Her Journey (Her Series Book 2)

by Rachael Orman

  “Melia! These aren’t your babies. They’re our babies. You need to tell us stuff. We want to be there with you for anything. If there’s anything abnormal or different, please tell us. We worry about the babies just as much, if not more than you do.” Ryan was pacing the small room, running her hand over her head. I expected Ellis to have something harsh to say to me, but he was more focused on Ryan.

  “Ryan, baby, calm down. She didn’t mean any harm. You need to relax.” Ellis stood and wrapped his arms around her, tucking her into his chest as he ran his large hand over her head and whispered to her. Kissing her head, he released her to sit back down without another word. Ryan turned towards me.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it to come out like that,” she said, moving to stand right in front of me. She rested her hand gently on my belly. “It’s just these little guys mean so much to me. You mean so much to me. I know we aren’t close. I’m working to change that. I want you in our lives after they are born. I want them to know the wonderful person who gave their parents such a special gift. Trust me, I’m stubborn and I can tell you are too. It’s time for you to stop being so independent and let us help take care of you.”

  “I’ll try.” I smiled. “It’s hard. I’ve never had someone to rely upon. It’s just been me and Mom for as long as I can remember, and now it’s just me. Believe me, I know these little guys are yours. I talk to them about you guys and how excited you are they are here all the time.”

  The doctor walked back into the room with a tech dragging a portable ultrasound machine interrupting our sweet moment. Gesturing for me to lie down, the doctor moved to stand on the opposite side from the tech with the machine. “Pull your shirt up, pants and underwear down, please.”

  I did as he asked so the tech could squirt warm gel on my stomach before placing a small wand on my stomach. She moved it around for a few moments before turning the screen so the doctor could see the screen better. They checked on both the babies, and once they’d gotten confirmation they were doing well, they moved to a slightly different spot on my stomach.

  “Well, there we have our answer. You, my dear, have a partial placenta previa. This is what probably was causing you to have the bleeding. That, combined with the excessive morning sickness, means I’m going to put you on modified bed-rest until our next appointment to see how things are going. I would like for you to change your diet as well. The nurse will give you a list of foods for you to try that might help with the sickness.” And with that the appointment was pretty much over. The nurse told me the doctor wanted me to spend a good majority of every day in bed but it was okay for me to get up and walk around for short periods of time. I was given a printout with a list of foods that were suggested to eat as well.

  I made my next appointment for four weeks out and followed Ryan and Ellis out of the office. As soon as we stepped outside, they both turned to look at me. “What?” I asked, knowing I probably wasn’t going to like what they were going to say just by the looks on their faces.

  “You’re moving in with us,” Ellis said as Ryan opened her mouth to speak. “I’m not taking no for an answer. You didn’t tell us what has been going on up to this point, which thankfully wasn’t anything major, but for the next four weeks you will be living with us where we can make sure you do as you’re told and everything is going okay.”

  “You can’t make me move in with you. You aren’t my boss.” I put my hands on my hips. I didn’t care if he was big and scary, he wasn’t ruling my life just because I was carrying his children.

  “Please. I promise I’ll spend every second with you if that’ll make you feel better. No one will bother you. It’ll make me feel so much better to know you and the babies are okay. I’ll spend all day in bed with you and I’ll bring you food so you don’t even have to leave the room if you want. I just want to have you close by,” Ryan pleaded as she grabbed both of my hands in hers. It was her face, her pleading, that did me in. Yell at me and I’ll fight back. Beg me and I was going to cave.

  I took a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh. I was completely against it. I didn’t want to go. I had a bad feeling about it. However, I knew Ryan and Ellis would never let anything happen to me…at least, not to their babies, which were relying upon me. Swallowing hard, I nodded, and Ryan pulled me into a tight hug, thanking me over and over.

  ~Patrick~

  I was sitting behind my desk, typing an email, wearing jeans, a shirt, and my leather cut - my preferred attire - when Ellis threw open my door. The fucker never knocked. Thankfully, it was a day when I didn’t have any business meetings out of the house so I didn’t have to put on a stuffy suit. However, there was still plenty of business to take care of, so I gave him an irritated glare and leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms over my chest.

  “What?” I growled at him.

  “Ryan is here…and she has a guest. She has requested for you to let her guest get settled before attempting to meet her,” Ellis said as he sprawled out in one of the chairs on the other side of my desk.

  “What?” I repeated. The situation was quickly going from irritating to enraging. Pushing back from the desk, I stood and started to walk around it. Yet again, Ryan always thought she could do what she wanted without asking anyone else for their opinion. “Who is it?”

  “You’ll find out soon enough.” Ellis held up his hands before I could say anything. “I warn you, though, she’s very skittish about being here. So be nice or you’ll have a very pissed off Ryan to deal with.” Ellis smiled, knowing it was the card to play with me. My damn sister. My only weak spot, even as irritating as I found her to be.

  “Whatever. Where is this guest?” I sneered the word. I would like to have some fucking control of who was in my house. The bikers came and went whenever they wanted. I didn’t give a fuck because I knew they would take care of an intruder if one was found. Oddly, that’s exactly what I felt like my sister brought into my home. If she felt like she needed to smuggle this person in, then tell me I wasn’t allowed to see them. I ground my teeth together. I was losing control of my own fucking house and that was not acceptable.

  “She will be across the hall from us so we are close by if she needs anything. No one ever uses that room anyway,” Ellis informed me, clearly not picking up on how pissed I was.

  “Fuck off. Tell Ryan she needs to get her ass down here right now or I’m going up there and will personally kick this guest out of my fucking house.” I leaned back on my desk and crossed my arms over my chest, lifting my eyes to the ceiling, and trying to rein in my anger as Ellis left the room without another word. Ryan was always pushing my buttons. I swore she did it on purpose sometimes. This, though, this was too far.

  I was still standing there when I heard a soft knock on my door. Ryan pushed it open and slipped inside before letting it shut behind her. “Hey,” she said quietly. She knew she was gonna get an ass-chewing.

  “Sit. Now.” I pointed at the chair Ellis had just vacated. She did, folding her hands in her lap, looking at me with big eyes. Nice try. “We need to have a serious fucking talk, Ryan.”

  “Can I explain first?” Ryan asked, sitting straighter in her chair.

  “No.” I glared at her. I didn’t give a fuck what her reasons were. She could’ve told me before arriving. She could have fucking asked before moving a stranger in. Gripping the edge of my desk, I could feel the muscles in my forearms bulging, but it was better than punching something…or someone. “You can’t just move someone into the house! Although you and Ellis seem to think this is your fucking love pad or some shit. This is fucking a biker club house. You don’t just bring some civilian in here! What if she’s using you to snoop? What if she gets into trouble when you aren’t around? The guys won’t know who the fuck she is, they’ll assume she’s just another whore!” I growled at her, throwing my hands in the air, slamming them back down on top of the desk. “You want me to treat you like an adult. You’re always saying I don’t realize you’re a grown-up. It’s ‘ca
use you do shit like this!”

  “Fuck off, Wrench. If you would shut the fuck up for two fucking seconds and let me explain shit, you would get it.” Ryan shoved out of the chair. Her hands were balled into fists, her anger just as sharp as mine. Obviously she wasn’t back to herself completely since ending her treatments, but she wasn’t nearly as frail as she had been. It was good to see, but as she regained her strength and weight, apparently she was regaining her attitude as well. Raising her voice, she threw a glare at me. “Melia is pregnant with my fucking children. She needs to be on bedrest. She will be here, where I can stay with her and make sure she is taking care of herself. I am being a grown-up.” Slapping a hand to her chest, she said, “I’m taking care of my family while you…” She jammed a finger in the center of my chest. “You are being a pouty bitch about it. She is afraid of every single one of the fuckers here, so she will be staying in her room, unless Ellis or I is with her. No one would dare touch her then. She’ll only be here for a few weeks until the doctor releases her from bed rest. I’m sure even you can understand my reasoning and be able to put up with this ‘stranger’ in your house till then.”

  I just stared at her. How the hell had she just turned that on me? Fuck. I groaned and ran a hand through my hair. “Fine.”

  Ryan opened her mouth like she had more to say, then stopped, straightened and nodded once. “Good.”

  Turning, I went back to my chair while Ryan left my office. I pulled a bottle of whiskey and the glass I stored with it out of my bottom drawer. I filled the glass nearly to the top before returning the bottle to the drawer. Fucking women. Fucking pregnant women. What was the world coming to? I hope she didn’t expect me to change how things went around the house. I didn’t care who the broad was, if she lived here, she’d have to get a damn backbone or she could live in her room. If she didn’t want to be treated like the whores around here, she’d have to learn to not act like a doormat like they were. The old ladies who came around the house were given respect, but they still had to earn that shit. I picked up my glass and made my way to the kitchen as I sipped it. One day Ryan would push me too far and this was toeing the line. Fucking pregnant woman in my house. I took a long pull off my glass with that thought. The burn from the whiskey felt good. Reminded me I was alive. I was in control of most things. Hell, everything but my sister and this pregnant broad.

  In the kitchen, Brew and Monk were drinking beers with their arms around a woman each. I nodded at them. “How goes it?”

  “Have you seen the little piece of ass your sister carted through here not too long ago?” Brew asked. I wanted to smirk at the comment, but held back. Instead, I leaned against the counter, kicking my feet out in front of me.

  “Nope.” I took another drink. I wondered how had they seen her, but I didn’t care enough to ask.

  “I’d tap that.” Brew thrust his hips in the air, making the woman next to him roll her eyes. She wouldn’t actually say something or she’d have to go find one of the other members to keep her company or risk being alone for the night.

  “You do realize she’s fucking pregnant, right?” I couldn’t help the grin that slid onto my face as Brew’s face turned a slight shade of green. Pregnant women had to be the least attractive creatures on the earth. All fat and swollen, no thank you. Most of the men around the house agreed. Usually it was a sign that you’d fucked up and now had an extra responsibility you didn’t want. Shit, that line of thought made me nearly drain my glass.

  “Yeah, with my children, so watch what you fucking say about her,” Ellis said, rounding the corner into the kitchen, obviously having heard the end of our conversation.

  “What the fuck is going on around here? Pregnant women? Ellis’s kids. Fuck, man.” Brew shook his head in disgust before grabbing his latest woman and walking out of the room. I tossed back what was left in my glass and set it on the counter. Nodding towards Monk, I left the room. Ellis had his back to me, digging in the fridge, so I didn’t bother acknowledging him.

  After climbing the stairs, I headed down the long hall. Ellis and Ryan’s room was the last on the left. The new chick was on the right. My room was right next to Ryan and Ellis’s which explained why I tried to stay the fuck out of my room whenever they were in theirs. I didn’t need to hear my sister and my VP going at it. Even the thought of it made my lip curl.

  Once I reached the end of the hallway, I stopped in front of her door. After a moment of debating how to handle the situation, I took a deep breath and knocked like a civilized person. See, I could have manners. Not that it stopped my foot from impatiently tapping; I wasn’t used to waiting for someone to come to me. Only a moment or two passed before I raised my hand again, rapping on the door with my knuckle, a little harder this time. Still, no answer after a few seconds.

  Fuck it. I twisted the knob and the door opened. Swinging it wide, I stepped inside and looked around. There wasn’t anyone in the room. Guess that’s why no one answered, but then that brought up Ellis’s warning not to go to her room. My temper spiked at the bullshit flying through the air. Someone was fucking lying and I was going to find out who. Taking a deep breath, I counted to ten before stomping across the hall and banging loudly on Ryan’s door. I didn’t have to pretend to be civilized with her and she was about to get another ass-chewing. I barely contained a growl, but yelled, “Open the fucking door, Ryan.”

  “What do you want He-Man?” Ryan flung open her door just as a loud, feminine shriek sounded. I swung around, just in time to see a fully nude, curvy brunette standing in the middle of the room across the hall. I had left the door open and apparently our new guest had been in the shower. I stared in shock at seeing Melia standing there completely nude. Whew, that was a sight. She quickly moved to cover herself as much as she could with her hands before running out of sight. Ryan slapped my chest, pushing me out of her way to go after Melia. I heard her utter “stupid man” just as she was shutting the door.

  Oops. I would most definitely remember the sight of her sexy, curvaceous figure for a few nights, at least. Too bad I’d only gotten a glimpse of it. Damn, my cock had enjoyed her body too. I shoved my hard cock with my palm, hoping to make it not so noticeable before knocking on Melia’s door again.

  “Go away, dumb ass,” Ryan called out. I was tempted to kick the door open and make her listen to me. Plus, I could possibly catch another glimpse of the little nymph. Instead, I ground my teeth, pretending to care what they wanted.

  “I’m sorry.” I hesitated. It wasn’t often that word slipped between my lips, but it seemed fitting for the situation. “I was just coming to meet our guest. I knocked and there was…” I trailed off when Ryan opened the door just enough to stick her head out.

  “Go away. Let her get dressed, and then I’ll bring her down to your office. Okay?” I could tell Ryan wasn’t happy with me, but it wasn’t like I’d done anything wrong, so I went along with it.

  “Fine. Whatever.” As I heard the lock snick, I knew I’d been locked out. Turning on my heel, I went back downstairs to my office, stopping by the kitchen to get my glass. Time for more whiskey if I was going to make it through this meeting. As soon as I settled in my office chair, I filled my glass back up. What a fucking day.

  ~Melia~

  Who the hell comes into someone’s room only to leave their door open while they’re in the bathroom? Seriously. I needed to remember how to use the lock, apparently. I figured it would be a common-sense thing. Courtesy, respect, whatever. Leaning back on the bathroom counter, I tried to catch my breath. I hadn’t meant to scream, but there was a big-ass dude in the hall, I was naked and my door was open. My mind might have gone a little bit crazy thinking he was going to do something to me. As soon as I’d seen Ryan out there too, I felt stupid and ran into the bathroom and covered myself with a towel.

  A soft knock on the bathroom door made me jump and scoot farther from the locked door. Ryan’s voice carried through. “Hey, Melia. It’s just me. Please open the door.”

&n
bsp; I pulled it open and gave her an embarrassed smile. “I guess I have some things to get used to. Like needing to use locks and keeping a towel on.”

  “Nah. Well, yes, but these stupid men need to learn some manners, too, with a lovely woman like you around. They aren’t used to people who have manners,” Ryan comforted me. I still felt stupid. I’d lived alone for so long I’d never thought someone would walk in or that I should have kept my towel on after leaving the bathroom. “Why don’t you get dressed and then I’ll take you down to meet Wrench, and then you can lie down for a few hours. He’ll keep bothering you and me until he finally meets you. Trust me when I say sometimes it’s just easier to give into him. I can be just as hardheaded, but it’s exhausting fighting him all the time. You win some, you lose some. This is a losing battle.”

  I nodded and she left the room, giving me privacy to dress. Pulling on a pair of cotton panties and one of the few loose summer dresses I had that still fit, I was ready. I pulled my hair into a low ponytail since I wasn’t going to take the time to dry it. I did stop to take a minute to put on some blush, eye liner and mascara. I never went out without some makeup on. Stepping into a pair of flip flops, I opened the door to find Ryan leaning against the opposite wall waiting for me.

  “Well, let’s go get this over with. Just remember, he can be a dick, but he’s not as bad as he seems. It won’t get better if we make him wait, but at least I’ll be there with you.” Ryan spoke quietly to me as we walked down the hall. I felt nauseated for an entirely different reason than usual. He was just a person. Sure, from across the hall his back had been broad and his arms appeared thicker than my thighs, but I tried not to think about it. We stopped in front of a door on the first floor and Ryan appeared to be preparing herself before she raised her hand to knock on the door.

  “Come in,” a gravelly voice called out. Ryan swung the door open, then stepped inside first. Following suit, I took a deep breath before stepping into the room. Unsure of what to expect, I slowly raised my eyes from the floor to lock with a pair of bright blue eyes that froze the breath in my lungs.