by Kara Jones
“You’re definitely not holding me back, Hailee. To be honest,” he looked at her again, this time his lips moving closer to hers slowly until they felt each other’s breaths on their cheeks, “I think you’ve just set its course.”
Hailee closed her eyes and a solitary tear began to form as he closed the distance between them and kissed her.
Epilogue
They kissed each other for what seemed to be the longest time, their tongues dancing together passionately until Carter became distracted by the vibrations coming from his pocket. He cursed as he saw that it was another client of theirs, asking for the whereabouts of her package. He turned his phone off before looking at Hailee again, groaning a bit at the slightly dazed look in her eyes that he was sure he created. His groan snapped her out of it and she blushed, making Carter’s hand itch in feeling the warmth of her cheeks from her embarrassment.
“I think you should go back to your work,” Hailee said softly. Carter looked like he was about to argue, so she added, “I’m not sending you away. I just don’t want you to get into trouble.”
Carter shook his head. “The thing she wants me to deliver is back in the office, and I can tell my other guys to do it instead. I want to be clear on everything first, Hailee.” He placed both of his hands on her face, making her look up at him straight in his eyes. “Even if you weren’t pregnant, I’d probably still have tried to find you again, Hailee. I swear to God, I couldn’t stop thinking about you – your face, your voice, and everything. She blushed even more and he brushed his thumbs to her cheeks, smiling softly at her. “It’s been haunting me until I finally gave in. I want to be with you so bad, Hailee, and having a baby with you isn’t about to make me lose interest. Honestly, it pretty much multiplied once the idea of my baby growing in your belly finally sunk in,” he smirked, and Hailee slapped him lightly on his face.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but if it really was inevitable that I was going to be knocked up that night, I’m glad it’s you and not someone else,” Hailee said, and Carter growled as he imagined another guy dancing and taking her.
“If any other guy had tried to do that, kitten, they’d wish they’d never been born,” Carter said.
They talked more about the baby, what appointments Hailee had already attended, when her next ultrasound was, and about each other. Hailee joked that he never got to tell her his last name, and when he did, he teased her back that Hailee Maxwell had a nice ring to it, raising his eyebrows suggestively until she laughed.
They also covered some other serious topics, and when Hailee asked him to meet with her parents to finally tell them the big news, he readily agreed, already feeling that, despite Hailee’s efforts to give her parents the benefit of the doubt, he wasn’t about to let the mother of his child get hurt.
They went together later that day to talk to her parents. Telling them that he knocked her up scared whatever bravado he stored within his entire body. He had let Hailee do most of the talking while he watched her parents’ reaction. They slowly became on edge, wanting her to move.
Her father suddenly threw his glass of scotch at the wall in the middle of their discussion. Carter snapped out of his fright and yelled at Hailee’s father, defending her and taking all of the blame and derogatory terms they called her before pulling Hailee out of their home and going back to her dorm. He held her for the rest of the night as she cried about what happened, and he vowed that they would treat their children with hope and encouragement, not pressuring them to excel the way Hailee had been pressured by her parents.
Her parents had kicked her out of their house and refused to have anything to do with her now. She was supposed to attend a job interview, but once they found out she was pregnant, they told her that it wasn’t possible to hire her this time. Carter assured her that he’ll take care of her as best as he could, and he made sure that Hailee was comfortable and well-taken care of, going full-on overprotective boyfriend and daddy, as Meaghan and the others teased him. He’d shrug it off and plant a kiss on Hailee’s cheeks, making the latter blush as he continued with the rest of his chores or needing to fix up orders in their deliveries.
Carter was doing pretty well, all things considered, but he knew that once the baby was born, they’d need to prepare a lot of things, all of which would be expensive. Carter reassured Hailee that he’d figure something out, and she told him that he didn’t have to take the burden of everything, and they should start working more as partners now that they were going to have a baby. His friends from the gang gave him their utmost support, and even helped him move Hailee’s stuff into his apartment once he’d finally convinced her to move in with him.
When it was finally time for their son or daughter to come into the world, there had been a lot of screaming matches from all sides. Carter had freaked and lost it once Hailee announced her water broke, and proceeded to drive like a madman all the way to the hospital.
“You know, I’d like to be able to deliver this kid while I’m still breathing, honey,” Hailee said, moaning in pain as another contraction hit her.
“How far apart are they?” Carter asked, ignoring his girlfriend’s quip about his driving.
“About 14 minutes from the last contraction,” Meaghan said, biting her lip to keep from laughing, as she noted down the time on the chart that Carter had prepared just for this moment. “Still a long way to go.”
“Oh my God, it hurts so much! If you come near me begging for sex, Carter, I swear to God I am keeping my legs shut right after this!” Hailee yelled. Carter’s face paled at her declaration, but he kept on driving until they finally reached the hospital.
After about five hours of labor, a handsome boy who looked just like his father cried his lungs out, and the proud parents were overjoyed. The doctor gave the baby to Hailee after they cleaned him up and she cooed at him automatically, marveling at his beauty. She moved him a bit so Carter could see him better, and he smiled at his son.
“I have to tell you kid, you have the worst possible timing,” Carter said, and Hailee frowned at him. “Do you know I was about to ask your mother to marry me when you decided to soak the carpet?”
Hailee gasped as Carter dug into his pocket and produced a diamond ring, white gold and sparkling – just the way she wanted. Carter took his son and gave it to the nurse before taking Hailee’s hand and putting the ring on the appropriate finger, and Hailee’s eyes filled with tears as she looked at it.
“I love you, Hailee. And, I am going to love you and our son for the rest of my life and then some,” he said, and Hailee nodded.
“I love you, too, you big idiot. Now get me back my son so I can cuddle him,” Hailee demanded, and Carter raised an eyebrow at her, but did as she commanded.
“So is that a ‘yes?’” Carter asked, moving their son closer to his mother. Hailee looked up and brushed her lips to Carter’s before bending her head down and nuzzling her son’s nose with hers.
“What do you think?”
The End
Bonus – Jax - Biker
Chapter One
Annabelle
“Is that your last box?”
Melissa had just staggered through the door holding an overloaded cardboard box with clothes spewing out the top of it; she peeked her face out from behind it, red and sweaty.
“Yep, just sent off my parents.”
“Aw, no goodbye?” I grinned mischievously at her, and took the box from her arms, setting it on the coffee table.
“Christ, it was like they couldn’t get out of here fast enough! Why were yours so loving?”
I shrugged, “Probably because I’m the last to leave the nest. Your parents have got another two kids and ten years before they can expect to be freed.”
“You’re probably right.”
We’d moved in most of our stuff over the weekend, but Melissa’s parents had been slowly gathering the rest of the stuff she’d left at her house and shipping it over when and as they could. But now, with thi
s box, we were finally done.
“I can’t believe we’re living together,” I said. I grinned at her, “Since when was this a good idea?”
She cackled and began pulling things out of the box. “We’re going to get in so much trouble.”
We both knew that wasn’t true. Melissa and I were probably the last people who would ever do anything devious. She had just finished her business undergrad, and was starting a job as an analyst in town, and I had a bachelor of science and a job at the aquarium… selling tickets, mind you, but I was certain I’d find something a little more relevant before long.
I looked around at our apartment. It had been worth the wait as far as first apartments went. It was way bigger and nicer than anything you could get in the city center, but really, we were only a fifteen minute bus ride away. And, we had a dishwasher; very important things.
The only downside?
“Are they going to let me into the office on Monday if they know I’m living in Malton?” Melissa asked; staring out the window with her nose wrinkled in disgust. I followed her line of sight to a weathered, old man staggering down the sidewalk, clearly drunk. He also looked like he hadn’t showered in weeks.
“Just hope that they don’t look too closely at your tax forms,” I suggested.
I let my gaze stray slightly further down the street to where a shady looking bar called The Cruise sat; windows dark and empty.
“I guess we get to see just how loud that is tonight,” I said.
Melissa murmured in agreement.
The Cruise was open every night of the week but only played music on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Our landlord, Aaron, had told us that it wasn’t that loud, and anyway, we had double glazed windows. Still, it looked like a rough-and-tumble place; certainly, not somewhere I could picture myself going.
“So,” I said, clapping my hands and turning to Melissa, “A drink?”
“Or ten!”
She didn’t start work until Monday, and I’d taken the weekend off in anticipation spending my time organizing. More than that, though, I just needed a little time away from responsibility. I’d spent the last four years of my life in a never ending cycle of school and work. I just wanted to relax a little in my new apartment with my best friend.
I pulled the bottle of champagne from the fridge that we’d been reserving for the last box.
“Last box bottle,” Melissa whispered.
“Lost box bottle,” I whispered in reply.
We looked up at each other and descended into giggles. I took the foil off and then held the bottle in front of me, waggling my eyebrows. Melissa held her breath as I twisted the top and, with a loud pop, the cap punched away from the bottle.
And with that, the night had officially begun.
Chapter Two
“Tune!” Melissa called, fisting her wine glass above her head. It was a phrase she’d picked up when she’d studied abroad in England for a semester. Far as I could tell, it meant that she liked the song.
“Another one,” I replied, nodding toward The Cruise. “Apparently, they've got some wicked music game.”
We were sitting out on our balcony, half of which overlooked The Cruise. It was a little bit more exposed than I would have liked with a metal railing providing little protection from prying eyes, but at this point, I was too drunk to really care.
The air was warm, and we were dressed appropriately in shorts and tank tops; our feet bare and pressed against the warm vinyl of the deck. It was one of the longest days of the year, so the sun was just beginning to set. That didn’t seem to both the partygoers of The Cruise any. They were flocking in droves. Apparently, it was Malton’s hottest hot-spot.
“I can’t believe there’s such a happening bar just across the street from us,” Melissa said. “It was a lot easier to laugh about going there when it didn’t seem like we were missing out.”
I laughed. “You want to go to The Cruise?”
She shrugged, taking another sip of her wine. “I wouldn’t hate it. It could be an adventure, you know?”
“Like some sort of sociological experiment?”
She clinked glasses with me. “Always the science mind.”
I looked down at the windows of The Cruise again, lit from the inside by a couple haggard strings of colored lights. “I suppose; at least, this way we’ll know if we’re missing out or not.”
She leaped to her feet, downing the rest of her wine. “So, we’re doing this then? We’re going to The Cruise?”
I followed her up. “For science!”
We spent the bare minimum amount of time getting ready since we were both already pretty drunk. I left my hair down around my shoulders and didn’t bother with any makeup. I put on my favorite black miniskirt though, and a flowy tank top that exposed just the right amount of cleavage. I figured I should at least try to look the part. Melissa went even further than that. She rummaged through her drawers until she found her denim micro mini, and paired it with a gauzy black top with a pink bra underneath.
“Go big or go home,” she said with a wink when she came out from her room.
I laughed and grabbed my purse, shoving some cash and our cards in it.
We crossed the street just as the last rays of the sun had disappeared over the tops of the buildings, and the sky was turning an inky blue. As we approached the front door, a loud rumbling and a couple hoots from behind us nearly scared us out of our skins. A group of bikers shot past, turning right at the end of the building to access the parking lot.
I looked over at Melissa, waggling my eyebrows. “Guess we’re not in Kansas anymore, ey?”
She threaded her elbow through mine and we entered.
The interior was dimly lit, and it was full of people. There were pool tables in the corner by the door and up on a raised ledge beside the bar. The dance floor was surrounded by little circular tables where people of all ages were drinking and shouting over the music. It wasn’t like I had pictured it would be. Yes, it was still trashy. There were no less than three stripper poles on the raised platform beside the dance floor.
Besides all that though, it just seemed like... a bar; nothing crazy. There were people sitting, having a quiet drink. There were people dancing wildly to the Bruno Mars song playing. There were also people who looked like they would eat anyone that approached them, and I recognized them as the bikers who had passed us outside. If we just avoid them, we could probably end up having a decent time.
“Drinks?” I suggested.
Melissa nodded, and we headed to the bar where a tall, slender brunette was pouring shots. We ordered two gin and sevens, which were way cheaper here than anywhere in downtown Kingston would have been. The downside was that they had no beers on tap, and clearly no ability to make anything more complicated than highballs with the mix.
Whatever. That was their business. I would take the cheaper drinks with less variety any day.
We took one of the few empty tables by the dance floor; our backs to the scary guys in the corner. From that vantage point, The Cruise almost looked normal… minus the stripper poles; of course.
The next song was Melissa’s favorite, and she pulled me up and toward the dance floor, the liquid in my glass sloshing dangerously. “It’s time!” she called.
Whatever time it was, I was ready. I loved dancing, especially when the music was as good as it was here. The flashing neon lights and the crowd of people felt like home to me, and I swung my hips and moved my arms toward the ceiling with happiness. There was the perfect amount of people on the floor—enough that we weren’t dancing by ourselves, but not so many that we couldn’t move. I was free to do all the weird and fancy footwork that was normally reserved for when I danced around my room while cleaning.
Melissa laughed at me like she always did, but damn if I wasn’t the dancing queen.
I twirled, my eyes scanning the room again. I caught the eyes of someone across the room and I stopped on a dime. He was over with the group of scary bik
ers, but leaning up against the table rather than sitting on it. His hair was black or as close to it as a brown could get. He was probably a half foot taller than me with a thick, square jaw covered in a thin layer of stubble. And, he was staggeringly hot.
I resumed my dancing, aware that he’d seen me lose my shit upon seeing him, but determined to play it off. I looked back to Melissa who had caught my stare and was now looking at me with wide eyes.
She leaned into my ear. “That boy is trouble.”
I glanced over at him again, taking stock of his appearance; the same leather vest as all the other bikers were wearing, which said “Brixton MC” on the back, and a white t-shirt underneath that was just tight enough for me to see that he was completely corded with muscles… tattoos covering his arms and creeping up his neck… fingerless leather gloves, and a bold stare that in no way matched the leisurely way he was leaning up against the table.
“That’s no boy,” I said, trying to keep my voice as quiet as the music would allow. “That’s a man.”
She nodded. “You going to go talk to him?”
I let out a bark of laughter. “You kidding me?” I shook my head furiously. “I’d sooner go chat up a tiger.”
“He’s looking at you though.”
I shook my head and backed away, ending the conversation.
We danced for a few more songs, and I ignored the heat on my back from his stare the whole time. When we went to get another drink, we decided to sit down to catch our breath a bit. I needed a breather from more than just the dancing.
When I took my first sip of my drink, I let my eyes flit over toward the man again. He wasn’t looking at me anymore. With his arms crossed over his chest, he looked incredibly bored as he surveyed the rest of the club. Perhaps he’d never been looking at me in the first place. Perhaps that had just been my drunken mind making things up that I wanted to be real.