Changing Lanes (Bounty County Series Book 2)

by Maren Lee

  “Honey, honey. Shhhhh. Calm down, baby. You’re not going to be gone, so don’t worry about it.”

  “I’m trained to think in worst-case scenarios, Jake. We need to do something about this. We should get married,” she suggested.

  “Honey, we are getting married.”

  “No, I mean ASAP.”

  “When? Like now?” Jake looked at her.

  “Not right this minute, but soon. We kind of did everything backwards, and now with a baby on the way there’s no need to hold off on getting married.”

  “You don’t want like a whole big thing? Lots of presents and stuff?” Jake asked.

  Lane shrugged her shoulders “No, we don’t need it. Other than baby furniture, we pretty much have it all.”

  Jake looked to her intently, “True. When do you want to do this?”

  “How about New Year’s Eve? Let’s get married at the courthouse and then have a party with everyone at the bar in The Lodge.” Lane felt herself getting excited and nervous.

  “I’m game.” Jake leaned in and kissed her. He spread her lips with his tongue and took her mouth as if his life depended on it. He pulled away and kissed her on the tip of her nose.

  “So, Mrs. Hamilton. When do you want to-”

  Lane quickly interrupted him with a game show buzzer sound, “Jake, I love you, but I’m not going to change my last name.” Non negotiable.

  “Excuse me? What do you mean, ‘you’re not going to change your last name’?”

  “I’ve been Lane Bennett my entire life. I’ve worked my ass off everywhere I’ve gone with the name Lane Bennett. It’s my name. My brand. And all be damned if I’m going to change the marketing strategy halfway through the campaign. I’m not rebranding. Honey, I love you. I am committed to you. And marriage, to me, is all about love and commitment. It’s not about changing my last name.”

  Jake jumped up off the bed. He looked confused, hurt, and angry all at the same time. He took a few deep breaths before speaking.

  “This is fucked up. How are we supposed to put a sign out in our front yard now? Huh? We won’t be the Hamiltons! I wanted to get a nice carved rock or something.” Jake pouted.

  Lane laughed. “That’s what you’re worried about? We don’t need a sign in our yard to know it’s our home. Or if it means so much to you, get a sign anyway. I don’t fucking care if there’s a rock in front of our house that says ‘The Hamiltons.’ I’m just not legally or professionally or personally changing my name. If you want the same last name so bad, why don’t you change yours to Bennett?”

  “Great idea, Lane. And while I’m at it, I’ll cut my dick off and you can grow a penis!”

  “That is the most disgusting, sexist analogy I have ever heard.” Lane glared at him.

  “So what’s your plan for the baby when we are married? Give him your last name too?” At this point Jake was up pacing around the room.

  “No, we can hyphenate it,” she suggested.

  “That’s just rude. You know how long it will take the poor little guy to learn how to write his full name? Jacob Joseph Bennett-Hamilton. Everyone will make fun of him. Why would you do that Lane? Why?”

  “Okay, you are being ridiculous. First, who said his name was Jacob or Joseph? And second, it’s totally normal for a kid to have his mom and dad’s last name.”

  “Bullshit. I don’t know where you heard that, but it’s not fucking normal. All these new hippie parents… combining last names and calling their kids Rainbow and Fax Machine. Not. Fucking. Happening. Here. Lane.”

  “So what do you suggest then, Sergeant Assface?”

  Jake looked at her as if to say, ‘really’? He held his finger up for her to give him a moment. She sat back in the hospital bed and folded her arms.

  He paced back and forth another couple of times and took a deep breath before he spoke, “I am willing to concede you changing your last name. And I will compromise on the name of our son. Just know that unless our son takes my last name, my brand dies with me too. I only have sisters.”

  Lane hadn’t thought of it like that. Now she felt kind of bad. She frowned.

  “What if we named him Bennett Hamilton?” Jake suggested.

  Lane sat for a moment and let the idea sink in, “I like it,” she nodded her head. “I love it, actually.”

  Jake smiled wide, “Thank God! We can debate over middle names later.”

  “It’ll be Atticus. Can we sit back and watch the movie now? Worry about wedding plans tomorrow?” Lane pulled him back onto the bed with her.

  “Sure thing, babe. But it’ll be Atticus over my dead body.” Jake wrapped his arms around her and placed her head against his chest.

  Lane sighed. “Whatever. Hey, before I forget to mention it again, I think I left my cell phone in my car. Do you think maybe you or Wesson could try to find it?” She asked.

  Jake tensed up before he answered her, “No problem. I’ll handle that in the morning.”

  He kissed the top of her head and she relaxed into him, sighing once more before she quickly succumbed to sleep. She never quite caught the movie.

  Chapter 19

  Jake wished he had lost his phone. He wouldn’t see another phone for an entire week if it were up to him. Unfortunately, it was his lifeline while Lane was still the hospital. They hadn’t discharged her yet and wanted to keep an eye on both her and the baby while they waited for Lane’s regular OB-GYN to examine her. The nurses thought they could be discharged late this afternoon or early this evening.

  The on-call doctor had ordered Lane to rest for at least a week. Jake knew that Lane’s back must be hurting her, because she didn’t put up a fight with him. It helped that the county government was closed for the whole week, so she didn’t have to worry about any court appearances.

  Brenden texted last night informing Jake that Crabtree was willing to sign a formal confession just after noon today. Jake wanted to make sure he was there for that, so he’d arranged for Chloe, Molly, and Sierra to keep Lane company while he was gone today. He’d be back before she was discharged to drive her home, but he was going to be tied up tonight. He figured the girls could talk wedding details, knitting, babies, shoes, or whatever bullshit women talked about for a few hours. Wedding. He felt a pang of nervousness and excitement thinking about marrying Lane in seven days. He couldn’t believe it was already Christmas Eve. He and Lane agreed not to get anything for one another for Christmas, so he decided he would arrange to get the nursery decorated as a secret present for her.

  Jake got off the phone with Katie just before Lane finished showering in her hospital room. He told Katie about his plan and asked her to get all of his posters, the framed John Elway jersey from his room, his Denver Broncos blanket, and a variety of other football items and memorabilia to decorate the room he and Lane decided would become the nursery. Katie was stoked. Interior decorating was definitely in her wheelhouse. Jake and Lane had already ordered a bassinet on Amazon. It was still sitting in a box in the garage, so Jake also called Smitty and asked him to put it together for him and carry it upstairs for Katie.

  He wanted to show Lane that all of the things that he’d treasured as a child - and as adult - would be passed down for their son to value as well. He knew she would love it. She’s a football fanatic.

  Earlier that day, he’d also called Wesson to swing by the yard where the vehicles had been towed to look for her cellphone. She looked lost without her lifeline to the outside world attached to her hand. Hopefully Wess would find it. Lane made a comment earlier that she hoped the apocalypse never comes, because if she had to live without wifi, she would have to ask Jake to put her out of her misery. And she calls you dramatic. Jake fought rolling his eyes.

  Lane exited the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her compact, luscious body that he now had memorized. She looked at him quizzically. “Well, aren’t you grinning like a little kid on Christmas Eve… oh wait! It is Christmas Eve...and you are a man-child.” Lane teased and started laughing.r />
  “You know I’m all man, baby. Or do I have to remind you?” Jake growled.

  “God, please do. That handheld shower head in there just made me even more horny than I already was!” Lane pulled her towel to the side, “Look at this! My clit is just swollen now! And I didn’t even have an orgasm!” she cried. The little vixen.

  Jake’s dick went instantly hard. “You naughty girl. That’s what you were moaning about in there? I thought you were whining about your back!”

  Lane smiled at him, “Well yeah, it hurts. But I needed something to take the edge off and you’re being stingy.”

  Jake stood from the chair in the corner of the room and walked over to her. He bent down and latched his mouth onto the left side of her neck and began sucking and nibbling. He pressed his denim covered hard cock against her stomach as he pushed his left hand on her lower back. He moved her towel to the side and slid his fingers slowly down to her aroused clit, spreading his fingers to part her wet lips and pressing his thumb to her pink swollen nub. He rubbed back and forth softly as he tortured her with his mouth on her neck and his thumb on her clit. Lane let out soft moans against his neck as she wrapped her arms around him, digging her fingernails into his shoulders.

  “God, you know just how to touch me,” she breathed out. She pushed her hips into him harder, begging for more contact.

  He moved his mouth from her ear and slipped his two fingers inside her slippery core, “Did you taste yourself today?”

  “Oh God, please, Jake.” Lane whispered.

  He pushed inside her further, his thumb working her clit, “I’ll give you more. But tell me first, honey. Did you taste yourself?”

  “No…” She moaned out as she dug her nails into him even harder.

  Jake moved his fingers inside her creating a constant pulse on her g-spot. Lane unraveled. Her knees shook as her come dripped down his fingers, into his palm, and over his knuckles. Lane was breathing heavily and flush with desire. He slowly pulled his fingers from her core and moved them to his mouth, licking the wetness from them.

  “Mmmmm, tasty. Let me share.” He went to join their mouths together when a knock at the door interrupted them. “Dammit,” he pressed his forehead to hers.

  “Just a minute,” Lane shouted as she wrapped herself up and grabbed her clothes from the bed and ran into the bathroom. “To be continued, babe,” she said as she shut the door.

  Jake adjusted his hard length and tucked it below his belt. Whoever this was better have something important for them.

  ➰

  Wesson was standing on the other side of the door with the, ‘I know what you were doing’ smirk.

  “What’s up, bro?” Jake asked trying to come off casual.

  “Your dick, obviously. The tuck doesn’t work when you wear Wranglers, you idiot,” Wesson side stepped him.

  Jesus. Wesson was right. Jake’s cock was not at all subtle right now. Jake cleared his throat. “You find Lane’s phone?”

  The door opened and Lane stepped out, fully clothed.

  Whew, I feel so much better after an orgasm! Lane decided to keep that thought to herself.

  “Yep,” Wesson replied to Jake. “Here’s your phone, Lane.”

  “Thanks for bringing it to me,” she grabbed it out of his hand. “Wait. This isn’t mine.” She pointed to a solid black smartphone of some sort.

  “It’s not?” He looked at her quickly then looked to Jake. They were doing the cop communicating through silence right now. The furrow on Jake's brow was a dead giveaway.

  “You sure that’s not yours, Lane?” Jake asked.

  “Yes, I’m sure. Why? What’s up?” Lane looked back and forth between them, but neither of them would look at her.

  “Thanks for bringing that by Wesson, I’ll walk you out.” Jake tilted his head signaling for him to leave.

  What the hell?

  “Feel better, Lane. I’m glad you’re okay.” Wesson patted her on the foot and headed for the door.

  “Will you guys please tell me why you’re acting weird?” Lane asked.

  “We’re not.” Jake tried to assure her, but he was full of shit and she knew it.

  She rolled her eyes at him. There was something going on and she wanted to know what the hell it was. She’d get it out of Jake eventually. There was no use arguing with either of them now.

  ➰

  Girl time in the hospital was a welcome distraction. Chloe had finally felt her baby kick for the first time. She and Justin were going to wait to find out what they were having, but all the girls were excited to learn that Lane and Jake were going to be having a baby boy!

  “Justin says he doesn’t care what we have, as long as the baby is healthy. But I know he wants a boy.”

  “I think all guys are like that,” Molly chimed in. “They have an evolutionary need to see their seed and name spread for generations.”

  Lane laughed given her and Jake’s conversation the night before.

  The girls helped Lane plan her quickie wedding. Sierra called The Lodge right then and made sure they could throw a party in the bar. The ballroom was already booked for a New Year’s Eve party, but the bar was open, it had booze, they could order food, it had a dance floor and they could play tunes on the juke box. For a low key, thrown together wedding, it was going to be perfect.

  “So what’s going on with you, Molly? You’re our lone single friend now! Please let us live vicariously through you.”

  Molly laughed and then shrugged. “I’m...in a bit of a...drought. A long...very long...drought.”

  “Are you fuckin’ kidding me?” Sierra asked. “You’re fuckin’ gorgeous. Let’s just go down the the Cadillac Ranch Club next week without these two pregnant bitches, get our drink on, and find you a man!”

  “Uh oh,” Chloe shook her head. “Sierra and her matchmaking. Don’t get her started unless you want to get married in a year, Molly.”

  “I’ll take all the help I can get,” Molly replied.

  “Mission accepted!!” Sierra screamed. “What’s your type? Is a cop ok? All three of Jake’s roommates are single. Smitty?”

  “Ehhhhh.”

  “Cole?”

  “Too young.”

  “Wess?”

  Molly paused.

  “Ohhhhhhhhhhh.” Lane, Chloe, and Sierra all sing-songed at the same time.

  Molly blushed. “I don’t know if he’s my type, but I do like his scruffy facial hair.”

  Lane couldn’t wait to watch this one unfold.

  Dr. Olsen came by the same time Jake got back to the hospital and gave her the okay to be discharged. Jake was going to take her home and then head back to the office to finish reports. The girls were going to grab a few pizzas and hang out with Lane until Jake was done. Jake had serious plans to spend Christmas Eve watching Miracle on 34th Street and It’s a Wonderful Life curled up on the couch together. If Lane had any say in the matter, they’d be fucking too. Get a handle on your horniness, woman!

  Katie picked them up from the hospital in Jake’s truck. When they got to Lane’s house, Jake told Katie to stay in the truck while he got Lane settled in.

  “Jake, don’t be rude! She can come inside.” Lane glared at him as he helped her out of the truck.

  “I’m not being rude. I’ve got like 10 minutes before I need to leave and I don’t want to turn the truck off and have to warm it up again. You’ll be fine won’t you Katie?” Jake said.

  “Of course I’ll be fine. I have a phone call to make anyway. Take it easy, sis.” Katie smiled at her.

  Sis, awwww. Lane smiled back, “Thank you. See you later.” She wondered if Katie was going to call Shiloh, but she’d been incredibly tight lipped about her romantic life lately. Hmmm. Lane slid the rest of the way out of the truck and into Jake's arms.

  Once inside, Jake quickly tossed all of Lane’s belongings on the table and moved back to her side.

  “Come here, I need to show you something.” Jake’s eyes lit up like they had earlier. Hi
s smile was infectious.

  “Jake, why do you have that look on your face?” she asked. What is he up to?

  He walked them to the door of her home gym that she never really had the time to use. Jake told her to close her eyes while he opened the door. Shit. Did he get me a present? We said we weren’t going to get each other presents! Great. Now I feel like a dick!

  “Okay, you can look now.” He said excitedly. “Merry Christmas.”

  Lane opened her eyes and felt instant rage. There was Denver Broncos shit all over the walls.

  “What is this?”

  “Do you like it?” Jake asked.

  “No…? Why is your Denver Broncos memorabilia all over in here? This is supposed to be the baby’s room. Not your man cave.” Lane was fighting the urge to kick the Broncos themed trash can across the room.

  “It is for the baby’s room, Lane. Not my man cave.” Jake pointed to the blanket. “See, we can drape that over a rocking chair. The room could be blue and orange.”

  Oh no. No no no.

  “Sure. Midnight blue and orange. Chicago Bears. Yeah, we could do that.” Lane nodded.

  “The fuck we will. My boy will not be a Bears fan!” Jake shouted. “Do you see this?” He pointed around the room, “It’s like a dedication to Mile High Stadium in here, Elway’s jersey-”

  “Gross.” Lane said pointedly.

  “Blasphemy!” Jake’s eyes widened with his shock.

  Lane’s anger started to bubble up. “Do you even know me? What the hell made you think I would like this?”

  “You like football,” Jake stated as if that was the only thing that mattered.

  “Huh. You also like football. Should we just pick a team neither of us roots for? Oh, I know. How about the Chiefs?” she asked in quite possibly the bitchiest tone she’d ever used.

  “Point taken. Fine. Damn it. You argue dirty, woman.”

  “Got any other suggestions? Because this isn’t going to fly with me.” Lane felt like gagging seeing all of this sacrilegious fandom in Bennett’s room.

  Jake thought for a moment, “Let’s do half and half then.”