Chapter Seven
Dani
One week later…
Zeke is leaving today, and everyone is already sad. They have been trying to convince him to stay, but he had already told me he wants to wrap up his life before moving here. He said he was moving here, but he’s got to pack, and find a job and place to live here. I know there is nothing keeping him in the city he lives in.
He’s a tattoo artist and can easily find a job like that here. I know the brothers were talking about opening a place here, so they have already tried to talk Zeke into it. Zeke doesn’t want to say anything until he’s back, so I was sworn to secrecy.
Things have been running smoothly with everything else.
Getting to know my father has been great. He was happy that my mother had planned to stay, though I don’t think she needed much convincing. She did say she would have to leave to pack up her apartment.
I don’t need to worry. I know that Olivia already said she would take care of that stuff for me if I wanted to stay. I would just have to let her know.
The more time I spend with Zane, the more I want to stay. There have been a lot of kisses between us, but nothing further.
So far, that has gotten pretty frustrating. I want him more than I have ever wanted anything.
Every time we are together in the main room or kitchen, Lydia is there glaring at us. I haven’t spoken to her, but Zane told me that they were fucking for a while before he ended it.
They were recent. I hate to think of him with her, but I can’t hold it against him. He didn’t know me back then.
He told me as soon as he met me that he had ended it, which surprises me but also makes me feel like he’s actually serious about this thing between us.
Zane and his parents take Zeke to the airport. I stay back while everyone heads to work. The clubhouse is usually quiet at this time of day.
That’s when Lydia decides to make her appearance.
“Finally, all alone without your body guards around,” she sneers at me.
I shake my head. “What do you want?”
“I want you to get your hands off of my man. Rage is my man,” she growls out.
“He broke things off with you,” I tell her.
“He’s going to kick you to the curb after I have a little talk with him,” she states.
I raise an eyebrow at her. “Why on earth would he do that?”
She places a hand on her stomach, and it dawns on me what she is planning on telling him.
“Because he will want to do the right thing,” she responds.
“You’re lying,” I say. My stomach feels sick as I think about what this means.
She shakes her head with a smug smile on her face. “It’s not a secret that we had been fucking for months, and he was the only brother I fucked during that time. I will not let my hard work go to waste.”
“Do what you have to do,” I say before leaving the room. I ignore the rest of her words as I make my way to my room, shut the door, and let the tears well in my eyes.
Could this really be over before it started?
If she’s telling the truth and is pregnant, he’s going to want to be a part of the baby’s life. From what I can tell of Lydia, she’s going to make him jump through hoops for that to happen.
Would it be better if I just stepped back now?
He told me they were always protected but, as a nurse, I know that sometimes that isn’t enough.
We may not have had sex yet, but we both knew that’s where this was heading. Fuck. I’m already invested, and we have barely done anything.
I can already feel my heart breaking.
I lock myself in my room for the rest of the day. There is no way I can face him right now.
Zane
When I get back from dropping my brother off at the airport, I immediately want to find Dani. She’s not in the main room where she usually is during the day. Lydia is there with a smirk on her face that immediately sets me on edge.
“What did you do?” I ask, getting straight to the point.
“I told her the truth,” she says simply.
Dani already knows about the relationship I had with Lydia before. I don’t see how that would be a problem.
“What truth?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest.
“That you and I are going to have a baby,” she says before placing a hand on her stomach.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” I spit out.
She gives me a smug look. “You know you were the only brother I fucked for months. There is no mistaking that this baby is yours.”
“I don’t believe you,” I rasp out.
Shock goes through my body. She has to be lying.
There is no way she can be pregnant. We were protected every single time.
“Condoms aren’t 100%. Everyone knows that,” she says in a smug tone.
“Then we are going to the doctor, so I know you aren’t lying,” I tell her.
She shrugs like she doesn’t have a care in the world. Like she isn’t about to change my fucking life. I can’t be sure she’s lying until I know. I need it confirmed.
The bigger thing is, I can’t expect Dani to go through something like this with me. We have only known each other for a few days.
I turn to leave. I need to get out of here.
“Where do you think you are going?” she asks me like she has a right to know.
“I can’t fucking look at you right now. Don’t even think about going anywhere. You are locked down here until I know the truth,” I tell her as I storm out.
I call Prez as soon as I’m outside.
“Yeah?” he asks as soon as he picks up.
“I need eyes on Lydia. She says she’s fucking knocked up. I can’t be in the club right now,” I tell him.
“Fuck. We’ve got your back, brother,” he says before I hang up.
I drive through town for a couple hours, just getting lost on the road, and decide to head to my parents’. They always supported me and, right now, I need them more than anything.
When I pull up to their house, I can see my father working on his bike in the garage.
“Son. What’s going on?” he asks in a surprised tone.
“I need to talk to you and mom,” I tell him.
He must be able to tell how serious I am in my tone because he nods, and we head inside.
“Carmen? Our boy needs a word,” my father shouts once we are inside.
“What? Oh Zane, what is it?” she asks when she walks around the corner.
I run the back of my head with my hand and sigh. “Well, Lydia just claimed that she is knocked up.”
They are both silent.
“Are you sure? She is a club girl, so it can be anyone’s,” my mother says.
I shake my head. “She was only fucking me for the last few months. I told her we weren’t going to fuck anymore the first day Dani came to the club,” I tell them.
My father narrows his eyes. “That’s suspicious. She could be lying to get you back into her bed.”
I nod my head. “Yeah, I know. I told her I didn’t believe her, and that she wasn’t to leave the club until we went to the doctor.”
“That’s good. You have to take her to someone we trust,” my dad says.
“Some women will go to great lengths to keep a man,” my mom says.
I look at her, and I can tell there is something she isn’t telling me.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask.
My mom sighs sadly, and my dad grabs her hand in support. “When we started dating, some club girl claimed the same thing to your father. She wasn’t pregnant though. She wouldn’t even go to the doctor and admitted she was lying after some talking.”
My dad snorts at those words. “Talking. Babe, you scared the shit out of her until she confessed.”
My mom blushes at his words. “Well, I had to put her in her place. You were mine.” She says the last part so fiercely that I can’t help but smile. There is no doubt how much my parents love each other. Anyone can see it in the way they look at and talk to one another.
“Does Dani know?” my dad asks.
“Lydia said she told her the truth, so I think so. I still need to talk to her, but I needed to clear my head first,” I tell them.
“Right now, you need to go to Dani and see where she’s at with this,” my mom says while standing up.
“Where are you going?” I ask as my father gets up and follows her.
“I’m coming to the club,” she says.
“Mom-” I start.
“Just for support. You are never too old to need your mom,” she says, but I don’t believe her with the look in her eyes. It’s not one I have ever seen from my mother before.
“Don’t do anything until I talk to Dani,” I tell her. I know there’s no stopping her from coming to the club.
I head out back onto my bike and take the short drive to the club.
Lydia is in the main room. She smiles and gets up to walk over to me, but I shake my head and continue walking straight to Dani’s room.
“You better end it with that bitch if you want to be in your child’s life,” she says loudly, causing everyone in the main room to stop talking.
I turn around and glare at her. “Shut the fuck up until I am ready to talk to you,” I snap.
I knock on Dani’s door. She doesn’t answer, but I hear shuffling on the other side so I don’t stop knocking until she answers.
We are going to talk about this.