I lean back, smiling. He shakes his head, smiling back at me. He wipes away my tears and kisses my forehead. “Wait, I need to take you to the doctor.” He takes out his phone and pulls me over to the bed, making me sit down.
Why do I feel like he’s going to be even more protective than usual, if that’s even possible?
Derek makes a phone call and I lean back on the bed, holding my stomach. It’s hard to believe that a baby is in there, but the test could have been faulty for all I know. Going to the doctor will tell for sure.
“You have an appointment in an hour. Come on, baby.” He takes my hand like it’s the finest china, leading me to the closet, where he proceeds to pick out clothes for me.
My eyes widen when I see him pick out the baggiest clothes I have. “Why are you choosing those?”
“Tight clothes might hurt the baby.” He says this with the straightest face.
“Derek, tight clothes are not going to hurt the baby. I promise.” I reach in front of him and take out a pair of leggings along with a loose-fitting shirt.
“If you say so.”
I get dressed and brush my hair. “I’m ready, honey.” He takes my hand and practically carries me down the stairs.
Gareth is on the couch. He raises an eyebrow at both of us. I bend over to put on my shoes. “No, no, don’t bend.” He sets me down on the bench and puts my shoes on for me.
Have patience, Brittany, he is just concerned.
“We will be back later, Gareth!” I yell to him, and I know one thing: I will be glad once I am out of the house. We haven’t gone out often, afraid that we might be seen, so this is a much-needed break.
I am ready for all of this to be over and to go back home. I want the normalcy of just doing people’s makeup again. I want to go shopping and not be in danger.
And I miss my mom.
After Derek pulls up in front of the doctor’s office, we walk inside and are taken straight back. I guess Derek has pulled some strings…figures.
They do all of the testing before I am taken back into a room and told to change into a gown.
“Did I mention I had a surprise for you?” Derek says out of nowhere.
“Wait, no?”
He smiles and opens the door, revealing my mom and dad standing there.
“My baby!” Darla yells and runs to me, wrapping me in her arms. “I have missed you so much.” She rocks me side to side.
I reach out and take Derek’s hand. I want him to know how thankful I am to him for giving me this.
“How?” I ask.
“Baby, you have been miserable missing them. I pulled some strings, and we made arrangements to make it look like they are in a different town.”
“Are you pregnant?” Dad asks, and my eyes widen as I look at him then at Derek, who is just sitting smugly in his chair.
There is a knock at the door. “Looks like you’re pregnant!”
I hear a thump as Dad hits the ground, his head landing on Derek’s foot. I stare down in shock. I never expected this.
“Oh my God!” Mom screams and gets down on her knees, trying to rouse him. A little bit later he starts to wake up, and he looks at Mom. “She’s pregnant! She had sex, Dar.”
It may be wrong to do this, but I laugh. Newsflash, you have to have sex to get pregnant, unless you do it medically, which I didn’t do.
Derek practically picks him up off the floor and puts him in the chair. I still can’t believe that just happened.
“Did he pass out when you found out you were pregnant with Wilder?” I ask Mom.
She nods. “Yeah, but then he actually hit his head.”
Derek laughs and pats him on the shoulder. Dad looks at him. “Just wait, if you have a little girl.”
That wipes the smile off his face. “Doesn’t matter, she’s never dating, period,” Derek informs him.
Dad laughs. “Just wait, a guy just like you will come along and just take her without asking, then that will be it, and before you know it, she is pregnant.” His voice cracks at the last part.
“Get a hold of yourself,” Mom demands.
“Alright, we are doing a vaginal ultrasound. Dad, out before you faint again. Mom, you can stay and, Derek, you can too.”
I lie back and Derek moves to stand at the top of my bed, his eyes locked on the screen. Then a whooshing sound fills the room. “That’s the heartbeat.” Mom holds my hand tighter as we look at the screen, waiting.
“You’re right around six weeks pregnant.”
Wow, I got pregnant just two weeks after my first time. Right now the baby looks like a little bitty bean on the screen.
Derek kisses me sweetly, both of us locked in this beautiful moment, our first time seeing our baby. Our lives are going to change, but it’s a change I can’t wait to see.
I know, with all of my heart, that Derek is going to be such an amazing father. He brushes my hair back out of my face. “I love you, my girl,” he whispers softly.
I reach up and cup his jaw. “And I love you.”
He presses his forehead against mine, both of us locked in our very own moment. I can hear my mother sniffing as she cries. We are both emotional babies. It must be a genetic thing. We can cry at the drop of a hat.
The doctor prescribes me some prenatal vitamins, along with things I should and should not do and when to come back; we will make the appointment at the front desk when we leave.
“Thank you!”
I do hope that I can use a doctor in my town, and I won’t have to make it to the next appointment here.
Dad is in the waiting room, and when he sees us, he grins. He looks better than he did a few minutes ago, that is for sure. He wraps his arm around me.
“Dad, I can’t believe you passed out.” I laugh. My dad is one of the toughest guys I have ever met, and I have met a lot of them. Seeing him passed out like that blew my mind, especially it being over me.
Mom smacks him on the chest. “He’s just a big baby on the inside, Brittany.” He glares at my mom, who just winks. She is not fazed by him whatsoever.
Once we step outside Derek is plastered to my side, my mom is next to me, and my dad is on her other side. The joking is over as the guys turn serious. They eye the parking lot, ready for anything. I can’t resist the urge to put my hand on my stomach. It’s not just me that I have to worry about anymore.
It’s my baby too.
Derek opens the truck, which was custom-built with top-of-the-line protection, and lifts me inside. My mom and dad get into a truck beside us, which I’m not used to seeing them in. “Are they coming home with us for a while?” I ask Derek.
“Just for a little bit, baby, they have to get back home before they are noticed.”
“Okay.”
While I wait anxiously to get back home, I keep looking back to make sure they’re still behind us.
“Baby, they’re right behind us.” Derek laughs and reaches over, rubbing my stomach. I press my hand on top of his, intertwining our fingers.
I love this, I love him, and I love how thoughtful he is. He brought my mom and dad to me, something I have missed since the second I left. I know that probably sounds dumb because I am a grown woman, but I can’t help it.
I know Derek is missing his MC brothers too. Quite often I notice him looking through the pictures of them on his phone. Gareth is chomping at the bit to get to the MC and start prospecting. We are all ready to go home and, especially now that I am pregnant, I want my girls.
“I love you, Derek.”
He gives me one of his rare smiles. “I love you too, my girl.” He brings my hand up, kissing the back of it. Every day he does something that surprises me, and every day I fall more and more in love with him.
I take off my seat belt, scooting closer to him. He buckles me in, and I rest my head on his shoulder.
That’s when I notice that a vehicle beside us is acting funny. They open their sunroof, and I cover my mouth as a gun pops out of the top. “Derek!” I scream an
d point.
The guy starts firing, hitting the glass, making spiderweb cracks on the window. Derek pushes me down and grabs a bulletproof vest off the back of the seat, covering me. “Hang on, angel.” Derek puts his arm over my back, keeping me plastered to his side.
Oh God, please.
“My parents!” I gasp and try to sit up.
“Baby, you’re my main priority right now. Your dad can keep your mom safe.” I try to control my breathing.
Derek floors it, and I clench my eyes closed and pray. Something hits the side of our vehicle. “Stupid motherfucker!” He yells, then I feel wind. I look up to see Derek rolling down the window.
Derek shoots, and I can feel his body jerking as each bullet hits the side of their vehicle. I start to lift my head and peek to see what is happening, but he puts his hand on the back of my head. “No baby, I don’t want them to know you’re in here.” I rest my head on his leg.
“Are Mom and Dad still behind us?” I ask.
“They’re right on our ass.”
“Shit!” he yells as a vehicle hits us on the passenger side. Derek wraps his arm around me, once again holding me down, as we are hit again; this time it pushes our vehicle from the road. Derek grips the steering wheel, fighting it, so we don’t flip. “This shit is going to fucking end!” He pulls the truck to a stop and gets out, gripping a gun in each hand.
Derek locks the door and all I can do is just watch.
Derek
I am ending this shit. They found her, and I am not going to continue fucking driving while they try to run us off the road so they can take her.
Not today.
I shut her door, locking it behind me, and I hit the alert on my phone letting the MC know our location. And that’s when it hits the fan.
Two SUVs stop in front of me, and six guys come out. Every single one of them is looking at my truck.
Not going to happen.
“Hand her over and I will let you guys live,” the one who I guess is the leader of the group says. They look like a bunch of rednecks. I know these are people who want to get the reward the cartel is offering for Brittany.
“That’s not going to fucking happen.”
The one in front smiles, showing that he’s missing almost all of his teeth. “That’s fine, we will settle for you. You’re wanted just as much as she is, for taking her.”
Well, that’s new.
They take a couple of steps in my direction, and I wait for them to get close. I put my guns in their holsters and settle for my knives.
They don’t fight fair and I sure as fuck am not going to.
One by one they take small steps, watching me to see what I am going to do, but I do nothing. I just wait. They are studying me, waiting for me do anything. In the distance I see Brittany’s dad parked on the side of road in case they are needed.
I know Brittany is probably panicking in the truck, but I can’t continue driving like that with them trying to cause us to wreck.
I won’t allow her to get hurt.
Now.
A guy approaches until he’s standing beside me, and I bury my knife in his throat. His eyes widen as his hands come up to his neck; then he falls to the ground dead.
I pull the knife out and I grin, wiping the blood on his shirt. “Who’s next?” Two of them run to me at once. One punches me in the face before I can duck; that just fuels my fire.
I drag my knife up his stomach, enjoying the pulling of his skin as I bring up the blade. I watch in satisfaction as he pushes away from me, holding his stomach. He is gutted from the belly button up.
Another punch is landed on my face. I growl and hit him on the side of the head, stunning him. I laugh at how pathetic he is as he stumbles around trying to collect himself. Not so fucking tough now, are we?
“Let me in, bitch!” I hear someone yell. I turn around just as a fucker slips past me and bangs on my truck door. I pull out another knife strapped to my thigh and throw it. It buries itself deep in the back of his head.
Got you.
That leaves two. One is just staring at me, with his cohorts lying around him. The other one is holding his head because I hit him with the butt of my knife. He turns around and takes off toward the vehicle. I don’t fucking think so. I take out my gun. The bullets hit the backs of the knees, and he falls to the ground hard.
I wave Brittany’s dad over. He drives over, and Darla jumps out of the truck and runs to Brittany. “Does anyone else know our location?” I ask the guy lying on the ground.
He just grins, showing me his black fucking gums. “They know you’re here.”
Fuck me. I look at Brooks and he nods. I need to get Brittany out of this town. We have to go somewhere else. “Go, I will take care of them,” Brooks says. “Get my daughter out of here.” I nod and run over to her.
“Baby, we have to go.”
“Bye, Mom.” Brittany hugs Darla. I know she doesn’t want to go, but I need to get her out of here as fast as possible.
I start the truck and Brittany scoots back over to the middle seat, resting her head on my shoulder. “Are you okay, baby?” I ask and put my hand on her leg.
“I am fine, I was scared for you,” she tells me and I kiss the top of her head. I can feel her legs shaking beneath my hand.
“Don’t be scared for me, baby.” I rub her leg.
“Wait, what about Princess?” She raises her head looking at me.
“Gareth will have to take care of her, or my parents. We can’t go back home because, more than likely, they’re watching us there.”
She sighs loudly. “You’re right.”
Brittany
Everything is just happening so fast. One second I was on cloud nine, and then things went to hell. I never expected all this to happen.
He drives toward the outskirts of town until he comes to an old rundown house with a big garage on the side. He pushes a button on his phone, and the garage opens. Inside is another truck with a bunch of bags sitting beside it.
“When did you prepare all this?” I ask.
“When Gareth came home, I had him do this as a plan B for when we needed to get out.” He gets out and looks around to see if anything is missing. He shuts the door and locks it, leaving me inside the truck. He is not taking any chances. He picks up the bags off the ground and puts them in the back seat of the other vehicle.
He walks over and opens my door, and he lifts me out and carries me to the driver’s door of the other truck. I scoot across the seat and buckle in. He gets back in his old truck and moves it to the back of the house so it can’t be seen. I close my eyes and bend my head down. I am exhausted and mentally drained. I know the reason we are hiding is because we are letting the MC take care of it.
But it’s not getting better and it’s been months.
Derek gets inside the truck and starts it.
“Derek, let’s go home.”
He looks out the window, his jaw clenched.
“Derek, your house is safe and we can keep it on complete lockdown or even stay in the clubhouse. I am not saying you can’t take care of me. I know you can protect me from anything. Of that I have no doubt, baby, but one thing they never expected is for us to go back home.”
He doesn’t say anything, staring out the window as he thinks it over. He takes out his phone. “Lane, they know we’re here. We’re coming home, and we are going to take the fight to them, no more hiding.”
He hangs up and backs out of the garage, both of us smiling.
I finally realize why being away from the club has been killing Derek. It’s not missing his brothers. It’s sitting back and letting others fight for him.
Derek
Let the games begin.
Chapter Twelve
Brittany
I have never been more excited in my life to see our town, with the sounds of motorcycles, the cuts on men’s backs, and the feeling of home.
Derek reaches behind him, takes his cut from a bag, and sets it on the seat
beside him.
“I can’t wait to hug all of my heels and apologize for not wearing them for a couple of months.” I can feel him looking at me. “What?” I ask.
“Baby, I am not sure wearing heels and being pregnant is a good idea.”
I gasp dramatically. “What are you talking about, and how dare you suggest a thing like that! I will give birth with those bitches on my feet!” I pretend to be mad at him and he laughs.
“Well, I am not sure if the doctors will allow that, but I am all about you wearing them in bed with me.” He looks me up and down.
“Sure I can, baby. You can do anything, and convincing a doctor to let me wear heels will be easy.” I wave my hand.
He smacks me on the side of my thigh. “Behave, baby.”
“What do you mean behave? I was just saying you can get anyone to do anything. My man is the best,” I gloat and he rolls his eyes.
“If you’re trying to get in my pants later, it’s working,” he says, shocking me, and I snort before I lean over in my seat laughing.
“That is a plan for sure.”
Well it’s kind of us, and I need my daily dicking down before I can sleep at night. “Did you tell Gareth?”
“I did, when you fell asleep.”
“He is going to keep Princess for us until everything dies down?” Gareth is moving here too, since we have dipped out of Derek’s hometown.
“Yeah, he said he would, and he is going to move into your old place, since you offered.”
That makes me happy. My house is paid for and it’s empty, so it’s perfect for Gareth, and it’s close to the MC.
Derek’s house comes into view, and I see a ton of bikers in his yard. The gates open and we drive inside. I am thrilled to see Mom and Dad, Lane, Amelia, Wilder, and Joslyn. Everyone.
I open my door and jump out before Derek can reach me, and I run straight to Wilder and hug him tightly. God, I can’t believe I missed him, but I did. Next I hug Joslyn. “Guess she missed us or she is wanting something,” Wilder jokes.
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