by Sam Crescent
“He’s still her son.”
“Yeah, but he’s also club. I don’t think Mom wanted him to join. He did so anyway. I can’t remember the rest, but there was a big fight between them all.”
“He’s here.”
“Come on, Harlow, I’ve got to take you home. Mom’s orders.”
“Oh, so the big, bad biker gets to take me home.”
Big Dick rolled his eyes. “You’re going home, baby.”
“No. I happen to be working.”
He turned toward her. “I know you don’t want me in here, but I’ve got to do what my mom said.”
“I removed the sign,” Ava said.
“You did?”
Ava nodded. “Yes, you can stop sending in your prospects without their leather cuts.” She turned away, refusing to meet his eyes.
“I’ll let everyone know.”
She’d stared at the sign one morning and rather than leave it up, she’d torn it down. This was a business, and she had to treat it like one. Not allowing any MC men or women, well, it was bad for business. She wished for her shop to thrive, and that was exactly what she did.
“You know about that, huh?” Big Dick asked.
Ava shrugged. She hadn’t suspected until one of the prospects had walked across the street and before leaving, put on his leather cut, showing who he was. At first, she’d been pissed, and then she’d found it funny.
Clearly, her baked goods were popular.
“You can go,” Ava said, looking toward Harlow.
“I don’t feel comfortable leaving you.”
“I’m fine. I’m going to close up and head on home. We haven’t had many customers today. I’m all set.”
“I don’t like the thought of you driving in the snow,” Big Dick said.
“You don’t have to worry about me. I’ll be perfectly fine. Go and take Harlow home. I wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to her.”
Harlow sighed. “I’ll grab my stuff.”
She left them alone.
“How is she doing?” Big Dick asked.
“Fine. Why?”
“Harlow has … trouble. I don’t know why or what it is. She was never good at making friends growing up. She’s found life difficult at times.”
“I think she’s wonderful,” Ava said. “And she’s always got a job here.”
Harlow returned, pulling on a jacket. “I’m here. You will call me the moment you get home. Promise me.”
“I promise.”
Ava gave her a tight hug. “Go and warm yourself up.”
“I don’t like leaving you.”
“I’m a loser grownup. I can handle it.”
Harlow still hesitated, and Ava waved her and her concern off. Once the door was shut, she locked it, flicking the sign to Closed. There weren’t many people around. The thought of going back home to loneliness didn’t appeal, but being here wasn’t going to change that.
She packed away all the cookies and cakes, trying to preserve them for as long as she could. She cleaned every single surface. Being thorough.
With nothing else to do, she had no choice but to start making her way home.
The cold was already starting to seep into the shop.
After grabbing her bag and jacket, she pulled it on. The moment she stepped outside, the cold flooded her, making her gasp. She was a lot happier to have settled for boots rather than some inappropriate heel.
She locked up the shop and quickly walked to her car. After letting herself in, she turned over the ignition, trying to get as much warmth as she could. The window wipers were next, moving off the fallen snow.
It was no good. The cold was just too much. She had to get home.
Slowly, she put it into gear and took her time as she navigated out of her parking space and drove in the direction of home.
Within a matter of minutes, it was snowing harder than before. She struggled to see.
Ava wasn’t too far from home, when all of a sudden, she must have hit a block of ice. She wasn’t going too fast, but the car spun. She let out a little scream, and she tried to press the brake. Panic filled her, making her actions jerky as the car seemed to pull hard, and then flipped, landing in a ditch.
The seatbelt held her in place, but with the snow falling, her fear gathered.
She’d somehow managed to end on her side in a ditch. The odds weren’t in her favor.
She covered her face as tears fell. Panic rose even higher.
“I can do this.”
She needed to call someone. Glancing around her car, she noticed the engine had also died and the cold was intense.
She swiped at her cheeks. There was no way she was going to get out of this alive.
Her baby chose that moment to start to move, and another kind of fear rushed over her. There was no way she could lose this baby. The very thought of it filled her with dread.
“I need a cell phone.” She looked around the car and saw her bag must have fallen during the accident because it was in the furthest corner away from her. “Oh, come on. This isn’t fair.”
With a sudden pain in her abdomen, Ava put a hand to her stomach. “No. No. No.” She wasn’t going to lose this child. That fear alone stopped her from releasing the seatbelt.
Any movement could affect the baby.
The cold made her shudder. Her breath coming out as a puff of smoke the moment it left her mouth.
“We’re going to be okay.”
Smokey would come and hang out at her house. When she didn’t invite him in, he’d get suspicious, and then, he’d come and find them. Until then, she had to find a way to stay warm and hope the snow stopped so it didn’t cover the entire car.
Helplessness filled her. This wasn’t good. Her cell phone was too far away for her to reach.
Ava moved her hand toward the seatbelt, determined to do something rather than wait. Just as she was about to press the catch to release it, pain floored her.
She screamed and cried.
“No. No. No. No. No.” The last one she screamed long and hard. “You’re not going to die, and you’re not coming out.”
She pressed her hands to her stomach and began to deeply breathe, trying to find whatever she could to relax her and the baby. “I’ve got you, baby. I’ve got you.”
Stupid snowstorm.
And when it had happened that morning, she’d found it to be the most beautiful.
****
Smokey was working through the pile of bills when he got the call. Big Dick’s number lit up his screen.
“What’s up?” Smokey asked.
“Give me the damn phone,” a woman said.
“Get off it, or I swear, Harlow, I’ll give you a fucking wedgie.”
Smokey frowned. Checking the number, he saw it was Big Dick. “I don’t have time for games.”
He wanted to get the paperwork done so he could go and keep an eye on Ava. She allowed him inside her house, and for the most part, he stayed on the sofa. Before she woke up, though, he allowed himself a good half an hour of watching her sleep.
There was nothing stalkery about it. If they were together, he’d get to see her sleeping. At least, that was what he told himself.
“Damn it, Harlow.”
“Ouch. He pinched me. Mom!”
Smokey rubbed at his temple as he heard the squabbling of siblings. What made it worse, both of them were adults and behaving that way. If they were still children, he’d see a good enough reason for it.
“Big Dick, get to the point.”
“It’s Ava,” he said.
Smokey tensed up. “What about her?”
“She drove home in the snow,” Harlow said.
“Give me that.” There was a smacking sound and a groan. “Holy fuck, Harlow, you punched my nose.”
“Look, I know you have feelings for her, but I’ve got a bad feeling. Ava told me she’d call me the moment she got home. I haven’t heard from her. That was three hours ago. I think something bad has happened. Her
cell phone just keeps ringing, and it’s bad out there.”
Smokey was already on his feet. “I’ll go and check her out.”
He hung up the phone before anyone else could speak. The thought of something bad happening to his woman scared him.
Rushing out of his office, he passed Hunter, Kinky, Brick, and Raven.
“Ava’s missing. Harlow thinks she’s gotten caught in the snow.” He didn’t need to say anything more as he left the clubhouse.
Smokey hesitated at the vehicles. He looked at the bike.
Kinky was already in the truck. Smokey ran to the passenger seat as Hunter, Brick, and Raven joined him.
The snow was a pain in the ass, but the truck was designed for this. Smokey stared out of the windows, not liking the snowfall. In a few hours, Ava could have been injured or died of the cold. Anything could have happened.
His knee bounced, and he wanted to run on ahead to make sure she was fine. He couldn’t help but hope that she’d fallen asleep somewhere.
Kinky arrived at her house and Smokey knew she wasn’t there.
“Her car’s not there,” he said.
Without waiting for instruction, Kinky had already put the truck into gear and was heading in the general direction.
“Keep it slow. She could be anywhere.”
Smokey typed in her number.
It rang.
And rang.
Then went to voicemail.
Hanging up, he cursed. There was no sign of her.
“Stop,” he said.
Kinky brought the truck to a stop.
Smokey climbed out, feeling the cold instantly.
He pressed on Ava’s number and waited. It rang in his ear but then he heard something else.
A ringtone.
The line went dead.
He dialed it again and followed the sound.
Kinky, Brick, Raven, and Hunter got out of the truck and followed him.
“Are you hearing this?” he asked.
They all agreed, and Smokey went across the road. As he glanced over the edge, he saw the car. It was nearly covered in snow, but the two wheels were still visible.
He didn’t think, just reacted. The way it fell, it hadn’t gotten too deep near her doors.
With some force, he found the door handle and yanked it open.
Kinky and Hunter helped him to open the door, and there was Ava. Her teeth were chattering.
“Smokey,” she said.
“Fuck. I’m here.” He bent down, looking in the car, trying to find something that would help him ease her out.
She let out a scream as her hands went to her stomach.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I don’t know. I think there’s something wrong with the baby.” She whimpered. “I can’t lose it, Smokey.”
“You won’t,” he said. He couldn’t allow her to lose it. That baby was one of the only connections he had to her. If they didn’t share a kid, they had nothing. There was no way he could allow that to happen.
“I’ve got Hunter, Kinky, Brick, and Raven with me, baby. I know after everything, you don’t like them, but they’re going to help me get you out. Okay?”
She whimpered but agreed. “I’m so cold.”
Smokey looked at the car. They couldn’t lift it up.
“I’m going to slide in. Take her weight as I release the belt. Then all of you are going to work together. We’re going to carry her to the truck and then we’re getting her to the hospital.”
“Maybe we should call for an ambulance,” Raven said. “If we move her, what if she has another injury?”
Smokey growled. “We don’t have time.”
She’d been out in the cold for far too long. He didn’t want to risk Ava or the baby’s life. He had to get her out of there and hold her.
Smokey removed his jacket. “Wrap this around her the moment she’s out.”
He looked into the car. He didn’t know if it was a saving grace that she was on her side on the ground. There was no easy way to do this. Either option put her at risk. If he moved her and she had an injury, this could cause more damage. If he left her here, she could freeze to death. That wasn’t an option. Slowly and carefully, he climbed into the car. Ava had pushed the chair back, and he was able to fit in front of her with the steering wheel jammed into his back. He got himself into a position, which meant he was able to look into Ava’s eyes.
“You’re going to wrap your arms around me and I’m going to pull you out.”
“Smokey, I could hurt you.”
“I’m going to hold you. I’ve got you. I’ve got this, Ava. Do you trust me?”
She nodded. Not a single hesitation.
He wanted to puff out his chest, but instead, he made sure he was braced and ready to take her weight. He was not going to fuck this up.
“I’m so scared,” she said.
“Me too. I’m going to get you out of this. Are you ready?”
She nodded. Her teeth chattered as he reached out for the belt buckle. Staring into Ava’s eyes, he clicked the button and she wrapped her arms around him.
Instant cold hit him.
She screamed in pain and he wrapped his arms around her, trying to soothe her.
Kinky, Hunter, Raven, and Brick were there.
With their help and taking their time, they were able to help her out of the car.
Smokey crawled out and was sure to grab her bag as he did.
After following his guys to the truck, he climbed in the back and moved Hunter out of the way, who’d been talking to Ava, trying to soothe her.
He cupped her face. “I’m right here, Ava. I’m right here.” He took her hand as the car started.
“You came for me,” she said. “I knew you would.”
“Of course, I did. I wouldn’t leave you. I will always come for you. You know that.”
She nodded. “I do. It hurts.”
“We’re getting you to the hospital, okay? The doctor will fix everything.”
“I don’t want to lose this baby.”
“We won’t.” He put his hand gently to her stomach, not sure if he was hurting her or not.
“I really want to be a mother.”
“And you will be. I’m not going to lose either of you.” He pressed his face against hers, rubbing his cheek on hers, trying to do anything to give her the warmth she needed. The cold was starting to affect him. “I love you both, Ava.”
She began to cry, and he held her.
“Nothing will happen. I’ve got you. I will always get you.”
She gripped his arm. Her hold was tight, and he did nothing more than wrap her in his arms, keeping her safe and exactly where she was meant to be.
Chapter Nineteen
“I’m not sick,” Ava said two days later.
She still lay in a hospital bed, wearing a gown with machines hooked up to her. It had been touch-and-go for a short time. The cold had affected her and they needed to warm her up. Also, her baby was being observed every single day.
“I know,” Smokey said.
He changed the flowers that had begun to wilt in her room.
Not once had he left her side.
“Have you gone home once?”
“Nope.”
“Why not?” she asked.
Smokey tossed the wilted flowers into the trash can and then turned toward her. “Simple, I wasn’t going to leave you alone. I held you, Ava. You were sobbing. Brokenhearted. You thought you were losing our baby. You weren’t. Our baby is just fine.” He put his hand on her stomach and she covered his with hers.
“I’m so glad. And you found me.”
“I wasn’t going to give up. When Harlow told me, I never felt fear like it. With what I’ve seen and done, you wouldn’t look at me for the monster I’ve been, Ava. Knowing you were out there and that you could die, I felt real fear. I never want to experience it again.”
“You can’t be in the room when I give birth,” Ava said. “It’s j
ust as scary. Men have passed out.”
“I’m going to be here.”
“You are?”
“Yes.”
“Like, in the room?”
“Yes.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“I helped create this life. The least I could do is be with its baby momma while our child is being born into this world.” He let go of her stomach and took her hand.
“When I get out of here, we’re going to need to talk about you assembling the crib and all that stuff you were determined to buy.”
“I’m there. Whenever you need me, I’m there.” He kissed her hand.
Ava smiled at him. “This is nice.”
The sound of a throat clearing drew her attention to the door. Harlow stood there with bloodshot eyes and a teddy bear.
“Hey,” Ava said.
Harlow rushed into the room and threw herself at Ava. She was careful to miss her stomach as the woman wrapped her arms around her. “Don’t ever fucking frighten me like that again. I nearly lost ten years of my life worrying about you. My parents kept on saying don’t worry, but I just knew I should. I know you, and you wouldn’t allow me to keep worrying.”
Ava ran her fingers down the woman’s hair. “It’s fine. I’m safe.”
“It’s not fine. Damn it. Nothing can happen to you.”
“Nothing did happen to her,” Big Dick said.
Ava looked toward the other man.
“I’m sorry. She was nagging and Smokey said you were allowed visitors, and well, we’re all here.”
“All?” Ava asked, glancing over at Smokey.
“The club is here. Ugly Beast and Abriana want to come as well.”
Harlow still hadn’t let her go.
“Raven. Brick. Hunter. Kinky. All of the others.”
“Oh,” Ava said. “They didn’t need to come.”
“They did,” Smokey said. “They’re worried about you.”
Ava wasn’t sure if he was telling the full truth. She’d started to become close to the club when everything had turned ugly. Since that day, other than Abriana and Smokey, she never talked to anyone else. Big Dick being the exception in the past few days.
Harlow pulled back and Ava drew her attention to the woman, who was crying.
“Please, don’t cry.”
“I should have made you come home with me.”