by LeAnn Ashers
“Give me one million dollars or I blow her fucking brains out right this second.” Jeffrey points the gun at the floor and fires a shot into the ground.
“That was a warning shot, the next time it will be buried in her skull.” Jeffery winks at me like this is one huge joke.
Why does he hate me so much? Whatever did I do to deserve this? Why can’t I be happy? My life is so amazing right now. I also think I may be pregnant; I haven’t had my period this month. I haven’t had the chance to take a test yet, so I am not sure. I haven’t even gotten to tell Lane yet. What if I never get to tell him?
I close my eyes tightly. Don’t think that way! I scold myself. I will pull myself out of this one way or another. It will not end like this. I will get through this like every single time shit has happened.
Jeffrey has been a pain in the ass since the moment I turned him away, when I decided he would not get any more money from me.
“You have an hour.” Jeffrey hangs up and tosses my phone on the island in the middle of my kitchen. He stares at me, and I lick my parched lips, my fingers in front of me, as I twist my shirt around trying to calm my nerves.
“I have had fun torturing you, you made it so much fun.” He chuckles, his head tilted to the side as he studies me.
I don’t say a word to him; what would I say?
“It sure is a shame that it all ended this way.”
“What do you mean?” I ask and he grins.
“You think I will just take the money and let you live? Fuck that shit.”
“Jeffrey, I did more for you than your own father did, or anyone that you are close to. What did I do to deserve this? I tried to help you, the only reason I cut you off is because I thought it was for the best. If I had known everything would happen this way, I wouldn’t have done it.” I take a step closer. “Please let me go.” I whisper the last part.
He shakes his head, never once taking his gun away from me. “I can’t do that.” So I lean against the counter, waiting for Lane.
Lane
Forty-Five Minutes Later
I am not giving the fucker shit. I am getting Amelia out of there, and I am killing him. Simple as that. I fill the duffle bag with fake cash. My brothers have surrounded the property; they are close but out of view.
No matter what happens inside this house, Jeffrey is dead. The moment he steps out of it, he has a bullet between his eyes.
The moment I heard his voice in the background, my stomach fucking hit the floor. Amelia has gone through some fucked-up shit, and she sure as hell doesn’t need this.
I walk through her yard to her porch. The door swings open immediately, and I am face to face with Amelia. I look her up and down to make sure she is okay. Her eyes are wide with fear and her face is really pale, but she is okay.
She steps away from the door, allowing me enough room to step into the kitchen. That’s when I come face to face with Jeffrey for the first time.
Not what I fucking expected. This is him? This puny guy is the person who caused Amelia so much fucking trouble? Shit, I can beat him with one hand tied behind my back.
He eyes my duffel bag, “You have it?”
I stare him down then throw the duffel bag to the floor in front of him. He eagerly bends down and unzips the bag.
This shit is too fucking easy; I was expecting some hardcore shit. I rush over and punch him in the face as hard as I can. He slumps to the ground, and the gun hits the kitchen floor.
“Well, that was easy,” Amelia whispers and I chuckle, bending down to take the gun off the floor. I step out onto the porch. I wave to the guys and, one by one, they fan out of the woods.
Time to end this shit once and for all.
Amelia
Well, that was easy. Lane just knocked him out, and that was that. Now Wilder is tying him to the chair. Derek smacks Jeffrey hard on the face, and he snaps awake. I watch in satisfaction as he takes in everyone around him. His face pales as he realizes it’s the end for him.
He looks at me. “Amelia, please.”
I jump in shock. “Please what?”
Jeffrey looks at Lane, who is towering over him. “Tell them to let me go, I wasn’t going to kill you.”
I laugh loudly. “You sure have changed your tune now that you’re the one at gunpoint.”
Jeffrey glares at me when he realizes that I am not going to help him. “I hate you, bitch!” he screams and tries to get up from his chair.
Lane punches him hard in the face, so hard that his chair tips back. Derek catches it and pushes him back up. “You speak to her one more time, and I will cut out your tongue.”
Jeffrey looks at me and then Lane. “I feel sorry for you, you are stuck with that bitch over there. Her own family hates her, what does that say about her?”
I watch as Lane lets his anger go. He takes his gun off his side holster. Wilder blocks my view of Lane and Jeffrey. A gun blast rings through the room, and I want to sink to the floor with relief.
It’s officially over, no more bodyguards, no more looking over my shoulder. It’s over. Lane comes to Wilder’s side. “It’s over, Doll,” he tells me.
I rest my head on his chest, close my eyes, and let my body relax for the first time in an hour. I have been wound tight for so long; I never knew how much Jeffrey had been weighing me down until the burden of him wasn’t there anymore.
It’s like the world has been lifted off my shoulders and I can breathe for the first time in a long time.
I walk out of my old house and leave my old life behind, so I can go to my new one.
Chapter 20
A Couple of Days Later
Amelia
Everyone has gotten together at the Grim Sinners MC for a huge party to celebrate my and Lane’s engagement. The Devil Souls MC is here also, because they are like extended family in a way. All of us girls have been close ever since our girls’ night out.
“Congrats on the engagement!”
I snap out of my thoughts and I see Chrystal, the Devil Souls president’s wife, standing before me.
“Thank you!” I grin and hug her.
From the corner of my eye, I see Tiffany sneak into the bathroom with her backpack. Showtime. I have a surprise for Lane.
Lane is sitting in front of the fire with his brothers, and I plop down on his lap. Lane wraps his arms around me. I lean back into him and sigh.
I love that Lane isn’t afraid to show me affection in front of his brothers. He isn’t ashamed to show everyone that he loves me, and the other guys are the same.
Headlights shine on us, and I see Brittany drive into the lot. A woman I have never seen before is standing right in the way so she can’t park.
“Move, bitch, get out da way.” A song by Ludacris starts playing loudly on the radio.
I laugh loudly and everyone around me does the same. This is such a Brittany thing to do, and you can’t help but love that girl.
The girl finally moves out of the way, and Brittany parks. She steps out with a shit-eating grin and struts across the lot; I love her confidence. She is so beautiful, and every single guy who isn’t with a woman follows her walk.
Derek is staring at a few of them, and Brittany winks at him. Derek is so fucked; she knows what she does to him. She looks a lot like Ashley Graham.
Brittany plops down into the chair beside us. “Nice song.” I laugh and she grins, shrugging.
“Yeah, well, it was a perfect moment,” she says, and I see a few of the prospects from both the Devil Souls and Grim Sinners stare at her in awe. She catches one of them looking and smiles. His back straightens before he scoots his chair closer to her. “So are you single?” he asks, his hands shaking with nervousness. Brittany looks him up and down, her eyebrows raised. I know Brittany’s type and it’s not that. She likes the strong, intense, major badass type—for example, Derek.
“No.”
We all look up to see Derek standing a few feet away, and I give a Lane a secret look. Wilder is looking from D
erek to Brittany, and his eyes shoot wide open, like “oh fuck!”
Derek and Brittany are going to happen; it’s just the matter of when. Well, it’s a matter of Derek making his move. Brittany is the kind of girl who is like, “If you want me, come and get me.”
“Hi, Daddy.”
Tiffany pops around his chair to stand in front of him. She is holding her jacket closed, and she looks at me. I nod, biting my lip, and look at Lane, waiting for his reaction.
She opens her shirt, which says, “I am going to be a big sister.” Lane stiffens and looks at me, then my stomach, then back to my face.
“You are?”
“Yes, I am pregnant.”
He laughs loudly and hugs me tightly before resting his hand on my stomach. I hear a few women sniffle behind me, and I look over to see Brittany crying. “You bitch, fuck you for making me cry.”
Tiffany joins us and hugs us both. I was nervous telling Tiffany that I was pregnant, because I didn’t want her to feel like she was being replaced or some other obscene thing, but she was fine and completely excited to help take care of the baby. I have a feeling that I am going to have a boy.
For the next hour everyone congratulates us on the pregnancy and the engagement. I couldn’t hold it in any longer—I had to tell Lane that I was pregnant. He was so intent on knocking me up and he succeeded.
“Wilder!” someone yells, and Shaylin runs over with Butcher close behind her.
He jumps to his feet and meets her. “What is it?”
She holds out her phone, “Joslyn called and she told me the reason she ran.” She stops, as she is trying to control herself. Wilder stiffens, his face dark. “Apparently, her mom had showed up again, and I know her mom is a major bitch. This time is different, her mother didn’t come alone. She had a new man and he has a son. A son who wanted her, he became obsessed and started stalking her around town. He flat out told her if she didn’t became his woman he would force her, so she ran—but he has found her again, Wilder.” Shaylin whispers the last part, and I know she has a huge soft spot for this girl.
Apparently, this girl is the sweetest woman alive. Shaylin said she saw her take a homeless woman into the store and let her buy whatever she needed. I also know her mother has put her down her whole life, saying mean and horrible things. But that didn’t stop her from being an amazing person who dedicated her weekends to volunteering at a homeless shelter.
I also know Wilder has tried to find her ever since she left.
Wilder looks at Lane, and Lane nods instantly. “Go get her, Wilder,” Lane tells him and Wilder takes off running to his bike.
Shaylin sits down in the chair that Brittany left, beside her dad. They are both watching Wilder retreat. Shaylin looks at us sadly. “Wilder wanted her the moment he saw her and she wanted him, but before they could even go out for their first date, she was gone.”
Oh fuck.
Wilder’s bike starts up and he thunders out of the lot.
Lane
I pull Amelia into our bedroom, shutting the door behind us. I strip her out of her clothes. Her eyes watch my every move, and they are full of love. Full of love for a fucker like me. I will never understand why she has chosen me.
I am a selfish bastard, and I will take every single part of her that I can get. She is my doll, the first and only woman I have ever loved.
I was seeing everything in black and white until I walked into her veterinary office. I almost fell on my ass like a pussy at the sight of her. Amelia knew she affected me and turned around, strutting her ass to the front desk, teasing me.
I was fucked right then and there; I was gone for her. My world started spinning when I first saw my daughter, but I didn’t know peace until I saw Amelia. Amelia brought a balance to my and Tiffany’s lives we didn’t have until we met her.
She tested me at every curve, she loved me through it all, and she put her trust in me every step of the way as she went through shit most people could never even fathom. In the end she came out fighting, and she did it by my side.
She is meant to be the president’s ole lady; she is meant for me. She is my doll.
I drop to my knees, and my hands go to either side of her belly. She sucks in a sharp breath as my lips press into her stomach.
She is carrying my son, the future president of the Grim Sinners. I fucking know it.
Amelia bends down and places her hands on my face. “Prepare yourself, Lane. I have a feeling our kids are going to be little shits.”
Of course they fucking will be.
I snort and kiss her, and her fingers glide through my hair. “I love you, ole man.”
I shake my head. “I love you, my doll.”
Epilogue
A Few Months Later
“You ready, Tiffany?” Lane asks, and she nods and puts on her helmet. She had the idea that she should plan our gender reveal party.
I don’t know the gender of the baby—only she and Adeline know—but once Tiffany drives off on her dirt bike, pink or blue dust will follow her.
“One!” everyone yells.
“Two!”
“Three!”
She takes off and a huge puff of blue dust flies up in the air. Lane picks me up, kissing me hard on the mouth. “I knew it was going to be a boy.” He sets me down, and I am swarmed by all the women, talking about little Harleys and leather jackets.
Lane is surrounded by his brothers, shooting the shit. Tiffany is riding around on her dirt bike. I see her gunning it for a small hill, and she goes airborne for a second.
That little girl is fearless. Sharon is clutching onto my arm in fear. I shake my head, and Sharon’s mouth closes.
“You get used to it, she is fearless and she is Lane’s twin.”
“Yes, they are almost identical.” I hold my stomach—watching my family around me, having fun and enjoying each other’s company—and my eyes settle on Wilder. He is standing by himself watching Joslyn’s every move. She is grinning at Brittany, who is telling her something.
Lane is a very protective man, but Wilder? He is a whole different level of protective. Wilder catches me looking and winks, then goes back to staring at Joslyn.
Arms wrap around my middle, and I rest my hands on top of Lane’s. He slowly rubs my tummy and kisses my cheek.
This is heaven.
A Few Months Later
Giving Birth
This is hell.
Lane rubs my hand, trying to soothe me, but all it does is piss me off.
“You will never bring that dick around me ever again!” I scream at the top of my lungs as I push as hard as I can.
Lane chuckles and my head whips around like in The Exorcist. He stumbles back as I give him a glare that would make any other man fall to his knees.
Smiley laughs loudly from his corner of the room; he wanted to be in the delivery room. Adeline is here with me. She has become a mother to me in these past couple of months. She is the one who helped decorate the nursery and helped me get whatever I needed, because I was clueless.
I raise my hand and flip him off, which causes him to laugh even more. I settle down, and when Lane thinks it’s safe for him to move back, he kisses my forehead and smooths my hair back from my face. “I am sorry you’re hurting, Doll, I love you.”
Darn him for being so sweet. I can’t resist him being so sweet.
“One more push!” my doctor encourages.
I lean up and Lane puts his arm around my back, pushing me upward. “AHHHH!” I scream and push as hard as I can.
Then, a second later, a blanket is laid across my stomach along with my baby boy, who is wailing at me at the top of his lungs.
I sob and touch him, and Lane holds me and looks down at his son.
“You did amazing, Sweetheart!” Adeline hugs me and I smile, tears falling down my face.
They lift him from my stomach, and Smiley takes off after the nurse, following my son. I know he will be taken care of. I fall back onto the bed, exhausted. Lane l
ooks at me with tears in his eyes, and my eyes widen in shock.
I have never seen him tear up once until this very moment. “Honey,” I whisper and he doesn’t say anything; he just rests his forehead against mine.
We stay like this for a moment—everyone bustling around us doing a million different things—but us we are taking a moment for each other.
I am holding my son, Christopher, against my chest as Tiffany walks in with Shaylin. Tiffany spots me and the baby, and she runs to the bed. Lane stands up and helps her sit on the edge of the bed so she can see him.
“Hello, little brother,” she whispers and touches his little hand.
“Don’t worry. I already washed my hands,” Tiffany whispers and bends down, kissing the top of his head. I blink back tears.
“Can I hold him?”
I scoot over in the bed so she can sit beside me, and I turn slightly to help if she needs me. I gently set him in her arms. “My baby brother,” she whispers and I hold back a sob. Lane looks at the ground.
“We are going to have so much fun when you are older. We will ride dirt bikes together, play games, and kick some butt and take names when we have to.”
I look at Lane and he laughs loudly. I join in because it’s not what I expected her to say. Tiffany shrugs and goes back to talking to her brother.
My perfect family.
Six Weeks Later
I yawn and raise my arms above my head, stretching. I peek over at Lane and see him grinning at me with that shit-eating grin.
“What’s wrong with you?” I groan sleepily.
“Today makes six weeks.”
I snort and cover my face with a pillow. “Do you remember what I said about your dick when I was giving birth?”
The pillow is pulled from my face, and Lane slides down the bed, his head going between my legs. “Who said anything about my dick?” He cocks an eyebrow and lowers his head.
