Page 25 of His Flawed Ride (Sons of Lost Souls MC #16)

Chapter Twenty-Three

Shane

I t’s not my morning. I burned the first round of toast and forgot to switch the coffee machine on, banging on the side of it because I thought it was broken.

All the while, Annie is sat at the kitchen table watching me fuck up repeatedly with a smile on her face.

“You’re going to have to learn how to cook the simplest dishes before our baby is born. They don’t survive on milk forever.”

“Ha-ha. I have plenty of time.”

I pop the toast before another round burns and pour my coffee and her an orange juice.

“Will this be enough for you and the baby?” I ask as I set it on the table.

Her smile turns sour. “Trust me, I’m going to struggle to keep this down for long.”

“Morning sickness, right?”

“Yep, it’s been kicking my ass.”

“Will it last long?” I don’t have any knowledge on pregnancies apart from the obvious, stomachs grow larger and then after nine months, the baby is born.

“They say it lasts through the first trimester and then eases off, but some women suffer throughout.”

“Let’s hope you’re not some women.”

Her smile returns and she nibbles at her toast and gingerly sips her juice. I gulp my coffee down as I watch on.

This woman, who I spent one amazing night with is going to be the mother of my child yet wants nothing to do with it. I intend to dig deeper, but she jumps up from the table and rushes up the stairs to my room.

By the time I reach her she’s retching over the toilet, and I scoop her hair away from her face and rub her back until she collapses on the floor.

“You hardly ate anything,” I point out.

“It was the smell of the butter that set it off.” She holds her hand up for help and I pull her up to her feet.

“I’m going to lie down for a while until it passes.”

“Sure.”

Once she’s settled, I head over to Leo’s house. My president is just on his way out as I climb the porch steps.

“What’s up?”

“I need to talk to your old lady.”

“About?”

“About when she was pregnant. I need advice for Annie.”

He opens the front door and calls out for Holly. “Shane needs a word.”

He turns back to me and orders, “Don’t keep her long. Roman’s kept us up most of the night and she’s tired.”

“Sure thing.”

“Catch you later.”

I’m not waiting long before Holly steps out clutching a monitor in her gloved hand.

“How can I help you, Shane?”

“Can I ask, did you suffer from morning sickness when you were pregnant?”

She huffs. “Sure did.”

“Did anything help you? And how long did it last?”

“Is this for the girl who showed up yesterday?”

“Yeah. She’s pregnant with my baby and suffering with morning sickness, I don’t know how to help her.”

“It’s natural.”

“What did you do?”

“I survived on crackers and water until it ended.”

“Crackers?”

“Yep. She’s going to have to ride it out unfortunately. Just be there for her when she needs you.”

So it’s going to be shit then.

“If there’s anything else you want to know, I’m always around.”

I go to leave but stop. “Actually, this is more personal so if you don’t want to answer, just tell me to fuck off and I will.”

She smiles. “Go on.”

“During the pregnancy, was there ever a time that you didn’t want to be a mom, like when the baby was born?”

Her frown gives me my answer before she says, “No, but then we were trying for Roman. I wanted him before I was even pregnant with him. I take it she doesn’t want the baby?”

“She said she wants to sign full custody over to me. She asked that I cover her medical bills and help her till she gives birth.”

“Could she just be scared. I mean, if she wasn’t planning on having a baby, I imagine it could be a scary place to be in, especially when you don’t know the father that well.”

“I have no idea, but she seems adamant that she wants me to raise the baby alone.”

“Well, you won’t be alone. We’ll help you until you find your way.”

“Thanks, I needed to hear that.”

Back in the clubhouse, Annie is asleep in my bed, and I backtrack to JJ’s house this time.

He’s shrugging into his cut when he answers and tips his chin wanting to know why I’m at his door this early.

“Sorry to knock at this time, I was hoping to see how Lily’s getting on?”

He huffs out a cocky laugh. “Oh yeah, I heard you’ve been banging her.”

I’m not surprised word has travelled throughout the club. He opens the door wide and steps to the side.

I haven’t been in JJ’s home before, it’s nice. Homely and cosy. It’s definitely Harper’s doing, I couldn’t see my brother picking out cushions and framing photos to hang on the walls.

“She’s in the second bedroom at the top of the stairs.”

Nodding my thanks, I climb the stairs and knock gently on the second bedroom door. I wait a few seconds before knocking again, this time, a little louder.

“Lily?” I call out as I open the door.

For a split second, I debate whether to let her sleep or wake her when I step farther into the room and see she’s not sleeping. Empty pill bottles are beside her on the bed and the glass on the nightstand is bone dry.

Crossing the room, I kneel beside her and press my fingers to her neck. Finding no pulse, I hang my head.

“What have you done, Lily?”

Before me is a broken woman in more ways than one. Her battered body lies, for the first time since I’ve met her, peacefully.

Fuck!

Pressing a small kiss to her hand, I back out of the room and close the door. Downstairs, I find JJ in the kitchen with Harper and their kid eating breakfast.

“Can I have a word, brother?”

“Go on.”

I shake my head. “In private.”

I step back into the hall as he joins me and I make sure to keep my voice low when I tell him, “Lily’s dead. Looks like she’s taken a bunch of pills.”

If this was anyone else lying dead above us, I’d expect certain reactions from him but anger beginning to burn in his eyes doesn’t surprise me because it’s his mother-in-law.

“This is gonna fuck Harps up. Fuck you, Lily!”

Harper’s laughter reaches his ears, and he softens. “I appreciate you coming to me first. Can you go to tell Alannah, she’ll know what to do.”

“No worries.”

Once outside, I light a cigarette and pull hard until the cherry grows dangerously large.

No matter what she’s done in her life, she didn’t deserve to go out like this.

Alone and believing she had no one to lean on.

Her last few days alive were spent in pain and fear.

Shit. I should’ve come to see her last night.

Maybe there was something I could’ve done, said the right thing, gave her hope that her future wasn’t going to be as lonely as she thought it was going to be.

I knock on Cas’s front door and wait. It’s not so daunting waiting to tell them about Lily, I’m vaguely aware of their history with Lily and I’m pretty sure Cas won’t lose any sleep over her death.

The door opens and Cas fills the doorway. Because of the patch I would have this man’s back without question and without hesitation, but he’s not someone I regularly hang with. “What do you want at this time?”

Swallowing hard, I tell him, “JJ asked me to tell Alannah that Lily died in the night. He said she’ll know what to do.”

There is no grief smacking him in the face. There is no loss of breath at the news. The fucker smirks and asks, “You’ve seen her? She’s actually dead and it’s not a scam?”

“No, Cas. I was the one who found her.”

“Yeah, I heard you’ve been tapping her. Well, not anymore, unless you’re into that shit.”

Fucking hell. I don’t know what to say to that.

“Lily’s gone, and I reckon Harper’s gonna need ya.”

I step away and turn to leave when he says, “Don’t waste your time mourning her, she would’ve dropped you when a new sucker came along.”

I don’t have the energy to explain we weren’t anything more than a few fucks, but I do have a heart, and I don’t relish in a woman ending her own life.

“At least we don’t have to put up with her anymore,” are Cas’s final words before he steps into his house and shuts the door.

His coldness sends a shudder down my spine. I wonder what’s happened in Cas’s life to make him be so cruel.