Titan (Hades Abyss MC 5): Mississippi Chapter

by Harley Wylde

  My mother came to stand next to me, leaning against the counter. She eyed Titan, then me before turning her gaze back to him. “Any chance you knocked her up?”

  It felt like the world was spinning. “I’m on birth control.”

  “Been taking it regular? Pills? Shots? What are you on?” Mom asked.

  “The pill. I’ve been on it about a month and a half, and I’ve mostly been taking them. I missed a few.”

  My mother muttered something I didn’t quite catch. “Delilah, you can’t miss doses. But let’s forget that for a moment. How long were you taking them before you started seeing Titan? Or more accurately, before you started sleeping with him, and did the two of you ever use any other protection?”

  “We didn’t,” he answered.

  “I was on them about two weeks. Why?” I asked.

  “Because, my precious, clueless baby girl, you didn’t listen to a damn thing the doctor said when you got on them. If you had, you’d know you have to take them a month before they’re effective, and you can’t miss any,” Mom said.

  I was scared to look at Titan. Was he mad? Or did he feel anything at all about it? My stomach gurgled and flipped. For that matter, how did I feel about it? I wanted to be a mom -- someday -- but I’d wanted to wait a little longer. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe it was just the mono and my weakened body.

  Titan pressed a kiss to the top of my head. I looked up and saw him put his phone to his ear.

  “Bones, I need a pregnancy test for Delilah,” he said. “I don’t care what kind or how many, but I want it done within the hour.”

  The club medic must have agreed because Titan hung up.

  “Are you mad?” I asked. “I swear I didn’t know. If they said anything when I got the prescription, I didn’t remember.”

  “Not mad, baby. Let’s find out for sure if you’re pregnant and we’ll go from there.”

  “I’ll just go check on your dad,” Mom said. “Let him know it’s safe to come back in.”

  Titan pulled me against him, holding me tight. I breathed him in and wrapped my arms around his waist. His heartbeat was slow and steady against my cheek. At least he wasn’t freaking out over this. Or if he was, he’d mastered the art of remaining physically calm.

  My mom and dad came back into the room and reclaimed their seats at the table.

  “We’ll go back to the hotel soon,” Mom said. “But if you might be pregnant, we’d like to be here when you find out. If that’s all right with the two of you?”

  “It’s fine with me,” Titan said.

  “Never thought Delilah would be the first to make us grandparents,” my dad said. “Figured it would be Ben.”

  “That’s because our middle son takes after his daddy,” Mom said with a smirk.

  “Um, I love you both, but I think this conversation is going somewhere uncomfortable,” I said.

  “She thinks the stork dropped her off,” Mom said.

  I heard the front door open and Bones yelled out, “Where is everyone?”

  “Kitchen,” Titan called back.

  The club medic walked in, paused to check out my mom -- until my dad glared at him, then he brought over a plastic sack and handed it to me. “Three different tests.”

  I took the bag, my cheeks warming at the thought of everyone knowing I was about to go pee on these stupid things. I pulled away from Titan and went to the downstairs bathroom. After I shut the door, I pulled out the three tests and set them on the counter. Even though I knew the basics of how it worked, I read the instructions for each. I locked the door, then took each test, putting them back on the bathroom counter when I was done.

  Three minutes. It didn’t seem like a long time, except when you were waiting on a life-changing event. The seconds moved so slowly I nearly started chewing on my nails. I didn’t have a clock handy, but I kept eying the sticks. When the first one showed a positive sign, I almost dropped to the floor. Pregnant? I waited on the other two, thinking maybe the first one was a false positive. I’d heard it happened, especially with the tests you bought at the store.

  Nope. All three said the same thing. There was a life growing inside me.

  “Delilah.” Titan’s voice was soft on the other side of the door. “You okay, baby?”

  “I-I’m not sure.”

  The doorknob rattled and I remembered I’d locked it. I twisted the lock and he opened the door, took one look at my face, then moved over to the counter and stared at the sticks. I wasn’t sure what to expect from him. It definitely wasn’t the slow smile that spread across his lips, or the excitement in his eyes.

  “We’re having a baby.” He pulled me against him and kissed the hell out of me. “You’ve made me so fucking happy, Lilah.”

  “You’re okay with me being pregnant? It’s so soon, and you’d wanted to wait before starting a family.”

  “Baby, I have a family, but I missed out on so much with Phoebe. I didn’t know about her until she’d already had a kid and married Kraken.” He kissed me again. “This time, I get to be there from the beginning.”

  Well, at least he wasn’t pissed.

  “Guess we better tell my parents the news,” I said.

  “Oh, hell no. Baby, that’s all you.”

  I patted his chest. My big, bad biker. Afraid of telling my parents he’d knocked me up. It was kind of cute.

  Chapter Nine

  Titan

  Gwen and Lance had decided to stick around a few days, so I’d left Delilah in their capable hands while I took care of club business. Mostly, they’d stayed at my house while she regained her strength. Until this morning when Gwen had mentioned baby shopping. I’d made it clear Delilah wasn’t to leave the compound, which had only made Gwen roll her eyes and show me the various shopping apps on her phone. I’d handed over my credit card, given them a limit, and briskly walked out of the house. Lance had given me a knowing smirk, and I’d barely resisted from flipping him off. Figured it wasn’t wise to piss off my woman’s dad.

  I pulled up at the clubhouse and shut off my bike right as Patriot came through the gate in his old Bronco. The fact he was shirtless wouldn’t have made me hesitate if it weren’t for the woman sitting next to him in a tee that was clearly way too big on her small frame. He stopped a few feet away and I walked over to his window. The woman cast me furtive glances and looked about two seconds from jumping out of her skin. MaryAnne Swenson. Whatever Wire had done, it seemed to have worked. Unless Patriot destroyed the building and everyone in it when he went to get her.

  He rolled down the window and positioned his body to block her from my view. Or more likely to block me from hers.

  “Taking her to my place for now,” Patriot said. “She needs to get cleaned up, have a decent meal, and she’s going to need clothes.”

  “I’ll see if Phoebe has anything she can borrow. Might not be a perfect fit, but it’s better than nothing. Once you figure out her sizes, I’ll set aside some money from club funds to buy what she needs. You can either shop online, or take her to the store if she’s up for it.” I dropped my voice lower. “She know about Galahad?”

  “Told her Sean patched in, but we haven’t discussed anything else,” Patriot said.

  “Get her home and taken care of. We can figure out something more permanent later. Thanks for handling this.”

  I smacked my hand against the door panel and went into the clubhouse. I didn’t know where we’d put MaryAnne long-term, but for now she seemed okay with Patriot. I knew he’d protect her, and she wasn’t afraid of him. After all she’d suffered, there was no way she’d trust just anyone. Patriot must have done something to prove he wouldn’t hurt her. Made me wonder exactly what went down when he picked her up, but I’d have to find out later.

  Stone was at the bar sipping a beer. I claimed the stool next to him, hoping he’d heard something about the women we’d lost, and the fuckers who’d nearly killed Galahad and Morgan.

  “The club’s contact is dead,” Stone said.

>   “Any idea what the fuck happened that day?”

  “Show of power. They pocketed the cash, but didn’t like the fact we were setting those women free. Decided to prove a point.”

  “Well, we can’t let that fucking stand.”

  Stone took another swallow of his beer. “Figured you’d say that. Seeing as how you’re going to be a daddy, and Kraken has two kids now, I think you should take a backseat on this one. I’ll get it handled. Fuckers won’t know what hit them.”

  “I trust you.”

  “Did you hear the Missouri chapter has a new Pres and VP?” he asked.

  “Spider mentioned it when I spoke to him last. Said there would be a vote, but he figured Fox would be the new Pres and Rocket would be the VP. Not a bad idea to put some of the younger guys in the officer positions.”

  “We still keeping the others around? The help Spider and Charming sent?”

  “Yeah. I know we haven’t had much use for them yet, but until Delilah’s grandfather is either dead or behind bars, I want the extra guns.”

  “They’ve set up a rotation between them for patrolling the compound. Partially boredom, I’m sure, but they also don’t want anything to happen to your woman,” Stone said.

  “Make sure they have what they need. Anything need my immediate attention?”

  “Other than your woman?” he asked.

  “Fuck off. Delilah is fine. Her parents are with her.”

  “Met the brothers yet?”

  “No. Thanksgiving isn’t too far off. I’m sure Delilah will either want to go home, or ask them to come here. I’d hate to not be here with Phoebe and the kids. Not sure they’d be welcome to go with us.”

  Stone shrugged a shoulder. “So have her family come here. We can make sure we’ve got room for them. Besides, they’re your family now too. You inherited them when you claimed Delilah.”

  He wasn’t saying anything I didn’t already know. So far, Gwen and Lance weren’t so bad. The brothers, though, I had a feeling would be a problem. Delilah had said they were overprotective. If I’d had a little sister, I’d have been the same way. But if they tried to get between me and my woman, I’d put them in their place without hesitation. Didn’t matter if anyone liked it or not. Delilah was mine. My woman. My…

  Shit.

  “I need to make a quick run somewhere. Hold things down here for me?”

  “You got it, brother.” Stone gave me a knowing look. “You making an honest woman of her?”

  “Yeah, I think I am.”

  “Could just ask Wizard to handle it. No need for a preacher.”

  I stood and slapped him on the back. “Ask him to do it. In the meantime, I need a ring.”

  I went out to my bike and headed for town. I knew Kraken had given Phoebe a ring, but I wasn’t sure where he’d purchased it. After driving around a bit, I found a jewelry shop and parked out front. The glittering display cases, and the suit-wearing man behind the counter, made me think I’d be spending a small fortune on anything I bought there. As long as it was quality, I didn’t care about much else.

  I’d given one of my cards to Delilah, but I had another I seldom used for anything. If this place didn’t have a ring that wouldn’t put me over the credit limit, I’d find another. I walked inside and the man immediately sneered as he took in my cut and boots. Yeah, I didn’t exactly blend in a place like this. Didn’t mean my money didn’t spend just as well as anyone else’s.

  “Need a ring,” I said.

  The man gave a delicate sniff and pointed to a glass case on the far wall. “Anything in your budget will be over there.”

  In my budget? I narrowed my eyes at him before checking out the rings he’d pointed out. They were each small, the diamonds so tiny I almost needed a magnifying glass to see them. Delilah deserved better than this. I moved along to another and another until I saw something I liked.

  “How much is that one?” I asked, making sure I left a smudge on his pristine glass case.

  He stared down his nose at me before checking the ring. “I’m sure it’s out of your price range. Perhaps you’d do better shopping somewhere else.”

  Oh now the little fucker was just pissing me off. If I didn’t know a place like this had a security button behind the counter, and cameras in the room, I’d pull my gun. I had no doubt a pansy like this one would shit his pants. Instead, I leaned a little closer and dropped my voice in a way I’d been told scared lesser men.

  “Look here, you little pissant. I’m here to buy a ring for my woman and I’m not leaving without one. You either tell me how much that ring is, or I’ll break this fucking case and check the tag myself.”

  He audibly swallowed and his hand shook as he unlocked the cabinet and pulled out the ring. He eyed the tag before giving me another snooty look.

  “It’s a one-carat diamond in a vintage rose gold setting, and the price is four-thousand two-hundred ninety-nine dollars.” The man’s fingers turned white, he was holding the ring so tightly.

  I pulled out my wallet, making him flinch as I yanked it from my pocket. I tried not to laugh at his reaction. What a pussy. Whoever he was with must wear the pants in their relationship. I tossed my credit card onto the counter.

  “I’m assuming you take credit cards.”

  The man grabbed the card and sprinted for the register, the ring still clutched in his hand. After the charge went through and he brought me the slip to sign, I made him clean the ring until it shone. Last thing I wanted was his fingerprints on it when I gave it to Delilah. He handed me my card back, along with the small black velvet box. I put my card in my wallet and tucked the ring into my front pocket.

  I wanted tonight to be special. I didn’t want to just hand Delilah the ring and tell her we were married. With her family visiting, I wasn’t sure if I’d have a chance to get her alone until after dinner. Not unless I told her mom or dad what I’d planned.

  I didn’t like the idea of them knowing before her.

  Looked like I’d be figuring this shit out after I got home.

  When I pulled through the gate at the compound, Hornet flagged me down. I coasted closer to him and stopped the bike.

  “Everything okay?” I asked.

  “Been quiet here, Titan. You sure you need us? Spider and Fox asked us to stay as long as we were needed, but I don’t think anyone’s coming for your woman.”

  As much as I wanted to send him back to the Missouri chapter, something told me things were far from over with Gregory Montcliff. Man like that didn’t give up easy. He’d lost his daughter. No way he’d let Delilah slip through his fingers too. Not without making a fuss. The fact he’d been quiet so far, told me he was either gathering intel, wasn’t entirely certain where Delilah was, or he’d already made a plan and was just biding his time. Whatever the case, I wanted to be ready when the snake struck.

  “Hornet, I appreciate you being here, and I know you want to go home. If you could stay until I know for sure Gregory Montcliff, and his associates, won’t be an issue for Delilah, I’d be grateful. You’re my brother, and I’ll have your back whenever you need me. I’m hoping you’ll do the same.”

  He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, all right. I’ll stay. Want me to tell the others? The Boneyard men are rumbling about there not being much to do, so it’s not just me wondering.”

  “Tell you what. How about a party tonight? I’ll make a call and get some extra girls at the clubhouse later. Just try to keep my in-laws out of there, and make sure any nudity remains inside the clubhouse and not out here. That’s not something I want to explain to Gwen and Lance.”

  “Thanks, Titan. I’ll spread the word.”

  I pulled away and went straight home. Before I went into the house, I sent a message to Missy. Send some of your girls to the clubhouse if they want to party. Just no one who’s been exposed to mono.

  She sent a thumbs-up emoji back, which was probably as good an answer as I was going to get. I was still pissed at her for letting She
lla be a webcam girl, and for getting Delilah sick, but for all her faults, she always knew the right girls to send to the clubhouse to guarantee my brothers would have a good time. Those women were wild, and exactly what the single men needed right now.

  I went inside and found Lance watching ESPN on the living room TV. He saluted me with a beer, but never looked away from the screen. I heard a giggle in the kitchen and found my woman and her mom at the table, a tablet sitting between them with a kitten video playing.

  “Look, Titan! He’s so cute!” Delilah said, pointing to the screen.

  I peered down at the tablet and smiled as a fuzzy gray kitten chased after a ball, then slid across the floor and bounced off the wall. It shook its head before scampering off again.

  “No kittens, Lilah. We already have Barney. He’ll be jealous enough over a baby.” I kissed the top of her head.

  “All right.” She fake pouted, her lower lip sticking out way too far. “But it’s cute, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, it’s cute. No, we don’t need one.”

  Gwen snickered. “Good luck. You’ll need it. First time you turn your back, she’ll sneak one into the house and see how long it takes you to notice. She did that with a hamster, then had to confess what she’d done when it burrowed into the couch.”

  “Into the…” I shook my head. “I’m not sure I want to know how that turned out.”

  “No, you really don’t,” Lance said, coming into the room.

  “Like I was the worst child ever?” Delilah asked. “Have you forgotten the stunts my brothers pulled? At least I didn’t sneak a boy into the house.”

  Gwen groaned and laid her head on the table. “Griffin. That boy!”

  Lance smirked. “I was both pissed and proud.”

  I lifted my eyebrows in a silent question.

  “He snuck in a little cheerleader after everyone had gone to bed. We may not have noticed if they hadn’t decided to have sex. Let’s just say the girl had a set of lungs on her. The way she was carrying on, I was impressed,” Lance said.

  Gwen glowered at him. “You would be.”