But it doesn’t take long before I hear the rumble of his engine as he approaches the house. Pulling up at the end of the driveway, I jump up from the step, pulling the door shut behind me and race over to him.
“Hey, you,” he says with a smile that lights up his whole face. Holding out his arm, I walk into him, his arm securing around me.
“Hey.” I lean down, kissing him on the lips. My body shakes, a mixture of nerves and fear. His hand snakes around my head, working into my hair.
“Ride with me, baby.” As the words fall from his lips, I can’t stop the instinctive smile that spreads. Hs words, his tone, it does crazy things to me. Turns my coiled, tense body into mush. He wants me to ride with him because he doesn’t want me to worry about driving. But riding with him is something I’ve grown to love about us. The feel of pressing my body against his and feeling completely secure in his hands. Riding a bike is something that I never wanted to do. But riding with Nate is something that I never want to miss. It’s Nate that makes the ride, not the bike.
“With pleasure,” I say, my smile not fading.
He removes his hold on my head, patting the seat behind him. “Milady,” he quips in some sort of terrible English accent.
Throwing my head back, I can’t control the laughter that falls so freely from my mouth. “Seriously, Nate. That’s the best accent you got?”
“I think I do a really good English accent.”
“Is that right?” I ask, shaking my head from side to side as I lift my leg and mount the bike. I love the lighter side of Nate, the one that never fails to make me forget. Pulling on the helmet he offers me, I wrap my arms around his waist, holding onto him tightly. “Let’s do this.” Shuddering, I close my eyes and lean into his back. The sense of importance at today’s appointment hits me hard. I know we won’t find out right away, but today is the first step in finding out whether this baby is Nate’s. But whatever the outcome, I know I couldn’t do this without him. We’re in this together.
Within thirty minutes I’m sitting waiting to see the doctor, Nate by my side. I squeeze his hand so tightly needing the connection to settle my nerves. I’m like a goddamn child holding onto my favorite blanket, fearing how it will feel if I let go.
The sudden feel of his arm against mine and his breath against my ear sends a shiver down my spine. “Everything will be fine, baby.”
Lifting my gaze from the floor, I slowly turn my head, meeting his intense gaze. Emotion takes over me and the most I have to offer him is a smile. I’m not sure I can control the tears if I open my mouth to speak. Quickly breaking his gaze, I allow my eyes to wander around the room. There are women there chatting with their partners, smiles radiating across their faces. And for the first time I feel a pang of jealousy. I want to feel happy and excited, not scared and ashamed.
“Tara Mellano.” The nurse calls out my name and I take a glance at Nate, suddenly frozen to the spot.
Stepping up from his seat but not breaking the hold he has on my hand, he tugs a little, his eyes wide and brows lifted as he tries to encourage me out of my seat. My body suddenly feels clammy as anxiety grows within.
In a low voice Nate leans in and says, “I got you, T.”
Swallowing the ball of emotion in my throat, I force my weakened body up from the seat. “Uh, yeah, that’s me,” I blurt out and the nurse offers me a kind smile.
“Hi, Tara. This way, please.” She holds out here arm, instructing me to step inside the room. Nate’s hand rests gently on my back as he coaxes me to step toward the room.
As I get closer to the nurse, she tilts her head, eyes narrowing on me. “I’m going to be assisting Dr. Howard today, come on in.” She stands, holding the door open for us and I warily walk inside. Shit, this place is so scary. The white walls and sterile smell do nothing to calm my nerves.
“Thank you,” Nate replies to the nurse, answering where I fail to respond.
“I’m going to need you to change into the gown. It’s all set out for you behind this curtain.” She points to the corner of the room and I nod, making my way over.
“And you must be Dad?” The nurse addresses Nate and my eyes flutter shut, a little of me feeling mortified.
“I am,” he replies in an upbeat tone.
“Please take a seat here,” I hear the nurse tell him.
Walking around the curtain, I slip off my clothes and pull on the ghastly-looking gown. As soon as I’m ready, I reach for the curtain, pulling it round enough until Nate’s face is in my line of sight. He’s perched on a chair, his hands clasped together in front of him, his leg tapping rapidly.
He mouths, “okay,” to me, concern in his eyes. I nod in response, placing my hand to my chest. My heart is thudding so hard I’m sure it’s about to break out.
The door opens and I whip my head to see who enters. “Ah, Tara Mellano, I’m Doctor Howard and I will be taking care of you today. I believe you already met the nurse, Whitney.”
“Yes,” I croak.
“Okay, good. And Dad is here today.” He glances to Nate and then back to me, his large white teeth revealed as he smiles so wide. I glare at Nate, wondering if now is the right time to let the doctor know about the paternity test.
“Actually,” I say, clearing my throat. “Here’s the thing. I was raped, and although Nate has been my only sexual partner, the whole rape has thrown doubt over the paternity of the baby.”
“I see,” he says, stepping closer and placing a gentle hand against my wrist.
“I, uh, spoke to a doc who told me there was a test. A noninvasive test that will confirm paternity,” Nate adds, looking at the doctor.
“Absolutely. And I can make all the arrangements needed for that to happen. But first, let’s see what's happening with the baby.”
The nurse instructs for me to lie back on the bed and I quickly lay my arm under my head. Nate scrapes the chair until he’s positioned right beside my bed, grabbing my hand in his.
“So the notes here suggest you’re around eight weeks pregnant.”
“Uh-huh.”
“So that means we will need to do an internal exam. You’re a little early for an abdominal one.”
“Shit,” I mumble under my breath.
“It sounds worse than it is,” the nurse reassures me with a smile. “But first I’m going to take your blood pressure.”
I offer out my arm and the nurse takes my blood pressure.
“Right, now let's take a look at the baby,” the doctor says, as he sets up the ultrasound machine. The nurse quickly runs through the process of the internal exam. I take a deep breath, dreading the whole damn thing.
Closing my eyes, I let the doctor do what is needed. Trying to stay relaxed, I let my head drop to the side, focusing on nothing but Nate.
I swallow down the lump in my throat as seconds turn into minutes and the doctor doesn’t say anything.
“Is everything okay?” Nate asks, as if he senses how I’m feeling.
“Fine, everything appears good. Just as we thought, you are around the eight-week mark. If you look at the screen you can see right here, that’s the baby’s heartbeat.” I whip my head in the direction of the screen, focusing where his finger is pointing.
Pressing my lips together, I feel totally overwhelmed at the blob on the screen. Although it doesn’t resemble anything at all, seeing the heart beating gives me an overwhelming realization that this is a life growing inside me.
“Shit, that’s amazing,” Nate exclaims. Leaning over me, he peers to get a closer look at the screen. I snap my eyes away from the image, no longer able to look. I’m scared to get too emotionally attached to this baby.
Nate squeezes my hand, shooting me a wide smile. “That’s our baby. Isn’t it incredible, T?”
Glancing at the screen once again, the sound of thudding from the screen becomes all I can hear.
“Are we done now?” I ask, looking at the doctor, tears pooling in my eyes. He nods, removing the probe and turning the screen aw
ay.
“I can only imagine how hard this is for you, Tara. Have you thought about speaking to someone, maybe look at therapy? I can certainly refer you.”
“I don’t need therapy; I need the truth.” I shoot him a sad smile.
“Of course. And we will help you get the answers you need.”
* * *
An hour later we’re leaving the hospital.
“So we just wait.” I reach for Nate’s hand as we make our way out of the main entrance, intertwining my fingers with his.
“That’s all we can do. Wait for the call when the doc gets our results.”
“I just hope it isn’t weeks. I feel like we need to know. But I’m prepared for bad news.”
“Don’t,” he says in a low raspy voice. He pulls me to a stop, guiding me into him until I hit his chest. “We have to be positive. Get through this together, no matter what. Don’t give up on us, on this baby.” Dipping his head until his mouth meets mine, he presses a tender kiss against my quivering lips.
Looking up, I meet his eyes. And in that moment I see an unspoken promise, one I have to return. “I won’t,” I croak. My hands reach down, my fingers snaking between both of his as I hold onto him tightly, like the dream of this baby being his.
Nate
Standing outside the transformed whorehouse, I take a drag of my smoke as I stare at the huge name board that spans across the building. The name Elysium looks perfect in the large, bold lettering.
“Pretty good, right?” Melody asks with a nudge.
I don’t respond but my smile and nod says it all.
“You would never know what this place was. It looks amazing,” Tara adds.
“That was kind of the idea,” Melody says to her with a smile. “Come. I’ll show you around.” Hooking her arm through Tara’s they make their way inside.
I take another, final drag on my smoke before tossing it on the ground. I look up at the security on the door and give them a firm nod. “No club colors,” I say, reminding them that with the makeover comes a whole new set of rules. I enter the new gentleman’s club with a sense of pride. With a huge amount of help from Melody, we’ve turned this place around. The once dingy-looking whorehouse is now an upscale gentleman's club, even if the pussy is the same.
“Goddamn,” Brax hollers as he walks toward me. “You turned this place upside down. Good job, man.” He smiles, offering me his hand. “The whole look and vibe of this place is great.”
“Thanks, man. I’d like to take all the credit, but I really can’t.” I glance over to Melody and Tara as they chat loosely and laugh plenty. My eyes roam the space, noticing some of my men and new, potential clients talking to my girls.
“Don’t fucking downplay it, man. You did this. You made this a safe place for these girls, all while making good business decisions.”
“This is good for the club,” I say leaning forward on the bar. I look at the girl behind the bar, lifting my finger and signaling for her to get me a beer. Grabbing one, she quickly removes the cap and places it down in front of me. I gulp down the beer, resting back against the stool. “Something else that is good for the club will be getting rid of the deal we have with you over the drugs.”
“I know, Nate.”
“And Hunter is coming tonight. You’ll get to meet the real face behind the future of the Deathseekers.”
“We never did have the chat about Brewer. What the fuck is going on, man?”
“Long story short. Looks like Brewer is Tara’s old man. Explains her mom’s hatred of the MC. She’s scared that if Brewer finds out that Tara is his, he’ll set out to kill her.”
“Talk about a mind fuck.”
“Right. So my need to get Brewer out of the picture just got a lot more complicated.”
“She can’t seriously want anything to do with him?”
Taking a huge gulp of my beer, I shrug my shoulders. “She doesn’t know how she feels. What with all the other complicated shit happening right now, things are a bit messed up. I can only imagine what she’s thinking.”
“Of all the goddamn people.” He sighs, shaking his head in disbelief. His arm falls loosely against my shoulders and I give him a sideways glance.
“It does mean that Hunter is her biological brother.”
“Leverage.” He leans closer, almost whispering into my ear.
Furrowing my brow, I give my head a faint shake from side to side. “No, man. I’m not going to use this to manipulate him. I trust him. I have faith in him, as a person.”
“Sappy fucker.”
With a chuckle, I offer him a smirk. “Nah, just not heartless.”
“Fuck you. I have a big heart,” he shoots back, dropping his hand and making a fist. He hits his chest repeatedly and I can’t help but laugh at his stupidity. Everyone knows Brax has an unbreakable love for Isabelle, but fuck, he can be a cold and calculated motherfucker. There’s a side to him that scares the fuck out of me, not that I’d ever let him know that.
“Hey, looks like little bro is here,” he says, slapping my arm and nodding over to the door. I glower at him in warning and he widens his eyes, holding his arms up in a mock surrender.
“Not a word, man. Tonight is important for Tara.”
Resting my hands against the bar, I use them to push away, turning on the spot and heading over to Hunter. “Hey, man,” I say, holding out my hand to him.
He takes it weakly, shaking a little. Without a second thought, I pull him in, patting him on the back.
“The fuck is with the no club colors, man. Just had to leave the cut at the door.”
“Sorry, brother. New look, new rules. I want only the best for my girls and if this is going to be a quality establishment, then it’s business casual only.”
Tipping his head toward mine, he looks me dead in the eye. “I hope this won’t affect my arrangement with Precious?” His voice is just a whisper and his eyes are suddenly lifted and searching the room. I follow his line of sight, his gaze falling upon Precious. Watching, I see him swallowing slowly, his jaw ticking as he observes her speaking with the chief of police.
“Who the fuck is that?”
“He’s from the police department. And let’s just say he works with the MC, not against us. We have his full backing on our new business venture.” I lift my hands, gesturing to the club.
“Listen, Nate.” He jabs his index finger against my chest. “I pay good money to have her exclusively.” He accentuates the word “exclusively.”
“Man, I get it. I do. I’ve known it since forever. You got feelings for that pretty pussy. But this is her job. Fucking men is what she’s being paid for.”
His nostrils flare and his shoulders slump as he presses the bridge of his nose. “I’m the only one she fucks, Nate. I’ll pay. Whatever it takes.”
“Why don’t you just make her yours, man? Take care of her the right way.”
“She has complications at home. She works because she needs the job. So won’t take my money. I’ve already offered. Says she ain’t no charity case.”
“Listen, we’ll honor the agreement… for now. But it’s gonna cost ya!” I smirk and he drops his head backward.
“I’ll pay, man. She’s more than fucking worth it.”
Squeezing his shoulder, I lift my brows. “I’ll take your word on that, brother.”
“Hey.” Tara’s voice calls from behind me, her hand resting against the bottom of my back.
“Hey, baby,” I say, wrapping my hand around her waist and guiding her until she’s standing beside me. “Tara, this is Hunter. Hunter, this is Tara.”
She holds her hand out to him and I see it wavering. His gaze drops to her hand but he doesn’t take it. Instead, he steps forward, holding out his arm and embracing her.
“Hey,” he greets her warmly, his hand rubbing back and forth against her back.
“It’s so good to finally meet you.” She beams, separating from him and looking up at him. I glance between the pair, and I kind of s
ee it. The slight resemblance.
“I guess we have a lot to talk about.”
“We do,” she replies coyly. “I mean, if this is all a bit too weird for you, I’d totally understand. I don’t expect anything from you,” she adds.
“No,” he rushes out. “I’d really like to get to know you.”
Looking between them, I rest one hand on each of their arms. “I’m going to leave you two to chat while I mingle. You know, business stuff.”
Tara chuckles. “Okay, baby.” She lifts up, kissing me lightly on the lips.
I circle the room, chatting and welcoming some of the most influential businessmen in the area. Brax really has some lucrative contacts.
“I love what you’ve done with the place,” Counselor Johnson praises with a huge grin on his face, his eyes never meeting mine. They’re all over the girls as he eye-fucks each and every one, his tongue darting out occasionally. “So how long before you’re open for business?”
“Tomorrow,” I reply but my eye is quickly caught by Zane waving his hand frantically, eyes wide.
“Uh, excuse me for just one minute.” I pat him lightly on the back and he nods, returning his gaze to the earlier eye-fucking of the girls.
I rush over to the door. “What is it, man?”
“You need to come outside. The boy too.” His arm outstretched, he points to Hunter. I tip my head to the side, studying the look on his face.”
“You gotta clue me in, brother.”
“It’s Brewer,” he talks low and through gritted teeth. “Security is struggling to hold the motherfucker back.”
Turning my head, I look over my shoulder at Hunter talking and laughing with Tara. With a roll of my eyes and a sigh I tell him to get my men. Turning and heading over to the pair, I rest my hand on his shoulder to get his attention.
The complete scars series: Books one-four Page 89