As a respected elder in the Yakama tribe, Suni was one of the few who always made the effort to visit me when I came to my great grandfather’s home over the years. She was also one of the few who’d joined my great grandfather and taken my dad’s side after finding out about me when the council thought it would be best to have me raised on the reservation. The council wanted me to be in touch with the culture of my half Native American blood.
“Oh, so I get to be the bad guy.”
Suni threw her head back and laughed in earnest, then she sobered and faced me once more. “Your visits to the reservation were always looked forward to, Emery. Kiyaya would tell all who would listen about you coming. He has always been proud of you and your accomplishments. When I gave support to Emilo after it was found out that Aponi had given birth to you, I wondered if I would regret going along with Kiyaya’s wishes. You’ve turned into quite a good man.”
As I sat and listened to Suni talk about standing beside my great grandfather against the council, which they were both a part of back then, it wasn’t the first time I wondered if there hadn’t been more between her and Kiyaya other than friends.
Suni White had never been married or had children of her own. She’d grown up on the reservation and been best friends with my great grandmother, who had passed away when Aponi, my mother, had been in her teens.
She and Kiyaya were raising their granddaughter, my mother, at the time because their daughter-in-law had died from an overdose when my mother had been only three months old. Funny how history seemed to repeat itself. Aponi had done the same with me. Two years after Aponi’s mother overdosed, Aponi’s father, Kiyaya’s son, was sent to prison for life after he’d stabbed a man in a bar fight, then proceed to beat the man within an inch of his life. Leaving my mother to live with her grandparents.
“Thanks, but not that good of a man. I could’ve done more for Kiyaya over the years, Suni.” When Suni arrived that morning to look in on Kiyaya, I’d used the opportunity to take a really good look around the house. Some things needed to be repaired, like the roof and the doors needed new weather-stripping. The windows had plastic on them, and I still felt the cold seeping in. They needed replaced.
“Eh, that is you thinking he would have allowed it. Kiyaya is a stubborn man, Emery.”
“I could have tried. Done better by him. And since I can’t go back and change the past, I’ll just have to do better going forward. Like fixing some things around this place. But first, he needs to go to the clinic. What I heard last night and this morning with his cough, I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t have bronchitis. And if that’s the case, his medicine pouches aren’t going to cut it.”
Suni smiled. “Maybe start with your concern to get him to agree to go to the clinic, instead of mentioning his medicines.”
I drank the last of my coffee and stood. “I might if I was going to ask him.”
Suni stuck out her hand, and I grabbed it, helping her out of the chair. Once she stood, she squeezed my forearm. “I’m glad you came.”
“Good, then you can stand up for me when he calls the cops to toss my ass off reservation land.”
“Eh, it will be okay.” Suni patted my arm as we moved to the door. “I know the chief’s mother.”
I chuckled. “Well, in that case, what are we waiting for?” I said and opened the door. “No time like the present.”
Chapter Two
Mac
After hanging my jacket on the rack in the corner of my office, I stretched, then walked to my desk and picked up the Styrofoam cup of coffee I snagged before leaving the hospital. I took a drink and set the cup back down as Bailey stuck her head in the open door.
“Morning. I have the exam rooms ready,” she said and walked into my office.
“Good morning, and thanks,” I said as I pulled out my chair and plopped down.
“Geez, did you spend the weekend at the hospital?” Bailey asked as she sat in the chair on the other side of my desk.
I looked down at the scrubs I wore with the hospital logo on them. “I did.”
“Did you get to go home at all after you left River and Jag’s reception?”
“No. I went straight to the hospital to deliver the Michaelson’s baby, and before Sarah delivered, the Nelsons and the Moores showed up.” I grinned. “Two girls and one boy in a little over thirty-six hours.”
“Holy crap, did you get any sleep?”
“A few hours here and there in the doctor’s lounge between deliveries. I at least was able to grab a shower before I came here this morning.” I held up my cup of coffee. “This has kept me going.”
“Well, that isn’t good. We’ll go to the diner when we close for lunch,” Bailey said and stood. “Because I know you hate the cafeteria food and probably ate out of the vending machines.”
“You know me so well.” I rubbed my stomach. “The diner sounds good. I’d kill for a double cheeseburger, fries, and a chocolate milkshake.”
Bailey chuckled and shook her head. “Just the thought of that, and I can feel my thighs and butt enlarging.”
“As long as you don’t overindulge, you can eat whatever you have a craving for,” I told her as I pushed my chair back and stood.
“Says the woman who eats as much as any man and never gains a pound,” Bailey sneered.
“Please, like,” I waved my hand from my breasts to my feet, “you’d want this body. Besides, Devil would love you no matter if you gained five hundred pounds. Pregnancy suits you. You’re practically glowing.”
Bailey grinned, then chuckled. “Oh, I know someone who wants your body.”
I put my hand up. “Don’t even go there. I’m still mad at you for abandoning me with him.”
“Oh, come on, Mackenzie. Everyone around witnessed the chemistry between you and Emery. He’s been after you since that day in the diner. You just avoid him,” Bailey said, then her eyebrows furrowed, and she moved to the door, pushing it closed before she looked back at me. “It isn’t because he’s half Mexican and half Native American, is it?”
I wasn’t sure which feeling was stronger: the hurt I felt that she thought Emery’s ethnicity mattered or the anger because she thought he’s ethnicity was a factor to me staying away from him.
“Oh my God, Bailey, I can’t believe you asked that. You seriously can’t think that matters to me. Do you?”
“No, but I had to be sure. Coast... You know I was a few years behind all the guys and that they had been friends with my brother, James?” I nodded, and Bailey continued. “Shades Valley has a lot of wonderful people and a lot of not so wonderful people. They’re folks that hate having the MC here, even though they’ve been around forever. So being a part of the MC and then a mixed-race on top of it, made Coast an easy target in school for the kids who were...”
“Bigots, assholes, racists.” I knew my voice rose with each word, but I was raised by parents who taught my brother and me that you treated everyone with the same respect that you yourself demanded. Their color, their age, their sex, their religion, their politics, or if they were rich or poor didn’t matter. My dad had said that no one had a right to judge another person because you’ve never walked in their shoes, lived with their struggles, or witnessed firsthand anything to do with their lives.
As a young girl, I hadn’t comprehended some of the things he said, but as I’d gotten older, they’d become much clearer. How better off would the human race be if we were all color blind? Or didn’t get bent out of shape because someone else was different or didn’t have the same views? How boring would life be if we all looked or thought alike?
“Yeah, you’re right on all accounts, Mac.”
“After meeting Emery and the other men, I can’t imagine who would have the balls to try and bully Emery.”
“Well, he wasn’t always as big as he is now, but it wasn’t so much as pushing him around as it was the snide comments and slurs as he passed by. Mostly when he was alone because if the others heard them, there was
hell to pay, and it involved getting bloody. But it wasn’t just the boys in school, it was the girls.”
“Why, because he didn’t pay them any attention?” I knew girls could be mean, but it was mostly toward other girls.
“Umm...no. The bitches drooled over him. Hell, they drooled over all of them. Being part of the MC alone made them appealing to the twats.”
“Ah, they wanted bragging rights,” I said as I draped my stethoscope around my neck.
“Exactly. So, it was hard to tell who legitimately liked him or just wanted to use him to make daddy mad. Now don’t get me wrong, Coast had no issue accepting what they offered, but it made him...for lack of a better word, harder. More cautious with who he trusts and lets get close to him. What I’ve gotten from hearing the men talk about their time in the military, it wasn’t much different for Coast there either,” Bailey finished and opened the door as I walked toward her.
“I’ve not been avoiding Emery because of his mixed-race, Bailey.”
“I’m sorry I jumped to that conclusion. But, Mac, if you really aren’t interested in Coast, be upfront with him. He’ll back off.”
“Really, he’ll back off?” I cocked an eyebrow at Bailey.
“Okay, okay.” Bailey put her hands up and grinned. “Probably not. More like he’ll turn the pressure up a notch to convince you. If you haven’t noticed, the men are a tad pushy.”
I laughed. “Pushy. Don’t you mean arrogant, bossy, controlling?”
Bailey patted my arm as we headed out of the office. “See you do understand them. You’ll fit right into club life.”
“Whoa, girlfriend. You are getting way ahead of yourself. I don’t even know Emery that well.”
“Whose fault is that?”
I hooked my arm through Bailey’s as we walked toward the first exam room. “You know, I think the men are rubbing off on you,” I said, releasing Bailey as I reached for the chart in the box beside the exam room’s door.
“No, I think it’s the baby. It’s taken my filter away.”
I was chuckling as I entered the exam room to start the day. My earlier exhaustion forgotten.
I walked out of one exam room and headed across the hall to another. One more appointment left and then lunch. I rubbed my stomach as it rumbled and reached for the chart. I opened it and smiled at the name. I’d forgotten they were on the schedule for today.
“How are you both today?” I asked as I walked into the exam room where Sami was lying on the table while Speed stood beside her.
“Excited,” Sami said as Speed gave me a chin lift.
I walked to the counter and grabbed a pair of gloves, pulling them on. “Your weight and vitals couldn’t be any better. Are you still experiencing morning sickness?”
“No, thank goodness. I was getting tired of hugging the toilet first thing after my feet hit the floor in the morning.”
“Good to hear. You’re into your second trimester, and it usually subsides by then. Everything seems to be progressing normally, so let’s get to it and see if the little one cooperates this time around with the sonogram.” I grabbed and rolled the machine closer to the table, angling it so the three of us could watch the screen. The first sonogram I’d given Sami, the baby refused to cooperate, keeping its legs bent and together.
I squeezed the gel onto Sami’s belly, then grabbed the wand and began sliding it across her stomach as I focused on the screen. Everything looked excellent with the little one, and today it had decided not to be shy.
Once I turned the dial on the machine, the heartbeat could be heard in the room, and Kane leaned closer, squinting at the screen.
“Holy shit, most men would be damn proud to show that off. Don’t know why he was being shy the first time.”
I couldn’t keep the chuckle contained when Sami slapped Speed’s forearm.
“Seriously, Kane? That is the first thing you notice? How do you even know you’re looking at a winkie. It could be a leg.”
“Well, then the kid has three of them,” Speed said, but then glance toward me.
I smiled. “You’re correct. That would be a penis,” I answered, then hit the button to print a picture of the baby for them.
“Oh my God, a boy. Ally is going to be so upset she’s not getting a sister,” Sami said, and Speed turned taking his eyes off the screen and focused on Sami.
“My girl’s tough. She’ll survive,” he said, then leaned down and kissed Sami, running his hand over the top of her head. “Love you, babe.”
I turned away and took measurements of the little guy to give them their private moment. I loved my job and had no regrets with my choice of switching from trauma to OB and specializing in high-risk pregnancies. But there were times, like now, watching a couple’s joy that reminded me I’d never get to experience that feeling firsthand.
The tap on the door had me glancing over my shoulder, and as the door opened, Bailey’s head popped in. “Well?”
I grinned, and Sami and Speed chuckled. “Couldn’t take the suspense?” I asked as Bailey walked into the room.
“No. I tried to stay busy, but it was killing me.”
“Because you’re nosy.” My eyes widened, and I looked over at Speed, and his lips twitched.
“Shut up, Speed,” Bailey said, then looked at the screen. “It’s a boy!”
“See, babe. He is impressing the ladies already,” Speed said, and Sami rolled her eyes.
I ran a towel over Sami’s stomach to remove the gel, then handed her a towel to wipe any remaining that I might have missed.
“You realize as he grows, it will look smaller in comparison to his body,” I explained as I handed Speed the printout of the sonogram.
“Don’t bother explaining, Mac. It won’t do any good. Nor will it stop him from showing that pic to everyone we know,” Sami said, and as she tried to push herself up, Speed hurriedly placed a hand behind her back to help.
“Hey, it’s not just about the size of his dick. First boy in the group.”
“Might have more boys depending what Luna’s sonogram shows,” Bailey said as she pushed the machine out of the way. “I’m surprised she hasn’t tried to come in here.”
“How did I not know Luna was scheduled today, too?” I looked at Bailey.
“She’s not. Her sonogram appointment is next week. She and Ghost came in to wait, and Lance stayed out in the truck with Ally and Neely. They’re going to the diner for lunch, too.”
“Yes, and we’ll meet you there. Try not to take too long, I’m starved,” Sami said as Speed help her off the table.
“You were the last appointment before lunch, so we’ll only be a few minutes behind you,” I said and reached for the door and pulled it open.
“Great. I’ll show them out and let Amelia know she’s clear to go to lunch also,” Bailey said and followed Sami and Speed through the door.
“Thanks. I’ll meet you out front after I swing by the office and grab my jacket and keys.”
“Sounds good,” Bailey answered me, then walked away with Sami and Speed as I headed in the opposite direction toward my office.
Once inside, I grabbed my bag out of my desk and my jacket off the rack. No one mentioned Emery being outside or joining us at the diner, but it didn’t keep me from getting that warm feeling in my stomach at the thought of being around him. For a brief second, I wondered if the exhaustion was back and having an effect on me.
I thought keeping my distance from the man would curb his interest and give me time to build up a resistance to him. And I had. At least until he pulled me against him to dance. Who was I kidding? He had my interest when he touched me to slide the garter up my leg. His fingers leaving a trail of fire on my skin. The dancing had only added to it.
He was arrogant and bossy, which I could have dealt with and ignored. It was the softer side of him that would be my downfall. I might not have had any intentions of getting involved, but I was grown up enough to admit it was too late.
“Ugh, I’m so
damn screwed and not in the good way,” I said into the empty hallway as I made way to the front.
Emery “Coast” Cortez had wormed his way under my skin when I wasn’t looking.
Chapter Three
Coast
“This is a waste of time. My medicines work fine.” On the fifteen-minute drive to the clinic, Kiyaya had repeated the same words at least a hundred times.
I blew out a breath and opened the driver’s side door on Kiyaya’s thirty-year-old pickup. The rust was the only thing keeping the body of the truck together.
“Truck’s about on its last leg.”
“Nothing wrong with it. Young people always wanting new things.”
My lips twitched. Kiyaya had been arguing with everything I said since I informed him yesterday that he would be going to the clinic. Swinging my legs out, I got out of the truck and closed the door, then walked around the front and waited.
Kiyaya continued to sit in the passenger seat with his arms crossed and made no move to exit the vehicle. If the old man thought he could wait me out, he was in for a lesson. I had enough the day before and told him he was going to the clinic if I had to drag him. The only one amused by my great grandfather’s ranting had been Suni. Then again, if I’d known I was going to get to leave and not have to deal with him, I might have laughed, too.
Instead, I spent the day fixing small things around his place; a leaky faucet, a clogged drain, and a few loose floorboards on the porches. I’d even chopped more wood and stacked it. Hell, I would have chopped more to stay outside, so I didn’t have to listen to him gripe. As it was, there was enough wood until I made another trip back, which would be as soon as I could get the new windows and roofing supplies ordered and delivered to me. I would need a couple of my brothers to come along to help with installation because the work was not a one-man job.
Leaning my butt against the hood, I bent one leg and propped my boot on the bumper and crossed my arms. Minutes ticked by, and several people entered and exited the clinic. I pulled my cell out and thumbed through my messages, and while I waited, I texted my dad, who texted back the laughing emojis when I’d texted him what I was doing.
Coast (Black Hawk MC Book 6) Page 3