Meredith questioned Josephine about her relationship with Lucas, but all Josephine would tell her mother was that they were seeing each other, nothing serious.
“He’s the daddy.” Her mother waved a hand at her. “I know it.”
“How do you know that?” Josephine tried to deflect with a smile of her own.
“Because I’m your mother, and I know what I see when I see it. That boy is the daddy.”
“Mom…”
“I know my head don’t work right. I know potato, dammit, tomato…” Her mother took a steadying breath. Although the medicines were working to shrink the tumor enough to attempt surgery, it was still pressing on the part of her brain that messed with her speech. Now and then, the wrong words would come out, and try as she might, she couldn’t call forth the correct ones.
“Mom, you’re right.” Josephine decided not to rile her mother up more. The words were harder to find when she was upset. “Lucas is the father. But we aren’t serious. We are giving this relationship thing a try, but I don’t want you getting your hopes up, okay? He’s not exactly the bring-home-for-Christmas kind of guy.”
Meredith rolled her hand in the air. She wanted more.
“He’s in a motorcycle club, Mom.” Josephine confessed that information with a hushed voice. The nurses walking past the door didn’t need to hear her. Meredith rolled her eyes and waved her hand again. “He’s a mechanic mostly, works in their garage. But…I don’t know, I think he does other stuff. Stuff that dads shouldn’t do, right? I mean, what if he goes off on one of his jobs and doesn’t come back? Then what would I do? It’s not like the MC has a life insurance policy.”
Her mother started to laugh. “And what would you do if he’s not in your life at all? Same thing!” She patted Josephine’s hand, which rested on the bed beside her. “You give him a chance. He’s really good looking, that Lucas.”
Josephine sighed. Thankfully, he wasn’t there to hear the compliment. The last thing that man needed was an ego boost. He did well enough on his own. She wouldn’t deny that he was attractive. If any man could make her drool just with a grin, it was him. He carried himself with confidence, as though he owned every room he walked into. And people just seemed to know it.
Lucas had taken her to dinner the night before. Nothing fancy, just a diner in town, and every waitress came up to say hello. The cook even came out to speak with him for a moment. The waitresses weren’t hanging on him, and they didn’t give Josephine any evil glances. In fact, most of them had fully ignored her. They probably saw him with a lot of women and had stopped even taking notice of them. That idea had sent Josephine into a sour mood.
It wasn’t his fault. He had introduced her to everyone who came up to the table, and once that happened, they were more receiving of her. However, the few women who walked into the diner just as they were leaving hadn’t been so polite. They didn’t just ignore her when Lucas introduced her, they openly snubbed her.
Lucas had started to say something to them, but Josephine stopped him. No sense in him causing a scene, and who knew, they could be right. In two months, they could be over and done with.
“You give that boy a chance.” Meredith announced with a firm nod.
Josephine rose from the chair she’d been sitting in. “You just get some rest, Mom. I have to get to work. I have the late shift tonight.” She swung her purse over her shoulder and leaned down to give her mom a quick peck on her cheek.
“It’s going to be all right, Josephine. I know it.” The vow was spoken in a soft voice, but she could feel every ounce of her mother’s determination behind the words. Her mother had never let her down. Not once in her entire life had she missed a recital, a baseball game, a birthday—nothing. No matter how hard things were, how tight money was, or how busy she was, she never let Josephine think for a moment that she wasn’t loved.
“I know it, Mom.” She gave her a wave before heading out the door, stopping just outside to take a steadying breath. As a child, her mother’s vows that everything would work out had always soothed her worry and taken away her panic, but now, seeing her frail and wasting away in that hospital bed, she didn’t feel the same relief.
Lucas could pay the hospital bills, but he couldn’t make the cancer go away. He didn’t have that sort of power. Her stomach started to turn on her, and she took several deep breaths. The nausea was starting to get better. She threw up less and less, but now and then, she’d feel a little sick.
What the hell was she doing having a kid now? Her mother needed her. She was dealing with too many things. It had been a selfish thing to do.
“Josephine.” Dr. Leopold walked up to her in the hallway. “Are you all right?” He laid a hand on her shoulder.
She straightened up and smiled. “Yes. I’m fine. Just a little morning sickness.” She nodded and wiped a stray hair from her forehead.
“Your mother told me you were expecting. Congratulations.” He gave a wary smile that didn’t quite touch his eyes. He knew she wasn’t married, knew she was single. “I assume your boyfriend, the man who showed up at my office last week, is the father?” A pointed question.
“Yes. Lucas. He shouldn’t have walked in like that. I’m sorry if he disturbed the office.” She tensed under his gaze. She didn’t think he was attempting to be so bold, so judgmental, but she was definitely getting that vibe from him.
“It’s fine. He was just trying to take care of your mother. I understand that.” He tried to wave away the topic. “I assume future payments will also be in cash?”
Josephine’s eyes snapped up to meet his. The accusation wasn’t even hidden; the man was full on making his feelings about Lucas known. The money was dirty.
“I can write a check if that’s preferred.” She readjusted her strap on her shoulder.
“It’s up to you.” He shrugged, then looked at the door to her mother’s room. “Whatever is easier for you and your, uh, boyfriend. Is your mother asleep?”
“No, she’s awake. I was just headed to work.” She bit down on her cheek to keep from saying something that would cause the situation to become more awkward and give him even more reason to judge her.
“Good. I’m just making my rounds. I’ll see you tomorrow. I think we can discharge your mother within a few days, until we are ready for the procedure. You may want to seek some home care, however, as she’ll need assistance around the clock. Someone to be with her while you’re working would be best.”
“Of course. I’ll look into it right away.” Josephine nodded. “Thank you, Dr. Leopold.” She said the words with all sincerity. He was proving to be an asshole, but the ass could help her mother, so she’d put up with him. “Really. For everything.”
He raised one eyebrow and gave a curt nod. “It’s what I do.” He gave a half smile and headed into her mother’s room. Josephine wanted to kick him in his ass to hurry him along but instead shook her head, took a deep breath, and tried to put him out of her mind.
What the hell did he know about anything, anyway? Lucas wasn’t some lowlife scum just because he wore a leather MC kutte, rode a motorcycle, and had longer hair than most men she’d ever dated. He had no right to judge.
Then again, neither did she.
# # #
Lucas sat at the round table with his brothers and thought on that for a moment. Would Josephine be able to deal with that? Would she throw a hissy fit the first time he told her he’d be gone for a few days on club business? Though he couldn’t really see her throwing a hissy fit over anything, he wasn’t sure exactly how she’d respond if the situation arose.
He already knew she wasn’t like the other girls in the club or the wives of his brothers. She had her own thing going, her own job, her own life. He didn’t like her apparent lack of a social life, but she didn’t seem to care about it. Some of the members didn’t like their women working. They wanted them home, cooking and cleaning, right where they knew they’d be. Lucas saw the appeal in that, but he didn’t think for one second Josephine would let him dictate her time. Although with the baby coming, they should talk about that.
As captain, he brought home enough cash to support them both and the baby. Plus, his work in the garage gave him a legitimate income, so there was no need for her to work. He’d have to bring up the subject carefully, not bombard her with the idea. Maybe he could let it be her idea to stay home. He had to shake his head. Playing games wasn’t his style. An open conversation was what would happen, and if she didn’t want to stay home, if she really wanted to keep working, they’d make it work.
“Now that everyone’s settled, let’s get this started.” Joe pounded the gavel on the table, sending a hush over the room. “We’ve known that the fucking Iron Rebels crew was moving into our territory, bringing hard drugs and shit with them. They keep it up for much longer and we’re going to be feeling the heat from the sheriff’s department. We can only donate so many baseball fields to keep them on our good side. If that white powder starts showing up in classrooms, they’ll start cracking down everywhere. The docs over at Medi-Clinic on Main Street want to double their order. I talked with the farmer last night and he’s good with the quantity, ready to ship. Cutter and Match are going to make the run next week for the pickup and delivery. I also want to send three more guys with them. I don’t trust those fucking Iron Rebels pricks to stay the hell out of our business. Especially since they got the jump on Lucas the other day.”
Lucas looked around the table at the faces of his brothers. Everyone was intent on listening to their president.
“That fucker who jumped me nearly pissed his pants when he saw my tag.” He pointed to his title displayed on his kutte. “That makes me think he was low level, either prospect or just got patched. Not sure what their beef was, and I don’t give a fuck either.”
Several nods went around the table.
“They want our business, is my guess. Why not add the medical marijuana to their menu of drugs?” Joe’s chair creaked as he leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest, giving a pointed look at everyone at the table. “So, from now on, we double the men on our runs. I’ll try to get a sit down with Mr. Prez, Parker. If we can keep this shit from spilling blood, I’d rather go that route, but I’m sure as fuck not giving up our turf or our dealings with the clinics. This stuff brings in healthy cash for the club, but we know it’s good, and we know it’s going to people that need it.”
More grunts of approval went up in the room.
“Lucas.” Cutter spoke up. “Your girl’s mom. How’s she doing?” The club had helped pay for the medical treatments. They had every right to know how the money was being spent.
“No change, not really. I guess the chemo and radiation have shrunk the tumor enough for her to have the surgery. She’s going through a bunch of tests first, then they’ll set a date. Probably within the next few weeks.”
“And your girl…she gonna be your old lady soon?” The implication was there, not well hidden. Taking money from the club for family expenses such as medical bills was encouraged. Doing so for a piece of ass a member was currently fucking wasn’t looked upon with such grace.
“Soon enough. She’s carrying my kid. Isn’t that enough for now?” Lucas turned his stare on Cutter across the table.
Cutter put his hands up in the air and shrugged. “For me, yeah. But from what I see, this procedure and all the bills…this is going to add up to a shit ton of money.”
“You saying I have to get a ring on her finger?”
“No. He’s not saying that. No one’s saying that. We don’t force brothers into marriage. Fuck, if you never marry her, that’s fine, but we need to at least meet this girl, don’t you think?” Joe leaned over the table. “That is, if she’s real. I mean, your story is a little…” He started laughing before he could finish, Cutter right along with him.
“You fuckers!” Lucas cracked his own grin. “You think I made this shit up?”
“That some hot number walks up to you in the hospital and asks you to get her knocked up?” Cutter nodded. “You bet your sweet ass I do.”
Lucas waved a hand through the air. “Fine. I’ll bring her around tomorrow night. Time she met you assholes anyway.”
“Cherry’s not going to like that.” Cutter shook his head. “I’ll have to find some way to console the poor girl.”
“Okay, okay! That’s enough of the pussy shit. Let’s close this meeting up. Next week, we’ll do numbers, so everyone bring your fucking thinking hats.” The gavel hitting the table marked the end of the meeting. Chairs were folded and put back on the rack along the walls and non-board members headed out to the lounge to have drink or two.
Joe called out to Lucas, who was starting to head out the door. “She really pregnant with your kid? I mean, you’re sure it’s yours?”
“I know it is.” Lucas tapped his chest. “I know it.”
Joe nodded. “Okay, then. Of course, anything she or her mom needs…but she needs to surface around here. Not just to appease your brothers, but so she knows what she’s getting into. It’s not fair to drag her into this life without knowing what it is. She needs to see it, to feel it.” Joe spoke from experience, Lucas knew that. He’d lost a woman, a girl he dated before his wife. He’d been crazy about her, wanted to give her the moon, but he’d kept her from the club, sheltered her as best he could. Once she finally started to see what his life really was about, she couldn’t stomach it. Even after seeing the good the club did, she could only see the bad, or what she considered bad. She left Joe, not even willing to listen or make it work. Just stuck her nose up in the air and walked away.
Josephine wasn’t like that. She wouldn’t do that. But Joe was right—it was only fair to let her see what his life really was like, what her life was really going to be like.
Because he wasn’t letting her go.
No matter what.