I need to get away from her. She stands tall, her shoulders back, but the pain my words inflicted makes me want to grab her and kiss away all our demons.
“Eat, Eve.” I turn, leaving her standing with a pale face and eyes glistening with tears. What the fuck is happening? I swing open the cabinet in the kitchen and reach for the bottle.
“Jason?” I don’t look at her and take a swig.
“What?”
“This is where I’ll stay. That way you can fuck whoever you want at the club house!” She spits it out, venom dripping with every word. If she didn’t have a slight tremble I would believe that she was done. I lean my head down as I grip the counter.
“That’s perfect. You can decorate… and see the doctor.” I take another swig looking out the kitchen window, seeing nothing but my Angel. “Yeah, that’s best.” I lift my head and turn to her. Our eyes lock and time stops as my heart aches. I take a step toward her.
Her big eyes are filled with an emotion I don’t know or understand, but it’s something I want. In a second, her eyes change and it’s gone. She turns and walks back into the bedroom and shuts the door. Grabbing the bottle, I slink onto my couch and turn on the TV absently thinking I should order another pizza because there is no way I’m going into that bedroom.
EVE
I wake up and stare out the window. Alone, I can’t fight the tears forming in my eyes. Dejected. That’s what comes to mind as I stare out at the gloomy morning. Turning onto my back, I look up at the ceiling. How is this even possible? I have become everything I swore I wouldn’t.
“Oh God,” I groan, laying my hand over my forehead as I wait for my stomach to reject what little I put into my mouth yesterday. Somewhat in awe, I touch my flat stomach. Since the age of twelve, I’ve been told I could never have this. Jason left early this morning. I heard the door close and lock behind him, the click reminding me I’m a prisoner. Why did I have to be so weak and fall in love with a dick? I sigh, loud and dramatic. It bounces off the white walls. Sitting up, I look at the fantastic room. With the right furniture and maybe some paint, it could be spectacular. I haven’t seen the whole house yet, but if it’s anything like the rooms I’ve seen, I might actually enjoy decorating. My mind is already conjuring up a pleasing green that would look great in here.
Stretching, I stand annnd here it comes. “Christ.” I sit back down as the dizziness and horrible nausea that strike anytime come roaring back. It’s always bad the first hour or so after I wake.
“God this sucks,” I groan, but at least I’m not dying, so there’s that. I take another deep breath and my phone dings. Reaching over for it, I see three messages. One’s from Dolly, with OMG! Then there’s a gif of a pregnant woman and hula hoop going around her stomach. I texted her yesterday after Jason told me that I was basically his slave and that he has no responsibility to his baby. Instead of being outraged or even sad for me, if her gif is any indication, she seems excited, like all of this is rainbows and unicorns.
The last message is from Jason the asshole telling me that Dewey will be picking me up in an hour for a doctor appointment.
“Whatever,” I mumble as I push on Dolly’s number.
It doesn’t get more than one ring when she screams, “Holy shit! We’re dying over here.” Loud music blasts through the phone.
Clearly she’s at the salon and I hear Doug’s voice in the background. “Is that our queen? Hand it over.”
“Knock it off, Doug. Me first. I can’t stand it… I mean, I couldn’t understand your text yesterday. You hate him, you love him. You want to fuck him.” She starts giggling at that last comment. “You were all over the place.” She squeals and I have to pull the phone away.
“Dolly, stop screaming. I’m already nauseous. There’s not a lot of time. I have to go to the doctor.” Loud shushing makes me roll my eyes again.
“Okay, I’m putting you on speaker. Don’t worry—it’s only us.” Her nervous energy sinks straight into my gut causing my breath to hitch. I stand up and look out the window, ultimately deciding to open the adorable farm-style door, which has glass on the top and wood on the bottom. I pull it open and step onto the redwood deck.
“Wow,” I mumble looking at his backyard. Nothing but green grass and a view. The deck has been glossed so much you could probably skate on it if you wore socks.
“What? Eve go tell us everything. How did you do the unbelievable?”
“You’re set, baby girl. Mission accomplished. You know that, right?” Doug starts in and Dolly steamrolls over him. She and Doug talk about how I’m so lucky. Jason is going to be a great dad and our kid is going to be so beautiful.
“Guys,” I yell over the gushing on the sex of said unborn heir. “He’s not happy. He thinks I’m trapping him and he’s making me stay at his house so he can stay at the clubhouse to fuck other women.” My voice is getting louder and higher until I have to stop and gasp in some air.
Silence ensues and they start laughing. I roll my eyes again.
“You both suck.”
“All right, let’s break this down.” It’s Doug speaking in a calm, soothing voice much better than Dolly’s excited energy.
“First, Jason says stupid stuff. He’s completely obsessed, so don’t worry about the fucking of the skanks. Second, he’s going to fall in love with the baby, so he’ll be around too much and third… he has a house? I didn’t know he has a house, did you?”
And they’re off again carrying on their own conversation. I walk back into the bedroom and lock the door, putting them on speaker as I go into the bathroom. Apparently Dolly knew he had a house but has never been here before. So I tell them both I’ll need help decorating, which makes them both scream and I can’t help but smile. Somehow their excitement and complete support make me feel drastically better.
“Okay, you two, I have to get ready. I’ll call soon.”
“Yeah, we need to go too. Customers and all that. Congrats! Love you!” Dolly chirps and the phone tells me the call has ended.
I start the shower and decide that maybe they are right. Jason talks the talk yet he didn’t abandon me. He didn’t come in and sleep with me last night, but he didn’t leave either. My mind goes over all my options as I shower quickly. Suddenly I decide to play this out. The phone call with Dolly and Doug ate up a lot more time than I thought. Throwing on a pink tube dress and some light makeup, I decide I look pretty good. My skin has a healthy glow thanks to all the veggies Amy shoves down my throat. Either that or my body likes being pregnant because besides the morning sickness, I look fantastic. Emerging from the bathroom, I look at the box of pizza. I love cold pizza, so I flip it open and grab a slice as the doorbell rings. My heart goes to my stomach until I remember it’s not Jason. He wouldn’t ring the bell.
Throwing on some ballet flats, I open the door and smile at happy Dewey.
“You ready?” He’s practically beaming. Jason wouldn’t have told everybody, would he?
I grab my bag. “Um, I don’t have a key, so—”
“Don’t worry. Prez gave me one.” He proudly pulls it out of his pocket and grins when I step out and allow him to lock the door. I hold out my hand, but he puts it back in his pocket.
“Wait, that’s not my key?” My voice gets louder as I see the gloom starting to burn off and the warm sun coming out. I take in his neighborhood. Last night was dark so I couldn’t see the two neighboring houses up here. They’re beyond nice. I almost feel like I’m in a dream. I mean, who would ever think I’d end up in this neighborhood and pregnant a year ago?
Dewey opens the Tahoe door for me.
“Nope, Prez says you’ll get one when he says so.”
As he slides into the driver side, I say, “You know, you don’t always have to drive me. I can drive if you’re tired or…”
His brows knit and he frowns. “Girls don’t drive.” He starts the truck and pulls out.
“Dewey, I hate to break it to you, but I’ve been driving since I was thirteen.�
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Again, he frowns as if I’m ruining his fantasy. Whatever, it’s not his fault he was raised the way he was. My baby won’t be raised like these guys or like me for that matter. My baby is going to have everything I never had. I can’t wait to tell my dad. This might be exactly the inspiration he needs.
BLADE/JASON
“Hey Prez, you want another one?” Ryder yells from inside. I’m out by the pool trying to decide this very second if I’m going to go down the rabbit hole tonight. The pool glistens like sparkling diamonds. I blink at the glare only to have Crystal’s big fake tits dripping water on me as she tries to straddle me. I lay back and close my eyes as she slithers up my chest, rubbing her fake breasts all over me. All I see is Eve.
Eve!
“God damn it.” I sit up and gently but forcefully scoot her off me.
“What the hell, Blade?” she whines, making me stand up. I’m not even hard. Christ, I might be fucked, like fucked fucked. Like karma’s a bitch fucked. I run my hands through my hair, looking at Crystal’s hurt face.
“Yeah Ryder, I need another one,” I yell. He nods and comes out of the house. I shake my head still needing a moment to get used to his new look. He shaved his beard and head the other day. Now every time I look at him, I think of Drax in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies.
“It’s her, isn’t it?” Crystal brings my attention back to her. Her shoulders slump as she sits on the edge of the cushion. Thankfully the backyard and pool area are packed with drunk brothers and club whores. Someone turns the music up as Eminem pumps through my chest. It’s so loud that Crystal’s fake tits are bouncing to the beat. I lift her chin and feel a pang of remorse. I led her on, even going as far as having Edge make sure she was off at the club so that she could be here today. She was so happy that I asked for her. We’ve been drinking all day and now I’m done. The sun and stale beer are starting to aggravate me, along with the fact that I have no balls anymore. Ryder walks up with a bottle of Jack. He looks from me to Crystal and lights a cigarette.
“Hey darlin, I need a moment with the Prez.”Crystal looks up at me, her face slightly burned and black mascara running down her cheeks.
“Jesus. She’s a mess.” Ryder glances back at her then me.
“Crystal, go clean up,” I demand. She tries to stand, but she’s so sloppy drunk she sinks back into the cushions sobbing.
“I’m done.” My eyes meet Ryder’s.
He nods. “I’ll take care of her. I was coming to let you know Dewey’s back.” He takes her arm. She starts to argue then stumbles with him as he walks her toward the house.
Those are the magic words. I scan the yard littered with drunk brothers and naked girls and it’s not even night yet. A bonfire is being set up a few feet away, the smell of lighter fluid permeating the air. I scan the yard spotting Dewey immediately. He’s the only one dressed in jeans and a T-shirt along with his cut. He’s talking to Axel. The hair on my arms stands up.
“What happened today?” I snap. Dewey jumps and looks at Axel who instantly lights up a joint. He inhales and hands it to Dewey.
“What happened? Before you party, you tell me everything.”
He drops his hand from taking the joint. “It was so cool.” His whole face seems to light up like he’s almost hopeful.
Axel snorts and Dewey shakes his head. “No, Eve was awesome. And her new doctor loved her, like he couldn’t take his eyes off her. Even saying she was his new favorite patient.”
“What the fuck are you talking about he?” Suddenly the rancid smell of the weed along with the massive amount of sweaty bodies makes me look away and up at the sky.
“Dewey?” I demand.
“Her doctor is a man.”
I blink at him.
“And she’s almost three months, can you believe it? She couldn’t.” He chuckles. “She kept saying ‘Are you sure?’ to the doc.”
He looks at me then Axel, a huge excited smile on his face. “I heard the baby’s heartbeat!” Excited, he rubs his hands up and down his legs, and for the first time ever I want to take Dewey out. Like lay him flat. I take a breath and sense Axel’s strong hand on my chest, pushing me back.
“Take it easy, Prez.”
Dewey’s eyes widen. “I did what you told me. I was with her the whole time.”
Axel pushes me back some more. “Let’s take this inside and you can tell Blade all about it where it’s quiet.”
Throwing his hand off me, I storm into the clubhouse, ignoring the crap that’s going on inside. Drugs are everywhere, but I couldn’t give two shits. Adrenaline pulses through me. It’s that same feeling I get when I use my blade or gun. My mind keeps repeating heartbeat.
Dewey heard my baby’s heartbeat. I don’t know how I haven’t broken a tooth at how hard I’m clenching my jaw. I throw open the door to the meeting room, my breathing harsh. Christ, I’m like two seconds from doing something I’ll regret. But I can’t stop it, so I growl, “Now. How the fuck did this happen?”
Axel clears his voice as he moves to the refrigerator in the corner. “Anyone want anything?”
I glare at him.
“Christ, Blade, leave it alone.” He snaps the cap off the beer bottle and tosses it in a trash can. “If you really wanted to hear the heartbeat, you would have taken your pregnant girlfriend instead of getting fucked up with Crystal and humiliating her and Eve.” He looks me straight in the eyes with that shit. Suddenly all I hear is my heartbeat as I move to stand face-to-face with my best friend.
“The fuck you say to me?” I spit.
Axel’s eyes narrow on mine. “You told me this morning that she was nothing special. That this baby wasn’t changing you, that you weren’t cut out for father shit.”
I hiss out of my nose. “Fuck you.”
“Man. The. Fuck. Up. You want Eve. Be with her,” he yells and Dewey slinks back. “You knocked her up. Your kid deserves a dad.” He gets in my face. “Stop lying to yourself. It’s fucking disgraceful. You’ll be lucky if Eve will even let you near her or your kid.”
That’s it. I literally see red as I charge him. He’s ready and goes straight for my stomach, but rage is a powerful thing. I don’t feel the hit in my jaw. In fact it makes me smile as we both beat the shit out of each other. The room is silent even as we tumble on chairs and knock over glasses.
“Jesus Christ, what the hell?” Edge yells.
I shake my head as I grit out, “Fuck.” Edge and Ryder pull me off of Axel. I look down at Axel, his face a bloody mess, but he has a big-ass smile.
“You’re my brother.” He sits up and spits blood on the floor. “But you are completely addicted to this girl, and if you don’t acknowledge it, it’s going to destroy you.” Dewey tries to help him up, but he knocks away his hand.
“Motherfucker.” I go toward him, but Ryder is stronger.
“Prez. It’s gonna be okay, man. I told you my dream. Why are you fighting it?”
I jerk out of his grasp and ignore his fucking comment. My eyes zero in on Dewey. “Did you take her home?” I spit it out as I take small breaths in.
He shakes his head. “No, she wanted to stay the night with her father. We were having the party, and I thought that would be nice since you were going to be occupied.”
I hear Axel snort and mumble, “That’s a joke. His dick is owned.”
I straighten and hear my neck and shoulder crack. I wipe my mouth as I taste blood.
“Give me the keys to the Tahoe,” I demand.
“Prez, why don’t we all calm down. You’ve been drinking and both you and Axel are bleeding.”
“Are you my fucking mother?” I turn to Ox. “Do I need your permission? No.” I turn back to Dewey. “Give them to me.”
“I’ll take you.” Edge announces and holds out his hand for the keys. Dewey reluctantly hands them over. Nodding, I’m too tired and pissed to argue. As I walk by Axel, I stop to inspect the damage: his right eye is split and already swollen shut.
“You feel bette
r?” He holds his ribs with one hand and reaches for a bottle of tequila with the other.
I nod not bothering to answer. My throat is raw and I grind out, “I’ll be back in the morning.”
No one says anything as we walk to the Tahoe. Either they’re too fucked up to care or my face says it all as I throw open the door and get into the passenger seat.
Edge stays quiet most of the way to the nursing home. It’s not until he puts the Tahoe in park that he turns toward me.
“You going to be okay in there? The last thing she needs is you going crazy, Prez.” He rubs his hands on his face.
“Edge, you have no clue what’s going on. Dewey heard my baby’s heartbeat.”
I must sound insane because he frowns and says, “What?”
“My baby. He got to hear its heartbeat before me.”
“Why?”
I look over at him and say nothing because what am I going to say? I think I’m in love with Eve and that scares me? So I made Dewey go with her?
He glances over at me and opens the door. “It’s hard to be king.”
“Well, I am.” I grunt as I move my sore jaw around. “I need to work this shit out.”
I barge into the lobby. The poor woman behind the counter is so stunned she stares with her mouth open.
“We’re here to see James Smith.” Edge sighs as he signs us in.
She nods. “Um… is he, are you okay?”
I turn as we start walking toward James’s room. “Never better, why?” She stares again and I throw open the door to James’s room not even bothering to knock.
Eve sits with her dad at the round table. They must have recently finished dinner because the room reeks of mashed potatoes and garlic. They both glance over surprised, and for a man who is dying, he doesn’t look any worse. If anything, he looks better than the last time I saw him. At least his eyes are alive. I grin because he looks like he wants to kill me. Not that I blame him.
“Let’s go,” I demand. Her nose goes up and her eyes take in my face and shift down to my ripped-up hands.
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