Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 94313 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 472(@200wpm)___ 377(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94313 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 472(@200wpm)___ 377(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Her hand went unconsciously to her belly.
“I didn’t know then.”
“You knew at some point.”
“I didn’t think—” She paused. “We barely know each other.”
“So?”
“I would’ve told you eventually.”
“After you’d had it?” I asked flatly.
“Once I knew how to find you,” she murmured, looking out the window. “But I was more worried about telling my parents.”
“I’m sure that went over well.” I could only imagine how badly they’d reacted.
“Not really,” she replied seriously. “The next day my dad brought me out to the cabin.”
“The day after Thanksgiving,” I said knowingly.
“How did you know that?”
“My brother asked your sister.”
“Noel?” her head turned toward me sharply. “How is she? Is she okay?”
“Far as I know, she’s fine,” I replied quickly. “Missin’ you, though.”
“I miss her, too,” she said, leaning back tiredly against the seat. “I thought that I’d be excited when I finally didn’t have to share a room with her anymore, but I really miss her.”
I nodded and watched out the windshield as five bikes came into view headed toward us. Lifting my fingers off the steering wheel, I waved at them as they passed.
“Are those your friends?” she asked, looking at them through the back window.
“Brothers, yeah.”
“Brothers?”
“In the MC.”
“Oh, right,” she looked at my cut and shook her head. “I forgot your family was part of all that.”
“Not sure how,” I said with a chuckle. “Ain’t exactly hidin’ it.”
“Where are we going?”
“Back to the clubhouse,” I replied, glancing at her. “We’ll grab some food first, though. Anythin’ sound good?”
She rattled off a fast food place so quickly that I smiled.
“I’m hungry,” she said ruefully. “Which is weird because my stomach is one big knot.”
“Baby’s hungry,” I replied. The words felt weird coming out of my mouth and I cleared my throat.
“I guess so.”
“You—” My voice cracked and I felt my ears heat in embarrassment. “Uh, you know what you’re havin’ yet?”
Esther shook her head. “No, but I heard the heartbeat yesterday.”
There was something in her voice that made me tense. I wasn’t sure what it was, just that it wasn’t good.
“Everything’s good, though?”
“Yeah,” she said, nodding. She didn’t look at me. “I think so.”
“That’s good.”
We were mostly silent for the rest of the drive. Esther became more fidgety the closer we got to town and by the time we’d pulled into the drive-thru she was visibly nervous. Her eyes darted from one place to the next, wide and worried, and she didn’t calm down until we were on the highway headed back to the clubhouse.
“I’m not used to all the noise anymore,” she said around a bite of her breakfast sandwich.
“You’ve been at the cabin all that time?” I asked, trying to sound like the answer didn’t matter.
“Until yesterday,” she replied, nodding. “We came into town for the doctor’s appointment.”
“That’s right.”
“Oh, I’ve seen this before,” she said, leaning forward as we pulled up to the club’s gate. “I didn’t know this was where the motorcycle club is.” She looked at the sign. “It says it’s a mechanic shop.”
“Got one of those, too,” I said, rolling down my window. “It’s where I work.”
“Hey, man, I’ll get the gate,” the prospect called, coming out of the little shed behind the fence.
“Is he a guard?” she asked curiously. The prospect in question had so many piercings on his face that she was staring at him wide-eyed.
“He’s a prospect,” I clarified, jerking my chin in thanks as we rolled through the gate. “Wants to be a member, but he’s gotta go through a probation period first.”
“Oh,” she replied.
“Not sure who’s here,” I warned her as we drove up the driveway. “But there shouldn’t be that many people. You’re with me, so they’ll be cool.”
“Why wouldn’t they be?” she asked, looking over at me.
I forced a smile, but didn’t answer her.
I couldn’t understand how Esther still hadn’t fully grasped the situation we were in. She was protected because of her connection to me and the child she carried, but that was as far as her protection went. We’d found her with the goddamn stolen guns. No one was going to think that she’d orchestrated anything because they weren’t stupid, but her proximity to the people who had put her in a precarious fucking position.
I swallowed hard when we pulled into the forecourt and recognized the bikes that were lined up outside. Any chance of quietly ushering her into my parents’ room and keeping her there until we figured out what the fuck to do was gone. When my uncle Casper stepped outside to watch me park, I realized I had no time to even prepare her for what happened next.
If I was interpreting the group assembled correctly, she was going to have to run the gauntlet the minute we walked inside.
“Just tell the truth,” I said as I opened her door and helped her to the ground. “No bullshit.”