My skin bristled. "Mom, I know." I put my hands up in surrender, trying to calm her down. I could see her straining her neck; she was trying to keep the bear inside as well. "You said that Dad is in the hospital? What happened?"
She threw her hands up as she walked across the room and straight to the liquor cabinet. "Hell if I know! I come home and he's lying on the couch clutching his chest." She pulled the stopper out of a bottle and I watched as she poured the dark amber liquid into a glass. "Where have you been all night? And what is that smell?”
Emma walked back into the bedroom. "Me, yes?"
Shit. Well I guess now is the time we’re telling my mother about what is going on.
My mother's eyes darted back and forth between the two of us and I saw her clutch the glass with such force I thought she would break it. "You?"
Emma moved closer to me and I slipped my hand around her waist. I stretched my muscles as I felt my bear strain underneath my skin. An instinctual need to protect Emma coursed through my body. "Mom, I need to tell you something, but given the circumstances, I think that this is a really bad time. Let’s just all just go to the hospital together to see Dad. We can figure out the rest of this another time."
She slammed the glass down on the tray. "No! We will discuss this now! Are you telling me that you're with her?"
I took a deep breath. "Yes."
She made a face that showed a look of disgust, the disdain for my choice. "But she's the help."
She said it barely above a whisper, but I felt Emma tense beneath my touch.
"It doesn't seem to matter. Mom. I can’t explain why, but I know that Emma is the one. I thought you would be happy for me."
She shook her head. "We don't choose our loves in the family. We have arranged marriages in order to continue our wealth. It's simple. You made this mistake once, and look where that landed you and your son."
Rage rushed through me at the mention of Liam. I let out a low growl in warning, and pushed Emma slightly behind my back. "Don't you dare talk about Anna. This has nothing to do with her." What Anna and I had done was against her wishes, but we had survived and made it on our own. We allowed my family back into our lives, I wasn't seeking their forgiveness for falling in love then, and I wouldn't do it again.
"This isn’t about Anna and I, it's about Emma. And it's about our feelings for each other."
Emma's mouth dropped open a little at my admission. I didn't think she ever thought that she would be talking about her sex life with my mother, but here we were. Luckily, she didn't stop me.
"You'll regret this," my mother said as she brushed past me and toward the door.
"Mom! It doesn't have to be like this. And tell me what hospital Dad is at!"
She slammed the door behind her without another word. For now, it was over. Emma melted into my arms, and I held her against me, letting my fingers flow through her soft hair.
"Don't worry about her. She's crazy."
I heard her sniffle just slightly.
"I know, I know. It’s just all a lot to take in. I know that I am an outsider, hell, I don’t even know half your clan laws, but I don't want her to hate me. Is that something too hard for me to hope for?"
I sighed heavily. "For right now, it might be."
Chapter 23
Emma
I watched as Mason paced back and forth; I was afraid he was going to put a hole in the carpet as he continued back and forth on his path. He called every hospital in the area and no one would give them any information on his father. Because of his father’s level in the clan, his location was kept secret. Now he was on the phone with St. Will's; apparently, he knew a private physician there who was willing to pull some records for him. As soon as he found out where he was, we were going to see him. And as a result, we once again would have to see his mother.
I couldn't believe that she hated me this much just because I was the help. But it didn't matter to her that her son and I were in love. Was I actually in love? Is that what this was? I couldn't decide. But whatever it was, I needed it to be real. Everything in the past seemed to fall away tonight; it had been slowly chipping away every moment I had spent with Mason. I wasn't alone anymore, and neither was he.
"Thank you, thank you so much!" He ended the call and looked at me. "He’s at St. Will's. I'm ready for this."
I nodded. "I am too." I hadn't told the staff member to leave yet; she was asleep in the guest room. I would just let her stay until we got back. When Mason’s mother had burst into the room, I had snuck out to check on Mia and Liam, who were both sound asleep.
I followed Mason out the front door, and our driver was waiting for us in the limousine still parked out in front of the building. We rode in silence. The hot smell of sex was so heavy in the air in the closed quarters of the limousine. I almost wanted to open up my window to let some fresh air in, but just as I was about to, Mason put his hand on my bare knee and squeezed.
"Thank you for doing this. I know that this isn’t easy. I know that none of this is. But the family will accept you. You have to believe that."
I did. I wanted to believe it. Part of me would do anything with Mason. The other part of me was still afraid of getting hurt again. I knew what it was like to lose someone; as my husband had been such an asshole, he was still my daughter's father. So, someone important to me.
And now Mason was important to me. I wouldn’t let his family take him away from me just because we were different. I wouldn’t let the universe separate me and the man that I loved, not again.
We arrived at the hospital and Mason took my hand as we walked through the sterile hallways. Nurses chatted amongst each other but mainly avoided eye contact with us. We were still dressed in our best clothing from our date, and we looked so out of place amongst the people in scrubs and sneakers. Finally, we reached the cardio waiting area and I waited for him to speak with the nurse at the desk. Whenever Mason spoke with people they did what he wanted right away, so it was no surprise to me that the woman asked us to follow her as she led us to his father's room. I sat down in the waiting chair next to the open door as Mason spoke to the nurse quietly.
"It's going to be okay?"
She nodded. "You have one of the best shifter doctors in the country here. He evaluated him and he says that while it's going to be a long road, he will make a full recovery. He was very lucky."
"Thank you."
She gave Mason a small smile and then walked away.
"Are you going to go in? Is your mom in there?" I said, barely above a whisper.
"Yeah she is." The door was slightly ajar but he didn't push it further. Just waited, watching.
"You know what she's doing there?" he asked me.
I shook my head.
"She's playing with him. For a woman who had an arranged marriage and doesn't really love her husband, she’s sure acting like she cares a lot about him."
"I'm sure deep down she does. Just like she cares about you too. That's why she wants what's best for you, even if what she thinks is best isn't what's right. That's why as much is what she said hurts me, I know it's not about me. It's about you. She saw what happened to you when Anna died, and she doesn't want to see you go through that again. She doesn’t want to see you hurt like that. And at the end of it, it hurts us."
He reached out and took my hands. "I think there's a quote about that," he said with a smile.
"I think there is."
He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on my lips. "Nothing will separate us. I promise you."
I smiled up at him. "I know." As soon as the words passed my lips, I knew that it was true. Mason Johnson had somehow taken over me and I knew that he would always keep Mia and me safe.
He pulled me up out of the chair and pushed the door open. He held my hand as I trailed behind him. His father looked frail; he had a tube going down his throat and was connected to a breathing machine. There were monitors beeping in the background and as Mason's mother opened her eyes, I saw s
oftness there that was new. It was as if seeing her husband this way, so close to death, had finally cracked her hard exterior wall.
Slowly she got up out of the bed and came over to hug Mason, with tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me."
Mason squeezed her. "It was your temper, Mom. It was your protective nature of me. It was Dad being hurt. It was a lot of things."
She nodded, wiping her eyes. "I was terrible to both of you. Sometimes being this way is so difficult. I forget the hell that I can put people through. Seeing him like this, it just reminds me how lucky I am that he stuck around. Because he didn't have to. He could've left me. He probably should have. But he chose to stay. Just like you’re choosing each other. And I shouldn't stop you. I’m so sorry!"
I looked into her eyes and saw honesty there. She was sorry, and her husband’s health had helped her to realize that. His mother was a total nutcase, but she couldn't control it. In the end, it wasn't her fault. And even though I knew that she probably hadn't accepted me yet, one day she would. I could be patient. She deserved a second chance.
We all did.
Our lives had taught us that. It also taught us to hold on tightly to the ones the we love and never let go. And as his mother went back to sit by his father's side, Mason looked down at me and kissed me on the cheek. "I told you she would eventually come around."
I smiled. "You are right. But I think I've taught you a little something too."
"What's that?"
I sighed deeply, breaking his gaze to look at his parents one more time. "I think it's how to love again."
He nodded. "You really have been the best teacher."
THE END
Thank you so much for taking the time to read Sexy Single Daddy!
Kisses <3
Savannah
Gunner (The Bad Disciples #1)
by Savannah Rylan
CHAPTER 1
Gunner
I could feel the stickiness of sweat pasted to my forehead, dripping in fat drops down my temples. We had been trained to resist the urge to wipe sweat off our faces, unless it was hindering our vision. Just that little motion was a distraction, a split-second action between life and death.
Instead, I adjusted the angle on my Savage 110. Perfect. Click. We all heard the zing as the bullet cracked the rock open. The men behind me cheered.
I’d picked this spot for our training exercise because it was secluded, and just like the rest of Afghanistan’s terrain, there was sand everywhere and the sun was blazing down on us with a vengeance.
“Too easy,” it was Jenson’s voice behind me and I turned to him and smirked. I was the company commander, but I was also one of my men. In action, I was back to being their commander again and orders were obeyed. That was our way of life.
“Are you going to make a diary entry tonight about how Alton made you feel bad? How he hurt your feelings by hitting all the targets?” I laughed and slid down the surface of the boulder I was crouched behind. The metal ID tags tinkled around my neck and Jenson shook his head. Some of the others chuckled.
Jenson had always been competitive, which was a healthy trait to have in the Army; as long as you weren’t putting someone else’s life in danger in the process.
“Take up your position O’Dowd,” I said and he switched places with me behind the boulder.
I stood beside Jenson as I watched O’Dowd aim and hit the target, another rock. We cheered for him too and I passed him a high-five. Four others went after him, and my conviction in my company was re-affirmed. I’d trained them well. We were all high performing soldiers, and we never missed our target.
My bullet-proof vest felt heavy on my chest as I stood and watched the men shoot. Our guards were down today, although my sniper rifle was always cocked and ready to shoot at a second’s notice. Our re-con from the previous two days of this spot gave us a good enough estimation that this place would make a good place for a training exercise. It was off base, but not far off to where we were on our enemies land. Besides, my men hadn’t been off base for over ten days now, we all needed a change of pace. And in the middle of war, shooting practice was the only kind of fun we could get.
How long was it since I had an ice-cream? That was a strange thought to have at that moment, but I had it nonetheless. I wasn’t even an ice-cream kinda guy! But the desert was making my mind swim and I could hear an electrical buzz in my ear as I blinked furiously against the harsh blinding rays of the sun. The sweat was sliding down my cheeks. Drip. Drip. Drip. The white noise cleared when I sensed the others looking at me.
“What’s the score Sarge?” Sanders had said. I wasn’t keeping count. I was thinking about ice-cream.
“Doesn’t matter. Isn’t it your go Jenson? Or are you pussying out because of hurt feelings?” I thumped Jenson’s back as he scowled. Some of the others were chuckling again.
“I was waiting for you to come out of your day dreams,” Jenson said and flipped himself in front of me. “Wanna bet?” he added and I watched as he started walking backwards.
“Bet what?” I said, still grinning as I watched him cross the boulder we were all shooting from.
“See that rock?” he said and pointed far out in the distance. With my brows crossed, I looked through the viewfinder of my rifle till I’d located the rock he was talking about. With a grin on my face, I lowered my rifle and looked Jenson in the eye.
“Yeah, you’re on,” I said and he nodded his head. This was going to be an easy win. I knew my men’s strengths and weaknesses, and as competitive as Jenson was, there was no way he was going to shoot that rock.
“I bet you ten grand,” Jenson said and I laughed.
“Ten grand and a pack of cigarettes,” I called out to him as he continued to walk backwards. He had already gone a few yards further away from us. He gave me a mock salute, before flipping around and taking a few more steps. I was still laughing at his impending obvious loss of the bet when the telltale sound of a metal click rang out. Loud and clear and metallic.
The smile dropped from my face. I knew exactly what that sound was. Jenson had stepped on a land mine. The white noise in my ears became louder as I screamed.
“Don’t fucking move!” I yelled and I hadn’t even realized that my feet were carrying me forward. I was running towards Jenson in reflex.
“Jenson stay where you fucking are!” I yelled again and I saw the color drain from his face. I was getting closer to him, but then he moved a foot. Jenson was stepping off the land mine…
My body bolted up in bed and the sweat was real. I was covered in it. My back was sticking to the cool bedsheets. My heart was thumping hard in my chest. The panic was real. I could feel it coursing through my veins. It was all real. I could taste the sand in my mouth. The screams of my men. My yelling. Jenson’s deathly white face. Did I see a hint of a smile? Was I imagining it? Did he smile when he realized what was going to happen in the next second?
I jumped off the bed, grabbed the bedsheets tightly in my two fists and I jerked it off. I could hear the deep guttural growl that was rising up in my throat.
I didn’t get there in time. I didn’t run fast enough. I shouldn’t have allowed him to walk that far. I should have made better decisions. He was gone and it was all my fault. I needed to break something. Something had to break. Without thinking, I ripped the bed sheet in my hand, right through the middle.
***
I was on the ground; my cheek pressing against the warm wooden floor of my bedroom. The ripped up bed sheet was lying in a crumpled ball beside me. There was no way I was going to be able to get any sleep tonight.
This was a recurring nightmare, and not a week went by that I didn’t have them at least twice…even three times…sometimes every night till I stayed awake all day and night, walking around like a zombie, surviving on shots of espresso. Only thing was that it wasn’t just a nightmare. This had actually happened. I’d lost one of my men.
I was the only one to blame. I
was responsible for my men and I got carried away. Jenson had always been a brazen motherfucker, and I should have known to not let him take it too far. And now he was dead and I was left knowing that I was responsible for his death. If only I could have got to him in time. If only I’d been able to run fast enough.
Enduring sleepless nights, waking up in cold sweats…was a small price to pay for the loss of his life. I was willing to do much more. I was ready for any kind of redemption that life had planned for me. I didn’t think I deserved any ounce of happiness anymore.
I heard my phone buzz on the bedside table above me, and I reached for it in the dark.
Glock was calling again. Fucking Glock. We’d been buddies since I could remember but this guy just never took a hint. I didn’t want to talk to him, or talk to anyone for that matter. I needed to be left alone and repent for the loss of Jenson’s life.
Ever since I got back from the tour, Glock had been calling me nonstop. I tried everything, from switching off my phone, turning it to silent…nothing worked. It was always ringing and Glock was leaving me a dozen voicemails a day, pleading and then threatening me to answer his call. I knew what he wanted. He wanted me to come by the Bad Disciples MC Bar, and I just didn’t have the mind space for that shit. I had my own problems to deal with and my family’s Motorcycle Club wasn’t one of them.
It was supposed to be some sort of a family tradition, and I knew the expectations they had for me. My dad was one of the guys who founded the club back in the early seventies. Now that he was gone, and my older brother Bryce was gone too…there was no reason for me to associate with the MC any longer.
I cut the call and flung the phone on the bed, far away from me. It was 2AM. I had to at least try and get some sleep. I couldn’t even remember the last time that I’d slept a full night.
Hunter (The Bad Disciples MC Book 2) Page 23
