“Are you sure?” I asked.
“Family’s important—more important than the job—so I’m sure.”
“Thanks, Sarah.”
She smiled and walked away. I headed back to Maverick. “I’m being released, so I’m going to clock out.”
“I’m coming with you,” Maverick said.
“I’m just going—”
He crossed his arms. “Not up for discussion, Lil.”
I nodded and led him back. I clocked out, grabbed my bag, and then we joined the club again in the waiting room. We were there for less than five minutes before Cricket and Katie rushed out.
“It’s not him!” Katie said.
“What?” I asked with a gasp.
“It’s not Flea,” Cricket confirmed.
“But he was wearing his cut,” I countered. “The guys never take off their cuts in public.”
“He was wearing Flea’s cut, but it’s not him.” Katie shoved her phone at Knight. “See?”
“Shit,” Knight said and passed the phone to Dad.
“What the fuck is goin’ on?” Dad snapped.
“Where is my brother?” Katie demanded.
“What if it’s one of the Spiders?” Maverick suggested.
“Let’s take this outside,” Dad said.
“Or you can quit talking like I’m not here,” Katie snapped, “and tell me what the fuck is going on.”
“Katie, let us figure this out first,” Dad placated. “We’ll head back to the house, grab some beers, and see what we can do.”
“It’s five thirty in the morning, handsome,” Mom countered.
“Then we’ll grab coffee,” Dad ground out.
She patted his chest with a grin. “I’ll make it.”
He rolled his eyes but smiled. “Thanks, baby.”
I bit back a yawn and leaned heavily against Maverick. I was happy to go home, although I doubted I’d be able to sleep.
Maverick kissed my head. “I got you, baby doll.”
I nodded, and we headed to his truck.
* * *
I awoke with a start and sat up, realizing quickly I was in our bedroom in total darkness.
“Babe?” Maverick grumbled and pulled me back down.
“What happened?” I demanded.
“With what?” he asked, wrapping his arm around my waist and snuggling close.
“Flea,” I snapped.
“Right.” Maverick yawned. “He’s good.”
“What?” I squeaked, and sat up again.
“Baby, can we sleep a bit longer and talk about it later?”
“No, we absolutely cannot,” I hissed, and smacked his leg.
“It was worth a shot,” he grumbled.
“Start talking.”
Maverick tugged me back down and kissed me gently. “Flea’s fine. He’s currently at the compound with the woman he’s currently seeing.” He kissed me again.
I growled in frustration. “Stop kissing me and tell me what the hell happened.”
“He and Lori were at the Brass Frog. Apparently, some moron dumped a pitcher of beer all over Flea, which meant he had to take his cut off to wipe up. The cut was stolen, so obviously the asshat did it on purpose.”
“Do they know who did it?”
“Yep.”
I smacked his chest. “Who?”
“One of the Spiders. That’s all I’m gonna tell you, baby doll.”
“So they were sending a message,” I deduced. “To me.”
“To us.”
I shivered. “Through me.”
“Quit.”
“No.”
He pulled me over his chest. “This does not touch you, Lil.”
“It has already touched me!” I countered. “That poor man, whoever he was, was delivered right to me. The Spiders know my schedule—”
“No one will touch you, Lily,” he interrupted.
“You can’t watch me twenty-four hours a day.”
“Wanna bet?”
“I have to pee.” I bit back frustrated tears and climbed off the bed. “Do you need to watch me?”
“Babe.” Maverick flipped on the lamp next to the bed... obviously, so I wouldn’t trip over something on the way to the bathroom. Because he was sweet and thoughtful and wanted to keep me safe... and I was a shrew.
After doing my thing, I headed back to the bedroom and found Maverick watching me. His chest was bare (technically, he was naked, but the bedding covered his lower half), and he had one arm behind his head which emphasized his muscles. I bit my lip when he gave me a tired smile then I climbed back into bed and kissed his chest. “I’m sorry.”
“Babe, I get it. This sucks. But you have to trust I’ve got your back. Everyone does, but most of all me.”
“I know. I’m just freaked. And tired,” I admitted. “But I shouldn’t take it out on you.”
Maverick chuckled. “I’m the only one you can take it out on, Lil. No one else’ll put up with it.”
“Well, there is that,” I agreed, kissing his chest again and then working my way south.
I dragged the cami I was wearing over my head and threw it into the corner then went back to kissing every inch of my man’s body.
He gave me about three minutes before his hands were under my armpits and he was dragging me up his body. He rolled me onto my back, tore off my panties, and slid into me, kissing me deeply. Without warning, my stomach roiled, and I shoved at his chest with a whimper.
“Lil?”
“Gonna be sick.”
He jumped off me, and I rushed to the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet in time. Maverick stepped over to me and pulled my hair away from my face. “You okay?”
I shook my head. “I’m dying.”
“Do you think you ate something weird?”
I shrugged. “Probably.”
“It’s not...?”
“No, baby, the cancer’s not back,” I assured him. “The blood tests came back normal, remember?”
He hunkered down beside me. “That was a month ago.”
“It’s not cancer.” I leaned against the toilet. “Pretty sure it was the burrito I ate last night. Those trucks can be suspect sometimes.”
“At least, you’re not on tonight.”
I nodded. “Sorry about your blue balls.”
“I’m good, baby.” He stroked my cheek. “Gonna get you some Sprite.”
“We don’t have any.”
“I know. I’m gonna run to the store.”
“Mom’ll have some.”
“You want her down here fussing?”
I sighed. “It’s better than you having to tell Dad you’re leaving. He’ll be down here hovering.”
“You’ve got a point.” He rose to his feet. “I’ll text her real quick.”
“Thanks, baby.”
He left me, and I decided to run a bath, figuring it might help. I already felt a bit better, which was a relief. God, I hated puking. It was the worst.
Maverick walked into the bathroom just as I sank into the warm water. He set an open Sprite on the side of the tub. “Your mom had saltines, too. You want one now?”
I shook my head. “I’m better now,” I said and sipped the pop.
He sat on the edge of the tub and frowned. “I think we should take you in.”
“I’m not going to urgent care for food poisoning, Möosh.” He frowned, and I squeezed his knee. “I’m a nurse, baby. Trust me. It’s nothing more than a tummy bug at worst. It’ll pass in a few hours.”
I was wrong.
Maverick
LILY HAD BEEN puking for almost two days straight, and I was beside myself. She refused to go to the hospital or see a doctor, so I decided the mountain was gonna come to Muhammad.
A knock at the door brought Macey (and Payton), and I let them in. “She’s in bed.”
Macey nodded and headed into the room. A few minutes later, Lily walked out and scowled. “Really?”
“Don’t make this a thing, Lil,�
�� I ordered.
She scoffed and closed herself into the bathroom.
“Fuck, she’s sick again?” I ground out, and started for the door.
Lily walked out before I reached her. “I’m fine.”
“Babe.”
She didn’t respond as she headed back into the bedroom, and I faced Payton. Lily’s mom smiled and waved to the sofa. “Relax, Mav. Macey’s got it covered.”
“Why are you so calm?” I ground out.
Payton smiled. “I’m not. I’m just faking it better than you are.”
I dragged my hands through my hair. “I hate this.”
“Me too, honey.”
Macey opened the door, and I shot to my feet. She gave me a sad smile. “You can go on in.”
My heart raced as I rushed inside and found Lily sitting up on the bed. “You okay?”
She nodded, lifting tear-filled eyes to smile at me.
I forced my own down and took her hands. “Whatever it is, baby, we’ll figure it out, okay?”
She sighed. “We need to move the wedding up.”
I felt sick. “How bad?”
“It’s pretty bad, honey. My dad’s going to kill you.”
“Sorry?”
“I’m pregnant.”
It took a minute for her words to register, and I stared at her in disbelief. “Sorry?”
“We’re going to have a baby.” Lily giggled. “I’m guessing a shotgun wedding is in our future.”
“So you’re not sick?”
“No, honey, not in the fatal sense. I’m going to be hormonal and eat weird things, and I’ll probably get really fat, but I’m not dying.”
I was still having a tough time processing her words, but when Lily grabbed my face and made me meet her eyes, I blinked and finally registered what she was saying. “We’re going to have a baby?” I asked.
She stroked my cheeks and nodded. “You have bionic sperm, Möosh. It broke through my pill. We’re going to have a baby,” she repeated.
I gathered her in my arms, pulling her onto my lap, and kissed her. “Fuck, I was freaked.”
“I know, honey. I told you it was okay.”
“But did you even think pregnant?”
“No... not really.” She grinned. “I’ve been on the Pill for years, so it wasn’t really on my radar. Luckily, Macey brought a pregnancy test with her.”
“Some nurse you are,” I deadpanned. Lily smacked my arm, and I laughed. “I love you, Lil. I can’t believe I’m gonna have a little you running around.”
“I really hope we have a girl,” she admitted. “There’s enough testosterone in this club. I need some backup.”
I kissed her again. “I’m really glad you’re not dying.”
“What a coincidence,” she droned.
“Shall we go let your mom off the hook?”
“I told Macey she could tell her.”
“I think she’s still going to want to see you, Lil.”
Lily nodded then studied me. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, baby, I’m great.”
“Are you sure?”
I chuckled, lifting her off the bed and setting her on her feet. “I’m great, but don’t be surprised if I get a little more protective.”
“I don’t think that’s possible.”
I patted her bottom, and we headed into the living room where Payton squealed like a banshee and pulled Lily in for a hug. “Ohmigod, I’m too young to be a grandma!”
Lily laughed. “Isn’t that what Gran said?”
“Well, she was too young too.” Payton cupped Lily’s cheeks. “I can’t believe my baby girl’s having a baby.”
“Dad’s going to freak,” Lily said.
“No, he won’t,” Mom promised.
“We’ll need to move up the wedding,” Lily said, her tone hopeful.
Payton smiled. “Nice try.”
“I’m going to be huge.”
“The wedding’s less than a month away,” I said.
“Challenge accepted,” Lily retorted.
Payton giggled. “Dinner at six. We can tell everyone then.”
“Wait, how many people are going to be at this dinner?” Lily asked.
“Just a few.”
“We should tell my parents first,” I said, and Lily agreed.
“Let me just lie down for a little while.”
“We’ll leave you,” Payton said.
“I brought some prenatals just in case,” Macey said and set a bottle on the kitchen counter.
“How do you always know?” Lily asked.
“She’s a witch,” Payton retorted.
Lily burst out laughing. “Ohmigod, Mom, you’re ridiculous.”
“Congratulations, you two.” Macey hugged Lily then me.
Payton followed suit, and then they left me and Lily alone. I pulled Lily into my arms and kissed her gently. “So proud of you, baby.”
“You might want to wait on that sentiment.”
“How come?”
“’Cause I might be a horrible pregnant lady.”
“I can take it.”
“I’m counting on it.” She hugged me tight with a yawn. “Can we go back to bed for a little while?”
“Yeah, baby.”
I took her back to bed, and she fell asleep almost immediately. I didn’t, but I took the time to hold her even if she didn’t know I was doing it. The fact our child was growing in her belly humbled me. It was mind-blowing.
I kissed her temple gently and pulled her closer, staying that way until I finally lost my battle with sleep.
* * *
Lily
Nausea ripped me from the most awesome dream on the planet and forced me to make a run for the bathroom. I felt my hair being pulled away from my face and smiled up at Maverick. “Sorry.”
He stroked my cheek. “Don’t be sorry, baby doll. We’ll get you in this week and see if the doc can give you something for the nausea. Until then, you just be you.”
“What am I going to do about work?” I said my fear out loud, and it made it all suddenly real.
“You have two more days off, Lil. You’ve got time to get some answers,” he said. “I’m gonna talk to Aidan and see if I can switch my schedule around.”
“I’m pregnant, not dying.”
“You’re funny. I’ll get you a Sprite.”
“Thanks, baby.” I brushed my teeth and headed out to the living room, flopping onto the sofa and stretching out.
Maverick sat by my feet and patted my bottom. “Sit up, Lil. Eat some saltines.”
I nodded and leaned my back against the armrest. He handed me a cracker and the pop, and I smiled. “Thanks, Möosh.”
“When you feel better, do you wanna head next door?”
“Definitely.”
It didn’t take long before I felt normal again, so I freshened up, and we walked to his parents’ home. Ace and Cassidy were in the family room playing Monopoly with Tillie and Liam.
Cassidy jumped up and rushed to hug us. “Well, this is a nice surprise.”
Ace studied us in his disconcerting way. I swear he knew what was coming. I gripped Maverick’s hand and decided to let him do the talking. For whatever reason, I was nervous. Maybe because he was their son, and I was the little hussy who let him knock her up... I don’t know; it was irrational but true.
“Are you guys okay?” Cassidy asked.
I nodded but couldn’t seem to find my voice.
“We have some news,” Maverick said.
Cassidy sat on the back of the sofa. She smiled, but it was a tentative one.
“We’re pregnant,” Maverick said.
Cassidy slapped her hand across her chest and let out a deep breath. “Oh, my word! I thought it was something bad!” She dragged me in for a hug then Maverick. When she pulled away, tears were sliding down her face. “I can’t believe I’m going to be a grandma. I’m too young to be a grandma.”
I smiled, relief coursing through me. “That’s exactly w
hat my mom said.”
Ace rose to his feet, his face a little more difficult to read, and made his way to us. He hugged me, then Maverick, but didn’t say anything.
I was back to being nervous.
“I’m gonna steal Mav for a bit,” Ace said.
“Come play his turn, Lily,” Cassidy said and pulled me over to the board.
I craned my neck to give Maverick a nervous smile and then sat and studied the board. Cassidy squeezed my knee. “It’s all good, honey.”
I bit my lip and nodded.
* * *
Maverick
Dad pulled me into the den and closed the door, crossing his arms and leaning against the sofa. “You good?”
“Yeah, Dad, we’re good.”
“Extra pressure.”
“Only in the sense that she’s carrying our kid. I’m still gonna watch her like a hawk... as will Hawk.”
Dad smiled. “Right answer, bud.”
“I think Lily might think you’re pissed.”
“About her being pregnant?”
“Yeah. We’re kinda doin’ things a little backward.”
Dad chuckled. “I’ll make sure she understands that’s not the case.”
“Appreciate it.”
“Okay, let’s grab a couple of beers and head back out. I’m gonna get another recruit on her if you don’t have a problem with that.”
“Don’t have a problem with that, Dad.”
“Right answer again.”
I laughed. “What if I’d objected?”
Dad shrugged. “Woulda done it anyway. She is carrying my grandchild.”
“Right answer, Dad.”
He pulled me in for a hug. “Proud of you, bud.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
We grabbed our drinks and then joined the rest of the family. I sat next to Lily and smiled when my dad walked over to her, bent down, and gently cupped her face. “Really proud of you, Lil. You’re gonna be a kickass mom.” He kissed her forehead and then sat next to Cassidy.
Lily turned tear-filled eyes toward me, and I smiled, kissing her gently. “Love you.”
Lily nodded but couldn’t seem to speak, so I focused on the Monopoly board and my siblings. “Ten bucks to whoever can bring Dad down,” I challenged.
“I’m in,” Tillie avowed.
“We can never bring Dad down,” Liam said.
Tillie frowned. “Well, for ten bucks, I’m going to try a little harder.”
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