Page 36 of The MC’s Surprise (Bikers and Babies #4)

Vegas

“ F reeze!”

I heard Prez’s barking voice coming from down the hall. I thought about ignoring it, I was in no mood to leave my warm bed with a sexy woman wrapped around me to see what knucklehead was causing trouble, but then I heard Rooster’s nervous laugh.

“Uh, hey, Prez… Do you need something?”

“What are you hiding, Rooster?”

When I glanced at Sierra, her eyes were open and she was watching the door too. We were both curious, so we pulled on our clothes and poked our heads out into the hallway where Rooster stood just outside his door, trying to look innocent.

“I don’t know what you mean, Prez. I don’t have anything.”

“Then why’s your shirt moving?” I couldn’t help but ask. Rooster shot me a dirty look, but it wasn’t like Prez was blind. The dude looked like he was pregnant with something oddly lumpy, and he was trying to hide it behind his club jacket. And that belly was totally moving.

“Rooster…” Prez warned.

The last time someone snuck an animal into the house, it was absolute chaos. I wasn’t willing to admit that person was me, with Rooster’s help. The raccoon had been so friendly. I thought it’d make a good mascot. How was I supposed to know it’d lose its ever loving mind being brought inside?

Pretty sure Prez said he’d murder the next person who brought a wild animal into the clubhouse, though. I was a little worried for my friend if he thought he could get away with that. Butch would pound on him without prejudice.

“I don’t think you can pretend they haven’t seen anything,” Sierra pointed out logically. She tipped her head at Rooster as he tried to edge slowly away. “You do realize that’s the worst attempt at hiding something on the planet, right?”

Rooster’s shoulders slumped, and he finally accepted the gig was up. “Alright, yeah. Just… don’t be mad. I had to. They were gonna put him down.” He pulled down his shirt, and an animal that looked like a naked mole rat with hair poked its head out of his collar.

“What the hell is that?” I demanded, putting an arm protectively in front of Sierra.

“It’s a Chinese crested,” Sierra chuckled as she stepped around me to move to Rooster’s side. I wanted to protest, but she just ignored me. She scratched the dog’s head with a smile. “I remember you. You were at the shelter. Did Rooster adopt you?”

Prez’s wide-eyed and pissed off gaze swung to Rooster, who winced. “I had to! They were gonna put him down! No one wanted him!”

“That’s because he’s ugly as hell,” I commented.

Rooster gasped, putting his hand over the dog’s head like he was trying to block his ears. “Rude! He’s not ugly!”

More of the crew had appeared in the hallway, trying to see what the commotion was about. A few guys shot him with dubious looks, and he smirked. “Alright, so he’s a little ugly. But he’s so ugly, he’s cute! Right?”

Sierra nodded like she agreed, but I didn’t see what they were seeing.

The dog was hairless except for his head and feet.

His hair looked like the result of sticking a fork in a light socket and his tongue hung out of his mouth even when his mouth was closed.

It was an ugly dog. I couldn’t see the word cute anywhere.

“So… Can I keep ‘im?” Rooster asked Prez, smiling like he hadn’t poked the bear. I bit back a laugh. If this wasn’t a prank, Rooster was going to get his ass beat.

Prez sighed, rubbing his temples like he was just done with the day. I felt bad for the guy, he was almost always busy. I wasn’t envious of his job in the slightest. “Not here,” he finally grumbled. “Some guys have allergies. That’s why Wraith keeps his dog at home unless we’re outside.”

Rooster’s shoulders slumped, but he perked up after a second of thought. “That’s fine. I’ll keep him at Butch’s place. The kids will love it.”

“Can I be there when you tell him?” I queried with a smirk.

A few guys made sounds of agreement. Rooster may be Butch’s half brother, but he was going to get his ass handed to him bringing a dog to their place without talking to him first. Especially with Ryder still being so young. I wouldn’t miss the fallout for anything.

Sierra huffed a laugh, shaking her head. “I’m willing to bet Skylar will have a problem with that. I can ask her when we head over. I promised I’d stop by after the party, but I was too tired before,” she explained to me.

I nodded. “Sure thing, honey. I was going to ask Butch about a few things anyway.”

Mostly about installing car seats. I’d already planned on giving Sierra my car.

I only used it when I absolutely had to, and she needed it more than I did.

But it wasn’t ready for the baby. It needed a car seat and I was pretty sure new tires as well.

Butch hadn’t been happy when I picked it up from his shop before it was ready.

But I’d needed it to get Sierra around. He’d forgive me for that. Right?

We both headed back to my room to finish getting ready. I hadn’t bothered with a shirt, and Sierra had left her shoes behind. And her panties, apparently, because they were still sitting on the floor when we came in.

“Holy fuck are you commando right now?” I demanded. I’d never gotten hard so fast in my life. I wanted to lift up her skirt and–

She’d just leaned over in an attempt to pick them up when she straightened suddenly with a sharp gasp.

“Woah, hey. What just happened?” I asked, coming around to her front to look her over. Had bending over hurt her? I would have picked them up myself if she’d even given me a second to clear the lust fog from my mind.

Slowly, she looked down. I followed her gaze, my eyes widening as clear liquid trickled down her legs.

“I think… I think my water just broke…”

“Oh, shit.”

We both stared at each other for a minute, and I was pretty sure I was just as frozen as I was when she told me she was pregnant. Thankfully, Rooster came in and shocked us both out of our stupors, his dog tucked under his arm.

“Hey, man, can I borrow some of your hair shit. I want to try…” He trailed off, eyeing us both with a confused look on his face. When his eyes landed on the puddle at Sierra’s feet, he stunned the shit out of me by bursting into action like a man on a mission.

“Shit! Your water broke! What the hell are you doin’, man? She needs to get to the hospital! Do you have a go bag? What about a car seat? Why are you just standing there?”

I gaped at him, my jaw on the floor. “How the hell do you know what to do?”

He rolled his eyes. “Because I’m the best uncle on the planet.

I did my research when Butch was–” He cut himself off and a pained look flashed across his face at the reminder of when Butch was locked up.

“Anyway, I wanted to be ready just in case he couldn’t be there.

Now stop standing there like an idiot and get moving!

Sierra, do you need anything? Change of clothes, glass of water?

” He glanced down at his dog, then back at her. “Doggy cuddles?”

She softened more and more the longer he panicked and when he finally offered his dog as a sacrifice for her comfort, she burst out laughing. “Isn’t Justin supposed to be the one whose panicking right now?”

I was, but she didn’t need to know that. I needed to be calm for her. Which meant I needed to get my ass in gear.

“What do you need me to grab for you?”

She looked around, then back at me. “All my stuff is at home.”

Which was in the opposite direction of the hospital.

“Shit.” I scrambled to think of what to do next. “Let’s, uh… Do we need to call an ambulance?”

Rooster rolled his eyes, shoving his dog into my arms. “No, you idiot. It’s not an emergency.

We just need to get moving.” He disappeared into my bathroom and came out with a towel, handing it to Sierra.

“For the car ride. Skylar said she kept some in the car just in case.” Then he headed for my closet, coming back out with a pair of my sweats and a t-shirt.

Meanwhile, I stood there like an idiot, trying and failing to figure out what I was supposed to be doing.

“Justin? Can you call my mom and ask her to meet us there?” Sierra prompted. She gave me a small smile, but I could see the anxiety tinging the expression. She was scared and Rooster was right. I was being an idiot.

“Yeah. I’ll call her and Mel, let her know we’re coming. Do you need help getting changed?”

She shook her head, but her hands were trembling and I knew she was trying to appear brave even when she wasn’t feeling it. I handed Rooster back his dog and joined her in the bathroom, helping her change clothes.

“It’s too early…” she murmured as I helped her into a pair of my sweats.

It was a little early. The due date wasn’t for another three weeks or so. I wasn’t sure what that meant in terms of the delivery or anything like that, but I was quick to reassure her. “It’ll be okay. It’s only a little early, and Mel will be there to help. We’ve got this.”

Tears welled in her eyes and when I offered her my hand, she clung to it, still shaking. I tucked her under my arm, kissing her temple. “Come on. I’ll make phone calls on the ride over. It’ll all be okay.”

I hoped I wasn’t lying about that. I’d done some cursory research on childbirth after the test results came back, but I didn’t know anything about a kid coming early or the nitty gritty of it. I just had to hope I was right. Everything was fine when Skylar had her kid. It was going to be alright.