Page 24
Joelle
“Whose bedroom are you in, you tramp?” asked a nosy Molly.
Joelle should have known not to answer a video chat when her friend called.
“That’s not important. Why did you call? Is it another witch-in-law saga? Just banish her to a hole in the backyard.”
“I wish I could, but Joe likes his mother.” She rolled her eyes, but then came closer to the screen. “Now stop trying to distract me. Where are you? That’s not your bed.”
“I’m at Diamond’s place. Do not overreact, Molly.” She warned and counted to three in her head before Molly shrieked.
“You’re in the daddy biker’s bed?” she looked ready to combust with glee.
“It’s not how you’re thinking, so calm down.”
“Since when do women calm down when we’re told to? Now tell me everything. Don’t leave out one dirty detail, or I swear I’ll send the witch-in-law to you.”
“You’re mean,” laughed Joelle. “And it’s nothing, I promise. I crashed here last night. It didn’t go well with my parents, and I came to Diamond’s place like an orphan, and he took pity on me.”
He timed his entrance into his bedroom well when he came through the door and arched his eyebrow at her statement. She instantly turned red, and Molly noticed.
“What are you looking at? Is he there right now? Let me meet him, Joelle! You know it’s my right as the baby’s favorite auntie. He needs to meet me.”
Naturally, Diamond could hear everything, and he smirked as he reached into his closet for a shirt.
Oh, yeah, he was shirtless, and Joelle was nearly drooling on his bedspread.
She tried to pull her gaze away, but his insane body was made for staring.
So tanned and solid all over. He had valleys and ripples that made her tongue ache to explore them.
On went his shirt, and Joelle nearly groaned, wishing he’d walk around half naked, if only for an hour or a week. Was it too much to ask for?
He glanced over at her again and winked.
Oh, wow. Her stomach swooped with feelings.
“No.” she finally answered.
Joelle found her friend’s campaign to meet Diamond amusing, but her laughter turned to shock when he approached the bed. Joelle was almost gasping as she tilted her head back to get a better view of him.
“What’s wrong with you?” inquired Molly, but who could concentrate with a shower-fresh, good-smelling Diamond standing over them?
“Hand over the phone, Bluebell.” He spoke, and Joelle shook her head.
“Ohh, is that his voice?” squeaked Molly. “It’s deep. Hi, Diamond!”
She was incorrigible, and Joelle laughed.
All he did was wiggle his fingers at her, and she immediately caved and handed him her phone.
“So, you’re the daddy.” Molly proclaimed.
“I am,” He rumbled proudly. And Joelle squirmed beneath the covers with warmth, especially when he kept flipping his gaze to hers.
“I’m the baby’s auntie and also Joelle’s best friend. When you meet our other friend, she will claim she’s the favorite auntie, but what you need to know, daddy biker, Sadie is a liar.”
“Oh, my god, quit calling him daddy biker, Molly.”
Diamond arched an eyebrow at Joelle. “You don’t want to call me daddy, Bluebell?”
Oh, he was teasing her. In front of her friend!
She was going to expire in a puddle right this second.
Molly hooted with laughter.
“Give me that phone,” she insisted, but he kept it at face level.
“Are you taking care of Joelle and our baby?” asked her friend.
“Trying to,” gruffed Diamond, sending his eyes to her again, making her all mushy. Feelings that were impossible to hold back. “When she does as she’s told.” He added and fired her a wink.
The cheeky boy.
Molly hooted. “I love this. Anyway, give my girl a kiss; I need to go. I’ll call you later, Joelle.” She said, and the call ended.
“She meant nothing by what she was saying.”
Diamond stared, an unreadable look in his concentrated eyes. “She cares about you. Nothing wrong with that, babe.”
“If Sadie calls next and insists on talking to you in a few minutes, you have no one to blame but yourself.”
“I’ll talk to her, too.” He acted as if being interrogated by her closest friends was no big deal.
The man was so confusing.
Nothing seemed to faze him.
“Sorry for zonking out on you.”
He shrugged. “You were tired.”
She wanted to ask where he slept, but kept the question to herself.
“I should get going soon.”
“I made breakfast. Get ready and come into the kitchen.”
Who was she to turn down breakfast?
After washing up in the bathroom and using the facilities, she dressed in yesterday’s clothes, and thankfully, she had a hairbrush in her purse.
“I’m gonna follow you home.” He told Joelle before she even took one bite of the cinnamon-drenched French toast he’d made. The fork paused to her mouth, and she gaped.
“Are you sure?”
“Told you I’d handle your parents. Not gonna keep sneaking into the mansion, Joelle.”
“But you’re so good at it.” she grinned, filling her mouth. His eyes tracked to her lips, making the food turn to sawdust.
She could not come up with a counter-argument. She didn’t want to deal with her father’s anger, so if Diamond could handle him, she’d appreciate it. They’d likely come around unless they didn’t. Her life would no longer revolve around their needs.
The baby reminded Joelle he or she was there when the last mouthful of toast went down, and the nausea hit like a train. She barely climbed off the stool, made it to the nearest bathroom, and landed on her knees before she threw up.
She emerged only after rinsing her mouth, dabbing her face with water, and nearly colliding with Diamond. She hadn’t known he was waiting outside.
Just seeing him made Joelle cry. And he took her into his arms immediately.
“I wasted your French toast.” She sobbed, not even sure why she was crying, only that it felt like the end of the world.
Diamond held her tighter and caressed a hand along her back, but his comfort made her cry harder.
“It doesn’t matter. I’ll make you more food. How do you feel now?”
“Empty.”
He chuckled. “You threw up for a long time.”
“Were you listening the whole time?” she cringed.
“I didn’t want to be far away in case you needed me.”
If he continued to be kind to her, she would fall in love, and that’s when things would get complicated.
But knowing that, Joelle didn’t brush off Diamond’s soothing comfort. Just having him near made everything that much better. They embraced for a while before he offered to make her a warm drink to settle her stomach or to make more food. She declined both, but he insisted she drink water, which she complied with.
He was such a sweet biker.
Joelle wasn’t looking forward to seeing her parents again, but it had to be done. When she pulled into the circle driveway, she waited in the car until Diamond pulled up beside her. Pulling off his helmet, he turned his head and gave her a reassuring smile that said to trust him.
Her belly did that slow dipping again. It had nothing to do with feeling nauseous and everything to do with how nice he was being with her. Even as she fought them, Diamond made it easy for Joelle to catch genuine feelings.
It was Diamond who opened her car door. “You can’t sit here all day, Joelle.” He half-smirked.
“Does anything ever bother you?”
“Nope.” He answered. She wanted to be as unconcerned about others’ opinions. “Out you get, woman. Let’s get it over with and see where shit lands, yeah?”
“Yes.” She agreed.
“Let me handle it.” He warmly folded her hand into his, instantly giving Joelle peace.
She was okay with that.
They’d only taken a few steps together.
Joelle wasn’t sure what happened, only that her ears were ringing and Diamond had thrown her to the ground and was laid on top of her. Protecting her from the booming explosion that had gone off inside the mansion.
“Keep your head down, baby.” She caught him saying, his hand cupped around her head.
Confusion stained every blink as she tried to figure out why she was on the ground and what had happened.
The house alarm was whirling loudly. Debris was scattered across the lawn like broken confetti, and the acrid smell of smoke burned the inside of her nose.
“Let me up. I need to see,” she wheezed, and Diamond’s weight lifted off her as he helped her up. Keeping her in his arms, she tried to make sense of the half-house she was staring at.
It was unbelievable.
Like a dream.
Or a nightmare.
Disorientated, the ringing in her ears made her hearing fuzzy, but fortunately, Diamond was entirely in charge, already on a call to the emergency services.
“My parents! Diamond, they’re inside! Reeves! Where is Reeves?” she screamed, trying to pull away from him. But he wrapped both arms around her from behind.
“You’re not getting any closer to that fucking house, Joelle. I mean it,” he said darker, his voice penetrating through her shocked system, and she looked up at him with her tear-filled, terror-filled heart. “I’m putting you in the car, and you will stay there. Got it?”
She nodded. Looking at the house, it was a wreck.
One minute earlier, they would be there, too.
Instinctively, her hands covered her belly.
It was seconds when some of the staff started pouring out from around the back of the house. They looked terrified and disheveled, like they’d dug through a bombsite. Joelle attempted to climb out of the car to help them, but Diamond growled.
“Stay put, baby.”
“My parents, Diamond.” She cried.
Please be okay . They might not always agree or understand who she was, but they were her parents, and she loved them.
“I’ll go search. Do not move from this spot.” He issued a warning, looking her in the eye. “Think of our baby, Joelle. You protect bubba first.”
He was right.
It didn’t mean she liked it, and her heart thudded hard as she watched him stalk toward what used to be the front door.
The police started arriving.
They came in droves.
Naturally, they did. The explosion at the house of a well-known Judge prompted a massive response from all emergency departments, including the chief of police.
Ambulances came.
It was utter pandemonium.
Small fires appeared in broken windows. Smoke clogged up her lungs. From what she counted of heads, all the staff had gotten out unscathed; paramedics were looking them over.
The fire services were working on putting out the fires, and the police had already closed the street.
But her eyes remained locked on what was left of her family estate.
She was feeling overwhelmed as her heart and mind raced in various directions.
And then she saw someone emerging.
It was Diamond carrying her mother.
Joelle didn’t even recall shouting for her mom, but her lungs burned, and her heart beat so hard. She didn’t get far because a cop stopped her from crossing the barricade. She rooted to the floor, watching Diamond placing her mom on a gurney. The paramedics took over from there. Right behind Diamond was her father. He was in a much better state, though coated in black smoke. He stayed close while the paramedics were with his wife.
He returned to her, and she threw herself into his arms, overwhelmed with gratitude that he was safe.
“Thank you,” she cried. “Are you alright? Is mom?”
“Found her at the bottom of the stairs. I’m not sure if she got thrown by the blast, but she’s out cold, still breathing. They’re taking care of her. Your father was trapped in his office. He was screaming your mom’s name. The fucker broke himself out like the Hulk.” He almost sounded impressed.
She clung harder to him.
“What about Reeves?”
“Your old man said he stayed at a friend’s place last night. I need to get you out of here, Joelle. It’s not safe to hang around.”
“What?” she blinked, tear-streaked face. “I can’t leave now, Diamond.”
“Listen to me,” he gruffed, cupping her face. “Houses don’t just explode, Joelle. Some shit has gone down here, and I don’t want you or our baby anywhere near it, you hear me?”
She got it, she did.
But how could she leave?
So many emergency services kept coming. Even the press vans and helicopters arrived to report the news.
She cried again in Diamond’s arms and waited until they loaded her mom into the ambulance.
“What on earth happened here? Was it a gas leak?” she asked her father.
He looked withdrawn, like he’d aged fifteen years in moments. For the first time, Joelle realized he was an old man. And not the dynamo he’d always been. They’d rarely been a family that hugged, but she immediately put her arms around him, and he instantly hugged her in return. “Mom is going to be okay.”
“She will.” He agreed hoarsely. When they parted, she retook Diamond’s outstretched hand as her father ran shaken fingers over his snow-white hair, his eyes locked on their connection. His team had already arrived and was handling the gathering of journalists.
“I need to talk to the police.” He told her. “But first, let me have a minute with Diamond.”
She frowned and looked toward Diamond. His face was unreadable.
“Wait in the car, Joelle.” The biker told her with a reassuring smile.
Curious about the situation, she was about to decline, but Diamond’s tense reaction made her retreat to the car, where she observed their brief exchange. Diamond stood with his arms folded, nodding in places.
Their conversation went on for a few minutes.
They both headed toward her car, and she jumped out again.
“You’ll stay with Diamond for a while, Joelle.” Her father announced. Had he said she was adopted from an alien race, she would have been less stunned.
“No, I’m not. I’m needed here.”
“Listen to me, honey.” He’d never called her honey, and her panic intensified. “I need to focus on sorting this mess.”
“But mom...”
“She would say the same. The father of your child is going to ensure you are kept safe until this is dealt with.” Though he looked more fragile than ever, some of his authoritative demeanor returned, and he held Joelle with a parental look. “He’s the child’s father, isn’t he, Joelle?”
“Yes.”
“Then he’s the one to take care of you. He’s already agreed. I’ll feel better knowing you’re safe, Joelle. Now, I must get to the hospital to be with your mother. I’ll be in touch, honey.” He kissed her on the cheek and then strode off. With his team of people following, he looked once at their fallen house and climbed into his blacked-out SUV.
Nothing made sense anymore.
It was like walking on a film set and not having the script.
Diamond returned her to the car and said he’d follow behind on his bike.
To ensure her safety, her father placed her in the care of a biker. The biker seemed cool with it, even working closely with her father, which she thought hell would freeze before that ever happened.
Once the news hit the airwaves, Joelle’s phone blew up with messages and calls. After a brief talk with Reeves, she reassured Sadie and Molly that she was fine and would contact them later with updates.
That was if someone told her first.