Fight For Her (Soldiers in Arms Book 1)

by J. A. Bailey

  She paused, cup held halfway to her mouth. “So?”

  He swallowed for about the fifth time in five minutes. Couldn’t see that she needed to stay? That she was damn well his and he wasn’t letting her go?

  “Well the bar isn’t exactly the sort of place to raise a baby. It’s a decent apartment. Plenty of space for you both.”

  Waverly lowered the coffee onto the side table. “But I won’t be raising a baby here. You know that.”

  He pushed a hand through his hair. “So where will you go? Because you and I both know you have no plans for the future and no way of taking care of that baby. At least here you have work.”

  “As a waitress, yes. It’s fine but it’s hardly enough to raise a baby on. I need a better job and there’s hardly many around here.”

  “We’ll find you one. It won’t be that hard. Walter doesn’t charge a ton for that place, and it would be perfect for you.”

  Her body stiffened. She clutched the sheet around her. “Sounds like you’ve already decided I’m going to live there.”

  “I don’t see why you wouldn’t. It’s close to work, and I know Justice was doing you a favor by letting you stay here, but it’s not exactly baby-proof.”

  Snatching up the sheet, she shifted off the bed, keeping it tight around her body. “I don’t really think it’s up to you to decide what is good for my baby, Jake.”

  “I’m just trying to help.”

  Her eyes flared. “No, you’re trying to control me. First about the doctors and now about this. If I want a new place to live, I will find one. I don’t need you deciding these things for me.”

  Walker backed off the bed and tried to come around to take her arms but she retreated from him.

  “I’m not trying to decide anything, Waverly. I’m just being practical. I don’t want to see you or the baby suffering.”

  “I don’t need you to be practical for me. I’m a grown woman. God, I’m going to be a mother soon. I have to make my own decisions.”

  “Then make the right damn ones,” he snapped.

  He heard her draw in a breath and saw the fury on her face.

  “I think you should leave,” she said quietly.

  “No way. We’re talking this out.” He folded his arms.

  “Leave,” she said determinedly. “I don’t want to talk about this. I won’t let you treat me like my father did, I won’t let you control me.”

  He felt like he’d been punched in the gut. “You think I’m like your father?” She opened her mouth. He held up a hand. “You know what? Fine, I’ll leave. And I won’t come back. I’ve been tangling myself up in knots over you, Waverly, and I’m done. All I wanted was to make sure you and the baby were safe.” He blew out a breath. “Christ, I was ready to be a damned father to it.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “Jake…”

  “I won’t beg and I won’t make your decisions for you.” He snatched up the jacket he’d discarded the night before. “Have a good life, Waverly. I really do want the best for you.”

  Walker strode out, slamming the door behind him. He shouldn’t have but he couldn’t help himself. As he stormed down the stairs, he slammed is fist into the wall. A shard of pain speared through him and he grimaced at the dent he’d left. Justice would have his ass for that.

  Eyeing his tattered knuckles while he strode back to his bike, he grimaced. That woman messed with his head too much. He didn’t know what he wanted anymore. Was he really picturing some happy family with her? She had too many issues from the past and him…? Well, he was just a soldier. He’d seen war and bloodshed and had spent too little time even trying to understand what made a good relationship. How did he really expect things to turn out?

  It was better this way.

  He pressed his knuckles against his shirt.

  Now he had to figure to how to live without Waverly.

  “Waverly.”

  Waverly paused, several glasses in hand as her boss called to her. She placed down the glasses on the bar and strode over. It was busy in the bar, just like any other Friday night.

  Except Walker wasn’t there.

  “What’s up?”

  “I need to go see Mom again tomorrow. We’ll be fully staffed, but can you take the reins until Wednesday? She’s got a hospital appointment I need to take her to on Tuesday.”

  “Sure. Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah, I just need to make sure she’s not doing too much. Damned woman is stubborn.”

  Waverly grinned. “So that’s where it comes from.”

  Justice propped her hands on her hips. “I don’t know what you mean.” Her returning smile said otherwise. “Besides, I can think of someone else who falls into that category.”

  “Me?”

  “Uh huh.”

  Waverly frowned. She wasn’t stubborn. Surely if she was, she would never have let her father and fiancé dictate her life?

  “I don’t think anyone would call me stubborn.”

  “I bet Walker would.”

  A pang struck her chest. She’d thought of nothing but him all week but work had kept her busy tonight and she’d almost managed to keep her mind off him. Almost.

  “Jake wouldn’t call me anything. He wants nothing to do with me.”

  “See? Stubborn.”

  “I’m not the one being stubborn. He’s staying away, not me.”

  “You’re the one refusing to let him help.” Justice leaned back against the bar. “And for that matter, you’re not letting me help either.”

  “You’ve helped me enough.”

  “Just as you’ve helped me.” The bar owner shook her head with a smile. “You know full well you’ve got a job here for as long as you want, yet you won’t agree to it. Hell, Waverly, I’d give you a new position if you wanted it.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Assistant manager. I sure as hell need one and you’d be perfect for it. You’ve more than proved yourself.”

  Waverly blinked. No one had ever said anything like that to her before. Justice actually thought she was good at her job? When she’d worked for her father, all her colleagues had steered clear of her, fearful of being friends with the boss’s daughter and convinced she only had the job because of who her father was.

  Which was pretty much true.

  “I-I’ll have to think about it.”

  Justice shrugged. “If you keep on thinking, honey, you’ll never do anything. You took a risk by running away, why not take a risk by staying?”

  Justice turned to serve a customer giving Waverly time to back away and think. She was being stubborn, Justice was right. But what if she did stay and let Jake into her life—no—their life. Would she just be letting another man tell her what to do?

  She glanced over at his friends and drew in a breath. Even if she did decide to stay, it could be too late. She snatched up a tray and headed over to clear the empties.

  They all greeted her with friendly smiles and a few questions about how she was. She smiled back, even as her heart hurt. They were all gorgeous in their way but reminded her too much of Jake with their confident air and muscular physiques. There was no doubting they were soldiers through and through and that had appealed to her about Jake. He was strong, determined, and confident. He would never feel the need to control a woman.

  “No Walker tonight?” she asked, aware of a wobble in her voice.

  Rocco shook his head.

  “Do you think he’ll come in soon?”

  “I don’t know, Waverly. He’s hurt pretty bad.”

  She grimaced. “I didn’t mean to hurt him.”

  Locke chuckled. “He might look tough but inside he’s pretty soft. He’s currently cursing himself for breaking his own rule.”

  “What rule is that?” she asked.

  Locke peered up at her. “Getting in deep with a local woman. Before you, Walker never even considered getting involved with anyone in town.”

  She gulped. Did that make her important? She knew h
ow Jake felt about obeying the rules. After all, he was a soldier. If they didn’t obey them, someone could get hurt. What was so special about her that he had broken them?

  “Do you…do you think you could persuade him to come see me?”

  Rocco shrugged. “He’s like a big ol’ wounded bear at the moment. All he wants to do is hide.”

  “You must be able to do something,” she pleaded.

  They all shared a look. Knox leaned forward, took a swing of beer and set down the bottle. “We can probably get him to you, but it means we’d have to lie.”

  “I’ll do whatever it takes.”

  Waverly glanced around at all the grinning, determined faces. If what she suspected was true, they’d have no problem getting Walker to see her. But would she be able to convince him to forgive her? And would telling him she loved him be enough?

  Walker snatched up a towel and swiped the sweat from his face. He glanced at the reelection of himself in the gym mirror as he sat on the bench. He liked to work out but he hadn’t pushed himself this hard in years. His body was hurting.

  So was his heart.

  Damn her. Nearly two weeks of staying away and he still hadn’t been able to forget her.

  Would he ever?

  He scowled as Rocco and Locke strode into the gym. It wasn’t unusual to see them in here but neither of them were dressed for working out. An odd sensation hit him in the gut. He stood swiftly. Something was wrong.

  “What’s going on?” he asked when they approached.

  Rocco rubbed a hand across his mouth. “It’s Waverly.”

  That sensation near punched him in the gut this time. “What’s wrong?”

  “Justice wouldn’t say. Only that she wasn’t well and that she’s worried about her.”

  “The baby,” Walker hissed.

  “You’d better go see her, man,” Locke said.

  Walker nodded. “Stupid woman has probably made herself ill. Fuck, why does she have to be so damn stubborn?”

  “What? Like someone else we know?” Rocco grinned.

  Walker ignored his friend’s teasing. He didn’t give a shit if they though he was the stubbornest man on earth, all he needed right now was to be with Waverly. If she lost the baby or something happened to her, he’d never forgive himself for staying away.

  He didn’t bother changing or showering. Hell, they’d been sweaty and sticky together many times, and it didn’t seem to matter right now. Walker wasted no time pulling on his helmet and gunning the bike. Hopefully he wouldn’t take a fall and seriously regret not putting on decent pants.

  By the time he’d pulled up outside the Fox Hole, his heart was practically beating out of his chest. He removed the helmet and slung it from the handles. The front door was locked so he slipped around the back and found the rear door open.

  “Waverly?” he called as he entered the kitchen.

  He moved into the darkened bar area and tried again.

  Justice put her head around the office door. “Walker, what are you doing here?”

  “Is Waverly here? Christ, she’s not at the hospital, is she?”

  Justice scowled. “No, why would she be?” She sighed. “Though I’m glad you’ve come. I don’t know if I’m being paranoid but I think she’s in trouble.”

  The fist in his gut tightened. “I knew it.”

  “First, why did you think she was at the hospital?”

  “Rocco said she was sick. Something to do with the baby.”

  Justice shook her head. “She’s fine.”

  “Justice?”

  “Seriously, she’s fine. It sounds like they were jerking you around.”

  He shook his head. Even Rocco wouldn’t play that kind of trick on him without a good reason. He snorted. “I think they were trying to get me here. Assholes.”

  “Well those assholes were right to.”

  “What’s going on?”

  She held up her palms. “Before I say, please don’t go running off, ready to kill everyone in sight. Waverly needs you in one piece and not locked up for assault.”

  He nodded, his jaw tight.

  “Her ex-fiancé turned up today.”

  Walker clenched his fists. “And she’s with him?”

  “Yes.”

  “Is she going back to him?”

  Justice shook her head and Walker felt the air leave his lungs.

  “There’s no way she will, Walker. She’s had a taste of freedom and she loves it. She was even talking about staying but didn’t know if she could bear being so near you.”

  “Damn it. So why is she with this guy?”

  “He came in here, all suited up. He looked like an asshole, Walker, I tell you. He demanded to talk to her. Said it was about the baby’s future. I told her I’d kick him out if she needed me to, but she said she wanted to talk to him, to at least put the past to rest.”

  “Where did they go?”

  “Just to the Rise and Grind coffeehouse.”

  He released a breath. At least it was a public place. The tightness in his stomach didn’t ease but Waverly wasn’t stupid enough to put herself in danger. Something about this fiancé turning up didn’t feel right to him, however. Why now? And how did he find her?

  “I’m going to find her. I don’t have a good feeling about this.”

  Justice nodded, relief on her face. “Good. He was a slimy asshole, Walker. I don’t think he could persuade Waverly to come back with him but…I don’t know…if he threatened the baby or something, she’d do what she had to to protect it.”

  He nodded. From what Waverly had told him, the fiancé and her father were as bad as each other, always trying to manipulate her. What if they wanted to manipulate her into returning? He had at least been there to watch over her, even if he couldn’t talk her into staying.

  Pausing, he asked, “Was she really thinking of staying?”

  She nodded. “I’d offered her a better position here. She said she’d think about it. Honestly, I think she would if you two made up, but it was too painful for her if you didn’t.”

  “Can’t say I felt any better about the prospect,” he grumbled.

  “Well, you’d better go tell her that then.”

  Walker nodded and gave Justice a quick peck on the cheek. “I’ll see you soon.”

  “Bring that girl back. Won’t be the same without her.”

  “I will.”

  He wasted no time in heading down the street to the coffeehouse. Pausing outside of the window, he peered in. No sign of her or the asshole. He strode in and checked all the booths. Donna, one of the waitresses, flashed him a smile.

  “How’s it going, Walker?”

  “Has Waverly been in today?”

  “Oh yes. She was with some guy. Didn’t recognize him.” She cracked the piece of gum she was chewing. “He was pretty sexy.”

  Walker clenched his jaw. “Do you know where they went?”

  Her grin widened. “Guess it’s true then.”

  “What’s true?”

  “One of you has finally fallen. We all knew it was only a matter of time.”

  He didn’t argue with her. He had fallen. Hard. Probably from the moment he’d first seen her.

  “Donna, where did she go?”

  “I don’t know, honey. He muttered something about needing to show her something in private, then they left.”

  “Fuck.”

  “She didn’t seem concerned. I’d have stepped in if I thought he was trouble.” Donna tucked her lip under her teeth. “Do you think he is?”

  Walker nodded. “He’s her ex-fiancé and he treated her very, very badly.”

  “I’m sorry. I had no idea.”

  “I’ve gotta find her.”

  “Stay safe,” Donna called when he raced out of the door of the coffeehouse.

  As he got on the bike, he stilled at the sound of raised voices. His heart slammed against his ribs.

  Waverly.

  He wasted no time in gunning the bike and screeching a
round the corner to where he could hear her. Waverly stood with the asshole he assumed was her ex-fiancé and he had her held by one arm. Another man—an older one who he guessed was her father—stood on the other side of her. Clearly, they’d come to persuade her to come home.

  Waverly reached up to slap the younger one, but he caught her wrist. Her father yanked open the car door and both men pushed her into the car.

  Fire burned through his veins. If they thought they were going to take her against her will, they had another thing coming.

  He revved the engine. Tires squealed and rubber burned as he headed straight for the car. As the ex-fiancé was climbing into it, he rammed the bike into the car. The door jammed shut and crumpled. Walker lurched forward, his head connecting briefly with the metal. A shaft of pain speared through his skull.

  He caught a glimpse of the man’s ashen face before leaping from the bike, shoving aside Waverly’s father and yanking open the passenger door.

  Hauling her from the vehicle, he pushed her behind him while her father straightened himself. Walker eyed the older man coolly. The fiancé was still trapped in his side by the buckled door, but frankly he didn’t give a shit if he had to take on both of these suits. They spent their time intimidating and bullying a woman. How fucking tough could they be?

  “Get your hands off my daughter,” her father spat.

  “Touch her again,” he said in a low, menacing tone, “and you’ll have more than a dented car to worry about.”

  The older man narrowed his gaze at him. “You can’t tell me what to do with my daughter.” He peered around him at Waverly, who clung to Walker. “You’re going to give up everything for this man?”

  Waverly glanced at Walker and nodded. “Yes.”

  Walker saw the muscles work in her father’s jaw.

  “You realize I’ll never send you another penny. You won’t get anything from me or Adam. If you choose this life, you will no longer be my daughter.”

  She lifted her chin. “That’s fine with me.”

  Her father shook his head in disgust. “Don’t expect Adam to give you anything for the baby either.”

  Walker curled a fist, fighting every instinct to lay out the man with a punch. How could any father be so heartless?

  “She won’t need anything,” Walker vowed.