Badger
I don’t know what I’d been expecting from Adalia’s doctor appointment, but lots of sitting wasn’t it. The waiting room was packed, and the chairs were fucking torture devices. If you didn’t need medical attention before you arrived, you did after sitting for hours in the ass-numbing chairs. They’d called Adalia immediately, but it had only been to take some blood. The nurse had escorted us right back to the waiting room. And here we sat. A mom a few seats over had a little kid with her, who thought it was hilarious to throw blocks at people. The kid had hit me twice, but after the glare I’d leveled at the mom, it had quickly stopped.
“Is it wrong I’m suddenly hoping that pregnancy is negative?” I asked Adalia.
She snickered and looked at the kid who was now running in circles around the room pretending to be a plane. The mother didn’t even look up from her magazine, a bored expression on her face. I figured that was her coping mechanism, because if I was faced with that all day, large quantities of alcohol would be required. She had a water bottle with her. Maybe that wasn’t water. Maybe she had vodka stashed in there, in which case she needed to share with everyone she was subjecting to her kid.
“It’s not that bad,” Adalia said.
The kid let loose with a squeal that rose in pitch the longer he drew it out until I wanted to cover my ears. I narrowed my eyes at Adalia, and she put a hand over her mouth, but it was too late. I saw that smile and she would pay for it later.
“Okay,” she conceded. “Maybe it’s a little bad. He just has a lot of energy.”
“What he needs is a spanking,” I grumbled.
The kid went chair by chair, kicking the person sitting down. Everyone shot glares at the mom, but she didn’t pull her nose out of her magazine. He stopped in front of me, drew his foot back, and I leaned forward.
“Do it and I will toss you out the nearest window. Can you fly?”
The kid’s eyes went wide and he froze. Adalia nudged me with her elbow, but I didn’t look away from the rotten kid.
“How would you like it someone kicked you? You wouldn’t like it, would you?” I asked. “So don’t kick other people.”
The kid’s lip trembled, but I didn’t soften my glare. If anything, I turned it up another notch. I wasn’t about to be manipulated by this three-foot terror. It was obvious the mom never disciplined him. He was a terrorist in the making, or at the very least a criminal in the making. Not the hard-core kind, but the “I should get what I want because I want it” kind. A good swat on his behind every now and then would help straighten him out. So would hearing the word “no” on occasion, but mom over there looked like a “yes” type of person.
I crooked my finger for him to come a little closer and he hesitantly took a step, then another.
“I want to say something that I want you to remember. Can you do that?” I asked.
He nodded, his eyes even wider.
“If people always give you things but you never earn them, then you’ll never appreciate the things you have. Do you know what’s more important than things? Friends. And if you go around throwing things at people, kicking them, or hitting them, you’re not going to make many friends. If you don’t have friends, who will stand beside you when you’re in trouble?” I asked.
The little boy blinked a few times.
“Why don’t you pull one of your toys or books out of that bag by your mom and sit down quietly the rest of your visit,” I said.
He nodded and scurried over to his mom. He promptly dug around in the tote by her feet, pulling out a book, and sat in the chair next to her. The kid opened the book, but kept casting me furtive glances. After a few minutes, he closed the book and scooted over until he was on the chair next to me. With a quick grin up at me, he opened his book again and started reading.
Adalia rested her head on my shoulder. “That was pretty damn impressive, Colton. I think you’re going to make an excellent daddy, just don’t throw our kid out a window, okay?”
I bit my lip so I wouldn’t laugh and just winked at her. Let her make of that what she would. If my kid ever acted like that, I wouldn’t promise not to threaten them with a flight through a window. When I’d been in Juvie the first time, the cop had said maybe he could scare me straight. I hadn’t understood it at the time, but now I did. I doubted the kid next to me would forget me any time soon. I just hoped he remembered to behave everywhere he went from now on. It would suck if his life went down the wrong path just because his mom couldn’t be bothered to deal with him.
Adalia’s name was called and I stood, then followed her into the back. We were led to a room a few doors down, and Adalia hopped up on the padded table, the paper crinkling under her. The nurse assured us the doctor would be in soon, then shut the door. Great. We went from waiting in one room to now waiting in another room. Didn’t seem like much progress.
“Have you never waited at the doctor before?” she asked, watching me pace the small area.
“Never been,” I said.
She blinked slowly. “You’ve never been? Like you’ve never, not ever, seen a doctor?”
“Nope. They had medical care in prison, but I wasn’t ever sick. When I’m on the outside, if something happens, I either stitch up myself or get a brother to do it.”
“For the record, you’re not ever stitching me up.”
“You’d damn well better not need stitches to begin with. But if you do, we’re going to the ER. Getting stitches would hurt you, and I could never do that to you.”
Her gaze softened. She parted her lips like she was about to say something when the door swung open. The doctor wasn’t quite what I’d expected. The man looked to be in his early fifties, but had a thick head of hair that only had a sprinkling of silver threaded through it. I wasn’t sure I liked someone like him being around my girl.
“Adalia,” Dr. Larkin said, looking up from the tablet in his hand. His eyebrows rose when he saw me. “And you must be Badger.”
“Yeah.”
He nodded. “Well, I’m not sure what news you were hoping for, but the pregnancy test is positive. I know that’s probably a bit shocking with Adalia’s medical history. I’ve never treated a patient with endometriosis who was able to get pregnant on the first try. Most try for years and still don’t have success.”
It felt like the room was spinning and I leaned against the wall. Pregnant. I glanced at Adalia to see how she was taking it, but her expression was blank. That didn’t tell me shit and I hated it. Did she want this baby? Was she happy about the pregnancy? I needed some clue from her how I should respond to this.
“I’m going to call in a prescription for prenatal vitamins,” Dr. Larkin said. “You’ll need to schedule an appointment your OB-GYN, Adalia. They’ll treat your pregnancy from this point forward.”
“Thank you, Dr. Larkin,” she said softly.
“Do you have any questions for me?” he asked.
Adalia shook her head.
“I don’t think I have to tell you this, but you need to be careful, Adalia. It’s still quite possible you’ll lose the baby before the first trimester is over. Have you had sex since the last time I saw you?” Dr. Larkin asked.
“No,” she said.
“Then I think it’s safe to say you’re three weeks along.”
“I thought a pregnancy test couldn’t be done until a month after?” I asked.
“That’s often a misconception. I actually confirmed a pregnancy a few months ago within a week of conception, using the same blood test we performed on Adalia. We didn’t realize that at the time, but the OB-GYN was able to narrow it down a bit,” Dr. Larkin said.
I watched Adalia, hoping she’d give me something. Anything. She was too quiet. The fact I couldn’t see any emotion on her face scared the shit out of me. The doctor said we could leave and I helped Adalia off the table. She released me immediately and walked out the door ahead of me. With no other option, I followed her to the parking lot, stopping beside the truck we’d borrowed from the club. I hadn’t fit in her tiny ass car, and no way was I going to let her ride on the back of the bike, not with a possible pregnancy hanging over our heads.
I helped her into the truck, then went around to the driver’s side. I hesitated before I got in, and just watched her through the window, wondering if she’d crack and show me something if she didn’t know I was watching. Nope. Still impassive.
I got in and cranked the engine. Then I reached for her hand and lifted it to my lips, kissing the back of it.
“Sweet girl, I have no idea what’s going through your mind right now and it’s fucking killing me. You being pregnant is a good thing, right? I mean, isn’t this like a once-in-a-lifetime chance for you?” I asked, not really knowing anything about endometriosis. I needed to do some research, though.
“You don’t want kids,” she mumbled. “You hated that kid in the waiting room.”
“I didn’t hate him,” I said. “He just needs a good ass whooping. If his mom gave him some boundaries, he’d probably be a good kid. Right now, he’s a rotten little shit.”
Her lips twitched, but she refused to smile.
“I’m not going lie, Adalia. The thought of being a dad scares the shit out of me. But there’s one thing I know for certain.”
She turned to look at me, waiting for me to continue.
“You’re going to be an awesome mom,” I said. “You’re patient, kind, and you’re the sweetest person I’ve ever known. If our kid is half as awesome as you, then we’ll be the luckiest parents on earth.”
I could see the wheels turning in her head, but she still didn’t give in. She was worried and she had every right to be concerned. I wasn’t dad of the year material by any means, and I’d likely fuck things all to hell sooner or later. But as long as she was there to help me stay on the right path, then we’d be fine. Where I was all heat and a react first ask questions later type, she was calm and thought things through. We balanced each other nicely.
“We need to tell Griz,” I said.
“Not unless you want to die,” she said. “You knocked-up his only daughter.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, I did, didn’t I? And it was all kinds of awesome. Maybe we should do that night over. There are a few more things I’d like to try with you.”
She looked up at me with wide eyes. “Are you serious? I just told you my dad is going to murder you and you’re thinking about sex?”
“Sweet girl, I just went three weeks with my mouth attached to your pussy every night and my cock only had the relief of my hand. Not the same by far. So yeah, I’m fucking thinking about sex. A lot.”
She snorted and then started giggling.
I ran my hand up the inside her thigh and slid it under the edge of her sundress. The giggles died off and the heated look in her eyes told me she was thinking about sex now too. Good. I wouldn’t be the only one worked up until we got home. I rubbed the outside of her panties, feeling how damp she was, then smirked. Adalia narrowed her eyes at me, then slammed her thighs together, trapping my hand.
“Is that your way of asking to get off?” I asked. “Because we’re in the middle of the parking lot, baby. And these windows aren’t tinted enough that people won’t know what we’re doing in here.”
Her cheeks flushed and she released my hand, then squirmed in her seat. “Just get me home.”
“In due time. We need to get your prenatal vitamins first. Then we’ll need to get some lunch. We probably should stop by the store…”
She smacked my arm. “Not funny, Colton. You have me all hot and bothered over here. You’re not leaving me like this for hours, damn it.”
“Baby, I’ve been worked up for weeks.” I winked. “The anticipation will make it even better.”
The look she gave me said she was ready to murder me. I tried not to smile as I pulled out of the parking space and headed to the pharmacy. I loved winding her up. She was so fucking cute when she narrowed her eyes at me and gave me what she probably thought was a fierce glare. It was like being threatened by a fluffy bunny. Someone probably should have warned me bunnies have claws and really sharp fucking teeth.
Maybe then I could have prepared myself.
When we got home, Griz was waiting on the front porch, hands in his pockets and an expectant look on his face. We got out of the truck and Adalia stalked up the steps, sounding more like an elephant than the dainty little female who cried out my name in the dark.
“Appointment not go well?” Griz asked.
“Ask Casanova over here,” she said as she stormed past her dad and flung open the front door. “He knocked me up.”
My jaw dropped as she slammed the front door. It rattled on the hinges as Griz tensed, his expression going from doting daddy to “I’m going to fuck you up” in a matter of seconds. I held up a hand, but refused to back down. If he was going to beat the shit out of me, I’d take it like a man. Wouldn’t even take a swing at him.
“Now, Griz. It wasn’t planned.”
“Your dick accidentally slipped into her without a condom?” Griz said as he came down the stairs.
“It happened before the incident with Twister,” I said.
He stopped. “You mean she was pregnant when he did that to her?”
“Um, yeah. I guess? Not sure how long it takes a sperm to fertilize an egg. I was shit at school crap.”
He closed his eyes a moment. “If I hadn’t already beat the shit out of him and banished him from this club, I’d kill the bastard right now. He not only hurt my daughter, he could have killed my grandkid.”
“Adalia is fine,” I said.
“Is she? Or is she going to be raising this kid on her own?” he demanded. “Or do you think you can keep your ass out of jail long enough to be a parent?”
Well, fuck. He wasn’t holding back, was he?
“I’m working at the garage and staying clean. I haven’t done anything illegal since I got out. I’ve even obeyed every traffic law,” I said.
“That girl has been in love with you for as long as I can remember. You may not know it, but you have her heart, and now you’re having a kid with her. Don’t fuck this up, Badger.”
“I don’t plan to.”
Griz sighed. “Look. I know you’re part of this club, and we aren’t exactly law-abiding citizens. The garage is one hundred percent legit, which is the only reason I’ve let Adalia work there. We’re turning a profit, even after everyone is paid and all the other expenses are covered. I’ll make a deal with you.”
I folded my arms over my chest, not certain I liked where this conversation was going.
“You do right by my daughter and grandkid, and I’ll sign the shop over to you and Adalia. It can be a wedding present, and a way for you to stay legit. You can still live here in the compound, but I don’t want you anywhere near anything that’s not one hundred percent legal. You got me?” he asked.
“You’re bribing me to be with her?” I asked, fury spiking inside me. My blood nearly boiled at the thought. “You think you have to pay me to stay with her?”
“Don’t I?” he asked. “Everyone knows you don’t do commitment.”
“I moved in with her,” I pointed out. “She’s not like the others. She’s had me by the balls since I set eyes on her at that welcome-home party. And you think I’d do anything to hurt her? To fuck up what we have? I fucking love her, asshole.”
He smirked and the front door slowly opened. Adalia peered out at me with wide eyes.
“You love me?” she asked.
I glared at Griz. “You really are an asshole. You knew she was listening, didn’t you?”
“I thought it was likely,” he said, then slapped me on the shoulder. “Welcome to the family, son. I’ll have Magda get started on a property cut.”
“I would have told her when I was ready,” I muttered.
Adalia came down the steps and slowly approached me. “Did you mean it? You love me?”
“Yeah, sweet girl. I love you. I think I fell for you the moment our gazes locked at that party. I was going to tell you when the time was right.”
Her lips pursed. “And you don’t think the time was right when we found out we’re having a kid?”
I shrugged.
“I swear to God, you can be so infuriating, Colton.”
I leaned in closer, my lips brushing her ear. “Want me to kiss it all better? As I recall, you like my kisses… on your pussy.”
She gasped and I chuckled. Throwing her off balance for the next fifty years should be fun. Of course, she hadn’t exactly said she loved me back. I pulled away and looked down at her.
“So?” I asked.
“So what?” She looked flustered.
“Do you love me too? Or are you going to make me look like a jackass for telling a woman I love her when she hates my fucking guts?”
“Like I could ever hate you.”
“Guess you’d better prove it.”
“Or you could save that shit for when I’m not in hearing distance,” Griz said.
Fuck. I’d forgotten he was there.
“Sorry, old man,” I said.
“Do I need to kick your ass to remind you I’m not fucking old?” he asked in a bored tone.
“You can’t kick his ass,” Adalia said. “He’s the father of your grandbaby. Which means no fighting between you two.”
Griz gave her a warm smile. “Anything for my girl. Even if it means I have to get along with this asshole.”
She rolled her eyes. “Like Mom didn’t tell me about all the times you and Colton hung out. You’re friends, and now you’re family. Real family, not just part of a brotherhood.”
“You’re not married, so he’s not family yet,” Griz pointed out.
Adalia blinked up at me. “Colton?”
“Yeah?” Did she expect me to drop down on one knee?
“I’d kneel, but you might get other ideas.” Her dad sounded like he was choking. “Colton, will you marry me? Be the love of my life, my partner in all things, and the daddy to any children we might be blessed with? Will you buy me chocolate and ice cream when it’s that time of the month, rub my feet when I’m all fat and pregnant, and find fun ways to punish me when I’m a bad girl?”
Now I was choking.
“Um, are you proposing to me?” I asked.
“I thought I made that obvious,” she said.
“Too much like her fucking mother,” Griz muttered behind me, and I remembered that May had proposed to him when they were younger.
“Yeah, sweet girl. I’ll let you make an honest man of me,” I said, smirking.
She leaned in close. “Just for that, you owe me four orgasms.”
I roared with laughter and pulled her in close. Yeah, the next fifty years were going to be fun. I could already tell there would never be a dull moment with Adalia in my life, and God fucking help me if our kid was anything like her.
“On that note,” Griz said, “I’m out of here. Call me when you want to set up the wedding.”
I heard his bike start up, but my attention was focused on the amazing woman in my arms. I didn’t deserve her, and I fucking knew it, but I would be thankful she was part of my life for however long I lived.
“You know my parole officer has to give the okay for us to get married,” I said.
“You just leave him to me,” Adalia said.
“Maybe I should go ahead and apologize to him early. I have no idea what you have planned, but he’s probably going to end up on his ass.”
“I would never…”
I kissed her softly, slowly. “I know, baby. I was kidding. Come on. I owe you four orgasms, then we can figure out how to handle my parole officer. You want a wedding; I’m going to give you one. Fuck the state if they don’t like it.”
“I better be the only one you’re fucking from now on,” she said as she entered the house.
“No worries there, angel. You’re the only one I want.”
Adalia took me by the hand and dragged me to the bedroom.
I couldn’t predict our future, couldn’t even predict would happen later today, but I did know one thing. As long as she was by my side, then nothing else mattered. If they wouldn’t let us get married, then we’d wait. I was completely devoted to her whether I wore a ring or not, and I knew she felt the same.
Who’d have ever thought an ex-con like me could be reformed?
Not me. Probably not the state. And anyone who had seen my rap sheet definitely wouldn’t have believed it.
Saving Adalia had sent me to prison, but loving Adalia was what saved me.
And I was going to spend the rest of my life giving her all the orgasms she wanted, all the chocolate she could handle, and give her every bit of love I had to give. Because the gorgeous woman currently unzipping my pants was my world, my life, my heart, and there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her.