by Frankie Love
I have asked a hundred times to come see her since she has been gone. But she’s been adamant that I shouldn’t. That her father needed to be her priority, and I’ve respected that. Until now. Her voice on the phone… hell, she sounded broken in ways that I couldn’t bear.
I cut through the bustling city night until I come across the rental house that I see matches the address that she sent me. Pulling the bike to a halt, I hear the door slam, and look up to see her running towards me.
"Shotgun!” she calls out to me, and I lean down to scoop her up into my arms. I bury my head in her shoulder, inhaling her scent, her touch lighting fires in me that have been too dim to notice for the last few weeks. I know it, now – I know it. I love her. Everything that I felt from the moment I first heard about her tattoo, it has been real. And now, finally, I will be able to tell her.
"I’m so glad you’re here," she breathes, and I cup her face in my hand, scan her for any sign of an explanation of what is happening right now. Honestly, I don’t care what she has to tell me. I know I can handle it. I know I can handle anything that she throws my way. As long as I am here with her.
"I came as fast as I could," I assure her. "What’s been happening? Is your dad okay?"
"He’s fine," she replies nervously, and she glances away from me – I can see tears sparkling in her eyes. Are they happy ones, at seeing me again? Or something else entirely?
"Tell me," I plead with her, catching her face in my hand so that she has no choice but to look up at me. She swallows heavily and, finally, tells me what I need to know.
"Shotgun, I’m pregnant."
The world stops spinning for a moment. I am sure that I must have misheard her.
"Pregnant?" I murmur. She nods.
"Pregnant."
The word sounds... good coming out of her mouth. Like it belongs there. I plant a kiss on her forehead, trying to work out what the fuck I feel about all of this. Pregnant? Really? She’s... even as she stands in front of me right now, she’s pregnant? Carrying our child?
I slide my hand down to her waist, over her stomach, hardly able to believe that this is real. There is a cluster of cells in there, the beginnings of a baby that we made together. And it makes my heart so warm to know it.
"It’s mine?" I ask her softly. She nods.
"It’s yours," she replies. "I know that it’s so quick, but I – it feels right."
"It does," I agree, and I turn her hand over, so that I can see the shape of the tattoo that has almost completely healed by now. "Tulip," I add, and she smiles and wraps her arms around me.
"I’m so glad you’re here," she whispers, and there seems to be another word on the tip of her tongue – but before she can say it, the door to the house crashes open, and I am met with a familiarly unwelcome sight.
"Todd," I mutter, and I turn to see that crooked-ass cop storming towards me. Right behind him is the man in a wheelchair that I assume is Spring’s father – he's glaring at me like he already knows that I’m the one who got his daughter pregnant. Not exactly the way that I had planned on meeting her family, but I don’t much care. I’ll take whatever I have to right now, if it means that I can help her through this.
"You!" her father bellows at me, as he jabs his finger in the air. "You’re the one who did this to her!”
"Looks like it," I reply calmly.
Todd holds back, crossing his arms over his chest, glaring at me.
"I know your type," her father continues. He’s still got casts on a leg and arm, but it doesn’t look as though he’s going to let that stop him giving me the chewing-out of a lifetime.
"And what’s that?” I ask him. I know that he’s got every right to be mad. No reason to rile him up by trying to throw down.
"You do this with a girl and then you just vanish," he exclaims, waving his hands around wildly. "You never have anything but bad intentions for good girls like her, and if you think I’m going to let you break her heart–"
"Daddy, he drove all the way here without even knowing why," Spring tells him, wrapping her arms around my waist and gazing up at me. "You really think he’d have done that if he just wanted to forget this ever happened?" she points out.
He opens his mouth again to protest, but then closes it, seeming to understand that she has a point.
Todd looks at Spring. "Do you honestly believe that he’ll be there for you?” Todd glares at me with open disdain. "You know these men, these bikers–"
"Men of Valor, actually," I cut him off. "Not that I expect you’d know the difference between a good one and a bad one. Given that you can’t even keep yourself on the good side."
Todd’s eyes widen, and Spring has to stifle a giggle by burying her face against my chest.
"I’m not going to let you just leave her like this," her father jumps in. He sounds furious. But I get that. He’s probably still trying to wrap his head around the idea that his daughter has a life outside of his. And that it might just revolve around me.
"That baby needs a father," Todd remarks, and he steps forward. "You know I’m willing to raise it as my own."
"You should marry her," her father agrees at once. I have to laugh. These two – I swear, they’re going to have to do a hell of a lot of learning about me if they’re going to understand what kind of man I am.
"With all due respect, I don’t need anyone else to marry this woman," I tell him firmly. "I can manage that all by myself."
"You can?” Spring squeaks, and I look down at her with a big-ass smile on my face.
"I can," I promise her. "I love you, Spring. Have from the moment I set eyes on you."
"I love you, too," she breathes, and she throws her arms around me and plants a kiss on my lips. I laugh against her mouth.
"Does that mean that’s a yes to my proposal?”
"Of course it is!” she exclaims, and I sweep her off her feet and swing her around. And I know that things might not always be easy with us, but they’re right – and that’s all I care about.
Epilogue
Spring
"You look so beautiful," he murmurs to me, as he helps me lift my skirts up from the ground so I can swing my leg over his motorcycle.
"You know, you don’t scrub up so bad yourself," I tease him, and he turns to plant a kiss on my lips before we pull off.
"Missus," he whispers to me.
"Mister," I whisper back, and we both laugh.
Hard to believe that we’ve actually done it. Gotten married. A shotgun wedding – right down to the groom.
This isn’t how I imagined my happy-ever-after starting, but I know it’s the best I could have ever hoped for. A man who loves me, without question, without concern, without rules or regulations – just as I am, from the moment he met me. When he proposed up in Denver, I didn’t expect us to tie the knot so soon, but three months later, here we are.
I know that it’s going to take my father a while to come around to this, but he’s already starting to see the good side of the Men of Valor – they've been helping get him to his rehab appointments now he’s back in town, most of them as determined as I am to show that Shotgun is the best son-in-law he could have asked for. And, as for Todd, well – he's been out of the picture ever since he figured out for good that he was never going to get into my pants.
The wedding was a small affair at the courthouse. My dress was white, and I was carrying a bouquet of tulips. It was just us and a few witnesses – Knight as Shotgun’s best man – just enough to make it legal. Just enough that I could look into his eyes and call Shotgun my husband and mean it.
We’re not going to have a whole lot of married life alone together before our little boy comes along, but I am just fine with that. Shotgun has been doing up the spare room as a nursery, and it’s already looking amazing. I can hardly wait to bring our son home for the first time – but for now, with just the hint of a baby bump under my wedding dress, I’m going to enjoy him.
We drive to Midnight Oil, where our reception i
s being held. The Men of Valor insisted on throwing us a big old party. My father is even coming out, and some co-workers from the daycare. I don’t need anything fancy, but I must say, it feels pretty amazing to be a part of this big family of bikers, who swore to protect one another come hell or high water.
Shotgun offers me a hand as I hop off the bike. I’m wearing sneakers under my dress, so that I don’t have to worry about falling over myself in heels. He pulls me against him, plants a kiss on my lips, the kind that makes me knees weak.
"You remember our first date here?" he murmurs to me. I nod and smile.
"How could I forget?"
"And you remember what happened after our first date?” he teases playfully.
I giggle. "Hmm, I might need a little reminder of that," I tease as he scoops me up into his arms.
“Oh, Tulip, I promise to remind you when we get home tonight.”
Home. In Shotgun’s arms, I’m already there.
More Men of Valor
Hop on the back of a bike and hold on tight to your new book boyfriend – it’s gonna be one hell of a ride!
Check out the series here:
March 1- Shotgun’s (B)Ride by Frankie Love mybook.to/FrankieLoveMOV
March 2-Curvy Ride by Hope Ford
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March 3- Savage Ride by Cameron Hart
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March 4- Knight Ride by Kat Baxter
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March 5- Wild Ride by Shaw Hart
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March 8- Rough Ride by Mila Crawford and Aria Cole mybook.to/AriaMilaMOV
March 9- First Ride by Loni Ree
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March 10- Filthy Ride by Lily Nicole
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March 11- Hard Ride by Tory Baker
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March 12- Thick Ride by Elisa Leigh
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March 15- Let’s Ride by Hope Stone
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March 16-Sweet Ride by Megan Wade
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March 17- Lucky Ride by C.M. Steele
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March 18- Slow Ride by Mayra Statham mybook.to/MayraStathamMOV
March 19-Wicked Ride by Lana Love
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March 22- Her Ride by Flora Ferrari
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March 23-Ride or Die by Poppy Parkes
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March 24- Virgin Ride by Barbra Campbell
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March 25- Free Ride by Anita Knight
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March 26-Bare Ride by Lena Lucas
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March 29- Ride Me by Fern Fraser
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March 30- Bad Ride by Dani Wyatt
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March 31-Easy Ride by Nichole Rose
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About the Author
Frankie Love writes filthy-sweet stories about bad boys and mountain men.
As a thirty-something mom who is ridiculously in love with her own bearded hottie, she believes in love-at-first-sight and happily-ever-afters.
She also believes in the power of a quickie.
Join Frankie Love’s Mailing List for a free book … plus never miss a new release:
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