Shadow Chapter
Shadow:
So many things have happened in the past year and a few months.
One of those on the club side was the patching in of Dylan as a full club member.
He’d been so relieved and proud when he slipped on his new cut.
The rest of us had conferred with Wrath, and we all agreed on what Dylan’s road name should be.
It was all based on the Jalisa incident.
When he saw what his name was, Dylan had chuckled, shaken his head, and said, “I should’ve known. Thank you. I’ll wear this name with pride.”
All of us laughed and then congratulated our newest member, Troublemaker. Jalisa thought it was hysterically funny and appropriate. She teased him about it, earning her a Dutch rub on the top of her head.
Another club win was the publication of the personal ads for the single brothers.
Not everyone had done it, but those who wanted to had launched those the day after New Year’s Day.
They had let the old ladies draft and tweak their posts.
While there had been some pretty wild things that happened because of those ads, many of them unwanted, there had been one great win so far.
One of my brothers had found his old lady.
The others held out hope they’d find someone, even if they didn’t continue to run ads.
However, the biggest and best thing was in my personal life. It was meeting and claiming Cambria as mine. No matter the bumps we had in the beginning, we’d conquered them. She was safe and thriving as my wife. It was wild to think of her as my wife even now.
I almost burst with happiness and pride the day she walked down the aisle and took my name. As was our custom, Bear from Hunters Creek officiated. All the clubs had been invited. It had been a chaotic, wild weekend, yet I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
No one in the club knew that Cambria and I had started trying to have a baby at the beginning of the new year.
And we didn’t share our disappointment each month when she would have her period.
However, when we went to her OB/GYN appointment to see what might be causing it, if anything, we left in a daze and beyond ecstatic.
The news that she was pregnant was immediately shared that night at the clubhouse with our family. The congratulations had been deafening.
Fast forward to today. We were at Dr. Beale’s office again for Cambria’s monthly appointment.
She was three months along. I wanted June to get here.
We were waiting for the doctor to join us.
Cambria had been weighed, her vitals checked, and blood drawn from her.
All we had to do now was hear the heartbeat and see the doctor.
Last time, we heard it for the first time.
It had blown me away. I was eager to listen to it again.
A swift knock on the door had both of us calling out for whoever it was to enter. When the door opened, I was relieved to see Dr. Beale. She was smiling.
“Hello, you guys. It’s good to see you again. Are you ready to hear this baby’s heart?” She asked.
“We are,” I said first. Cambria nodded.
“Good, let’s get you ready.”
Within a minute or two, Cambria’s top was pushed up and her pants down, baring her still flat stomach, though I saw some softness to it.
The sonogram gel was applied. The machine was turned on, and then the wand was rubbed across her tummy.
It didn’t take long for Dr. Beale to home in on our little peanut.
She moved over it and clicked, taking measurements.
The doctor had explained what the tapping on the computer keyboard was last time.
Cambria and I let the strong heartbeat sink in.
“I know you both said last time, you weren’t sure if you wanted to know what sex the baby is. Are you still not interested in knowing? I ask because sometimes parents change their minds. It makes no difference to us or the care you get if you let it be a surprise.”
I glanced down at Cambria. She stared up at me. I saw her bite her bottom lip. She appeared torn.
“Cambria, do you want to know?” I had been wavering and leaning toward wanting to know, but I hadn’t told her that.
“Do you?” she countered.
“Truthfully, I’ve been reconsidering our decision. I’ve been thinking of the things we could buy ahead of time and the preparation we could make. But it’s not just my decision. Don’t do it just to please me,” I demanded.
“Shadow, I’ve been having the same second thoughts. And the more I see and the further along I get, the more I believe we should know. God, why is this such a hard decision?” She groaned.
Dr. Beale let us talk it through. She kept making her note entry. There was a brief period of back-and-forth until we reached our decision.
“Okay, Doc, we’re ready. Thanks for letting us debate. We want to know. Tell us what we’re having,” I asked eagerly. Cambria’s grip had tightened in mine. Dr. Beale smiled as she announced it.
“Congratulations, you two. You’re having a…boy!” She partially shouted the last.
I was stunned. I’d convinced myself it was a girl. And there was nothing wrong with it being one. All I cared about was having a baby with her. The knowledge that I was going to have a son was slowly sinking in. Or it was until Cambria burst into tears.
Leaning down, I cupped her face between my hands. “Twilight, what’s wrong? Are you disappointed?” I asked.
She gasped. “God, no, I’m not disappointed.
I’m thrilled. I’m going to have a mini-Shadow.
I didn’t care which we had, but I’m glad it’s a boy first. He can be a big brother to his younger siblings and help watch out for Pandora as well.
I love you, Shaine Creed.” She whispered my name so the doctor couldn’t hear it.
“I love you, too, Cambria Creed. Thank you for making me the happiest man in the world,” I whispered back.
Then we sealed our happiness with a kiss. I couldn’t wait to hold my son in my arms and see where the coming years would take us. As long as we were together, I knew we’d withstand anything thrown at us.
The End Until Title TBD: Book 3 of the Pagans Souls MC of Oconee-Coming 2026