“Charlee girl,” I call out her name, “let it go beautiful.” She huffs out her aggravation but then continues to clean me up. I can feel the blood as it flows from my nose, I reach up and grab the towel and apply pressure to help stop it.
“I just can’t believe him,” she says under her breath. I can, but I don’t want to make the situation worse, so I keep my mouth closed.
“You’re having my baby?”
“I am.” I pull her into my lap and place my hand over her stomach. I can’t believe we did this, we made this. It’s a piece of her and me, it hits me out of nowhere that I already love this baby I just found out about a few short minutes ago.
“This is the best gift anyone’s ever given me.”
“Unfuckinbelievable,” Gunner shouts out as he takes in the scene before him.
“Believe it big brother, your niece or nephew is growing in here,” she says as she places her hand over mine. Recognition comes over his face and then he smiles for the first time since the news was announced.
“I’m gonna be an Uncle!” The clubhouse roars in activity as everyone congratulates us, even Gun gets back slaps. He’s now beaming with pride, I can’t see my face, but I know the pride is shining on mine as well. I can’t believe I’m going to be someone’s dad.
Some may condemn us for being so young, but they don’t know what I do. That our love will stand the test of time.
Eight months later…
“Push Charlee girl, push you’ve got this baby,” Country tells me as he wipes the sweat from my forehead and eyebrows.
“Shut the fuck up with telling me to push already Country! I know what I have to do, say it one more time and I’m going to rip your dick off and shove it down your throat!” I scream out at him in pain. I swear he’s never coming near me again with that monster-sized cock of his. I can’t ever do this again, it hurts too bad. I’ve never experienced anything like this before.
“Charlee, enough with the graphic details,” Ma hisses out at me.
“It hurts Ma,” I whine out in agony.
“I know it does baby, but once you hold your little one in your arms you’ll forget all about it.”
“Any idea how long that will be?” I snap out at my ma, instantly feeling like a child in the middle of a temper tantrum, but I can’t find it in myself to apologize.
“You’re doing great,” Dr. Hightower tells me, “almost there, I can see the baby’s head.”
“I’m so tired, how long have I been doing this for now?” I ask Country, he looks down at me with love and admiration in his eyes.
“Going on nine hours baby, I’m so fuckin’ proud of you.”
“Mouth,” I tell him, causing him to laugh at our banter we always use now when the other cusses. We’re trying to mature and watch our mouths, I don’t want my kid’s first word to be fuck, or anything of that nature. It’s easier said than done however, my mouth is as bad as any of the bikers I’ve grown up around.
“On this contraction, I need you to give me a long hard push,” the doc tells me. I give it everything I have, wanting to get this over with, the sooner the better.
Six hours later I’m lying in bed looking down on my son. Hunter Joseph Masterson joined us in the world four and a half hours ago, he weighed in at seven pounds eleven ounces and was nineteen and a quarter inches long. He is the spitting image of his father, if I hadn’t been the one to push him out, you wouldn’t know I am his mother or have any relation to him whatsoever. I can’t stop staring at him, I loved him when I learned of him, but that feeling was nothing like what I’m experiencing while holding him in my arms. Country is lying on the bed beside me and can’t seem to keep his hands off of him either. He actually cried when Hunter did, it was so cute I wish I’d had my camera on me to capture the memory.
“He’s just so perfect,” he tells me like I don’t already know that.
“It’s because I’m his mother,” I tell him cheekily.
“That it is Charlee girl, that it is.”
We may have a long road ahead of us, but I wouldn’t change a thing. I love a good challenge, and this is one I’ll cherish for the rest of our lives. This is me, this was my story, it’s not over yet, but what a way to begin.
Charlee and Country’s Wedding…
I am standing here by my best friend trying not to let the tears flow. I am so happy for her and Country, I look out into the audience and see Ma holding Hunter in her lap. At least I’m not alone, she has let her tears run freely down her face, Pops has a look of pride in his eyes as he watches his only daughter say her vows. I look over at Gunner and see him watching me, I’ve decided tonight that I’m going to tell him I’m ready to give us a shot. Jamie made my life a living hell…still is to a degree, but I’ve held Gunner at an arm’s length while I try to put myself back together after the damage my relationship with Jamie caused. He promised to be patient and stand beside me, but last night we got in a huge fight over something so menial and stupid, I’m worried he’s given up on me. I’ve wanted to give in so many times, but I held back wanting to make sure I take as little baggage as possible into a relationship with him. I’ve longed for him for so long I can’t believe he’s finally noticed me for the woman I’ve become instead of the little girl in pigtails he once knew.
“You may now kiss the bride,” I hear the preacher say and take my eyes off of him long enough to clap for my friends. We walk down the aisle, I’m on Gunner’s arm. “I need to talk to you later,” I tell him.
“You know where I will be when you’re ready,” he tells me as we’re ushered away for photos.
The reception has gone off without a hitch, I’m finally ready to talk to Gunner so I go in search for him. When I finally locate him, I can’t believe my eyes. He’s coming out of the restroom zipping up his pants with a bleach blonde tramp following behind him. He looks up and notices me, I turn and run out of the building. I can hear him calling after me, but I don’t stop, I just keep running.
Acknowledgements
This is always one of the hardest parts of releasing a book. There are so many people to acknowledge and the fear that you’re going to forget someone can be disheartening. If I forget anyone I want to apologize in advance…so many people that make a difference in this industry for me and I appreciate every single one of them.
To Liberty’s Luscious Ladies…you always give great advice and are always there to support me when I need it the most.
To my Arc Review team, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to read my books and review them. You are an intricate part of the process, and I know you all have families and most of you work, yet you still take time out of your day to read and place honest reviews for my books. Love to you all <3
Darlene Tallman…you take my books and make them the best they can be. Thank you for taking me on and working around my dyslexia and ADD. Giving the readers the best of my work, without all the errors to accompany them. You never complain and never take my voice away from the stories. You’re the best grammar police and editor a lady could ask for. The commentary is always a plus!
Author’s…it’s always a special day when I wake up and know I have every single one of you at my back. Brook Greene, Darlene Tallman, Kayce Kyle, Erin Trejo, Samantha McCoy-Kruithof, Vera Quinn, C.G Lee…just to name a few, but there are so many more. There are many missing from this list, but these ladies always check on me and keep me going throughout the days.
Vicky Deviney Chelsea…my lovely bossy PA, that I couldn’t have this journey without. She keeps me organized and takes the stress of teasers and google docs out of my hands. Love you my dear sweet friend.
My husband and boys…. Greg, Colton, John and Thomas…you are my heart and I love everyone of you. Thank you for always supporting my crazy hours and dirty mind. My world keeps spinning because I have your love and support.
My readers. Your never ending support and encouragement is the best gift you could ever give me. Thank you for taking a c
hance on me and reading my stories. Without you there would be no characters to love and read about. Thank you…Thank you…Thank you.
Tracie Douglas…I can’t even tell you how grateful I am for you and all the beautiful covers you design for me. You always bring my vision to life and bring a tear to my eye. Thank you for all of your hard work.
About the Author
Liberty has been an avid reader for most of her life. When she was younger she used to sit and fill spiral notebooks full of stories for her grandmother. As she got older, she took the jobs needed for raising her boys as a single mom until she met her amazing husband. She has stopped working in the last few years and started off by promoting authors, then she took up blogging and reviewing for authors. This has led her down the path of writing and creating characters and telling their stories. She loves getting creative and working behind the scenes with her characters and bringing her imagination to life.
Other works by Liberty
Rage Ryders MC:
Taken by Lies
Taken by Rage
Taken by Vegas
Taken by Sadistic
Taken by Chaos
Taken by Temptation
Surrogacy Series
What Should’ve Been
RGMC
Co-written with Darlene Tallman
Braxton
Diva’s Ink
Blank Canvas
Where to find your Author
Facebook page here:
https://www.facebook.com/authorlibertypaker
Author page at:
https://goo.gl/y5xfvq:
Liberty's Luscious Ladies:
https://goo.gl/SqbEKa
Twitter:
@authorlparker
Turn the page for excerpts from authors whose stories will rock your world!
Brooke Greene
Darlene Tallman
Colbie Kay
C.G. Lee
Erin Osborne
Kayce Kyle
All In
The Story of Leo and Avery
© Brook Greene
Avery
I throw my arms in the air for the fifth time to make my point. “I don’t want to go. I want to sit right here on this lovely couch and watch bad TV.” Whining for a thirty-two-year-old is not a good look.
I listen as Piper, my roommate, stomps and huffs around our little apartment, while I roll my eyes at her. “Damn it, Avery. You know who you’re going to be, don’t you? The crazy lady who has, like, forty cats and an apartment that smells like cat piss.” She gives me her evil eye, throwing her hand on her hip to show she means what she says.
“That’s disgusting. Thanks for that mental image, but no, that will not be me because I don’t like cats—problem solved. I’m staying in tonight,” I retort, trying to look everywhere but at her face.
“You’re going,” she demands, stomping her foot like a spoiled child.
“No, I’m not,” I argue.
“Avery, please. I don’t wanna go alone.”
It’s time to change this conversation around a bit. “Are you going to see the hot guy from your brother’s shop? Dalton?” I question as she blushes in response. “Oh, Piper. You are, aren’t you? Look. I know you have a thing for the bad boy type, but damn. He’s nothing but trouble and you know it.”
I’ve been living with Piper for the last five months and she’s had every loser within a twenty-mile radius in our apartment. Her excuse is, “You never know until you try them out.” By now, you would think she’d know none of them ever last long, for which I’m very thankful. She can do so much better.
Piper and I met in college, and when I needed somewhere to go to get out from under my father’s controlling thumb, she was more than happy to take me in, along with the extra rent money.
She slams her hair brush down on the counter of my bathroom and crosses over to me, flinging herself dramatically onto the bed. “Yes, I’m going to see him. I mean, can you blame me? You were there. You saw him walk out of the garage in all his six-foot-two biker fuckin’ glory.” She’s fanning herself as she stares up at the Stucco ceiling above my bed. I fall back beside her and look up, close my eyes, and bask in the glory of my first memory of him.
“Yes,” is all I can say. I have to admit, when we’d taken her car to the garage two days ago because of the power steering noise, I didn’t expect to see the man known as Leo.
~~~~~~
I was sitting in Piper’s car, waiting for her to re-emerge from the office, when a blond-haired, tattooed Greek god strolled out of one of the bay doors. My mouth fell open and my eyes went wide as I took him in from head to toe, scanning his body into my brain like a memory card. I couldn’t take my eyes from his broad shoulders and thick arms covered in tattoos from his wrists, all the way up until the ink disappeared under his very tight black t-shirt.
As if he could feel my eyes on him, he looked up and caught me staring. I quickly looked away, feeling a hot flash of embarrassment hit me. However, not wanting to lose the mouth-watering visual, I glanced back up at him through my lashes and was met with one of the most mischievous grins ever plastered on a man’s face.
I was saved by the bell when the office door flung open and Piper bounded down the steps at the sight of the Greek god. She was on him in a second and had him at the hood of her car in no time.
Not many men could resist Piper. She was all slim, strawberry-blonde perfection. Her skin was tanned from weeks of lying in the sun, and her crystal-blue eyes set off the whole package. I could see the mechanic hottie was no exception.
She opened her door, reached in to pop the hood so he could take a look, then glanced over at me with her high-wattage smile. “Get out of the car, Avery, so you can meet Dalton.”
“No. I’m fine right here.” I had no desire to move within any distance of the god known as Dalton, so I remained in my seat in the hopes of pulling my shit together from the embarrassment of getting caught staring at him.
“Don’t be silly. It’s, like, a hundred degrees in here, and you don’t want to be rude, do you? Come on. Get some air and say hi.” I got it. She needed her wingman.
I slowly, albeit reluctantly, opened my door to step out when, out of nowhere, the bottom fell out of my world. Not only was there a blond Greek god, but I looked up to see a mind-bending illusion sauntering across the parking lot towards us. He was as tall, if not taller, than Dalton. Clad in ripped, faded jeans that accentuated his strong legs, he also wore a white tank that showed off his long arms and torso, which were covered in tattoos. His body looked like a painted canvas. His black hair fell unkempt around his ears that were pierced with tight silver hoops that matched the one he had in his left eyebrow and in his lower lip. I found that the door handle had become glued to my hand as I wasn’t able to let go of it for fear of falling flat on my face.
As he got closer, my ears began to ring and butterflies started to ignite in my belly with massive force. He stopped beside Dalton, completely ignoring me, and leaned down to take a look at the problem.
“Piper, what the hell, honey?” His deep baritone voice came rumbling from under the hood and shook my very foundation, making me have to white-knuckle the door.
“I was turning around the other day when it just started to scream, then the air conditioner went out.” Her expression was one of childlike innocence.
Have you ever had one of those moments when you feel like you are in a tunnel and all the voices around you are echoing? Or you can’t hear them at all, and all you see are their mouths moving? Well, I was in one of those right now.
“Avery, are you all right?” Piper asked from over the roof of her car with a put-out look.
“What?” It was all I could manage to say. In the few minutes of being within a few feet of the pierced Mr. Perfection, I lost all ability to speak or think, much less act like a functioning human being who learned to use a wheel and fire millions of years ago.
“Hey! Earth to Avery. Hello?”
&
nbsp; I came out of my tunnel vision and realized I had garnered the attention of both men. As I willed myself out of my haze, I glanced at them and saw Mr. Perfect’s eyes were two pieces of coal, and they were traveling up my body, stopping at my cleavage. I cleared my throat to let him know I could see him, but smiled inwardly at the look of appreciation on his face.
“Hey, babe.” He moved around the fender of the car, stuffing a dirty grease rag into his back pocket, reaching his other hand out to me. “I’m Leo.”
I sheepishly took his big hand, which dwarfed mine. He gave it a gentle shake and held it a little longer than necessary, giving me a questioning look.
The music from Apocalypse Now began to play in my head as my libido danced around in my body. I fought to keep my legs from spreading and the urge to grab him, mauling him right there in front of Piper, hot Dalton, and the world.
Leo looked over at Piper. “I think she’s broken.” He dropped my hand and, standing at his full height, he looked back to me with pure, unadulterated lust. “Are you sure she isn’t the one in need of a little tuning up? ’Cause, if that’s the case, I’m the mechanic for you, baby.” His eyes perused me and I was thankful in that moment, even though it had been my day off, I had put effort into my appearance.
Charlee's Choices: DreamCatchers MC Page 17
