Page 51 of Slayin Villain (Royal Bastards MC: Nashville, TN #11)

Rachel

I woke to an empty bed.

The sheets were still warm on Villain’s side, but the scent of his cologne was fading fast. The low hum of voices in the other room made my heart sink.

I didn’t have to ask where he was going.

Ember had gone into labor.

And he’d gone to her.

I turned onto my side slowly, rubbing the taut, aching stretch of my belly. I was due any day. Hell, my belly button had turned inside out, my ankles had disappeared, and my patience was hanging on by a thread.

But none of that hurt more than the quiet in this room.

Because I knew what this meant.

If Ember’s baby was born now…

If it looked like Rome…

If the timing lined up…

That baby might not be Villain’s.

And God help me… I wanted that.

I wanted it with the kind of guilt that made my heart race and my throat close. Because wishing that baby wasn’t his? That wasn’t just wrong, it was cruel.

But I was tired of being second.

I sat on the edge of the bed, bracing myself against the dresser as I pushed to my feet. Everything felt swollen, feet, fingers, pride. I waddled toward the window and peeked through the curtains. Villain’s bike was gone.

Of course it was.

A bit later, Royal Road was quieter than usual. Cece and Jassica were chatting over coffee while Sweet Tea ignored them from across the room. When I stepped into the kitchen, they both stopped talking.

“You okay?” Cece asked gently.

I nodded, even though I wasn’t. “Yeah. Just… tired.”

“Ember’s at the hospital,” Jassica offered, rubbing my shoulder.

“She’ll be fine,” Cece added. “And Villain… he just needs answers.”

“Yeah,” I said, eyes on the floor. “Don’t we all.”

The hours crawled.

I tried not to obsess. I tried not to pace. I tried not to text him.

But then, just after midnight, he came home. I was half-asleep on the couch when he sat beside me, his hand warm and heavy on my thigh.

“She had the baby,” he said softly.

I stared at him. “Is it yours?”

His eyes searched mine. “We don’t know yet. Doc took blood. We’ll know in a week.”

A week.

I nodded slowly. “How is she?”

“Ember? She’s… tired. Scared. Baby’s healthy though. Little girl.”

Somehow, that made it worse. A little girl. One who might be his.

I turned away and said nothing. He didn’t try to stop me.

Later that week, I was in the kitchen with Cece and my mom when my water broke. Yes, mama was at Royal Road, waiting for me to pop. It wasn’t ideal, but my mom was determined to be a grandma even if it meant mixing with the bikers.

It was dramatic, of course it was. One second I was laughing at Cece’s joke about Villain pretending to baby-proof the clubhouse with duct tape, and the next second, I gasped and dropped my glass of juice all over the floor.

Cece caught me before I could panic. “Breathe. You’re okay. You’re okay, Rach.”

My mama stood frozen, hands flying to her mouth. “Oh my Lord, it’s time! Where’s Villain?!”

He came flying in five seconds later, shirt half-buttoned and panic written all over his face. “I’m here! I’m here!”

“I swear to God, if you pass out,” Cece muttered as she shoved him toward the car.

I screamed. Twelve hours of labor worth of screams.

And pushed.

And swore at Villain six different ways from Sunday while he held my hand and didn’t let go, not once.

“I hate you,” I told him.

“I love you,” he replied.

“Don’t touch me.”

“Never gonna stop.”

And then… I heard it.

That cry.

That perfect, angry, gasping cry that cracked something wide open inside me.

Our baby.

They placed her on my chest, and I couldn’t stop crying.

“Hi, baby girl,” I whispered. “I’m your mama.”

Villain leaned in, his breath shaking.

“She’s… beautiful,” he whispered.

“She looks like you,” I said.

“No,” he shook his head, eyes red. “She looks like heaven. Let’s name her, Heaven.”

“Yes,” I agreed. It was perfect.

Hours later, the room was quiet. My mom had gone to get food, Cece and Jassica stepped out, and it was just us. Villain sat in the chair beside the bed, holding our daughter, Heaven like she was made of glass.

“You ever think,” he said. “We’d end up here?”

“No,” I whispered. “I thought I lost you for good.”

He looked down at her and smiled. “You saved me. This little girl? She saved me again.”

“What are you gonna teach her?” I asked softly.

He swallowed hard. “That she’s strong. And fierce. And nobody’s property but her own.”

I reached over and touched his face. “She’s gonna love her daddy.”

“She already owns me,” he said, voice thick. “Just like you do.”

Villain placed a kiss on his daughter’s forehead and then looked at me.

“I don’t care what the test says, Rachel. She’s my only girl now. Both of you.”

But even as he said it, I saw the worry in his eyes. Because tomorrow, the test results would come in.

And everything could change.