by Sam Crescent
Bennie nodded.
She watched as Gunner pressed his head to Bennie’s. “I love you, son, never ever doubt that.”
Tears filled her eyes. She’d felt that love herself, and if she had any doubts about Gunner’s feelings for her, they left her at what she’d just witnessed.
****
Later that night John stood in Gunner’s bedroom. He’d dealt with the cleanup of Finn’s body, and then gone into work to handle some of his clients and make sure he didn’t get behind there. He loved being an accountant. There was something satisfying and constant in his work, and he didn’t want to lose anyone.
He didn’t need the money and already had a great deal put away in savings, but he liked to work.
“You want me to do what?” John asked.
“The VP patch,” Gunner said, holding it up. “It’s yours. The club wants you in, John. You don’t have to prospect either. You can come straight in as VP. You’ve proven yourself tenfold. They trust you, respect you, and know you’ll do right by the club. There’s no one else I want, John. I kept Kent close because I thought it would be the right thing, and look how that turned out. There’s no one else, just you.”
“You keep on saying that.” He took the VP patch from Gunner and stared at it. He ran his thumb across the print and sighed. “I don’t know.”
“You can do this. If you lose clients, so fucking what. You’ll have a piece of the club pie. I swear Scarlett will be set for life, and she’d have the protection of the club.”
“It’s not about the money.”
“Then what?”
“I don’t deal with the runs, and the shit I don’t want, Gunner. I know you’ve got your fingers in a lot of shit, but that’s not mine.” John placed the badge on the bed and shook his head. “The only reason I never joined this club was because I didn’t want to have prolonged time away from my girl. I can’t do this. I can’t do what you’re going to want me to do.”
“That’s it? The drugs and guns, that’s your limit.”
“I will do everything to protect my family, Gunner, and you’re part of that. I don’t need a patch to help me make a decision. I’ve got nothing against you or the club, but I’m not going to be your VP.”
Gunner sighed. “You know, I didn’t think you’d take this patch but I thought it would be worth a try.”
“I’m not going to tell you how to run your club, Gunner. You’ve been doing a good job of it.”
Gunner snorted. “Yeah, that good of a job that I’ve got a price on my head and a traitor out there.”
“We’ll find Kent.” John had no doubt that they would. They had men everywhere looking for him, and not just club men either.
He watched as Gunner sat down on the edge of the bed, and for the first time in their life, he actually looked tired.
“Scarlett threw up today,” Gunner said.
“I know.”
“No, she threw up and then was better.”
John was aware of what had happened today, but like a lot of stuff, he’d not had time to process everything, so he’d not given it a lot of thought.
“I went to the pharmacy at the hospital,” Gunner said. “I have a pregnancy test for her to try.”
“Gunner—”
“She has to know. We can’t hide it from her anymore.”
John paced the length of the room. This was one of the reasons why he hadn’t given it much thought and had refused to think about it.
Scarlett being pregnant gave them all a time limit.
He had to tell her the truth.
“She may not be upset with us,” Gunner said. “She’s been having sex without a condom and not said anything. Maybe she hoped that I’d get her pregnant.”
The sound of a laugh drew John’s attention, and there his wife stood. Tears were in her eyes, and she glared at them both.
“What?” she asked. Her gaze kept going from him to Gunner, then back to him. “I’m sure I just misheard that. What the hell are you two talking about?”
John made to step toward her, but she stepped back, holding up her hand.
“I don’t want you to touch me right now. I don’t want anyone to touch me.” Her hand stayed in the air.
“How much did you hear?” Gunner asked.
“You have a pregnancy test for me and that you have to tell me something. Tell me what exactly?”
John stared at her, feeling his heart breaking. He couldn’t stand to see her cry, and yet those tears were real, and he was the one to put them there. “Baby, I can’t get you pregnant.”
“I know that. I was with you when we got the results. You didn’t want to talk about adoption or IVF. You just wanted to pretend that nothing happened.”
“I didn’t. I didn’t want you to go through that.”
“Why?”
“Time. I didn’t want you to have to wait and risk us being rejected, and then with IVF, the procedure can be painful for some women.”
The first of her tears started to drop as she looked at him.
“So, what did you decide?” she asked.
“Gunner has two sons. He’s fertile, and I knew the way he looked at you. He loved you. He probably didn’t realize that he loved you, but I knew he wanted you, and I wanted you to have his baby, and so I asked him. I asked him to put a baby inside you.”
She didn’t wipe her tears away as she looked at him. “So you just took that decision completely out of my hands. You didn’t think to consult me on how I feel or felt.”
“Come on, Scarlett. He was inside you and coming inside you. You must have known what was happening. You’re not stupid.”
“No, I’m not stupid, but I thought he had a vasectomy, John. I thought he couldn’t have kids. I thought this entire thing was you guys wanted to be together because you’ve been denying yourself for years. I had no idea that he could still have children. Carlos is sixteen, and I remembered you guys talking about it and that he had an appointment. He went out of town.”
“I went out of town, but I didn’t go for the procedure. I didn’t want to. I simply divorced Cherry, and never slept with her. I’ve bagged my dick up every single time since,” Gunner said.
She pressed her hand to her stomach.
“There’s a chance you’re pregnant, Scarlett, with my baby,” Gunner said. “Your sickness this morning and your speedy recovery. I don’t want to hurt you, but you need to know.”
She sniffled.
“Where’s your test?”
John made to step toward her, but she shook her head. “No, I don’t want you to touch me.”
“You wanted a baby, Scarlett.”
“Yeah, I did, and I wanted it to be a choice we made. You went behind my back. You manipulated everything to suit your own needs. That’s not what our marriage is supposed to be about, John. Wow, and I felt so guilty for bringing you two together when you both loved each other.”
Her lip quivered, and he felt like the world’s biggest asshole.
Gunner stepped forward, holding out the box. “There’s two inside. In case you need to take the two.”
She took the box without touching either of them. John watched as she stepped toward the bathroom and wouldn’t let either of them near her.
Gunner looked fucking sick, and John didn’t feel much better right now. His heart was breaking, but he knew this would happen.
The time kept on ticking, and he and Gunner just stood outside the bathroom, waiting.
Yes, he thought she’d be upset, but he’d intended to tell her face to face, neither of them hiding.
He ran a hand through his hair, his mouth dry.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she opened the door. Her face was pale.
“Both of them say I’m pregnant.” She wiped away her tears. “I want to go home.”
“Scarlett,” he said, hoping to get her to see reason.
“No, I want to go home, and right now I don’t want to look at you.” She glared at him. “We’r
e married, John. We came together and promised to love each other, and to be honest about everything. This … it wasn’t … it hurts right now, and I need to go because I don’t want to say something that I’d regret.”
“You’re going to have to take someone from the club,” Gunner said.
“That’s fine.”
John watched as Gunner followed Scarlett out of his home. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he felt like he’d been kicked in the stomach. He’d never felt anything as fucking painful as right now knowing his wife couldn’t stand to be near him. He loved her more than anything in this world, and he’d hurt her as well.
Minutes passed before his friend returned.
“Billy and Ford are staying with her,” Gunner said. “I’ve told them to protect her with their lives if they have to.”
“I fucked up big time,” John said, looking up. “She’s one of the best things that ever happened to me, and I screwed it up.”
“Then we win her back. That’s my baby she’s going to have, John. I don’t want to miss a moment of that time with her. I’ll help you win her back.”
John had to have hope. The thought of not being with her killed a part of him inside.
Chapter Thirteen
Scarlett got it confirmed with the doctor that she was indeed pregnant. She smiled for the doctor and the nurse, but she couldn’t bring herself to jump for joy. All this time, she’d been wanting to talk to John about pregnancy options, and he’d employed his best friend for his sperm.
Leaving the doctor, she stopped when she saw it was Gunner in the car waiting.
“Where’s Billy?” she asked.
“I took over for him. We need to talk.”
She stared at the man that she had been falling for. A man she’d cared about and who she knew her husband loved so passionately.
He opened the car door and took her hand, and she slid into the passenger seat. She hated this feeling that was swirling inside her. They were going to have a baby. She had a little human being inside her, growing. All she had wanted for a couple of months was the prospect of getting pregnant, and now everything felt upside down. She couldn’t make sense of what the hell was happening in her life.
The happiness that she had been feeling moments ago was gone.
“Will you take me to the hospital? I would like to spend some time with Bennie.” She hoped that trying to cheer him up, she’d be able to do so for herself. She didn’t want to be a bitch or a bore.
“I’ll take you to the hospital, but you’ve got to talk to me. We didn’t want this for you, Scarlett.”
“You both organized this without even asking me. I’m now pregnant, and it’s your baby. What about you? What do you want out of this?” she asked.
“I want what I’ve always wanted.”
“And what is that?”
“You.”
She shook her head. “No, I’m not going to believe that all you wanted was the chance to be with me. I’m not some perfect model or some saint, Gunner. I’m just me. I’m just Scarlett Williams, your best friend’s wife.”
“Exactly. You love your husband. You’re sweet, kind, loving, and I wanted a piece of that for myself, and if it meant I had to put my baby inside you, then I was willing to do it just to have a part of you.” He reached out, even as he was driving, and she didn’t push his hand away as he placed his palm across her stomach.
Pleasure filled her at his touch, and she closed her eyes. She was having Gunner’s baby. He had a right to touch her stomach, and to be part of it.
“Is this what you agreed with John?”
“I told him I wanted to be part of his life. This was before you saw us together or that I could have you both, and I want that, Scarlett.”
“What?”
“I want you both. I’m a greedy bastard, and I want you both. Right now, you hate us for discussing this without you, and I get it, I really do, but you’re having my kid. Be brokenhearted, but don’t keep me away from my child. I love you, Scarlett. I love you, and I love John. I’m going to love our baby when you give birth, and if you want another kid, I’ll give you another kid. I will give you everything your heart desires.”
Tears fell down her cheeks, and she hated that she was crying again already.
Gunner pulled up in front of the hospital and turned toward her. She couldn’t look away from him. The intensity of his stare shocked her with how much he seemed to see. He reached out, stroking her cheek.
She wanted to tell him that she loved him too, but her own stubbornness kept the words locked up tight.
“I’ll come and pick you up. We can have dinner or something.”
“I’m not very hungry right now.”
“I’m not going to leave you alone, Scarlett. I’m not that kind of guy, and I’ve never been wired that way.” He leaned forward, gripping the back of her neck as he claimed her lips.
Once again, her treacherous body responded to his kiss. She didn’t want him to stop, and wanted more, always so much more. One kiss was never enough.
“I love you.”
She climbed out of the car with his words hanging in the air. She didn’t say a word, and made her way up to Bennie’s room.
The moment she saw Bennie she forced a smile to her lips, and he frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing.”
“You look like you’ve been crying.”
“I’ve not been crying. I’m fine.”
She kept the smile on her lips as she put her bag on the floor and stepped toward him. Pressing a kiss to his head, she glanced down at the book he was reading. “Is that a romance book?”
“It’s a book, and it’s kind of cool.”
“Okay. You’re not trying to impress some girl?”
“No, I’m not. Do you think reading a book could impress a girl?”
“I think so. John always thrilled me when he was able to talk about a book I’d read.” The mention of John made her smile drop, but she distracted Bennie by looking through the pages. “Is this for a girl?”
“I know she’s reading it. I saw her in school with it, and seeing as you brought it along, I figured why not.”
She was about to answer him when there was a knock at the door. Scarlett looked up and saw a girl on the bigger side. She held some flowers and a card in her hand. It was a large card. Her cheeks were on fire.
“Erm, I hope it’s okay that I came. Everyone signed it at school, and we hope you’re doing well.” She kept stuttering over her words as she talked.
“Come in, Gemma. This is my dad’s friend, Scarlett. Scarlett, this is my friend, Gemma.”
Scarlett stood up, holding out her hand, and Gemma shook it. “It’s good to see you. Bennie could use the company.”
She turned to look at Bennie, eyeing the book he had in his lap and nodding her head at Gemma.
He gave her a look that told her to shut up but also confirmed her suspicions. “I’m going to leave you two for a few minutes. Go and grab a coffee or something. Stay, Gemma. I’m sure Bennie is hating my company, me being all old and stuff.”
She grabbed her bag and left the room. Looking inside, she saw Gemma take a seat and lean close, showing him the card that had been signed.
He was a good kid.
Leaving the room, she made her way down to the cafeteria. The scents instantly turned her stomach. She quickly left so that she didn’t throw up. She found a vending machine and purchased a bottle of water and some cheese crackers.
“Well, well, well, look what the tide brought in,” Cherry said.
It wasn’t the first fat joke that had been directed her way, and it wouldn’t be the last. One bite of cheese cracker and Scarlett realized how hungry she was.
“Are you here to see Bennie?”
“Yes. I bet he’s begging for his mommy.”
Scarlett raised a brow. She wasn’t interested right now. After the evening and morning, she was at her wits’ end with bitches and liars. “It took you long
enough to care.”
Cherry glared at her. “Why don’t you just eat your way into a coma or something? Useless bitch.”
“I will, thank you. Maybe then I could stop listening to your irritating voice.”
Cherry shook her head. “You know, I don’t get it when it comes to you. Men like a woman that doesn’t squash them, and yet Gunner and John act like shit doesn’t fall out of your ass.”
“Colorful,” she said, wrinkling her nose.
“It’s kind of funny though. It has to take two men to knock you up. Makes you wonder if it’s because of all the layers of fat that sperm has to get through.”
Scarlett didn’t say a word. She looked at Cherry, waiting for more, and there was.
“You may walk around town with your kid when you finally get one, but we will all know that it’s not John’s baby. It’ll be Gunner’s because he’s the only one man enough to knock you up.”
All hunger ended as Cherry threw her parting words, and Scarlett stood there in the corridor, alone and feeling completely winded.
She didn’t know what to do. She was so confused.
****
John sat at home, nursing a shot of whiskey and waiting for his wife to arrive. All day he’d given her space, and then after Gunner had called him, he’d been determined to see her, to talk to her.
He didn’t know exactly what he could say to the woman he loved that would explain why he did what he did.
“I thought I told you that you were to leave her alone,” Gunner said.
Sitting back in his sofa, he tipped the whiskey to the back of his throat and glared at Gunner. “She’s my wife, and we may fuck each other, but you don’t get to tell me what to do.” His heart clenched at the shot of pain he saw flash across Gunner’s eyes. This wasn’t helping either of them.
“She’s still got my baby, and I’ll let that fucking comment slide for now.” Gunner paced the room.
“It’s confirmed then?”
“Yes. She went to the doctor today, and there’s a baby. Why didn’t you listen to me?” Gunner asked.
John shrugged. “I don’t take orders from you. I want to see her, try to explain things. To make this work again. We were all having a lot of fun.”