Sophia
I didn’t know what it meant that Saint had come for me. When my sisters had gone back home with the Hades Abyss, with the men they both loved, I’d thought Saint would come take me home. He hadn’t. I’d come to stay with Wire before Violeta and Luciana were even gone, and while I appreciated having a place to live, it didn’t feel like home. I felt like an intruder, even though he was very sweet to me. To make things worse, I couldn’t stop crying. And when I wasn’t crying, I was so damn angry. My emotions were all over the place. Doctor Myron had assured me a great deal of it was pregnancy hormones. It seemed my levels were off the charts, and I could tell he was a bit concerned about me. I’d been told to remain as stress-free as possible, and poor Wire was walking on eggshells to make that happen.
None of it did any good. Without Saint, I was miserable. No, what made me miserable was knowing that he didn’t want me. The day we’d shared together had been wonderful, but he’d changed the moment his daughter came home. I’d understood, still did, but that didn’t make it hurt any less. He was the only man I’d ever cared about, had ever trusted, and it didn’t seem fair my sisters would get a happy-ever-after and I wouldn’t. Saint had been up front and told me that he couldn’t give me a fairy-tale ending, but I’d still hoped things would be different. Then he’d come here…
I hadn’t wanted to push him away. I’d wanted to kiss him, beg him to take me home with him. It had been hard not to turn to him, to hold on tight and not let go when he’d come into my room. Hearing his voice had been both wonderful and awful. I was scared to get close, to believe he really wanted me. Even if that was true, would he feel the same when he discovered I was pregnant? I was still worried about what would happen when he found out. He’d think I’d lied to him, even though I hadn’t. I truly hadn’t thought I could get pregnant. Torch had pointed out that Saint still should have worn a condom, but I couldn’t help but feel responsible. Didn’t matter if I was or not, I felt like I’d unintentionally misled him.
But he was here. He’d come for me. The way I’d reacted had forced him to walk away, but I didn’t think Saint would give up, not if he truly wanted me. The thought of seeing him again made a part of me giddy with anticipation. The other part, the part that cautioned he would be upset about the baby, made me want to refuse him entrance. I couldn’t do that since this wasn’t my house, but I could lock myself in my room.
Wire knocked on the open door and I motioned for him to enter. He was good about not just walking into the bedroom, even though it was his home. He treated this space as mine, no matter how temporary it would be for me to stay with him. Eventually, I’d have to figure something out. I couldn’t live with him forever. With my father out of the picture, I could go anywhere, start my life over, and not have to fear I would be snatched off the streets and taken back to Colombia.
“You doing okay?” he asked.
“I think so.”
“Guess I should have asked if you wanted to see him before I sent him in. I just thought maybe if the two of you talked, then you could work things out.”
“It’s not that simple, Wire, and you know it.”
“Maybe it is and maybe it isn’t. You’ll never know if you don’t tell him. He needs to know you’re pregnant, Sofia. It’s not fair to him or that baby. Or Delia for that matter. Don’t you think she’ll be excited to find out she’s going to be a big sister?”
Now that was a low blow. He knew how much I adored Delia.
“That’s hardly fair.”
Wire smiled faintly. “Sweetheart, fair doesn’t have a damn thing to do with it. You know it’s wrong to keep that baby a secret. The entire club is hiding your pregnancy from Saint, and he’s going to fucking explode when he finds out. He’ll be angry with you for keeping it from him, but he’ll be beyond pissed at the rest of us. We’re his family, and we’re supposed to be on his side. Not yours.”
I swallowed hard and looked away. I hadn’t thought about the position I’d placed all of them in when I’d asked them to keep my secret. It was wrong of me, and I really didn’t want Saint to be mad at them. I was just so damn scared. If he took my baby away, I didn’t know what I’d do. Everyone insisted he’d never do something like that, and the Saint I got to know very briefly the day we made love wouldn’t. But the Saint I’d seen since that time? I didn’t know what the version of him would do.
“Sofia, you know that the club only wants what’s best for you. It’s just that I believe what’s best is Saint. It’s obvious you care about him, and the guy who showed up here ready to knock my head off? That guy is crazy about you. I get the feeling he was under the impression I was keeping you. Permanently. He rode up and asked if I’d claimed you. A guy who doesn’t care wouldn’t act like that.”
“What if I tell him and he wants the baby but doesn’t want me?” I asked softly.
Wire moved farther into the room and sank onto the edge of the mattress. He reached over and took my hand, causing me to look up and hold his gaze. There was kindness in his eyes, and a bit of understanding.
“He wants you, Sofia. Trust me. The kid was seriously ready to kick my ass over the right to take you home.”
“Kid?” I bit my lip to stop the smile that fought to break free. “He’s hardly a kid.”
“He’s twenty-seven. Eleven years younger than me. To me, he’s a kid, and so are you.”
“Have you ever been in love?” I asked.
His eyebrows arched in surprise. “No. I thought I was when I was a kid. Younger than you are now. I was wrong.”
“If you think I’m a kid, and Saint is a kid, it’s going to be pretty damn funny if you end up falling for someone a lot younger than you. That seems to be a common theme around here. Torch looks a lot older than Isabella. Darian said Bull was around her dad’s age. Flicker is older than Sarge, but he’s with Sarge’s daughter. Word of advice. If you do find the woman of your dreams, and she’s a decade younger than you, or more, don’t call her a kid. And if you do, then I hope she gives you a black eye for being stupid.”
He chuckled a little. “Good point, but I doubt the right woman is out there for me. I think I’d have met her by now. Besides, there are things about me that you don’t know. It wouldn’t be safe for a woman to be involved in my life.”
“And yet I’m here, in your home.”
“Different thing altogether. You’re not mine. You’re a guest.”
I tipped my head to the side and studied him. There were shadows under his eyes, and I realized he looked really damn tired. Not just the sleepy kind, but the type of tired that said he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.
“The thing you’re involved in, the reason you don’t want a woman in your life, is it really dangerous?”
“Can be. Just depends on whether or not I get caught.”
“The type of dangerous that would result in prison time?” I asked.
“No.” He smiled a little. “The work I do is for the government, when I’m not juggling things for the club. But Uncle Sam has a tendency to look the other way and deny any knowledge of certain events if they don’t turn out accordingly. Someone comes for me and the government will disavow any knowledge of what I’ve been doing.”
“Be careful. You seem like a really nice guy and I’d hate for anything to happen to you. I think the club would be upset too. And not just because of everything you do for them.”
He nodded and squeezed my hand.
“Listen, why don’t you rest a bit, maybe read one of those naughty books Ridley dropped off. The ones I’m not supposed to know you have, and then you can shower and put on something pretty in time for dinner tonight.”
“Dinner?” I asked. We hadn’t done any special for dinner in the weeks I’d been here.
“Just trust me. I have a surprise for you.”
“Thank you, Wire. And thank you for letting me stay here. I’ll think about what you said. Maybe I’ll tell Saint the next time I see him. I don’t like keeping the baby a secret or asking the club to betray Saint because of it. I’m just scared about what will happen when he finds out.”
Wire patted my hand. “It’s going to be fine, Sofia. No stress, remember?”
Right. No stress.
Wire left my room and I wandered over to the small bookshelf. Ridley apparently had a thing for romance novels, as did the other Reaper ladies. They’d stuffed all three shelves full of various genres and authors. Everything from historical to shifters, even a few biker romances. I kind of wondered if they planted those in hopes I’d be more open to having Saint in my life again.
Little did they realize there was nothing I wanted more.
I picked one about a wolf pack in Georgia and settled against the pillows on the bed to read. By the time I’d devoured the nearly three-hundred-page story, my stomach was rumbling. I looked at the bedside table clock and saw that I still had a few hours until dinner. Making my way to the kitchen, I paused along the way to see if I heard Wire or anyone else in the house. It was quiet, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything. I’d learned that Wire had a special room with all his computers and other gadgets, and it had been soundproofed. I’d decided I didn’t want to know why he needed a soundproof room full of computers. After he’d created a valid marriage license and the proper paperwork for me to be a US citizen, I probably didn’t want to know what he was doing for the government, or the club for that matter.
I didn’t have much of an appetite these days, but I knew I needed to eat. Doctor Myron had insisted that if I couldn’t handle large meals that I eat smaller portions more frequently. It had helped me hold my food down. Most of the time. I was still fighting off morning sickness, and it seemed to hit at any point in the day. I dug through the fridge and cabinets, deciding on a grilled cheese sandwich.
I might not be the greatest cook, but I could make simple things. I melted some butter in the skillet, then slathered some of the slices of bread. I toasted the first side of each piece, placed a thick slice of cheddar on top of one, and flipped the other slice on top. After turning it a few times to make sure the cheese melted evenly, I decided to make one for Wire. I didn’t see any dishes in the sink, which meant he’d probably forgotten to eat. I’d noticed he did that from time to time.
When I was finished, I slid the skillet to the back burner to cool and put away the extra bread and cheese, as well as the butter. I left my sandwich on the counter, but picked up Wire’s and grabbed a cold soda from the fridge. I walked down the hall and knocked on the door to his work room, then waited. And waited. After a moment, the door cracked open and he blinked at me, almost as if he didn’t recognize me.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Yeah. Sorry, I was in the zone. I get a little lost in my work sometimes, forget where I am.” He chuckled. “Hell, there are times I think I forget who I am.”
I held up the plate and drink. “I didn’t think you’d eaten lunch and I thought you might be hungry.”
“Thanks, Sofia. Don’t forget to dress nice for dinner.”
I nodded and he shut the door, going back to whatever it was he was doing in there. I was on my way to the kitchen when there was a knock at the front door. Hesitating a moment, I decided to go answer it. Wire was obviously in another world and probably wouldn’t come out anytime soon. I smiled when I saw Isabella on the other side.
“You won’t be smiling when I confess my sin,” Isabella said. Then she held up a covered dish. “Cookies. I didn’t make them. Darian did.”
I cautiously accepted the plate. I knew from experience that Isabella’s cookies were something to be feared, but Darian had a knack of forgetting them in the oven too. Especially since she looked like she was about to pop now that she was due any day. It seemed the Reaper ladies tended to get pregnant in pairs, or more. Darian and Pepper were both due any time now.
“She didn’t burn them,” Isabella assured me.
“I was about to have a sandwich. Want to come in and tell me about this sin you committed? Unless it has to do with your husband or making more babies. You can keep those thoughts to yourself.”
She smiled wistfully. “I wish. No, I’m taking longer to heal this time. We tried and it was still a bit painful, so Torch insisted we wait another month. He thinks I don’t know about the magazine he has hidden under the bathroom sink. Like I’m going to believe he’s running to the bathroom that frequently! My cooking isn’t that horrible.”
More than I wanted to know.
I led the way to the kitchen and set the plate of cookies down before I got my lunch and a drink for both of us. Isabella sat and sighed as she stretched out her legs.
“Been on my feet all day between chasing the kids, cleaning, and then I ran over to Darian’s to help her a bit. I’m wiped out.” Isabella stretched again, a slight wince on her face.
“What sin did you commit?” I asked again. If she’d felt it was important enough to come over here, then it had to be something big.
“It’s my fault.”
“What’s your fault?” I asked.
“Saint finding you. He came by and I refused to say anything, but then Torch said that Saint had a right to make amends with you. So I told him where to find you.”
Well, I hadn’t seen that one coming. I couldn’t be angry with her, though. As much as I’d been scared to see Saint, being held by him again had felt wonderful. Even if I did push him away right after.
“It’s fine. He came and tried to apologize.”
“Tried?” she asked.
“I didn’t really give him a chance to stick around. I told him to leave.”
Isabella traced a pattern on the table. “When I first came here, Saint was really sweet to me. Torch asked him to guard me, and he did. I think he’d have given his life for me. I’ve never thought of him as being a bad guy. The opposite, in fact. He got his name because he’s the nicest guy out of the bunch, and believes in doing the right thing. He’d give someone the shirt off his back if he thought they needed it. The Saint you told us about, the one who pushed you away and was mean about it doesn’t seem like the guy we all know and love.”
“So I’ve heard.”
“Did he explain why he did it?” she asked.
“He said he was protecting both me and Delia, and maybe he believes that, but shouldn’t I have been included in that decision? Not about Delia, but if he was trying to protect me, I think I had a right to say whether or not I wanted him to do that.”
Isabella snorted. “Welcome to the Dixie Reapers. Those men are so alpha they don’t stop to ask permission for anything. They do what they want when they want and claim it’s for your own good. Good thing they’re so loveable. Of course, being sexy doesn’t hurt either.”
I fake gagged and she laughed.
“No offense. I don’t see your husband as sexy, but that’s a good thing. I have zero interest in him or anyone else.”
“Except Saint.”
I sighed. “Yeah, except Saint.”
“Eat your lunch and have a cookie. Call me if you need to talk. I need to get home before the kids drive Torch out of the house and we don’t see him for hours.”
“Does that ever happen?”
“Not really. He’s crazy about them, even when they cry all night or throw up on him. Best man I’ve ever met.” She got a dreamy look on her face. “And he’s all mine.”
Isabella let herself out while I ate my sandwich and tested a cookie. When it didn’t seem like it would kill me, I had another, then went back to my bedroom and read another book. As the dinner hour drew closer, I showered and took the time to shave so I could wear a dress without looking like Sasquatch. I’d finished getting ready and was waiting in the living room when I heard a motorcycle pull up. My stomach clenched and I hoped it was just someone passing by. I hadn’t seen Wire, but could smell the faint hint of cigarettes, which meant he was on the porch smoking. He seemed to do that rather frequently.
The bike kept going and I breathed out a sigh of relief. Settling on the couch, I decided to wait patiently until Wire was ready. I didn’t know where we were going, but I hadn’t had a surprise in a while. Not counting the baby in my belly. I only hoped if we were going out to dinner that I’d be able to hold down my meal.