26. Chapter 25
Clark
"You’re awake," I whisper as I gently run my finger over my husband’s jaw and my tired eyes tear up with relief seeing the color back in his stubbled cheeks, unlike yesterday.
I woke up then and found him acting like he hadn’t been shot.
Both my daughter and me sleeping on his chest, his arms were firmly around us, as if we were the ones who could disappear in an instant.
Getting that phone call from my brother, I thought I forgot how to breathe, but digging the bullet out of his chest… It felt like an out-of-body experience.
My mind wanted to fall apart while my body was on autopilot, but as soon as I’d finished what I had to do, something I never thought I’d have to do where my husband is concerned, I broke, and everything became a blur.
Lavender and her crap, Psycho, my brother, it all disappeared as my legs collapsed, and I’m pretty sure I blacked out because I don’t remember much except being told to get some sleep.
Miles hums, running his fingers through my hair and pressing his lips against my forehead then mumbles, "I’ve been up for over an hour, just watching you sleep."
I half-smile. “Creeper,” I whisper, and he chuckles, but he pulls me tighter into him as I choke, “Please don’t leave me…”
“You know club life is hard, buttercup,” he reminds me and I flinch, hating that I know this, and lean my forehead against his chin.
He says, “I can’t promise I’ll never get shot at again, or that I won’t put myself in the line of fire.
But I promise I’ll always try to come home to you and our daughter. ”
My bottom lip wobbles, and I squeeze my eyes tight as I choke, “And our baby,” causing him to stiffen.
"Baby?" he murmurs, pulling back to cup my cheek as his eyes search mine. My tears fall.
“It’s what I was doing when Crash called yesterday, and I was trying to get a hold of Belle. I was looking at the positive pregnancy test,” I admit, and his mouth parts in shock.
Belle finally messaged me back last night, asking about all the missed calls after my brother refused to answer her.
Her increased workload seems to be driving them apart and when I tried to explain about Miles, the men in the room suggested it was probably best not to tell my friend or my brother's girlfriend that my husband was shot.
She needs to be wearing a property patch first, a patch my brother has yet to order because they are not on the same page just yet.
“You’re pregnant? Miles asks carefully, and I swallow hard but nod.
“Apparently so,” I whisper, not breaking eye contact. “It isn’t just your daughter and me. It’s also our unborn child you need to come home to, Miles. I am telling you now, I cannot and will not bring your children up without you.”
“Buttercup,” he murmurs as he gently cups my cheek, but I shake my head.
“No, Miles,” I choke. “Yesterday was terrifying, and—and I can’t live without you.” He places his forehead against mine. My voice trembles as I continue, “You’re not just my brother’s best friend or the friend I grew up with. You’re the love of my life. You’re my everything…”
“Okay,” he whispers, “I’ll make sure I’m safe, I promise.”
“But you can’t promise that, Miles,” I choke, and he presses his lips against mine to stop me from saying anything more.
“I can, for you and our children,” he says, placing his hand on my stomach. He chokes. “Fuck, I can’t believe my plan worked…”
I melt before what he just said hits me. Hang on a second…
Love and happiness rush through me, but within seconds, a jolt of shock overtakes them—I rear back, raise a brow at my husband, who only grins widely as I ask, "What plan?"
Please don’t tell me he–
“You don’t check your birth control, do you, buttercup?” he says, breaking off my thoughts and I slowly close my eyes with realization.
I thought it had just failed, I had no idea he tampered with it.
“Miles,” I grit, trying my hardest not to hit him, especially considering he has a gun wound, “I’ve just started my training, you made it so I could start!”
He hums as he runs his fingers through my hair and murmurs, “Which you can still do.”
I scoff, pull out of his hold, and climb off the bed. He frowns but I ignore him, point at him, and say, “You’re a second-year resident. You can’t dictate your freaking hours and for the next year I’m supposed to be working my ass off, and yet you messed with my birth control?!”
He winces and confirms, “You’re pissed?”
He didn’t, I mean, what?!
“No shit!” I snap at the idiot, and he winces again then tries to move out of the bed, and I quickly snap, “One move, mister, and I will rip those stitches myself!”
He freezes and I turn swiftly and grab my cut. He sighs. “Where are you going, buttercup?”
“To take my anger out on a bitch before I hit you for making our life even more complicated!” I snap.
“Okay, one, I didn’t make our life complicated, I just helped to add to our family, we should have had three kids by now, buttercup. And two, there is no chance in hell you are going out there now!” he sighs and I twirl towards him, narrowing my eyes and he freezes.
“You want my anger, Miles?” I sneer.
He pauses, then says, “You know what? Have at it!”
I nod and mutter, “Thought so,” spin on my heels, and storm out of the medical room, muttering, “Damn man trapping me instead of at least waiting until I’ve completed my damn training, I hope it’s a fricking girl!”
I storm into the full common room, where thankfully there are no kids, and I look around the room before I find who I’m looking for.
Lavender stands in the corner, scowling at the brothers, her hair down, her makeup overly done, and wearing a skimpy top despite the time of day.
“Okay, time to get a confession…” I mutter, before I look around the room again and lock eyes with my brother, who raises a brow at me.
He took Willow to school today and has decided he’s picking her up and taking her to ballet, something she wasn’t keen on. Not because of Crash, but because Drew is on maternity leave and has hired someone to take over until she returns.
Drew managed to convince her that Ms. True was really good and that there was something about her being a spy for her to make sure Ms. True was sticking to the list…
“Hey sis,” Crash calls over everyone, and I smirk as a lot of eyes come my way, or more importantly, her eyes.
“What is she doing here?!” I hear Lavender demand, “She hit me, she should be banned!”
I scoff, “I was born into this club bitch, you came with your legs spread.”
Several coughs echo, the brothers trying to hold in their laughter while some eye me, sensing my anger and Cage frowns seeing this is more than Lavender.
Damn Miles!
“This isn’t your club anymore,” she says, and I raise a brow.
“Huh, and here I thought I lived behind the clubhouse, that my brother is an officer brother, my father is still an active brother,” I say, then smirk, “That my husband, my old man, is the VP, so if anything, it is you who tried stopping me from saving my husband who shouldn’t be here.”
“Old man, what –”
Her words cut off as I slowly turn, showing off my property patch before stopping before her, gripping the sides of my cut with a grin.
“How does it feel to know I’ll be raising your baby?
” I ask, my voice laced with anger and triumph.
The room goes silent, all eyes on a now red-faced Lavender.
I pause, feigning indifference. “Oh, sorry, my bad—you're not pregnant, are you? At least not with my husband's baby, because he’s never touched you. That lie was just to get me to leave him.” I step forward, gloating. “But here’s the thing, bitch, I tried to divorce him. You know what he did? He fought for me, refused the divorce, and your little plan backfired.” With a sigh, both amused and resigned, I add, “But your plans never do work out for you, do they? Because I was the one who got knocked up and forced to marry the VP instead of you.”
That last sentence does it.
She forgets about everyone in the room, and she screeches, “That should have been my daughter, I’m the one who drugged that glass, he should have been mine, not yours!”
Bingo!
“He would have been dead if I hadn’t had some of his drink bitch, because you overdosed his drink!
” I sneer and her face goes completely red before she screeches and outrage echoes in the room as she charges my way and I brace myself ready to punch her in the face needing to hit someone but a shot rings out behind me making me jump as I cover my ears and bend down slightly just as Lavender stops in her tracks, her eyes wide as blood drips from the middle of her forehead and I blink as she falls to the floor in a heap and several gasps echo.
She, I mean, I…
“I didn’t get to punch her,” I murmur more to myself as I stare at the now dead woman.
“You’ve already punched her once, buttercup,” my husband says from behind me, and every little muscle tenses inside me and even I can feel my face grow darker.
“Uh, brother,” Cage says while eyeing me and my stupid na?ve husband replies, “In a minute,” just as he asks, “Clark, did you really think I was going to let her attack you?”
“Yo Trick, did you know Lavender told your wife she was pregnant?” Killer asks, then adds, “And why in the fuck have you only just killed her now when she tried to interfere with your marriage?”
“And what? Have you all accuse me of putting the bitch down for my wife instead of realizing the shit she actually caused?” Miles snaps back, causing everyone in the room to tense and realize he still hasn’t forgiven them for not having his back, while Cage hasn’t stopped looking at me like I’m a wild animal about to pounce.
“Brother,” Cage says more forcefully, and Miles sighs, “Yes, Cage,” before I snap, “Miles White! You better not be standing right behind me when you’re supposed to be on bed rest!”
The room further tenses, a couple of ‘oh shit’s’ floating around the room.
“Uh, see you later guys,” Miles wisely says and ignoring all the eyes on me, keeping my eyes on the body.
I count to five, trying to convince myself not to kill my husband, trying to remind myself that I love him.
Then, the pregnancy test that is still on the bathroom counter comes to mind, and I’m still looking at a dead Lavender who I didn’t get to hit again.
Growling, I spin on the spot and then storm after my husband.
“Remember, Clark, you love him!” I hear my brother yell, and I grumble under my breath as I follow my husband back to the medical room.
“Damn stupid, stubborn biker that accuses women of being the trappers when he has trapped me!” I mumble as I storm into the room, slamming the door behind me for good measure.
“Buttercup?” he murmurs eyeing me as he tries to sit on the bed but winces and I growl before I stomp over to him then help him lie down.
I mumble all the torturous ways I’m going to make him pay for not only knocking me up on purpose and for getting out of bed when he isn’t supposed to. He wisely keeps his mouth shut.