This Crazy Forbidden Thing: A Bad Boy Secret Baby Romance Novel (The Knight Brothers Book 2)

by London Casey

  “There was an accident.”

  My heart stopped. I grabbed Owen’s arm. “Accident? Is he okay?”

  I saw the way Owen’s face dropped. “Christ, Olivia, it’s never going to stop. What is it with this guy?”

  “It’s my life and my feelings,” I said. “You had no right back then or now to get involved. And then forcing Walker onto me. He proposed to me.”

  “What?”

  “Walker proposed to me. He forced me to go to the doctor’s and then you must have called him about the ultrasound picture. So he had roses and a ring delivered.”

  “To you.”

  “To me,” I said. “He wants my answer when he gets back in town.”

  “Which is what?”

  “I hate you for all of this,” I said. “You never gave Slade a chance. Then or now. You always judged him. He’s never done anything wrong.”

  “Tell that to Danny,” Owen said. “Oh, wait, Danny’s dead because of Slade.”

  “Tell me what happened then. Nobody will ever talk about it.”

  Owen let out a sigh. “Dammit, Olivia. You can’t sneak around with this guy anymore. You’re pregnant. Walker wants you to be his wife. You need to take a long look at your life.”

  “Why don’t you do the same?”

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  “You know what it means,” I said. “You have to let me go. You have to stop trying to be Dad. He’s gone...”

  Owen lunged at me. I quickly threw my hand at him, not slapping him, but punching him right in the nose. It caught me off guard. Owen’s head snapped back and he grabbed for his nose. There was a little bit of blood.

  “You just punched a cop,” he said.

  “No. I punched my asshole brother. Now, tell me right now, was Slade in an accident?”

  “No,” Owen said. “Betty was.”

  “My Betty? From the diner?”

  “Yes.”

  “Is she okay?”

  “She rolled her car at the bend near mile forty-two. Slade was there and apparently he pulled her from the car right before it burst into flames. She’s en route to the hospital. That’s all I know.”

  “And why does Slade have to go to the station?”

  “To answer questions. I want to know why he was there and why he’s back in this goddamn town again.”

  “What are you going to do?” I asked. “Beat him up? Lock him up?”

  “I’ll do whatever I have to do, Olivia,” Owen said. “To protect you and my family. We have a long road ahead of us with Mom. She’s been to the doctor and needs to go back. You know what’s coming this week, too. And if you decide to do this to Walker, then you need to face it. But know he’ll never be out of your life. As much as an asshole as he could be, he will be a good father to that baby. And you know what, Olivia?” Owen got a cocky grin on his face. He inched closer to me. “There is nothing you can do about that.”

  A few seconds passed by.

  If this was a month ago, I’d bow down to Owen. Hell, I’d break down and cry. I’d hug him and ask him for forgiveness. But Slade was in town. He was my man. My protector. My warrior. And I needed to be the same for him. It was time to end all of this shit once and for all.

  “You’re wrong,” I said, my mouth dry. “You’re so wrong, Owen.”

  “Oh yeah? How the hell can I be wrong?”

  “I don’t need Walker in my life. Ever.”

  Owen laughed. “Sure thing, Olivia. You push at him and he’ll take you to court.”

  “And that’s when he’ll look like a damn fool even more than you.”

  “How so, Olivia?”

  I hated when Owen said my full name like he did. He was trying to break me down. He was trying to win. It wasn’t going to happen today or ever again.

  I put my hand to my stomach and smiled.

  “Why are you smiling?” he asked.

  “Because... all I have is the truth now, Owen. That’s all that matters.”

  “Oh yeah? So what’s the truth?”

  I licked my lips again. Then I said it. “The truth... is that this baby inside me... it’s Slade’s baby.”

  (SLADE)

  It wasn’t the first time I had been to the police station but it was definitely the first time I walked in voluntarily and didn’t have cuffs slapped on my wrists. It was like looking on the other side of my life for a second.

  Everyone looked at me and when they made the connection of who I was, they all just stared, probably wondering what the hell I was doing in town and why I was there.

  An officer rose up at the front desk and nodded to me. “You’re Roman’s brother, right?”

  “Yeah,” I said.

  “Wow. How’s he doing? I know he had some stuff.”

  “He’s fine. Where’s Owen? He’s expecting me.”

  “Uh, yeah, sure. You’re... Slade, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  A minute later, a woman came to get me. Then I was escorted through the police station. Owen had his own little office with his name on it.

  How fucking cute.

  But we kept walking.

  We turned a corner and I realized she was taking me to an interrogation room.

  “Seriously?” I asked. “This is where he wants me?”

  “I’m just following orders,” the woman said. She opened a door and pointed to a table. “Sit down, please. I’ll be standing there so you don’t leave.”

  “I’m not leaving,” I said.

  She shut the door behind me and I went to the table and sat down.

  Again, it wasn’t the first time I was in one of these rooms before.

  I thought I’d have a few seconds to sort my thoughts out. I had tried calling Liv three times and she didn’t answer. I stayed at the accident scene until they cleaned everything up and then I left, coming right to the police station. Best to face this shit with Owen head on. He didn’t have to like me ever, but he’d have to deal with me.

  The door opened fast and Owen came walking in, holding folders. He shut the door and walked to the table. He dropped the folders on the table and stared at me.

  “You look like you want to hit me,” I said.

  “That’s exactly what I want to do,” Owen said. “Can you be man enough to keep your hands at your sides and take a punch?”

  “Do what you need to do, Owen.”

  His left hand was flat on the table. His right hand tightened up. He threw a fist forward and it slammed off my jaw. I fell out of the chair and sat on the ground. Owen grabbed the chair and ripped it away.

  “Tell me it’s fucking true,” Owen said.

  I saw the look in his eyes and realized why Owen was so pissed.

  He knew about me and Liv. He knew she was pregnant.

  “It’s all true, Owen,” I said.

  “No. Fuck you, Slade. No.”

  Owen reached down for me. I let him get one punch in and that was one too many. I grabbed his hand and twisted his arm, bringing him to the ground. We started to tangle for a few seconds and then broke apart. Owen kicked back and climbed to his feet. He stood, turned, and shook his head. I got back up into the chair and sat there.

  “So, do you want to talk about the accident?” I asked.

  Owen turned and grabbed a chair. He sat down and faced me. “Tell me.”

  “This is what you want?”

  “Fucking tell me, Slade.”

  “I knocked up your sister.”

  His nostrils flared. “It doesn’t make sense.”

  “Well, see, when a man and a woman like each other...”

  “I will fucking arrest you,” Owen said. “I’ll pull favors to get you sent away.”

  “And then your sister will have nobody to care for her.”

  “I’ll take care of her.”

  “Not like I can,” I said with a grin.

  “I hate you, Slade. I’ll tell her to say you forced yourself on her.”

  “Not a chance.”

  “It
’s Walker’s baby,” Owen said.

  “Blood test would prove otherwise,” I shot back.

  “She told me she was pregnant...”

  “She was afraid of you and Walker,” I said. “That’s the life you gave her, Owen. I was in town for my father’s funeral. Okay? I stayed and helped Jack with some work.”

  “That old bag of shit always had a soft spot for you,” Owen said. “Maybe I could finally write him up on some violations and watch his shit hole get shut down.”

  “You go do that then,” I said.

  “What else happened?” Owen asked.

  “Do you need to know?”

  “Yes.”

  “Liv got a flat tire and came to Jack’s. She didn’t know I was there. We talked. She wanted to see me the next night. So we met up. We never were over each other, Owen. Sorry, man. Whether you like it or not, I’m in love with your sister. I didn’t intend for that to happen... but it did.”

  “No, no, no,” Owen said. “So she lied about being pregnant the first time?”

  “You can talk to her about that.”

  Owen slammed his hand on the table. “I don’t believe it. She and Walker...”

  “She doesn’t let Walker touch her,” I said. “Do you really want to talk about Liv like this?”

  “I want you gone forever,” Owen said. “You were supposed to stay gone forever, Slade.”

  “I guess your plan didn’t work out,” I said. “You and I both know the truth of what happened that night with Danny. I did not kill him. You sent him to kill me.”

  Owen laughed. “Keep telling yourself that.” He stood up. “So this is where we end up, Slade. You getting my sister pregnant. What’s your plan then?”

  “I have no plan,” I said. “And if that pisses you off, oh well. It’s my life and Liv’s life. And our baby.”

  “Walker isn’t going to appreciate this.”

  “I don’t give a shit about Walker,” I said. “What I actually do give a shit about, Owen, is you. Because I know how much Liv loves you. And I know there’s some medical stuff with your mother and I’m sorry about that. And I know that the date is coming up of your father’s...”

  “Enough!” Owen yelled. He moved at the table again and put his hand to the folders. “These folders contain all the dirt about you and your brothers. All the bullshit you guys did growing up in this town. And it includes what happened that night with Danny. I was protecting my little sister because I knew you were planning on taking her away.”

  “You’re right. I was. We were going to run away. It’s the biggest regret of my life. I shouldn’t have taken her up to the ridge. I should have just left with her when I wanted to go. Then Danny would’ve found nothing. He’d be alive. Liv and I would be happy together.”

  “No you wouldn’t,” Owen said. “I’ll make sure that never happens. I can promise you that, Slade. Even if this baby is yours, you’ll never get a chance to raise it. Not on my watch.”

  I slowly stood up. “You could try and stand between me and your sister. I can respect that. But to stand between myself and my child, you don’t get to do that.”

  “Are you threatening me?”

  “I don’t need to threaten you,” I said. “You have nothing to stand on, Owen.”

  Owen half grinned and walked to the door. He looked back. “Thank you on behalf of this town for your bravery today with Betty. You probably saved her life. And that’s why you’re walking out of here on your own, Slade. You’re going to get on the two wheeled piece of shit motorcycle of yours and you’re going to leave town. I’ll take care of Olivia.”

  Owen opened the door.

  He paused at the female officer. “Please make sure Mr. Knight is escorted out of the station. And then put his files on my desk.”

  “Yes, sir,” the officer said.

  Then Owen was gone.

  The female officer looked at me.

  I walked from the interrogation room and was escorted from the police station.

  Owen couldn’t force me out of town. Not this time. Not again.

  I grabbed for my phone and called Liv again.

  This time she finally answered.

  I used to have to park my motorcycle down the street and then cut through the front yard to the side door of the house. That’s how I’d pick Liv up for our secret dates. Never in my life did I get the chance to walk up to the front door and knock. I even looked over my shoulder to check for Owen or Walker or someone waiting to jump me.

  The door opened and Liv’s mother - Sue - stood there.

  She smiled and reached for me. Next thing I knew I was hugging her, rocking left to right. Goddammit if it didn’t make my throat tighten up a little. A hug from a motherly figure... I hadn’t had that since the night my mother died.

  “Oh, Slade,” Sue said. She pulled away and touched my face. “I always knew you and Olivia were meant to be.”

  “You were the only one,” I said.

  “Oh, don’t worry about my son. He’s always nervous. His father will straighten him out one day soon. In fact, I’m surprised Hank isn’t home yet.”

  That was a punch to the gut.

  Poor Sue was already slipping.

  “Yeah, I’m sure he will,” I said, not sure what to do in that situation. “I’m sorry to bother you, but is Liv here?”

  “Liv,” Sue said. “You always called her that. You always snuck to the side of the house.”

  I laughed. “Yeah, I did. I was a tough kid, I know that. But when it comes to your daughter, I just... she makes it all okay.”

  “I can’t believe you two are having a baby,” Sue said.

  “Well, to be fair here, Liv is having a baby,” I said. I was surprised that Liv told her mother. “She’s doing all the work now. I’m just along for the ride.”

  “Such a good man. Come on in, Slade. Olivia is standing out on the deck. Come.”

  Sue took my hand and led the way. I hadn’t expected to come to the house like this. I figured I’d get to see Liv’s apartment. Then we’d talk and figure out what to do next in all of this mess.

  I stepped out on the deck and Sue closed the door behind me.

  Liv turned and looked at me. She instantly smiled and moved at me.

  We hugged each other as though we hadn’t seen each other in months. Christ, a second away from Liv felt like a week. I lifted her up and took a deep breath, inhaling the sweet smell of her hair. I put her down and kissed her, not giving a damn who saw a thing.

  “You saved Betty’s life,” she said.

  “Yeah. Your brother pointed that out when I was at the police station.”

  “You went?”

  “He told me to. Plus, we needed the talk.”

  “How’d that go?”

  “He punched me. Which was good. He needed to do that. Then we talked.”

  “I had to tell him. I got so angry, Slade...”

  “It’s okay, beautiful,” I said. “It’s all okay.”

  “With him?”

  “No. He’s an asshole. He’ll have to come to terms with it. You told your mother?”

  “She’s excited.”

  “I know. She hugged me. Then she said your father was coming home soon.”

  Liv’s face dropped. “All day today, Slade, she’s been asking. I think it’s because of tomorrow.”

  I pulled Liv in tighter. “I’m sorry. I can’t imagine how hard it is.”

  “I can,” Liv said. “I lost the man I loved.”

  Talk about another punch to the gut. I put Liv at arm’s length and stared at her. “That will never happen again. You will never lose me again. Not like your father to your mother, Liv. Okay? I swear on that.”

  “I believe you. But I have something to tell you.”

  “What?”

  “Walker proposed to me. He left roses and a ring and expects an answer from me.”

  “That should go over well.”

  Liv laughed and then sucked in a breath. “What are we doing?”


  “We’re taking this head on,” I said. “There’s nothing anyone can do to stop this. You’re going to have face your lie to Walker and Owen, Liv. But you’re not going to face it alone. I’ll be there with you, no matter what.”

  “Okay,” Liv said. “I, uh, I got a call to work the diner. To cover Betty’s shift. We usually stay open as much as possible, but we’re closing at ten because there’s nobody else to work. I could use the money. But I don’t want to bail on you.”

  “Tell you what,” I said. “Go and work. You should. Take the stress off your mind, okay? I’m going to ride to Jack’s and talk to him. I’ll come get you later, after work. We’ll go back to your place. Then tomorrow we’ll take on this Walker thing together. Unless you want to marry him.” I grinned.

  “Never,” Liv said. “Don’t say stuff like that. Makes me sick to think about.”

  I pulled Liv in and kissed her. “I’ll be at the diner at ten. Let your brother sweat this thing out for a little bit. Nothing can stop us, Liv. We love each other and we want to be together. That’s all we need.”

  “What about your club?” she asked.

  “Right now, I’m good here,” I said. “I can deal with everything else later.”

  That was the truth. Walking away from the MC was a tough thing to do. But to give up the cut for good, that was a whole other situation. I knew crossing the worlds between justice and outlaw was bad, but right then, it was about me and Liv. Our chance to be together. What I had been waiting for for years now.

  I kissed Liv’s forehead. “I love you, beautiful.”

  “I love you, Slade.”

  We stared at each other.

  As good I wanted to feel about everything, I had a really bad feeling in the pit of my stomach... there was another storm on the horizon...

  I opened the door and Jack stood up. He took the cigarette out of his mouth and waved a hand. I had to keep to my own code of honor and I reached over the counter and grabbed him. I socked him in the mouth, sending him over his chair and to the ground.

  He lay there, groaning, his lip bleeding.

  “You brought her to the Savage Viper’s clubhouse?”

  “Ah, fuck,” Jack said. “She was begging me. She was going to search for you no matter what. I figured that way I would know she was safe.”