Chapter Three
Baylee
Staring into the refrigerator, Baylee scanned the shelves for the diet ginger ale she was sure she’d seen the day before. Doubting Axe would drink it, she moved jars of olives, pickles, and cherry peppers out of the way. A wave of nausea seized her, and she straightened up and shuffled over to the kitchen chair. I feel like shit.
“What’s wrong, babe?” Axe asked as he walked into the kitchen. He came over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder, kneading it gently.
“I think I have the flu. I feel like shit. Did you drink the ginger ale that was in the fridge?”
He chuckled. “No. It’s not really my kind of drink.” He walked over and opened the refrigerator. “Here it is. Do you want ice in it?”
“Yeah. I didn’t see it. Where was it?”
“In the door. You’ve been under the weather for the last week. Maybe you should see a doctor.”
The clink of ice against glass and the pop of the can deafened her. Her head swam and her stomach gurgled and heaved. Grasping the edge of the table, she pulled herself up and dashed to the guest bathroom, barely making it before she threw up. Clinging to the sides of the toilet bowl, she breathed heavily, waiting for the next bout of nausea to attack.
“I’m calling Doc,” Axe’s deep voice said from behind her.
“The one who patches all of you guys up when you slip into your caveman mode? Oh… shit.” Another hurl into the toilet.
“He’s a doctor and a damn good one. He’s been part of the club for years, since way before I joined. Maybe he can give you something to make you feel better.” He knelt down beside her and swept her hair back from her damp forehead.
“Nothing can help the flu but rest and seeing it through. I don’t have time to be sick.”
“Isn’t chicken soup supposed to help? I’m sure we got a can of it.”
“Just the thought of soup in a can makes me sick.”
“If you tell me what to do, maybe I can make it for you.”
“Are you serious? When’s the last time I cooked for you since we’ve been together?”
“A year ago.”
“And how was it? I won’t be insulted.”
He laughed. “Shitty as hell. Okay, I can run over to Weiner’s Deli and get you a quart of their chicken soup.”
“I can’t even think of eating right now. Maybe for tonight. I’ll let you know. I think the worst of it is over.”
Axe helped her up and rubbed her back while she rinsed and brushed her teeth. Looking in the mirror, she groaned. “I look like a mess.” Redness lined her hazel eyes, her face was white as a sheet, and a sheen of sweat shone on her skin.
“You always look beautiful to me,” he said as he kissed the top of her disheveled hair.
“Thanks for that, but I know what I look like. How in the hell am I going to make it to the meeting the old ladies are having at the clubhouse?”
“You’re not. I’ll just call Banger and tell him you’re sick. Belle and the others can manage just fine without you.”
“But I canceled the last two meetings because of work. They’ll think I’m not interested in helping out with the Christmas charity event.”
“No they won’t. They’ll understand. They’re busy too. Belle, Cara, and Kimber have a special obligation because their men are officers. I’m not, so you’re good. And there’s no way I’m letting you out of the house being this sick. Are you okay to go back to the kitchen, or do you want to go to bed?”
“The couch is good. I need that ginger ale. When I was a kid, my mom always gave me ginger ale with soda crackers, and I remember it always helped. After she was killed, I kept the tradition up.”
“My mom never knew if I was sick or not. I can look to see if we have any crackers.” Axe wrapped his arm around her shoulders and led her into the family room, helping her down on the couch.
“They’re in the pantry. I’m actually feeling a bit better.”
“I’m calling Banger.”
“Hold off on it. The meeting isn’t until this afternoon, and I may feel a lot better by then. It may have been something I ate. I thought the leftovers tasted funny last night.”
“Yeah, you mentioned that.” The ice cubes clinked as Axe set the glass down on the coffee table. He sat next to her and placed her head in his lap, raking his fingers through her hair.
After an hour of lying down, the nausea had lessened, so Baylee sat up and ripped open the cracker wrapper. Nibbling on one, she leaned against Axe and placed her hand on his jean-clad thigh.
He brushed a kiss on her left temple. “Feeling better?”
She nodded. “I think I’m good enough to go to the meeting.” She held up her hand as Axe opened his mouth. “I know what you’re going to say, but I promise I won’t stay longer than a couple of hours, and when I get home, I’m in for the rest of the day. I’m also going to take tomorrow off work. And I would love for you to bring me chicken soup for dinner. You can get yourself a Rueben sandwich. I know how you love the way Weiner’s Deli makes them.”
At the thought of corned beef and sauerkraut, her stomach rolled over once again, and she placed her hand over it to calm it down. She hoped he didn’t notice or he’d make her stay home regardless of what she said.
“Okay, but if you’re not better in a couple of days, I’m calling Doc. And I don’t want any fucking arguments about it.”
“Okay, honey.” She bent her head back and he kissed her softly on the lips. “You may not want to do that for a while. You don’t want to get the flu.”
“Fuck that. I haven’t been sick since I was a kid. And there’s no damn way I’m not going to kiss you.” He kissed her again, harder and deeper.
She pulled away and laughed. “I don’t want you blaming me when you get sick.”
“Never.” He leaned over and kissed her quickly, then rose to his feet. “I gotta get over to Rocky’s to see what’s going on with the ordering. Banger said the manager we just canned had it all fucked up. If we find out he’d been stealing food, he’s not going to like the way we deal with it.”
“If he was stealing inventory, just call the cops.”
His dark eyes narrowed. “We like to handle things internally. We don’t need help from the fuckin’ badges.”
A shiver ran up her spine as it always did when she heard Axe say things like that. Most of the time, she forgot he was an outlaw biker, considering his world didn’t really collide with hers very often. The family get-togethers were fun times with the members, the old ladies, and the children. Those times didn’t depict the dark, gritty, and violent side of the club. For her, it was best to push that part to the far reaches of her mind.
“I’m going to take another shower. You don’t have to babysit me, honey.”
Looping his arms around her waist, he pulled her back against him. “I want to. I wanna make sure you’re okay. We can walk out together. Take your time. The restaurant’s not going anywhere.”
She brought his hands to her mouth and kissed them. “I love you.”
“Me too, babe.”
An hour later, Baylee cruised down the desolate road that led to the clubhouse. The snow sparkled under the brightness of the sun, and the frost on the evergreens glistened beneath clear blue skies. The mountain peaks, covered in snow, looked like upside-down snow cones, only more jagged.
She stopped at the iron gate and smiled when Rusty, the newest prospect, came up to her car. Rolling down the window, she gave the tall, lanky biker her driver’s license. Even though he knew her from the numerous times she’d been at the club with Axe, he acted like he’d never seen her before.
“Hi, Rusty. How’s life treating you?”
“Good.” He handed back her ID.
Laughing to herself, she drove through the checkpoint. She knew Rusty wouldn’t engage in conversation with her. He knew his duties as a prospect were to do whatever club members asked him to do and to keep his mouth shut unless he was spoken to by a club member or an old lady. A prospect never initiated any communication unless it was an emergency, and then he’d convey that to a member only. Baylee was surprised at the number of men who wanted to prospect for the Insurgents. She couldn’t imagine jumping on command as a life she’d want, but each of the brothers had gone through a couple of years of prospecting before they donned their full patches.
When she walked into the clubhouse, the first thing she saw was a young club girl wrapped around Tigger. Doesn’t that asshole ever work? To say she couldn’t stand Tigger was an understatement. He epitomized everything she despised in a man, and the way he treated Sofia broke her heart. But if she was being totally honest with herself, she also despised the way Sofia allowed Tigger to treat her. She knew she was being unfair, and that Sofia had come from a background laden with abuse and neglect, but the strong feminist strain inside her made her want to grab the thin woman by her shoulders and shake some sense into her.
“Baylee,” Belle called out, and she made her way over to a large round table near the pool tables.
“I’m glad you could make it,” Cara said as she glanced in the direction of Tigger and the woman.
Baylee shook her head. “I can’t believe he has the fucking nerve to be so open about his cheating, especially with Sofia coming to the meeting.”
“Sofia’s not coming,” Cherri said. “And Tigger’s a fuckin’ idiot.” The women burst into laughter, and a jolt of satisfaction rushed through Baylee as she saw Tigger turn and glare at the women.
“We’re all here. Are you feeling okay? You look peaked,” Belle said.
“Actually, I’ve been feeling like crap for the last few weeks. I didn’t think I was going to make it today because I was so nauseous this morning. I think I may have the flu, but it comes and goes, which is weird.”
“Do you throw up?” Addie asked.
“Sometimes.”
“Do certain smells really bother you?” Cara said.
Baylee nodded.
“What about heartburn?” Clotille said.
“Not really.”
Cherri leaned forward. “Does the nausea last all day some days and only a little on others?”
“Yeah, or sometimes I’m not nauseous at all. Why all the questions? Is that what the flu symptoms are like this season?”
“Sounds like you’re pregnant,” Belle said, and the others voiced their agreement.
“Pregnant? No way. Impossible. I’m on birth control.”
“Classic signs of morning sickness,” Cara said.
Morning sickness? Pregnant? I can’t be fucking pregnant. I’m in the middle of opening another office in Aspen. And Axe doesn’t want kids. We both decided if we changed our minds, it’d be years from now. I can’t be. No. Impossible.
Clotille placed her hand over Baylee’s and squeezed it. “This is so exciting. You have to go to a doctor right away. Dr. Neely is the best. I got her name from Cara when I was pregnant with James.”
Baylee pulled her hand away. “Wait. Stop. I’m not pregnant. Axe and I don’t want kids.”
“Who doesn’t want kids? I’m so happy my Paisey’s in my life,” Cherri said softly.
“Paisley’s adorable, and so are Harley, Braxton, Isa, James, and all the other kids, but we just don’t want them. Maybe when we’re in our late thirties we may change our minds, but we’re good the way we are.”
“Just because you don’t want kids doesn’t mean you’re not pregnant,” Belle said.
“And the pill isn’t foolproof. You’re one of the two percent like I was,” Addie added.
All of a sudden, a wave of nausea washed over Baylee. She covered her mouth and ran to the bathroom, hoping she could make it in time and not embarrass the hell out of herself.
Twenty minutes later, she splashed cold water on her face and finger-combed her hair. Dread wove through her as she tried to remember the last time she’d had her period. It seemed that she was a little late, but she was never regular like most of her friends were.
“I’ve just got the flu. That’s all,” she said to her reflection. Drying her face, she fought down the nausea as she decided to call it quits and go home to get under the covers.
The knowing looks on the old ladies’ faces irked her. “I guess I shouldn’t have tried to come today. I’m going to go home and get into bed. This flu is the shits. Call me and update me about the fundraiser, Belle. I’ll talk to you all later.”
“If you need Dr. Neely’s phone number, let me know,” Clotille said as she left.
Baylee looked over her shoulder and mustered a smile. “Thanks, but a few days of rest, soda crackers, and chicken soup will do wonders.”
I can’t be pregnant.
And with that thought in her mind, she stepped out into the sunshine and breathed in the frosty air.