Ignite

by L. Wilder

  “You going to tell me where we’re going?” I asked.

  “Nope,” he answered flatly. I was beginning to think he was pissed at me. I didn’t know what to say to him, so I just got in the car and waited to see where he was taking me. He pulled up to the only convenient store that was open in town. He opened his door, and nodded his head telling me to follow him inside. When we reached the front door, he reached for my hand and led me into the store. He took me straight to the pharmacy section and stopped.

  He looked over all the shelves, and then turned to me and asked, “Which one should we get?”

  I looked on the shelf where he was staring and felt like the village idiot when I finally realized he was talking about the pregnancy tests. I guess I didn’t do a very good job trying to hide all this from him.

  “I have no idea. Let’s just get one of each,” I told him as I picked up the three different tests.

  “Good plan,” he replied following me up to the cash register. I’d never been so nervous about anything before in my life.

  We rushed back to the car and headed back home. The tension in the car was almost more than I could stand. Goliath still wasn’t talking, and I had no idea what he was thinking. It could turn out to be really bad. I wanted our first Christmas together to be special, but now I had no idea how things were going to turn out.

  Goliath followed me to the bedroom and watched as I opened the three pregnancy tests. I carefully read the directions, and without saying a word, I headed for the bathroom. When he started to follow me, I held up my hand to stop him. “No way,” I said. “You are not going in here with me. I’ll bring them back out when I’m finished.”

  He grunted, but still didn’t say a word. His silence was so frustrating. I said a thousand prayers as I walked into the bathroom alone. Truthfully, I didn’t know what I wanted to happen. A part of me would really like to have a baby with Goliath. He was wonderful with John Warren. I had no doubt that he would be a great father, but the logical side of me knew it was way too soon for us to have a baby together. I know that I love him, but we were really just getting to know each other.

  When I finished taking the tests, I walked out and laid them on the dresser. Goliath’s eyes were glued to those damn tests. He stood there frozen, staring at them lost in his thoughts. I couldn’t stand it.

  “Look… I can’t stand here waiting like this. Let’s go into the living room. I want to give you your Christmas presents.”

  By the look on his face, I knew he didn’t like the idea, but he agreed. I raced into the living room and grabbed his first gift from under the tree.

  As soon as he sat down on the sofa, I handed him his first present. “Here ya go. It isn’t much, but I thought you’d like it.”

  A small smile spread across his face as he opened the small box. He pulled out the leather band and began inspecting it. It was a dark brown leather cuff that I had engraved with the Devil Chaser’s insignia. I thought it was pretty cool, and I knew it would look great on him.

  “This is awesome, Lily. I love it,” he said snapping it onto his wrist.

  “It looks great! Wait… I have two more,” I said reaching under the tree. “Now, this one is supposed to be kinda funny.”

  He gave me a questioning look as he opened the box set of Will Ferrell movies. His laughter filled the room as he looked through each DVD.

  “You did good, babe. Really good.”

  He was still looking through his new movies when I handed him his last gift. I knew they weren’t much, especially compared to what he had given me, but I loved seeing him happy like this. He quickly tore into the wrapping paper opening his last gift. He pulled out the Harley Davidson winter gloves and slipped them on. He looked them over, and said, “I think I like these the best.”

  “I’m so glad you like them,” I said as I leaned over to kiss him on the check. He wrapped his arm around my waist pulling me into his lap. He put his mouth close to my ear and whispered, “Possibly the best gift you could give me is waiting for me in that bedroom. I’ve waited all I can stand to wait, Lil’.”

  “You mean you aren’t mad?” I asked.

  “Mad? Are you fucking kidding me? You having my kid is best gift you could ever give me,” he said lifting me up off the sofa. He grabbed my hand and pulled me down the hall.

  I couldn’t believe it. He really wanted this. He actually wanted to have a baby with me. The closer we got to that bedroom door, the more I really hoped that I was pregnant. I wanted to have Goliath’s baby.

  Chapter 28

  Goliath

  My heart was beating faster with every step I took. I knew the timing was all wrong, but I didn’t fucking care. I wanted it. My eyes were fixed on Lily as she slowly walked into the room, and I could barely stand it as I waited for her to check the tests. A slow smile spread across her face as she lifted them up to check the results.

  “Goliath?” Lily asked.

  “Tell me…” I warned. She’d kept me waiting long enough.

  “They are all…” she smiled trying to stall, but when I stepped towards her she shouted, “positive!”

  It took a second for me to comprehend what she was telling me. Positive…Fuck. I was going to be a father. It was finally happening. I was going to have the family I’d always dreamed about. I reached over to Lily and pulled her close to me.

  “Best Christmas ever,” I whispered in her ear.

  “You sure you’re okay about all this?” Lily asked.

  “Absolutely,” I told her with no reservations whatsoever. “What about you?” I asked.

  “Absolutely,” she said as she pressed her lips against mine. I’d always loved the way she kissed, but today was different. Today, she was carrying my child, and that made it all so much better.

  “I love you, Goliath.”

  I placed my hand on her flat tummy imagining what it would look like in a few months, and I said, “I love you, too, Lil’.” I wanted to take her to bed and celebrate the good news, but we didn’t have time. We were supposed to be over at Bishop’s in less than 30 minutes.

  “We gotta get going. Bishop will be pissed if we’re late,” I warned.

  “Shit! I forgot all about going over there. Give me twenty minutes,” she shouted as she ran towards the bathroom. Once she shut the door, she yelled, “Hey Goliath?”

  “Yeah?”

  “You’re gonna be a daddy.” I shook my head in disbelief. Me? I was going to be a father. Yeah, this was the best Christmas ever. Damn, I didn’t care if we were going to be late. I had to have her. Now. I dropped my clothes to the floor and walked into the bathroom. Steam from Lily’s shower was already filling the room when I opened the door to the shower. Lily released a small gasp when she turned and saw me standing there. God she looked good standing there with water dripping off her tits. A sexy smile crossed her lips as I stepped into the shower and made my way over to her. I lifted her up, pulling her legs around me, and rested her back against the tile. I didn’t think I would ever get enough of that woman. I spent the next hour trying, but I left that shower knowing I’d need her again later that night.

  We were late to Bishop’s, but it was absolutely worth it. We made it just in time for lunch. Lily’s morning sickness had finally calmed down enough for her to actually eat something. She’d need to make a doctor’s appointment next week to make sure everything was okay, but I’d heard that morning sickness was actually a good sign.

  After lunch, everyone gathered in the living room to open presents. Whenever someone opened a gift, Lily would look over to me and smile. We both knew that we were already given the best gift of all. The only thing that could make the day any better would be JW. If Little Man were there, it would’ve been the absolute perfect day.

  Lily was talking to Tessa about the trip the next week, so I decided I would go over and check on Crack Nut. I turned to Bishop and said, “I’m gonna head over to the hospital for a while. You need anything while I’m out?”

  �
��Tell Crack Nut we’re meeting for church tonight at 7. As much as I hate to meet on Christmas, we need to get this shit sorted. Tell him about the accident. It’s time that he knew.”

  I nodded my head and looked over to Lily. “Keep an eye on her while I’m gone,” I told him.

  “You got some news you’d like to share?” Bishop asked. Damn. Never could keep anything from the guy. Creeped me the fuck out.

  “Not yet,” I told him and headed for the door. I wanted to keep this gift to myself - even if it was for just one day.

  Bobby was looking a little better. He even looked like he’d had a shower.

  “Hey man. Y’all having a good day today?” I asked.

  “Pretty much the same. Her fingers are twitching a little more today. I’m really hoping that’s a good sign,” Bobby said as he took her hand in his.

  “I need to talk to you about something,” I started. Bobby looked up at me and waited for me to continue. “It’s about Courtney’s wreck… It wasn’t exactly an accident.”

  “What the fuck are you talking about Goliath?” Bobby shouted.

  “The police went by to investigate the wreck. They came by the other day and said there were no deer tracks. It looked like she was run over the road... on purpose.”

  “Why are you just now telling me this?” Bobby snapped as he stood up from his chair.

  “It was a bad time. Didn’t think you needed to….”

  “That’s not your call!” he shouted. He was pissed, and I didn’t really blame him. I’d wanted to tell him earlier, but Bishop thought it was better to wait.

  “Look, you’re pissed. I get that, but you’re gonna have to rein that shit in. We need to figure out who did this. We’re meeting for church tonight at 7. Bishop wants you to be there.”

  “Whoever did this is going to pay,” Bobby said. “They’re gonna wish they never came near her.”

  I patted him on the shoulder and said, “We’ll make sure of it. Be at the club at 7.”

  He nodded, and I turned to leave. I looked back over to him and said, “Praying for her, brother. I really hope she pulls out of this.” Courtney’s parents were walking down the hall as I was heading towards the parking lot. It had to suck spending Christmas in a fucking hospital. Hopefully, she would wake up soon, and it would all be over.

  Lily looked exhausted by the time I made it back to Bishop’s. It was time for me to get her home. I only had an hour before we were supposed to meet at the clubhouse. We thanked Bishop for having us over, and I told him about the conversation with Crack Nut. He wasn’t surprised. Hopefully we would get a plan together tonight, and figure out how we were going to deal with this new club. They were a problem that needed to be eliminated.

  “Time to head home, Lily,” I called out to her. She stood up and gave Tessa and her kids a hug before walking over to me. I took her hand and led her out to the car. On the way home, she rested her head on my shoulder.

  “You need to get some rest, baby. You look tired,” I told her.

  “You really need to work on your compliments, Goliath. I don’t know if I can take much more of your flattery,” Lily said laughing.

  “You know I think you’re beautiful. No one compares to you, but it’s obvious that you are spent. Besides, I need to run to the clubhouse for a little while.”

  “Okay,” she whispered.

  “I won’t be long. We’ll try out one of those Will Ferrell movies when I get back.”

  “I’d like that.”

  I followed her inside and made sure she was settled before I headed over to the club. I wasn’t looking forward to leaving her, but we had to get this shit settled. Crack Nut was going to want revenge for Courtney, but we didn’t need to do anything we’d regret later.

  Chapter 29

  Lily

  I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open and it was only 6:30. I grabbed my favorite blanket and laid down on the sofa. My mind went straight to Goliath. I was worried about him. When he’d left, I could tell he had something weighing on his mind. I knew he was worried about the club, but he hadn’t talked to me about it. I wished that I had asked him about it, but I doubted he would’ve told me. He didn’t have to tell me that his brothers meant the world to him. I already knew that he’d do anything for that club. They felt the same way about him.

  I turned the TV on looking for my favorite Christmas movies. When I saw the kid in the bunny suit, it reminded me of spending Christmas at home with Hailey and Mom. Damn! I couldn’t believe I’d forgotten to call Mom. She had no idea about JW. I reached for my purse and grabbed my cell phone. It rang several times before her voicemail picked up.

  “Mom, it’s Lily. You need to call me. It’s about John Warren…. It’s important.” I hung up the phone and curled back up in my spot. I thought back to my time at Tessa’s house. She had a wonderful family, and I loved spending time with her kids. She was so excited when she talked about taking the kids to the mountains. They were leaving first thing in the morning, and they planned to stay there for the rest of her Christmas break. She found a little chapel in Sevierville, and they were getting married while they were there. I loved seeing her so excited about marrying Bishop. He’d made her a very happy lady, and I loved him for that.

  Without thinking I started rubbing my hand across my belly. It wouldn’t be long before Goliath and I had our own little family. I couldn’t believe how much my life had changed in just a few short months. I was truly happy. In fact, I couldn’t imagine anything in this world that could’ve made me happier than I was right at that moment.

  I closed my eyes hoping that I might be able to fall asleep, but my stomach kept growling. I rolled over to my other side, but it just wouldn’t stop. I gave up trying to sleep and tossed my covers to the side heading for the kitchen. For the first time in days, I was actually really hungry, so I made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and grabbed a few bags of chips. With my arms filled with junk food, I went back to my spot on the sofa. My favorite Christmas movie was still on, so I decided to watch it until Goliath got back.

  It wasn’t even eight o’clock when I heard a car pull into the driveway. I was expecting it to be Goliath, so I was surprised when I heard the knock on the front door. When I pulled the blinds to the side, I could see that whoever was here left their car running. I took my chances and opened the door. I was stunned when I saw Maverick standing on my front step. His arm was in a sling, and he had cuts and bruises all over his face and hands. I didn’t know what to think. My heart started to race when I thought about all the reasons why he would show up like this. Something had to be wrong. Without even saying hello to him, I reached in my pocket for my phone and dialed Goliath’s number.

  He answered on the first ring, “Lily? You okay?” he asked.

  “Can you come home?” I asked.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “I’m fine, Goliath. Just please come home,” I pleaded.

  “Be there in five,” he said just as I heard the engine start on his motorcycle.

  I turned my attention back to my surprise guest and said, “What happened Maverick? Why are you here?”

  “I need to talk to you and Goliath. Is he on his way back?”

  “He said he’d be here in 5 minutes. Come on in and we’ll wait for him inside,” I told him.

  “Give me a second. John Warren is still sleeping in the car. Let me go get him.”

  “John Warren? He’s here with you? Is he okay?”

  He didn’t respond as he turned and headed for the car. I watched as he opened the back door, and pulled John Warren out of his car seat. I couldn’t wait any longer. I raced over to Maverick and

  “He’s here. I can’t believe he’s really here!” I cried.

  John Warren looked up at me and smiled. He reached for the collar of my shirt and squealed. I was so excited to see him.

  “I don’t understand. You have to tell me what’s going on, Maverick?” I asked.

  “Let’s go i
nside and wait for Goliath.”

  Maverick reached into the backseat and grabbed John Warren’s bags throwing the straps over his good arm. I was beyond confused, but I did my best to hold back my questions until Goliath got here. I followed him through the front door and watched him set John Warren’s bags on the floor. We were just sitting down on the sofa when I heard Goliath’s bike pull into the driveway. I got up and met him at the front door.

  “Goliath….” I said stopping him at the front door. His eyes searched over John Warren looking for any signs that something was wrong. He finally looked over to Maverick noticing his arm and bruises.

  “Maverick, what the hell is going on?” Goliath asked.

  Chapter 30

  Goliath

  Crack Nut was completely losing it over Courtney’s accident. He was hungry for revenge, and most of us agreed with him. We just needed to make sure we had all had a level head so no one else got hurt. He didn’t see it that way. He spent the afternoon finding out everything he could about the Black Diamonds. There was more to this new club than we realized.

  They were based out of Detroit, and they weren’t exactly a club. The Black Diamonds were a gang, and they had every intention of expanding their territory with any means necessary. They liked to move into small towns and used fear to gain control of the area. These guys were young and stupid. I knew we could use that to our advantage, but it would take time. Crack Nut didn’t like that. He was hell bent on making his move now, and he wasn’t backing down. Renegade was trying to talk some sense into him when my phone rang.

  I left without saying a word to anyone. I didn’t like leaving when things were so heated between my brothers, but I didn’t have a choice. The tone in Lily’s voice concerned me, and I wasn’t going to waste any time getting to her. As soon as I got on my bike, I texted Bishop. I wanted him to be ready in case I needed him. I had no idea what was waiting for me at Lily’s.