by Erin Osborne
Just before I go in to get a cold drink, I hear the rumble of Bear’s tow truck. He backs in and lets the flat bed down while Bishop takes him over my keys. I stay on the porch and watch as they load my car up and make sure it’s tied down real good before we head out. When I know they’re ready to leave, I make my way over to the truck so Bear can help me in. As always, there’s a prospect being left at the house. Now he’s here to make sure that no one tries to come in and sell our home while we’re gone, that my parents aren’t going to come in and try to pull some shit, and that no one else will show up for revenge against the club or me because of the men that were killed. To anyone they’re affiliated with, it won’t matter why they were killed, it will only matter that they were. So, the club is taking extra precautions around anyone that has homes away from the clubhouse and at the club’s businesses.
“You good baby girl?” Bear asks once he’s helped me up in the truck.
“Yeah. I think we need to talk about the car though. Bear, I want to get rid of it and buy a new one. One that’s not tied to the kidnapping and keeps getting flat tires,” I tell him, not wanting to wait to talk about this.
“It’s your money babe. If you want a new car, we’ll go shoppin’ for one in a few days. Can you wait that long?” he asks before shutting my door and walking around to the driver’s side.
“Yeah. Let’s just get to work so I can finish the paperwork and see what else needs to be added to the schedule,” I respond, as he climbs up in the driver’s seat of the truck.
The ride is quiet as we make the short journey to the garage. When we pull in, Bear parks the truck and tells me that he’ll pull it in as soon as he’s finished with the oil change and tires on the car in his bay. He follows me into the office and sees that I have a stack of paperwork to get through and messages waiting to be answered. Putting my bag away in the desk drawer, I sit down and turn on the computer so that I can get to work.
“Baby girl don’t schedule anythin’ for me for the next week. Spread it out between the rest of the guys,” Bear says, not letting me in on what’s going on right this second.
“What’s up?” I ask, needing to know what he has planned as I turn my attention from the computer to him.
“Goin’ on a trip. We both need some time away from everythin’ and I’ve got everythin’ booked. Only thing left to do is pack a bag when we get home today,” he answers, sitting on the edge of the desk.
“That sounds good babe. What about the garage?” I ask, knowing that he’ll have made arrangements for this too.
“Renegade will be here when he’s needed. Other than that, the guys can handle any work that comes in. They can take shifts for any tow calls too. If they get too busy, the guys in the club will be there to back them up,” he answers, leaning down to kiss me on my forehead before heading out to get his work for the day done.
Meanwhile, I get busy returning phone calls and adding work to the white board I had the guys install behind the desk. Bear only takes a break to come in and have lunch with me. I was so busy with the work I have in the office that I didn’t even realize that it was lunch time. So, I’m glad my man was paying attention to it. Otherwise I would have gone all day without eating and I know that’s not good for the baby. I’m going to have to start setting an alarm so that I can get lunch from now on. We talk about where he’s taking me and how we’re going to spend the time we have with just the two of us. It will be the first time we’ve been secluded from the club since we got together. I’m nervous that we won’t have backup if anything should happen, but Bear’s doing his best to assure me that no one will know where we are. Renegade is the only one who knows and they’ve arranged a check-in system so no one will know that we’re not in town.
Psycho and Hadliegh are staying at the house so that no one knows we’re not there. The only difference is that they’ll be staying in and won’t be leaving. So, I’m sure that anyone that may be watching the house will notice that, but it doesn’t seem to be that big of a deal. I’m happy that my friend is out of the clubhouse and will be staying in our home. It’s an arrangement that I’ll be hoping to make permanent when we get back. The decision is Hadliegh’s though.
The rest of the day went flying by in a blur. We managed to get everything done that we had to before we left and now we’re getting close to the cabin that Bear rented for the week. I’ve had my eyes wide open the entire trip because I haven’t had the chance to go anywhere other than Shadowville. Between work, the kidnapping, and trying to clean up my grandma’s house there just hasn’t been an opportunity for exploring.
We’ve been on the road for a few hours now and Bear said that we should be there in another half hour or so. Right now, we’re travelling on a dirt road surrounded by trees in the middle of nowhere. It’s as peaceful as when I’m sitting out on the porch or wandering around the backyard at home. I’m content as we bounce along the road with Bear holding my hand. He hasn’t let go of me since we got in my car and left for our time alone.
“We’re almost there, baby girl. As soon as we break into the clearin’ you’ll be able to see the little lake and the cabin we’ll be in,” Bear finally says as I pull my attention from the forest to him.
I turn my attention to the front of the car in anticipation of seeing where we’ll be for the next week. The trees are becoming a little sparser as we get closer to the clearing. I’m almost bouncing in my seat as excitement flows through my veins. Bear chuckles at me when we finally pull into the clearing and I see a quaint cabin surrounded by trees with a small lake off to the side. There’s a dock with a small row boat tied to the end of it. This place looks so perfect and tranquil as Bear stops the car in front of the small building.
Getting out of the car, I stretch my body and breathe in the fresh scent of pine trees and nature. Bear grabs the bags out of the trunk of the car while I take in my surroundings. I follow him up to the door where he pulls a key down from above the door frame. After he opens the door, he steps aside and lets me go in first. The sight takes my breath away. There’s a small living room with a fireplace built into the wall. Stone lines the fireplace and goes all the way to the ceiling. A TV sits on the stand in front of the windows in the front of the room. Behind the living room is a kitchen with an island holding the stove and a small table that sits off to the left of the island. I see a hallway and take off to see what’s down there. The first door contains a claw foot tub, toilet, and small vanity. There’s a window that’s open letting in the fresh air. When I look in the last door down the hallway, I see a bedroom. The gigantic bed takes up most of the room leaving space for a small chair in the corner and a dresser. A door stands open and I can see a small closet in case we have anything to hang up. Instantly, I fall in love with the little retreat and I run out to find Bear so I can thank him.
“Thank you,” I tell him between peppering kisses along his face and down to his jaw line.
Bear laughs as I wrap my legs around him. He holds me up as he carries me into the bedroom so I can show him how much I love this little vacation he planned for us. As soon as we’re in the room, he lays me down on the middle of the bed and continues to kiss me while undressing me. The only time he breaks the kiss is when he pulls my shirt over my head. I hope this is the beginning of how we’re going to be spending our time away.
Bear
The last few days have been amazing. Callie and I have spent our time lounging in the sun, fishing on the lake once I taught her how, and just enjoying one another. We’ve tried more things that Callie’s wanted to do sexually and I swear that she’s going to be the death of me with how insatiable she’s become since getting pregnant. I’ll show her anything that she wants to learn and do almost anything with her. The only thing she’s not getting is a threesome. I’m not gonna share her with another man and she said that she won’t share me with another woman. So, we’re on the same page as far as that goes.
I’m sitting on the porch waiting for her to get out of the show
er so that we can go for a walk on one of the little trails through the woods that we’ve been walking down every day and thinking about the first time I took her fishing. We went out on the little boat and I figured Callie would just want to relax back and get some sun. Nope, not my girl. She wanted me to teach her how to fish. So, I showed her how to put a worm on her hook and then how to cast the line out. Callie almost hooked me when she went to throw her line out and we ended up laughing so hard that the boat started rocking to and fro violently. It almost put a damper on our day because she got sick. But, Callie was determined to learn how to fish and that’s what she was gonna do. We sat out on that little lake for hours until she got a bite. Callie reeled in a small as hell gold fish but she was so happy and excited. Hell, she almost fell out of the boat in her excitement. It was one of the best days we’ve had here. And it just cemented the fact that I want to give her these moments every single day of our lives.
“Almost ready babe,” Callie calls out from the door. “I just need to find my sneakers.”
“There in the bedroom under the side of the bed,” I answer her, knowing that she’ll spend hours looking for them and never think to check the bedroom.
“Thanks,” I hear muffled back as she walks toward our room.
Standing up, I check the backpack one more time to ensure that I have everything we’ll need today. We only have two more days here and I plan on making the most of them. So, I’ve got bottles of water, some fruit, and a blanket in case Callie gets tired and wants to rest. I’ve also packed some bug repellent in case the bugs come out in force like they did the other night when we got caught out in a rain storm. My poor girl was covered in bites and I’ve been coating her with cream so that she’ll stop itching them.
Callie comes out just as I zip the bag back up and sling it over my shoulders. She looks radiant in her shorts and tank top. She’s stolen one of my hats to keep the sun out of her face leaving her long blond hair hanging loose down her back after she pulled it through the back of the hat. A smile is lighting up her face as she looks at me.
“I’m ready to go. Are we staying out for the whole day or coming back for lunch and dinner?” she asks, stopping by my side.
“I don’t know yet. We’ll see what we find and what happens,” I answer her because who knows what we’ll find while we’re out exploring today.
“Let’s do this then,” she answers, bouncing down the stairs and taking the lead of today’s hike.
I follow her through the woods but keep an eye on her so that she doesn’t trip over anything. The last thing I need is for her to trip and get hurt from falling over a branch or something like that. So, I stay close to her but enjoy the view of her ass in front of me. It’s one of my favorite views for now. She’s slowly growing a baby bump and I can’t wait to see her when she’s big and round with our baby nestled inside her safe and sound until he or she’s ready to meet us all.
We’ve been walking for a while now and I can hear the sound of water rushing. Callie hears it too and she comes to a complete stop so that she can hear it better. Suddenly she rushes off to the right of us and I have to run to follow her through the thickness of the trees. Suddenly we come to a clearing with a waterfall flowing down into a shallow pool. It’s amazing to see. I stand back and watch as Callie walks over to the edge of the pond and sit down. She takes off her shoes and socks before sticking her feet in the water.
“Babe, the water is so warm,” Callie tells me, turning her head to look back at me as I sit down on a rock that’s not far from where she’s sitting.
“You gonna rest there for a while?” I ask her, knowing that she’s gotta be getting tired from the walking.
“Yeah. I thought it was peaceful at the lake, but this place is no comparison,” she answers, turning her attention back to the water in front of her.
The two of us sit in silence while nature goes on around us. Before too long, we watch as two deer appear on the opposite side of the small pond. Callie stops swirling her feet in the water so that she doesn’t chase them away. It’s almost like she stops breathing so that the deer will get as close to her as possible. I watch in amazement as the deer walk to edge of the water and begin to drink out of it. One of them lifts their head up and look at us for a few minutes before scampering off into the woods.
“That was awesome!” she says, turning her head toward me after the deer have run away and we can talk again.
“Yeah it was baby girl. Are you ready to head back to the cabin?” I ask her, knowing that I don’t want to be in the woods after dark because I forgot the flashlights.
She nods her head and pulls her feet out of the water. I throw a small towel at her so she can dry her feet off before putting her socks and shoes back on. Once we’re heading out of the woods, I pull my knife out so that I can mark one of the trees to get back to the waterfalls. Plans for tomorrow night are falling into place. It’s our last night and I’m going to make it as memorable as possible for my girl.
Callie’s already got my baby in her belly and her property patch will be given to her as soon as I patch into the club. She needs one more thing so that every motherfucker out there knows that this amazing woman is mine. There won’t be a doubt left in anyone’s mind that Callie is mine in every single way. Hell, Corrinth told me that she’d have my balls if I didn’t lock shit down with her before we came home. I believe it from her.
Last night was a quiet night for us. It was chilly out so I lit a fire and we hung out in front of the fire place and talked. She was tired after hiking through the woods so we went to bed early and I held her until she fell asleep. When I knew she was out cold, I got up to make sure that I had everything ready for today. I’ve got everything packed in the backpack and ready to go for our adventure today.
This morning Callie got up refreshed and ready to go out for our last day here. She was ready to go before I was in all honesty. Now, we’re on our way back to the waterfall and little pond that we found yesterday. She wanted to spend our last day here to see if we could find the deer again. We’ve spotted them a little way away from the cabin, but nothing as close as when we were at the waterfall. What my girl wants, she gets. So, we’re back on our way to the spot in the woods that she’s taken to call ‘our spot’.
When we get there, Callie strips out of her clothes and relaxes on the edge of the pond in her bikini. You can really see her small baby bump today. I let her relax and spend time with her feet in the water before I pull out everything I need to make today special.
We’ve been here for a few hours and I know that the timing is right. So, while her attention is on the water and the wildlife surrounding us, I lay out a blanket, put the bottle of sparkling juice on the corner of the blanket, and take a seat in the middle of the blanket. Callie sees me sitting there and pulls her feet out of the water to walk over to me. She takes a seat in the middle of my spread legs and relaxes back against me. For a few minutes we sit in silence while I pull up the nerve to do what needs to be done now.
“Baby girl, gotta talk to you,” I tell her, causing her to sit up and turn toward me at the seriousness of my voice.
“Is everything okay?” she asks, a nervous tremble making her voice shaky and unsure.
“Everythin’ is fine. Callie, you have rocked my world and turned it upside down. I never thought that someone could get me the way that you do or have such an instant connection as what we have. From the second I laid eyes on you; I knew that we would be together. I’m not gonna lie, I fought it so hard for so long because I had that much respect for your grandma. I love you more than I’ve ever thought possible and one day you’ll be my ol’ lady. That’s not good enough for me though. I want every asshole to know that you’re mine. Will you marry me?” I ask, pulling out the ring box and opening it for her to see.
Callie’s eyes widen in shock. She truly had no idea that I had this planned for this week. Tears shimmer, but she doesn’t let them fall as she remains unmoving and silent. I’m begin
ning to get nervous when she doesn’t say a word or give any indication of what she’s going to say after a few minutes. Just as I go to stand up and put the ring back in my pocket, Callie wraps her arms around my neck and says yes repeatedly in my ear. I finally feel the first tear drop fall against my shoulder while I pull back far enough to look at her face and slip the ring I got her on her finger.
Her eyes cut down to her finger as she takes in the ring for the first time. The band is silver with diamonds encircling it. At the top where the diamond should be sits a sapphire that’s held in place by a skull on either side. I chose the sapphire because when she’s happy or turned on, her eyes turn the darkest shade of blue that almost rivals the color in the sapphire.
“It’s so beautiful,” she says, glancing up at me.
“I’ve never seen anyone as beautiful as you. It’s not just how you look, it’s the way you treat those surroundin’ you and how you give yourself so freely to the people you love. I love you more than you’ll ever know, Callie,” I tell her honestly as I sit back down and wait to see what her next move will be.
“I love you Bear. So much. You’ve given me more in such a short amount of time than I ever dreamed possible. I’ll never be able to thank you for that,” she answers, making her way back over to me and curling up in between my legs. “Do we have to leave here?”
“You know we have to get back baby girl,” I tell her, knowing exactly how she feels right now.
“I know we do. So, let’s pack everything up and head home so that we can celebrate with our friends tonight before just the two of us celebrate,” she says, standing up so that she can get a drink before we head back to the cabin to pack what we brought and make sure everything is cleaned up.