Page 180 of Preacher Man

She paced from stove to counter, worrying at her bottom lip with her teeth, absently listening to the heavy footsteps up above.

Her concerned biker-man was troubled. She was worried, the sooner they got to the airport the better they'd both feel.

"Oh, just get it over with." She huffed in a self-chastising whisper, taking a seat at the kitchen table decorated in a posy of spring flowers of pinks and yellows. Throughout every room now was her own personal stamp on their house, her biker-man was so laid back he didn't give a damn what she did to the house as long as she was in it. As he'd told her;Do whatever the fuck you want, Icy. It's you I want here, don't care what pillows you throw on the couch. God, she loved that man so much.

And it was because she loved the man, and his sister, she pressed a few buttons on her phone and listened to the ringing tone in her ear. Her heart a steady beat hoping to get this over with before Rider stomped down the stairs.

She'd blame it on pregnancy hormones.

God, she still couldn't quite believe it, she was having a baby. A biker-man baby at that. She smiled to herself, the baby would probably be pushed out cursing the air just like his daddy.

Putting her hand over the flat of her abdomen, already protecting what was nestled inside. They hadn’t been trying … actively … but hadn’t prevented it either, what with a bout of flu weeks ago, she’d been down for a few days in misery and sleep and forgot to take her pill. Rider said it was meant to be that way, that and his super sperm. What an ego her biker-man had.

Happiness came in many forms, it began by being brought into the light by a group of men not known for their kindness, but had been nothing but sweet to Zara from day one, she adored those Renegade Souls boys like they were her blood family, and the happiness hadn’t stopped there, second with Rider, he had given her everything, and it continued to grow bigger, better, brighter now with the promise of their new baby. It was because of her unwavering loyalty to the Renegade Souls she was making this call at all.

The ringing went on and on, fully prepared to leave a message if it sent her to voicemail, Zara was startled by the gruff voice on the other end. She hadn't heard that voice in more than eight months, the last time being the same night he'd killed a man to save her.

"Hel'o." He rasped.

"Hawk? It's Zara. Eh…Rider's Zara." Like he wouldn't know who she was, she rolled eyes nervously.

"I’m guessing Rider's been taken prisoner or he fell and broke his neck if you're the one to call me, girl," he called her girl, it was a thing, and she found it oddly cute. The others called her Z-girl, and she was Rider’s Icy. Soon she was going to be Mom.

She smiled to herself. Surprisingly, it wasn't only Rider and the boys who missed Hawk, she missed seeing that enormous grump, the clubhouse wasn't the same without his moody shadow skulking around glowering at everyone, especially her. Hawk always looked at her like he assumed she was carrying a live culture of the black plague in her pocket.

"No, nothing like that, Rider is fine, he's packing and----"

"Packing for what?" Hawk interrupted, his voice very serious, but then Zara had never heard him be anything but serious.

"We have to go to Texas. That's why I'm calling." She hedged and played with the corner of the pale lemon tablecloth she'd bought from Target just this last weekend. Helen, Uncle Jed's wife, called it the nesting syndrome. Zara didn't know anything about that, she just liked the tablecloth and wanted the house to look nice. "I know it's none of my business, and I don't want to know anything, don’t think I’m asking, so, anyway." Ramble thy name is Zara.

"Spit it out, girl. Not getting any younger. Does Ri know you're calling me?"

"Actually." Considering the lie was just there she went for the less complicated route and told the truth, her tongue worked itself down from the roof of her mouth, too many secrets already. "No, and I'd prefer it that way because ... well, he said you wouldn't be interested in knowing, but I ... listen, Hawk, Gia is in the hospital."

On the other end, she heard Hawk take a loud inhale and knew right then in that second, she'd made the right decision. Without knowing the facts or the whys, and it was probably best, being Rider's old lady and loyal first to him she didn't want a secret of Hawk's, because Zara had a sneaking suspicion Rider would get to know whatever this was, one day, and all hell would break lose, hopefully they had their baby by then and it would calm her biker-man into not killing his best friend.

"What? What happened? Is she ... " There was true fear in Hawk's voice now.

Zara rushed on. Hearing feet up above. Rider would be down any second.

"No, nothing like that, but her appendix burst at work, and she's having surgery as we speak, after that she should be absolutely fine and won't be in the hospital too long. Rider and I are heading to the airport, her parents are with her. I just ... I just thought you'd want to know, Hawk."

Dead air.

And it went on.

And on.

Until Zara cleared her throat, sure he'd hung up on her.

"Hawk?"

"Yeah, girl. I heard.”

“So. Anyway. That was all. I need to go. Bye, Hawk.”

“Yeah. Bye.”