Chapter Thirty-FourAinsley
My three-day stay at the hospital was uneventful. I needed an IV for dehydration, and was given pain medications that wouldn’t harm my baby. Who, fortunately, had survived the ordeal. My little gift was a fighter, and the doctors predicted there’d be no long-term side effects from my beating or stint in the cage. They’d stressed that it’d been a miracle I hadn’t miscarried, giving me the perfect name for my child.
As a kid, I adored the Sims franchise, something Nova used to mock me for. When I entered college, I was unable to play the game as frequently, and I stopped entirely when Trinity was killed. But my years-long obsession meant I’d researched a fair number of names to bestow on the Sims I created within the game. Confined to a hospital bed, I had little else to do but watch TV and consider what I’d name my baby.
I’d settled on two—Mavisha for a girl, Bennett for a boy. Both meant miracle, with the former being of Arabic origin, and the latter being of Anglo-Saxon origin. Mavisha would have Nicolette as her middle name, while my son would have Bennett as a middle name, with his given name being Reese. I’d considered my son having my father’s name as a middle name—Cedrick—but decided I liked the ring of Reese Bennett better.
I would’ve loved to get Reese’s input, but unfortunately, both he and Roman made themselves scarce.
Each had visited only once. Yesterday afternoon, Roman came with a big bouquet and a teddy bear and apologized for his behavior. I’d forgiven him without a second thought, and he’d sworn we’d talk things over when I was released from the hospital. Last night, Reese brought flowers and chocolate. We hadn’t said much. At my request, he just crawled into my bed and held me. The intimacy immediately lifted my mood. His phone ringing interrupted our moment, and since it was Razor on the other end, he had to leave. His parting gift was a kiss, and a declaration of how overjoyed he was that I’d made it, how proud he was that I’d fought.
Just the thought made my heart flutter.
My steady stream of visitors included Ma Siller, Bolt, Tess, Big Poppa, Jinx, and Louisiana. Jinx said she’d decided to stay and refused to tell me what changed her mind.
Neither Roman nor Reese was available to bring me home, so on the day of my release, Tess and Big Poppa did the honors. I was itching to see the two most important men in my life. Reese had instructed me to go to Roman’s house. Surprising, but it seemed the two had settled their differences, which was all I ever wanted.
Big Poppa sat my things right inside the door, kissed my cheek, and went back to the car, while Tess hugged me tightly, promised to visit the next day and shooed me inside.
The moment I walked through the front door, a strong pair of arms engulfed me. I melted into Reese, savoring his scent and closeness. He buried his nose in my hair, inhaling deeply, which heated my cheeks.
“I stink,” I complained. Although I’d taken a quick shower this morning before my release, I wasn’t able to do my normal routine in the hospital. I didn’t have the body wash and hair products I used.
“You smell amazing,” he mumbled against me, sniffing again to prove a point. “I missed you so fucking much.”
“You saw me last night,” I reminded him, ignoring the butterflies fluttering in my stomach at his words. “A few hours ago.”
It was just his relief talking. As much as I wanted to be his, my kidnapping didn’t change the status of our relationship.
But boy, did I long for something more than the endless hot-and-cold.
I wouldn’t chase him, nor would I push him for more. That didn’t mean fantasies didn’t live in my head about us becoming something concrete, a unit that’d raise our baby together. But after seeing Chi Chi killed in front of me, and being beaten, starved, and held captive, I was forced to confront how short life was. I wouldn’t live the rest of my days in regret, wondering what could be with a man who didn’t want more.
The thought crushed me, but hey, it was what it was.
“Hours too long.” He punctuated his sentence with a kiss to my head.
He only pulled away when Roman cleared his throat. The sound drew my attention to him. Emotion overcame me when I took in my beloved brother’s presence, standing tall with prosthetic hands, his expression neutral, but his eyes filled with love and admiration. Best of all, he was alive, the rumors of his death fortunately false. A silly part of me wondered if his visit to the hospital had been a fever dream, something I hallucinated due to exhaustion and medication.
It wasn’t, and the giant smile on my face betrayed my joy.
“Hi,” I said simply, not knowing what else to say after a month of no contact.
He grinned, softening his features. “Hi,” he mimicked.
Reese placed a hand on my lower back and lightly pushed, encouraging me to go closer to my brother. I obeyed, and as soon as I was in arm’s length, Roman took his turn hugging me.
“I’m so goddamn sorry, Ainsley,” he said with feeling, repeating his words from the hospital. “I was such an asshole to you.”
“You were,” I agreed, just the memory of his anger cutting me. “But it wasn’t without cause.”
“Didn’t make it right,” he said with a sigh, releasing me from his hold and stepping back. He ran a hand through his hair, his curls flowing freely for once. “I wish I could take back what I said, but it’s too fucking late for that. Just know I regret my words. I’ll be the best damn uncle to your baby, and if you want Sinclair in your life, then you have my blessing.” He looked over my shoulder, pinning Reese with a hard stare. “Just don’t hurt her, or that’ll be your ass.”
I couldn’t help but giggle. He’d forever be overprotective.
“I won’t,” Reese vowed, making me look back at him, the hope blossoming within me a scary feeling. He shifted his focus to me. “I made some mistakes with you myself, sweetheart. But when you were taken…I…fuck, I thought I’d lost you, and I realized what a stupid motherfucker I’d been by pushing you away.”
“Understatement,” Roman whispered.
I shot him a glare over my shoulder. Seeing as he hadn’t been there for me, he didn’t have a damn thing to say.
“Can we have a moment alone, Roman?” I requested, knowing things would go smoother if he were absent.
“Let him stay,” Reese said, interrupting whatever reply my brother would’ve had. “I want him to hear what I’m about to say, so I have a witness to hold me to my promises.”
“Make sure you don’t make promises you can’t keep,” Roman warned, earning another nasty look.
“Your commentary isn’t needed,” I sniffed, crossing my arms over my chest.
He just shrugged. With an eyeroll, I looked back at Reese, my heart pounding in my ears as I waited to hear what he’d say next.
“I love you, Ainsley Valois,” he declared, stealing my breath away. “So damn much.”
Words eluded me, and I wondered if I’d heard him correctly.
“I want to make an honest woman out of you, to stop fucking around and do right by you. Maybe not now, but—”
“Before the baby is born,” Roman interjected.
Despite him being the one to insist Roman stay, annoyance flashed across his face.
“We’ll see,” I said quickly, my arms dropping to my sides. I gave Roman a pointed look. “I-I love you too, Reese, and I’d love a future with you. But I don’t want to rush things, or for you to feel obligated to marry me. I want to be a wife one day, but at our pace, not because of others’ expectations.”
At the big, goofy grin on his handsome face, I wondered if he heard a thing I said.
“You love me,” he repeated, as if he hadn’t been the one to say it first.
“You wouldn’t be standing here if she didn’t,” Roman said.
I whirled around to face him. “You have one more thing to say before I lose my goddamn mind, Roman. I love you, but please, be quiet right now.”
As happy as I was that we’d made up, he didn’t get to abandon me in my moment of need, then shit on the man who’d been there to protect me. Sure, Roman made up for his mistakes with the blood of those who’d wronged me, but it didn’t fully erase his initial reaction.
He’d earned my forgiveness, but forgetting would be another matter entirely.
Roman was silent for a moment. Then, he nodded, sighing as if the simple task pained him. “Fine. I have a phone call to make anyway about an important matter.”
He and Reese exchanged knowing looks.
My curiosity removed the shock I felt that Roman had actually given in, but he was gone before I questioned him.
“What was that about?”
Reese shrugged. “I’m not sure,” he said, though I suspected otherwise.
He navigated me to the living room couch. Once he sat down, he gripped my waist and pulled me onto his lap. I gasped and giggled at the bold move.
“The moment my brother leaves, you pounce,” I joke, relaxing against him.
“Can you blame me?” he quipped, settling his hands on my hips as I straddled him.
I had nothing inappropriate in mind, besides looking into his gorgeous eyes. Although, I’d be a lying heifer if I said the feel of his dick twitching to life didn’t send heat rushing through me.
“Did you mean what you said?” he questioned, caressing my sides, his gentle touch sending a shiver down my spine. “When you said you loved me?”
I nodded, leaning forward to nuzzle my nose against his. “Every word. Did you mean it?”
“Yes,” he said without a moment of hesitation. “When the assholes took you, I was out of my fucking mind with worry, and so much regret, I could hardly breathe. I’ve been a bastard to you, and I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up.”
I wondered if I was dreaming, because the declaration sounded absolutely perfect—almost too good to be true.
Without a second thought, I kissed him. He groaned, wrapping an arm around my waist to pull me closer. I took the opportunity to ease my tongue into his mouth, deepening the kiss and worsening my growing arousal. Only when his hand grabbed my ass did I remember Roman’s presence, and as much as it pained me, I pulled away panting.
“We’re going for a ride later,” I decided, needing to be truly alone with him to show exactly what he did to me and how much he meant to me.
“Any destination in mind?”
“Somewhere with a bed.”
He chuckled, though his eyes darkened at my brazen words. “That can be arranged.”
We fell silent, basking in each other’s presence, savoring the closeness. Reese spoke first.
“I don’t have a ring right now, and don’t know when I’d get one, so this isn’t a proposal,” he said, the clarification making my eyebrows raise. “But I wasn’t kidding when I said I want to make you my wife, Ainsley. I want our child to have my name, and I want my ring on your finger and a cut on your back, showing every motherfucker around that you’re mine.”
The thought of wearing a ‘Property of Reese,’ cut made me swoon. Not only would it show others I’m taken, but it’d be an official claim, a tangible sign of who I belonged to.
“I want that, too,” I breathed.
“Then you’ll have it,” he swore, the adoration in his eyes making me feel like the luckiest woman alive. “I’ll give you the moon, the stars, and anything else you want.”
“I never took you for a poet, Reese Sinclair,” I mused, threading my hands through his hair.
“You bring it out of me, baby.”
“Well, I can’t say I hate it,” I replied with a giggle, leaning down and kissing him again.
It was brief and chaste but still left me swooning.
In that moment, all the pain and chaos of the last several months faded, as did the thoughts of the torment I endured during my kidnapping. The tears, the fear, the sadness, the anger —none of it mattered because it’d led me and Reese to where we were: in love and planning a future together. My one night with the biker flipped my world on its head, and despite the ensuing madness, I wouldn’t have it any other way.