“Thank you for coming this long way to help save me. I love you and I will miss you,” she says and starts to tear up.
“Aww, babe, anytime! I will come for you, just give me a call and I will cross the whole United States if I have to. I love you, too, and I will miss your face.” I turn to Avery and she gives me a big hug.
“Be careful and shoot me a text so I know you arrive safely.” I hug her back and agree.
“Okay, girly, I will. Your ass better keep in touch!” Breaking the hug, she gives me a soft kiss on the lips and I hear Cain clear his throat.
“Oh, I will! I will see you in a few weeks when you come back and then shortly after for your baby shower! I will miss you!” she says and I give her a quick peck on the lips. Cain can get over it. I do enjoy a sweet kiss from a chick occasionally.
“Okay, good. I will miss you, too!” I say and hug them both again.
“Cain, I remember you taking care of her when we were kids, so I won’t even say it. Just please be good to her, she deserves it,” Emily says and hugs Cain.
“Aww, shorty, I will, don’t worry. I love her way too much to be shitty.” He turns and hugs Avery. She gives him a wet sounding smack of a kiss on the cheek and giggles.
“Later, future daddy. Tell 2 Piece I’ll miss his piece!” Cain makes a fake gagging sound and I laugh at them.
“Gross! Keep out of trouble!” he replies and Avery cackles as they walk out of the apartment.
“Well, sugar tits, just you an’ me now, yeah? What cha’ wanna do, baby?” he says and wiggles his eyebrows at me. I roll my eyes and sigh.
“Oh, lord. You’re a pain in my butt!” I say, exasperated, and he chuckles.
“Naw, baby, but I could be if you want. We haven’t done that yet. In fact that sounds like fun, you got any olive oil?” My mouth drops open so wide, I’m surprised it doesn’t hit the ground.
“Cain, what the hell! Olive oil? You kinky, kinky man! I’m not driving to Texas with a sore ass. You are going to have to wait for that one!” He smirks and puts his hand on top of my tummy.
“Alright, have you fed my baby recently?”
“No and I’m freaking starving!”
“Of course you are, when are you gonna learn to eat, woman?” he growls and it turns me on. I love how Cain takes care of me.
“I do eat, it’s just better when you are there,” I say sweetly and he huffs.
“Okay, baby, what cha’ wanna eat then? Something close, London, nuthin’ crazy,” he says sternly and I laugh. I have a habit of wanting something on the other side of town and at odd times.
We eat and then pack up the car, stop by to meet up with the guys and head home. God, I miss Texas.
Chapter 13
We’ve been home for a few days now and I think it’s time to go visit my mom and surprise her. I told my brother to go to Mom’s house because I sent her a package and she will need help with it. He tried to get it out of me with his brotherly persuasion tactics. Good thing I’m skilled in his strategies or I may have confessed that I’m here. I woke up yesterday and have a little pooch on my lower tummy. I decide to go with a comfortable pair of yoga pants and a flannel shirt tied up about mid waist to show off the little bump. I tie my hair up with a bandana and put on my cat’s eye eyeliner. I have some cute mid-calf leather boots that have fake fluffy fur around the tops that I stick on. They are comfortable and warm, all around perfect.
I arrive at Mom’s house and park on the street next door so she won’t look out the window and see my car. My dorky brother’s truck is in the driveway so I edge along the perimeter of the yard. Geesh, his lazy butt needs to mow Mom’s grass already. I stay partially hidden behind both of their vehicles until I can reach the front door. I stand off to the side so you can’t see me through the peep hole and start beating on the door loudly. I use the side of my fist by my pinky so it sounds like I’m almost kicking it. I’m really hoping to freak my brother out big time.
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
I feel it’s my job as the youngest to be a pain in the ass occasionally. Keeps it interesting and entertaining. My brother swings open the door fast and my mother is hiding behind him with her hand on her chest, breathing hard. I smile wide and wave. My brother looks furious at first but my mom’s eyes are lit up and she’s smiling so big it looks painful. My brother yells and charges at me.
“I KNEW IT!” He picks me up and spins me around. My mom is cheesin’ and bouncing in her spot. I stick my tongue out at her as he spins me. I know we have a weird relationship as a family, but I don’t care. I love my family so much, and seeing them makes me feel like everything will be okay.
“Okay, okay, ass wipe, put me down or I’ll puke on you,” I say and get a little dizzy. My mom steps closer to me.
“Alright, Elliot, put her down. She’ll start hollering curse words and piss the neighbors off.” Mom says while trying to grab me and slow Elliot down from spinning. She walks closer to me and when Elliot puts me down she envelops me in a big hug.
“Hi, Momma, are you surprised?” I say and grin evilly at her. She squeezes me tight and we rock side to side as we hold each other.
“Of course, London, you have never been my dull child, always a surprise!” she says happily and Elliot sneers.
“Hey, I wasn’t boring growing up either!” he says from behind us as we walk into the house. I snicker inside, I love getting him wound up. Mom looks back at Elliot with twinkling eyes. She knows I do it on purpose. I guess she thinks it’s fair play with all the crap he put me and Emily through.
“Yeah, but I knew I wouldn’t have to bail you out of jail, either. Your sister, well, I figured the Sherriff would have given me more calls than he did.” She giggles and I could just pinch her.
“Ow, hush, you old coot, I did not go to jail!” I say and stick my tongue out at her. She rolls her eyes and grins.
“Jail? No, but there were a few times where I got a call that if I didn’t get you out of their hair they would have put you in jail. Those poor deputies never had a chance with your smart mouth. You used to drive them and that old Sheriff crazy each time they had to deal with you. Finally it got to the point if they thought you were involved they went ahead and called me on their way. Why do you think I always showed up randomly?”
“Well, see, then it doesn’t count. I didn’t get locked behind the metal bars and when Randy Jenkins put me in cuffs it’s because he was a pervert.” I grin and get a Seven-Up out of the refrigerator. Elliot grabs an apple and sits at the table by Mom to eat it.
“Oh Lord, Officer Jenkins put you in hand cuffs because he was scared you’d steal his car or something and he didn’t want to have to Taser you,” she says with her eyebrows raised. I just shake my head at her and give her the ‘yeah right’ look. Brother dearest leans back in his chair and stretches his long legs out in front of him. The dork must be like six foot three now that we are grown up. I walk over his legs to get to the table.
“Hey, moose ass, get me a soda too,” he says and smirks.
“Screw you, brother, get off your ass and get one,” I reply and sit down.
“You two watch the language. Now I am so happy you are here! Are you moving back home or is this just a surprise visit?” I look at the ground. Hmm, how to say this? I know she will be thrilled, but I’m still nervous. I’m her baby girl about to tell her I’m having my own baby and I’m not even married yet. I know that’s not a big deal nowadays but still, I had these big plans. I still have my plans, they just include my man and a pint-sized version of my man.
“I’m actually moving back. Emily is going to be getting married and is safe now. She’s going to call you soon, she promised.” Best to start with the basics, I figure. I’ll get her excited about something else and then bust in with my news.
“Oh married! That’s wonderful! Well, your room is all ready for you, sweetie.” I swear my mom’s so awesome. My mom’s always been there for me like a rock. She’s
a little nutty sometimes, but I wouldn’t trade her for the world. She cooks amazingly and can chase Elliot with a spatula if he comes into the kitchen to steal stuff. I used to laugh my ass off when I was growing up. I’d be doing whatever then all of a sudden you’d hear Elliot scream like a girl and take off running through the house or yard. It always meant he was trying to steal Mom’s food before it was time to eat. I clear my throat. Here goes.
“Well, I’m going to stay with my man, actually. He had to work but I want you to meet him soon.” She looks a little surprised, not upset, just perplexed.
“You’re living with a man? Isn’t that a little soon?”
“Actually it’s the same guy I was seeing the few months before I went to Tennessee. We went to school together, remember? He came to Tennessee and spent some time with me.” I can’t believe Cain texted me to see me. Thank God he did. I didn’t realize just how much I had missed his sexy face. I’m glad we got things back on good terms before he found out about the baby too, or I’d always wonder if he did it just because I’m pregnant. Now I know he wanted to see me and cared about me prior to him knowing he’s going to be a daddy. Mom puts her hand up to stop my long explanation of details and smiles.
“Oh, okay, I still want to meet him as soon as possible though. I’m just so happy to have you back home I really don’t care if it’s a man who helped that along or not. How about I cook dinner on Wednesday and y’all stop over and eat.” After she says this my stomach groans loudly with the thought of my mom cooking. I blush and my mom laughs.
“Eat a snack, sugar! I mean, look at Elliot! He already ate a sandwich a little earlier too.” She gestures to my brother who’s steadily stuffing his face with his apple. Ever since he hit the age of fourteen all he’s done is eat, grow taller and become handsome. I turned fourteen and my hips grew. How is that fair?
“Yeah, I will eat something. Um, we will come Wednesday, that sounds great. Well, since you brought up the food, well, umm… I’m kind of pregnant, too.” My brother chokes on his food and his eyes bug out. My mom and I both look at him startled to see if he’s okay. He coughs a few times then seems to be fine.
“The fuck?” he chokes out. Mom’s expression quickly changes to irritated.
“Elliot! Language!” Mom chastises and I glare at him. Then she turns toward me.
“London, you can’t be kind of pregnant. You either are or aren’t pregnant. So I’m guessing you are fully pregnant,” she says like she’s on the Maury show and I look to Elliot when he opens his fat mouth.
“Holy shit! Is this the same dude? What the hell were you doing in Tennessee? I thought you went to help Emily?” Elliot says and glares back at me. I swear, if we were magic we both would have blown up by now with the looks we keep shooting at each other. I huff, pissed.
“I did help Emily! And it happened before I even went to Tennessee. I just didn’t know it then!” Mom shushes Elliot and grabs my hand on the table.
“All right, well, sugar, I am so happy for you. You are happy, right? Elliot, be happy for your little sister, she’s making you an uncle.” I smirk. Ha ha, Mom’s on my side, I knew she would be though. He takes a deep breath and relaxes some. His expression changes from angry to worry and I realize he’s not being mean. He’s just doing his job being a protective big brother. He knows this is a big deal and will put a hold on all of my schooling I’ve worked really hard on.
“I am happy to be an uncle, just a little shocked. Sorry if I upset you, sister, Congratulations on your bun in the oven.” He leans over and gives me a small hug. He’s going to be such a good uncle to my son. He will teach him all the good pranks to pull on Cain and will be there for him no matter what. I hug him back and get excited now that my news is out in the open.
“Thank you. I found out I’m having a boy. Cain is really excited, too.” He grunts and stands up.
“Please tell me you’re not naming the kid Cain.”
“Shut your face, I’ll name him whatever I want! And I love the name Cain! Did you get a chick yet, brother?” He gets quiet and walks to the bathroom. I look at Mom, puzzled. What the hell was that all about? I’ve clearly missed something big while I was gone. I can’t believe neither Mom nor Elliot have told me what went on.
“He had a girl but things aren’t going so well right now,” Mom whispers. I give her a crazy look. Why is she whispering about it? Clearly it can’t be that bad. My brother’s an ass to me but he’s a great man. Elliot is very loyal, caring, funny, and handsome (yuck). He doesn’t cheat, so what could this girl have an issue with?
“Wow, I’m out of the loop, you better fill me in when I come by and he’s not here,” I say quietly. bending close to Mom.
“I will, sweetie, just go easy on him about it. It’s a sore subject for him.” I blink a few times. Brother’s really hurt over this? I’m going to end up kicking someone’s ass, I swear.
“Okay, I will, Mom. I need to head out and go to the store before I go back. I’ll stop over tomorrow if you’re not busy.” I stand up from the table and Mom does the same. I yell down the hallway where my brother disappeared to.
“Love you, dick face!” I wait but don’t get any reply. I glance at Mom and she just shrugs, a sad look on her face. I sigh and look at the ground. Damn it, I need to talk with him sometime soon.
“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, Mom. Tell brother bye for me when he comes back, please.”
“Will do, honey. See you tomorrow, I’ll be here all day. Love you and keep my grandbaby warm in this weather!”
“I will, love you too, Momma, see you tomorrow.” I walk to the door and she smiles and gives me a little wave. It feels great to be back home and close to my family. I’m used to seeing them all the time. I’m so glad I finally got to tell Mom about my pregnancy, it feels official now. I’ll catch her up on everything tomorrow and she better do the same for me.
Cain
“Hey, baby, how was your visit with your momma?” I ask when London gets back to the clubhouse. I just got out of church with the brothers. It’s normally held on Wednesdays but we decided to have it on Monday and Wednesday this week. We had a discussion about Tate and doing business with him. We all voted to keep buying the weapons but not deal with any of their drug products. We can get more weapons and variety from the Russians for cheaper, than what we were getting before. I just hope Tate and Viktor get rid of their father soon or whatever. I don’t like doing business with the old Russian and I don’t want to be sent up on a run to dispose of him if he becomes a problem for us. Going to war with the Russian Mafia is not my idea of fun. I’m trying to keep my Ol’ Lady and kid safe, not create chaos. London smiles happily when I ask her about her momma.
“It went great. She’s excited to be a grandma. My brother was a little stunned, but he’s okay now. I’m going to go visit with her tomorrow and get caught up on everything. She invited us to dinner on Wednesday. I hope you don’t mind but I agreed for both of us.”
“Of course I don’t mind, baby. I have church at three but that’s all. What’s up, why do you sound weird an’ shit? You feelin’ okay?” I swear my baby better have eaten if she was hungry. This girl is gonna give me migraines if she doesn’t start eating enough. She looks stressed out but I can’t imagine why she would feel the need to be stressed out, besides worrying about baby stuff.
“Yeah, I feel fine. I just have a lot on my mind is all.” I walk toward her and wrap her in my arms. I hold her close for a few minutes and kiss the side of her head. She always smells so good it makes me want to hold her longer. She wraps her arms around me and burrows into my chest. I’m curious what she has on her mind. I hope she’s not regretting coming back here with me. I bend my head closer to her ear and talk softly.
“Like what?” I ask and she pulls back from my chest enough to tip her face up to meet mine. She looks me in the eyes and studies my face when she shyly tells me what’s going on in her head.
“I just…I mean…umm, where are we going to live? We
can’t stay here with a baby. I don’t want you to stay here without us either though.” I squeeze her a little and place a kiss on the tip of her nose. Of course we aren’t going to be staying here. I want my son and Ol’ Lady to myself. I can’t believe she’s been worrying over this, she needs to realize I’ll take care of us.
“I’m actually workin’ on that. I was lookin’ at some places today. I like one that’s a few miles down the road. It’s not too big but has some land. We could always add onto it or somethin’ in the future. I like that if you needed me I’d only be a few minutes away if I’m at the club.”
“If it’s our own place for just our family to grow in, then I don’t really mind the details. I can make a little house work for us with no problem. Can we look at it, please?” She smiles and looks like she’s gonna sprint to the car. I give her a serious look but then grin a little.
“Of course, I told the realtor lady that I’d think about it and probably show you if we were interested. But, babe? Before you start stressin’ over shit, you need to know I’ll take care of us. I promise, baby, you have nothing to fret over.” She gives me a small smile and kisses my lips.
“Okay, come on!” she says excitedly. She grabs my hand and starts pulling me to the door.
Well, she loved it and it looks like we are the new owners of a nice little three bedroom, two bathroom house. It’s too small for all the babies I want her to have, but I can get my brothers to help me make it bigger when the time comes. I’ve been busy painting and picking out furniture with London. My brothers are enjoying giving me a hard time for settling down, but they don’t realize that I’m the lucky one, not them.
About 4 1/2 months later…
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