9. Kate
Kate
Despite them saying the results would take a few days, it had turned into eight. Eight very long days stuck in the motel room, waiting for the letter to arrive and it finally had.
I knew what it would say. I’d known from the second I’d seen the little plus sign on the pregnancy test. The baby was Caleb’s. Caleb had never doubted it. I knew from the way he looked at me the night I’d told him, happy and sure, like nothing I could say would send him running.
Still, my hands wouldn’t stop shaking.
I sat on the edge of the motel bed, Noah resting against my chest, his soft breaths warm against my skin through my shirt. My fingers traced the curve of his head, grounding myself in something warm and soft while the room buzzed with hard tension.
Reaper stood near the window, arms crossed, watching the parking lot like he expected trouble to roll in at any second. Riot leaned against the wall beside him, silent as ever, sunglasses hiding whatever he was thinking.
Lucy hovered close enough that I could feel her energy, restless, hopeful, terrified all at once. The same way I felt, though I had much more to lose than she did.
Finn stood a few feet away, watching me. His eyes hadn’t left me since the envelope had been handed over.
The envelope sat on the small table in front of me.
“Open it,” Reaper said finally.
I didn’t move as my stomach twisted. All the waiting felt cruel when I already knew. When Caleb should be there backing me up.
Finn stepped forward. “I’ll do it.”
He picked up the envelope, tore it open, and pulled out the paper. His eyes scanned the page once.
Then again.
“Well?” Lucy demanded.
Finn looked up, his eyes shifting quickly from me to Reaper. “It’s confirmed,” he said. “Noah is Caleb’s son.”
Lucy sat down hard like her knees stopped working.
Finn looked over at Noah asleep in my arms and something in his expression changed. Not suspicion anymore, but something warmer.
“Then Noah is ours,” Reaper grumbled.
Lucy made a broken sound. She was moving before I could react, crossing the room and dropping to her knees in front of me. Her hands hovered like she didn’t know where to touch, then settled gently over Noah.
“My nephew,” she whispered, tears spilling freely now. “He is my brother’s baby.”
My throat closed. I nodded, even though the motion felt heavy. “Yeah,” I whispered. “He is.”
Relief swallowed me. Not because I’d doubted it, but because now they couldn’t.
Lucy brushed her thumb over Noah’s cheek, laughing shakily through her tears. “Nine months old and already as stubborn as Caleb when it comes to waking up.”
“Unless it’s the middle of the night,” Finn muttered while smirking.
Riot gave a small nod. “Youngest Dead Knight.” He actually grinned as he typed something into his phone.
Just like that, everything changed. I wasn’t just a girl who showed up at their door anymore. I was tied to them now, whether I wanted to be or not.
Reaper’s gaze shifted to me. “You’ll move to the clubhouse,” he said. “Maria’s already setting up space for the kid.”
We would be safe, but in the clubhouse, I would also be controlled and watched constantly. I liked the protection, but I wasn’t sure about that many eyes on me.
Before I could answer, Finn’s voice cut through the room.
“They can stay with me, at my place.”
I looked at him, my mouth slightly open and eyes wide as I was caught off-guard.
“It’s quieter,” he said. “Better for the baby.” Though his lips said one thing, his eyes looked panicked.
Reaper’s brow furrowed. “Your place?”
“It’s five minutes out,” Finn said. “Close enough if you need me or we need you. Far enough they’re not sitting in the middle of the clubhouse.”
“You don’t know what’s coming for her,” Reaper said.
“Neither do you,” Finn replied.
Lucy stepped in quickly. “He’s right. The clubhouse isn’t exactly built for a baby, Jay. It’s loud, people coming and going, club whores . . . it’s not suitable for a young woman and a baby.”
Reaper didn’t look at her. His focus stayed on Finn then landed on me.
I swallowed, suddenly unsure as the weight of his gaze bore down on me. Part of me wanted the safety of numbers. The place Caleb had told me to go. But another part, the quiet part, the part that had finally been able to breathe for the first time since running . . .
“I’d like to stay with Finn,” I said, meeting Reaper’s gaze.
Reaper held my gaze a second longer, then gave a short nod. “Fine.”
Relief loosened something in my chest, but it didn’t last long.
“You don’t go anywhere alone,” he added. “You don’t leave without one of us. That doesn’t change.”
“It won’t,” Finn said before I could.
Of course, it wouldn’t. He’d made sure of that from the start.
Reaper looked at him again. “If this turns into a problem,” he said, “it lands on you.”
“I know.”
Riot pushed off the wall and moved outside, pressing at his phone as he went.
They didn’t stay long; Reaper took the letter with him.
Lucy lingered. She stepped closer, looking down at Noah like she couldn’t get enough of him.
“Can I take him for a bit?” she asked gently.
My arms tightened. The answer came to mind.
No.
But she saw it.
“I’ll stay in my room at the clubhouse,” she added quickly. “I’ll have my phone on me the whole time. You can call whenever you want, I swear.”
I hesitated. Every instinct in me screamed not to let him go, but I was also so tired.
Not just tired, but empty. Drained from the fear, the running, the waiting and the constant looking over my shoulder wherever I went.
“Kate,” Lucy said, “you look like you haven’t slept in days.”
“I haven’t,” I answered honestly. “It’s more like months.”
Her expression softened. “Let me help. Just for a few hours.”
I looked down at Noah. At his tiny face. His perfect little mouth. The way his fingers curled into my shirt.
“Okay.”
Lucy’s face lit up. “I’ll bring him back to Finn’s place before you even start to worry,” she promised.
I passed him over carefully, my chest tightening the second he left my arms.
“Call me,” I said.
“I will.”
Then she was gone and the room felt too quiet.
I stood there, staring at the space where he’d been, my arms feeling wrong without him.
“Let me take you over to my place,” Finn said.
He moved to the bits Maria had sent over and began placing them back into the bags she’d brought them in. I followed his lead and shoved the clothing Lucy had brought for me back into the backpack.
“Thank you for this,” I told him as we left the room.
“Don’t thank me. Noah is one of ours. Family. I’d do everything I can for family.”
I watched as he walked away, back to reception to hand in the key. Noah is family, not me, only Noah. Something panged in my chest at the thought of still having nobody, but I also felt relief that my son, at least, would be safe.