Page 43 of His Flawed Ride (Sons of Lost Souls MC #16)

Chapter Forty-One

Shane

I listen to the doctor but all I can hear is I can take my son home in a couple of days, all being well.

Grinning down at my boy in my arms, I say, “You hear that, son? You get to come home and meet everyone soon.”

I’ll be glad to not have to come here to the hospital every day, that’s for sure.

“We’re going to be the perfect family,” Annie whispers to him, close beside me and I frown.

It’s not the first time I’ve heard her say it. It doesn’t sit well, but again, I don’t say anything.

We stay with Wolf late into the evening and by the time we get home, I’m not interested in anything but falling into bed. Annie doesn’t argue, all too happy just to be around me. Our bodies are inches apart but the gap between us has never felt so wide.

“Do you think he knows we’re not there?”

Clearing my throat, I say, “I don’t know but he’ll be home soon, and he won’t remember being away from us.”

I don’t want to talk, especially not with her.

“When he’s home, we should invite everyone around and have a cookout.”

“Hmm.”

She rolls her head to the side to stare at me. “What’s wrong, babe? You’ve been acting weird for the last few days.”

It’s now or fuck knows when. I’ve been on the edge of blowing for days, I can’t hold it in any longer.

“I know you’ve been lying to me.”

She laughs but it sounds wrong. I swing my legs over the edge of the bed and get up.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She sits up slowly, still taking it easy after her c-section. When I look at her now, I don’t recognise her. Then again, I’ve never really known her that well.

“You don’t have cancer. Admit it!”

Her confusion turns to anger in the blink of an eye. “How dare you! I can’t believe you’d accuse me of doing something so terrible.”

For a fraction of a second, I regret doubting her but then her eyes slightly narrow and it’s like I can see her working her story out.

Before I know what I’m doing, I lean on the bed and grip her chin. “Tell me the fuckin’ truth!”

Her voice wobbles. “You love me. Tell me why you’re doing this, hurting me like this.”

What the fuck? “I’ve never told you I love you. Stop with this crazy shit and tell me the truth!”

She yanks her head back, freeing her chin from my grip. “I’m not doing this. I can’t… I…”

“Prove you’re sick.”

“How?”

“You must have paperwork? Doctors appointments? Treatment plans? I don’t know, but you must have something.”

“I don’t have to prove shit to you. You should believe what I say.”

“It all makes sense. I had Zach look into you. Not once did he mention you had cancer and trust me it would’ve come up on your hospital records. He digs deep when he does a search on someone.”

“I still can’t believe you did that.”

The first tear rolls down her cheek but like most tears, they don’t change my mood.

“Fuckin’ believe it. Come to think of it, not much came up about you. But at the time, I thought most people don’t have much about them.”

She bursts into tears and carefully gets out of bed. She comes around the room and stands before me. The moment her hands cup my cheeks, I recoil.

“I need to know the truth, Annie.”

“The truth?” she murmurs. “Men don’t care about the truth. I’ve given you a kid. I’ve been making you a home. I’ll open my legs for you any time you want. That’s what men want, and I can give you that. All I’ve wanted, since the night I met you, was for you to love me.”

She’s crazy. No, she’s more than that, she’s unhinged.

“Have you had this planned from the start. Fuck, is Wolf even mine?”

The doubt hurts that he might not be mine. Hurts like nothing has ever gotten to me before.

“If you don’t believe anything I say, believe he is yours. After being with you, I couldn’t imagine letting any other man touch me. I’m yours, Shane. Completely and for forever.”

More tears stream down her cheeks but they can’t be trusted. She’s running on survival mode right now.

“You’ve been bullshitting me from the start.

You’ve tricked your way in… How long did you think you’d get away with it?

” She’s obviously not going to admit it but it’s not stopping me.

“Didn’t you think I would notice you weren’t going for treatment?

And what about hospital trips, I’d be the one to take you and bring you home?

Did you honestly believe I’d just have let you do it alone? ”

“You’re such a good guy, Shane.”

Grabbing onto her wrists, I pull her hands away from my face and keep hold of them.

“You might not be cancer sick, but you are sick, Annie.”

“No! I’m not, I’m just… I love you.”

“Stop saying that!”

Releasing her wrists, I move away from her and reach for my smokes. Lighting up, I cross the room and throw open the window, needing the air. I feel her moving closer behind me and cringe when she runs her hand up and down my back.

“We can get past this, baby. We have a couple days and then we’ll bring Wolf home. We can deal with this before starting a new life, all together.”

Sucking on the cigarette, I inhale so deeply, half the cigarette burns down.

My head is spinning but one thing I know, I’m not going to lose my son over this insanity.

“When you came to town you said you didn’t want the kid. Was that a lie?”

She rests her head on my back and though I can’t stand for her to touch me, I don’t move, too scared of what I might do.

“I know how men are in the club. I knew you’d let me stick around.”

I laugh but it’s far from funny.

“Meeting you was the best night of my life. Addiction comes in many forms, Shane. I became addicted to you.”

What the fuck is going on in my life these days? First Lily, and now Annie.

“When you touched me, it was like everyone who had touched me before, vanished. The way we connected is rare, don’t you see that?”

I hit the cigarette and flick the butt out of the window. Detaching her clasped hands at the front of my waist, I untangle her from me and leave the room. She’s on my tail and after I’ve grabbed a beer from the fridge, she’s in the doorway with yet more fresh tears staining her cheeks.

“I would’ve grown to love you, I’m sure, but I’m not there and never have been. You were having my kid, of course I’d treat you different to everyone else. It’s on you if you took it the wrong way.”

“You don’t mean that.”

“I do, Annie. I really fuckin’ do.”

Draining most of my beer, I slam the bottle down on the counter and she flinches.

Silence hangs between us and I sit at the table. Eventually she pulls out a chair and sits across from me.

I stare at the tabletop, unable to look at her at all.

“Shane?”

I keep my eyes on the tabletop and my lips firmly shut. She’s not even aware that she still hasn’t admitted she lied.

“What can I do to prove I’m good for you?”

“You can stick to your original lie and leave. Wolf is here, he’ll be home soon, you can go and never come back.”

It’s the only option she has at this point.

“I’m not going to do that. I wouldn’t know how to walk away now. From you or Wolf.”

“I don’t care how you do it, as long as you do.”

“So, what? I’ll leave you and my son and eventually you move someone else into my bed, someone my son would call mom?” I finally look up and her eyes are ablaze, and her smirk sends a cold shudder down my spine. “That’s never going to happen, Shane. I can guarantee you that.”

“I’m not giving you a choice.”

“Nor am I. We’re going to fix this and move on. We’re going to be the perfect family.”

I slam my hand on the tabletop. “Stop fuckin’ saying that!”

She bursts into more tears and cries into her hands. Rolling my eyes, I have no idea what the fuck to do unless I stay true to who I am.

“Here’s what we’re gonna do. You’re gonna sign over full custody to me.

You’re gonna leave and not come back. You’re not going to make any contact with us in any form.

You’re gonna trust that I’m gonna do right by our son and keep him safe from crazy ass people like his mother. You’re gonna disappear.”

“Or what, you’ll make me disappear?”

“The way I’m feeling, it’s a possibility.” I push up out of my chair. “You can stay here tonight, and in the morning, we’ll find a lawyer. Once the paperwork is done, you’re gone. One way or another.”

I go to leave the room when she says, “Shane, I’m sorry I lied about the cancer. I should never have sunken so low, it was the lowest, but it’s only because I didn’t want you leaving me. Every lie I’ve told is because of you.”

“Funny, it would’ve been the truth that would’ve kept me.”

“Please,” she begs. “Don’t leave me. I’ll never lie to you again.”

A slither of compassion filters through the anger and I smash my fist into the drywall. It feels too good, and I punch it over and over until small hands pull at my arm to stop me.

“You’re going to hurt yourself. Stop.”

Dailing down the rage, I tell her, “There’s no going back for me, Annie. It doesn’t matter what you say or what you promise, it means shit to me.”

“No…”

Cutting her off, I lean into her face. I need her to fucking hear me. “Stay here, I’ll stay over in the bar, and in the morning, I’ll pick you up and we’ll get this shit sorted. If you leave before then it saves me a shit ton of money with lawyers.”

Shrugging away from her touch, I ignore her cries and screams and run upstairs to throw my clothes on. It takes no time, and I slam the front door behind me on my way out.

It only takes a few minutes to walk around to the bar and when I walk in, it’s busy and lively, and I soak in the noise. I need distractions. I need alcohol. I need the smokes I left at the house.

“How’s your kid doing?” Leo asks as I join him at the bar.

“He’s doing well. Doc says he can come home soon.”

“That’s great! We should drink to it.”

Brothers get the drinks in and cheer to my kid.

As good as it feels, it still feels like shit.

It shouldn’t be this way. I should be on cloud nine.

Instead, I let my dick lead me into crazy town and now I have to pay the price.

Now Wolf is here, I don’t know if I would change it if I had the chance to go back and never spend the night with Annie.

“I remember when your sleepless nights were because of me.”

Stevie.

She saddles up beside me and hands me a beer.

“My kid ain’t home yet, I’ve not had a sleepless night yet.”

“Where’s your old lady?”

I go to say I don’t have an old lady, but I can’t be dealing with the conversation that comes after.

“She’s at home.”

“You’ve really turned your life around, huh? An old lady, a kid, a house. It’s like I don’t recognise you anymore.”

“Don’t be jealous, Stevie. I don’t have the energy to deal with it.”

She snorts. “Do I look like I want to be saddled with a kid or playing house? When have I ever given you that impression?”

Glancing at her, I believe her. Unlike the so-called old lady of mine.

“Sorry, I’ve just got a lot on my mind. I’m not thinking straight.”

“Do you love her?”

“Stevie.” I sigh. “I’m really not in the mood to talk, especially about Annie to you.”

“I only ask because if you don’t, and you’re just being loyal because she’s had your baby, then I can help take the weight of your stress off. You know I can help you feel real good. I can keep a secret.”

“You don’t know how fuckin’ tempted I am, babe, but until I’ve got my shit sorted, I’m not lookin’ to fuck up even more.”

“You know where to find me if you change your mind.”

I watch her ass sway side to side as she walks off and joins her friends sat with one of the prospects. What I wouldn’t give to hide out in my old room with her and lose myself in her body. From many nights spent with her, I know I’d be in for a good night.

My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I dig it out.

Please come home.

Like fuck.