Chapter 13
We’ve been home for a few days now, and I think it’s time to go visit my mom and surprise her. I told my brother to go to Mom’s house because I sent her a package and she will need help with it. He tried to get it out of me with his brotherly persuasion tactics. Good thing I’m skilled in his strategies or I may have confessed that I’m here.
I woke up yesterday and have a little pooch on my lower tummy. I decide to go with a comfortable pair of yoga pants and a flannel shirt tied up about mid-waist to show off the little bump. I tie my hair up with a bandana and put on my cat’s eye eyeliner. I have some cute mid-calf leather boots that have fake fluffy fur around the tops that I stick on. They’re comfortable and warm, all around perfect.
I arrive at Mom’s house and park on the street next door so she won’t look out the window and see my car. My dorky brother’s truck is in the driveway, so I edge along the perimeter of the yard. His lazy butt needs to mow Mom’s grass already.
I remain partially hidden behind both of their vehicles until I can reach the front door. Standing off to the side so they can’t see me through the peephole, I start beating on the door loudly. I use the side of my fist by my pinky so it sounds like I’m practically kicking it. I’m really hoping to freak my brother out big time.
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
I feel it’s my duty as the youngest in the family to be a pain in the ass occasionally. It keeps things interesting and quite entertaining.
My brother swings open the door fast, and my mother is hiding behind him with her hand on her chest, breathing hard.
I smile wide and wave, a laugh bubbling up.
My brother looks furious at first, but my mom’s eyes are lit up and she’s smiling so big it looks painful.
My brother yells and charges at me. “I knew it!” He picks me up and spins me around.
My mom is cheesin’ and bouncing in her spot. I stick my tongue out at her as he spins me. I know we have a weird relationship as a family, but I don’t care. I love my family so much, and seeing them makes me feel like everything will be okay.
“O-okay, asswipe, put me down or I’ll puke on you.” I groan, becoming a little dizzy.
Mom steps up to us. “All right, Elliot, put her down. She’ll start hollering curse words and piss the neighbors off.” She attempts to grab me and slow Elliot down from spinning. Once Elliot puts me down, she envelops me in a warm hug.
“Hi, Momma, are you surprised?” I grin mischievously at her. She squeezes me tight and we rock side to side as we hold each other.
“Of course, London. You have never been my dull child, always a surprise!” She chuckles happily.
Elliot protests. “Hey, I wasn’t boring growing up either,” he grumbles from behind us as we walk into the house.
I snicker inside; I love getting him wound up. Mom looks back at Elliot with twinkling eyes. She knows I do it on purpose. I guess she thinks it’s fair play with all the crap he put me and Emily through.
“Yeah, but I knew I wouldn’t have to bail you out of jail, either. Your sister, well, I figured the sheriff would have given me more calls than he did.” She giggles and I could just pinch her.
“Ow, hush, you old coot. I did not go to jail.” I huff and stick my tongue out at her.
She rolls her eyes and grins. “Jail? No, but there were a few times where I got a call that if I didn’t get you out of their hair they would have put you in jail. Those poor deputies never had a chance with your smart mouth. You used to drive them and that old sheriff crazy each time they had to deal with you. Finally it got to the point if they thought you were involved, they went ahead and called me on their way. Why do you think I always randomly showed up?”
“Well, see, then it doesn’t count. I didn’t get locked behind the metal bars, and when Randy Jenkins put me in cuffs it’s because he was a pervert,” I rationalize and get a Seven-Up out of the refrigerator.
Elliot grabs an apple and sits at the table by Mom to eat it.
“Oh Lord, Officer Jenkins put you in handcuffs because he was scared you’d steal his car or something and he didn’t want to have to Taser you,” she admits with her eyebrows raised.
I just shake my head at her and give her the “yeah right” look.
My brother dearest leans back in his chair and stretches his long legs out in front of him. The dork must be like six foot three now that we’re all grown up. I step over his legs to get to the table.
He smirks, watching me with each step, not bothering to move. “Hey, moose ass, get me a soda, too.”
“Screw you, brother, get off your own lazy ass and get one.” I sit down, ignoring him.
“You two watch the language. Now, I’m so happy you’re here. Are you moving back home or is this just a surprise visit?”
My gaze hits the ground rather than meeting hers. I’m a big old chicken.
Hmm, how to say this? I know she will be thrilled, but I’m still nervous. I’m her baby girl about to tell her I’m having my own baby, and I’m not even married yet.
I know that’s not a big deal nowadays but still; I had these big plans. I still do have my plans; they just include my man and a pint-sized version of my man along with a motorcycle.
“I’m actually moving back. Emily is going to be getting married and is safe now. She’s going to call you soon, she promised.”
Best to start with the basics, I figure. I’ll get her excited about something else and then bust in with my news.
“Oh married, that’s wonderful. Well, your room is all ready for you, sweetie.”
I swear my mom’s so awesome. My mom’s always been there for me like a rock. She’s a little nutty sometimes, but I wouldn’t trade her for the world. She’s an amazing cook and can chase Elliot with a spatula if he comes into the kitchen to steal stuff.
I used to laugh my ass off when I was growing up. I’d be doing whatever, then suddenly I’d hear Elliot scream like a girl and take off running through the house or yard. It always meant he was trying to steal Mom’s food before it was time to eat.
I clear my throat. Here goes. “Well, I’m going to stay with my man, actually. He had to work, but I want you to meet him soon.”
She’s a little surprised—not upset, just perplexed. “You’re living with a man? Isn’t that a little soon?”
“Actually, it’s the same guy I was seeing the few months before I went to Tennessee. We went to school together, remember? He came to Tennessee and spent some time with me.”
I can’t believe Cain texted me to see me. Thank God he did. I didn’t realize just how much I had missed his sexy face. I’m glad we got things back on good terms before he found out about the baby, too, or I’d always wonder if he did it just because I’m pregnant.
Now, I know he wanted to see me and cared about me prior to him knowing he’s going to be a daddy.
Mom puts her hand up to stop my long explanation of details and smiles. “Okay. I still want to meet him as soon as possible, though. I’m just so happy to have you back home, I really don’t care if it’s a man who helped that along or not. How about I cook dinner on Wednesday and y’all stop over and eat.”
After she says this my stomach groans loudly with the thought of my mom’s cooking. I blush and my mom laughs. “Eat a snack, sugar. I mean, look at Elliot. He already ate a sandwich a little earlier, too.” She gestures to my brother who’s steadily stuffing his face with his apple.
Ever since he hit the age of fourteen all he’s done is eat, grow taller, and become handsome. I turned fourteen and my hips grew. How is that fair?
“Yeah, I will eat something. Um, we’ll come Wednesday; that sounds great. Well, since you brought up the food, well, umm… I’m kind of pregnant, too.”
My brother chokes on his food and his eyes bug out. My mom and I both look at him, startled, to see if he’s okay. He coughs a few times then seems to be fine.
“The fuck?” he chokes out.
Mom’s expression quickly changes to irritated. “Elliot! Jesus son, language,” she chastises, and I glare at him.
She turns toward me next. “London, you can’t be kind of pregnant. You either are or aren’t pregnant. So I’m guessing you are fully pregnant,” she says it as if she’s on the Maury show, and I look to Elliot when he opens his fat mouth.
“Holy shit, is this the same dude? What the hell were you doing in Tennessee? I thought you went to help Emily?” He returns my glares. I swear, if we were magic, we both would have blown up by now with the looks we keep shooting at each other.
I huff, pissed. “I did help Emily, and it happened before I even went to Tennessee. I just didn’t know it then.”
Mom shushes Elliot and grabs my hand that’s resting on the table. “All right, well, sugar, I am so happy for you. You are happy, right? Elliot, be happy for your little sister, she’s making you an uncle.”
I smirk. Ha, Mom’s on my side. I knew she would be, though.
Elliot takes a deep breath and relaxes some. His expression changes from irritated to worried, and I realize he’s not being a jerk. He’s just doing his job being a protective big brother. He knows that this is a big deal and it’ll put a hold on all of my schooling I’ve worked really hard on.
“I am happy to be an uncle, just a little shocked. Sorry if I upset you, sister. Congratulations on your bun in the oven.” He leans over and gives me a small hug.
He’s going to be such a good uncle to my son. Elliot will teach him all the good pranks to pull on Cain and will be there for him no matter what.
I hug him back and get excited now that my news is out in the open. “Thank you. I found out I’m having a boy. Cain’s really excited, too.”
He grunts and stands up. “Please tell me you’re not naming the kid Cain.”
“Shut your face. I’ll name him whatever I want to. And I happen to love the name Cain. Did you get a chick yet, brother?”
He grows quiet and takes off to the bathroom.
I flick my gaze at Mom, puzzled. What the hell was that all about? I’ve clearly missed something big while I was gone. I can’t believe neither Mom nor Elliot have told me what went on.
“He had a girl, but things aren’t going so well right now,” Mom whispers.
I give her a crazy look. Why is she whispering about it? Clearly, it can’t be that bad. My brother’s an ass to me, but he’s a great man. Elliot is very loyal, caring, funny, and handsome—yuck. He doesn’t cheat, so what could this girl have an issue with?
“Wow, I’m out of the loop. You better fill me in when I come by and he’s not here,” I murmur, bending close to Mom so he doesn’t hear me.
“I will, sweetie, just go easy on him about it. It’s a sore subject for him.”
I blink a few times. Brother’s really hurt over this? I’m going to end up kicking someone’s ass, I swear.
“Okay, I will, Mom. I need to head out and go to the store before I go back. I’ll stop over tomorrow if you’re not busy.”
Standing from my seat, Mom does the same. I yell down the hallway where my brother disappeared to. “Love you, dickface!”
I wait but don’t get any reply, then glance at Mom. She just shrugs, a sad expression gracing her face. Sighing, I glance away, frustrated.
Damn it, I need to talk with him sometime soon.
“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, Mom. Tell brother bye for me when he comes back, please.”
“Will do, honey. See you tomorrow. I’ll be here all day. Love you and keep my grandbaby warm in this weather.”
“I will. Love you, too, Momma, see you tomorrow.” I head for the door; she smiles and gives me a little wave.
It feels great to be back home and close to my family. I’m used to seeing them all the time when I’m here. I’m so glad I finally got to tell Mom about my pregnancy, too. It feels official now. I’ll catch her up on everything tomorrow and she better do the same for me.
Cain
“Hey, baby, how was your visit with your momma?” I tug London in for a quick kiss when she gets back to the clubhouse.
I just got out of church with the brothers. It’s normally held on Wednesdays, but we decided to have it on Monday and Wednesday this week. We had a discussion about Tate and doing business with him.
We all voted to keep buying the weapons but not deal with any of their drug products. We can get more weapons and variety from the Russians for cheaper than what we were getting before. I just hope Tate and Viktor get rid of their father soon or whatever.
I don’t like doing business with the old Russian, and I don’t want to be sent up on a run to dispose of him if he becomes a problem for us. Going to war with the Russian Mafia is not my idea of fun.
I’m trying to keep my ol’ lady and kid safe, not create new chaos.
My baby smiles happily when I ask her about her momma. “It went great. She’s excited to be a grandma. My brother was a little stunned, but he’s okay now. I’m going to go visit with her tomorrow and get caught up on everything. She invited us to dinner on Wednesday evening. I hope you don’t mind, but I agreed for both of us.”
“Of course I don’t mind, baby. I have church at three but that’s all. What’s up? Why do you sound weird and shit? You feeling okay?”
I swear my woman had better have eaten if she was hungry. This chick is going to give me migraines if she doesn’t start eating enough. She seems stressed out, but I can’t imagine why she’d feel the need to be stressed out. Well, besides worrying about baby stuff or whatever.
“Yeah, I feel fine. I just have a lot on my mind is all.”
I wrap her in my arms again, relishing in her sweet scent. I hold her close for a few minutes and kiss the side of her head a few times. She always smells so good, and it makes me want to hold onto her longer.
She responds by wrapping her arms around me and burrowing into my chest. I’m curious what she has on her mind. I hope she’s not regretting coming back here with me.
I bend my head closer to her ear and whisper, “Like what?”
She draws away from my chest, just enough to tip her face up to meet mine. She meets my concerned gaze, and then studies my face while she shyly shares with me what’s going on in her head.
“I just…I mean, umm…where are we going to live? We can’t stay here with a baby. I don’t want you to stay here without us either.”
I squeeze her a little and place a kiss on the tip of her nose. Of course we aren’t going to be staying here. I want my son and ol’ lady to myself. I can’t believe she’s been worrying over this. She needs to realize I’ll take care of us.
“I’m actually working on that. I was looking at some places today. I like one that’s a few miles down the road. It’s not too big but has some land. We could always add onto it or something in the future. I like that if you needed me, I’d only be a few minutes away if I’m at the club.”
“If it’s our own place for just our family to grow in, then I don’t really mind the details. I can make a smaller house work for us with no problem. Can we look at it, please?” She smiles and it’s full of excitement, like she’s going to sprint to the car.
I peer at her sternly but can’t hold it. She’s excited and her like this makes me happy. I grin, “Of course. I told the realtor lady that I’d think about it and probably show you if we were interested. But, babe? Before you start stressing over shit, you need to know I’ll always take care of us. I promise, baby, you have nothing to fret over—ever.”
Her mouth turns up shyly before she leans in a kisses me full on the lips. I think I answered her biggest worry just now.
“Okay, come on!” she bursts out, grabbing my hand to pull me toward the door, and we’re off.
****
Well, she loved it, and it looks like we’re now the new owners of a nice little three-bedroom, two-bathroom home. It’s too small for all the babies I want her to have with me eventually. However, I can get my brothers to help me make it bigger when the time comes.
London’s kept me busy painting and picking out furniture ever since we signed the papers to our house. My brothers are enjoying every moment of giving me a hard time for settling down, too. They don’t realize that I’m the lucky one having her, not them, being alone.