His patch. Fuck. He’d thought about the patch a year ago, had even gotten her one, but never told her. Marriage. A ring. Her last name being his. He’d thought about all of that, but never been confident enough to give it to her.
“You’re too good for a patch. You deserve everything else, Mandy.” He played it off, not wanting to admit he had such low confidence in himself.
Doc Jones interjected, wanting to make him see how much this meant to the woman who sat beside him. “Don’t tell her what she’s too good for, and if you’re saying she should have these other things, why doesn’t she?”
He scrubbed his hand along the hair on the back of his neck. “Honestly? I always thought you’d say no.”
“What?” Shock couldn’t have been more apparent in her voice. “What in the hell gave you that idea?”
“It was me.” He shrugged. “I never wanted to put myself out there so you could say no, because if you did, it would’ve wrecked me. There would be no coming back from that for me, so I never even gave a thought to it. If I never asked, you could never say no.”
Again, Doc Jones interjected. “That’s selfish, Dalton. Do you see how selfish that is? Some may call it self-preservation, but you’re denying the woman you love what she wants because you’re afraid of being hurt.”
He’d never thought of it that way. Thinking about it in those terms made him feel like an ass, he realized now, exactly how much he’d probably hurt and confused her. “I’m sorry.” He grabbed her hands, pulling them into his body. “I shouldn’t have made assumptions, but at the same time why didn’t you tell me that’s what you wanted?”
“As scared as you were, I was just as scared of making you want to leave. You’ve never been one to talk about forever or plans. You made that pretty clear from the moment things started to get serious. I guess I figured you would grow up one day and that’s what you’d want.”
“So you’re assuming I’m not grown up?”
“No.” She shook her head, twisting her hands in her lap. “I figured it was a natural progression. One that never happened for us.”
“And that was my fault,” he finished.
“I’m not laying blame here,” she argued. “I’m really not.”
“But it is my fault, because if I had been any kind of a man, I would have put a claim on you a long time ago,” he finished the words fiercely.
“What holds you back?” Doc Jones asked, making notes in her pad.
“Fear. It’s what always holds me back.”
She glanced between the two of them. She knew both of their stories from Mandy coming to her, and from counseling other members of the Heaven Hill group.
“How long are you going to let your fear run your life? Your childhood will never change because it’s already happened, but the future is something you can change,” she encouraged him.
Dalton blinked rapidly, she was right. He was worrying about things he couldn’t change and fucking up the things he could. “Look,” he turned to face Mandy, “I’m making no promises, because you know me and promises, but I’m telling you, now that I know what you want, I’ll give it some thought. But you have to tell me these things. I’m not a mind reader at all. I have no idea what you want from me, what you expect from me. I have no role model for this. I do the relationship thing by the seat of my pants. I see how Liam, Denise, Meredith and Tyler treat each other, but it’s hard for me to put that into everyday situations. I’m just not hardwired like that.”
Doc Jones laughed. “I’m pretty sure everybody does until they find the one person who will put up with them. Don’t lose your person, and Mandy, be sure and tell him what you want. Dalton will never be able to read your mind either.”
That was the best advice he’d ever received. If he had it his way, he’d never lose his person.
Chapter Thirty-One
“What time are you leavin’ today?” Drew asked Dalton as the two of them worked on an oil change at the shop.
Pulling his cell phone out of his pocket, he checked the time. “About two hours. Mandy’s appointment is at one.”
Drew grinned. “Seven-month checkup. You’re gettin’ close, my man. Scared yet?”
“Not gonna lie, these last three to four months have flown by.” He ran his hand over his closely cropped hair. “I thought by now we’d already at least be building a house on the land up in Barren County or have a nursery at her apartment. But we’re all still looking over our shoulders at Calvert, and I’m not sure why,” Dalton admitted.
“He threatened us, and I don’t think any of us take that lightly, least of all you.”
Dalton knew his friend was right, but he also knew at some point he and Mandy were going to have to make a home for their child to live in. They couldn’t keep staying at the clubhouse indefinitely. He was going to have to discuss it with Mandy soon, or better yet, get the appointment at the bank and just start the ball rolling again.
“Yeah, but we need to have our own home, put down those roots I know Mandy wants. I owe her a lot, and that’s really the only thing she’s asked of me.” Dalton turned his head in a circle on his shoulders.
Drew was quiet for a few minutes. “I know what you mean. Charity’s got baby fever, and we’ve been seriously talking about having one.”
Dalton dropped his wrench. “No shit?”
“No shit.” Drew laughed. “Being around Mandy has made it worse, but then I kinda think about it. I’d love to carry on the Walker name, and have a kid that looks like my wife, ya know?”
He nodded. “I have a feelin’ this poor kid’s gonna look like me.”
Drew whistled through his teeth. “Hopefully our genes outweigh your ugly mug.”
Dalton flipped a middle finger in his direction, causing Drew to laugh.
“No, seriously. I should’ve said this a while ago, but I was still pissed at you for how you handled things in the beginning.”
Dalton was all ears, because he’d been waiting on this, waiting for the seal of approval from his oldest friend. He’d made peace with Mandy and Liam—Drew was the last holdout.
“I can see your point of view now, and while I don’t necessarily agree with how you handled it, you’ve manned up. You’ve been here the past few months, you’ve done anything and everything anyone’s asked of you, and you haven’t complained once. And any idiot can look at you and Mandy and know you’re happy. That’s all I’ve ever wanted for either one of you.”
It meant so much for Dalton to hear that, but he couldn’t put it into words, couldn’t make his mouth form them. Instead, he clasped hands with him. “I appreciate that. You have no idea how much.”
“I can’t think of a better person to be the father of my nephew. You’ve come a long way, D.”
The praise meant more to him than he could put into words; so instead, he nodded his head in thanks and continued about his business.
“Is Dalton coming to pick you up?” Charity asked Mandy as the two of them sat in the office eating lunch together. It was raining, and Charity hadn’t wanted Mandy to go out in it. They had all taken to babying her the further along she got in the pregnancy.
“Yeah.” She spoke around the bite of grilled chicken salad in her mouth. “He dropped me off this morning, and he’ll be coming to pick me up. I’m not sure if I’m gonna come back or not, if that’s okay.”
Charity waved her hand. “Nah, we don’t have a lot going on today anyway. When you leave, I think I’ll cut out for the day myself. What better way to spend a rainy afternoon than in bed?” She winked at her friend.
“Do not wink at me like that when I know you’re probably going home to my brother.” She shuddered.
Charity just grinned. “You know me too well, but yeah, I’m goin’ home.”
Mandy threw her napkin at her sister-in-law. “Again, I don’t want to hear about that!”
Charity laughed, picking the napkin up from where it had fallen in the floor. “Drew and I have talked about it, ya know?”
>
“Talked about what?” Suddenly it dawned on Mandy what they could have been discussing. “Kids?”
Charity’s cheeks turned a cute pink color. “Yeah. We’re still in the talking about it stage, there’s been no definite plans, and I’m not sure if there will be.”
“Oh, there will be.” Mandy grinned. “If he’s talking about it, then it’s something he wants.”
“That’s what I thought too, but you and I both know how things change sometimes. You think you want something, and then you don’t. I want us to be on the same page about it,” Charity explained, twirling a lock of hair between her fingers.
“You’ll get there, and I think the two of you would make awesome parents.”
“We’ll see.”
Mandy could hear the wistful tone in Charity’s voice. If it were up to her sister-in-law, it would definitely be happening, and Mandy couldn’t wait.
“How’s it going, Mandy?” Dr. Sparks asked as she helped Mandy sit up on the bed, after having checked her out.
“Things are good, just a little heartburn.” She grimaced.
“A little?” Dalton smirked from where he sat. “Try a lot. Like keeping us both up a lot.”
“Drink some milk,” Dr. Sparks advised. “Or ice cream, it’ll help coat the stomach and hopefully offer you some relief. You’ve only gained a total of fifteen pounds so far. I’m good with you using the extra calories if you need to.”
Mandy nodded. “Anything that’ll help. Sometimes I sleep propped up.”
“That’s okay. I know it’s a pain, but you’ve got less than ten weeks to go. It’s that time.”
Mandy felt her heart pound at the thought of less than ten weeks. “And we don’t even have a nursery for him yet.”
Dr. Sparks laughed. “Y’all better get to work.” She threw a pointed look at Dalton.
“I’m working on it,” he defended himself.
“Might be time to try and work a bit harder.”
They left the appointment holding hands and laughing at their incompetence at being able to get the nursery together.
“Do you have to go back to work?” Dalton asked as they made their way to her car.
She beamed. “Nope, Charity shut down for the day. Because it’s rainy, she’s going home to lounge in bed with my brother. I told her I needed no more details.”
“Me neither.” He wrinkled his nose up as he helped her into the car. “Good, I have a place for you to go.”
She had no idea what he had planned. “What did you do?”
Since they’d gotten back together, he’d made it a point for them to do something together once or twice a week. She appreciated it more than she could say, especially when he tended to pamper her more often than not.
“You’ll see.”
They drove across town, towards Scottsville Road, piquing her interest even more. When he pulled into a strip mall, she was lost.
“You said the other day you couldn’t reach your feet,” he reminded her. “I thought it’d be nice for you to get a pedicure.”
“Oh my god, Dalton. You’re gonna sit in there while I get a pedicure?”
“Sit in there?” he parked the car. “Baby, I’m gonna pay for it and wait in there while you get it.”
She threw her head back, giggling. If someone had asked her months ago where they would be right at this moment, she sure as hell wouldn’t have said the parking lot of a nail salon, but damn if she didn’t love it.
Chapter Thirty-Two
“You tired?” Dalton asked later that night as they walked the mall. She’d needed to get a couple shirts, and he carried her bag in his hand, his other arm around her waist.
She yawned loudly. “Yeah.” She closed her eyes, putting her head on his shoulder for a second. “Sorry I’m no longer the life of the party.”
Mandy had never really been the life of the party, but he wasn’t one to split hairs. “Let’s get you home.”
By the time they pulled out of the mall parking lot, she was fast asleep in the passenger seat. Stopping at a red light, Dalton gazed over at her. Her features were soft in slumber, like most people’s were. His heart squeezed with the emotions he felt for her. Reaching over, he grazed her cheek with his knuckle. He would do whatever it took to keep her happy; there was no doubt about it now.
Mandy felt heavy and warm. Opening her eyes, she realized she was in her and Dalton’s dorm room, but she wasn’t sure how she’d gotten there. Dalton sat in the chair opposite the bed, writing notes in a notebook.
“How did I get here?” she asked, her voice deep with sleep, her eyes drowsy.
He put the notebook to the side, his look soft as his eyes traveled her body. “I carried you. You passed out on me in the car.”
“I’m so sorry.” She sat up with a little difficulty “You should have woken me up, made me help you.”
“Nah, you aren’t heavy, and if you’re falling asleep on the car ride home, then you were obviously exhausted. If you were that tired, you should have said something.”
She stretched, wiping the sleep from her eyes. “What time is it?” She’d slept hard, and it felt like it was three in the morning.
He glanced at his phone. “A little after ten.”
“What were you doing?” She nodded towards the notebook.
“It’s a checklist I have of things I want to accomplish before the baby’s born.”
She quirked her brow and pursed her lips. “You have one of those?”
“You do. Why wouldn’t I?” He got out of the chair and came over to lie beside her.
He had a point; she shouldn’t be so sexist. “What’s on yours?”
“Normal stuff,” he assured her. “Like learn how to change a diaper, child CPR, make sure he has a nursery.”
She giggled at that.
“And make sure his mom wears my patch, so that nobody wonders who she belongs to.”
Mandy had been relaxing against him, giggling at the nursery comment. When he mentioned the patch, she froze and forgot to breathe.
“Cat got your tongue?” he teased.
She couldn’t help the tears that flooded her eyes. She’d waited a long time for this moment.
“Are you asking me to?”
He reached over and picked up a box. “I’m definitely asking you to. I know this probably won’t fit perfectly until you have the baby.” He stopped her from opening it. “And I want you to know something. I bought this over a year ago. This isn’t something I decided on because we’re having a child together. I’ve always just needed to get my head on straight, babe, and thank you for giving me the time and space to do that.”
She opened the box with shaking fingers, seeing a leather jacket with Dalton’s property patch on it. Lifting it out, she couldn’t believe her eyes. This was what she’d wanted for such a long time, she couldn’t believe it was actually happening.
“Why didn’t you show this to me a year ago?” she asked, lifting it up to her nose and inhaling the leather scent. She remembered vividly when her mom had gotten hers; she’d looked at it longingly, wanting one of her own.
“I wasn’t ready,” he admitted. “And I don’t think you were either. Maybe we had to go through all this shit so we can appreciate where we are now.” He brushed her hair back from her forehead. “I love you.”
Three little words. They meant so much, and in the grand scheme of things she knew she’d taken them for granted and assumed actions and feelings were attached to them when perhaps they weren’t. If she’d learned anything though, it was she had to show the person she was with what she wanted. He couldn’t read her mind, he didn’t know where her head was, and he sure as fuck wasn’t going to do something without a cue from her.
Curling into his body, Mandy reached up, kissing him on the neck. “Thank you,” she whispered in his ear, letting her tongue caress the lobe.
“You tryin’ to give me a thank you for the patch?” His voice was deep as he settled more firmly against the pillow
s. “You don’t have to do that, baby; it was my pleasure. I wanted to do it.”
It took effort for her to get up, but once she did, she started getting rid of all her clothes, throwing her bra in his face.
He laughed, wadding it up and putting it on the floor. “Are you getting ready for bed, or am I about to get lucky?”
“Take your own clothes off and you’ll find out.”
He didn’t have to be told twice. It was almost comical the way he got rid of his clothing. He tried to crowd her, encouraging her to lie down.
“No.” She held her finger up. “You lay down.”
He raised an eyebrow and grinned. They hadn’t done it this way often since she’d gotten pregnant, but now her belly was kind of getting in the way, and he was intrigued. “Whatever you say.”
She liked the sound of that. Being in control sounded very good to her ears. He was slow in lying back down, so she shoved him with a hand to the sternum.
“Oof.” Dalton blew out a breath as his head hit the pillow. Watching as she straddled his hips, he knew he was in for a treat.
Mandy was hardly ever the aggressor, but this far into her pregnancy she kind of had to be. Dragging her body down his, she stopped when she was eye level with the evidence of his desire.
“So you’re gonna show me your appreciation for giving you that patch, huh?” There was a teasing note in his voice, but she didn’t miss how his cock hardened when she licked her lips.
Using her hand, she held the length steady as she dropped her chin, opened her mouth, and enveloped him in her heat. The deep guttural moan he let loose with and the way he gripped her hair in his hands made her body clench with need. Relaxing her throat, she let him slip further down, using her tongue to bathe the underside, before licking back up and rolling it along the head.
“Fuck.” Dalton moaned when she tightened her cheeks and sucked against the motion of him pulling out. Up and down she went until she felt his hands really grip the strands of her hair. “C’mere.” he pulled her up, motioning for her to move closer. “I don’t wanna spill down your throat.”
Heaven Hill Series - Complete Series Page 163
