32. Chapter Thirty-Two
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
ORA
Sarah is in the room with Rome when I arrive the next morning. She’s holding his hand and feeding him some sob story.
I’ve honestly had enough of the woman.
“You’ve never referred to me as your stepdaughter before this,” I hear her telling him. “What, just because you find out you have a biological daughter, you’re throwing me away?”
“I haven’t seen you or barely heard from you in five years,” he reminds her with more patience than I could dream of mustering in this moment. “I loved your mom, and I will always be here for you, Sarah, but things have changed.”
“You’re the one who told me to come and visit!”
And shit, if that fact doesn’t hurt.
“That was a mistake,” Rome admits, his jaw tensing. “I fucked up. I shouldn’t have contacted you, and I’m sorry I did.”
“You asked me to come, and now you won’t even let me stay in the clubhouse,” she cries out. “And War won’t speak to me. He wants nothing to do with me.”
Rome pats her hand and pulls her back to his lap. “You should sign the divorce papers, take half of the house money, and head back home.”
“I’m not signing anything,” she pouts.
“Sarah. If you ever cared about War, you need to let him move on and be happy.”
She goes silent.
I decide to leave them alone and go sit with Lore in the waiting room. War had to leave to speak with Suit, so Lore offered to take me. Not on his bike, though. When I suggested that, Lore acted like I’d asked him to get on his knees for me. Apparently, I can only ride on War’s bike, and I’m not going to lie, I like that.
“Is he asleep?” Lore asks, frowning.
“Sarah’s in there,” I explain.
Violet eyes soften on me. “Come here, darlin’. Talk to me. I know you have a lot on your chest.”
A laugh bursts out of me. “You didn’t just say that.”
“I did. You have huge tits. They are nice, the size of my head. Some men like a handful, but War obviously likes a head full.” He looks down at my tits and winks.
“You’re an idiot.”
“Hey, I made you laugh, didn’t I?” He smirks, then wraps me in his arms and kisses the top of my head. “You know, I never liked that bitch.”
I grin.
Lore might not take anything too seriously, but he knows how to cheer up a woman. “You never tried to steal her from War?”
“Fuck no, he could keep that one,” he replies without missing a beat, making me laugh harder. “You can tell when a woman is crazy and cunning. It’s all in the eyes.”
“You fuck crazy all the time,” I reply, thinking about Daisy.
“There’s a crazy-to-hot ratio. I’ll draw you up a chart sometime.”
“A chart?” I repeat, lifting my head to look at him. “You are something else, you know that?”
“Thank you, darlin’.”
“So, how do you think Rome is going to take the fact that he’s going to be a grandfather?” I ask, and when Lore’s violet eyes widen comically, I realize I haven’t even told him yet. “Oh yeah, I’m pregnant. War, Jr. is on the way. The next generation of Serpents.”
“You’re pregnant, and you asked to go on my bike? Are you trying to have me killed?” he mutters but then flashes me a panty-dropping smile. “No wonder you’ve been so moody. Fuck, imagine how much bigger your tits are going to get now!”
He yelps when I pinch the inside of his elbow. “Lore, I have to admit something.”
“If you’re in love with me and War. It’s a little late now to admit that,” he smirks, looking down at my stomach. “Although I’ve never slept with a pregnant woman.”
“No. We snooped through your drawers and saw your sex toy stash.”
His wolfish smile is slowly spreading. “And what did you think? Lu and Xanthe interested? I could show them both a good time. I’m amazing at multitasking.” He curls his fingers in a come-here motion while flicking his tongue at the same time.
My nose wrinkles. “You have something wrong with you, you know that?”
“Not that I know of,” he replies with a straight face. “Although my mother did say she dropped me on the head as a baby.”
“That explains a lot.”
He grabs me in a gentle yet firm headlock and holds me in place. “I’m going to be an uncle.”
I melt into him. “Yeah, I guess you are.”
He nuzzles me. “You are the gift that keeps on giving, and you don’t have to worry about me hitting on you anymore. I don’t date women with kids.”
“You don’t date, period. You fuck,” I point out.
He smirks.
We see Sarah stomp out of Rome’s room, heading in the opposite direction, and Lore lets go of me. “Go tell your daddy the good news.”
“Probably give him a heart attack,” I mutter, and Lore barks out a hearty laugh.
Stepping into the room, I take it in before bringing my eyes to Rome.
I’m still angry at him, but seeing him in the hospital bed makes it harder for me to vent that anger. “Hey,” I murmur, sitting down next to him. “How are you feeling?”
“Sore,” he admits, wincing when he moves to sit up. “But I’m fine. I’ll be out in a few days. How’s things back at the clubhouse?”
“Good,” I reply, licking my suddenly dry lips. “Why did you ask Sarah to come back here, knowing how much it would hurt me? You have to know that was an asshole move.”
“Straight to the point,” he mutters under his breath, scrubbing his hand over his face. “I’m sorry, Ora. I was a selfish asshole. I didn’t think War was good enough for you. I thought Sarah coming would?—”
“Break us up,” I answer for him, clenching my teeth. “War is your VP. I don’t understand why you don’t think he’s enough for me. Firstly, I’m a grown woman, and it’s none of your business, and secondly, I’m pregnant with his child, so you better accept him soon if you want to be in my child’s life.”
“You’re pregnant?” he asks, swallowing hard.
I nod. “Six weeks, I think. I have an appointment with a doctor tomorrow.”
“Seeing War and how he protected you yesterday… that’s all I could ever want for you, Ora. I know I messed up, and I hope you can forgive me.”
“No more throwing Scorp at me?”
He chuckles, his eyes crinkling. “No. I didn’t want you with any of my men, if I’m being honest. I told them all to stay away from you. But at least Scorp is a doc?—”
“Dad!”
“I know, Ora. But if War hurts you, we’re going to be short a VP.”
“I know he’s not perfect, and he kept things from me. I’m still upset about all of that. But it’s between me and him. I can handle myself, Dad. I promise.”
He clears his throat, looking away and blinking quickly. “Hearing you call me that, I can die a happy man now.”
“You’re not going anywhere,” I say, kissing him on his cheek. “I need a babysitter, and you’re the only family I have left.”
“The way the club protected you, you know better than that. All those men would die for you, Ora,” he replies, winking at me. “And they will do the same for your child.”
“Even Ghost?” I ask.
Rome laughs and then winces from the pain. “Yeah, even Ghost. He might be unhinged, but he’s loyal to the club. There’s no one else you’d want at your back.” He pauses, sobering. “If I didn’t bring Sarah back, you wouldn’t have run. I put you and the baby in danger.”
“I won’t say it’s okay because it’s not. I’m not a pawn on your chessboard that you can move around as you see fit. I know you’re used to being in control, and you have a team of men at your disposal, not to mention women who will do anything to have you, but I’m your daughter, and we’re only just getting to know each other. You can’t control me, and you need to stop trying because it will only push me away.”
“No, sweetheart, you aren’t just a pawn. You are the queen.”