Page 22

Joelle

Time flew when you were pregnant and puking up a spleen every morning.

Joelle’s modesty quickly faded as she realized her medical care team required greater access to her body than she had ever granted to so few people before.

Diamond came to each doctor’s appointment with her but disapproved of her being touched so much. However, grabbing his hand neutralized the big, growly bear. He was absolutely incredible, like a god. They could have had a great friendship if her feelings for him weren’t so potent.

The sight of the gray blob on the screen confirmed the reality of it all.

“It’s all real now, huh?” he asked across his truck’s console, and Joelle turned her eyes his way. “I was just thinking that. I knew I was pregnant.”

“But seeing it on the screen makes it real.” He spoke her thoughts.

He drove in silence for some time. Because his face was relaxed, she couldn’t gauge his feelings.

But her mind was still churning out the questions.

“Do you hate me for trapping you?” she let drop.

It hadn’t been the question she was going to ask, but it was the one that pushed itself forward, and she sat with her hands clasped in her lap, dreading the answer.

She’d given him the out already, but he’d insisted on being involved.

Should it be offered a second time?

Although they weren’t a romantic couple, she believed that parents should have a civil agreement for the sake of raising their child. If he started resenting her, she didn’t know how she would handle it.

“Babe.” He communicated as if he assumed she would delve into his thoughts and decode that one word. Diamond kept his eyes on the road until he reached a stop sign, then he looked at her. “You didn’t trap me. I came all over you, remember? Or are you getting the details of that night mixed up in that head of yours?”

“No, but...”

“You could have asked me to fuck you if you were planning to trap me,” he explained, and she felt her anxiousness slackening a tad. Then he smirked. “Maybe I trapped you.”

Joelle was so stunned. For the entire ride back to his place, she sat in the cab of his truck with her mouth agape. She finally reacted when he pulled into his private parking spot and approached her door to help her down.

“You totally trapped me,” she laughed, not taking him seriously.

That was the blessing about Diamond.

He truly was a nice guy.

He meant what he said, and he didn’t give veiled responses. He’d done many lovely, thoughtful things for her in the last weeks. Bringing her medicine to soothe the sickness, making her pots of soup when all she could keep down was the broth. He changed her car tires for better traction on snow and ice. She’d lucked out in the baby daddy department.

“Told you,” he smirked, spanning her waist to help her down. “I had a devious plan that night, Bluebell, and it worked.”

“You are so rotten,” she chastised, watching him striding to his front door, trying to ignore the zip of electricity his touch had caused. It didn’t stop her eyes going up and down him, though. Gracious, that biker had such a delectable walk. So masculine and powerful, so sexy and hypnotic.

It’s the hormones, Joelle.

They were going to be purely platonic.

“Get in here, baby mama.” He told her, holding the door open for her. “Gotta feed you.”

“Yes, please.” She nearly swooned. What that man could do in a kitchen ought to be illegal. She was considering funding his baking show.

Before pulling out a pot, Diamond slid the sonogram photo from his back pocket and pinned it to the fridge with a magnet.

Joelle’s heart instantly flooded with love.

It was platonic love.

While she stared at the gray blob on his refrigerator, her world suddenly grew small. It’s just us, bubba. I hope you’re ready for two parents who don’t know what they’re doing.

An arm came around her, and Joelle realized Diamond was unzipping her coat. He pulled it off her shoulders.

“I could have done that.”

“But I got there first.” He half-smiled so handsomely that he swept the air from her lungs. Then, he jutted his chin toward the breakfast bar, where she liked to sit and watch him. She’d learned early on that Diamond didn’t like help in the kitchen. But he didn’t mind her volunteering for spoon-licking. A task Joelle was excellent at.

Her phone pinged, and she saw her mother asking where she was. Ignoring it, she was about to fix them a drink when Diamond did it first.

“I could have done that.”

“Let me take care of you,” he said in an even tone. His head was bent over several mixing bowls. Still, he sent her a look from underneath his hooded eyelids, and the tension seemed to snap like a visible crackle in the air, and it only dissipated when she buried her mouth in the glass of fresh lemonade.

Whatever she was thinking, she had to be imagining it.

And Joelle decided she needed to stop looking at Diamond so much.

Though it was so lovely to watch him.

But her hormones didn’t care that they were becoming friends and parents-to-be. They were constantly on horny alert when he was close by.

And even when he wasn’t near.

It was awful.

It was like her body missed him. Her heart screamed for him.

Not only was she a close second to Bible Mary, sans virginity, but she was the only woman to develop a greater crush on the man after he’d impregnated her.

Joelle was an ethics study waiting to happen.

“I need that spatula once you’re finished using it, and make sure it’s ladened down with cakey goodness.” She grumbled, leaning on the breakfast bar.

It was the only pleasure she had left.

* * *

Of course, she was avoiding telling her parents.

The sonogram was nearly a month ago.

After telling Reeves but swearing him to secrecy, he’d laughed for a full five minutes and then announced that he could do anything now because he’d never be the one who got sullied by a biker.

She’d nearly walloped him for saying that.

Diamond was so much more than only a biker, but even so, he was damn good at it.

She hadn’t seen Diamond in a few days, but they spoke on the phone several times.

Was it weird to miss him?

It was weird.

She’d said as much to her friends.

They were crazy, too. As soon as they’d found out, they’d jumped into action by insinuating strongly that Joelle and Diamond needed to be together like they were a fated love match.

“It’s not like that,” she’d insisted.

“Girl, don’t feed me lettuce and tell me it’s chocolate. The man got you so pregnant even without trying to! That doesn’t say platonic. And you wanted to jump his bones, too. Your face says you still do. Get to it.”

Molly and Sadie had been relentless for days.

“It’s lucky I love you both, or I’d sell you on Craigslist and get two new best friends.” She’d told Molly this morning.

“That would never happen. We took blood oaths.”

Joelle burst out laughing. “Molly, we all tested our blood sugar levels. That’s not the same thing.”

“Yes, it was! Don’t try to get out of it. Terrible things happen if you go back on a friendship blood oath. Tell me, when do we meet the daddy biker? He needs my stamp of approval.”

“He needs nothing. And I don’t know yet. We’re still navigating.”

“Just jump into bed. The rest will fall into place.”

That would be sound advice for two people trying to sleep together.

She and Diamond were not those two people.

He was attentive and caring, but he wasn’t trying to get into her pants. And for the man she knew, who was bossy and driven, he wouldn’t sit on the sidelines if he was feeling her that way. He’d make it happen.

She had more pressing thoughts today, though. She’d distracted herself with as many errands as she could. House hunting was still not going well. Nothing seemed right, and now she had the baby to think about. So, the search continued.

If she waited any longer, her parents would realize she was expecting. Perhaps that was a possibility? She thought about it for an entire minute.

She was nearly thirty and didn’t need their approval or their shame.

But like any child, regardless of age, she wanted their blessing.

It had taken her many weeks to accept the fact she was single, unwed, practically having a biblical pregnancy, but she was excited at the idea of becoming a mom. She went as far as purchasing books, which was unusual because she never bought self-help books. The only books she owned had hot, sweaty men on the front. Hot, suited mafia men. Or aliens with two dicks.

There was just this one hurdle to go.

A well-known saying said that once you choose hope, anything else is possible. Joelle would have liked to believe it, but the look on her parent’s faces when they heard her news gave her anything but hopeful thoughts.

She’d told them the basics. She was pregnant and keeping it.

Her father’s eyes were like ice, and his lips were tight. She could only imagine what he was thinking.

But she didn’t have to wait too long.

“Whose is it?”

“The baby is mine.”

“You didn’t have an immaculate conception, Joelle.” He snapped. Oh, how close he was to the truth.

“You aren’t even dating anyone.” Her mother said, fret in her eyes like it was the biggest scandal to hit their family in decades.

“I know it’s a shock. It was to me, too. But it’s happened. It’s happening, and I’d like it if you could support me. If not that, give me your blessing for your grandbaby.”

Her mother cleared her throat and came forward. Her face was still strained, but politeness had been trained into her. She hugged Joelle. “Well, of course, dear. You always have our support, doesn’t she, darling? We’re always here. And we will love our grandchild.”

That was fair. She hadn’t expected them to jump for joy.

They weren’t the jumping-for-joy type of parents.

She looked toward her other parent.

“Do you have anything more to say, Father?”

“I want to know who did this to you,” he demanded sternly.

“No one did this to me. It was quite mutual.”

“And you’ll be raising the child alone?”

“No. We’ll be co-parenting.”

His brow raised. “This mystery man is in the picture, then?”

Joelle sighed. “Yes, Father. And you will meet him one day, I’m sure. But this is about your daughter letting you know you’ll soon be a grandfather.”

“Is it Trent?”

She’d had enough. Joelle kissed her mother on the cheek. “I’ll see you later.”

“Sweetheart, don’t go. We haven’t even discussed anything yet.” Her mother implored, but she knew what mood her father was in. He was already calculating how this would affect his Snow empire.

It shouldn’t come as any surprise to Joelle. And yet, it did.

She hoped her parents would one day react purely based on their emotions, disregarding societal expectations.

“Joelle, I asked you a question.” He said sharply. And she turned to glare at him.

“No, it’s not Trent’s baby. He and I broke up a long time ago. You’d know that if you took one iota of an interest in your children’s personal lives. I’m not here asking for your permission, Father. I thought for a silly second you might be happy for me.”

“Happy that you’re unwed and having some strange man’s child?” he narrowed his eyes like she’d committed the most heinous sin, and she felt the stab of his scathing opinion hit like a physical blow.

“It’s the twenty-first century. Look around; a woman doesn’t need marriage to have children.” She said icily, holding onto her tears.

Emotion rushed up her throat. And for a woman who wasn’t much of a crier, she blamed her influx of hormones.

“Joelle, I would like answers, please.” He said in his usual authoritative tone. Her father’s grave flaw was expecting obedience from everyone.

“And I would like supportive, understanding parents. But we don’t always get what we want, Father. You don’t have to be happy about this, but I am.”

His frown lines relaxed, and he chose to remain silent. Joelle sighed and left the family lounge. She changed her mind about going up to her suite.

Kenneth was holding her coat when she went to the coat closet. He was a mind reader.

“Thank you, Kenneth.”

“I can drive you wherever you want to go.” He frowned as she slipped into the white coat. “Or I will call for a driver.”

“I’m fine. You heard all that then?”

He nodded. “He’ll come around. Your father always needs time to process.”

“This isn’t for him to process,” she told the family butler, who’d always been like a grandparent to her and Reeves. She knew Kenneth loved them like family, and she loved him back. However, his loyalty would always be to Judge Snow above all else.

There were several people she could turn to.

Joelle wasn’t without people who cared about her.

But she drove herself to the only place where she wanted to be.

Diamond wasn’t home, and she didn’t want to call and disturb him.

She was in no rush, so she sat on the two steps outside his front door.

And waited for her biker haven to come home.