awe, as if she were the only woman who had ever given birth.
“Go ahead, Addy. Time to meet your baby.” She gave one final push and the baby was fully out, a patch of light colored hair adorning the top of his head. Dr. Weber’s eyes instantly found mine. “Do you want to cut the cord?” At first, I shook my head, afraid I was going to harm the baby in some way. But once he told me he would walk me through it, that I would do great, I took the instrument from his hands and clipped exactly where he showed me.
My attention ricocheted back and forth between the baby and Addy, concern instantly stealing my breath because I wasn’t sure who to focus on first. I was now responsible for this brand new life, and while I welcomed the joy he would bring to my world . . . I was terrified. Dr. Weber had said something, but I was so caught up in my thoughts it took a few seconds for his words to register.
“Stone? Earth to Stone,” he teased. When my eyes finally met his, he glanced down at the tiny being in his hands. “Would you like to hold your daughter?” he asked, pushing the towel-wrapped infant toward me.
I heard his words that time, but they didn’t seem real. It was as if he were asking me a question which couldn’t possibly be true. Why was he mixing up the sex of my baby? Why was he saying daughter when he should have been saying son? Staring unbelievably at everyone in the room, their faces full of happiness and joy, I’d realized that Dr. Weber spoke the truth, that he wasn’t playing a joke on me.
And it was right then when my entire world slammed to a stop.
“It’s a girl?”
He placed the baby in my arms before answering.
“Looks like we’re all a bit surprised, now aren’t we?” He laughed before continuing to take care of Addy.
Staring down into the face of the most beautiful creature I’d ever seen, my eyes became glassy, a lone tear slipping from the corner before I could stop it. Clearing my throat, I steeled my reserve before turning to look at the woman who’d given me the greatest gift.
“It’s a girl,” I said, shaking my head because I was still trying to come to grips with my new reality. “I’m not gonna do well with this,” I confessed, instant panic engulfing me. All sorts of thoughts ran through me. If Addy thought I was possessive before, she was in for a rude awakening. No boy was ever going to get close to our baby girl. I would threaten and kill anyone who tried—once they were of age, of course. I wasn’t about to go around threatening little boys on the playground, not unless they hurt my daughter in some way.
Oh, God! I’m gonna go to jail someday in the future. I just know it. My anxiety heightened with each random thought, and I had no idea how to relinquish it all and just enjoy the gift that was my daughter.
It was also during my mini breakdown that something hit me with such force, my eyes widened in shock.
Oh, God! Now I get it! I totally understand why Addy’s father hates me.
I saw Addy grinning out of the corner of my eye, no doubt knowing what was going through my head. Holding out her hands for our baby, I kissed the top of my child’s tiny head before giving her to her doting mother.
“Is it wrong I already feel bad for the torment you’re going to put her through as she gets older?” she asked, laughing before I even responded. She must have found my expression comical, but I was far from amused. My brows furrowed, a strong feeling of protectiveness engulfing me so tightly I felt as if I couldn’t breathe. Addy reached for my hand and linked her fingers with mine.
“It’ll be okay. Just breathe,” she whispered.
Adelaide
Two months later
“Can you see who’s at the door, babe?” I shouted from the nursery. I’d just finished changing our daughter, Riley, and didn’t feel like rushing downstairs to see who’d come to visit. All the men from the club had stopped by at one time or another. They were all very sweet, bringing by stuffed toys and diapers by the boxes. It was funny to watch the transformation from tough bikers to baby-talking softies as soon as Riley was placed in their arms.
At first, Tripp and Ryder were hesitant to hold her, afraid they were going to drop her, but after I positioned her just so, they felt better about the interaction with the tiny human.
Stone found comfort in that he had all the men on his side when it came to protecting his little girl. Both Trigger and my father had come to accept Stone as the man in my life, mainly because they figured it was life’s ultimate payback that he now had a daughter of his own. They teased him that he got what he deserved, and although all their ribbing was in jest, they adored the newest member of their family to pieces.
“Marek and Sully are here!” Stone shouted from the bottom of the stairwell. “Is Riley sleeping?”
Rounding the corner to come and stop at the top of the stairs, I responded, “Well, she wouldn’t be now with all that yelling.” Shaking my head, I descended the steps, locking eyes with the man who’d become my entire world.
Meeting him at the bottom, he leaned down and gave me a quick but passionate kiss, his tongue swiftly tracing my bottom lip before pulling back.
“Stop teasing me,” I whispered, moving past him to greet our guests, but he stopped me before I took another step.
“Can I take her?” The love in his eyes for Riley poured forth in droves, almost making me jealous. Almost. I couldn’t be happier that our daughter had Stone for a father, knowing he would love and protect her to a fault. I envisioned many an argument between the two of them as she grew older, turning to me to talk some sense into him. But what she would come to realize was that she not only had to worry about her father, but her grandad, her uncle, and every other man in the Knights Corruption brotherhood.
Poor little thing was doomed and she didn’t even know it.
But it would all come from a place of love.
Handing Riley over, I walked toward the kitchen to grab a bottle so he could feed her. He loved the bonding experience with her . . . as did I. I chose not to breastfeed because I was nervous about having any residual chemo drugs in my system, although I was assured I was all clear. And by all clear, I meant the cancer was no longer detectable. I underwent a needle biopsy soon after Riley was born, the results coming back positive, which I’d expected. But since I no longer had to worry about possibly impeding the health of my child, I underwent a heavier, more extensive bout of treatment, essentially doing the tri
ck and giving me a clean bill of health.
Entering the living room where everyone was gathered, I saw the look of pride on Stone’s face as he showed off his daughter to our closest friends. No one was aware that I’d come into the room yet, so I continued to take it all in. All three of them were fussing over the tiny girl wrapped in Stone’s arms, and when I saw a brief look of sadness pass between Marek and Sully, I knew I had to make my presence known before Stone inadvertently said something he shouldn’t. But I was too late. The words fell from his lips before I could say anything.
“So, when are you two gonna have one?” he asked, glancing first at Marek then at Sully, an unknowing smile plastered on his face while he continued to fuss over his daughter.
The pained look on Sully’s face broke my heart, only second to the regretful one on Marek’s. It was during a conversation Sully and I had once when shopping for baby clothes that I asked her the same thing. At first, she simply told me she was unable to have children. I asked her why and she changed the subject, only later telling me the actual reason.
I broke the rising tension by barreling into the room, causing such a commotion Stone had forgotten he’d even posed the question. “Here you go,” I said, pushing the bottle toward him so he could feed her.
“Thanks, babe.”
“Wow!” Marek exclaimed, quickly washing away whatever thoughts had just held him hostage. “I never thought I’d see the day when you’d be excited about feeding a baby.” His best friend teased him, but I knew he was beyond happy for Stone.
“Yeah, well, things change, man.” There was no way he was going to let the ribbing from his dear friend deter him from coddling Riley, making funny faces at her while she suckled on the end of the bottle.
“They sure do,” Marek attested. “Hey, speaking of change . . . I got the call.” A coded look passed between the two men, one which instantly put me on edge for some reason. And I wasn’t the only one. Glancing over at Sully, who was sitting directly across from me, she shared the same worried expression.
“The call?” Stone asked, shifting his daughter from one arm to the other.
“Yup. Time to put this to bed, brother,” Marek affirmed, nodding in earnest before reaching for his wife’s hand. Interlocking his fingers with hers, he leaned over and kissed her temple, pure love pouring forth in one simple gesture.
I knew the answer I was going to get when I asked the question, but I had to ask regardless. Maybe since they’d actually spoken in front of us about something which was obviously top secret, they would let something slip.
“What call are you talking about?” I asked them both simultaneously, glancing back and forth between the two men.
“It’s club—”
“Business,” both Sully and I answered at the same time. “Yeah, we know,” I joked, realizing that, although they chose to speak in code in front of us, there was no way they were ever going to elaborate on the dealings of the KC.
The rest of the day passed in a blur, the four of us talking well into the evening, sharing funny stories as well as our vision for the future. Marek and Stone assured Sully and me that their time being eaten up by the club was coming to an end sooner rather than later. I knew there would be some sort of threat to the club for a while yet, mainly because they’d dealt on the wrong side of the law for far too long. And even though they were doing what they had to in order to end that part of their lives, diminishing the risk going forward, it would still take some time for them to be in the clear.
Instead of focusing on such things, however, I glanced around the room and realized just how lucky I was. Dealing with a life-threatening sickness made me take stock in what was truly important—the love of a good man, a healthy, beautiful baby girl, and wonderful friends, just to name a few.
I was truly blessed.
Jagger
Knights Corruption MC Series, book 3
September 2016
Thank you to my husband for being patient with me as I continue to lose myself in this new series, taking up more of my time than I ever thought possible. But what can I say? If the men of the KC MC won’t shut up, what am I supposed to do? LOL. Love you B!
A huge thank you to my family and friends for your continued love and support. I don’t know what I would do without you!
To the ladies at Hot Tree Editing, both editors and beta readers, I can’t say enough great things about you. You continue to amaze me and I can’t wait until our next project together. You have been beyond fantastic!
To Clarise from CT Cover Creations, what can I say other than you’re freaking amazing, woman! Your work speaks for itself. I’m absolutely thrilled with each and every cover you’ve magically created for me. They just keep getting better and better! If you lived in the same country, I would track you down just so I could give you a huge hug.
To Beth, the best PA ever! Your love and support is truly priceless. I’m beyond thrilled we’ve become such dear friends. I don’t know what I would do without you! You cheer me on when I’m nervous, and celebrate when I succeed. Love you!
To Kiki and Ruth, your guidance and advice has been priceless. Thank you so much for being in my corner, and helping me to navigate the book world with much more ease. I’m excited to see what happens next, and with you two by my side I know it will be amazing.
To all of the bloggers who have shared my work, I’m forever indebted to you. You ladies are simply wonderful!
To all of you who have reached out to me to let me know how much you loved my stories, I am beyond humbled. Thank you so much, and I’ll continue to do my best to bring you stories you can lose yourself in, even if it’s only for a few hours.
And last but not least, I would like to thank you, the reader. If this is the first book you’ve read from me, I hope you enjoy it. If this is yet another story from me you’ve taken a chance on . . . THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart!
S. Nelson grew up with a love of reading and a very active imagination, never putting pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard until 2013.
Her passion to create was overwhelming, and within a few months she’d written her first novel, Stolen Fate. When she isn’t engrossed in creating one of the many stories rattling around inside her head, she loves to read and travel as much as she can.
She lives in the Northeast with her husband and two dogs, enjoying the ever changing seasons.
If you would like to follow or contact her please do so at the following:
www.snelsonauthor.com
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Stolen Fate
Redemption
Addicted (Addicted Trilogy, Book 1)
Shattered (Addicted Trilogy, Book 2)
Wanted (Addicted Trilogy, Book 3)
Torn
Marek (Knights Corruption MC Series, book 1)