Chapter 14
Jed
He pulled his truck into Big Dick’s parking lot, but didn’t immediately shut it off. He drummed his thumb nervously on the steering wheel as he remembered his conversation with Bellamy earlier.
He grabbed a beer and took it over to the couch where Bellamy was sitting by herself. That was strange considering all the vehicles he’d seen out front. He would have thought several old ladies would be hanging out with her. He wondered if the others were in the kitchen or something.
Taking a seat, he couldn’t help but notice how miserable she looked as she rubbed her belly.
After spending the holidays away from everyone and watching Sadie and Oliver’s Christmas through the monitors, he needed to be around people.
Could he talk to Bellamy about Sadie? Should he?
It couldn’t hurt. Maybe she would have some ideas on how he could fix things with her, now that he had his head out of his ass.
“Where is everybody? I thought you’d be holding court over here.” He tipped his bottle for a drink.
“They’re all out at the rec center with the kids. They wouldn’t let me come. They said I was too damn miserable to be around.” He choked on his beer. “And my feet are swollen. I can’t stand to walk very far. Race had to carry me inside.” She was cute when she pouted.
“Well, that was mean of them to say.”
“Eh. I deserved it. I am miserable to be around right now.”
Jed chuckled and put his drink on the floor next to his feet, then patted his legs. “Put ’em up here.”
“What?”
“Put your feet up here.” He patted his lap again.
She looked at him funny, but swung her legs around so that her feet were in his lap with her head on the armrest.
Jed removed both her shoes, then set them on the floor. He took one foot in his hand and started rubbing the arch of her foot with his thumb.
“Oh my God, that feels amazing,” she moaned. “Where did you learn how to do this?”
“I don’t suppose Race ever told you that I had a baby girl, did he?” He couldn’t believe he was telling her this, but once he got started, he found it easier to talk about.
“No. He didn’t.”
“I don’t imagine he would. He’s really good with the tight-lipped thing.” His head tipped to the side in thought. “Probably comes with the territory when you’re president of an MC.” He dug his thumb into the ball of her foot to work out a knot.
“Anyway,” he sighed. “I got my high school sweetheart pregnant during our senior year. Her feet and back would get to hurting her, and I’d rub them for her to help ease the pain.”
“Well, she was a lucky woman because you’re really good at it.”
“I had a lot of practice before our baby girl was born." He paused a moment. "My girl was beautiful. She had curly blonde hair and blue eyes like her momma. That girl owned my heart after the first breath she took.” He moved on to working on each toe.
“She sounds beautiful.” He chanced a glance in her direction and saw that her entire focus was on what he was saying.
“She was.” He rolled his lips and nodded his head, lost in the memories. After a minute, he shook his head. “She was born with a tumor on her heart. Long story short, the tumor won when she was a little over a year old.”
“Oh, Jed. I’m so sorry for your loss. To lose her so quickly had to be devastating.”
“It was, and thank you.” He concentrated on what he was doing, avoiding making eye contact with her.
It was easier to talk if he didn’t look at her.
Bellamy was the second person, after Race, whom he told about his daughter.
Sadie was the first. He was only telling Bellamy so she’d have a little back story and context to go on.
“What about the mother? Where is she?”
“We broke up right after the funeral. Neither one of us could look at the other. We were both in so much pain it was easier to say goodbye than to hang on and be reminded of what we lost every day.” He moved on to working her ankle and lower leg.
He didn’t say anything for a little bit, then switched to her other foot, earning another moan.
After clearing his throat, he said what he really wanted to talk about.
Maybe getting another woman’s perspective might give him some insight into what to do with Sadie. “I fucked up.”
“How?”
Moving to her toes, he filled her in. “When Sadie told me she was pregnant, I kind of went a little nuts. I’m not saying that as an excuse; it was just what happened.
The first thought that crossed my mind was that she cheated on me after we’d agreed to be exclusive and see where things might lead.
It never even crossed my mind that the baby could be Darren’s.
I reacted poorly, said some things I shouldn’t have said, and broke things off.
” When she didn’t immediately respond, he chanced a look her way.
“You are an idiot.”
“I know. I was kind of hoping you might have some advice on how I can win her back.” Jed finished with Bellamy’s feet, but left them in his lap. He threw one arm over the back of the couch and turned his attention to her.
“Grovel.”
“What?” He frowned.
“Grovel. Beg her to listen to you, then beg for forgiveness.”
“What if she won’t give me a chance to beg for forgiveness?”
“I guess that depends on how bad you want her back. You can take her at her word, or you can stay glued to her ass like a tick until she finally breaks down and listens.”
“Is there a reason my woman’s feet are in your lap?” Race stood behind Jed.
“My feet were killing me, and he gave me a foot rub. It was really good. I almost fell asleep.”
“Is that right?”
“Yes. He’s almost as good as you.” She smiled mischievously.
“Yeah. Okay.” Race winked at Jed, having no reason to think he was making moves on his very pregnant wife.
Taking Bellamy’s words to heart, he’d hopped in his truck and drove to Big Dick’s. He was taking a chance showing up here, but he hoped she wouldn’t shut him down too badly with so many people in the bar.
“Just do it,” he mumbled to himself. He had to find a way to convince her to stay in Redemption. Not just for Darren, but for himself, too. He shut off his truck and climbed out. He weaved his way through the parking lot and hesitated for just a second before pushing the door open.
The noise level rose considerably inside the bar.
It was also notably warmer than the December temperatures outside.
He scanned the room looking for Miles. Tonight was the prospect's turn to hang with Sadie at work. Spotting him at a corner table not too far from the bar, he gave him a chin lift before moving toward where Lenny sat at his usual spot. He started to pull the stool out next to the old man, but he shook his head. “Nope. Someone else is sitting there. I don’t know what the fuck you did to Sadie, but I don’t want you here. You should leave.”
Well shit. Things were going to be tougher than he thought.
He caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Sadie was coming from the hall carrying a box of booze. He rushed to help her, but she jerked the box away. Anger reflected in her eyes, her mouth pinched.
“You shouldn’t be carrying that.” He didn't miss the defiant way she tilted her chin.
“It’s really none of your concern now, is it?”
So far, things were not going well. At all. “Can we talk for a minute?” He shoved his hands in his pockets to keep from yanking the box from her hands.
“No.”
“Please?”
“Like you let me talk when I told you I was pregnant? Well fuck you. Get the hell out of here.” She brushed past him, going behind the bar. She set the box on the counter behind the bar and started unloading the bottles.
“Sadie, please?” He made to move behind the bar when he heard the distinctive sound of a shotgun being racked. He slowly put his hands up and turned to face none other than Big Dick.
“You heard her,” he growled around the ever present cigar hanging from the side of his mouth. “Get the fuck out, and I don’t ever want to see you in my bar again.”
Jed worked his jaw from side to side, trying to keep a handle on his temper. “You know who I am and what club I belong to, so I think it’s in your best interest to lower that gun before you do something we might both regret.”
“I know all about your club. And you’re not the only ones who know how to make people disappear.”
Well, that was interesting. Jed checked to see if Sadie would wade in on his side and was hurt when she didn’t. “All right. I’m going.” He would wait in his truck until she got off, then follow her home. He’d corner her there and make her listen.
Climbing into his truck, he started it up and cranked the heat. He scrubbed a hand over his mouth. He fucked up so much worse than he imagined. It would take a miracle for Sadie to give him a chance to apologize. And it would take a huge one for her to forgive him.
He turned the radio on and slunk down in his seat. Might as well get comfortable. It was going to be several more hours before she got off.
* * *
Jed
“Finally.” Jed straightened in his seat upon seeing Miles walking Sadie to her car.
Damn, the woman was beautiful. She had a cream-colored knit hat pulled down over her blonde hair and matching gloves on her hands.
She was smiling at something Miles was saying, and he found himself jealous of the prospect.
There was a time not too long ago that Jed was the one making her smile.