Page 26 of Wild Night (Vicious Reapers MC #2)

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

POSEY

I’m so freaking pregnant that I didn’t even have to wait the three minutes to find out. By the time I set the test on the counter, it’s already got the word pregnant in digital lettering right there for me to see.

I waited until the next morning to take the test after reading that it was better to use morning pee, and if it was positive, it would be really early. I wanted the best possible results so I could freak out, knowing that it was the real deal. One way or the other.

Well.

I guess my decision is made for me, at least for the moment. I’m going to have to go back to North Carolina and tell this man that I’m pregnant with his baby. I’m not sure what will come of it, but he needs to know, and I need to tell him in person.

Walking into the living room, test in hand, I stand in front of Void, who shifts his eyes from the television to meet mine. He doesn’t ask me anything. He doesn’t need to. He knew the answer before I did.

“How did you know?” I ask.

He shrugs a shoulder. “Three sisters. Two of them got kids.”

Dipping my chin in a single nod, I lift my gaze up to meet his.

I’m trying really freaking hard not to burst into tears right now or panic.

I’m trying hard as hell not to panic. I’m not sure if it’s working or not, though.

I can’t feel my legs as I stand here, and then I realize I’m truly panicking.

Adrenaline is coursing through my veins, which is the only reason I’m standing here and not sitting on the floor in a pile of flesh and bones. I blink rapidly. I don’t know what to do. What to say. And then I feel my body being scooped up and placed on the sofa.

Once I’m sitting on the soft cushions, I reach for my throw blanket and wrap it around myself. Void walks back over to the recliner and sinks down, his eyes finding mine as he watches me, never looking away.

“You good?” he asks.

“I’m pregnant,” I state.

His lips twitch into a smirk. “It just hitting you?”

“Like a fucking freight train.”

He lets out a chuckle, then shifts in his seat slightly. “You want to stay here—with me?”

My eyes widen, and a million things flash in my mind. A baby, marriage, a life here, where I’m comfortable but also very alone. Then I think about Ivy. Falling asleep beside him, kissing him, being with him. The way his arms feel, the way his smile makes me feel—then him inside of me.

“I don’t think I can.” My words come out slowly.

Void hums. “Figured as much.”

“You knew I’d say no, yet you asked me anyway?”

He lets out a chuckle. “I asked you because I knew you’d say no. I don’t plan on ever doing the old lady and kids thing.”

I tilt my head to the side, and my eyes search his before I continue. “What if I had said yes?”

He presses his lips together, no doubt attempting to hide his smile, but he fails… miserably .

“You’re in love with that guy. You’re not going to say yes to me, even if it’s the easy way out. I had to offer it, though. You needed to see for yourself that North Carolina is what you want.”

“Is it?” I ask. “How do you know, but I don’t?” He shakes his head, and I open my mouth, continuing and not letting him respond. “Because you have sisters?”

Void smirks. “Bingo, babe.”

Before either of us can say anything else, the doorbell rings, and we both swing our gazes to the door, knowing exactly who is on the other side. I’m not going to be able to keep this secret from the gentle giant of a man.

“I guess I’ll be going back to North Carolina,” I whisper.

Void stands and takes a step toward me, then another. His hand reaches out and he wraps his fingers around my shoulder, shaking it gently. “Not fucking with you, Posey. But you do have a place here if you want it. If that shit doesn’t work out, call me, and I’ll come there and get you.”

“Will you?” I ask. “Even if you don’t want a woman?”

His eyes focus on mine, his expression beyond serious. It’s so much so that my breath hitches as I wait for him to continue. I was only half joking, but it seems he is no longer in a joking mood, like, at all.

“Doesn’t matter what I want or don’t want. A woman in any kind of situation will always have a way out of it through me. However that looks, Posey. Whatever you need. I’m in your life now, and I’m not going to let you fucking drown.”

“How are you real?” I ask in a whisper.

That’s when his lips curve up into a smirk, and the serious expression fades as his eyes begin to dance. “I’m real, baby.”

He releases me and, without another word, walks over to the front door and opens it to Shocker, who is standing on the other side, a pink bakery box in hand. He remembered the pastries.

I can’t fight back the tears.

When a few escape, I chalk it up to pregnancy, but it’s the sweetest thing. He remembered snacks, and honestly, the way to my heart is a good snack… especially a pastry-type one.

IVY

I pace. It’s late, and I’m waiting for Shocker to get back to me. He’s met with her tonight, and I’m fucking waiting for him to call me with something. Anything. I need to know that she’s okay, but also every fucking detail of their conversation.

At this point, it’s a need, not a want.

It’s been weeks since I’ve seen her, and I don’t know what the fuck she’s gone through, but what I do know is that I’m angry with myself for not going to her the second I discovered she was gone.

A knock on my door causes me to pause. As much as I want it to be Posey on the other side, I know the likelihood of that being the case is not possible. I would say there is an absolute zero percent chance of that happening.

When I check the peephole, I am shocked to see Dakota standing there alone. I didn’t even know she had my address. I assume Bullet told her. I open the door then step backward to let her through.

Dakota gives me a small smile and slips into the house. “Wow,” she announces as I close the door behind her.

Turning around, I look at her, tilting my head to the side, and wait for her to explain to me why she’s here… and why she’s here alone. But she doesn’t seem to be overly concerned with that. She’s too busy looking around my house.

“I thought you would be more of a modern aesthetic kind of guy,” she says.

“Got not a fucking clue what that means,” I say.

She spins around, her eyes find mine, and her lips twitch into a smirk. “You’re a liar. You, of all people, know what that means. You’re just being an ass.”

I do know what that means. I also am being an ass. So, she’s right on both accounts. “I didn’t decorate it. Most of this shit was my parents’. When they retired and downsized, I got it all, and so whatever it is, it’s my mom’s style. It’s all comfortable.

“So traditional. I like it,” she says.

My lips twitch. “Glad I could please you.”

Dakota rolls her eyes to the ceiling, then lowers them and connects with my own. “I’m not here to look at your house.”

“Figured as much.”

She inhales a deep breath, holds it for a moment, then lets it out slowly. I watch her, wondering what the fuck she could unload on me, but it seems like whatever it is, it’s going to be big, and I can’t help but brace myself for the impact of it.

“Is Posey okay?”

I blink, unsure if she’s going to ask me a question or say something else, but she doesn’t. She watches me, waiting for my response. My brows snap together, and I clear my throat as I attempt to think of what to say.

“What do you want to know, Dakota?”

She slides her tongue along her bottom lip, her eyes focused on mine. Those honey eyes that I know so well, exactly like Posey’s. But she’s not Posey, and that’s who I want standing in front of me, not her. Not Dakota.

“I want to know if she’s okay. Is Posey safe? Her car is sitting there at the clubhouse. She promised me she would be here when I got back. She’s not here, and Bishop isn’t telling me shit. All he says is everything is good.”

As much as I want to sit her down and tell her everything I know, Bullet didn’t tell her for a reason, and I’m not going to fuck with that.

He’s my president, but he’s also her husband, and Posey is their family.

As much as I want to claim her as my woman, she is actually their family. I have to respect him.

“I can’t tell you anything more than what Bullet’s given you.”

She narrows her eyes at me and lets out a huff of air. “I knew you wouldn’t,” she grumbles. “I wanted to try, just because I’m so worried. I’m seriously stressed about what could have happened to her.”

Instead of turning her away, which I’m pretty sure is exactly what I should do, I motion for her to sit in the living room. She walks over to the sofa and sinks down on the edge of the cushion, her knee bouncing.

I sit down in one of the club chairs kitty-corner to her.

“I can promise you that she is safe,” I begin.

Her eyes widen, but I continue, ignoring her hopeful expression.

“She has a guard, although she doesn’t really need it.

It’s just for Bullet’s peace of mind and respect for our club more than anything. Hopefully, she’ll be back here soon.”

I’m not sure if she’s satisfied with my answer, but that’s all she’s going to get from me, and it’s probably more than I should have even offered. Dakota stands, sliding her palms down her thighs, then shakes her head.

“This boys’ club is bullshit,” she states. “But I have to admit I feel better knowing that you guys have my back. Even if you’re assholes.”

“ Asshole is such a strong word,” I say, trying to keep from laughing.

She rolls her eyes again, then turns away from me and walks toward the door. I guess she got what she came here for, and she’s ready to leave, but then she stops at the door and looks over her shoulder at me before she turns to face me completely.

“Do you love her?”

The question doesn’t come out of left field, at least not for me, but it is for her.

She was gone the whole time Posey and I had our thing.

Not that it was a long, drawn-out affair, but still, there was intensity, and everyone at the club felt it.

Especially when we found out there was more to her story.

But Dakota wasn’t here for any of that, so she wouldn’t know to ask that question, not unless Bullet mentioned something.

“I do,” I simply state.

“Bring her back here. This is where she belongs. I can feel it. The same way I knew this was where I was meant to be.”

She leaves without saying anything else, and I don’t call her back. Instead, I think about her words. She’s right. This is where Posey belongs. Specifically in my house. As my old lady and hopefully my wife.

A thought I never fucking imagined in a million years I would have.

And yet, here I am, having it. Wanting it. Craving it.