Page 21

Bullet

Eight Months Later

I know how it happened, because I was there for every minute of it, but sometimes I still can’t believe that the most beautiful woman in the world fell in love with me .

I’m wheeling the grill down the driveway, thinking about how gorgeous Lynette looks in the vintage green sixties dress Willa gave her just for today. The women are inside, still doing each other’s hair and makeup. We have a good while before we have to leave, but there’s the grill to load, the food to get out of the fridge and into the truck, and Willa probably has ten thousand other things on her mind. I’d be surprised if she slept last night. She was here at five this morning, even though the grand opening of her new antique store doesn’t open until noon.

The club is kicking it off with a huge barbeque, free for anyone who wants to show up. Since school just got out for the summer, I’m thinking the whole town is going to come out.

Atlas got here half an hour ago and he’s been helpful, loading buns and cases of soda into the truck with me.

He bursts out of the front door, golden hair streaming in the morning sun like a Greek god blessed by the light.

His pale face and blank expression chill me instantly.

I let go of the grill, and it’s a good thing the driveway isn’t on a slant because my brainwaves have flatlined, and there’d be no catching it if it rolled away.

“Bullet. You better come in here.”

His tone is ice water dumped straight on the crown of my head.

I abandon everything, including Willa’s truck, with both back doors open.

“Lynette’s sick and Willa can’t get her to stop crying.”

What the fuck? I’ve been outside for five minutes. Lynette was fine . Then again, knowing how strong she is, and proud too, she wouldn’t have said anything if she had a rocky stomach. She would have done what she always does and fought through it. There’s no way she’d ever want to ruin this day for Willa. They’ve been planning it together for months.

I shove past Atlas, tearing into the house like a half-crazed man.

Lynette and Willa were getting ready in our bedroom, and that’s where I find them, Lynette curled into a little ball on the bed, Willa hovering over her anxiously. She’s not the one used to taking care of anyone. She has no idea what to do.

Honestly, neither do I. Lynette has never been sick before in all the time I’ve known her.

As soon as I enter the room, she explodes off the bed and hurtles at me. I hold her like I can protect her from anything wrong in the world. My heart breaks because I know that, however much I want to, I can’t. If intention counted for anything, though, I’d be powerful enough to make sure her world was full of nothing but joy.

Sunlight streams through the windows in the room. It’s a beautiful day for a barbeque, but Lynette’s face is stormy, her cheeks dotted with the rain of her endless tears. She doesn’t cry often, and not like this.

From over Lynette’s shoulder, Willa’s face is a mirror of mine. Helpless. Worried. Pained.

She steps into us, sandwiching her sister in a hug from behind. “What’s wrong, Lynette? Please tell us,” she practically begs.

Atlas edges up to the doorway but stops abruptly. We might be club brothers, but Lynette and Willa are a part of my family and it’s a different kind of family. One he can’t push into, no matter how much longing is in his expression right now.

I pretend I don’t see it. His relationship with Willa is supposed to be nothing more than platonic, but I wonder how much truth there is in that. Lynette stopped helicopter parenting her sister months ago when Willa’s apartment was finally finished and she moved into it. Even before that, she stopped giving Willa a hard time about spending nights there with Atlas, telling her that she hoped they were camping out in separate sleeping bags.

If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say separate sleeping bags weren’t always a thing, but I don’t know that for sure, and even if I did, Willa is a grown woman, and Atlas is a good man. I have to believe they know what they’re doing. I’m sure Lynette has her suspicions too, but it’s almost as though if we don’t talk about it, it won’t be real.

“I think I’m pregnant.” Lynette sobs like her life is over, resting her cheek against my shoulder. “No. I know I am. I’m late by a few weeks and my boobs hurt, and—” She breaks off into a sob.

We both tighten our arms around her, though my whole body has gone numb. Willa is pretty much holding us both up.

I catch Atlas’s tortured expression before he bleeds away from the door, leaving on silent steps.

Lynette and I talked about having kids, but neither of us was ready. We haven’t known each other for a year yet, but timeframe aside, we never got proper childhoods. Lynette is as good as an empty nester at thirty-one years old. We both had so much we wanted to do before we thought of a family.

She turns her dark honey, tear-stained eyes up to me. I don’t know what to say. My lungs are heavier than they’ve ever been. Tears brim in my own eyes, the burn foreign to me.

“I’m so sorry! I’m so… I’m so scared. I thought I didn’t want this, but now… maybe it was meant to happen. Just like us meeting. A gift from the universe.”

“Damn right.” Willa lets go just enough to rub her sister’s back. “I’m so excited to be an auntie! You’re going to be the best mom, Linny. I know you’re scared, and, fuck, I’d be terrified if it was me. Pregnancy, birth, bringing a child into this world…” She catches my grimace and quickly shuts it. “But terror aside, you have the biggest heart, and you’re surrounded by people who will love and support you.”

“I never forgot a pill. I swear.”

I can’t handle the guilt on Lynette’s sweet face, and I tilt her chin up. Another wave of tears spills down her cheeks. “You’re the most fastidious person I know. Things just sometimes happen.”

“It’s just a numbers game, Linny,” Willa points out. And then, because she’s Willa, she has to take it way past all appropriate boundaries. “You two go at it like rabbits. No pill can hold up to that.”

At last, Lynette’s face cracks, a wobbly smile painting some joy into her uncertainty. “Are you okay?”

Me? She’s asking me?

“I’d be overjoyed to have a family with you. We’ve always made it work, whatever life threw at us. Willa’s right. This time, we’ll have plenty of help. We’re surrounded by love.”

Lynette takes her bottom lip between her teeth, biting it nervously. She twists to face her sister. “I’m so sorry I’m stealing your thunder. This is your big day.”

“Babe. It’s not like I’m getting married. We both know I’d never do that.” She laughs quickly, but there’s something almost wistful in it. “I couldn’t be happier, Linny. Seriously. I mean, all those lectures you gave me about not getting pregnant…”

“It’s ridiculous, I know.”

Willa laughs, twisting in so she can hug her sister and kiss her cheek. “It might be, but it’s the best kind of ridiculous. You guys are going to be the best parents, and you’ll make such cute babies.”

“Babies?” Lynette chokes.

“Who stops at one?” Willa wiggles her brows. “I think you guys need a private moment, so I’ll go keep getting things ready. When you’re feeling better, come get me and we’ll fix your makeup.”

“Oh my god, don’t worry about that right now.”

“I’m not worried. No one’s worried. I love it that you’re finally trusting me to glam you up. I’m not going to let you get out of it for anything.”

Willa closes the door for us on her way out.

“Bullet…” Lynette breathes, looking up at me in reverence, as if I’m the amazing one. “You’re crying.”

Now that she points that out, I realize how pinched my cheeks are from the wetness streaming down. “You’re my world. You’re my heart and my soul. I will love you unfailingly until the day they put me in the ground.”

“Which will be never,” she shudders. “Never.”

“Never,” I agree, stroking her hair. “There’s never going to be a time when I leave your side.” I know I can’t promise that, but I’m giving her my oath anyway. I’ll fight against life itself to make good on it.

“I want to get through this and then go buy a test. I’m certain, but I’d like to see it there right in front of me. It almost doesn’t feel real. It’s so early, but I’ll make a doctor’s appointment. I—oh my god this is so much.”

“I’m right here. We’ll do this together. I can get you a test and help you find a doctor and make your appointments. I’ll go to each and every single one with you.”

“You have the range and—”

“The range nothing. The club is handling the construction side of everything. I’m here to help you, no matter what you need. Always.” I kiss her forehead and her cheeks, dipping my lips in the salt of her tears. “We’ve built a life here in Hart and this is just the beginning.”

“The cats are going to have a baby brother or sister.” She laughs finally, softly, but it’s pure magic. “I’m glad we chose the house with enough room to grow, even if it wasn’t the one we really wanted.”

We looked at several and ended up picking this one, even though neither of us really loved it. We had a vision, though, one we shared together, of what it could be. I know that once the range is finished, the guys from the club will be here, helping me renovate. I might have to move that up now, but even if I have to hire someone, I’ll make sure everything Lynette wants done is finished in time for the baby.

“Any house with you is the home of my dreams.”

She swats my shoulder lightly. “You’re so corny sometimes.” Her eyes shine. “But I love that . I love you . I’m still so scared, but I’m starting to be excited. And happy.”

“I’m so very happy. I thought I had everything in the world there was to have, and then I met you, and you’ve taught me the meaning of love. You’ve shown me how to be alive. You breathed life into a heart I didn’t even realize was so cold. I know it’s been a big change moving here. I know how much you gave up for me, even when we weren’t together. I’ll never stop appreciating it and everything else you do for me.”

I thread our fingers together and bring them to rest on her flat stomach above the stunning green satin dress.

“This is another beginning. Our very own family.”

She holds tightly to me and I hang onto her with every bit of my strength, wonder, and love. She’s so much more than my world. We’re creating a universe together, day by day. I can’t wait to welcome this new addition. Our very own biker prince or princess.

THE END

Hope you enjoyed the book!

The next book in the Satan’s Angels MC

series is Atlas