by A J Love
Grip returns with a tray of drinks, bringing a couple of the other guys with him. They all crowd around the table, and I tighten my grip on Kane’s hand.
“We just wanted to stop by,” Kane says, sensing that I’m not ready to speak. “And show y’all something.”
He takes the little white card from my hand that hold our baby’s first picture and places it on the table.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Trev says, smiling wide as he plucks it before the others can get it. “Look at what y’all went and done.”
“So, you guys are gonna be parents,” Dec laughs. “Well, no shit.”
I laugh a little, taking the water from the tray and sipping it.
“Get the hell out of my goddamn way!”
The shout comes from the end of the bar, and I know the owner immediately. I stand, just in time for her to barrel her way through the crowd and pull me into a tight hug. She pulls back and then snatches the travelling scan picture, “Give me that. Y’all don’t know what you’re looking at,” she rolls her eyes, “and stop crowding the poor girl.”
I offer Karie a grateful smile as they move back. She winks, then passes Kane back the picture. “Come on,” she takes my hand and pulls me away. “Let’s go somewhere that isn’t surrounded in stale beer and old men.”
I offer a small shrug to Kane who only shakes his head in response. He knows I’m safe here. There’s probably more guns in this one building than the army has in total. No one can get to me here.
I follow Karie down the hall and through a set of double doors that open up to a large living area, with sofas and a small kitchen.
“This is where us ladies like to come and relax while the men are in the bar being pigs. We keep it nice and clean,” she pulls me into another hug before practically pushing me onto a sofa. She drops onto it beside me and kicks off her shoes. “Get comfy. You’re growing a cute little munchkin in there, so it’s important for you to keep comfy.”
Nervously, I kick off my boots and bring my feet up onto the sofa. I adjust the cushions behind me and lean back.
“That’s better, huh?”
“God, yes. Everything still hurts.”
Her smile is sad. “It will. I was going to turn up at the apartment tonight if I still hadn’t heard from you. I wanted to talk to you.”
“Okay,” I reply, warily. “Is everything okay?”
“No, it sure as shit ain’t. And you need to understand that. What happened to you ain’t okay, just like it wasn’t okay when it happened to me.”
“You?” I shake my head. “Oh, Karie, no. Someone did this to you? Someone hurt you?”
She nods her head forcefully. “Last year, my Robbie got into a disagreement with some asshole from the Miners. He retaliated by snatching me and sending Rob pictures of what he was doing to me.” She swipes away a tear from her eye, “they had me all day and then ditched my ass just outside the gates.”
Instinctively, I grab her hand to comfort. She pulls it away. “I’m not telling you so you’ll feel bad for me and take care of me. I’m good, and I’ve moved the hell on. Robbie and I had it tough for a while, but we’re good now.” She places a hand on my knee. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
“About you and Robbie?”
“No, well sort of.” She laughs. “About you and Kane, and how you’re doing being around him after everything. I know it’s hard.”
“He’s been amazing, really. He’s so understanding and looks after me.”
“And yet you can’t bring yourself to just take that step and let him touch you.”
I sigh. “No, I can’t.”
“Do you love him?”
I blanch at the question, blinking in shock from the abruptness of it. Love isn’t something we’ve talked about, and I’ve never told him how I feel that way, but, yes. Yes, I do. I nod my response.
“Then babe, you gotta just take the step. He won’t push you, he’s too damn scared because he thinks you’re fragile. You’re not,” she shakes her head. “Hell, no. You’re strong, you’re a fighter, and you gotta show him that. I’m not saying bang his brains out, but you need to add some intimacy back into your lives.”
“I don’t think I can,” I lower my head in shame, the embarrassment causing a flush to creep up my skin. “I’m scared I’ll see him and not Kane.”
“Have you told Kane you know who hurt you yet?”
I shake my head. “No, I have to protect us.” I place a protective hand over my stomach. “I know it will be worse if he found I told anyone.”
She holds her hands up. “No judgment here, honey. But don’t wait too long with Kane, trust me. It will only make it harder. You guys are too cute to let it sour.”
We don’t stay there much longer, both of us getting tired. None of us are really getting any sleep at the moment, and I’ve hardly been great company to be around. Thinking of Karie’s words, I take a deep breath. She's right. We need some intimacy, but more than that, we need some normal. To carry on building what we started. We’re going to have a baby, be a family. We need to lay the foundations for when our child enters the world. I turn to Kane. “We need to go to the store. Like a proper store. Like Walmart.
He flicks a glance at me and then puts his eyes back on the road. “What do you need? I’ll pick it up for you.”
“No,” I say, forcing some strength into my voice. “We will go, together, because we are not having takeout food again.”
“You want me to take you to Walmart?” He snorts.
“Yes. You moved me into your place and all my stuff is all over the place. We need to organize it and we need to do a proper grocery shop before my ass ends up the size of Texas with all the pizza.”
“Layton, you’re supposed to be resting.”
“And I have done, for almost three weeks. It’s time I got my shit together. I’m going to work tomorrow, too.”
He takes the turn for Walmart. “I don’t fucking think so, sweetheart.”
“Kane, I have to.”
He pulls into the car lot of the store. “You’re not supposed to be doing anything. You’re supposed to be letting your body heal.”
I follow him out of the truck and meet him around the front of it. I press my hand against his chest. “It has healed, and now I just need my brain to catch up.” I take his hand and pull him toward the store, “besides, you need to be at the shop all day instead of coming back to the apartment to check on me.”
“I don’t mind checking on you.”
We walk into the store, “I know, and I love that you take care of me, but you’re making me lazy.”
He laughs a little, and it sounds good to hear it. His arms come around me from behind as I pull a cart from the bay. “Okay,” he says into my ear. “We’ll do the shopping thing, and do the organizing thing, but you have to promise that you will just sit your definitely not fat ass down at the store tomorrow for work.”
I chuckle. “Alright, you have a deal.”
Shopping with Kane was an experience.
He grumbled the majority of the way around and then got all kid at Christmas giddy when we made it to the beer aisle. And then he argued with me at the damn checkout when we both tried to pay. He won, of course, but it didn’t half make me pissed. It’s safe to say we need to work on this better, seeing as we now live together. I don’t expect a free ride with him.
I say as much to him as we’re tidying it all away and get only a grunt in response.
“Kane, I’m serious,” I laugh. “I don’t want you paying for everything.”
He walks over to me, lifting me to sit on the kitchen counter. “You’ve got some sass today,” he narrows his eyes on me. “What did Karie do to you?”
I shake my head. “Nothing I wasn’t already working my way around to do myself.” I put my hand in the waistband of his jeans and pull him closer. “I don’t want what happened to ruin anything.”
“It won’t. I won’t let it.” He places his hands aroun
d my hips, rubbing his thumbs across my stomach. “Though thanks to this little thing, we’re going to have to move.”
I glance down and laugh, “Yeah. Quite the surprise, huh?”
Kane shrugs. “We’ll deal.”
“Yeah,” I reply, looking at the way his eyes lighten as he continues to stroke my stomach with his thumb. “We will.”
Kane
I don’t know what’s kicked her up the ass, but my girl is slowly coming back to me. She’s not altogether the same, probably never will be, but I can see her growing into someone else. Someone stronger; someone determined to fight. I look at her now, watching as she makes sandwiches for us both to take to work. Her hips sway as she hums whatever song she’s gotten stuck in her head. Behind her, I smile. Despite it all, she’s still Layton.
Sensing me watching, she turns and offers me a shy smile, her eyes drifting down my shirtless body. I toss her a wink and move to the fridge, taking a second to look at the picture of our growing child stuck to the front. It’s only been a couple of days since we got it, so it still doesn’t seem quite real. But seeing it there, watching something we created grow, is just something else.
Telling Ma yesterday was something else, too. I don’t think I’ve heard her get so damn loud, but she was squealing like she was a little girl and wouldn’t stop talking for the rest of the night. We didn’t tell her the rest of it, with the attack and everything. It would only make her worry, and I think Layton is wanting to keep that private.
I look back at her now as I grab drinks from the fridge. It’s not all she’s keeping private. I know she knows more about who attacked her, about what really happened. I also know she’ll tell me eventually, but still, it pisses me off. I want to protect her, especially now, but how am I supposed to when I don’t know who she needs to be protected from?
“So, I’m gonna keep the store closed today,” Layton says, pulling me from my head. “I need to catch up with orders, so I’m gonna lock myself in there and work. Do you think that will be okay? Is that a bad idea?”
“It’s your store. If that’s what you gotta do, then you do it.” I scratch the back of my head. “Or you could ask Jackson if he could come by and help you.”
“Jackson?”
“Yeah, I mean, he’s there all the time anyway. I checked your books; you’ve got the scratch to bring him in part-time if you want. It’ll take some of the pressure off.”
Her head tips a little to the side. “I’ll speak to him. Thank you.”
“I’ve got a lot in today myself, so Nolan will be hanging around to help out.”
She stills for a minute, thinking, then carries on with what she’s doing. “I’ll make him some lunch too. I’ll be ready to go in five.”
Laughing, I shake my head. She’s such a mom already. “We’re not kids. You don’t need to feed us.” I walk to her, turning her to face me as I approach. “You just have to take care of everyone, huh?”
She shrugs, “It’s a habit.”
“You just need to worry about taking care of yourself.”
“I’m working on it.”
I smack her ass lightly as I walk by her. “Work harder.”
Her laughter follows me into the bedroom where I dig out a fresh shirt for work. I shake my head as I look around the space. There is just stuff everywhere. We need a bigger place as soon as fucking possible. I make a mental note to ask Colin if he knows of anywhere nearby that is up for lease, then head back to Layton to hurry her ass up.
Jackson is in the store with her when I pop in there to check on her in the afternoon. The day has been hectic, and though she has made a few calls for me and kept things flowing with the phone ringing all the damn time, I haven’t seen much of her. I watch as Jackson works around her, fussing with her diaries and the couple of customers that she has while she’s on her machine. I hang back, taking a minute to watch her at work. Her hair is wrapped up with a couple of pens stuck inside, her face serious as she watches her fingers move quickly under the needle. Jackson notices me watching and gives me a pointed look and nods his head toward the kitchen. I nod and move into there to wait. I hear him ring up a customer who has bought something and then offer to get Layton a drink. She barely mumbles a response. A second later he’s in front of me.
“I believe I have you to thank for the job offer I got this morning,” he says, a smirk on his face.
I shrug, “I just offered an idea.”
“Uh-huh,” he laughs a little, shaking his head. “I appreciate it all the same. The grocery store ain’t the same without our girl.” He frowns. “How's she doing?”
I know Layton told Jackson everything that happened. He’d turned up at the apartment three days after I called him to tell him I’d found his car, demanding to be let in and then sat with her on my couch and let her cry all over him. After that, he became a regular fixture there and always makes sure to check in with her. He’s a good guy.
“She’s getting there,” I sigh.
“She will. Layton’s stronger than she thinks.” He opens the fridge and pulls out two sodas. “And I accepted the job. The reason I actually wanted to speak to you, is to let you know I’ll accept the one you offer as well.”
I raise an eyebrow. “I don’t have a job to offer.”
“Sure, you do, Layton’s.” He shrugs. “Her store is blowing up and is going to be a success. She’s up to her eyeballs in orders and doesn’t have the time for the admin shit she has to do.” He smiles. “But I do. I can work for you both as part of the same job. I can work your appointment book, as well as work her store. Not only that, but I can be here every day, and I can keep everything straight. Then, when Baby Thatch is born, I can run the store for her fully until she’s back.”
I lean back against the counter. With all the shit going on, I hadn’t even thought about what would happen when the baby was here. It’s not the worst idea I’ve ever heard. I’d already planned on looking for another mechanic but hadn’t given thought to the actual organization of the shop. He’s not wrong; Layton is getting busier, and I have become reliant on her helping me out too.
“And I suppose you have a salary in mind?” I ask him with a laugh.
“I’m cheap, don’t worry. It’s not about the money; it’s about keeping it in the family and keeping our girl comfortable. If you can match what I was on at the grocery store, then I’m yours.”
I nod, then reach down and pull one of the shop shirts at him. “Consider yourself hired.”
He offers me a wide grin, then heads back out to Layton. Shaking my head, I follow him out to let them both know that I’m off to run an errand. I barely get a wave from Layton, she’s in work mode, but Jackson gives me look that tells me he will make sure he doesn’t take his eyes off her. Not that it’s necessary as I’ve got Grip and Nolan next door. I’m not taking any chances.
Leaving them all, I climb into my truck and make the short drive to the house that Colin told me about on the phone earlier. He’d gotten in touch with a few of his friends that own properties all over the place and discovered an old buddy of his had just renovated one not too far away. Col has assured me that this guy is as straight as they come and won’t take me for a ride on the price. The place is just outside town, a quiet area which is mostly occupied by families. I take my time to drive the streets and look around, before pulling up outside. He opens the door as I walk the drive and holds his hand out.
“I take it you're Kane?”
I take his hand and shake. “Yeah, which would make you Mark, right?”
“Sure is. Well, come on in, and I’ll show you around. You’re the first to see this one.”
Mark shows me around the house, asking questions about what sort of thing I’m looking for. He explains he buys and leases properties all over the state and tells me that if this isn’t the place for us, then he’ll probably have something else that will work.
“My girl is having a baby. We just need somewhere big enough to fit us all in comfortably.�
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“Congratulations, man,” he offers a wistful smile. “Kids will change your life.”
I snort. The kid isn’t even here yet and already is. Massively. I was supposed to just be living a quiet life by myself. “Yeah, I can imagine.”
“They’re worth it though. So, what’s your girl like? She everyone’s mom yet?”
I think back to her making sandwiches for everyone this morning, and the way she doesn’t ever stop organizing my shit at home. “Yeah, she keeps feeding me. Is that a pregnant thing?”
Now he snorts. “Get used to that. The further along her pregnancy she gets, the crazier she’ll get. You guys both from Texas?”
I follow him as he leads me down the stairs and out back. “I am. She’s Louisiana.”
“Ah,” he laughs. “So, she’s a southern mom. Nice.”
I wander away from him, walking the length of the small garden, then turn back and look at the place. It’s nothing fancy, and definitely not huge, but it could work.
“It’s a good place,” I say, walking back to join him. “What’s the area like?”
“Great, and that’s not a sales pitch. I won’t buy a place unless I’d let my kids live in it. Quiet. It’s small town neighborly, but big enough so your neighbors won’t interfere with your life.”