by Harley Wylde
“A chapel?” I asked.
“Where else would I get married?” Casper asked.
Married? I stared at Venom, and he looked as surprised as I was. Who the fuck was VanHorne marrying? The man was known for having a string of mistresses, but he’d only ever said vows to one woman. Isabella’s mother. I didn’t know how my woman was going to handle the news.
“It’s not a love match, and my new wife is aware of that. But she’ll be taken care of, and that’s more than I can say for what would have happened to her if I hadn’t intervened,” Casper said.
“Quit being so fucking cryptic,” Venom said. “Tell us what the fuck is going on.”
“To put it in simple terms, Miguel Juarez had a little problem in the form of an illegitimate daughter. In exchange for me taking her off his hands, and promising that she will never again step foot in Mexico, he’s calling off his men.”
“So you married her?” Venom asked slowly. “Does she have a magic pussy or something?”
My phone dinged, and I pulled up the picture Casper had sent. My eyebrows nearly climbed into my hairline. The woman looked to be near Isabella’s age, and wore a body-hugging white lace dress that showed off every curve. She had what I’d always heard referred to as child-birthing hips, and her breasts nearly spilled out of their confines. She was attractive, and the smirk she was aiming at the camera combined with the sultry look in her eyes answered Venom’s question well enough.
“And you’re certain this means my woman is safe?” I asked. “Because if I set her loose on the town and some cartel fuck comes along and snatches her, you’re going to be the one I come after first.”
Casper chuckled. “I have a signed contract. In exchange for me taking Carmella, he will leave me and my family alone, and by extension that means they won’t fuck with you either.”
“Well, that’s rather anticlimactic,” Venom muttered. “But it’s better than waging all-out war.”
I heard her say something in Spanish, and her voice sounded like smooth whiskey. Yeah, Casper was going to have his hands full with that one. And just wait until Isabella found out her stepmother was around her age. I could only imagine how that was going to go down. My sweet woman might be mild-mannered from what I’d seen so far, but I wouldn’t put it past her to let her daddy know exactly what she thought about Carmella.
“My wife says that she would love to meet you sometime and that you and Isabella are welcome at our home any time you wish,” Casper said.
“Uh-huh,” I said. “I’ll be sure to let Isabella know that your wife of two minutes was kind enough to invite to visit her dad in the house she grew up in. Tell me, Casper, how well do you think that will go over?”
“Perhaps it’s best if they don’t meet just yet,” he said. “Or ever.”
“I’ll try to explain things to her,” I said.
He sighed. “Won’t matter. She’ll feel like I’m betraying her mother. When my wife died, I swore I would never marry again. And I’ve kept that vow all these years, but this was the only way I knew to make sure the cartel stayed away from my daughter. You were right. I should have never come to see her until I had things handled. She may be yours now, but it was my responsibility to take care of this, so I did. Hopefully she’ll be able to understand that one day.”
Carmella said something else, and Casper chuckled.
“My new bride is reminding me that I promised her father we’d be out of Mexico tonight, so I need to go. Tell Isabella that I will call her soon. For now, it’s probably best if I come visit her there, or we meet somewhere neutral.”
“Congratulations on your marriage, Casper,” I said. “Just do me a favor. Don’t have any more kids until Isabella has at least one.”
“No worries there. We won’t be having children at all.”
The woman said something else and sounded pissed-off. I had a feeling he’d omitted that part before he married her. Before the phone disconnected, I heard him yelling back at her in rapid Spanish. Well, that was going to be a fun honeymoon.
“So, just how pissed is your woman going to be?” Venom asked.
“I’m not sure I want to find out.”
He nodded, and we went back inside. Farrah had moved to Isabella’s lap, and the sight of her holding the little girl did funny things to me. She looked so happy as she talked to Ridley, while Farrah cuddled against her chest.
Venom looked from me to Isabella and chuckled.
“What?” I asked.
“I saw that look. The one that says you want to haul her out of here and start the baby-making process. You sure an old man like you can handle some rug rats running around?”
I punched him on the arm. “Asshole. Isabella has assured me I’m not old.”
He smirked but didn’t say anything else. If I didn’t know he was joking, I’d have kicked his ass for calling me old. It was one thing for me to do it myself and another for someone else to say it. We stood in the doorway, watching our women, until Ridley decided it was time to eat.
“I want Chinese,” Ridley said, coming to stand in front of Venom, her hand on her hip. “Your baby is demanding lo mein. And sweet and sour chicken. Maybe some shrimp fried rice and a few egg rolls. Oh! And egg drop soup, with wontons.”
Venom rubbed a hand over his beard. “Want me to bring it here?”
If I weren’t used to the massive amounts of food Ridley consumed when she was pregnant, I might have been surprised at her demands. But when she’d been about this far along with Farrah, I’d watched her eat two large pizzas all by herself, then she had a slice of cake almost the size of her plate.
Farrah toddled over and grabbed her daddy’s leg. Venom picked her up, kissed her cheek, and waited for Ridley to decide what she wanted to do. Isabella came to me, wrapping an arm around my waist.
“You hungry too?” I asked.
“I could eat. Maybe not as much as Ridley, but yeah, I’m hungry.”
Venom snorted. “That’s because an elephant isn’t as hungry as my woman when she’s pregnant.”
Ridley stomped on his foot, and Venom winced.
Pointing to her belly, she growled at him. “Do you see this? You did this to me. I’m incubating a human for you, so you’d better damn well feed me whatever I want when I want it. If I want Chinese food, the real stuff from China, then you’d better figure out how to get it to me.”
Venom rolled his eyes. “Are we all going or am I picking it up?” he asked again.
Ridley crossed her arms over the top of her rounded stomach. “I want to go, but I don’t want to change clothes first.”
“I think your yoga pants and T-shirt are cute,” Isabella said. “No one will say anything to you if you go out dressed like that.”
I kissed her cheek, thankful she was trying to calm Ridley down.
Ridley smiled at her. “I knew I liked you.”
“Fine. I’ll take you and Farrah in the truck, but I don’t think Torch and Isabella want to be crammed into the backseat with Farrah’s car seat.”
“We’ll take my bike,” I said. “Chang’s over on Fifth?”
Venom nodded.
While he loaded his family into the truck, Isabella and I took off on the bike. We only owned a few trucks, and since Venom was currently using one for his family, I knew we’d have to make some changes. My VP wasn’t hurting for money, so I’d let him know he needed to start shopping for something more permanent for Ridley and the girls. And now that I knew Isabella was safe, I planned to seriously start working on a baby. Which meant I needed another vehicle too.
I’d always hated riding anything but my bike. But I somehow didn’t think I’d mind so much if the beautiful woman I’d claimed was next to me, and our little one growing inside her. No, I didn’t think I’d mind that one little bit.
Chapter Seven
Isabella
Standing at the kitchen sink, I sipped my juice and looked out the small window. The sun was shining brightly, and the clock on the microw
ave said it was nearly nine. Connor had somehow managed to slip out of bed and leave the house without me hearing a thing. I’d woken to find his side of the bed cold, and I’d hugged his pillow close and closed my eyes a few more minutes. I’d been more tired than usual the last few days, but my breasts ached too so I figured my period was coming. It was a little late. Two weeks late, to be precise, but I’d never been all that regular. The stress in my life always had my body screwed up. But I didn’t have much to be stressed about right now.
Connor had assured me the issue with the cartel had been handled, even though he wouldn’t tell me what he’d done. When we’d come home from Ridley’s three weeks ago, he’d told me that I was safe. Just that morning he’d been worried, so I hadn’t believed him at first. The cartel didn’t just back down for no reason, after all. But then he’d called my dad, and Daddy had confirmed it too. Daddy had sounded off, and had hung up quickly, which wasn’t like him unless he was on a job. And I didn’t think he was on a job. I could have sworn I heard a woman in the background, but hadn’t really thought much of it. I knew my dad wasn’t exactly celibate, even if he had said he would never marry again. At sixty-two, he hardly had one foot in the grave. Although I tried really hard not to think about my dad having sex. That was just gross. Babies were supposed to come from the stork and not because your parents got naked.
Despite the assurance that I was safe, Connor still wanted at least one Prospect to go with me if I left the compound. Most times, it was Johnny who was assigned to me. He was just a year younger than me, and we got along really well. Even though I knew he had to hate going to the mall or hanging around outside the salon, he went wherever I did without complaint. There was a watchfulness to Johnny that made me feel safe with him. He was always scanning the area, looking for trouble, and I was never allowed to enter anywhere unless he’d checked it out first. Even the ladies’ bathroom, which had embarrassed me to no end at first. If he weren’t part of an outlaw club, he probably would have made a good cop. Those two definitely didn’t mix, though.
I didn’t really understand how the club worked. I knew they had to be doing something for money, and since Connor had just bought me a brand-new SUV, it had to pay well. I wasn’t certain I wanted the details, though. If I found out they owned whorehouses or something, I might lose it. My dad earned a less than honest living, but selling women or giving drugs to kids really bothered me. I knew whatever Connor was doing wasn’t legal. I might be a little naïve sometimes, but I wasn’t stupid. My dad didn’t exactly deal with law-abiding citizens. That he chose Connor for his only daughter told me plenty.
I took another swallow of juice, but my stomach suddenly pitched and rolled. My eyes widened as the glass slipped from my hand, bouncing off the counter and shattered across the floor as juice went everywhere. I jumped back, a piece of glass slicing into the sole of my foot, and went running for the downstairs bathroom. My knees had barely hit the floor before I was hunched over the toilet puking up everything I’d eaten that morning. I heard pounding on the front door, but couldn’t get up to answer it. My stomach heaved again, and again, until nothing was left to come up. Tears blurred my eyes as I curled up in the corner of the bathroom, my hand over my tummy.
There was more pounding at the door, but I was scared if I got up, my stomach wouldn’t be happy with me. After several minutes of silence, I heard the front door crash open, and Connor was yelling my name.
“Isabella!”
“In here,” I yelled back.
I heard him cursing as he came toward me. He paused in the bathroom doorway before coming forward and kneeling in front of me. His gaze was concerned as he reached over and ran a finger down my cheek.
“What’s wrong, baby? And why the hell are there bloody footprints in the hall?”
I winced. “I cut my foot when I dropped the orange juice glass. I was standing at the kitchen sink when I suddenly felt like I was going to throw up. Which I did several times when I got in here.”
He pressed the backs of his fingers to my forehead. “No fever.”
“Maybe I have a stomach bug. I’ve been a little tired lately.”
Connor closed the toilet, flushed it, then sat on the lid. He reached for my feet, inspecting first one and then the other.
“Where were you?” I asked.
“I called Church this morning. Then Johnny called my cell and said you weren’t answering the door, so I got worried and came to check on you.”
“I didn’t mean to worry you. He started knocking right about the time I had to run in here. I was scared to move afterward, in case it upset my stomach again.”
Connor leaned over and pulled out a kit from under the sink. He snapped the lid open and took out a large bandage and ointment, along with an alcohol wipe. I knew that was going to sting like a bitch. He picked up my injured foot again, cleaned the wound, then put the ointment and bandage on it.
“It doesn’t look that deep, but it’s a pretty long cut,” Connor said. “Might hurt to walk until it heals.”
Connor stood and lifted me into his arms. He set me on the counter and handed me some mouthwash. I was more than happy to get rid of the nasty taste in my mouth, then he carried me out of the bathroom and toward the front door. Johnny was leaning against the wall, and looked worried when he saw me in Connor’s arms.
“I’m okay,” I assured him.
“You’re not okay. You’re going to the doctor,” Connor said.
“But…”
His glare silenced me.
“Get her shoes by the back door,” Connor told Johnny. “Then meet us at the Expedition.”
Johnny nodded and took off toward the back of the house while Connor carried me out to the SUV and settled me on the passenger seat. He fastened the seatbelt across me, then kissed my lips softly.
“I think you took ten years off my life when Johnny said you wouldn’t answer the door.”
“I’m sorry.”
Connor cupped my cheek and kissed me again. “We’re going to get you checked out. Doc’s good to have around for an emergency, but I want to take you into town to see Doctor Myron. He’s Ridley’s doctor.”
My brow furrowed. “Her OB-GYN?”
Connor didn’t say anything and just stared at me.
“Wait, you think I’m pregnant?” I asked.
“Bella, I’ve taken you in the bed, on the dresser, in the shower, against the kitchen counter… every time my dick’s been hard, I’ve bent you over and claimed your pussy, filling you up with my cum. It’s not unreasonable to think you might be expecting.”
He wasn’t wrong, but I hadn’t even thought about that. I’d just thought maybe I was coming down with a bug. Johnny walked up and handed Connor the purple flip-flops I kept by the back door. Connor slipped them onto my feet, then closed the door. I couldn’t hear what he said, but Johnny nodded his head and walked off in the direction of the clubhouse. When Connor got into the car, he started it up and headed for the main gate.
I didn’t know who Doctor Myron was, but if Ridley was seeing him, maybe he was nice. Venom didn’t seem like the type to let his woman go to a mean doctor. I didn’t even know if Venom and Ridley were married, or if he’d just claimed her the way Connor had claimed me. Part of me wished there was a ring on my finger. I didn’t know if that would ever happen, though. Connor took good care of me, and he was sweet to me, but he didn’t love me. I didn’t know that he would ever love me. Unfortunately for me, I was pretty sure I was already in love with the man.
At the doctor’s office, Connor carried me inside, then made me sit while he checked me in at the counter. He returned with a clipboard, and I filled out the new patient forms. My dad had always made sure I had health insurance, but I didn’t know if it would cover having a baby. I added the information to the sheet just in case. I signed my name across the bottom, and Connor dropped the forms at the front desk. A few minutes later, my name was called, and Connor carried me up to the counter. I felt ridiculous. My fo
ot hurt, but I was almost certain I could walk on it. He eased me down onto my feet, and I tried not to glare at him over my shoulder.
“Miss VanHorne, your insurance requires a twenty-five dollar co-pay,” the woman in pink scrubs said.
I felt Connor at my back, and he handed the lady a credit card. She swiped it, had him sign the receipt. He tried to pick me up again, but I pushed at him, determined to walk. It hurt a little, but it was manageable. We sat and waited again. The minutes ticked by and it felt like we’d been waiting forever. By the time they called my name, my ass hurt from sitting for so long. They weighed me, took my temperature, and checked my blood pressure. The nurse didn’t say much as she recorded the information, but I noticed her eyes seldom left Connor. She was practically eating him up with her gaze. Heifer even licked her lips as she scanned him from head to toe. If I had to guess, I’d put her somewhere in her thirties, which meant she should have known better than to eye Connor like that, especially with me sitting right here. When she was finished eye-fucking my man and taking my vitals, she escorted us to a room and handed me a gown.
“You’ll need to strip down and put that on. Your dad can wait in the hall,” the nurse said, casting Connor a flirtatious smile.
Connor growled and narrowed his eyes. “She’s not my fucking daughter.”
The nurse pursed her lips, and a look of disgust crossed her face before she backed out of the room. I’d known not everyone would accept our relationship, but experiencing it firsthand didn’t feel so great. I took off my clothes and pulled on the gown before sitting on the table. The paper crinkled under my ass. Connor had taken up residence across the room, leaned back against the wall with his arms folded and his ankles crossed. He looked fucking pissed too. Great.
Thanks a lot, nurse bitch! If I was pregnant and that woman had ruined this visit, I was going to scream. I didn’t want Connor to look back on the day he found out he’d be a daddy and remember that woman’s words. I fully intended to say something to the doctor. Obviously, the woman didn’t know how to be a professional.