Whitney

IT’S BEEN ABOUT A MONTH since the homecoming dance. Sami was so happy that day and I know that going with Goose made all the difference in the world to her. Too bad that he broke my baby girl’s heart. The day after the dance he told her that he wanted her to experience everything that she possibly could. That included dating and getting to know other boys. Yes, he did call them boys. My daughter is falling so hard for Goose and him saying that he wanted her to date other people devastated her. But, I’ve been trying to explain where he’s coming from.

Right after he talked to my daughter, Goose came and talked to me. I could see the heartbreak and pain etched all over his features. The way he explained it to me was that he didn’t want her to ever feel like she didn’t get to experience being with anyone other than him. He didn’t want her to feel that she was settling with him, or that she never got to experience being with anyone but him. The way that it happened with the man I’m supposed to call my husband. I can’t blame him for feeling the way that he does, and I applaud his ability to recognize what he has to do in order to make sure she’s truly happy with him later on.

On top of everything with Sami and Goose, I’ve got my own things going on. Work is still amazing, and Alice has been letting me do more and more at the diner. She’s enjoying the ability to come and go as she pleases when I’m working. Hell, she’s even talked to me about taking on a manager role so that I can help with paperwork, ordering, hiring and firing, and a few other things within the diner. I’m excited that Alice trusts me enough to do these things for her.

I’ve been saving money for Sami and I to get our own house. I plan on buying one and staying in Clifton Falls. We have too much here now to move on to any other location. Especially our family. Pops, Joker, and Bailey have become a part of our daily lives. If they’re not over here visiting, then they’re calling to check on us. Plus, Pops and Joker have been put in the normal rotation of guard duty. Joker is here whenever Cage isn’t. They don’t want Skylar and the kids left alone, so they take opposite shifts.

Irish has been here, but things have drastically changed since our one and only time together. He’s still the guy in my thoughts and dreams. I’d do anything to get us back to talking, laughing, and spending time together. But, I don’t know how to talk to him about things that happened and the way I reacted. Or what he said as he walked out of the door. Sami still watches Cassidy on the weekends and he has been inside for dinner once or twice, but nothing like before. Hell, Sami had to practically twist his arm to get him to come inside and eat with us. However, we do need to talk and soon.

“Mom, I’m home!” Sami calls out as I sit on my bed and cry.

I’m trying to wipe my tears away as Sami appears in my doorway. It doesn’t work and she’s immediately at my side. There’s no way that I can now stop the overflow of tears and she wants to know what’s making me cry the way I am.

“Mom, please tell me what’s wrong?” Sami pleads with me.

“I just found out I’m pregnant!” I cry out.

“What?” Sami exclaims.

“I spent one night with Irish and we didn’t use anything. Now I’m pregnant and we’re not even talking.”

“What are you going to do now? What are we going to do? I’m in this with you mom.”

“Honestly, the only thing I want to do right now is disappear for a few days and get my head straight.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do. Get some stuff packed up and I’ll get some stuff packed up. We’ll say that we’re going to the store or something and then just take off. When we get there, you can let Pops and Bailey know where we are and what’s going on. You have to at least tell someone.”

“I know. I’m just not wanting it to get back to Irish before I get the chance to tell him.”

Sami leaves my room and I can hear her rummaging through her things so that she can pack a bag to leave. So, I get up and start gathering things to throw in a bag. I’m not sure how long we’re going to be gone, but I know it can’t be that long. As I’m packing a bag I quickly call Alice and explain the situation to her. She tells me to take the time that I need since I’ve been busting my ass to help her out. More tears come at the thought that Alice is so willing to help me out. Yes, she knows the whole story. I don’t keep anything from her.

Sami is back in my room in a flash and I know that she needs this little trip as much as I do. She wants to get away from Goose for a little bit and I need to figure out what to do about Irish. These two men have become an important part in our lives and now they are causing us both so much turmoil thinking they’re doing the right thing for us.

“I’m ready to go when you are mom,” Sami tells me.

“Almost done. I had to call Alice. We’re only going to be gone a few days Sami. I can’t keep you out of school and I need to get back to work. Now we really need to find a house when we get back here. We can’t stay in this house forever.”

“I know mom. We just need a little break in order to get our heads back in order.”

I pull Sami in for a hug and we figure out how we’re going to get our bags out to the car without raising any suspicion. I guess we can pass them off for really big purses if we have to. I’m not sure what else to say. Hopefully we can get away from whoever is outside. I know that Irish isn’t here, but I don’t know who’s in his spot.

Walking outside I see that it’s Tank. Shit! He’s going to be a hard one to get by. Tank knows when things aren’t right, and he has a way of making you talk when you don’t want to. Today, I hope he realizes that I don’t want to talk, I just want to get in my car and hit the road. I don’t care if he starts to follow us or not. As long as we can get away from him and disappear, then I’m good to go.

“What’s goin’ on Whitney?” he asks, standing up as we leave the door.

“Nothing. We just want to go for a drive. It’s stifling in the house and we need to get out for a bit.”

“Okay. Well, I need to let someone know.”

“Can you meet us at the diner then? We just need to leave. Please Tank?” I plead with him, hoping he does this for me.

“I don’t know Whitney. I’m not supposed to let you leave unattended.”

“Look, it’s been a little bit of time and we haven’t heard anything from Carl. We’re just going to drive ten minutes to the diner and we’ll wait there for you. I need to talk to Alice about something real quick before we take off for the day.”

“I guess so. But, you better meet me there,” Tank tells me, looking at me with his stern look.

Sami and I head to the car, throwing our bags in the backseat. As soon as I back up, I almost peel out of the driveway before I realize that I need to act normal. We can’t seem like anything is wrong and that we’re truly just going for a drive. I mean, in all reality we are going for a drive. We just don’t know where we’re going to end up.

“So, where do you want to go?” Sami asks me.

“I don’t know. We could always go see Darcy,” I answer.

“You think she would care?”

“No. Call her and find out. That way I can let Bailey know. At any rate we can have some guys from there keep an eye on us while we’re gone. And we won’t be that far away.”

“Makes sense I guess.”

Sami calls Darcy and I can hear the excitement in her voice about us visiting. She promises that she’ll keep it quiet and not tell anyone that we’re going to be there in a few hours. Hell, Sami said she’s even going to close her salon early to visit with us.

Taking my phone back, I call Bailey. I better get this call over with now. At least that way someone knows about where we are and where our final destination is. I can at least give them this. So, dialing her number, I make sure the phone is on speaker so Sami and I can both hear her.

“Hello?” Bailey asks, answering her phone.

“Hey hun,” I respond.

“Where are you? Tank said you left and were supposed to be at the diner. He’s there flipping the fuck out because you’re not there and Alice said she talked to you on the phone but hasn’t seen you.”

“We’re on our way to see Darcy for a few days. Sami and I just need to get away. Please understand?”

“I get it, but the guys are flipping the fuck out. Tank sent out a mass text and all the guys are getting ready to head out and look for you. The only one that doesn’t know is Irish.”

“Bailey, you have to stop them. Tell Pops and Grim what’s going on but no one else. Please, I’m begging you,” I plead with her.

“You need to tell me what’s going on then.”

“Sami is hurt over the fact that Goose wants her to get to know guys from school. She understands where he’s coming from, but she’s truly hurt right now. She’s taking it as he’s decided that he doesn’t want to be with her when it’s allowed.”

“Oh Sami, you know that’s not the case sweetheart! He’s so crazy for you, he just wants to make sure that you don’t regret being with him.”

“I know Bailey,” Sami responds. “I just don’t want to be with anyone else. How is anyone supposed to measure up to him?”

“They won’t. So, you find someone that you at least get along with and go on a few dates. See what happens. Now, Whitney, what’s going on with you?”

“Well, I got some news today and I need to get away until I can figure out what to do about it.”

“What news?”

“Bailey, I found out I’m pregnant. Irish and I aren’t even on speaking terms right now. I’m not keeping this from him, I just need to wrap my head around it. Please, make sure you, Grim, and Pops are the only ones that know. I want to make sure that I’m the one that tells Irish.”

“Oh my! You mean that night that Sami stayed at my brother’s house?”

“The one and only time.”

“Okay. I’ll give you this, but you’re both going to owe me. Big.”

“Fine. Now, we’re going to get there, and I’ll text you to let you know we’re fine. I know to keep an eye on my surroundings and not let anyone get too close to me.”

We hang up and I hope that the guys don’t try to chase us down. I mean, it’s not like we’re that far out of town yet. They could easily catch up to us if they wanted to, but I hope Grim and Pops can talk them into staying back and giving my daughter and I this space.

After stopping a few times, we’re finally pulling up to Darcy’s house. The closer we got to Dander Falls, we ended up having a few guys from that chapter follow us. I’m going to guess that it’s Crash and Trojan since we’re going to Darcy’s house, but I can’t be sure right now.

Darcy meets us in the driveway and directs me to park the car in the garage. She knows what’s going on and wants to make sure that no one can tell that we’re here. I’m grateful for the help that she’s giving us right now. Especially with getting us out of Clifton Falls.

“I’m so glad you’re here!” she exclaims.

“Me too! I can’t thank you enough for letting us crash with you.”

“Anytime girls. You know I’m gonna ask what the rush was though.”

“It’s a long story on both our parts. Goose just told Sami a few weeks ago that he thought she should see guys from school. He doesn’t want her to regret being with him and only him. For my part, I just found out today that I’m pregnant with Irish’s baby.”

Darcy stands there with her mouth hanging open for a few minutes until Crash and Trojan make an appearance in the garage doorway. They look at me and I can see how unhappy they are with the fact I took off. Then they look at Darcy and I can see not so pure thoughts running through their heads. We’re in for a treat over the next few days.

“Firecracker, how about you shut the mouth?” Crash asks, finally finding his voice again.

“Why don’t you kiss my ass caveman?”

“Bare it and I’ll kiss it, and any other part of your body you want me to.”

“Same goes for me,” Trojan voices his opinion on the topic.

“Not a chance for either one of you. Get over it and move on already.”

The men look at one another before stepping closer to Darcy. From what the girls say back home, they’ve been getting more hands on with her. She truly wants to be with them, I can tell just from looking at the three of them, but something is holding her back. Maybe I can get her to open up about that too. At least while we’re here. I’m fully expecting Irish to ride in at any moment and find out what the hell is going on.

Irish

Things have been so strained between Whitney and I that I don’t know how to get back to where we were. Especially seeing that she’s not been feeling very good the last week or so. She may not think that I’ve noticed, but I have. These days, as soon as she gets home from work, she takes a short nap. In the morning, she looks like hell and I know that she doesn’t feel good. It’s just not my place right now to ask her about it.

Goose and I haven’t been spending as much time with them as we were, but it’s on us and not them. Sami is trying to keep things like they were, but when we do go inside, it’s so awkward that the two of us don’t hang around like we used to. And I’ve had my own things going on. Vicky has decided to make an appearance and we’ve been dealing with her. In fact, I have to go meet her in a few minutes to find out what she wants. Too bad I didn’t know what Whitney had planned or I’d be there stopping her.

“Irish, you goin’ to meet that bitch?” Cage asks me.

“Yep. She’s not gettin’ my daughter. I can guarantee that,” I rage out.

“Need you to come back here when you’re done. Got somethin’ to talk to you about.”

“Okay. What’s up?”

“Not now. You need to be here when you find out. Do your thing and get back here. Bailey’s got Cassidy and we’ll all be waitin’ on you.”

Cage turns and walks away from me. He’s not going to give me anything to go on so I’m going to have this worry in the back of my mind until I can get back to the clubhouse. Not a good way to go meet this bitch and find out what her game is. When she gave Cassidy to us, she was told to never show her nasty ass face here again. Now she’s decided that she can show back up and try to make demands on me. That’s not going to happen.

Climbing on my bike, I know that I have to try to calm the thoughts swirling through my mind. There’s only one person that would be able to calm those thoughts just from one look at her, Whitney. I just don’t have enough time to get to her house and then make the meet with Vicky on time. So, maybe I’ll swing by there after I’m done at the clubhouse. It’s time to put this shit between us to an end and get back to where we were.

After about fifteen minutes, I pull up to this house that looks like it should be condemned. Looks about the kind of place Vicky belongs in. I never trusted her when she was parading around the clubhouse like she owned the place. And I really don’t trust her now that she’s trying to come back and take my daughter from me. Even without knowing what she wants, I know this is about Cassidy.

Storming up to the front door, I don’t even bother knocking. I push it open and see Vicky standing in the middle of what’s supposed to be a hallway. Shock is written all over her face as I burst through the door and stand tall before her. Yeah, I’m not making this easy on her by any means.

“You have five minutes to tell me what the fuck you want,” I tell her. “And if this has anythin’ to do with my daughter, you better pack up and leave right now!”

“You mean my daughter?” she asks, coyly.

“You gave that right up when you didn’t fight to put your name on her birth certificate. Now, what do you want?”

“I’m here to get my daughter. I’ve been made aware of the way she’s been treated and I’m here to bring her home.”

“What the fuck are you talkin’ about?” I ask, thoroughly confused.

“The fact that Caydence is locked away in your room at the clubhouse with her. No one ever sees my daughter. And you put in the minimum amount of time doing club business. I’m not dumb. Something is going on that’s going to hurt my daughter. So, I’m here to bring her home.”

A laugh erupts from me as I look around and see the dilapidated building crumbling around us. If she thinks that Cassidy is coming here, she’s got another thing coming.

“You got a set of balls comin’ back here and tellin’ me you’re goin’ to take my daughter from me. What were you told if you ever tried to set foot back here again? Oh yeah, that you’d be put six feet under.”

“You don’t hurt women. I’m going to get my daughter and we’ll be on our way.”

I need to get Vicky to the clubhouse so that I can truly take care of her. She’s right that we don’t typically hurt women, but she’s here threatening my daughter and that’s not going to fly with me. So, she’s about to learn a lesson the hard way.

“Fine. Why don’t you follow me back to the clubhouse and I’ll get Cassidy for you?”

“That easy huh?”

“Yeah. I mean, if you’ve been hearin’ shit, then you know Caydence was killed. So, I’m a single father. It’s a lot of responsibility.”

“I’ll be finding out soon enough. Now, let’s go!” Vicky demands, walking closer to me.

Little does this bitch know that she just signed her death warrant. There’s no way that she is going to get my daughter away from me. Right now, it’s a matter of saying whatever I have to say in order to get her to follow me back to the clubhouse. Then we’ll handle the situation. Because it was made perfectly clear that if she ever came back here she would be put to ground. Vicky chose to come back here, so now she’s getting what she deserves. The only thing I want to know is who was giving her information. We will find that out before she dies.

I straddle my bike and put my helmet on. As soon as we’re on the road I call Grim and let him know what’s going on. I know they said that I had to be there to find information out as soon as I was done, but this is going to have to take precedence over that. Once Vicky is dealt with, then the guys can tell me what they need to tell me. Hopefully it’s something club related and has nothing to do with Whitney or Sami. But, I have a feeling in my gut and I know it has nothing to do with Vicky or club business.

By the time we pull into the clubhouse parking lot, I’m seething. Grim said that we needed to take care of the Vicky problem so that I could hear what needed to be said to me. And, I need to remain calm when I hear it and not go flying off the handle. This can’t be good if I’m already being warned that I’m going to get pissed off. What the fuck has happened that would cause me to get that pissed? The only thing that comes to mind is something involving Whit or Sami.

Vicky gets out of her car as I park my bike. She’s got a cocky grin on her face and I know that she thinks she’s winning and has me trapped with no other option but to give Cassidy to her. Cassidy is my daughter and there’s no way in fucking hell that she’s getting her hands on her. Hell, she’s not even going to lay eyes on my girl. Too bad Vicky isn’t as smart as she thinks she is.

“Come on Irish!” she says trying to rush me. “I want to see my baby girl and get out of this fucking place. I have a life to get back to and I’m more than ready to leave Clifton Falls.”

“Whatever you say Vicky.”

We walk in the main door and I see all of my brothers sitting in the common room waiting for this bitch to show her face. As soon as Vicky sees everyone sitting there, she knows something is going on and tries to turn around. Pops and Joker are quicker than her and stand blocking the door. There’s nowhere for her to turn and she can’t hide from this one. She’s made her bed and now she has to lie in it.

“Vicky, I’d like to say it was nice to see you again. But, it really isn’t,” Grim says, standing up and walking in front of her. “Apparently you don’t listen too well. We said that when you left, you weren’t to come back here. Didn’t we?”

“Yes, you did. But, Glen was telling me what was going on with Caydence and Irish. I’m here to take my daughter home.”

“She’s not your daughter. And what does Glen have to do with this?”

“He’s been feeding me information since the day he walked through your doors. I knew I’d always come back for my daughter. Too bad you guys didn’t think I would.”

“And too bad you didn’t think we were serious about puttin’ you to ground. Looks like we weren’t the only ones bein’ fooled.”

Before I can say anything else, I see Summer walk out of the hallway. She’s dressed different than I’ve ever seen her, and I have no clue why she would be here right now. I look to Grim and he motions me to move closer to him. Once we’re out of Vicky’s hearing, he tells me what’s going on.

“Summer doesn’t want to be a club girl anymore. She still wants to stay with us and help the old ladies out. So, she came to us with a solution for her dilemma right now.”

“Oh yeah? What’s her solution?” I ask, intrigued.

“Since we don’t hurt women, she’s goin’ to take care of Vicky for us. She said it’s not goin’ to bother her to take a life because it won’t be the first one she’s taken. The rest of us said the decision is hers if she wants to do this.”

Summer walks over to us and lays her hand on my arm. “Let me do this Irish. I’ve already talked to Dozer too and he’s fine with it. I want the club to be able to keep its integrity intact and not hurt her. No one has to know it was me except for the men in this room right now.”

I look around the room at my brothers. They’re all waiting for me to make my decision. My only question is are we really keeping our integrity intact if we allow Summer to kill Vicky? Apparently, I’m the only one in the club that might be having a problem with letting this happen. So, I’ll let her do this and hope it doesn’t come back to bite us in the ass.

“Alright. I still have my reservations about lettin’ this happen. But, if you want this Summer, I’ll not stand in your way.”

Summer smiles at me before walking closer and closer to Vicky. She’s like a predator stalking her prey right now. I stand back and watch what’s about to unfold. We’ve never allowed this to happen and I don’t think any of us know what to expect.

Vicky is trying to find a way out and we all know that there isn’t one for her. Suddenly you can see the resignation in her eyes as she realizes that no one here is going to help her. We’re going to let Summer make the call about how to handle her as long as she ends up where she belongs, we’re not going to step in.

“I just have one question,” Vicky says.

“What’s that?” I ask.

“Where’s Glen?”

“Oh, did I forget to mention that? He was killed. Must be why you quit hearin’ shit about what was goin’ on here.”

“No!” Vicky screams out. “How could you let my baby brother get killed?”

“Your brother?” Grim asks. “If you sent him here, you’re the one that got him killed. It’s on you and you can think about that as our girl takes care of you.”

Summer has obviously had enough of the talking because she suddenly wraps her hands in Vicky’s hair and drags her towards the hallway. I’m guessing that she’s taking her downstairs to one of the rooms we normally use for this shit. So, we all follow her.

Tank ends up getting in front of the two women so that he can open one of the doors for Summer. She practically throws Vicky in as soon as the door is open, and Vicky goes stumbling inside. Before she can fall, Summer is on her again. This is going to be a fucking fight on Summer’s part. She’s landing hits to Vicky’s entire body. I don’t think there’s an inch she’s not hitting. Vicky is screaming and crying for her to stop, but I don’t know that Summer is going to until she’s good and ready to stop.

After about ten minutes of Summer landing hit after hit over Vicky’s body, she lets her drop to the floor. Summer looks at all of us and I can see the determination on her face to end this bitch. She’s not going to torture her or take her time, she’s going to end this bitch now.

“Blade, can I use your knife please?” she asks, sweetly.

“Absolutely!” he responds, handing over one of his favorite blades.

“Thanks, hun!”

How Summer can be so sweet right now is beyond me. I’m so amped up knowing that Vicky is about to get what she deserves that I could care less about being sweet to anyone. Hell, it’s a good thing that Whit and I aren’t really on speaking terms because I wouldn’t want to bring this to her. I don’t ever want her to see this side of me. I know it’s not a realistic thought if we’re going to get past this and be together, but I’m going to try like fucking hell to make sure she only sees what she’s seen already.

Finally, Summer takes the blade and slices Vicky from one side of her neck to the other. I honestly didn’t think Summer would have it in her to do something like that, but apparently I was wrong. Now we just need to get everything cleaned up and let Summer do what she has to do.

“No one fucks with a member of the Wild Kings!” Summer shouts out.

We all take a minute before we surround her and let her know that we’re proud of her. I don’t know that I’ll stick around if something like this ever needs to happen again, but this time I had a vested interest in the outcome. Now, I need to talk to Grim and find out what else is going on.

As soon as everything is cleaned up, Grim, Pops, Joker, and Bailey take me in Grim’s office. I don’t know why it’s going to take everyone in here to tell me what I’m about to hear. But, I now am positive that it involves Whitney and Sami. My girls are gone. They don’t have to say a word to me, I can feel it.

“Don’t say it,” I start. “When did they leave?”

“As soon as Sami got home from school. Tank thought Whitney was tellin’ the truth when she said she’d meet him at the diner,” Pops tells me. “Instead, she took off. Called Bailey from the road to let her know what was goin’ on.”

“Where are they?” I ask Bailey.

“Darcy’s. They made it there fine. Crash and Trojan met her more than halfway there and followed them the rest of the way.”

“Why did they leave?” I ask, stunned and confused.

“The only part I’m going to tell you is that part of it had to do with Sami wanting to get away from Goose for a little bit. Other than that, you’ll have to talk to Whitney.”

“But you know the reason?”

“I do. I’m also the only one in this room that does know.”

“Grim, I’m gone. I need to go see her.”

“You think that’s wise? She obviously left for a reason.”

“Yeah. It has to do with me and I need to make it right to bring her back here.”

“She’s comin’ back,” Joker pipes in. “Said she just needed a few days. Crash and Trojan are goin’ to be glued to them. So, let her be for a few days and then make a decision.”

I look at the people standing in this room with me. These people are her family and they’re telling me to let her have a few days. All I truly want to do is bring her back here, but maybe I should listen to them and respect the space she needs.

“She’s got until Sunday. That’s two and a half days. If she’s not back here by the afternoon, I’m goin’ for her. You can tell her that when you talk to her. And tell her to call me please.”

Leaving the office, I go in search of my daughter. She’s going to be the calm I need right now. Cassidy will be the only reason I don’t hop on my bike and make my way to Dander Falls and drag the other two important women in my life back here. I’m dead serious about her being back here by Sunday afternoon though. And I will be at the house when they get there. We need to talk, and we will be.

It’s finally Sunday and I set my alarm to get up early. Cassidy is fed, bathed, and ready for the day. Bailey is watching her while I take a quick shower to get ready to head over to Whitney and Sami’s house. Just as I’m checking to make sure I have everything for Cassidy, there’s a knock at my door.

“It’s me Irish,” Pops says through the closed door.

“Hey! I’m just gettin’ ready to head over to Whitney’s,” I say, opening the door for him to come in.

“I know. This will be quick. Those girls are my blood. I know that you and Goose are both feelin’ somethin’ for my nieces. I’m here to tell you that I know somethin’ happened between you and Whitney. And it got fucked up. You’re either gonna fix it, or you’re gonna walk away. From all of them.”

“I’m not walkin’ away. Look, Whit and I spent one night together, and it was amazin’. I got scared shitless because I never felt the way I did that night with Caydence. As far as I knew, Caydence was the love of my life. Then, Whit enters my life and I’m so confused and I don’t know what to do. One time is all it took for me to realize that she’s it for me. Whit is who I’m supposed to be with.”

“Okay. So, what happened to make you guys stop talkin’? I’ve noticed it and so hasn’t everyone else.”

“I said that it shouldn’t have happened that fast. By the time she finally came out of her room, she said that we should just forget it happened and to move on. I don’t know what the fuck I did, Pops.”

“You’re not the only one who’s all twisted up over this. Neither one of you were expectin’ to meet someone right now. Then you say that after sharin’ somethin’ she’s never willingly given anyone and say that it shouldn’t have happened that fast. Irish, you made that girl think you meant it was a mistake. What the fuck were you thinkin’?”

“I wasn’t. Between the intense feelin’ and realizin’ that we didn’t use protection, I wasn’t thinkin’.”

“Well, like I said, you fix it or walk the fuck away. I’m only sayin’ it once. I’m not goin’ to lose my family because you can’t get your shit straight. And, if I find you hurt my girls, I’ll beat you until no one recognizes you. Whitney is so special, and she has no clue about anythin’ regardin’ her own abilities or wonderful ways. You need to build that up in her. You got me?”

“I do. I’m not gonna hurt her. I want to be in her life. In Sami’s life too. When they get back, I’m gonna make it right.”

“Well, you better know that if she tells you anythin’ else, you sit with her and process that shit. You don’t take off or let your mouth say shit you don’t mean. You got that?”

“What are you talkin’ about?”

“I think somethin’ else spooked her and made her run the way she did. I’m not sayin’ anythin’ for sure because I don’t know. All I know is you better figure out what you want and make sure that she listens to you.”

I let that sink in as Pops walks away. I’m sure he’s on his way to go find Goose and give him the same speech I just got. But, now my mind is filling with all the possibilities that would make Whit run the way she did. Is it possible that our one night resulted in her being pregnant? Or did something else happen that we don’t know about? Something having to do with her husband. There’s only one way to find out.

Walking into the kitchen, I see Bailey and Cassidy playing. Grim wanted to spend some time with their kids, so it’s just those two. I stand back and watch for a few minutes and look at how big and smart my daughter is. She’s still my little girl but she’s already getting so big and independent. I remember when she was just a little thing I was afraid to hold because I didn’t want to break her. Now, she’s so bouncy and full of life that I don’t have that concern. Especially with Whitney and Sami around.

Bailey sees me standing there and brings Cassidy over to me. She looks at me for a minute and I know I’m about to get another lecture. Only this time, Bailey knows something that no one else does. So, I’m sure this one will be a little different.

“I saw Pops go in your room. So, I’m going to be nice about this. Do not scare my cousin away. I want to keep getting to know them and have them in my life. Promise me that no matter what Whitney tells you, you’ll listen to her before you make any decisions about what you want. Can you do that?”

“Can you give me a hint as to what this has to do with?”

“No. I’m not betraying her trust. She’s fragile right now and I’m not going to be the one to push her away. Just do what I said and work things out. As long as this isn’t some sort of rebound for you.”

“It’s not. Like I just told Pops, I’ve never felt the way I do when I’m with Whit. The one time we were together was special and intense. It scared me because I didn’t feel anythin’ like that with Caydence. You know I loved her and this was so much more than that ever was.”

“I get it. But, you are only the second person that Whitney has ever been with. In her entire life. She’s not trying to pull a fast one or do anything to cause anyone harm. Remember that. And I think you need to tell her about Caydence. She asked us once and we told her to ask you. We all know she won’t though. Tread lightly and make sure she knows how you really feel.”

“I will. I promise.”

Cassidy and I make our way to Whitney and Sami’s house. I know they’re not there yet because Goose would have sent me a message to let me know. So, I’m going to sit on the porch with my daughter and wait for them. I’ll be able to keep her entertained with the toys I brought for her and letting her play in the grass.

We only wait for about an hour before I hear bikes and see her car. I’m guessing that Crash and Trojan are escorting her here. I know that none of our guys made the trip that way to get her, so it has to be them.

I walk down to the car so that I can help them carry their bags in. Whitney is looking at me with uncertainty in her eyes. At this point, I don’t even want to say anything to her. I just want to get the girls inside, see if Sami will watch Cassidy, and then talk to Whit. I’m going to keep my cool and let her say what she has to say. Then we’ll figure out what’s going to happen next with us. Hopefully she’ll be on the same page as me. Especially once I tell her about Caydence and what happened there.

We walk in the house and I follow Whitney in her room with her bag in one hand and my daughter in my other hand. Sami is quick to come in and take Cassidy from me. I give Whit a minute to let her get settled in before we begin talking. This is something that can’t be put off anymore. I’m debating letting her go first because she won’t even look me in the eye right now.

“Whit, we need to talk. There’s some things you need to know to understand why I reacted the way I did that night,” I begin, sitting on the edge of her bed.

“And there’s something you need to know too.” she tells me, still not looking me in the eye.

“Can I please go first? It’s goin’ to be hard to get through this, so I’m askin’ if I can go first.”

“Yeah. That way I have time to amp myself up to tell you my news.”

“I met Caydence in high school. We were high school sweethearts and I thought we’d be together forever. Just before we graduated, she found out that she’d never be able to have children of her own. It sent her in a downward spiral. Don’t get me wrong, she had her good days and bad days, but things were not always great. Cassidy came into our lives when someone named Vicky tried to say that Grim got her pregnant. In reality, she was a rival club President’s old lady. Cassidy was his daughter and Vicky wanted to escape,” I begin. “Anyway, we adopted Cassidy and fell in love with her instantly. It wasn’t always that way for Caydence though. She had a hard time with it because she knew Cassidy wasn’t truly our blood. There were a few times that she got pregnant and lost the baby every single time. It got harder and harder on her. Shortly before you came to town, there was a bombin’ at the clubhouse. Caydence was killed in it. Honestly, I think she used it as an out.”

“I’m so sorry!” Whitney says, tears forming in her eyes.

“I’m not tellin’ you this for you to feel sorry for me, or what happened to Caydence. I’m tellin’ you this so that you understand where I was comin’ from the night we were together. See, I thought Caydence was the love of my life. What I felt with you superseded anythin’ I ever felt with her. It scares the livin’ shit out of me and I don’t know what to do about it. Trust me, Whit, what happened between us was not a mistake and there’s no way I can forget it happened. It’s all I think about. And it’s all I want to do again. There’s been a pull between us since I first laid eyes on you and I want you, Sami, Cassidy, and I to be a family. We’ll take it as slow as you need to, but I want us together.”

Whitney takes a second to absorb what I said to her. I’m not sure if she’s trying to figure out how to accept that I want us to be together or how to tell me to fuck off after my monumental fuck up. I guess I’m about to find out though.

“Does that include any other children Irish?” she asks, shocking the shit out of me.

“If that’s what we decide we want, then yes.”

“And if that decisions already been made for us?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, that one night we were together, resulted in me being pregnant.”

I am so floored right now. So many emotions are running through me and I don’t know how long this is going to take to process. But, the way she’s looking at me right now, I know it needs to happen fast. I look down at her still flat stomach and imagine a baby that we created nestled in there, depending on Whit for life. Man! I never knew there could be a feeling as overwhelming as what I’m feeling right now. Especially since I never got to experience this before.

“Are you sure?”

“I am. I’m late, I’ve been sick, and I took a home test the morning we left.”

“Yeah, I didn’t forget about that shit either Whit. We will be talkin’ about that. Not tonight though. Tonight, we celebrate and talk about what our next steps are.”

“Slow down tiger,” she tells me. “What do you mean what our next steps are?”

“If we’re havin’ a baby, we’re not livin’ in two separate houses. We’re gonna make this work. I know I said we’d take it as slow as you need to, but this changes everythin’. We’re not doin’ slow babe.”

“I’m not moving in with you right now Irish. There’s no need for that just because we’re having a baby.”

“So, you’re keepin’ it?” I ask, relief washing through my body.

“Of course I am! How could you even think I wouldn’t keep it?” she asks, outrage clear on her face.

“I just wasn’t sure with the way everythin’ went down. The way I fucked everything up.”

Whit takes a second and sits down on the bed. I can see her trying to calm herself down and I know she’s going to give me her opinion on everything I’ve just said. I’ll take it and make sure that she goes along with everything I know we need to do now too.

“Listen, Irish, we may have only been together once, and there may be this pull towards one another. However, that doesn’t mean that we’re going to move in together right now. We need to work to get to that point. I need to be sure that we’re ready to take that step before we actually do. Can you understand that?”

“I see where you’re comin’ from, but I won’t be away from my own flesh and blood. I want to be there for him or her every single day. Can you understand that?”

“I do understand that. Let’s sleep on this and see if we can work something out tomorrow. I need to rest after driving back. Plus, I need to let Darcy know we made it back safe. Even though I’m sure her cavemen have already called her.”

I start laughing at her use of Crash and Trojan’s nickname from Darcy. She seems to be fitting in with the girls just fine. Like I knew she would. That’s a good sign because I want to make sure that they can help her fit in when she starts being brought around the club more. It’s not like she doesn’t know the guys and that her family wouldn’t help her regardless. I think it will just be easier if it’s the girls that help her.

Cassidy and I stay awhile so I know that Whit is okay when she wakes up from her nap. Sami and I catch up and play with my daughter. She asks me what my plans with her mom are and I tell her exactly what I told Whit. Sami likes that I want to be there for them and the new baby. She wants us to work things out, but knows that it’s going to take time on all of our parts. We’ve all been to hell and back and now we’re dealing with the lasting effects from it. But, we’ll get where I want us to be and hopefully it’s soon.