“You sure? You don’t need a doctor or anything, because you don’t look so great, darlin?” Thank you Captain Obvious. I’m well aware of my less than put together appearance, but way to make a woman feel like shit in five seconds buddy.
“Nothing a double cheeseburger, extra fries, case of beer, twenty-four straight hours sleep, and a hot bath won’t solve. But seeing as the beer’s out, I’ll just have to settle for the half tub of Ben and Jerry’s I’ve got in the freezer, a warmish bath because the water heater’s on the fritz again, and eight hours sleep since I have a job to look for tomorrow.”
I won’t lie, I’m glad I’m not working at Kitty Kat’s anymore. The tips were great, I got along with most of the girls, and I loved working for Marlene, but apparently pregnant women, newly or not, do not make the right kind of impression on the customers. Go figure. I would’ve thought it would be good for business, not. Marlene broke it to me nicely, she even said I had a job to come back to after the baby was born, but she couldn’t keep me on right now. I get it, I really do. That doesn’t negate the fact that I need a job to pay the bills, and a nest egg to rebuild.
Doctors are expensive, more so when you don’t have, and can’t afford health insurance. When I miscarried at fourteen weeks I didn’t once stop to consider what the procedure cost, the medications to help me sleep, for pain, and the total of the follow up appointments. Emily took care of everything all I had to do was get better and heal. Now that I’m covering the cost of appointments, vitamins, baby furniture and clothing, plus my normal expenses, it’s not going to be long before I’m going to have to ask her for help again. I’m not quite there yet, but it won’t be long, especially if I don’t find another job quickly.
Chuckling pulls me out of my head, and I swing around to see Trig’s eyes full of laughter. It’s a good look on him.
“I think we can do better than Ben and Jerry’s, darlin’. How about I swing past a drive-thru on the way, and get you something a bit more substantial than ice cream, yeah?”
Oh, there is indeed a God. And it might just be Trig. Linking my arm through his bent elbow, and gesture to the door.
“Lead on my man, cheeseburgers await.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Max
“If assholes could fly, this place would be an airport.”
- Licence Plate
Just when I thought Adelyn couldn’t get any fucking hotter she had to go and up the stakes again. Adelyn waving around a gun in a clubhouse full of bikers probably wasn’t her wisest move, but for now, the fact she’s carrying my baby is enough to keep their weapons stowed, and their shit under control. I hate to think what would’ve happened to her if she wasn’t pregnant and had done the same thing, my brothers wouldn’t have been as tolerant that’s for sure. That thought leads me to my next one, which is making sure that no matter what Adelyn is never touched, not a single fucking hair on her head.
Not everything people read about MC’s in those stupid fucking romance novels is bullshit, most of it but not all. One thing that’s close to being true is when you want a woman, permanently that is you claim her. Openly and publically. There’s no voting her in by your brothers, or any of that shit. You make a decision, and then you make it happen, that’s the way we live life. We live hard, we ride hard, and we love even fucking harder. So it came as no surprise to me, or anyone else that when I realised I was in love with Adelyn it was already too late. I was head over heels for her, and I’d done nothing but fuck it up in the worst way possible.
You name it I did it. I spoke to her like shit, treated her to the worst my personality has to offer, called her fucking names, picked women up taking them home to fuck them when I knew she would find out, instigated my brothers, my family to join in on her humiliation, fuck, I don’t think there’s anything I didn’t do to prove that I’m a fucking bastard. And there’s not a damn thing I can do to take it back. To explain to her I didn’t mean it, the words I spat with so much fucking distaste you’d think they were acid. That those women didn’t mean anything, they didn’t come close to what we had that one night together. They couldn’t even get me off I was too wrapped up in her, and I didn’t even know it. Oh I knew my head was fucked up over her, but I had no idea I’d gone ahead and fallen in love with the little spitfire.
What I feel for Adelyn is so different to what I felt for Carly I dismissed it as lust, fascination, and desire. I might not have been in love with Carly, ever, but I didn’t know that, really know that until I was forced to face what I felt for Adelyn. If it wasn’t for Emily’s visit, Steel convincing me to think about the prospect, and then seeing the asshole at Mo’s with his hands all over what my heart considered mine, there’s a good chance I would’ve kept going the way I was; hurting the woman that has quickly come to mean the world to me. Baby aside, because what I feel for her came well before we had sex, if I really think about it I’ve probably been in love with her since the second day she started working at Skin Fusion.
Nearly two fucking years I’ve wasted where I could’ve had her with me, beside me, in my arms whenever I wanted. Guilt is a ruthless bitch, and there’s no doubt in my mind she’s going to make me pay for my sins. Her and Karma. It’s only a matter of time before the hangman’s axe takes a swing for my neck, and I can only hope Emily isn’t the only one out there praying for me.
A voice I haven’t heard in weeks has my head snapping up, and even though my mood doesn’t match a slow grin curves my lips.
“Motherfucker, I never thought I’d see the day. Whose hand do I need to shake for kicking your sorry ass?” I can only assume Billy called him, there’s no other reason for my brother to be here. And for once I’m fucking grateful he is.
Sampson’s nothing like me, he’s the complete opposite actually. If we didn’t look so alike I’d think we’d been adopted, and our parents had been lying to us for years. There’s nothing intense about Sampson, he’s laid back, goes with the flow, and rarely gets angry.
When we were kids, I made a game out of seeing how far I could push him before he’d snap. If I could get him to lose his cool I gave myself bonus points, it only happened once, but it was once I wouldn’t forget in a hurry. And come to think of it, I still haven’t.
Sampson had a thing for Delilah Stewart, yeah, they might as well have been fated with matching names like that, poor bastard. Delilah was a pretty brunette that lived across the street from us since before I was born. Being three years older than me, Sampson had known her since they were still in diapers, and at sixteen-years-old friendship was the last thing on his mind when it came to her. At the time I didn’t get the fascination, sure, I had an interest in girls, I’d had my first kiss at eleven with Susie Bell during a game of seven minutes in heaven. I’m not altogether convinced they shouldn’t change the name of that stupid fucking game to death by braces mind you. That first kiss was one for the epic fail column that’s for sure. A busted lip for me, and a wire on Susie’s braces busted and that was the last time we had anything to do with each other until sophomore year at high school.
So, needless to say, I didn’t get why my brother was lusting after this chick like a dog I heat. It was about two years later I found out the reason why, and I haven’t looked back since. Delilah was the sweet, quite, girl next door type. She wasn’t stunning, but she was beautiful in an understated kind of way. Whatever the reason for his interest, Sampson started leaving flowers and notes where she could find them. They didn’t say much, just shit like ‘You look beautiful today’, and ‘meet me at the dock’ with a time written below.
The dock is still to this day a popular hangout for kids in Blackwater, I’ve been called by local authorities my fair share of times to drag Billy’s drunk ass home, as has Pipe. It’s not only the place to go for drinking, smoking pot, or to get your hands on something a little harder, it’s also used as the equivalent of a parking spot. So, it didn’t take a genius, or anyone older than five to realise why my older brother wanted the girl he was i
nterested in to meet him there.
In hindsight I shouldn’t have pushed him as far as I did, it was an asshole thing to do, even if I was only a dumbass kid. But I did, and Sampson spent three years reminding me of it every chance he got. It didn’t take much, just a few well-phrased hints to a few of the girls that were hanging out at the dock that day to have them swarming Sampson as soon as he arrived. I’d left a note for Delilah, in meticulously copied handwriting that mirrored Sampson’s for her to come earlier by fifteen minutes. And she did, she arrived right when one of the girls pressed herself up against him, preparing to lay a kiss on him.
I felt ashamed and guilty immediately after seeing Delilah’s face. It was clear as day she had feelings for him too, and witnessing the scene I set up was breaking her heart right in front of me. It didn’t take long for Sampson to disentangle himself from the girl trying to suck face with him, at the same time he saw her running off in the opposite direction.
When Delilah wouldn’t talk to him, I came clean and told him what I’d done. The gilt was eating me alive by then, and it had only been less than a day. That was also the first and only time my brother ever hit me. It wasn’t a sucker punch, I knew it was coming, and I let it, it was what I deserved after all.
Spending the rest of summer, which was four and a half weeks, making up for what I’d done was enough to cure me of my insane need to get Sampson worked up. I apologised what felt like a million times to Delilah, and even though she accepted the first one I didn’t stop. I wouldn’t stop, not until she forgave my brother like she did me.
In the end, all’s well that ends well, because seven years later Sampson and his Delilah got married in a small civil ceremony on that very dock. I’ve never been more proud than when he asked me to stand up for him as his best man, and the latent guilt I’d been carrying around for years, the guilt I didn’t even know I’d held onto finally melted away. They’ve been married for twenty-six years, and I’ve never met a pair better suited for each other.
“Shut the fuck up asshole.” I grunt at him as I reach for my towel. Jesus Boss can pack a punch. I feel like I’ve been run over by a fucking freight train, and if I feel like this now, I can only imagine how I’m going to feel tomorrow. It won’t be pleasant that’s for certain.
Throwing his hands up in a placating gesture the sarcastic prick says,
“I missed you too little brother.” Smirking at me he adds, “I hear you went and got yourself some woman problems, I always knew you had a pussy hiding under your clothes, just never thought I’d get it confirmed.”
Fuck him. And fuck Billy too. I’ll be having words with my son later, because the last thing I need right now is another headache. This particular headache comes in a six foot three, two hundred and thirty pound package, chock full of asshole comments, and years worth of payback to boot.
“You know you’re a prick, right?”
“Yep, sure do,” he says shrugging.
“What are you doing here anyway? Don’t you have a wife at home that wants to look at your ugly ass?” He knows I don’t mean anything by it, but I can’t help feeling more than a little jealous he’s got the woman he loves beside him when he wakes up every morning and goes to bed at night, while I sit wondering whether my woman is even going to speak to me again after today.
“Caught the end of the show, and I have to say, I’m in love. If I didn’t have such a hard on for my wife, I’d be all over her little brother.”
Yeah, well he’s shit out of luck on that count, because it’ll be a cold day in hell before any man gets within fifty feet of Adelyn.
“Seriously, why are you here? If it’s to turn the knife get it done, because I’ve got better things to do, Sam.”
And I do. After I’ve cleaned myself up, I’m heading to Adelyn’s. Come hell or high water I’m going to talk to her tonight, at least to apologise, and more if she’ll let me.
“She already left if that’s who you’re looking for.” Obviously he saw me searching the clubhouse to see where she’s at.
“What the fuck do you mean she already left? She shouldn’t be driving after earlier,” I growl. “Fuck! I don’t even know how she got here. Did you see anyone with her?”
Nodding he replies,
“Yeah, some guy about my height, cut, dark hair, looked young.” Glancing over his shoulder he snorts, “That won’t help much though, he looks like nearly all the bastards in here.”
He’s not wrong. These days the majority of the MC is made up of members thirty-five, or younger. It makes me feel old just thinking about it. Looking around I see nearly everyone accounted for, except the one person that shouldn’t be here. The one I assigned to Adelyn.
Originally I put Trig on her to make sure she didn’t get any bright ideas, like taking off in the middle of the night for example. That all changed within a week, when it turned into a purely protection based assignment for him. I wanted to be reassured she was okay that she didn’t need anything. I knew I’d flown off the handle, done and said things I shouldn’t have, and when my anger dulled the weight of my actions sunk in.
The knowledge I’d used and tossed away the only woman that’s ever meant anything to me, hit me hard. And to be honest, having Trig watch her was more for me than it ever was for her. We might not know who’s sending her the notes and flowers, but things have been quiet on that front for more than a month now. We’re all hoping whoever it was got wind the MC’s going to be around permanently, and fucked right the hell off.
In my mind it’s still a necessity for Adelyn to go everywhere with protection though. Until the dead man, or that’s what he will be if I get my hands on him, stalker asshole is caught I don’t want her unattended. It might have been a risky move assigning Trig to her, especially seeing as I’ve seen how he looks at her, salivating when she’s in sight. It’s a clear fucking giveaway that Trig’s interest in Adelyn is more than merely that of her protector.
And in my fucked up head I thought who better to watch out for her than someone who’s got a vested interest in making sure she’s okay. Someone that will put their ass on the line if it’s necessary to ensure her safety. Yeah, backwards logic I know, especially when I’m going to do everything in my power to get her to forgive me while I prove to her that I can be the man she deserves. I don’t need any more road blocks while I’m doing it either. And Trig better hope he stays out of my way, because if he becomes one, I’ll run his ass over in my quest to win her back.
Hearing the shrill sound of my phone I grab it out of the front pocket of my gym bag and answer tersely,
“What.” I probably should have checked who was calling before I picked up, but at the end of the day whoever it is can fuck off, they’re keeping me from following through on my plans for the evening, and I’ll be damned if I’m waiting any longer than I have too.
Famous last words…If I’d have known I was going to be in sitting in the waiting room of Clearwater Urgent Care Centre half an hour later I would’ve…I don’t know what I would’ve done. I can guess, but that’s all it would be. A guess. Much like the guessing games we’re playing while sitting waiting for information on Adelyn’s status. I fucking hate not knowing, and I hate fucking games. My rule of thumb is; if I can’t plan it out, if I don’t know all the logistics, the risks, what’s the worst that could happen I’m not getting involved end of story. I’ve seen too much shit happen to people that haven’t had that kind of forethought, bad shit, and I didn’t ever want to be one of them.
But in this situation there’s nothing I can do but wait, and it’s killing me. Fucking slowly, and fucking painfully. Knowing she’s hurting, that she’s alone, and probably scared out of her mind is tearing me apart. The fact that she’ll be told she’s lost another baby, this one further along, one she’d seen on the ultrasound is going to break her heart, and mine along with it. I hate I can’t be back there with her, that I can’t support her through this. My brothers have assured me she’s in good hands, and they’ll do ever
ything they can to save her, but excuse the fuck out of me for not believing a goddamn word of it.
Adelyn’s suffered so much loss, endured agony most people will never see in two lifetimes that I don’t see how she can make it out the other side of this, let alone come out of it okay. All I know is she doesn’t deserve this. She doesn’t deserve to have yet another scar on her already fragile heart. And she definitely doesn’t deserve to learn how to cope with devastation all over again.
The phone call was from Trig. Apparently he gave Adelyn a lift home after she said she wasn’t feeling well. Basically the story goes; they got food, he took her home, and she invited him in, from what he tells me the first time since he’s been watching her, to eat. Ten minutes into eating she excused herself, and after she didn’t come back for more than twenty minutes Trig went looking for her. Just thinking about how he found her has me reaching for the wastepaper basket beside me vomiting nothing but bile. I don’t give a fuck if my brothers, my son, or all the women in the room see me as weak, see me breaking apart, my body is rebelling at the thoughts raging through my head, and there’s not a damn thing I can do to keep it under control.
From what we can piece together using what Trig’s told us and the rest from the police that were first on the scene, Adelyn went to the bathroom and was washing her hands when the intruder grabbed her from behind. How he got in the house with Bax on guard, Trig in the living room, and the state of the art alarm system she had installed, which Trig assured me was armed, is beyond me, but he did.
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