by Megan Lowe
Everything went well with Roman too.
Pa helped him move his vehicles and he’s safely ensconced at the littles’. Tomorrow, one of Pop’s friends, Detective Cameron, will be coming over to take his statement and hopefully that’ll be that.
Bria wakes up as we’re pulling onto our street.
“Oh, we’re almost home, er here,” she says.
“Home, angel, we’re almost home.” I squeeze her thigh. We haven’t officially had the “move in” talk but I assumed that as most of her stuff is here and she hasn’t slept at her dorm since the night of our first date—except for our “speed bump”—she knows this is her home.
I pull into the garage, turn the car off, and twist to face her.
“You know this is your home, right?”
She looks down and plays with her fingers. I lift her chin and cock an eyebrow.
“I didn’t want to assume.”
“Baby, with us you can assume whatever you want. Whatever is mine is yours, okay?” She nods.
“I’m serious, Bria. I want you with me forever, so that means you’ve gotta be where I am. Or I’ll be where you are, whatever works, but, angel,”—I cup her face—“this is forever.”
“Okay.” She gives me one of her breathtaking smiles.
I lift her out of the car. She clings to me, wrapping her legs around my waist, her arms around my neck. I get our bag out of the boot and walk us into the house. I love that I’m strong enough to do this. There’s nothing I love more than having my girl wrapped around me. I walk into our room and put our bag down before sitting on the bed.
“I love when you carry me,” she says, blushing.
“I love carrying you, having you wrapped around me. Nothing better than that.”
“I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“Okay,” I say warily.
“You know I’m on the shot, right?” I nod. “Well, I got it almost two months ago so it’ll be effective for just over a month.”
“Okay.” I’m still not getting where this is going, although I gotta admit, I do like the direction.
“So I was thinking that when that time is up, I wouldn’t go get another one.” My face splits into a huge grin.
“That puts me right during exams, so I might be too busy and stressed for anything to come of it, but I don’t think I want to wait what will be four months until we start trying for a family.”
Happiness swells in my chest. “Me either. If we’re not successful the first time, we’ll keep on trying. You know I’m all about practice.” I thrust my erection against her and she giggles.
“You wouldn’t want to be married or at least engaged before we started trying, though?” I ask.
She shrugs. “Not really, just as long as it happens at some point.”
“Oh yeah, baby, it’ll be happening,” I say as I kiss her neck. “You know,” I say between kisses, “it’s my birthday in six weeks.”
“Oh, is it now?”
I nod. “It is, and I think I know what I want.”
“And what’s that?”
“You, naked, ready, and no birth control to stop my guys from doing their job.”
“Your guys, huh?” she asks as I lift her top off.
“Yep, they’re gonna get the job of knocking you up done for me.”
“So romantic, Mr Ryan,” she says, her sarcasm thick.
I make love to her slowly, tenderly, showing her just how romantic I can be.
“You sure?” I ask again.
“Absolutely,” she says, her face softening, her hand coming up to cup my face.
“I love you.” I begin to move again, my head filled with plans.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
BRIA
After this afternoon’s romantic interlude, we lie in bed, just holding each other.
“You’re gonna be such a great mama,” Reed says, his hand running up and down my back.
“And you’re going to be one of those overprotective types that think because I’m pregnant, I can’t do anything, right?”
“It’s not that I’ll think you can’t do anything, it’s that I won’t let you do anything. Your job is to cook our son so he grows nice and big and strong.”
I’m not going to lie, it totally gets me wet to hear Reed talk about our son as if it’s a foregone conclusion. I can’t wait to see his face if we happen to have daughters instead though.
“What happens if the unthinkable happens and I pop out a daughter?” I ask, giggling.
“Then we’ll have to move into a castle or some shit like that so I can lock her up until she’s fifty and I’ll allow her to date.”
“Right, boys it is,” I say and snuggle into Reed’s chest.
“Have you heard from Roman today?” he asks.
“No. Are you worried?”
“Nah, just thought he might like some company. He’s not gonna have a lot to do until we can put Hunter away.”
This man….
“You’re worried about my friend?”
“Maybe at the end of all this he’ll be my friend too.”
I smile and lean up to kiss him. “You really are amazing, Reed Ryan.”
“I take after my girlfriend,” he says, and kisses me. “Come on, let’s go over and see how he’s doing.”
We get dressed and Reed offers me his back. While my leg is still sore, I'm perfectly capable of walking, but it seems Reed likes me being a spider monkey.
“Your chariot, milady,” he says, and I hop on, giggling.
Reed walks us over to the littles’ and I knock. I don’t particularly feel like being dropped today. Rome answers and smiles when he sees us.
“Hey, feel like some company?” I ask.
“Sure.” He steps aside to let us in. “Ah, Gray’s here too.”
It’s a good thing Reed’s carrying me as I’m pretty sure if I were standing my knees would’ve buckled.
“Really?” I squeak.
Rome nods and offers a small smile. “We’re talking, working things out.”
I give him a watery smile in return.
“That’s great, man,” Reed says.
Rome shrugs and scratches his head. “Yeah, she called me on Friday and we went from there.”
“How is she?” I ask, and pat Reed’s back for him to let me down, my knees now able to bear my weight again.
“Good. There were a lot of tears, a lot of anger yesterday, but today’s better. She’s through here.” He leads us down the corridor to the living room.
“Hey,” Gray says. She’s sitting on a couch looking relaxed.
I go over to her and give her a hug. “How are you?” I whisper.
“I’m good.”
I pull back to look her in the eyes to make sure she’s not bullshitting me.
“Seriously, Bri, it’s all good. We spent most of yesterday talking and we each know what happened and what’s been happening.”
“So what now?”
“Right now we’re friends. Will it develop into more? Who knows. But we’re in a good place.”
“Come on, angel,” Reed says, pulling me from Grayson and onto his lap.
“So how’d things go yesterday?” Gray asks me.
“Good. Really good, actually. I managed to handle the press well and I think the coverage reflected that.”
“She was amazing,” Reed says. “She didn’t take any of their shit and they were still well behaved, which makes for a nice change.”
Rome nods. “They can be brutal for sure, but then Hunter gives them what they want. Your experience is probably different.”
“Usually we have to put out the fires that Hunter starts,” Reed says, then winces. “I didn’t mean—”
Rome holds up his hand. “It’s cool, man. I’ll own up to what I did for Hunter. I don’t like it but it was me doing it.”
Grayson squeezes his hand. I know the development into more won’t be long in coming.
“Liam was lucky though, he held
on real well,” Rome says.
“Stupid fucker,” Reed curses. “Who overtakes there anyway? Sometimes I wonder what these guys have in their heads. It sure as shit isn’t brains or common sense.”
“They think because they have a ride they’re hot shit. Someone needs to take them down a peg.”
“Or a class or two.”
Rome nods in agreement.
“So what are your plans, you know, after?” Reed asks.
“I’m not sure. Just go around town and offer my services, I guess.”
“Are we on the list?”
Rome shifts uncomfortably. “I wasn’t sure if that was wise after everything. I wasn’t sure if you wanted me around, and you’ve already helped so much.”
“So you mean we help a mechanical genius escape his psychotic former employer and we miss out on a chance to snag him ourselves? Not cool, man,” Reed jokes.
“You’re offering me a job?” Rome asks, bewildered.
“A trial first and we’ll see where we go from there. You do all bikes?”
Rome nods. “Racing, street, dirt, freestyle, BMX, mountain, track, and road cycling if you get that business.”
“Like Tour de France and Olympics shit?”
“Yeah, man, those bikes are insane.”
“Yeah, not so much of that around here, but good to know.”
“I mean it’s not just for big shit like that. There are triathlons, Ironman comps, that sort of thing too.”
“Well, shit.”
Rome just shrugs.
“Once we get all this Hunter crap done, we’re getting you into the garage ASAP.”
“How specialised is a lot of that stuff, Rome?” I ask.
“A bit. I had a lot of downtime over the past five years, so I did a lot of reading, short courses, that sort of thing.”
“So not many guys around here would have comparable knowledge?”
“Huh?” he asks.
“Can do what you can.”
“Oh, nah.”
“And on the flip side, there are not many places people could go for this kind of work either, I’d imagine.”
“Nah. Maybe if they went into the city, but that’s hours away and pretty pricey too. Those guys tend to be in demand.”
“What are you thinking, angel?” Reed asks.
“Just a little promo. You know, a few features in a few magazines, getting Rome and his skills, and the shop he works for a little bit of publicity.”
He squeezes me and nuzzles my neck. “You planning world domination too?”
“The two-wheeled world.” I give him a chaste kiss.
“Seriously, Bri, you’d do that?” Rome asks.
“Sure, why not? It’s great exposure for you, Wheels, and Ryan Racing, and that’s my job.”
“I thought your job was to cook our sons,” Reed whispers jokingly and bites my neck gently. I elbow him in the ribs in reply and roll my eyes at his wording.
We sit and talk for a while, just four friends enjoying each other’s company, and I hope this is a preview of many years to come.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
REED
The meeting between Rome and Detective Cameron goes well. Rome gives him everything, holding nothing back, even the parts that implicate him.
I told him if he wanted to skirt those, we wouldn’t have a problem, but he says he doesn’t want to shy away from any of it. He tells Detective Cameron that too and the detective said with his cooperation, it’s likely he’ll only have to do community service.
The arrest warrant for Hunter was issued today, and hopefully within a few hours, he and his goons will be in custody. I haven’t heard from Rome today, so Bria and I are going over there with some food.
We knock on the side door and let ourselves in.
“Hey,” I yell, “we brought food. I know the guys live at the diner so there’s never much here.”
There’s no answer and I turn to look at Bria. She shrugs.
“Rome?” she calls. Again, nothing.
We put the food in the kitchen and check the living room; still nothing. We head to the bedrooms and find his door closed.
“Rome,” Bria calls softly as she knocks. The door opens slightly against her knock and on pushing it to open wider, we find Rome huddled in the corner, his face a bloody mess.
“Rome!” Bria gasps and runs to him. “What happened?” she asks as she moves his face towards the light, examining his injuries. His lip is split while blood drips from his nose. There’s a nasty gash over a swollen almost-closed eye, and his jaw is bruised.
“Hunter?” I ask.
He nods and then winces.
“You need a doctor,” Bria says.
“I’m fine,” he manages to mumble.
“You’re not. Your face is a mess, your hands are torn to shreds, and the way you’re sitting and breathing makes me think you have a broken rib or two.”
“It’s fine, Bria. I’m okay. It’s nothing less than I deserve anyway.”
“For fuck’s sake, Rome,” she curses, “you made a mistake. Took one wrong turn. Yes, you did some stupid things but you’re trying to fix them now and that doesn’t mean getting beaten to a bloody pulp.” Geez, my girl has a fiery side! Remind me not to piss her off.
“I’ll call Mase,” I say. “He’s a paramedic. He can come and check you out.”
Rome starts to object but Bria shoots him a look.
“Fine,” he reluctantly agrees.
Mason tells me he’s five minutes out.
“He’ll be here soon,” I tell them, and Bria and I help Rome get a little more comfortable.
Mase comes in a few minutes later and with Bria glaring at Rome, he lets Mase check him out.
“Just a cracked rib, some bruising, and some cuts,” he reports.
“Will he need anyone to stay with him tonight?” Bria asks.
“It’s not necessary, although it’s going to be kinda difficult for him to move around.”
“You don’t need to stay, Bri,” Rome says from the bed.
“Oh, I wasn’t,” she says. “Grayson’s on her way.”
“Oh fuck,” Rome curses, and then winces.
“Given his reaction that may not be the best idea,” Mase says.
“It’s a perfect idea,” Bria says cheerily.
“Angel, what are you up to?” I ask. I can see the twinkle in her eye so I know there’s something cooking in that head of hers.
“Nothing, honey. I just want to make sure that Rome here has someone to look after him. Or I could stay here tonight with him and you and Mase could go back to our place.”
And sleep in our bed without her? I don’t fucking think so.
“I think having Grayson come over is a great idea,” I say.
“Way to have my back, man,” Rome groans.
“Sorry, dude, but I like my girl in our bed, next to me, preferably naked.”
“Ah! My ears!” Rome groans and winces when he moves.
“Take it easy, marshmallow,” Bria says with not an ounce of sympathy.
“Hey! Injured here!”
“You said you were fine before Mase got here.”
“Yeah, if you guys don’t need me, Liam and I have plans,” Mase says.
“No worries, man.” I give him a one-arm hug.
“Thanks, Mase,” Bria says and kisses his cheek, blushing. I don’t blame her. Mase is a good-looking guy and yes, I’m confident enough in my sexuality to say that.
As he goes to leave, we hear the front door slam and Grayson stomps up the stairs to the bedroom.
“Roman John Thomas, what in all that is holy did you do this time?” she bellows.
Bria when she’s pissed off is hot, but Grayson is downright frightening.
“Er, angel, think we might want to get out of here too?” I ask.
“In a bit,” she says, taking a seat on the bed and grinning like a loon.
Grayson bursts in and stops short when she sees Mason. “Oh, good, Jami
e’s here. He’ll make it better.”
Bria giggles.
“Jamie?” I ask.
“Yeah, Mason is a dead ringer for Jamie Dornan,” Bria says.
“The guy from Fifty Shades?” I ask.
“You’ve seen Fifty Shades?” Bria asks, raising an eyebrow.
“For purely educational purposes,” I reply, smirking.
She bites her lip and I can see the possibilities whirring in her mind.
“Well, this has become sufficiently awkward,” Mase says, “so I’m gonna go.” He’s out the door like a shot.
“Yeah, I think we’re going too,” Bria says breathlessly.
“You don’t want to see Rome get chewed up by Grayson?” I tease.
“I think they’ll be fine.” She takes my hand and drags me to the door.
“Bye, guys. Be nice and try not to kill each other,” I say as I’m dragged down the stairs.
Bria doesn’t stop until I’m slamming my bedroom door behind me.
“So about this education….”
Early the next morning, after several rounds of very hot, toe-curling, name-screaming sex, my phone rings. Hunter and his goons have been arrested; it’s all over.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
BRIA
The next five weeks fly by and before we know it, Reed’s birthday is a week away.
Rome has settled into Wheels and Ryan Racing really well, helping Liam to his maiden National Racing Series Championship. We all celebrated long and hard, not only because of Liam’s success, but Hunter’s downfall.
Reed truly is an adorable drunk, telling me he loves me and he’s going to marry me and we’re going to have lots of babies.
“Seriously Bria,” he slurred, “you don’t even know how much I love you. I love you so much, baby. We’re going to get married and have lots and lots of babies, boys though because I’d lock the girls up, and you don’t want that. But if we had girls that’d be okay too, because I know you want girls and I’ll give you anything you want. And then while we’re doing that we’re going to run Ryan Racing and then grow old and grey together.” At which point, he promptly passed out. He paid for it the next day but I’ll never forget his incredibly sweet words.