Farrah
I’d never been the overly emotional type. Angry, perhaps. But not the type of woman who wanted to cry when she became stressed or tired. I felt out of sorts. It had been two weeks since I’d been kidnapped, and no one seemed to know anything. Seemed like a good enough reason to not feel like myself, but I needed someone to talk to. I didn’t know what my dad had told my mom, so I didn’t dare call and talk to her. The last thing I wanted was to cause trouble between them, and if I said something to contradict whatever Daddy had been saying, all hell would break loose.
My sister was also out. She had a big mouth and couldn’t keep anything to herself. I had a few friends. I wouldn’t consider them the sort I’d share secrets with, which meant I had no one. Unless I opened up to the Devil’s Fury old ladies. I didn’t know them. Even though a few had introduced themselves, I had no idea if I could trust them not to run blabbing to Demon.
I scrubbed the kitchen counter for probably the twentieth time and threw the sponge into the sink. There wasn’t a single spot in the house I hadn’t cleaned. Demon was off on club business. My dad and grandpa were still hanging around, but they were apparently too busy to be here today. With them, and Demon, MIA I had to wonder if something had come up pertaining to my kidnapping. Had they found out something new?
I’d peeked out the front window earlier and noticed a Prospect lurking outside. Every time Demon left the house, he made sure someone was nearby in case I needed anything. At least, he’d said that was the reason. Now I had to wonder if maybe he was concerned for my safety instead? Surely he didn’t think I was in danger in his house? I knew things had gone badly not too long ago with the Hades Abyss MC and the gates to their compound had been blown off, from what I’d overheard, but it didn’t seem to be the norm. I couldn’t remember too much trouble when I was growing up. Then again, my dad was good at hiding stuff from the kids, so it was possible trouble had come knocking plenty of times and I’d just never been aware of it.
A knock sounded at the front door and I hurried to answer. I knew the Prospect out front wouldn’t let anyone past who wasn’t permitted in Demon’s house. I threw open the door and blinked at the man on the steps. We hadn’t met before, but he had on a Devil’s Fury cut. Stitches was on the front.
“Demon asked me to stop by and make sure you were okay,” the man said.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” I asked.
“He said you were a little, um…” The man rocked back on his heels. “Snippy?”
In other words, he’d said I was being a bitch. I should have been offended, except he was right. I was being bitchy and I didn’t even know why. I stepped back, letting Stitches into the house. It was only then I noticed a bag clutched in his hand.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“A few medical supplies. I was a medic in the Army and I’m a licensed EMT.” He set the bag down. “I only brought it as a precaution. Demon said you’d seemed off and it concerned him.”
“I’m fine. I think it’s been a stressful few weeks and maybe it’s getting to me.”
“Mind answering a few questions?” Stitches asked.
“I guess that’s okay,” I said.
“Have you been running a fever?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“Any aches anywhere?” he asked.
“No. I feel a little off, but not like I’m sick.”
He cleared his throat and glanced away for a moment. “My next question might embarrass you a little.”
“Do you honestly think I’ve been in Demon’s house for weeks and we haven’t had sex?” I asked.
He nearly choked trying to hold back his laughter. “Wasn’t my question but it does lead up to it nicely. When did you last have your period?”
My brow furrowed as I thought about it and realized I had no idea. I did try to keep track using the calendar on my phone. I pulled it from my pocket and opened the app, then scrolled back a month.
“About five weeks ago.” Five. Weeks. More than a month. Three weeks before I’d slept with Demon the first time. Shit. I looked at Stitches and realized he was pulling something from his bag. When he handed me two pregnancy tests, I bit my lip and contemplated what this meant for me.
“Go take both,” he said. “We’ll figure things out after you get the results. Only takes a few minutes.”
I gripped the two boxes and carried them to the hall bathroom. When I shut the door, I twisted the lock. I didn’t think Stitches would come barging in, but the idea of me being pregnant had me rattled. I read the instructions and took both tests, setting the little sticks on the bathroom counter while I washed my hands. I noticed they were shaking and it felt like my heart was racing.
Secretly, I hoped they were negative. I didn’t know a damn thing about being a mother. Honestly, I didn’t know if I wanted to be one. Not right this moment. Someday I’d wanted to be a wife and mother, have children under foot. I’d thought I had my entire life ahead of me. Time to have fun, see the world a bit. Things were changing too fast. I watched in horror as one of them flashed a plus sign and the other showed two lines. Both were positive. I staggered back and hit the wall, sliding down it to the floor.
The doorknob rattled and Stitches yelled at me through it, but I couldn’t make out what he said over the buzzing in my ears. Pregnant. Me. I was going to have a baby. Maybe it shouldn’t be so surprising, but… I gasped, trying to draw in air. It felt like my lungs were starving and spots swirled across my vision. A loud crack sounded right before Stitches came tumbling into the room, the door broken.
“Farrah! What’s wrong?” He knelt next to me, taking my pulse.
“P-pregnant.” I sucked in more air. “Can’t breathe.”
“Come on. Let’s get you up and out of this room.” He lifted me to my feet, put his arm around my shoulders, and led me back to the living room. He eased me down onto the couch and walked off only to return with a bottle of water. “Sip this.”
“I can’t be pregnant. I can’t.” I shook my head feeling like my world was unraveling. “I don’t know how to do this.”
He reached out and squeezed my shoulder. “Want me to call Demon? Or your dad?”
Oh, shit. My dad. My chest started to hurt and I rubbed it absently. “Not Daddy. Not Demon.”
“Then I’m calling Bull.” He moved away and pulled out his phone. I heard the low murmur of his voice, but I couldn’t focus on what he was saying. “Your grandpa will be here in a minute. Just stay calm, Farrah.”
Calm. Right. A little human was growing inside me, someone I’d be responsible for the next eighteen years, and he wanted me to be… calm. Sure. Piece of cake. It wasn’t like my entire life hadn’t been turned upside down. I was still adjusting to being Demon’s old lady. Now I had to figure out how to be a mom.
I heard the tread of my grandpa’s boots, then his arms were around me. As his scent surrounded me, I felt myself relaxing a little at a time. Finally, I felt like I could breathe. The panic had abated a tiny bit.
“So, it wasn’t enough I became a dad for a second time after becoming a grandpa, now you’re making me a great-grandpa?” he asked.
“Could be worse. Darian could be pregnant too,” I mumbled.
“Don’t even go there. Owen and Isadora are more than enough. Besides, the last time Darian was sick, I got snipped. She was so out of it, she never noticed,” my grandpa said.
I started laughing. I couldn’t help it. “You’re in your sixties now and you got snipped?”
Stitches coughed and fought back a smile. “Men have been known to father babies into their eighties. As long as his woman hasn’t gone through the change, there’s no reason she couldn’t get pregnant still.”
It was a sobering thought. If Demon knocked me up this easily, and I wasn’t even twenty, how many kids would we have over the next two or more decades if he didn’t get fixed? I knew birth control wasn’t a guarantee. I didn’t know if I could handle one kid, much less several. I had a hard time picturing Demon as a father. Did he even like kids? We hadn’t discussed having children together. I knew it was bound to happen sooner or later, since the man didn’t seem to like condoms, but I hadn’t thought I’d get pregnant right away either.
“Try not to stress too much,” Stitches said. “You’ll also need some prenatal vitamins. They have some you can get over the counter, but whenever you see an OB-GYN, it’s possible they’ll put you on prescription ones. They’re stronger and work better.”
“I don’t know how to be a mother,” I said.
“Sure you do,” my grandpa said. “You’ve had a lot of good examples back home. Your mom, Darian, Isabella, and all the other Dixie Reaper old ladies. I know you feel overwhelmed, but you’ve got this, Farrah. You’re not a quitter, or weak. You helped make that baby and you’re damn sure going to do your best by him or her.”
I knew it wasn’t a suggestion but a decree. My family wouldn’t let me do anything less. It wasn’t like I could undo the pregnancy. My grandpa was right. Demon and I had made a baby together, and I had a responsibility to the child. Once I calmed and had a chance to adjust to the idea, I knew I’d love the little one growing inside me. I’d been excited both times my mom had been pregnant. I remembered the way she’d smile and rub a hand over her belly.
“I have to tell Demon,” Stitches said. “He wanted to know what was going on with you. It’s not something I can hide from him.”
Part of me wanted to be the one to tell him, but another part thought he might take the news better from someone else. After everything we’d been through, I wasn’t sure if he really wanted a kid with me or not. Yes, the condom had broken and he’d said he was going to get me pregnant on purpose, but… what if he’d changed his mind? Condoms broke all the time. What if his desire to get me pregnant had only been in the heat of the moment and he’d now be angry over my current condition?
My grandpa gave my hand a squeeze. “It’s going to be fine, Farrah. Demon’s not a bad sort. He officially claimed you. Surely you realized kids would eventually be part of the equation.”
“I guess I didn’t think about it being this soon. We haven’t really talked about it. He brought it up once, but it wasn’t the type of conversation where we decided when we wanted them or how many. More of a…” I clamped my lips shut. The last thing I wanted to tell my grandpa was Demon demanded I’d had to stay put in case I’d gotten pregnant after our one-night stand. Not to mention, he hadn’t used a condom since the first night.
“More of a what?” my grandpa asked, his body going tight.
“Nothing.”
He tipped up my chin and stared me down. “Farrah, did he do something he shouldn’t have?”
“I didn’t exactly say no, Grandpa. Things just escalated and he said there was a chance I could be pregnant. He wasn’t going to let me leave until he knew for sure.”
My grandpa growled and stormed off, the front door slamming into the wall as he left the house. My heart pounded and I took a step, then another. Soon I was running to my truck. I threw myself into the driver’s seat and peeled out of the driveway. I saw my grandpa’s bike ahead and pressed the accelerator a little harder, wanting to catch him before he could say anything, or worse, do something he shouldn’t.
He beat me to the clubhouse and was already inside before I could even park my truck. I ran inside, scanning the interior, but I didn’t see Demon or my family. Raised voices from the back caught my attention and I headed toward them. One of the Devil’s Fury men stepped in my path, arms spread so I wouldn’t get past him.
“Easy, Farrah. You know you aren’t permitted in Church.”
My gaze landed on his cut. Colorado. “I said something I shouldn’t have. You don’t understand. I need to get in there and defuse the bomb.”
His eyebrows lifted. “Bomb?”
“My grandpa. He’s going to destroy Demon if I don’t get in there.”
Colorado laughed. “Sweetheart, I’m more concerned Demon won’t hold back enough not to hurt Bull and Venom.”
If he’d meant to reassure me, he’d said the wrong thing. I nailed him in the nuts with my knee and darted around him, then ran full tilt toward the doors at the end of the hall. I heard him groan and knew I’d pay for it later, but I needed to make sure my family was safe. I slammed the doors open and stood panting inside Church. The men all stopped to stare at me, Demon’s eyebrows both lifting nearly to his hairline.
“What the fuck, Farrah?” my dad demanded. “Since when do you ever, and I mean fucking-ever enter Church?”
“I need to…” I panted for breath. “Grandpa, it wasn’t as it sounded.”
“What the hell is going on?” Demon asked.
“I was talking to my grandpa and I think he misunderstood something I said. He got mad and came here. I didn’t want anyone getting hurt.” I pressed a hand to my chest, then covered my mouth. My stomach rolled and flipped. With a squeak, I frantically searched the room. My grandpa handed me a trashcan -- thankfully empty -- and I threw up.
“Fucking hell,” Demon muttered. “Stitches was supposed to come check on you. Do you have the flu?”
I shook my head and closed my eyes, hoping I wasn’t about to embarrass myself further. When I didn’t think I’d be sick again, I held Demon’s gaze. “No flu.”
“You knocked her up,” my grandpa said.
Demon rocked back on his heels. “You’re pissed because I got her pregnant?”
“I’m pissed because you had a one-night stand with my granddaughter, then told her she couldn’t leave until you knew she wasn’t pregnant. Which makes me think you either weren’t too damn careful, or the condom broke. Either way, you had no damn right to tell her she couldn’t leave.”
My dad ran a hand over his hair and took a step back. The quick flash of a smile told me more than I’d ever wanted to know. It seemed Demon was more like my dad than I’d realized.
Demon came closer, his steps slow and steady. When he reached me, he slid his hand around my side to the middle of my back and tugged me against his chest. He held me, then lowered his head, his lips near my ear. “Pregnant?”
I nodded. My stomach started to knot, worry eating at me. Would he be angry about it? Or did he want to be a dad right now? Being strangers had been great for a one-night stand, but not so much when I would now be spending the rest of my life with him. We really needed to talk more and fuck less. It didn’t help I couldn’t keep my hands off him, or vice versa. And since neither of us seemed to think about protection whenever we were in the bedroom…
“I’m sorry for barging in,” I said.
“We’ll talk about it later.”
The doors opened behind me and I heard a growl. I clenched my eyes shut and pressed closer to Demon. I had no doubt Colorado had caught up to me, and I knew he’d be pissed as hell. I nearly winced. I’d known exactly how and where to hit to cause the most damage. Tank had made sure I knew how to escape any unwanted attention, and so had my dad. Moment of truth. What would Demon do when he found out what I’d done to his brother?
“That little bitch kneed me in the nuts,” Colorado said.
“What were you doing at the time?” Grizzly asked.
“Tried to keep her out of here. Women aren’t allowed in Church. Told her so.”
“You let my tiny-ass woman not only get past you, but she took you out in the process?” Demon asked. “And you want us to what? Punish her?”
“Yes.” I heard him shuffle closer. “Not even sure my dick still works.”
I felt the presence of my dad and grandpa, and the heat of their bodies as they came closer. My grandpa ran his hand down my hair, and the scent of my dad’s cologne teased my nose. I had no doubt if Demon said he was going to punish me, both of them would have something to say about it.
Demon tightened his hold on me. “She’s pregnant, asshole.”
“You branded a damn club whore, not to mention the other shit you’ve done in the past. Because she’s pregnant she gets away with hurting one of your brothers? I’m a patched member of this damn club,” Colorado said.
I lifted my head and looked over at him. “I’m sorry I hurt you. I was scared and when you said Demon was going to hurt my grandpa and dad, it didn’t make things any better. I needed to see they were okay.”
Demon set me aside and advanced on Colorado. “You told my woman I was going to beat on her family? What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“Why don’t we just consider this all a big mix-up?” another man asked.
I read his cut. Badger. I’d met him before, but it had been so long ago I hadn’t placed him right away. I knew he’d claimed Grizzly’s oldest daughter.
“A mix-up?” Colorado muttered.
Badger nodded. “Yep. A mix-up. Otherwise, I have to assume you’re too weak to not let a woman get the drop on you. Not sure how the club would feel about it.”
Colorado audibly swallowed and took a step back. “Right. Yeah, it was a mix-up.”
“I really am sorry,” I said. “I never meant to hurt you.”
He gave a jerky nod and left. A quick glance at Demon didn’t reassure me in the least. His gaze was dark as he stared me down, and I worried what he’d say or do when he got home. I’d known better than to come in here, and to knee Colorado in the nuts, but I’d done both anyway. Looked like I’d have to pay the price, despite what he’d told Colorado.
“Go home, Farrah. We’ll talk when I get there,” he said.
I bit my lip and gave a quick nod. Without looking at anyone, I hurried from the room and went back to my truck. I drove slower going home and parked in the driveway. When I got inside, I paced a moment, trying to figure out something I could do to sweeten Demon a little when he got home. Besides getting naked. While I knew it would work, I wasn’t the least bit interested in sex right now.
I rummaged through the kitchen cabinets and pulled out a cake mix and can of frosting. It wouldn’t be gourmet, but men liked dessert, right? I preheated the oven and took some eggs from the fridge and got the vegetable oil out of the pantry. I mixed the cake batter and set it aside so I could pull out a baking pan. After I greased it so the cake wouldn’t stick, I poured in the batter and placed it in the oven, setting the timer.
I took my time cleaning the kitchen. When the timer beeped, I removed the cake and set it aside to cool. I didn’t know when Demon would come home, but I hoped I had time to take a shower and change my clothes. I’d run out the door earlier in my holey jeans and a ratty T-shirt. With my luck, I’d embarrassed him not only by barging into Church, but because of how I’d looked.
I let the water get nice and hot while I stripped off my clothes. I shoved them into the hamper and climbed under the spray, closing the glass door behind me. The heat beat down on me, easing muscles I hadn’t even realized were tense. I shampooed and conditioned my hair, then scrubbed my body. I made sure to shave and used my shower oil to moisturize afterward. Even though I knew I should get out, I wasn’t quite ready yet. I pressed my forehead to the tiled wall and let the water hit my shoulders and back.
“Cake on the counter and naked woman in my shower,” Demon said.
I slowly turned to face him, not having heard him come home. His gaze traveled over me as he shrugged off his cut, then toed off his boots. He reached behind him and gripped the collar of his shirt, yanking it over his head. I didn’t know why men looked so damn sexy doing that, but they did. I’d end up getting stuck if I tried it. He finished undressing and got into the shower, crowding me against the wall.
“I could get used to coming home to this.” He skimmed his hands down my sides and settled them on my hips. “So fucking beautiful.”
“I’m sorry about earlier.”
He quieted me with a kiss. Slow. Soft. Completely unlike Demon. It almost worried me. Then he pressed his hand to my belly and I understood, or thought I did. The tenderness wasn’t for me, necessarily, but because I carried his child.
“Stitches stopped by the clubhouse. Said you’d be overly emotional and I needed to make sure you didn’t get too upset. You knew better than to come into Church, and if Colorado had pressed things, I wouldn’t have had much choice but to discipline you for hurting him. Thankfully, Badger turned the tables on him.”
“My grandpa got so mad. I didn’t know if he’d attack you. I tried to explain to Colorado, but he laughed and said you’d be more likely to hurt my grandpa and dad. I can’t explain what I was thinking or feeling, but I had to get in there and make sure none of you were hurting each other.”
He tucked my hair behind my ear. “Everything’s fine, Farrah. I’d have understood if Bull felt the need to take a swing, same way I let your dad hit me.”
“I know I need to trust you, and I do. I guess I feel like despite everything, we really don’t know one another. We’re still strangers for the most part. Everything with us is happening so fast. I feel like I’m spinning and I…” I pressed my forehead to his chest. “No one has ever made me feel the way you do. The chemistry between us is insane, and so damn intense. I want to know you better, Cody. The real you, not the version you show everyone else, but I’m worried you’ll never let me get that close.”
He was quiet, just stroking his hand up and down my side. I worried I’d said too much, but when he finally spoke, some of the tension eased from me.
“You’re right about us being strangers, and about me not letting too many people get close. The club knows more about me than anyone else, but there are some things I keep to myself. I’ll try to let you in, Farrah. I’m not letting you go, and I damn sure don’t want you to be miserable. We’ll figure it out, even if it means we both make mistakes along the way.”
“Why were you gone so long? Or is it club business and you can’t say?” I asked.
“Partly club business. Some of it was trying to figure out the shit swirling around you, except I’m not sure if it’s you or me who’s the real target in all this. Were you taken for being tied to the Reapers and Boneyard crews? Or because of me? Scratch seems to think Earl snatched you as a way to appease someone in his club.”
I lifted my head and looked up at him. “What? Who?”
“It seems Rooster mentioned he liked you. How the fuck Earl would know about it, or who the hell you are for that matter, is something I’m trying to figure out. I don’t like any of this, and until I know more, I want you to stay behind the gates.”
I didn’t like it, but I understood. The last thing I wanted was to be tossed into another trunk or have something even worse happen to me. Especially since I now had a baby growing inside me. The panic I’d felt when I saw the positive tests had abated a little. Knowing Demon wasn’t upset had helped. I’d always wanted children, even if I hadn’t thought they’d come until I was older. I just hadn’t wanted them this soon in my life. I’d thought I’d have more time to explore, learn new things, and maybe see the world a little.
“As much as I want to fuck you right now, I think it might complicate things at the moment,” he said. “The reason we don’t know much about each other is because I’m balls-deep inside you every chance I get. So, let’s finish showering, go get a slice of that cake you made, and have a conversation.”
I opened and shut my mouth, staring up at him. Was he serious?
He kissed me, a quick hard brush of his lips against mine, then he backed away. Yeah, it seemed he’d meant every word. I wasn’t sure what to make of this version of Demon. How many different sides did he have?