Celebrate (The NOLA Defiance MC #8)

Chapter One

KAIA

The Before…

As I heave, I swear I have never felt so sick.

I know the flight scared the absolute hell out of me. Let’s face it, flying and I never go well together, but this is some next-level reaction to aerophobia.

Hurricane, my husband, gently rubs my back as he kneels beside me on the hotel bathroom floor. His other hand is holding my hair back. “Not the best way to start our honeymoon, baby… what can I do?” he asks, but I hardly hear him over the disgusting noises my throat is making.

My stomach continues to roll, but for the moment, I think the heaving is slowing, and I slump back on my butt, finally managing to take a much-needed deep breath.

I swipe my forearm across my mouth as I lean back into Hurricane’s front.

He holds me tightly while we sit on the cold tiles of the Nalu Aloha Honeymoon Suite in the Keola Bay Resort and Spa.

This is meant to be the start of the Hawaiian honeymoon we’ve been meaning to take for three years, but unfortunately, life got in the way.

NOLA Defiance had its own battles to deal with, and with Hurricane being the president, we needed to put everything we had into being present and focused to ensure the club came first.

We could wait.

We had to ensure NOLA Defiance was our priority.

And then we had Immy to think about, too, so our honeymoon just wasn’t in the cards.

My mind is wandering off when I should be here in the present.

In this suite with my husband, who is stroking my dark, wavy hair, a gentle kiss presses to my cheek as he holds me tight.

“I wonder if you caught a bug from Immy before we left?” he asks softly, talking about our nearly two-and-a-half-year-old daughter, who is constantly bringing home things from her day care.

Letting out a long exhale, I sink further into him. “I think I was just stressing too much. You know I hate flying, and the eleven-hour flight from New Orleans to Oahu messed with my emotions.”

He rests his chin on my shoulder. “Remember that flight after Cole’s fight, when we’d barely met, and somehow the universe sat us right next to each other?”

A bright smile lights my face, and I turn in his grip, looking into his ice-blue eyes.

His shoulder-length, dusky blond hair is pulled back half up and half down, and his beard grows longer daily.

But I love it. It looks good on him. “God, I hated you back then. Thought you were such an egotistical jerk.”

He chuckles, waggling his brows. “And now?”

Snorting out a laugh, I roll my eyes. “Well, you proved me right. You are an egotistical jerk, but I love you anyway.”

He grins, leans in, and kisses my forehead tenderly. “You wouldn’t have married me and had my kid if you didn’t.”

“Some say you might have coerced me into that,” I tease.

“C’mon, I only kidnapped and held you hostage that one time…” He scowls. “One time, Kaia!” He chuckles, and I burst out laughing as he slides more of my hair behind my ear. “You feelin’ any better?”

Nodding, I go to stand, but am a little lightheaded, so I instantly sit back on the tiles.

Hurricane furrows his brows with concern before placing his hand on my forehead. “You don’t have a fever. I’m gonna get you some water.”

Nodding, I return to the bowl as my stomach lurches again from the dizzy spell.

“I’m gonna go get somethin’. I’ll be right back,” Hurricane calls out.

I barely hear him over the completely gross heaving. And if I could, I would yell at Hurricane for leaving me in the middle of falling apart like this.

The fucking asshole.

Right after we had a really nice moment.

I might just divorce his ass—if I can ever stop puking, that is.

I’m not sure how much time passes, my eyes wandering around the bathroom, taking in the opulence of this place, even down to the statues of the green sea turtles. They make me smile.

Eventually, my stomach settles, and I flush. I’m so spent that I lie on the cold bathroom tiles to ease my body from the chaos it’s been through.

The cold helps.

The cold definitely helps, I keep telling myself.

Curling into a ball, I stay there, waiting for Hurricane to return, my eyelids flickering open and closed. My energy wanes as I start to drift off to sleep.

Abruptly, I hear the click of the hotel room door, and his heavy footsteps sound throughout the suite. “Baby, you okay? I’m back,” he calls, but honestly, I can’t be bothered answering him.

He steps to the bathroom door, paper bag in his hands, but when he spots me, it drops to the floor. The contents scatter as he falls to his knees and pulls me into his lap. “Fuck, Kaia!”

Groaning my disapproval of him shifting me from my comfortable position, I make the move to cuddle him, even though I’m angry at him right now. “I’m okay, just exhausted.”

“Okay, we’ll stay in the suite tonight.” He pulls me farther into his arms. “I’ll call your family and let them know you’re not well.

We’ll make arrangements to see them in a couple of days.

We’re here for a week, so we have time… but, for now, I need you to drink some Liquid I.V.

to get your dehydration under control, and then I need you to take this,” he stresses, leaning over and grabbing a box.

Sleepily, I glance up at him, but then I see the box I am all too familiar with, and suddenly I am very awake.

I shake my head and let out a loud exhale while I check the pregnancy test kit.

“No, I can’t be. I mean, I know we were trying, but because of our honeymoon, we stopped so we could have a lovely week away without worrying about all that stuff.

Goddamn, it’s why we planned the honeymoon, because we knew we would be fine and that nothing could go wrong!

No club drama. No family drama. No fucking drama, Hurricane! ”

He shrugs with a kind smile. “This is us, baby. When do we ever not have drama in our lives? Will you just take the damn test, please?”

A low groan echoes from my throat, and I mumble incoherently under my breath as I snatch the test from him.

He chuckles as I move to the toilet and pull the test from the packet.

He stays on the floor by my side, watching me pee on the little stick.

Letting out a huff, I replace the cap and put the stick on the basin.

Finally, Hurricane stands and moves in behind me as I wash my hands, the cold water doing nothing to ease the fire burning inside me right now.

“Why are you so upset, Kaia? We want another baby. So talk to me?” he whispers against my ear.

Sinking into him, I close my eyes, biting my lips because I am being completely selfish right now, and I can’t seem to help it.

Spinning in his grip, I run my hands up, sliding them around his neck, and stare into those eyes I love so much.

“Don’t get me wrong. I do want another baby.

I really do. I want Immy to have a little brother or sister.

Just not… right… now. Not this week. This week is supposed to be about us.

I was going to sit by the pool and drink cocktails, and you were going to smoke all the cigars you wanted.

And sex! God, the sex we were going to have. All the kinky fucking sex!”

He raises his brow. “You had plans for kinky sex?” His smile is so wide I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile this big.

“Yes, dumbass, I had plans. It’s our honeymoon.

There’s no clubhouse full of brothers and old ladies everywhere.

No daughter hanging off us everywhere we go.

We’re completely alone, just the two of us, for the first time since we got together.

And now I have ruined it by getting knocked up with your super sperm. ”

Hurricane lets out a belly laugh, but I punch him in the arm, making him stop.

He holds me tighter, nodding his head. “I get it… trust me. Once you started talkin’ kinky sex, I felt the loss of this week instantly.

But Sha, we don’t even know if the test is positive.

But if it is, then when this kid is the same age Immy is now, I’ll bring you on a do-over honeymoon.

Then we can have all the kinky alone-time sex we can handle. ”

Sniffling back my anxiety, I can’t help but be calmed by his words.

Maybe being pregnant wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

“Okay, sounds like a plan. We have wanted this for so long. Maybe it won’t be so bad.” Changing the subject, I blurt out, “Is it time yet?”

He chuckles, handing me the stick. “Two lines came up about a minute ago. I just wanted you to deal with your inner crisis before you found out.”

My eyes widen, and I snatch the stick from him to check the two incredibly clear, obvious pink lines. My hand shoots to my mouth, and I let out a joyful laugh as emotion overwhelms me.

I thought I’d be annoyed and upset that this is ruining our honeymoon. But the fact that we have been trying for so long, with zero success, only makes this even more surprising.

My eyes flood with tears, and my bottom lip trembles as I glance up at my husband. His are glistening too. “We’re having another baby,” I whisper.

He nods with that gorgeous smile he’s known for. “Yeah, Sha, we’re havin’ another baby.”

Letting out a small laugh, I pull him to me. I would kiss him, but I have been puking, and I wouldn’t do that to him. “Guess kinky sex is out, then,” I tease.

He groans, pulling back, then places his hand on my stomach. “I can live with that. But not all sex is out, though, right?”

I chuckle, shoving him playfully as I let out a deep breath. “Guess I’ll be drinking virgin cocktails by the pool too.”

“Can we go back to the sex part?” He grins, his mind now firmly set on the one track.

Rolling my eyes, I push away and ignore him before walking to the bedroom.

He picks up the supplies from his trip to the pharmacy as I keep walking. “Kaia. Sha! Baby? Don’t leave me hangin’!”

I snort out a laugh. “I’m going to have a nap. Can you bring me some of that Liquid I.V., and then maybe tonight, when I am feeling better, we can discuss sexual gratification.”

Hurricane rushes into the bedroom and places the pharmacy products on the nightstand.

He has also purchased Tylenol, ginger chews, crackers, and peppermint tea.

He must have been pretty convinced I was pregnant.

These are all the things I needed the first time around with Immy.

Turning back to face him, I reach out for his hands, taking them in mine.

“Thank you for talking me off the ledge.”

His hand comes up, sliding some hair behind my ear. “You’re my Old Lady, my wife, the mother of my children, even if one of them isn’t born yet. I fuckin’ love ya, Sha. I’ve always got your back.”

My heart swells with love for this brute of a man. He looks like he could kill you with a single glance, but he really is the sweetest man I know. However, maybe that’s only reserved for me and our daughter. “If I could kiss you right now, I would be all up in your face.”

He laughs a belly laugh, holding me to him. “Then go brush your teeth, woman, so I can do a deep dive.”

I snort. It’s very unladylike as I shake my head.

“You’re an idiot!” Before I go to walk off to the bathroom to, in fact, brush my teeth, he reaches out and grabs my wrist, stopping me from walking away.

He wraps his arms around me, pulling me flush to him, and I don’t miss the way his hands slip down my ass, taking a firm hold.

“I love you, Kaia. And I am so fuckin’ happy we’re pregnant again.”

A slow smile crosses my face. “Me, too, babe… me too.”