“No, not at all.” She took a seat across from me. “The last thing I heard about you was that you were married and moved to another town. How’s your man?”
Her face turned sour. “Right. Don’t mention him to me. That bastard actually cheated on me, so I divorced him and came back here.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Don’t be. That jerk doesn’t deserve me, so it was better this way. At least we didn’t make a baby! Now that would be a disaster!”
“I guess you’re right.”
“So what’s up with you?”
“I just came back from the marines, so I’m settling in.”
“I see. Are you in contact with Langley? We Skype each other occasionally, and I have to say I love her new place.”
My pulse sped up. She was in contact with Langley. “Her new place?”
“Yes. She moved to a nearby town and started renting a nice house…” She tilted her head to the side. “Don’t you know about that?”
She had moved out of here. She was renting a house. I needed to know more about her. I needed to know her address.
“Actually, we aren’t in contact anymore.”
“Oh? Why?”
“She didn’t mention our breakup to you?”
“She told me about it, but I didn’t know it was that serious. Somehow, I thought you two would stay good friends, especially because she took care of your mother.”
“Well, she doesn’t want to have anything with me. Anyway, how is she?”
“She’s fine. She’s working as an accountant in a local firm, and she’s happy with her job.”
Wow. She had achieved her dream. I was so happy for her.
“And do you know her address?”
She opened her mouth to answer me, but then she closed it shut and hooded her eyes. “Why are you asking for her address, Brooks?”
So, she knows her address. “Because I would like to check up on her and see if she’s okay.”
“I just told you she’s fine.”
“I know, but I would like to hear it from her directly. I want to make sure she’s really okay.”
She groaned, glancing into the distance. “I don’t know, Brooks. She obviously doesn’t want to see you, so it wouldn’t be right of me to give you her address.”
“But I just want to see her, Nelly. I miss her so much. She cut me out of her life without even hearing my side of the story. I want to make things right. I want to apologize to her and make it up to her, but I can’t do that if I don’t even know where she is.”
She let out another groan, beyond conflicted. “I really don’t know. I mean, I get you and I cheer you on, I truly do because you’re a good guy, but she made me promise not to tell her address to anyone. She didn’t want to give it even to me that easily. So I don’t want to betray her trust.”
I rubbed my forehead, getting exasperated. “Look, I won’t tell her it was you who gave me the address. Please. Just do me this one favor. Please. I’ve been looking for her everywhere since I came back, and I won’t stop until I find her.”
She just observed me for a couple of seconds, seemingly pondering about something.
“You’ve really got it bad, huh?”
I smiled sheepishly at her, silently begging her to give in and tell me Langley’s address.
After what felt like an eternity, she sighed and shook her head. “You owe me big time.”
I spent the whole trip to Langley’s town mulling over what I could say to her when I saw her. My stomach was tied in knots, and I couldn’t calm my breathing. After three years, I would finally get to see her. It felt surreal.
I parked near her house and took a deep breath. It was dark outside, but I could make out the expensive looking houses that lined the street. It was a good and quiet neighborhood, which put me at ease. She was living way better than her small, cramped apartment when we were together.
After I gathered enough courage, I got out and walked over to her house. My chest expanded with longing because I could feel her close to me. She was in that house, only a few feet separating us, and I yearned to eliminate the distance between us.
“Hey, Langley. How are you?” I said, practicing what I could say to her.
No. That was weak and stupid.
“Langley, I missed you so much.”
No. I couldn’t say it just like that, especially if she didn’t want to see me.
“Langley, please talk to me.”
No. Too desperate.
I kept musing on this without even realizing I was moving around the house, inspecting it. I could see the lights inside, but she was nowhere in sight, and I felt like a creep. What was I doing?
I decided to go back just as I reached the backyard, but then I noticed the back door open, and my legs got glued to the ground.
What if I took just a peek inside? But then she would freak out if she saw me. My body didn’t listen to my logic, because I already took a step closer to that door, but then a three-year-old girl ran out, and I stopped in my tracks.
She scurried across the yard illuminated with small garden lights without noticing me, and sadness hit me. So, Langley had moved on. She was married now and had a family of her own.
If I hadn’t left three years ago, that sweet girl would have been mine.
I watched her pick up the ball that had been lying in the middle of the lawn, unable to look away from her. Maybe this was for the best. It hurt, but at the same time I was happy that Langley had moved on. She deserved happiness and love.
The girl turned around and finally spotted me. She stopped, her lips parting in confusion, and I approached her, taking a closer look at her.
“Hello,” I said gently. I didn’t want her to be scared of a stranger who had appeared out of nowhere in her backyard. “Don’t be afraid.” I stopped a few feet away from her and knelt, flashing her a smile. “That’s a nice ball.” I motioned with my head at her ball.
“Thanks,” she said in a little voice, which was too adorable. I opened my mouth to answer her, but then I realized one thing.
She had my eyes.
Chapter Sixteen
Langley
The music was playing in the background as I prepared dinner for Adley and me. I swayed my hips as I cooked, throwing occasional glances at Adley, who was drawing with crayons at the dining table. She was so cute when she was focused on the paper like that, her tongue out of her mouth as she created the drawing of a flower in the pot. She just loved drawing flowers.
“I want to play with my ball,” she said all of a sudden, already bored with drawing.
I turned around to look at her with my hands placed on my hips, raising my eyebrow. “We said you won’t be going outside before dinner. I don’t want you to get dirty again.”
She had spent the whole evening in the backyard playing with her ball, and I already had to change her clothes twice. Adley was a hyperactive kid, and she couldn’t sit in one spot for a long time.
She pouted and crossed her arms across her chest, which was something she took after me. A narrow gaze she was currently casting at me, however, was something she took after her father, and it always struck me to the core how much she resembled Brooks. She was my daily reminder of him, especially with her beautiful green eyes that were the exact replica of his.
“But I want to play with my ball!”
“Wait until you eat, Adley. Then you can go outside and play a bit more before you go to bed.”
“But I want to play now!” She marched over to me and tugged at my skirt. “Please, mommy. Please.”
I sighed, never able to resist her. She knew exactly how to convince me to do what she wanted, with those innocent eyes of hers. She reminded me of the cat in Shrek in the scene with his big, pleading eyes. Who could say no to such a look?
“Fine. But you can play outside for only five minutes, okay? Then we will eat.”
“Yaaay!” She jumped in the air, squealing, and bolted out of the kitche
n and into the backyard.
I chuckled. I adored her.
Each new day with her brought me happiness, and I was beyond grateful for giving life to such a precious being. Brooks and I hadn’t worked out, but we managed to create Adley, who was everything to me. She was the force that drove me forward. She was the one that gave me the strength to do my best in this life so she would be happy. I would do anything for her.
I finished dinner and went outside to call in Adley, but then I stumbled upon something completely unexpected and the world stopped moving. I halted mid-step.
Brooks!
He was kneeling in front of Adley, his face an image of pure shock. My heart went haywire in my chest.
My legs were shaky as I approached them, my hands cold. I had never expected him to actually come here. How did he find me?
“Brooks?” My voice wasn’t mine, revealing just how much I was shaken up. He was actually here. “What are you doing here?”
He slowly turned his head to look at me, an expression of disbelief still present on his face. He let his eyes roam over me, and just like that, my whole body began burning. It stubbornly wanted Brooks, not caring about the reason. I was shocked at how easy it was for him to make me feel this way with only one look, and I shifted on my feet uncomfortably.
His eyes flashed with desire, but he masked it pretty quickly, glancing at Adley. “What is going on, Langley? Is she”—he pointed at her—“My daugh—”
“It would be best if we go somewhere and talk first,” I interrupted him and rushed to her.
I didn’t want her to know the truth like this. I wanted to talk with him first before she found out that he was her father.
I picked her up and smiled at her. “Everything is alright, sweetie. Mom is just going to talk with him. I’ll call Alisa to take care of you while Brooks and I talk outside.”
Confusion on her face battled with fear. “Mommy, is everything okay? Who is he?”
I tapped her nose and kissed her forehead. “Yes. Everything is alright. And I’ll tell you about him when we come back.”
I took her to the couch in the living room and switched to a channel with cartoons. I called Alisa, who was my next door neighbor, to watch over Adley, staring at Brooks while I made the call, who still didn’t say anything as he looked between Adley and me. It was clear that he was thoroughly dumbfounded.
Only after we left the house I fully comprehended what this meant. Brooks was here. He came to see me. He found me.
“Let’s go to a nearby park,” I told him, breaking the silence as we walked. “We’ll be able to talk there.”
He just nodded, letting me lead the way. I grew more anxious with each minute spent in silence. My pulse was racing, especially because we were so near each other that it hurt.
“How did you find me?” I asked, glancing at his profile. Now, I could fully focus on his appearance, noticing the differences in his build.
He looked manlier, if that was possible, his muscles and a slightly rougher face emphasizing his rugged appearance. Even his eyes had a different glint, but I liked it.
It was strange how someone who I had known for so many years—to the point of knowing him as good as I knew myself—was now a complete stranger to me, and I couldn’t help but wonder if there was any other change in him beside the physical ones. Did he have the same interests and hobbies? The same pet peeves? How did he feel about me?
Flutters erupted in my stomach, and my pussy started pulsating. I couldn’t believe that after everything that had happened between us, my body reacted as it always did next to him.
“It doesn’t really matter, does it?” he said. “But I have to hand it to you—you’ve managed to hide yourself well.”
My insides churned, and I didn’t fail to hear the accusation in his tone. I’d imagined this conversation a hundred times, but I could never be prepared enough for this. I was still hurt, but then again, why did I feel like the guilty one now?
“Brooks, I… It was necessary.”
“Necessary?
“Yes. I didn’t want to see you. Up until a few days ago, I wasn’t even ready to talk with you.”
“And now you are?”
“Yes.”
He ran his hand through his hair, gazing at the houses we passed by. “I’ve been looking for you since I came back. I looked everywhere, but I couldn’t find you. And now that I’m here… I couldn’t even imagine I was in for such a shock.”
The old guilt returned, and I could barely look him in the eyes. That was one of the things I wasn’t sure about at all. I kept his daughter away from him, and there wasn’t a day that I didn’t question my decision to hide her from him. I didn’t want things to happen this way. I wanted Adley to have her father, of course I did, but how could I have told him the truth when he had to take care of Mary first? I couldn’t take away his choice like that.
“I know it’s a lot to take in,” I responded cautiously. “But I will explain everything.”
We reached the park, which was vacant at this time in the evening, so we could have our privacy. We came to a secluded part, which was hidden from the rest of the park with a cluster of trees, and sat down on the bench. I was trembling. I didn’t prepare myself for this. Nothing could prepare me for this.
“Just tell me the truth, Langley.” He met my gaze, his face stern. The coldness in his eyes was almost too much to take. “Is she my daughter?”
Chapter Seventeen
Brooks
The anger was brewing in me ever since I studied the kid closely and noticed how much she looked like me. And then the wheels in my head started turning. She was old enough to be my daughter. She had my eyes, and this was only the beginning of the similarities. Then I saw Langley’s guilty expression, and my anger doubled.
Langley. The moment I saw her was like a bolt of lightning. She was even more beautiful than before. Her blonde hair was styled in waves, and she was somehow even sexier, her curves more prominent than before. She was wearing a low neckline shirt that revealed her bosom, and it was hard for me not to stare at it.
My dick reacted to her the moment I checked her out in her backyard, and it grew hard again the moment we sat next to each other on the bench in this park.
I met her eyes, clenching my jaw, “Just tell me the truth, Langley. Is she my daughter?”
She averted her gaze, her hands clutching her knees. “Brooks…” Her voice was raspy, her shaking more visible.
“Langley. The truth.”
She burst into tears and hid her face behind her hands. “Yes. She’s your daughter.”
I just stared at her, unable to grasp onto the fact that I had a daughter I knew nothing about for three fucking years. I was a father. I had a daughter.
“And when did you plan to tell me this?” I asked her in a calm voice. Too calm.
She sobbed, her head still buried in her hands. She didn’t respond to me.
“Did you even plan to tell me?” No response. “You planned to hide it from me forever?!”
She jerked at my suddenly raised voice and looked at me in horror. “No!”
“Then when did you plan to tell me?!”
“Soon! I… I don’t know!”
“You don’t know?”
She stood up and started pacing. “I told you that I wasn’t ready to talk to you until now, Brooks. All I wanted was to start anew.”
“By taking my daughter away from me.”
She ran her hand over her face. “No. It wasn’t like that.”
“Then how it was, Langley?” I also stood up, too restless to keep sitting. “Tell me because I don’t fucking understand!”
“I was too hurt! I didn’t do it out of spite or anything like that. I just didn’t want you in my life. You left me, and the pain was too much. I decided to move on, live a life that didn’t include you.” She shook her head. “You left, Brooks. You hurt me a lot.”
“I would have never left if I knew about her!”
&nb
sp; “But I didn’t want you to stay because of her! I didn’t want to force your hand like that.”
“Wait, what?” I tilted my head to the side, my eyes widening. “Did you know?”
“Did I know what?”
“Did you know that you were pregnant before I left?”
She wrapped her arms around her waist, looking to the side. Her face was stained with her tears. “Yes.”
She knew. She knew and she didn’t tell me anything.
For a few moments, I was too stunned to say anything. Breathing was painful, and my blood was boiling.
“You were so set on leaving that I couldn’t do anything about it,” she said in a whiny voice. “I wanted us to be family—I wanted that more than anything—but I couldn’t do that to you. As much as it hurt me that you were leaving, I couldn’t force you to stay with me and our child. You had to take care of your mother, and you just didn’t want to listen to me.”
She wiped away her tears. “I felt unloved. I felt lonely and insignificant. You left me, so I worked my hardest to pull myself out of that misery and create a better life for myself and our child.”
And just like that, all my anger evaporated. I took a step toward her, but I noticed her tense, and I stopped.
“I’m so sorry. I only did it to help my mom, but only later I figured out just how much I’d lost. I lost you, and it was the most painful. Especially that last letter you sent me. It broke me. It made me a wreck, and I wasn’t the same after it. So I swore to myself that I would find you after I came back from the marines and try to do anything to make you happy.”
I could see her struggling to accept my words, and it was heartbreaking. I took another step toward her—to hell with it—and placed my hand on her elbow. I felt tingles upon the contact, and I reveled in her soft skin underneath my fingers. I wanted to touch all of her.
“I’ll do anything to be a family. Even more now that I know about our daughter.” I raised my other hand and moved a stray strand of her hair aside. I glanced at her full lips, and my dick became fully erect. “Look, we both made mistakes. But I want us to start again. I want you to give me a chance, babe. You have no idea how much I missed you.”
Baby and the Biker: The Ghost Riders MC Page 23
