Page 10 of The MC’s Surprise (Bikers and Babies #4)

Sierra

I decided to call it quits not too long after Vegas brought me back downstairs.

It had been a long day, emotionally speaking, and my bed was calling to me.

Sort of, anyway. I wasn’t really looking forward to crawling into my tiny uncomfortable twin sized bed, but sleep beckoned.

Maybe if I took Vegas’s offer to work at the casino, I could save up enough to afford a small place of my own before the baby was born.

Finding him in the crowd of bikers sounded daunting, so I asked Skylar to text him for me and let him know I was headed out. He met me by the front door, surprising me, and his face was lined with worry when he asked, “Are you alright?”

Smiling, I waved him off. “Just tired. I’m gonna head home now.”

“I’ll give you a ride,” he offered.

Raising an eyebrow, I asked, “How, exactly? We drove separately, remember?”

He seemed to belatedly remember that, and he flashed me a sheepish grin. “I forgot. But still, let me drive you. I’ll have one of the guys follow behind and give me a ride home.”

“I couldn’t ask you to do that. Everyone is having fun here and–”

“I’ll do it,” a quiet voice offered.

Neither of us expected it and we both jumped. Vegas spun around, letting out a sharp breath of relief when he saw who it was. “Damn, Mojave. You scared the shit out of me.”

While I didn’t remember all the names of the men who’d introduced themselves to me today, I was pretty good with faces.

This one hadn’t come to say hi yet. He seemed a little…

off, if I was being honest. His eyes seemed to track everyone as they walked past and there was a line of tension in his shoulders that I wasn’t sure Vegas noticed.

He accepted the offer without hesitation, his smile friendly.

“Thanks, man. Her place is off Rosewood. You familiar?”

He nodded, his hands shoved into his pockets as he walked away without another word.

Vegas, oblivious to how odd the guy was acting, spun and made grabby hands, waiting for me to hand him my keys. I was tired, so I handed them over, smiling when he opened my door for me and helped me climb into the front seat.

Once he was behind the wheel, I had to ask, “Who was that?”

“Mojave,” he answered distractedly as he adjusted the mirrors.

“I know what you’re thinking and you’re right.

He’s a little weird. But he’s got good reason.

The guy is prior military. He came home seriously messed up from a deployment and was medically discharged.

He’s a little standoffish, but he’s a good person.

Paranoid, but loyal to the core. He won’t hurt you. None of my crew ever would.”

When he finally looked over at me, I could see the sincerity in his eyes.

I hadn’t ever felt threatened, but I appreciated his reassurance.

“I believe you. Everyone I met tonight seemed nice and they all doted on the kids. Even tantrums were handled with care. How did the town get it so wrong with you guys?”

The face he made was pure irritation. “You’ve got me on that one, sweetheart.

I’ve got no clue. It’s been like that since the club was founded.

There are clubs out there that aren’t like us, outlaw clubs that deal in drugs and shit like that, but we get lumped in with them without cause.

It’s been a major problem for us, especially recently. ”

“Why’s that?”

He didn’t look happy to talk about it, but he explained about the lawsuit they had going on with the local police department, as well as a few former officers who were fired for misconduct against their crew.

It all sounded awful, and my heart ached thinking about Skylar and her kids when they targeted Butch.

I met him tonight. He was a sweetheart, doting on Skylar like she was a queen.

Whenever the kids came to him, he stopped his conversation to give them his full attention and treated their concerns like they were important.

He was a good person and it was wrong on so many levels that they tried to put him behind bars for something he didn’t do.

“That’s so wrong,” I growled, fists clenched in my lap. “What the hell is their problem?”

Vegas shook his head, keeping his eyes on the road.

“It’s not just them. The whole town can’t stand us.

I think the most legit complaint they have is that we can be loud if we go through the town on club runs, but otherwise we haven’t done anything to deserve their treatment of us.

Nothing we’ve done so far has made much impact on changing their opinions, though. ”

“What have you done?” The only things I’d heard about them were negative, so I felt like maybe the message wasn’t getting out there like it should.

“Charity, mostly. We make a lot of donations.”

I wrinkled my nose. While good in theory, it probably wouldn’t help in the long run. They needed to be proactive about changing the public opinion so people could see the work they were doing, not just hear about it through the grape vine.

Vegas snorted. “Tell me how you really feel.”

My cheeks burned and I twisted my mouth to hide my smile. “Sorry. Charity is great. I’m sure those involved really appreciate it.”

“You don’t like it, though. Got any other ideas?”

Tipping my head from side to side, I pressed my lips together as I thought it through. “I mean, if it were me, I’d want to change public opinion. Donating to charity is all well and good, but it's not something you can really show to the community outright. You need to do stuff in person.”

“Like what?” He looked curious, and not at all like I was overstepping, so I kept going.

“Like… Toy drives, adoption events at the animal shelter, maybe volunteering somewhere public like with the firefighters or something? And do you guys have social media? This might be a small town, but people still rely on the web for information. If they look you guys up and see you’re a good group, it’s going to make them question your involvement when rumors don’t match up. ”

Technically, this was something I did before my company fell apart.

I was good at event planning. I didn’t get overwhelmed with all the little details, and I could direct my teams like a four star general.

This could work for the crew, if it was done right.

And Vegas seemed to agree with me. He nodded along to my ideas, his lips pressed together thoughtfully.

“Are you busy tomorrow?” he asked abruptly.

“Uh, no?” I frowned. “Why?”

“I want the crew to hear your ideas. You should come to the clubhouse and explain it to Prez and the rest. If we get the crew on board, this could make a big difference.”

“I’m pretty sure you can explain it yourself,” I countered, flopping back in my seat. I’d been gesturing with my hands as I threw out ideas, unable to really sit still when I was on a roll with something.

“Nuh-uh. Its your idea, not mine. I won’t sell it as well as you just did. It’s gotta come from you.”

A part of me was pleased that he liked my ideas enough to pass them onto the crew, but it also felt like I was making waves when I shouldn’t. I had to get along with these people, especially after the baby came. I didn’t want to piss them off by overstepping. I grimaced.

“Won’t they be mad that I butted in when it wasn’t my business?”

“It became your business when you got pregnant with my kid,” he argued.

“You’re part of the crew, even if we aren’t a couple.

Besides, you’re just making a suggestion, not demanding action.

No ones gonna get bent outta shape about that.

Come on, help us out, Sierra. I’m tired of my club being treated like trash just because of a stupid misconception. ”

He sounded so pitiful, even if he wasn’t looking directly at me.

I had a lot on my plate already, and I knew if I started talking about this, I wouldn’t be able to step back and let them handle it.

I’d want in on directing it. But maybe it’d be a good thing.

Something to distract me from the reality of my situation.

I could admit I missed it. Event planning was the one thing I felt truly good at before it all fell apart. It was something I knew I could do.

“Alright, fine. I’ll pitch my idea. But you owe me.”

He pulled into my parents’ driveway, putting the truck into park before turning to face me. “Just put it on my tab, sweetheart. I’m racking up a hell of a debt for everything you’re already giving me.”

His eyes drifted down to my belly and I felt a little rush of excitement twist through me. My brows furrowed. Wait. Was that just excitement?

“What is it?” he asked, worried.

“I don’t know. I’d always thought the little fluttery feelings in my belly were just anxiety, but maybe I’m wrong?”

Maybe I should’ve looked up what it felt like when a baby kicked because I had no clue. None of my friends had ever been pregnant before.

“Can I feel?” He looked a little awkward asking, but his eyes were locked on my belly, giving away how he truly felt about it. He wanted to feel, he just felt weird asking.

Taking his hand, I pressed it on the side of my belly, waiting for another flutter like before. “That. What is that?”

A slow smile spread across his face and when he looked up at me, his eyes were filled with something sweet and warm I couldn’t identify.

“That’s our kid, Sierra.”

Sucking in a sharp breath, I looked down, then back up. “Really? I thought it’d be, I don’t know, bigger? Isn’t is supposed to hurt?”

“Not in the beginning,” he explained, switching his hand out for mine.

“Skylar said it felt like bubbles when it started and it got stronger as Ryder grew. She let me feel when she was close to her due date. That kid is going to be a ninja because I could actually see it without even touching when he kicked.”

Snickering, I waited for another flutter.

I didn’t touch my belly often, I didn’t think I needed to when I thought it was just stress weight, but touching it now, with the warmth of his hand surrounding mine, I felt another flutter of excitement in my chest. Then, like the baby was reacting to my emotions, a stronger one in my belly.

Almost like it was poking me from the inside out, letting me know it was there.

“I told the doctor I hadn’t felt it. I honestly thought it was anxiety.”

“He also said with the way the placenta or whatever was placed, it’d be harder for you to feel. But she’s in there. You’re growing something great, Sierra.”

Lifting my gaze up to his, I felt my breath catch in my chest when I realized how close we were to each other.

“She?” I asked breathlessly.

He shrugged again, eyes locked on mine. “That’s my guess. What about you? Have any mother instincts I can use to my advantage with this bet?”

Huffing out a laugh, I shook my head minutely, not wanting to break the spell we were under. “I didn’t even know I was pregnant until a few weeks ago. I couldn’t even guess about the gender.”

His eyes were warm and those dimples were out, drawing me in when I told myself I shouldn’t get my hopes up.

We still barely knew each other. But after today, seeing how he acted with those kids, and how quick he was to accept that he was the father and take responsibility, it became so much harder to resist him.

My eyes drifted to his lips and I felt the air shift as he leaned closer. The flutters in my belly were going crazy now, and I didn't think it had to do with the baby.

Before our lips could touch, Vegas’s phone rang, startling me into jerking away. We stared at each other for a few seconds, and I wondered if we could get the moment back, but the phone didn't stop ringing and the porch light turned on, letting me know that my parents were aware we were outside.

“I, uh… I’ll let you get that. See you tomorrow?”

Shifting back in his seat, he nodded. “Yeah. See you tomorrow.”