Misadventures in the Cage

by Sarah Robinson

  Callan’s heart started to race. Was Josie pregnant? Was it his? She hadn’t looked pregnant when they met at the door. Turning around, he looked at her.

  Except, she wasn’t where she’d been standing a moment ago.

  She was down on one knee on the floor holding up a small, velvet box with a wedding band inside.

  “Josie?” he asked, confused as to what she was doing. “What is this? What is this room?”

  “Callan, I have spent the last two years trying to find myself. Trying to figure out who I was outside of the cameras and in my career. I thought that was what would make me happy. I thought I needed to be this independent career woman to complete my life, to finally grow up and get out from under my family’s thumb,” she explained, still down on one knee in front of him. “But the truth is, now that I have all those things…and more, I still feel like I’m missing something. Or someone.”

  He wanted to wrap his arms around her and tell her everything would be okay. “Josie…”

  “The truth is, I’ve only felt whole twice before…and both of those times were when I was with you.” Tears welled in the corners of her eyes. “I’m so sorry it took me so long to see that. I’m so sorry that I never opened up to you before and told you how I was really feeling, but I’m doing it now. Callan Walsh, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you. Will you marry me?”

  His eyes widened, but he couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across his lips. “Is this real life right now?”

  “Well, the ache in my knee says yes, so an answer anytime would be great,” she kidded, holding the ring back up to him.

  “Stand up.” He reached for her and pulled her up in front of him. He wrapped his arms around her waist until she was flush against him. “Jos, all I ever wanted was to hear those words from you. Of course I’ll marry you.”

  She grinned, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him. God, he kissed her back like a man who’d been starving. It took everything in him to hold back and not completely devour her right then and there. Kissing her again after all this time? It was everything he’d ever wanted, and for the life of him, he couldn’t remember why they’d ever stopped.

  After a moment or two, he remembered where he was and pulled away slightly. “Wait…can I ask?”

  “What?” She didn’t seem to understand what he was referring to.

  “Are you…are you pregnant?” He pointed to the room around him. “We’re in a nursery.”

  She laughed, the same joyous sound he’d missed so much. “No, silly. This room is for your daughter. I wanted you to see that she will have a place in my life too…if you want that. I love you, Callan. And your future daughter is going to be a part of your life forever. I’m okay with that. In fact, I can’t wait to meet her.”

  Callan felt like his heart was going to slide right out of his chest and hit the floor. “I would love nothing more than to have you be a part of my daughter’s life.”

  “Then it’s settled…you’re moving in here.”

  This time it was his turn to laugh. “Oh, am I?”

  She nodded. “It’s perfect. Halfway distance between the studio where I’ll be filming my new cooking show and your training center. The airport isn’t far for when you’re traveling. The neighborhood is in an amazing school district for your daughter…and any other future children you may have.”

  “With you,” he clarified. “No one else.”

  “Duh,” she teased. “If you knocked up someone else now, I’d chop off your balls.”

  He put a hand over his package. “Shit, woman.”

  Josie laughed and then showed him around the room, pointing out each thing that they needed to care for an infant. She’d clearly done her homework and was ready to go. Hell, this nursery here was more set up than Michelle’s was at her house.

  Callan sat in the rocking chair and pulled Josie down onto his lap. “Thank you, Jos. This gesture…it’s beautiful.”

  “I love you, Callan Walsh,” she replied, kissing him gently. “All of you.”

  “And I love you, Josie Gray.” He kissed her back. “I’m going to marry the shit out of you.”

  She laughed and curled up into his lap. “Forever.”

  “Forever.”

  Epilogue

  “Oh, my God!” Josie looked down at the puddle on the floor between her feet. “Babe!”

  Her husband walked into the room a moment later. “What’s up?”

  Josie stared at Callan as she pointed down at the ground. “I think my water just broke.”

  His eyes went wide, and he started moving at warp speed. “Okay, let’s get you in some dry clothes. The go-bag is ready. I’ll get it in the car. Here. Here’s some clothes. Put them on, and I’ll be right back.”

  She took the shirt and sweatpants from him and worked as quickly as she could to take off her old clothes and put on the new ones. Until a contraction hit her. She groaned loudly as she gripped the edge of the bathroom countertop.

  “Josie?” A little voice reached her, and as soon as she could see straight again, she looked at the entrance to the bathroom to see Alice standing there. “What’s wrong?”

  Callan was quickly behind her and scooped the little girl up into his arms. “Alice, guess what, baby girl?”

  “What?” she responded, wrapping her arms around Callan’s neck for support.

  “Your baby brother is on his way here,” Callan told the little girl.

  She started bouncing in his arms. “He is? Where is he? I want to see him!”

  “Well, he’s in Josie’s tummy right now.” Callan pointed at her. “We’re going to go to the hospital and get him out.”

  Josie wasn’t looking forward to that at all. As thrilled as she was to be pregnant with their first child so soon after their wedding, the thought of actually pushing this giant kid out of her was freaking terrifying.

  Callan reached a hand out to Josie. “You ready?”

  She nodded, taking his help and waddling as quickly as she could manage toward the car. He helped her into the front seat carefully and then buckled Alice into her car seat in the back.

  “Your mother is on her way,” Callan told her. “Your brothers, too, but they’re going to be here in a few hours because they’re coming from Vegas.”

  Josie’s mother had moved to Burbank to be closer to her when she’d found out she was pregnant. Originally, Josie had been dreading the forced closeness, but it had actually been a huge blessing. She and her mother had become quite close, really bonding, as her mother had helped her prepare for becoming a mother herself.

  “I called Mommy, and she’s going to pick you up at the hospital,” Callan spoke toward the back seat, talking to Alice. “You excited to see Mommy?”

  “I want to stay with you,” Alice whined. “I want to meet my baby brother.”

  Callan pulled the car onto the street and headed in the direction of the hospital. “You will, but he’s—”

  “Ah!” Josie groaned loudly again, almost screaming as a new contraction hit her and ripped through her entire body. She wasn’t sure what sin she’d committed to deserve this pain, but all she could think about was getting to the hospital and getting hooked up to drugs as soon as possible. More power to the women who could do this without all the medication, but that wasn’t about to be her.

  Callan reached over and squeezed her hand. “Here. I’m here. Hold on to me,” he encouraged. “Crush my hand if you need to.”

  She chuckled wryly as the pain subsided for a little bit. “Thanks.”

  By the time they arrived at the hospital, she’d had two more contractions. Thankfully, the doctors and nurses worked fast. They got her hooked up to medication, and the pain recessed as a pleasant numbness took over instead.

  “I’m here!” A shrill voice rang through the air as Michelle Rae waltzed into their hospital room. “How’s my baby?”

  “Mommy!” Alice lifted her arms in the direction of her mother.

 
Michelle picked her up and swung her onto one hip, kissing her temple. “Hi, baby girl. I missed you.” She then turned to face Josie, who was lying in the hospital bed chewing on ice chips while Callan stood beside her and rubbed her head. “And how is your baby?”

  “Doctors say everything looks great so far,” Callan said. “It shouldn’t be much longer now.”

  “That’s so exciting,” Michelle replied. “Congratulations again, Josie.”

  “Thanks, Michelle.” Josie smiled at the woman whom she’d actually grown quite close to. They weren’t ever going to be best friends or anything, but there was a mutual respect between them. They both loved Alice and wanted the best for her. That was all that mattered. They could certainly treat each other kindly on top of that.

  “Do you want me to get you anything? I can stick around,” Michelle offered.

  Josie shook her head. All she needed in that moment was Callan, and he was there. “I’m good.”

  “If you wouldn’t mind bringing Alice back tomorrow?” Callan asked. “We should be recovering by then, and I’d love for her to meet her little brother.”

  Michelle nodded, smiling. “Of course. I can’t wait to meet him as well. Good luck!”

  She then walked out with Alice on one hip and her crossbody purse on the other.

  Finally alone for the first time in a while, Josie turned to Callan. “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “For being the best husband and father I could have ever asked for,” she replied, reaching up and caressing his cheek. “I am so blessed to have you in my life. I love you, Callan.”

  Callan kissed her on the forehead and leaned in closer to her. “Motherhood is making you mushy.”

  She shrugged. “Maybe, but it’s true.”

  “I love you too,” he replied. “I can’t wait for the rest of our lives together.”

  Josie smiled, staring up at the man she’d married and was about to have a son with. She couldn’t believe her luck or the blessings her life had in store for her. And to think…it had all started with burying a sex doll in the desert.

  Don’t miss any Misadventures!

  Misadventures of a Biker

  May 19, 2020

  Keep reading for an excerpt!

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  Excerpt from Misadventures of a Biker

  TEDDI

  The workday was nearly over. I’d spent most of it watching Devin talk on the phone and trying to catch a glimpse of him each time he walked to the bathroom. What time wasn’t spent drooling over his bravado gait was spent daydreaming of what I wanted him to do to me.

  I regretted not apologizing to him for the way I acted. Doing it now would require talking to him face-to-face. Talking to him made me nervous. Avoidance was the only way for me to maintain any level of sanity.

  The sound of fingers snapping brought me out of my semiconscious state. I blinked my eyes into focus.

  Kate was leaning against my office door. “Wake up,” she said. “It’s almost time to go.”

  “I’m awake, I was just thinking. When did you get back?”

  “Just now.”

  “How’d it go?”

  “I sent you a text.” She took a few steps toward me. “Got the listing. Seven point two.”

  “Congratulations,” I said. “That’s a nice home.”

  “Thank you.” She gave me a funny look. “What were you thinking about?”

  “Oh, nothing. Why?”

  She gestured toward my face with her finger. “You’ve kind of got a little slobbery thing going on. You might want to wipe it off.”

  Embarrassed, I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. “I was just daydreaming.”

  “About Devin?”

  “What?” I gasped. “Seriously? No.”

  Grinning, she gave me a look of opposition. “Are you sure?”

  She’d been gone in meetings all day and had no idea of the mental turmoil I’d faced. Even so, I wasn’t about to admit I’d spent the majority of the day hoping he’d get up and walk around the office. I needed to pull it together. Swimming in self-pity about Margaret’s home and using Devin as my mental means of resolve wasn’t healthy.

  I cleared my mind of lingering thoughts and gave her an innocent look. “Why would you say something like that?”

  “I see how you look at him.”

  “When?”

  “Always.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means I could see the way you look at him.”

  I was looking at him like any sex-starved woman would look at a hardened biker who had a cock the size of a can of Pringles. I’d deny it until I either believed it or until Kate called me out on it enough.

  “I look at him like I’m scared for my life,” I insisted. “Did you see how he looked at me in that meeting the other day? He was glaring at me like he wanted to carve out my heart and eat it.”

  She scowled. “He was not.”

  “How do you know?” I asked. “You were on his side of the table. You couldn’t see his face.”

  She looked at me the same way my mother did when she knew I was lying. I tried to muster a serious look but doubted I accomplished much.

  “I could see you,” she said. “And your face said it all.”

  “I didn’t look scared?”

  “No, you didn’t look scared.” She sat down across from me and laughed. “You looked hopeful. The last time I saw you look at someone like that was when… You know when it was.”

  “Don’t mention his name,” I said. “I mean it.”

  “I won’t. But”—she raised her brows and lowered her chin—“you looked at him the same way you looked at Devin.”

  I was afraid of that. I needed to find a way to conceal my feelings or I was going to end up in trouble. If I was wearing my sexual thoughts like a jeweled crown, the women I worked with wouldn’t be the only ones who’d be able to see it. It would only be a matter of time until Mister Sexy would peer right through my translucent mask.

  “I did not,” I insisted. I situated a few things on my desk. The distraction did little to cleanse my filthy mind. It had been way too long since I’d been in a real man’s presence. Dumbfounded as to why I had a stuffed pink starfish on my desk, I raised it in wonder. “Do you know where this came from?”

  “Stop changing the subject.”

  I tossed it into the trash. “Other than the meeting, I really haven’t spoken to him. You two seem to talk a lot. What’s he like?”

  “He’s nice. He’s respectful.” She picked some lint from her blouse. “His dad used to own a construction company in town. That’s where he got his experience. He lives with that old man, Herb.” She looked up. “I guess he was friends with Devin’s dad.”

  “He makes me nervous,” I said. “Not Herb. Devin.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Why?”

  I wished I hadn’t mentioned it. The only thing that made me nervous was that I knew I had zero ability to resist Devin if he made any sexual advances toward me. Rugged alpha males, homemade cookies, and sweet wine were my weaknesses. Only one of them would cause my life to spiral downward until I hit rock bottom.

  “I don’t know,” I said. “I think it’s just the way he looks at me. It’s like I’m made of glass.”

  “Listen to this.” She leaned onto the front edge of my desk. “Devin and I went to lunch at that new hamburger place in Mercato the other day and Paul Trevotti came in. He was wearing flip-flops, a pair of faded shorts, and a crappy Rolling Stones concert tee. Devin watched him sit down and said, ‘See that guy. He’s got money. Serious money.’ I asked how he knew. He said, ‘I can just tell by how he walks.’ Maybe he learned how to read people when he was…umm…” She wrung her hands together.

  “When he was what?” I asked. “You can’t just stop like that, Kate. You always do that.”

  “When he was in
the motorcycle club.”

  Visions of Jax Teller from the Sons of Anarchy came to mind. My entire body began to tingle. I swallowed against a lump of desire as it slowly rose in my throat.

  “He was in a motorcycle club?” I murmured.

  “He was.” She began picking at her blouse again. “He’s not now.”

  It was time we change the subject. If not, Kate would continue discussing Devin just to watch me squirm. She was a wonderful person—and my best friend—but she derived tremendous pleasure by living vicariously through others. It wasn’t uncommon for her to suggest men—who she would never personally date—to clients, coworkers, and friends. She would then press them for information about their relationship, leaving nothing off-limits.

  She was far too sensible to venture away from her vanilla lifestyle. Having others do it was as close as she’d ever get. I wasn’t interested in becoming one of her guinea pigs. If we continued discussing Devin, I’d be a complete wreck. I simply needed to avoid him until I built up a hatred toward his mere existence. It would come in time. It always did, eventually.

  “Enough about him,” I said, mentally shaking my head to clear it of impure thoughts. “What else is going on?”

  Her eyes danced around my office playfully while she thought of something to say. She lifted a blown glass paperweight off my desk and studied it. “Do you know anyone who is single and leans toward the freaky side of sex?”

  My eyes bulged. “What?”

  She set the sphere down and glared. “Shhh.” She glanced toward the door. “Your door is open.”

  “You’re the one asking questions about freaky sex,” I whispered. “What are you talking about?”