by Sam Crescent
Ryan looked ready to argue, and James gave him a look. Maybe there was hope for him yet. James had the look down. Now all he needed to do was knock Cora up. He was torn in two about finally having a baby. He wanted a baby, and Cora said she’d like to have his kid one day, start a family. The biggest problem for him was he didn’t want to share Cora. With a child he’d have no choice but to share her. The very thought of doing that filled him with regret. She belonged to him, so he decided against actually having a baby.
When they were alone, Lucy finally relaxed and showed him the turmoil she was in.
“I’m really glad you came.”
“The club is with you.”
“I truly thought you’d be with Dane.”
They both made their way into the kitchen. “When you came onto the scene, we all warned him. He decided to do whatever the hell he wanted to do. You’re a good woman. You didn’t deserve for him to walk away.”
Tears filled Lucy’s eyes. “I’m glad he’s back, and yet at the same time, I’m so angry. He left, and I had to struggle to find a job. He didn’t give me any warning, just woke up, and left me.”
“What do you want to do?”
Her hands locked together, and he saw the pain within her.
“Lucy, you don’t have to hide from me. I’m not going to judge you.”
“Every time I think of him, and of the situation, I just want a divorce. He’s here now, and he’s not dead, which means I can move on with my life.”
James nodded.
“Stay here.”
She left the kitchen, and he finished making them a drink. Seconds later she came in holding the divorce paperwork.
“Could you give this to him, and ask him to sign it?”
“If he doesn’t?”
“Tell him if he ever loved me at all, even just a little, then to just sign the forms.” She held out the divorce papers. “I’m in love with Lewis, James. It was hard for me to move on, but we haven’t gone further in our relationship.”
Her cheeks flushed, and she looked away.
“You haven’t had sex with him?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Wow, and you love him. That’s pretty deep.”
“I hope it doesn’t upset you.”
“Lucy, you’ll always be dear to the club. All you have to do is call, and we’ll come running to you.” He held his arms open, and she went into them.
“Thank you, James. For everything.”
“You’ve got nothing to thank me for.”
****
Grace and Drake came back early with Joseph, and they entered the club, and of course chaos ensued. All it took was one look at Dane, and Drake was shouting. Pixie didn’t get involved. Instead, he’d gone into town, collected Suzy from her apartment, and left her in James’s office. He was looking at a potential vacation away from Greater Falls, and all the crap happening in the club.
Dane was a problem.
Caleb and Kitty were having problems.
Ryan was a problem.
Richard was moody as fuck. He’d come into the club late last night to drink.
Pixie didn’t want to deal with any of this shit, so he held a catalogue promising fun, sunshine, and lots of hot sex.
“Where you heading?” Kitty asked.
“Away from all this crap.” He didn’t look up from the catalogue.
“I’m sure Suzy would love a trip away.”
“How do you even know it’s her?” He looked up at her.
“Quite easy. She’s the only one you’ve been interested in, and the women talk. You, my friend, haven’t been sleeping with anyone for a long time. The only person you’ve been seen with is Suzy.”
He rolled his eyes. “Women irritate me.”
“Thank you,” she said, smiling.
“What’s going on with you and Caleb?”
He saw her gaze darken, turning toward Caleb.
“Nothing.”
“You know that man loves you more than anything, right?” Pixie asked. He never meddled. Fuck, he never got involved in anything like this, and yet, this was exactly what he was doing. It baffled him.
“He deserves someone better than me.”
“Better than you.”
“Yeah, better than me, Pixie. He deserves a woman that can accept his touch without waiting for the pain.” She took a deep breath. “Let’s move on to you and Suzy. It’s much more fun planning someone else’s future than thinking of my own.” She leaned over, staring at the picture before her. “Beautiful,” she said. “Suzy would love that.”
“You think?”
“Yeah. When are you taking her?”
“I don’t know.” He got to his feet. “I will go and see.”
Leaving Kitty alone, he made his way into James’s office. She looked up, smiling. “Hey.”
“Hey. So I’ve been thinking.”
“All right,” she said, placing her paperwork back on the table. She turned toward him. “I’m listening.”
“We need to spend some time alone. Away from the chaos of the club, and the people we’re close to.” He sat on the sofa and opened the booklet. “I want to book us a two-week vacation here.”
Pixie wanted her all to himself where he could enjoy being with her.
“It’s a Caribbean island. I can’t afford—”
“I can.”
“Pixie?”
“No, I want us to go away together. Would you go with me?”
“In a heartbeat.”
“Then we’ll go.”
“I just started a new job, and I don’t want to push James—”
“Already on it. You’ll go with me if I can get you time away?”
“Yes. I’d love to go with you.”
Pixie leaned over, pressing a kiss to her lips. “You’re amazing.” He so wanted to tell her he loved her. Instead, he kept those words to himself, and simply focused on making her smile.
“No, you’re amazing, Pixie.” She wrapped her arms around him, pressing her body against him.
Dropping the booklet, he held her close, pressing kisses to her neck, wishing they were alone. “Last night was torture.”
“Chloe knows.”
“A lot of people know about us,” he said. “Does that bother you?”
“Right now, not so much.” She moaned.
They were interrupted by shouting coming from the other room. Pixie groaned. “And so the chaos begins.”
She giggled. “Is it wrong I just want you to close the door, and take care of me?”
“Are you feeling horny?”
“Yeah, I think I am.”
“From virgin to horny. Damn, I’m good.” He pressed a kiss to her, and got up. “Be ready for this weekend.”
“That soon?”
“I’m an awesome person. I’ll get this done.” He pressed another kiss to her lips, and left the room.
“This is horseshit,” Dane said, staring at several official papers. “She wants a divorce?”
“Yes, she wants a divorce. She wants nothing from you, nothing at all,” James said.
Pixie watched as Dane stared at the paperwork, and shook his head. “No, I didn’t agree to this. I came back for her.”
“You left her,” James said. “You cheated on her. There’s a man she wants to be with, and she hasn’t because of you. You owe her this.”
“I want to talk to her.”
James took a deep breath. “She wants nothing to do with you. Just sign the paperwork.”
“I love her.”
Pixie watched as his brother flung his head back, and laughed. “You love her? Your ass hasn’t even been in Greater Falls when she needed you most. She asked me for one thing, and I’m going to make sure she gets it.”
James turned away and made his way toward his office. Suddenly, he stopped and made his way toward the kitchen. Pixie rushed for him.
“Hey, James, I want to take Suzy on a romantic vacation, and she would be willing to go with
me but she’s working for you, and so I figured if you’d be a star brother, and let her go with me, you never know, the trip could give you a niece and nephew, one or the other, or both.”
James stopped holding his hand up. “Whoa. You are talking way too fast for me right now.”
“Oops, sorry.” He pretended to lock his lips and throw away the key.
“Are you five now?”
“I love her,” he said, spilling the words he felt.
James paused.
“Yeah. You heard me right. I love her, and I want to spend the rest of my life with Suzy.” So much so he’d gone and pierced every single one of his condoms with a damn needle. The guilt was gnawing away at him. He was used to getting what he wanted, and he wanted Suzy all to himself.
James stared at him. “What’s her favorite color?”
“Pink. She tries to pretend it’s not, but it really is.”
“What about the food she likes?”
“She likes hot and spicy food. Trying new things, and she does enjoy cooking even if some of the stuff she cooks really doesn’t work out. Why are you asking me these questions?”
“It’s the first time you’ve ever cared enough to find out about a woman. Usually, you’re all about what you want, what you need.”
“Did I pass some kind of test?” Pixie asked.
“Yeah. Suzy can go on vacation. I’ve got stuff to deal with, and the mountain of paperwork will still be here when you both get back.”
“Do you need me for club stuff?”
“No. I can handle everything.”
Pixie nodded. “She’s the real deal, James.”
“I’m happy for you. I wish I can tell you how much, but right now, I just have to deal with Dane right now.”
“So, Lucy wants a divorce?”
“Yes. She wants a chance with Lewis.”
“I don’t blame her.”
“Dane cheated on her. You know that.”
“I figured as much. The guy was never a monk. Lucy deserves some peace after the crap he’s put her through.”
“I couldn’t agree more with you,” James said. “When will you be leaving?”
“I’m hoping for tonight. I’ve got to rush through the arrangements.”
“I’ll call if I need anything.”
“You’re a good man, James. No one can question that.”
James nodded. “Thank you.”
“Only speaking the truth.” Pixie smiled at him. “You’re doing the right thing.”
“Go and order your vacation. I’m going to handle this mess.”
****
Chloe grabbed the latest plate full of food. The diner was busy today, and her feet were hurting her even in the flats. Teri hadn’t been able to come out, and neither of them had greeted Grace and Drake with their son Joseph.
“Let me help,” Grace said.
“No, you’re not due back for a couple of days. We can handle this rush. I’ll be back to take your order in a second,” Chloe said, passing their table. Putting the two plates down on the table, she smiled. “Is there anything else I can get you?”
The two men were local, and occasionally visited the club.
“No thanks, Chloe.”
She didn’t remember their names, but outside of the club, she rarely did. “Give me a call if you need anything.”
Leaving the table, she took a quick second to catch her breath. She wasn’t feeling too good, and it had started last night. Pressing a hand on her stomach, she closed her eyes and took another long deep breath. “It’s fine.”
“You okay?” Teri asked, calling through the serving hole.
“Yeah, I’m fine. You shouldn’t be such a damn fine cook.”
“I really am, aren’t I?”
Chloe smiled, and got back to work. The hour rush drained her of any energy she had left. Entering the staffroom, she rushed toward the toilet, and stared at her reflection. She was getting really unfit. The sweat was pouring out of her.
Washing her face, and pressing a cool towel to the back of her neck, she released a little cough.
“Hot, so hot.”
Once the buzzing stopped, and she was able to think once again, she took a deep breath, and made her way back outside toward the diners.
Grabbing the coffeepot she walked toward Grace and Drake.
“Hey, how was your vacation?” she asked.
“It was good. Wish one of you had called me to let me know that Dane was back,” Drake said.
“He came back yesterday. We had no idea you were going to be back today,” Chloe said.
“Yeah, this little guy wasn’t feeling too good, and instead of tiring him out, we brought him back home.”
Chloe smiled. “What can I get you?”
The door opened, and in walked Richard.
Her stomach twisted, and she no longer knew if it was a good or bad with the way she reacted to him.
“Teri’s already dealing with our order,” Drake said. “Are you okay?”
“Fine.”
“You look really pale, and you’re sweating.”
“I’m fine. Really.” She moved away and went to Richard’s table. Being the successful lawyer he was, he rarely sat with the Dirty Fuckers MC. No one seemed to mind, but at times, she did.
“You didn’t call me last night,” he said.
After he took her home, he’d given her an instruction to phone him. It was mightily childish on her part, but she didn’t want to follow his instructions. They were working on their issues, and she went away with him because he’d ordered her to. With Richard, he was always ordering her what to do, what to wear, what to say. He was willing to have her with him providing she looked and acted the part of his companion.
“I was tired.”
She wiped at her brow and poured him out a coffee.
“Chloe, I would like you to move in with me.”
She didn’t even know how she felt about him, or if she even liked him.
“No,” she said.
“I love you, Chloe.”
Shaking her head, her stomach started to twist, and turn. “No, you don’t.” She took a step back, and collided with a chair. Unable to hold herself up, she fell back, spilling the hot coffee over her stomach.
“Chloe!”
She heard her name yelled, but she couldn’t do anything. Her body ached, and she was so tired. Would it be so wrong to go to sleep?
Chapter Eight
Pixie stood in the hospital staring in at Chloe.
The entire club was in the hospital, and so was Suzy. What surprised everyone was the fact the next of kin on Chloe’s form was listed as Suzy.
After collapsing in the diner, there had been no time for him to organize a vacation. Not only that, he didn’t want to. The doctors didn’t know what was wrong with her. They thought it was some kind of bug, so only Suzy could go in and see her.
Staring through the glass, Pixie saw the machines strapped up to Chloe, and he hated it. Richard paced up and down the hallway. Doctors, nurses, patients, hospital staff had tried to move them, but none of them were going anywhere. Chloe was one of them, and they were going to make sure she was looked after. They’d organized her private room, and let the good doctor know that if anything happened to her, it was him they were going to hold responsible.
“What the hell happened?” James asked.
“She was sweating,” Drake said. Grace and Joseph had been there with them but since Chloe collapsed Drake had taken them home before coming to the hospital. “She looked ill, but she kept saying she was fine.”
“I noticed her grabbing her stomach, or rubbing part of her body. There was pain, but when I asked, she always said she was fine,” Teri said.
They were all worried for her.
Suzy came out of the room, and Pixie pulled her in his arms, hugging her. He didn’t care what others thought. “She isn’t talking, or responding.”
“She’s in a coma,” Kitty said.
“
I know. I just wished she’d talk back. It probably sounds stupid, but it’s not the same without her.”
“We all get it,” Cora said.
They were all here. The diner had been closed, and Cora called in a sick day. Even Lucy and Ryan had turned up. Chloe had touched a lot of people, Pixie included. She’d been a club whore, but she’d been the kind you actually enjoy having around.
Suzy rubbed at her eyes. “The doctor said they were running tests. It could be anything. An infection, meningitis, the flu, bird flu. I don’t know.”
“What was she like on your vacation?” James asked, turning toward Richard.
“Everything was great. We talked. We spent a lot of time together. She was healthy.” Richard stared down at his hands. “I’m never going to get the image of her falling like that out of my head.”
“She just collapsed,” Drake said. “She stumbled over a chair, and it was like her body just gave way.”
Pixie gripped Suzy’s shoulder, needing comfort at hearing a friend was so ill. Damn, he liked Chloe.
She held onto his hand, locking their fingers together. The comfort of her touch was all he needed.
“How long do test results take?” Lucy asked.
Dane was in the hospital as well, and Pixie noticed he couldn’t take his eyes off Lucy.
Too bad, buddy.
Pixie had imagined what would happen when Dane turned up. He always pictured greeting him with open arms, congratulating him on getting his balls back, taking what he wanted.
How time had changed him.
When Pixie looked at Dane, he didn’t see a man. He saw a boy trapped in a man’s body. The Dirty Fuckers MC had grown up. They were no longer children. They were fully grown men.
Pixie squeezed Suzy’s hand.
The time for messing around, screwing everything in sight had long passed.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I just, I need some air.”
“Let’s go get some,” Suzy said. “We’ll be outside. Will you come and get me for the results?”
“Sure,” James said.
They left the corridor, making their way out of the main hospital.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
The moment the cool air hit him, Pixie moved away and took several deep breaths. Pausing near a wall, he leaned forward, placing his hands on his knees, and closing his eyes.