Cole (The Ride Series) (21 page)

He stared down at me with an
unfathomable expression. “Baby, where else would I ever want to be? It is fast,
everything about us has been. It’s only fitting that you’d get knocked up
quickly, too,” he said as he chuckled.

“Right,” I muttered, not amused as the
doctor strode into the room reviewing my chart.

“Well I see congratulations are in
order,” he said with a kind smile, wheeling over on a small stool to my
bedside. “What brings you here to us this evening?”

“She fainted,” Cole answered for me.
It didn’t need to be said that we’d be leaving the other details of the evening
out.

“Oh?” the doctor cocked his head to
the side. “Well that can certainly happen during pregnancy, blood flow gets to
the brain a bit slower. You need to be careful when you stand up suddenly.
Another cause can be anxiety or high stress. I see here that your blood
pressure is slightly elevated, have you been under undue stress?” he asked. His
question was almost comical, but Cole’s expression confirmed that he found the
situation anything but funny.

“A bit,” I allowed vaguely.

“Well my advice would be to do
whatever you can to remove or reduce that stress for the health of you and your
baby,” he advised.

“Okay,” I answered, though I didn’t
really see how I had any control over Jake and his insanity.

“Any other questions?”

I looked at Cole who shook his head.
“No I think we’re good, thank you.”

“Sure thing. Take care and
congratulations again,” he said as he smiled.

He left us to it and I rose from the
bed to get dressed more than eager to get the hell out of the hospital.

Cole was quiet as we drove home, and
though I was concerned about what was going on in his head, I was too tired to
give it much thought. I worked a full shift, was attacked, and spent the
remainder of the night in the ER. That was about the extent of what I could
deal with at the moment. I even went so far as to fall asleep on the drive home,
even though it was a short distance from our house.

I woke up when Cole lifted me and
carried me inside. I heard Chief’s claws clack on the hardwood as he followed
us through the dark house. I didn’t want to open my eyes to see the overturned
furniture or any other proof of my earlier ordeal. Instead, I wanted to slide
into oblivion--which is exactly what I did when Cole placed me into bed.

When I woke up, sunlight was streaming
through the blinds and I discovered it was after 11
am
when I looked at the clock. Well, it had been a very late
night. I could hear Cole’s deep voice and I realized that was probably what had
woken me. He sounded pissed and I couldn’t resist the urge to open our door to
try to eavesdrop a bit.

“Endangering not only my woman but
also my fucking child!” he was saying. “Whatever we’ve been doing needs to be
stepped up tenfold, and that needed to happen yesterday,” he ordered.

Well, I guess we were telling people
we’re expecting. I rolled my eyes a bit at that.

“I hear you, son,” Cal’s deep voice
replied. “How is she?”

“I don’t know, freaked probably,” Cole
answered sharply. “A maniac broke into our house where she thought she was
safe, attacked her, and threatened her. She was scared about the baby,” Cole’s
voice broke a bit with emotion and my heart lurched for him. “But she handled
herself well, like she always does.” And I could hear the pride in his voice.

“How are you, Bud?” Cal asked, his
tone gentle. I felt bad for eavesdropping but I couldn’t seem to stop myself.

“I’m thrilled as hell I knocked her
up,” he said as he chuckled. “I think she’s freaked about that, too, worried
about how I really feel about it, probably getting used to the idea herself,
but we’ll be fine.” He sighed, sounding tired. He had to be, it’d been a long
night for him, too.

I moved back into the bedroom and
curled up on the bed to give them the privacy I should have granted them all
along. It wasn’t long before I heard the front door close and a Harley roar to
life out front.

Cole peeked his head in the room and
smiled when he saw I was awake. He was just in his boxers and my eyes traveled
his body hungrily. “Come lay down with me,” I requested quietly.

He strode into the room with Chief at
his heels. “You and Chief friends again?” I asked with an amused smile.

“It would appear so,” he nodded while
climbing up onto the bed and pulling me into his reassuring warmth.

“How are you?” he asked quietly, his
fingers moving through my hair.

I shrugged. “Okay I guess, though I
don’t feel like anything has really set in yet. I kind of feel like I’m living
someone else’s life at the moment or something,” I tried to explain.

“There’s a lot that needs to sink in,”
he agreed quietly as his fingers traced over my belly. He’d done that several
times since he’d learned the news, and I found the gesture to be incredibly
sweet and comforting.

“What if we went away for a few days?”
I asked shifting my body to meet his eyes. “Just you and me.”

His brows rose at the suggestion
before he turned contemplative. “We could do that, it’s a great idea actually.
Any particular place you want to go?”

“Surprise me,” I invited.

“I know just the place,” he replied,
nuzzling in my neck.

Cole and I spent the whole day
together, wanting to be close, whether we were watching TV on the sofa or
reading side by side. I wasn’t sure if it was the incident with Jake or the
pregnancy, but either way I welcomed the contact. I felt more connected to Cole
than ever.

We were seated side by side on the
couch as he worked on his laptop and I watched some guilty pleasure reality TV.
“What are you looking at?” I asked and laughed when I looked over and noticed a
picture of a baby on his laptop screen.

“Just doing some research,” he said
with a bashful grin.

“Oh?”
I quirked my
brow at him.

“Yeah, did you know right now the baby
is the size of blueberry?” he asked seriously.

“I didn’t know that,” I answered,
trying to keep a straight face. The sight of my formidable biker pouring over
pregnancy websites was beyond adorable.

“You need to be taking folic acid. Are
you?” he asked.

“Yeah, babe,” I assured him. “I did
some research of my own and talked to the doctor when I first went in. I’ve got
it covered,” I assured him as I patted his thigh.

“I want to go to every appointment
from here on in,” he told me sternly. He clearly wasn’t happy that he missed
the first one.

“Deal,” I agreed softly as he wrapped
an arm around me and hauled me into his body to look at some pictures of what
our blueberry might look like.

Later that evening I was just
finishing up getting ready in the bedroom. It had taken some convincing, but
I’d been firm with Cole that I still intended to go to the barbeque. As much as
I enjoyed our cocoon, I wanted to see everyone.

“Babe, we
gotta
roll!” Cole’s voice hollered from the living room

“Two minutes!” I hollered back.
Really, I meant at least five if not ten, but he didn’t need to know that.

I couldn’t explain exactly why, but
looking my best mattered a lot to me tonight. Perhaps it gave me a sense of
control, maybe I wanted to assure Benny and Henry that I was okay. Whatever the
reason, I was obsessing about my outfit despite it needing to be simple for a
casual barbeque. I finally decided on my jean shorts that showed off my toned
legs, paired with a kick ass brown belt. I threw on my white V-neck blouse that
flattered my chest, and I left my long, red hair down and wild, the way Cole
liked it. I completed the look with cowboy boots and light makeup.

Cole let out a low whistle when I
finally appeared in the living room.

I blushed.

“Ready?” he asked, pulling me into an
embrace and kissing me soundly.

“Ready.”

We took the truck so that Chief could
come with us, and we had about a cow’s worth of ribs to bring. I bought all the
ingredients earlier in the day and they’d been marinating to what I hoped
was
perfection for hours.

Chief had become a regular at the
clubhouse and all the guys loved him, now even more so after learning what he’d
done for me. He loved being around everyone and I wouldn’t dream of leaving him
at home.

“Babe, let’s not tell everyone about
the baby okay?” I asked after we hit the road.

“Why not?” he asked, clearly
disappointed. If I knew my man, he would hire a blimp to scream the news across
the sky if he could.

“Because it’s really early,” I replied
turning to face him. “We should wait until we’re out of the first trimester.
And with everything that’s going on, I just want to keep this between us for
now,” I explained.

“I already told my pop,” he admitted,
telling me something I already knew.

“That’s okay, obviously Kat already
knows, too. I don’t mind if Sal and Wes know either since they’re so close to
us, but that’s it okay?”

He put his hand on my thigh intertwining
our fingers and squeezed lightly. “Okay,
darlin
’,” he
agreed.

A few hours into the evening I was
feeling content lounging on a folding chair by the fire pit with Connie. I kept
a plastic cup filled with water in my hand so no one would suspect why I wasn’t
drinking. Chief lay contentedly at my feet. My ribs had been consumed with
vigor, and though I was glad they were so well received, I feared that I was
now on the hook to provide them at every get-together.

Despite the recent drama, all the guys
seemed ready to relax and have a good time. The vibe was a positive one and I
soaked it in.

“Where’s Kat?” Connie asked as she
plopped down next to me.

“She’ll be here later, Sal is picking
her up from work,” I replied.

“How are things between those two?”
she asked.

I shrugged not wanting to divulge
much. Not much had changed as far as I could tell. Kat loved him, but she still
felt like she wasn’t getting what she needed from him. I wasn’t sure what would
hurdle them in one direction or the other, but something was going to have to
give.

“Rosie, can we talk for a few?”
Henry’s deep voice rumbled through the night air as he and Benny stood as a
formidable pair over us. We’d already exchanged pleasantries, but I knew there
would be more of a talk to come.

“I’ll go find Wes,” Connie excused
herself with a “good luck” smile toward me.

“Having fun
darlin
’?”
Henry asked.

“Yeah,” I said with a smile as they
both sat across from me. Benny had greeted me warmly despite us not having
known each other well when my father was alive. He was in his mid-50s with a
shaved head and a goatee. He was on the shorter side but no less menacing than
Henry when he wanted to be.

“How you
holdin
’
up?” Henry asked, concern darkening his gray eyes.

I shrugged. “Doing the best I can.” I
didn’t know what else to say about it.

“We’re doing everything we can to find
that fucker. He’s a slippery little weasel,” Benny grumbled.

“I know you are,” I assured him.

“Rosie,” Henry started, “now that
those fucks are long gone from the club you could come home you know,” he
offered, surprising me. That was the last thing I’d been expecting. “I know you
left because of them. I don’t know all the details, but what I do know makes me
want to kill him even more now,” he added. I didn’t doubt that was true. “But
they’re gone,” he said quietly. “You always loved the club and we all love you.
I just want you to know there’s always a place for you with us even though your
daddy’s gone,” he said sincerely.

“I appreciate that, guys. But my place
is with Cole now,” I said softly as both men’s eyes lifted to look up over my
head and I felt a firm grip on my shoulder.

I looked up to meet Cole’s warm blue
eyes. “Trying to steal my girl fellas?” Cole asked in a light tone, though
there was an undertone of threat to it.

“Nah, man. Just want her to know she
can always come home,” Henry explained.

“She is home,” Cole replied without
hesitation.

I looked up at him with a slow smile
as we exchanged a knowing look. Not only was I home, but we were building a
family. In that moment any trepidation I’d had about the pregnancy evaporated
under his reverent stare. I knew I could do
this,
I
could do anything as long as we were together.

“Yeah, I am home,” I agreed, beaming.

Chapter Seventeen

We took off for our getaway after
breakfast the next day. Cole had shared that his family owned a small cabin
near the Nevada-California border in the mountains. It sounded private and
beautiful, just what I wanted.

Pete had yet again given me time off.
I was probably close to losing my job, but I couldn’t bring myself to care with
everything else that was going on. Chief seemed to sense that we were embarking
on some sort of adventure and happily panted his way through the drive. We both
would have loved to take the bike, but we had the dog and too much stuff. I
might have
slightly
over packed. But
Cole had just chuckled as he hauled my huge suitcase into the back of the
truck.

It was a beautiful fall day and I
hoped it would be warm enough to lay out in the sunshine. I smiled blissfully
as we headed up into the mountains, Cole’s hand on my thigh.

It took us just over two hours to get
into town, where we stopped at a local grocery store to load up on supplies
before we headed to the cabin.

It was late afternoon as the truck
left the paved road and began to kick up gravel as we headed down the private
lane to the cabin on the outskirts of town. My curiosity peaked as we traveled
down the pine-filled lane and stopped at a rustic looking cabin. The scenery
was breathtaking with its lush pine surroundings and turquoise blue water
beyond. I was shocked that the cabin was on the lake. I hadn’t expected that.

We grabbed our groceries as Chief
bounded off into the wilderness to explore. Cole unlocked the door, which
opened into the living room. It was a cozy space with hardwood floors and pale
blue painted walls. The sliding glass door directly in front of us led to the
lake and what looked like its own private pier.

“Wow, this place is amazing,” I
breathed. The cabin was small but obviously well maintained. And having private
access to the lake was unusual.

Cole shrugged. “It needs a lot of
updating, but the scenery makes up for it. I haven’t been here in years,” he
told me as we walked through to the white tiled kitchen. I put the bag I held
on the counter and looked around. The appliances were old but looked to be in
decent condition. The whole place smelled a bit musty and I started opening the
windows to let the fresh air in. There were two bedrooms off the living room,
one a bit larger than the other, and Cole put our suitcases in there. The
bedrooms had a thick blue rug that made me smile.

“Like I said, needs a bit of
updating,” he said as he chuckled.

“It’s charming.” I grinned sincerely,
placed my arms around his waist, and kissed his neck.

“It was my ma’s family’s place,” he
added while looking down at me.

“Oh?” I asked with a raised brow. He’d
never talked about that side of his family and I was curious.

“Yah. My grandma left it to my pop in
her will,” he explained, letting me go but taking my hand as he led me out to
the back patio.

“Was she close to your dad?” I asked,
leaning on the rail next to him as we looked out to the gorgeous blue water.

“Yeah, I was little when she died. But
she spent a lot of time with me. I remember bits and pieces…wish I remembered
more,” he said with regret. “And she stayed close with my pop when Mom left
us.”

“Do you ever wonder about her?” I
asked, referring to his mother. I’d always wanted to ask him this question
since I’d learned that she’d walked out.

He sighed and looked thoughtfully out
at the landscape. “I’d be lying if I said I never thought about it. Of course I
have. But I try not to spend too much energy on it. She left us,” he said
casually, though I could sense an undercurrent of pain in his words. “Her
loss.”

“Absolutely,” I agreed readily. “Thanks
for bringing me here,” I said quietly, sensing he didn’t want to talk about it
further. “It’s beautiful. I’d never expected it to be so private.”

He put his arm around my shoulders and
pulled me into his side. “It was a good idea to get away for a few days.”

“Yeah,” I sighed.

The next few days were utter bliss. We
slept in late every morning and had coffee out on the patio, watching the
water. We’d wander down to the lake and I even got a few chances to don my
bikini, though it was too cold to swim. Cole seemed to appreciate the view,
judging from how he pounced on me the first time he saw the skimpy red suit. I
figured I better wear it while I still could.

In the evenings I cooked, and we again
sat on the patio bundled in sweatshirts against the fall chill. We made love
every chance we got, which was a lot. And we talked. We talked about our
childhoods and about our families. We talked about our friends, both past and
present. And we talked about the baby.

“I think it’s a boy,” Cole asserted
confidently as we sat out on the patio watching the sun go down.

I laughed. “There’s no way you can
know that!”

He shrugged. “It’s a hunch.”

“Well, then I think it’s a girl,” I
replied just to be contrary.

He groaned. “Christ, the last thing I
need is a little girl, especially if she looks like you. I already have my
hands full,” he grumbled.

“You’ll be a wonderful father,” I said
seriously, ignoring his teasing. I knew he’d be happy with either sex.

“And you’ll be a wonderful mother,” he
said, wrapping an arm around my shoulder.

“I hope so,” I whispered, feeling a
small knot begin to grow in my throat. “I wish my mom was still here to show me
the ropes. I have no idea what I’m doing,” I admitted thickly.

He squeezed me close and kissed my
head. “We’ll figure it out together,
darlin
’, just
like we do everything else.”

That made me feel better and I nodded.

“I think we’ll need a bigger place,”
he noted, surprising me. The thought hadn’t even crossed my mind.

“Really?”

He nodded. “More bedrooms, bigger
backyard.”

My brows knitted with confusion. “But
we have two bedrooms already.”

He squeezed me firmly. “I grew up an
only child, babe. We’re having at least two.”

“At least?” I gulped. I was just now getting
used to having one. “Why don’t we see how this one works out before we start
planning on a fleet,” I quipped.

“At least two.” He grinned, kissing
me.

“We’ll see,” I grumbled.

“
Gonna
put a
ring on your finger, baby,” he added seriously. “You won’t know when or where,
but just know it’s happening.”

I stiffened in his arms and pulled
back to look at him. “Just because we’re having a baby together doesn’t mean
that we have to get married,” I replied, watching as his blue eyes narrowed. I
rushed to continue, wanting to get this out. “I just don’t want you to feel
like you have to…propose,” I explained as my eyes scanned the horizon, unable
to face him. “We could just see how it goes for a while…” my voice drifted.
This had been my biggest fear, that he’d feel forced to marry me. It was the
last thing I wanted.

“You’re afraid I feel obligated,” he
surmised correctly.

“Yes,” I answered simply.

“Already have the ring, babe,” he
replied quietly, putting his finger underneath my chin to turn my face to his.
“And I’ve had it for a while,” he admitted.

I let out a small laugh in surprise.
“Really?”

“Really,” he replied seriously as he
stared intently into my eyes.

“You’re crazy,” I teased him, though I
was beyond relieved at this news even if it meant he was moving a million miles
per hour as usual. I was tempted to ask just how long he’d had it but I decided
against it.

“Maybe so, but you’re stuck with me,”
he said with a grin, his mood lightening.

“Yeah, I am.” I grinned back, leaning
in to kiss him.

I felt far from ready when we packed
up and headed home. After three full days of nothing but Cole and relaxation, I
wanted nothing to do with going home. But duty called for both of us and I
reluctantly piled into the truck with Chief.

“Ready?” Cole said as he grinned and started
up the truck.

“No,” I grumbled.

He reached over and gave my leg a
reassuring squeeze. “We’ll come back
darlin
’,” he
promised when he sensed my disappointment.

“Good,” I replied with a small smile.