CHAPTER 4
ANDI
Yesterday at the salon, Joely helped teach me how to apply some makeup and even helped me pick out products for doing my makeup and for cleaning my skin, beyond the basic bar of gentle soap I’d been using.
My mother is a girly girl, but I never asked her about makeup because we were always so focused on riding and racing.
I didn’t even think she’d want to discuss it with me.
I learned about makeup from other girls on the circuit, and it wasn’t always very good.
So today, I did myself up, and I’m even wearing a dress.
Callum keeps trying to get my attention. I know calling him Cowboy in front of his friends didn’t go over so well. He was the one who said we’re supposed to hide our relationship. Using his real name would clue his friends in to what’s going on. I called him by his road name and then walked away.
When Butcher came over to talk to me, Callum rushed over and dragged him off. I’m not going to keep up with this very much longer. Thank goodness Leticia, Lia’s restaurant manager, distracts me from going after him.
“They’re here,” Leticia says.
Callum moves to stand near me, but I walk across the room to Lennox to get away from him.
“Congratulations,” everyone yells.
I watch as Lia puts a hand to her mouth, trying to hold back tears.
Her hormones are raging, and on top of that, she struggles with the fact that her parents are gone.
Her father was killed when he attacked her, and her mother was murdered.
Our grandparents are gone too, and my mother and Lia aren’t very close.
This is her family now. I look around. Some of her staff is here, and so are the club members, even those with ol’ ladies.
I want this. My own family only wants me around for the accolades.
“Who’s manning the Roadhouse?” Lia jokes with Leticia and Alessa.
“Don’t worry about it. I have it taken care of.” Leticia hands her a gift. “You need to focus on you and those babies.”
Lia goes to sit in the chair offered to her. She stops abruptly and glances down before looking back up at Striker.
“My water just broke,” she announces.
“It’s too soon,” he says, panic rising in his voice.
We all chuckle, and Leticia, who used to be an ER nurse, helps calm her while I walk over and take her hand.
Striker is barking orders but also insisting it’s too soon.
They’d been warned the boys could come early.
I’m there with them because she wants me to be with her and Striker so I can keep Jude updated, and because she said I’m going to be one of the babies’ godmothers.
They said we’ll decide which after the boys are born, an honor that still humbles me.
I toss my keys to Lennox, and she heads for the exit but is stopped by Jumper.
I trust her with my truck. Callum is trying to get my attention again, but I ignore him.
I’m not ready to confront him about my feelings or how he’s been acting today, because I won’t be quiet, and people will wonder what’s going on.
I climb into the driver’s seat of Lia’s new SUV.
Striker got it for her after hers was destroyed.
He helps his wife into the back seat and climbs in beside her.
Leticia is in the passenger seat, timing the contractions, while Striker tries to tell me how to drive.
I stifle a laugh and wonder what Callum would be like if I ever got pregnant.
The thought makes my heart ache instantly, so I focus on the road.
I pull up to the ER entrance and get out with them.
Leticia quickly gives me the information to pass along to the nurses checking Lia in.
Once we’re settled into a room on the maternity floor, I text Jude to give him an update.
He replies that he’s getting a ride from one of the guys and will be here soon.
Cowboy
Walking around the clubhouse, I stare down any man who looks at my girl.
I’m just glad Striker hasn’t shown up yet.
This is a surprise baby shower for Amelia.
Several of the ladies she works with are here, plus a few friends.
But it’s the guys checking out Andi who have me pissed off.
She and her friend Lennox showed up early to help set up.
Andi cut off her hair to a length between her shoulders and breasts, giving it a sassy bounce that looks lighter and beautiful.
She’s wearing makeup I didn’t notice before, but the worst of all is her outfit.
My sexy little nymph is in a mini denim dress with long puffy sleeves.
She’s wearing fringed cowboy boots, and the dress accentuates her small waist and sexy boobs.
I want to take her into the corner and bury myself deep inside her.
She’s avoiding me, and I hate it. I know I said we need to keep our relationship on the down-low, but I’m regretting that now.
The moment she calls me Cowboy, I about lose my shit and break our secret.
The only reason I wanted to keep our relationship hidden is because I still haven’t talked to Striker about being with her.
I want to ask him properly so there are no issues.
He did say he’d kill any club member who hooked up with her, but I have so much more than hooking up in mind with Andi.
I took her without a condom, and I plan to get her pregnant, just like Striker did with Amelia.
I want her to wear my patch on her back and my ring on her finger.
I haven’t told her that yet because I don’t want to scare her off. I don’t know why she’s avoiding me. When we parted yesterday, she seemed okay, but now I wonder if she really is.
As soon as Amelia announces that her water broke, everything turns to chaos.
I can’t get to Andi, and I watch as she gets in the car and heads out with them like it was all planned.
Gambit is trying to find someone to take Jude to the hospital, and that’s when I decide I’ll help out so I can get to my girl and corner her.
She can’t be that focused. Deliveries take a long time, right? That’s what I’ve heard.
“I’ll take him to the hospital,” I pipe up, and all the guys turn to look at me.
Those who saw me the other night after Andi ran out know exactly what I’m up to, I think, but the others just stare at me like I grew a second head. Okay, so I’m not always the most helpful when it comes to the ol’ ladies.
“What? I got my truck outside. It’ll be fine,” I assure them.
Jude nods, not really caring. The kid is a mini Striker. He’s going to be taller than his dad if he keeps growing like this. He’s texting on his phone.
“Andi said they’re in a room now and the doctor is on her way.”
“Get the room number and tell them we got you a ride,” I tell him.
Hopefully, he doesn’t tell Andi it’s me giving him a ride.
I don’t want her to run before I get there.
The good thing is I know where her dorm is now, and I’ll get to her.
I still haven’t gotten her phone number.
I need to do that. I should have gotten it from her on Friday, but I was so focused on her.
“I can give him a ride if you don’t want to. I don’t know how to get there, but I’ll figure it out,” Lennox offers.
“No, little one, let Cowboy do it,” Jumper says, and I look between them. I should question him about her, but I need to focus on my girl instead.
Jude and I head out to my truck, and he climbs into the passenger seat.
“This is an old truck,” he says as he takes in the interior of my 1975 Ford pickup.
“Yep. It was my grandfather’s. I fixed it up and been driving it since.”
“Oh, you can’t afford something new?”
I whip my head toward the kid, then shake it back and forth.
“It’s a classic, kid. Yes, I can afford a newer truck, but why should I spend the money when this one runs great?”
“Because you’re putting mileage on it and it devalues it.”
“Oh, okay. I thought you were going to talk down about my truck.”
“No, it’s a classic, like you said. Dad says you should baby your classics and only drive them when necessary. He has a classic Wagoneer he doesn’t drive anymore, now that he’s got the new, bigger SUV.”
“Yeah, I guess I could do that, but right now I’m trying to decide if I want to buy a place of my own or not.”
“There are a few houses in our neighborhood. One even has a barn for horses.”
“Really? I’ll have to check it out.” I haven’t thought about settling down until now, until Andi.
We arrive at the hospital and head up to the maternity floor, where the nurses show us to the waiting room. Jude texts Andi that we’re here. When she comes to meet us, I sit back and smile smugly. She didn’t expect me.
“Hey, kiddo. Your mama is doing well, and so are your baby brothers. They gave her something to boost their lungs, but with the way the delivery is progressing, they might come too quick for it to kick in. Your dad is a different story. They might call security if he doesn’t calm down.
” She laughs. “The doctor just got here. They’ve decided to go ahead and let Lia and the boys come naturally.
If anything changes, I’ll come out and let you know.
Leticia is with them for a bit and will be out to sit with you soon. ”
“Does Mom need to send Dad out here?”
“No. She told him to buckle up and pull up his big boy panties. He shut up and is only growling a little bit.” They both laugh, then she turns to me. “You can leave if you want. Like I said, Leticia will wait with him.”
“Nope. I’m staying to give you and the kiddo a ride home if necessary.”
“Oh, I can call Lennox and have her come get me.”
“No can do. She said she didn’t know where the hospital is.”
“Oh.” She pauses, and I can tell she’s trying to come up with another excuse.
“Andi, I’m your ride. I’ll take Jude wherever he needs to go too.”
She bites her lip, and I want to pull her into me. I grip the chair to keep from grabbing her and biting those lips myself.
“I’m staying with Jude until they get out of the hospital.”
“I got you.”
She nods and walks out of the room. A few moments later, Leticia steps in and starts making several phone calls, giving people updates and checking on the restaurant. She’s so focused on her phone, and Jude is playing on his, that I decide to take a walk.
I pass the nursery, where only a few babies lie in their beds behind the glass.
I didn’t know they still did this for kiddos.
Further back, I notice a couple of babies in a secure area, resting in special incubator beds.
Striker and Amelia’s babies are early. I hope they won’t have to be in one of those.
I’m watching the babies and thinking of Andi when I hear her laugh. I turn to see her with a nurse, and they pause in front of me.
“Keighley, this is Cowboy. He’s a friend of Striker’s.”
“We might need you to hold him down while we sedate him.” Keighley laughs as she walks off, leaving me with Andi.
I look up and down the hallway, then grab her hand and pull her into an empty room.
“Callum, stop. I need to get back to Lia.”
“Just you wait, nymph,” I growl as I drag her further into the room. When I have her where I want, I lift her up and press her into the wall at her back. “You don’t call me Cowboy. You got that?” I lean in for a kiss, but she covers her lips. “What the fuck?”
“I need to know a few things before you kiss me and scramble my mind,” she says.
I love that she’s not afraid of me and that she’s honest about how I make her feel.
“Do you have a club bunny or an ol’ lady you’re hiding me from?
Why do you really want to keep us a secret?
And don’t give me that club business bullshit.
” Her words are mumbled behind her hand, and I scoff, shaking my head.
I pull her hand away and lean in to kiss her softly. “You are the only woman I’ve sunk my cock into since I moved to Eastport, and that’s been a year now.” I kiss her again, then nibble her lip before releasing it. “I don’t have an ol’ lady yet. When I do, you’ll be the first to know.”
This time I kiss her long and deep. Her arms wrap around me and hold me close. When I lift my head, she’s panting hard.
“I want to talk to Striker. I want his blessing to pursue you before he finds out I screwed up and fell for you before I knew who you were. If he finds out I disrespected your virginity the way I did, he’d kill me.
I took you without a condom. You could be walking around with my kid in you right now.
” The thought of her round with my baby does crazy shit to me.
“Really?” She sighs, leaning into me and kissing my neck. “Oh, I can’t get pregnant. I’m on birth control. So don’t worry.”
“Nymph, I keep telling you you’re special to me. I hate that you doubt that, and wish I could kick whoever’s ass told you that you weren’t special.” I try to ignore the fact that she’s on birth control.
I kiss her again until her phone pings, interrupting us.
“I need to get back.” She pulls away.
“Wait. I need your number.” I take her phone and dial my number so I have hers. “I’ll message you back.”
“Okay.” She gives me a dopey smile before exiting the room.
I have to adjust myself before I head out. When I return to the waiting room, nothing much has changed. Both Jude and Leticia are still on their phones. I sit down and text Andi.
Me
Put me in your phone, nymph.
Nymph
Done. I gotta help. Baby A is coming.
I don’t share the news with Jude or Leticia, so no one clues in that I’m texting Andi. I pull up the real estate app to check out the house Jude mentioned.
Another couple of hours pass before Andi finally returns. She looks exhausted but has a huge smile on her face.
“Both babies are here. They’re heading to the NICU to be checked over before you can see them. Striker went with them. You could walk over and watch them through the glass if you want. Cowboy, you can do that, right?”
My nerves grate at her using my road name again, but I know why she’s doing it. I need to talk to Striker soon.
“I have to get back.” She walks out without saying more, and I show Jude to the nursery.
Striker stands there in a gown while they evaluate his babies. He turns to Jude with a dumb grin on his face and points at the boys.
Leaning back against the wall, I google ways to make birth control fail. I need to tie Andi to me in every way.