SHOOTOUT SAVE (The Renegades Series Book 6)

by Melody Heck Gatto

  “Two more jobs? Oh, I don’t know about that. Who would care for our ba— Oh, I see what you’re doing there. No worries, right?” She mocked his favorite saying.

  He winked at her. “No worries, doll. And if you want to keep your loft, I’m sure we can figure something out with it. Maybe it can be your office space?” He waved her concern off. “We’ll come up with something. But it’s yours, and yes, definitely keep it if that’s what makes you happy.”

  Ali fought a smile. This was all so easy. Never had she imagined they could just fall back into the way things were. But that was exactly what was happening.

  She rubbed her hand over her bump. “But you have to let me help with things around here. I’m not a sit-in-front-of-the-television-and-eat bon-bons kind of girl. Well, not all the time.” It was true that she liked to be spoiled, and Kaden was always good at doing that.

  “I’ve been waiting and hoping that you’d be the one to help me decorate this boring place.” He took her face in his rough hands and brushed his lips against hers. His scruff tickled her skin. “I just want you. And you can have anything that you want; just name it.”

  This very moment is all I really need, and all that I missed. She softly kissed him back, savoring the taste and the feel of his lips on hers. A bubbling sensation swirled in her stomach, which made her flinch. It was stronger than she’d ever felt before.

  “You okay?” He pulled away and tilted his head; his eyes, dark and full of concern, were focused on her. “Is something wrong?”

  “Um…” She lowered her glance and touched her stomach. Was that the baby? “Well, yeah, I’m fine. I think that was the baby moving around. It’s the strangest feeling. Almost like bubbles. But that one, that was stronger than before.”

  “Really?” His face was filled with wonder. His voice was low and smooth. “Our baby.” He placed his hand on her bump.

  “You can’t feel it yet. You will soon, though.”

  Their eyes met, and she felt warmth in her heart and a heavy connection deep in her gut. Why hadn’t she seen the love before? This isn’t just a responsibility to him, this is love. Love for his son. Love for me.

  * * * *

  “Hailee! Could you bring the brown Dachshund back here now? It’s his turn.” Alison was in the beginning of her second trimester and moving a little slower than normal. But she loved the dogs.

  She puffed air towards her temple, trying to get the hair out of her face. Her messy ponytail was slowly letting hairs loose, and they were ending up in her eyes. When that didn’t work, she brushed them away with her wrist, careful to avoid the soap bubbles on her hands.

  The German Shepherd that she was washing decided to shake off. Too bad she was still holding him in the tub, and he shook all over her. “Goliath!” The hair in her face was now sopping wet, and her t-shirt was drenched.

  She’d been feeling lazy when she woke up, and honestly, sick. After the other day, she thought she was past the morning sickness stage and was getting used to feeling good again. She was hungry, yet anything she ate chose not to stay down. Therefore, she stopped trying to eat.

  But an empty stomach just made the nausea worse. Unable to shake the miserable feeling, and praying this was the end of the morning sickness, she had dressed to match how she felt. It wasn’t attractive, but she was washing dogs, so it worked. Staying home in bed would’ve been most folks’ answer, but she wasn’t most folks.

  “Woops.” Hailee commented with a smirk at Alison’s wet predicament. She handed Alison the Dachshund, then led Goliath the Shepherd to the next department to get him dried off.

  Alison closed her eyes and sighed heavily. She was getting tired a lot faster these days, but always managed to push through. Today she just wasn’t feeling it. It had already been a long morning. Her back ached, her ankles were starting to swell since she was always on her feet, and the nausea was back.

  Thankful that Hailee and Dom hadn’t planned to leave right after the wedding for their honeymoon, Alison looked down at the dog before her. The wiener-dog sat patiently in the tub. Rocking backwards and sitting on her calves, she took a moment and tried to breathe. What she needed was sleep.

  Hailee’s voice shocked her out of her own thoughts. “You okay?”

  “Yeah… No… I don’t know. I’m tired today. Not really feeling like myself, that’s all.” She patted the wiener-dog on his head. “Hey there, Brownie. You’re being such a good boy, waiting on me.”

  “Why don’t you let me wash him? Go take a break, get a snack. Maybe your blood sugar is low?” Hailee held her hand out to Alison and helped pull her up off the floor. “You could probably just go home and lie down if you wanted. I think we can handle things here, and I can stay longer, if needed.” She waved for one of the other girls to come help wash.

  “No.” Alison pulled at her snug t-shirt and blew the hair out of her face again. Apparently, she had some soap in her hair; it made a popping noise as she pushed the strands behind her ear. Looking over her outfit, she realized how much of a mess she actually was today. She needed to buy some new clothes that fit. She was a business owner and needed to present herself as such. “I won’t let this pregnancy run my life. I’ll be fine.”

  “Well, please eat something. Here.” Hailee dug in the bag she’d brought, and handed her a container of cookies.

  Recognizing what was in the container, Alison perked up. “Wedding cookies?” Popping open the container, she immediately tossed a lady lock into her mouth. She nodded as she chewed. It hit the spot and didn’t make the nausea worse. I could totally live off these for nine months if I had to. “Mmm.”

  “You’re welcome. I think it’s time you give more responsibility to the girls and spend a little more time relaxing in the office. You’re the boss. Ali, no one is going to criticize you for delegating work. That’s your job.”

  “I don’t know if I can do that. It’s my place, and I like being involved in everything. It never hurt anyone to get their hands dirty.”

  “Too bad. It also never hurt anyone to give themself a rest. You have to take care of that baby in your belly.” After taking one cookie, she pushed the container in Alison’s direction again.

  Alison looked down at her stomach. In the snug old t-shirt, it was very apparent now that she was pregnant. She wasn’t even that big yet. Maybe it was the shirt, or maybe the little guy grew more overnight. But it didn’t matter. She was here to work, not to impress. And the dogs didn’t care what she looked like.

  The jingling of the bell over the door made her look up. “Hello, can I—”

  “Are you Alison?” An older lady with rather tired eyes, and a younger girl stood in the lobby. They didn’t have a dog.

  “I am. Can I help you?” Alison pushed some of the damp, messed up, and displaced hair out of her eyes. Looking around for something to wipe her face, and finding nothing, she used the shoulder of her t-shirt to brush the remaining powdered sugar off her lips.

  “We were getting coffee and thought we’d stop by and say hello. I’m Cathy O’Conner, and this is Kassie. I’m Kaden’s mom, and this is his sister.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Kaden

  “Mom! I told you to wait—” Kaden rushed into the pet salon after his mom and sister. All hope that Ali wasn’t there was gone when he saw her at the front counter. She looked frazzled, tired, wet… and still absolutely beautiful.

  But the shocked look on her face told him that she wasn’t happy at all. He couldn’t blame her. “Ali. Sorry about this. I tried to stop them.” Poor thing looked unprepared for his family to burst in like this.

  “We were across the way getting coffee, and Kaden mentioned that you owned a pet salon here. We’ve heard so much about you and wanted to finally meet you,” his mom said with a small grin as she looked Alison over.

  “Correction. My mother thought bursting in here unannounced while Kaden wasn’t looking was a good idea—not all of us,” Kassie added with a shake of her head. She stuck
out her hand to Alison. “As she said, I’m Kaden’s sister, Kassie, and I do apologize for the surprise visit.” She rolled her eyes, obviously unimpressed at their mom’s spur of the moment decision.

  “Um, I…” Ali tried smoothing her hair, and tugged at her snug t-shirt, trying to loosen the fabric. It was stretched over her baby bump, showing it prominently. Being a tiny girl, her bloated belly stood out. She moved behind the counter. Her voice was small and shook as she said his name. “Kaden?”

  “Yeah, sorry about this, doll. Like Kassie said, I turned my back for one minute and she was gone. I didn’t think she’d actually come over here.” He tried to give Ali an apologetic look. She obviously wasn’t prepared to meet his mom for the first time.

  I can only imagine that she would’ve preferred to look more put together, maybe less like she had just been working with, well, a wet dog. And I would doubt she was ready to announce to my mom and sister about the baby, especially since I haven’t told mom yet.

  Tears glistened in Ali’s eyes, but didn’t fall. She grabbed a smock, holding it in front of her belly. “Hi, um, yes, I’m so sorry that I can’t talk right now.” Her face was pale, and she didn’t look well. “I have a client waiting. You know how it is. Working. Busy. Sorry.” She hurried off into the back of the shop.

  “Mom, I asked you to wait. We were going to do this over dinner.” He was hot with anger. Ali had looked embarrassed, maybe even devastated that this was her first meeting with his mom. She had no reason to be, but that wasn’t the point. Mad at himself, he took responsibility for not being able to stop his mom.

  Hailee spoke up. “I’ll go see if she—”

  Kaden put his arm out to stop her. “No, Hailee, let me go.” Turning to his mom and sister, he took a breath before speaking. He was angry, but couldn’t take it out on her; she was still his mom and she was still sick. But Alison also looked ill, and he needed to make sure she was okay.

  Tossing his keys to his sister, he calmly said, “Kassie, you and mom go back to the hotel. I’m going to stay and see if Ali needs any help.”

  “But your car?” his mom asked. Her face was wrinkled up, her eyes dead set on him, and her arms folded across her chest. There was a good chance she’d seen the baby bump. Actually, he was sure that everyone had seen it.

  “I’ll get my car later, no worries. You’ve had a big day so far. Mom, you need your rest. Kassie, make sure she goes back to the hotel and relaxes. I’ll call you later.” He nodded his head towards the door, and Kassie took the hint, escorting their mom out of the salon.

  “Kaden Michael! You better call me later. I believe we need to talk,” his mom called as Kassie ushered her out the door.

  Hailee smirked. “Looks like you’re in trouble.”

  “Yep, looks like it.” He sighed. “But I can worry about that later. First, I need to take care of Ali. You said she’s sick?”

  “She’s not feeling good today at all. I was just trying to convince her to go home and lie down when your mom walked in.” Hailee checked in the next canine client. “I’m glad you’re here, and regardless of whatever brave face she puts on, I’m pretty sure she is, too.”

  “Yeah. I’m sure she regrets not going home now. Well, let me see if I can get her to go now. Thanks, Hay.” He winked before leaving the waiting area of the salon.

  Looking around the back room, he didn’t immediately see Ali anywhere. Just as he was ready to start asking if anyone knew where she was, he spotted her in the corner, sitting in a chair. Her arms were crossed across her body, hugging herself.

  “There you are, doll.” He rushed to her side and kneeled on the floor so he could look into her eyes. They were watery, and her nose was red. She’d been crying. “You okay? They’re gone now. I’m so sorry about the ambush.”

  “I’m—” She sniffled. “I… Kaden… I don’t feel well.” She looked to the ground, avoiding his stare.

  All he wanted to do was scoop her up in his arms and comfort her. “Yeah, I heard. C’mon, let’s go upstairs where you can relax, maybe take a nap. I can make us some food or order something, if that’s what you want.” He stood up and held out his hand to her. But she didn’t move.

  “Kaden, I can’t believe that happened.” The tears started to flow down her cheeks. His heart sank as she closed her eyes and sobbed.

  “Doll, it’s okay.” He rubbed her back, not really knowing what else to do to soothe her. Is she really this upset, or is this a pregnancy hormone thing? And how do I stop it? He needed to get better at this. To him it wasn’t that big of a deal, but it obviously was to her. And he had to fix it.

  “No, it’s not!” She wailed uncontrollably as the girls in the shop did their best to pretend they couldn’t hear her breakdown.

  My money is on pregnancy hormones.

  “What can I do to make it better?” He continued to rub her back, since she still hadn’t moved from the chair, but because he was standing, it was starting to get awkward. Kneeling down again made it easier to comfort her.

  “Kaden, you can’t make it better, no one can! My hair is a mess, I have no makeup on, and I look like, well, like a wet dog! Not to mention the bonus actual dog hair that’s all over me! That wasn’t my finest first impression. I can just imagine what your mother thinks of me.” She ran her hand over her baby bump. “She no doubt noticed.”

  “Yeah, I’m pretty sure she did, and I’ll probably be in the doghouse for not telling her first.” He eyed the snug-fitting shirt. Motioning at her stomach, he held in a snicker. “What’s going on there, anyway?”

  “What?” She looked down at her belly. “Oh, you mean the shirt that screams Hey everybody, I’m pregnant ? Yeah, well, I figured that I was just going to be washing dogs all day, and apparently I need to do some shopping because this boy is growing like a weed. I swear I wasn’t this big when I went to bed last night. My shirts fit just fine yesterday.”

  “So, I guess we need to do some shopping?”

  “Not today. I’m not really feeling like it.” Her tears had now dried up, but she was still looking pale.

  “Okay. We’re going home. Let’s go.” He gently helped her up, standing her so she was face to face with him. Softly taking her jaw in his hands, he delicately kissed her lips. “And I just want you to know, that no matter how you think you look, I think you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.”

  Her face turned red and she shook her head bashfully before a smile moved across her lips. Which was just the reaction he was hoping for.

  “C’mon.” He nodded to the door and took her by the hand. “Thanks, Hailee.” He smiled at Hailee when she handed Ali her purse and keys on their way out the door. Nothing was spoken as they walked upstairs to Alison’s loft. Holding her securely at his side, he unlocked the door.

  “You go relax on the couch. What can I get you to eat? Can I make you something? Or do you want to order out?” He turned the lights on while she got comfortable in the living room. Looking in the refrigerator, he found the beer that he left there. After popping the top, he gulped down half of it. The cool liquid tasted so good after the day he’d already had. He grabbed a second bottle, and a bottle of water for Ali, and took them to the living room.

  “Ali, here’s—” Abruptly he shut up once he noticed she was sound asleep. Sitting back, he took a breather and finished his beer. Then he grabbed his phone, texted Kassie to make sure they had made it back to the hotel okay and hadn’t had any trouble with his truck.

  He was still angry at how his mom had approached this. If she would’ve just waited so that he could have given Ali some notice… Things might have gone drastically different. Their secret was blown.

  Kaden: Kass, you guys get back okay? No problems?

  Kassie: Got back to the hotel just fine, thanks. Sorry about earlier. I couldn’t stop her. She’s quicker than you’d think.

  Kaden: Kassie, I need to fix this.

  Ali needed to meet his mom on better terms, and when she was prepared.


  Kassie: I agree. It needs fixed for both of them. Mom is feeling bad about ambushing Alison the way she did. And she obviously knows about the baby, but is refusing to discuss it. I think she’s hurt you didn’t tell her.

  Kaden: Shit. That makes me feel bad too.

  He never wanted his mom to be upset or feel bad. But then again, if she just would’ve listened to him in the first place…

  Kassie: Mom will be fine. She just needs to hear the news from you, I guess. Trust me, she’s thrilled about it. Don’t let the scowl fool you. And don’t feel too bad. You’ve done nothing but bend over backwards for us since we got here. She’s the one that told you to go have a life, even though she was sick. She doesn’t get to pout now because you’re finally listening.

  Kaden: What if we try this again? Set up an introduction.

  Kassie: Like a do-over?

  Kaden: Sure why not?

  Kassie was right. He was just doing what Mom had been telling him to do. He knew deep down that she wasn’t angry. Maybe just a bit perturbed that he had kept this big news from her. Man, she’d really be pissed if she found out I already told Kass.

  As they were texting, Ali yawned. Stirring a bit, she started to open her eyes.

  Kaden: I’ll email you the details.

  “Well hey, there sleepyhead.” He set down his phone and turned all his attention back to her.

  She squinted at the light. “Did I fall asleep?”

  “You sure did, but you’ve only been out for maybe a half hour. Now that you’re up, we’re going to eat. What can I make you?” He picked up both of his empty bottles and put them in the recycle bin.