Chapter Twenty-One
Lockdown was not going away, however, there would be certain privileges. Business still had to keep moving, so Warden made sure there were men covering the diner. Petal knew they had plenty of other businesses to take care of, but she and Rosalie were able to reopen the diner, which was great. Their old customers were more than happy to be back. Tanya went back to the DIY store and kept working for them full time as well.
The club was doing what the club did best, but she also knew they were doing it with caution.
At the end of every day, they had to return to the clubhouse, no exceptions. Tanya tried to argue that her life wasn’t part of the club, but after hearing that phone call, Petal knew there was no way anyone associated with the club would be okay.
Fritz, the guy she helped transport to the hospital, finally made it home. Not that she saw him that often. She didn’t know what he did with his spare time, but it wasn’t to join in with most of the club activities.
On the day he arrived home, she saw how everyone looked. Every member of the club looked guilty. They blamed themselves for something they had no control over, and she felt bad for that. She wished there was something she could say or do to make it right, but there was absolutely nothing.
Petal wasn’t sure how much time had passed with them going about their daily lives. She had a horrible feeling Daemon’s brother was enjoying this far too much. Rosalie’s panic attacks kept coming. They went to visit Gabrielle just the other day, and it was like the whole world came crashing down on her best friend. They knew the worst wasn’t over.
In other good news, Colt’s house had been given the green light to be rebuilt, and that was what the club was focusing on. They were helping Colt build that house.
She and Dirty were engaged and the club had a celebration for the news. They hadn’t talked about a wedding nor what was going to happen after.
“Are you okay?”
Tanya asked.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,”
Petal said.
The last of the customers had already left, and in her pocket was a very precious stick. A pregnancy test stick. A positive pregnancy test kit. It didn’t come as a surprise to her that she was pregnant. She and Dirty hadn’t exactly been careful when it came to sex, and seeing as last time she’d gotten pregnant by accident, this one didn’t quite feel like an accident. This one felt like it was on purpose.
Tanya had been acting rather strangely today. She was constantly looking at the clock. The club had been doing their best to take care of Leanna. She was already heading back to school, and it would seem the little girl loved to have the bikers come and pick her up. She tried to allow Tanya as much time off as possible, but if it wasn’t the busyness of the diner, she was then working at the DIY store.
Life was moving by so fast. Petal couldn’t even remember how long lockdown had been. Well, partial lockdown.
Daemon’s brother hadn’t attacked for a few weeks. Everyone knew it was just a matter of time. Fritz didn’t have any other information about Daemon and his brother’s past. Not about Diablo. Everything was based on rumor and his connections to the mafia, which again formed a big blank.
“How are you?”
she asked.
“Oh, you know, tired. Always so freaking tired,”
Tanya said. “Not going to lie, miss my house and miss my space. That was something I never thought possible.”
Petal nodded. It was dark outside.
She spotted the two bikes and already knew they were going to be Horror and Brow. The men changed depending on the time of day. Today was an early day. It was Sunday, and the diner still opened as they had a lot of people who wanted to eat and not cook.
She was stalling. That pregnancy test stick was making her feel so sick. Really sick. Sicker than she would have liked to admit. She felt tense, clammy.
“I guess we better head back.”
“I know you said you’re all right, but I’ve got to ask if you’re sure?”
Petal laughed. “Yeah, yeah, just … bad memories is all. Come on, let’s head out.”
She watched as Tanya glanced down at her watch.
“What about you? Are you sure everything is okay?”
“Yep, yep, totally fine. This watch has been on the blink for some time and I just like to keep checking it.”
Petal didn’t believe her, but they left the diner together and locked the doors. She always felt each time she locked up the place, there was going to come a day when it would be burned to the ground, much like Colt’s home. She tried not to get too attached but that was also difficult.
She knew Colt and Rosalie missed their home, and Rosalie was fast getting close to her due date as well. Her best friend looked amazing, but the stress of Diablo was starting to wear her down. The doctor had to be called several times, and she knew it wasn’t good for the baby or for Mommy.
She waved at the men and climbed into the car. She turned over the ignition as Tanya climbed in beside her.
The drive back to the clubhouse was a quiet one. Petal was too focused on that pregnancy test stick. The sickness swirled in her gut. What if Dirty didn’t want to have kids? What if his proposal had all been a lie? Kids were a big deal, especially during lockdown. Was this all moving too fast?
Petal was not done with her panicking as they arrived at the clubhouse, and something seemed different.
“You have to go through the main entrance,”
Tanya said.
Before she could say anything, she ran around the back, and Petal saw there were a lot of lights glowing from that general direction. She wasn’t sure what was going on with Tanya.
The guys arrived at the clubhouse but Petal was freezing cold, so she made her way inside, hoping to find Dirty alone.
This was even more of a surprise. Dirty was alone, inside the main clubhouse, and what was more, that man was dressed in a tuxedo, and beside him stood a wrapped garment.
“Dirty?”
Petal asked, and she felt like she had to pinch herself, which she tried to do subtly.
“Surprise,” he said.
“What’s going on?”
“You once told me you never planned anything, and I know we’re never going to find the time to make this work, so this is me, standing before you, attempting to make it work. I want to marry you, Petal, and I got the club set up, and there’s a priest, and he’s ready to marry us. All you’ve got to do is say the words.”
“You’ve … got everything ready to marry me?”
Dirty nodded. “I know everything is going wrong, and I get it, but I love you, Petal. I love you more than anything in the world. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
She smiled at him but then she felt the stick in her pocket and knew she had to ask him first.
“I got you the wedding dress. Rosalie said you admired it when you were picking out dresses for her. I’m not going to look. Rosalie picked it up with Colt.”
“Wait,”
Petal said.
“What?”
She reached into her pocket. “Dirty, I’m pregnant. We’re going to have a baby.”
She was going to throw up, but Dirty, unlike last time, wrapped his arms around her, laughed, kissed her lips, and shouted at the top of his lungs, “I’m going to be a daddy!”
This was not the reaction she was expecting.
“We’re going to be parents, Petal. You and me. We’re going to make this work, and I promise you, I’m not going to mess up again. I’m going to make it work. We’ve got this, baby. You and me, we’ve got this.”
Petal couldn’t believe it. She couldn’t recall ever feeling this happy.
“Will you marry me?”
Dirty asked.
“Yes, yes, I’ll marry you.”
He pulled her in close and kissed her hard. “Then I’ll be waiting for you. I’ll always be waiting for you.”
She watched him leave and then Rosalie stepped into the room. Her friend let out a little squeal.
“You’re pregnant?”
Rosalie asked.
“You helped with all of this?”
“Duh, I know you, and I know you’d want to wait for the perfect time, but guess what, there is no perfect time. There is just now, and besides, Dirty told me how much he loved you, and how he wanted this to be as perfect as could be. We all know, Petal, that life is not … it’s not … we have to make the most of what life throws at us, and we all know life doesn’t always hand us what we think we want. We’ve got to make the most of it.”
Petal smiled as Rosalie helped her strip out of her uniform and slide on the wedding dress. It was a little on the tight side, but Petal felt so pretty.
Rosalie reached around the back and tugged out the clip that was in her hair and stepped back. “I don’t have any makeup.”
“It doesn’t matter. I feel pretty and I’m so happy. This is what I want. I want Dirty. He’s the love of my life.”
She felt tears fill her eyes.
“Don’t cry,”
Rosalie said. “Otherwise, I will cry. I wish my mom was here.”
“So do I.”
There was a sudden throat clearing and Petal looked up to see her father. “Dad.”
“Hey, Sweetheart,” he said.
“What are you doing here?”
“You don’t think you’d get away with marrying the love of your life and your whole family wouldn’t come to see that happening. Your mother is keeping control of the kids, George is here, and well, we’re all here for you.”
Petal held onto her father, and she truly couldn’t believe her family was here. Looking over her shoulder she mouthed the words to Rosalie, “Is it safe?”
Her best friend gave her a thumbs-up.
“Are you ready?”
her dad asked.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m ready.”
Petal swiped at her eyes, thankful the tears had yet to fall. She could do this. This was a piece of cake.
They stepped through the doors, and she focused on Dirty. He was the unexpected love of her life. She couldn’t help but flash through the memories she had with him. Being on that cruise ship with Gabrielle and Kim. His constant company, which at first was unwelcome, and then something she began to look forward to. The way he took her cell phone from her and told her she had to focus on him. Their first time together, how scared he looked, that soon turned into something else.
There was so much they had shared in such a short amount of time—good and bad—and yet, as she walked down to him, she knew this was what she wanted.
Dirty was her man, just as she belonged to him.