Addictive (The Houston Defiance MC Series Book 2)

by K E Osborn

  They say an addiction is like a nasty habit. The secret to permanently breaking any bad habit is to love something greater than that habit.

  I will always love Prinie and our baby more than any need for my fading addiction.

  I will always love them greater.

  I reach out pulling Prinie to me while my lips spread wide across my face in delight.

  “Are you smiling?”

  “I can’t stop. I’m so fucking happy.”

  “You are? I thought you’d be mad.”

  “I can’t think of anything I want more in the world than to have a part of you and a part of me as something we share.”

  Prinie wipes her face, then leans in kissing me. I kiss her back with as much enthusiasm as I can find, but then she suddenly pulls back. “Wait.” I furrow my brows. “The testing… what if it comes back positive? What does that mean for our baby?”

  My hands begin to go clammy as my leg muscles tighten. I’ve only just received this miracle in my life, I can’t have it taken from me. “Okay, get dressed. We’re going to see Chills.”

  We stand, quickly rushing around getting dressed, and head for the door, but I turn back racing to the bed to grab the positive test. “I don’t want this out of my sight.”

  Prinie grabs my hand, and we head to Chills and Chains’ room.

  I need to figure this shit out. Now!

  I need Chills to tell me this is all going to be okay.

  Because if it’s not, this could be the one thing that truly breaks me.

  PRINIE

  Racing toward Chills and Chains’ room, we don’t spare a second as we run for their door.

  We stop.

  Look at each other and something passes between us—trepidation.

  Wraith knocks a little firmer than I would have considering they have their own baby to attend with.

  The door flies open.

  Chains is glaring at us, disheveled as all hell. “The fuck do you want knocking like tha—” he stops speaking, then continues, “Oh… VP, how can I help you?”

  I shove Wraith to the side. He grumbles as I exhale. “Chains, we need to speak to Chills. Is she up?”

  He peers over his shoulder, then not even a second later, she appears in the doorway holding onto a sleeping baby Kobe. Seeing their baby does something to me. My hand instantly runs to my stomach as Wraith wraps his arm around me, obviously having the same gamut of emotions flowing through him at seeing baby Kobe too.

  Chills follows my action, and her eyes widen in recognition. “Chains, take Kobe for a walk.” She offloads her son into Chains’ arms.

  He scrunches up his face. “But I don’t even have shoes—”

  “Go!” she demands, shoving him out the door past us.

  I grimace. “Sorry, Chains,” I call out as he marches off down the hall.

  Chills reaches out, pulling us inside the bedroom. Wraith closes the door as she rolls her shoulders.

  “Have you done a test?” she asks.

  “How did you?”

  “A mother knows all the signs.”

  Wraith brings his hand up, showing her the pregnancy test. Chills checks over the positive display with an exhale. “Okay. First of all… do you know how far along you are?”

  “Not far, maybe three weeks.”

  “I’ll run a blood test to be one hundred percent sure it’s positive. The tests we’ve been running didn’t include the markers for possible pregnancy, that’s why I didn’t pick it up. I should have run the test, in all honesty, I just didn’t think it was something on your radar. But, don’t worry, it’s okay, we will look into it and deal with what we need to as we go.”

  “No, Chills we need to know now. If one of my tests comes back…” I pause trying to get out what I need to say. “If I test positive for say… HIV, what does it mean for our baby?”

  Her eyes fall to the floor for the briefest of seconds, and in that moment, my heart tears itself to shreds. My eyes well with tears as I grip hold of Wraith so tight my knuckles turn white.

  Chills rolls her shoulders. “I’ll be honest with you… babies born to mothers with positive HIV are given medicine within six to twelve hours of delivery... hopefully it protects the infant from the mother passing the infection to the baby during childbirth. But… there are never any guarantees.”

  I try to swallow a lump in my throat, but it stays there trying to suffocate me.

  “From there, the baby will be tested at between fourteen to twenty-one days. Then again between one to two months. And then again at four to six. If the tests show the baby has contracted HIV, they will receive antiretroviral therapy, which will help the child live a healthier, longer life.”

  A small smile picks up the corner of my lips. “So, even if I am positive, and my baby gets it, they will still live a long life?”

  Chills winces, her expression falling. “The treatment helps them live longer, but not long, Prinie. The life expectancy for an infant born with HIV is approximately ten years.”

  My hand rushes to my mouth as I glance at Wraith.

  He’s shattered.

  Chills reaches out, grabbing my hand. “The thing is, though, Prinie, you might not even spread it to the baby when it’s born. Your child could be completely virus-free, but in saying that, you can also spread the virus through breast milk, so even if the baby makes it through childbirth without contracting the virus, you can’t breastfeed if you test positive.”

  Grief overwhelms me as tears slowly trickle down my face. “Should I…” I stutter. “Should I… not have this baby?”

  “What?” Wraith gasps.

  Chills raises her hands. “I wouldn’t go making any rash decisions just yet. All your tests so far have come back clean. You might be pulling the trigger when there’s nothing to run from. You hear what I’m saying, Prinie?”

  “But in six months when the last tests come back, it will be too late. I’ll be six months pregnant.”

  “Yes, but wouldn’t you rather take the chance on you coming through this clean with a healthy baby than coming through it clean and knowing you gave up too soon? But, of course, that’s a decision for you and Wraith to talk over. Don’t let me sway you either way. I just want you to think this through clearly, and for me to give you all the details you need to make an informed decision.”

  “We definitely need to talk this over,” Wraith instructs. “And you need to have some more bloodwork done for confirmation before we make any grand plans.”

  Wraith’s trying to tell me something, but I’m not sure what.

  “When can you fit me in, Chills?”

  She walks over to her closet grabbing some clothing. “Meet me downstairs in ten. We’ll go to the hospital now.”

  We both head out of Chills’ room to wait downstairs.

  Chains is already down here with Kobe, and the club girls are getting a start on the morning’s activities.

  As I pace the floor waiting, Wraith reaches out grabbing my arm to stop me. “Did you mean what you said?”

  My muscles squeeze together as I wallow in his hurt eyes. “I… I just want to do the right thing.”

  “By who?”

  I scowl. “The baby, Wraith. I don’t want it to be born with some horrible disease that I give it, only for our child to die by the age of ten.”

  “But what if you are fine! What if we do this, then at six months you’re cleared, and this is the only chance we have at our happy f-family?” His voice breaks at the end.

  It’s clear this is cutting him up.

  He wants our child more than anything.

  I rush forward pulling him to me. “Why can’t things ever be straight-forward and easy with us?”

  His hands smooth over my hair. “The hardest times are sent to those who overcome the biggest hurdles. They’re sent to try us, to let us know when we fight we will still come out on top, that we’re worth fighting for. And, princess, we’re fucking worth fighting for. Every single moment has led to this!” />
  Tears well in my eyes as I stare up at him. There’s so much love and adoration pouring out from his very soul. “Who knew under all that stone was a heart of gold?”

  He leans down, pressing his lips to mine softly. I needed this. I kiss him back as I hear soft footsteps approaching.

  “Sorry to break this up, but we should get going. If you still wanna do this?” Chills softly mentions beside us.

  I pull back from Wraith.

  Somehow, someway, he’s made me feel okay about this. I don’t know how he managed to calm my racing thoughts, but that’s the magic and madness of my old man. He simply gets me. Understands what I need in the moment I need it. Even when I don’t know what that is.

  “C’mon, let’s go do this,” I tell him.

  We link our hands together, walking with Chills out toward her car.

  Time to find out if we’re having a baby.

  Wraith and I hung around the hospital while Chills did her doctor thing. It was hard to sit and wait knowing so much was up in the air. If I had a life growing inside of me, it would change the path Wraith and my relationship was taking forever. Sure, I was already his Old Lady, but sitting there in the hospital, I had no idea whether we would be leaving as parents or just another couple with their hopes dashed.

  Chills finally came out and gave us the news.

  We are pregnant.

  Without a doubt.

  The car ride home was filled with all the questions we could ask and all our options.

  Chills was there to guide us, and in the end, there was only one choice we felt we could make.

  We are keeping the baby.

  My tests so far are clean. The chances of Sava having any catastrophic diseases aren’t massively high. He looked the picture of health before he was killed, so the odds are in my favor. Chills is going to do some digging, see if she can source his medical records somehow to speed the process along. If she can see his medical history, it might help put our minds at ease.

  Until then, she told me to keep my stress to a minimum. She gave me all the necessary vitamins and all the instructions I needed.

  As I place them on the counter in my bedroom, I take in a deep centering breath.

  Wraith turns to me, grabbing my hands. “We’re gonna be great parents, Kharlie.”

  “I know we are. We just have to tell a certain someone all of our news.”

  His nostrils flare as he inhales deeply. “Yeah.”

  “We should tell him with Cherry there. She might be able to calm his reactions.”

  “Good idea. You wanna do it now?”

  “No.”

  He chuckles. “Okay, let’s go.” His fingers lace with mine as he drags me toward the door. “C’mon, we got this.” The cheery expression on his face gives me hope. The thing about Wraith is he hardly ever exudes happiness, he’s always skulking around, always frowning, always brooding. But right now, he’s proud as punch to be announcing he’s going to be a father.

  So, I need to pull up my big girl panties and let him have this. If he’s not scared of my brother’s reaction, I shouldn’t be either.

  We head downstairs, everyone’s in the main room doing their own thing. I spot Zero sitting with Cherry. They are all loved up, and maybe a little too comfortable with each other in public. I snort out a laugh as we walk over.

  Wraith knocks on the table.

  Cherry pulls her lips away from my brother. She clears her throat while jumping off his lap.

  “Mind if we sit?” Wraith asks before Zero can even grill him for interrupting.

  “Please,” Cherry offers.

  Zero groans in disagreement, but we slide into position anyway.

  “This better be good, you interrupted a good thing,” he grumbles.

  Cherry slaps his chest. “Don’t be an ass!”

  Wraith wraps his arm around my shoulders, pulling me to him. “We have some news.”

  Zero sits back in his chair letting out a huff. “Oh, for fuck’s sake, here we fucking go.”

  “I need a property patch made up,” Wraith advises. He doesn’t seek permission, he’s telling Zero.

  I gnaw on my bottom lip, holding my breath just waiting for the explosion that’s bound to happen.

  Zero sits forward, eyes darting from me to Wraith. His hands moving to fists on the table. “You claim her?”

  Wraith’s expression is straight. “Yeah, last night. Princess is my Old Lady.”

  Cherry’s face lights up so fucking wide, her eyes are glowing with excitement.

  Zero rubs his chin. “You didn’t ask my permission.”

  Wraith lets out a huff. “Since when do bikers ask permission before claiming their woman?”

  “She’s not just any Old Lady, Wraith.”

  “You’re right. She’s not. But she can’t continually live under your shadow. She’s her own woman, Zero. She can make her own damn decisions.”

  “She’s known for making irrational decisions in the past—”

  “And you think this is one of them?” Wraith interrupts, and I can see the anger starting to appear in his eyes.

  Zero’s lips turn up in the corner. “I don’t have to like it, but I guess I can’t tower over her all the fucking time. She needs to grow up one day,” he teases.

  “You’re an asshole,” I blurt.

  “As long as you make her happy, I’m okay with it.”

  Calm washes over Wraith as he pulls the test out of his pocket from under the table. “There’s one more thing...” He places the test on the table, sliding it in front of Zero and Cherry.

  Cherry’s head snaps up, her watering eyes meeting mine as she lets out a happy laugh. “Oh my God, are you?”

  Biting the inside of my cheek, I nod, as she reaches out across the table pulling me into a hug. “Holy shit! I’m gonna be an auntie!” she squeals.

  Zero stares Wraith down, that vein in his neck popping again. “You’re young, Prinie,” Zero grunts.

  I furrow my brows as I turn to him. “I know.”

  “You have your whole life ahead of you. At twenty you can go anywhere, do anything, see anything. Now you’re an Old Lady and a mom all in one night? Coincidence?”

  Wraith sits taller, but I’m the first to speak. “Wraith claimed me last night. The test came this morning. He’s not sympathy claiming me, Zero, if that’s what you’re thinking. Wraith wants this baby more than anyth—”

  “So, you planned it?” His voice raises a little higher.

  Wraith sits forward, scowling at Zero. “Ease the fuck up, brother. We didn’t plan it. With all the testing Prinie’s going through because of Sava, she’s under enough stress as it is. I respect you as my president, I respect you as her brother, but if you don’t lay off, I’m gonna fucking lay you out.”

  “The fuck are you talking about?”

  My eyes glisten with unshed tears.

  Wraith sinks back reaching for my hand. “Chills is doing testing on Prinie for HIV, hepatitis, all that shit because when she got the cut on her neck at the church…” he takes a deep breath, “… her blood mixed with Sava’s.”

  Both their eyes widen so much I worry they might burst out of their heads, but it’s Zero I’m more concerned about. His face turns bright red as he shakes his head. “Why didn’t you fucking tell me?”

  “Thought we’d give you the night to celebrat—”

  “That’s not your call to mak—”

  “Zero, it was my decision. This is hard enough to go through without having you going off about it. Can you just take it down a notch, please?” Prinie begs.

  Cherry pulls her lips into a tight thin line as Zero sits back in his chair. He folds his arms over his chest like he’s mulling this over… hard. “You say you love her?” he directs toward Wraith.

  “With everything I am.”

  “You put your life on the line for her and my niece or nephew?”

  “Every. Damn. Time.”

  Zero stands suddenly from his chair sending a
whistle through the main room. I tense as everyone looks our way. “Brothers, we got ourselves a new Old Lady. Our VP is making an honest woman of my bratty little sister. Princess is now the Second Lady of this club. Nessie, we need a property patch as soon as possible.”

  “On it, pres!” Nessie calls back.

  Zero grabs his drink raising it in the air. “To Prinie and Wraith!”

  My club family all cheer, stomping their feet. Wraith clings to me, kissing my temple.

  Finally, Zero’s on board, finally we have his blessing, and finally, I feel like I’m home. I might have viewed this club like it was the place that took a whole lot from me, but because of this club, I’m starting something brand new—bringing a life into to the world with the man I love and adore.

  What more could I want than making my home a home for our family.

  No matter what’s in store for us, no matter what these tests show, we will work through it together. Not just me and Wraith, but this entire club—my family. Because that’s what this clubhouse represents, and I understand that now.

  It’s not about the losses and the pain you feel.

  You can’t live in the past and wallow in regrets.

  You have to fight for those you love, live every day to the fullest and embrace the moments you have because you never know when it could come crashing down. We know that all too well. The point is, not to let fear drown you. Live for what you have and cherish it. Enjoy every day with family by your side and at your back because that is what the club is all about.

  That is what Houston is about, and I had forgotten that fact.

  Well, I’ll never forget it again.

  Houston is my home, and I’m never leaving again.

  WRAITH

  The Next Night

  It’s been a long time coming, and it’s great to know things are going the club’s way for a change. I wrap my arm around Prinie, kissing her head as the club girls set up the room for Luc’s patching-in ceremony.

  Cherry’s taken Luc and Ruby out on an errand. We’re all certain they’ll be suspicious something is amiss, but we want it to go smoothly for them.