Lane (Made From Stone Book 1) (10 page)

I’m going over to my parents today to celebrate my father's retirement. My entire family will be there. Well, minus Landon, but we plan to Skype him. He’s been back a few months from his year-long deployment but he won’t be taking leave and coming home until the summer. We’ve planned a big camping trip with everyone, even my grandpa is coming.

I also feel better about Mallory. Her first year of college is almost up so now it’s only three years. Yes, three
long
years but I’m holding out hope that she’ll forgive me.

When I walk into my parents’ penthouse, I realize I’m the last to arrive. It’s noisy like usual and everyone is talking over each other. I see my parents on the balcony, so I go out to congratulate my dad. They are deep in conversation when I go out, neither acknowledging my presence.

“Congrats, Dad,” I say clapping him on the back.

“Thanks, son,” he says giving me a quick hug. My mom comes in for a hug and I kiss the top of her head.

“What are you all doing out here?” I ask, but my cousin Harper interrupts us.

“Uncle Noah, the food is ready.”

“We’ll talk later,” my dad says and walks inside. Mom and I follow him to the table where we all sit down. As I sit, I notice the empty seat to my left.

Man, I miss my brother. I love my younger twin brothers Logan and Lucas but they always work crazy shifts at the fire department so it’s hard for us to all get together.

“How was your last day?” Uncle Maddox asks.

“It was actually perfect,” my dad says.

“Oh yeah? Why was it perfect?” Aunt Kerrigan asks.

“I got to deliver a baby today. My last patient too!” he informs us.

“You should’ve seen her Lacey. She looked just like you when you were a baby,” my mom gushes.

“She did. So much so that I was worried one of my sons or nephews knocked this girl up,” Dad chuckles as us guys start throwing up our hands to proclaim our innocence.

“I know. Apparently, the baby’s dad is a real dead beat. So we took care of the hospital bill and diapers and formula will be delivered to her hospital room tomorrow.”

“Are you sure this girl wasn’t just acting?” my always suspicious Uncle Evan asks.

“No. She’s a good girl who apparently played with fire and got burned!” my mom says, rolling her eyes in pity.

“That’s good that you’re able to help, I guess. So now what are your plans?” Evan asks Dad.

“Well, it got me and Molly thinking today. We’re going to build a house out in the burbs. You know, to prepare for grandkids,” Dad says.

“Who the fuck is going to give you grandkids?” Logan asks confused. I’m just as confused. None of us wants kids. Not for a long time anyway.

“He said to prepare. Not that we want them now!” Mom rushes to defend my dad.

“What are you going to do with this place?” my sister Lacey asks.

“Well, whoever gives us the first grandchild, it’s theirs. Free and clear,” Dad says.

“So I guess I should get the rest of my shit out,” Logan says.

“Me too. I don’t want it either,” Lucas says.

The entire table is laughing…. this beautiful penthouse, free and clear. The cost? The first grandchild. I chuckle to myself; this place will be empty for years.

I now have the first year of college under my belt. Me, Amy, and Olivia were silly to think the three of us could care for an infant. It was difficult. We all missed classes and work, and we barely managed. My sister suggested I come work with her a few nights a week. The money is excellent and it’ll help me save for when I need a babysitter next fall. Sure, I have to shake my bare ass, but there
is
a no touch policy. I know I can't make this kind of money anywhere else. I also know there isn't a thing I wouldn't do for Annie. She's growing so quickly. She's only two months old, but I still feel like time is going by too fast. I brought her with me tonight. It's my first night working, but Amy said other mothers bring their babies and all the girls take turns watching them. At first, I scoffed at the idea of a stripper watching Annie but she assured me they were also single mothers trying to get by. I understand that and I can obviously relate.

"You ready for this?" A blue haired stripper named Mandy asks me.

"As I'll ever be I guess."

"Thom has you in the private lounge this week. The crowd will be smaller but he likes seeing how the girls work before he puts them on the main stage. The money is good though, so shake that ass!"

I look at myself in the mirror and I'm sparkling, it's like the glitter fairy sneezed on me. Amy even rubbed glitter on my stomach for which I was thankful. My body still hasn't quite returned to the way it was before Annie. My hips are wider, my boobs are larger and I have a few stretch marks on my lower stomach.

"You're up, little lady. Purple room, the second door on the left. Six guys! I'll be on the cameras," says Thom.

Well all right then, I quickly give Annie a kiss and leave her with Amy, shaking off the nervousness as I go. You can do this Mallory. I whisper to myself.

Landon got in late yesterday evening. My brother Lucas and my cousin Eli insisted we come out to the strip club. I tried fighting it, but the vote was 5-1. Since I'm the only one who objected, I agreed to go as long as we did a private show with the excuse that it would be very uncomfortable to see a student's father here. So here I am, sitting on this plush purple couch.

"You're different." Landon says, taking in my annoyed look.

"Why? Because I don't want to be sitting on this crab infested couch?" I question in a clipped tone.

"No, I know you've never been into this stuff. But once we got you into a place like this you let go. So who is she?" Landon questions quietly. I'm thankful he isn't making a big deal about this, but I'm not ready to talk about it.

"Later, ok?"

"Yeah, ok," he says and a smile crosses his face. I thought I would be embarrassed to talk about her, but I want Landon to know.

"Here we go boys," Gavin says scooting up in his seat like a schoolboy. "I hope it's a blonde," and I have to laugh.

The music starts playing and the purple curtain slowly opens.

"Ah... It's a redhead. That's all right. Who doesn't love a fire puss?" Gavin says again. And instinctively I look up. I know it's not Mallory but I need to look. The girl has her back to us and her hair is halfway down her back. It's silky smooth like Mallory's but this girl standing in front of me is a woman. Her hips are thick and her body is shaped like an hourglass. For some reason my cock twitches and it's the first time it's had that reaction to anyone since
her
.

This girl can move; she's dancing down the pole moving to the cheesy burlesque music.  But I’m captivated as I watch as her hips move back and forth.

"I'm taking this girl home tonight," Logan calls dibs.

"Bullshit. I'm paying for this room. I'm taking her home," Eli retorts.

The girl continues to shake her ass and she moves her hand to untie her bikini strap. Again, my dick twitches. She starts making a slow turn to face us and as much as I hate to admit, my eyes are waiting for her to reveal her tits. Jesus I'm fucking hard. I can tell she's about to show what I'm aching to see, so I quickly look up to put a face to the rest of her gorgeous body and, what the mother fucking... Mallory! MY girl is about to show her tits to my family? No fucking way. Before her top begins to fall from her noticeably larger breasts, I launch myself at her, covering her petite body with mine.

"Get the fuck out of here! NOW! " I scream at my family.

"What? What's going on?" Someone asks as they all look at each other trying to figure out what is going on.

"Get out. NOW" I scream again pulling her closer to my body so no one can see even an inch of her. I watch as Landon ushers everyone out and I finally release Mallory.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" I angrily ask.

"I'm working. You asshole!" She screams back as some huge fucking ogre-sized man comes rushing in.

"You know this guy, Mallory?" he asks.

"Yes, she fucking knows me. Get the fuck out!" I say again, pulling her close to me. Her top is untied and hanging loosely, threatening to expose her newly full breasts. Immediately, I take my shirt off and hand it to her. She must have picked up on my mood and the fact that I'm not to be messed with because she quickly puts it on without contesting.

"I own this place. I'm not leaving," says the hulking giant of a man, crossing his meaty arms.

"Thom, it's ok. Just give me five minutes and he’ll be gone," says Mallory like she isn't a fucking stripper. Like this is a normal conversation! FUCK!

"Ok," he says, eyeballing me. "I'll be watching from there," he says pointing at the camera as he exits the room.

"Lane, please leave," she quietly says.

"No."

"Fine. I'll leave then. Let your friends or family know they can come back. The room is non-refundable, and another dancer will be in soon," she says and quickly walks out the door.

Fuck her. I follow behind, livid. She will not dismiss me like that! Not knowing which way she went, I decide to wait in the hallway. Several minutes pass before she appears and my jaw drops in disbelief. She’s cradling a tiny baby dressed in pink, and my heart stops.

My feet take off on their own. I find myself running toward her, and I’m quickly by her side.

"You have a baby?" I question sadly. She has another man's baby?

"Yes," she says as tears begin to stream down her cheeks.

"I'm glad I came here tonight then. I’ve fantasized about the time I would see you again since we parted ways. To apologize for my behavior, I’d hoped you were enjoying college. Clearly you were," I say, throwing a hand suggestively towards her infant daughter in disgust.

"That's him isn't it?" A girl who looks similar to Mallory comes running towards me. "You fucking asshole. She's finally in a good place. She's doing what she needs to do because you're a fucking deadbeat. You don't get to judge." She has her finger waving in my face, which distracts me for a moment from deciphering what it is exactly that she's saying. I did hear deadbeat, and the pieces of what she's trying to say start to fall into place.

"That's not my kid," I start to defend myself with a weak voice.

"God. You make me sick! Have you looked at her?" she says, turning Mallory around so I can see the baby. What the fuck? This tiny little girl has dark black hair lying softly on her forehead, framing her perfect little face. She's curled into Mallory so I can't see all of her, but I can see enough.

"Mallory?" I question, needing confirmation to what my heart already knows. Mallory Carter is holding my daughter.

"Look, she's mine. I don't expect anything from you. We’re doing fine, and we don't need you," she says glaring at me, and I completely lose it.

"Give me my daughter! Now!" I demand, feeling my anger rise in time with my voice. Surprisingly she does.

"Just quickly. Say goodbye," she says with a nervous tone.

"Fuck you! My daughter is coming home with me. You kept her from me! Fuck you!" I scream angrily. The tiny baby squirms in my arms, starting to whimper at the angry sound of my voice.

"No, fuck YOU! Give me my baby NOW or I'm calling the police," Mallory screams, walking toward me. Any other time, I would have been intimidated by the rage I see in her eyes. In any other situation, that fiery passion I see darkening her eyes would be sexy but not now. I'm past the point of mad; I’m livid.

"Call them! No, wait. Let me get them," I say, glaring at Mallory as I rip out my cell and text Eli and Gavin to come to the hallway. Moments later I hear Gavin and Eli approach with my brothers a few steps behind.

"What's going on?" Gavin demands.

"He's kidnapping my baby," Mallory insists, her red face displaying the anxiety and fear she’s clearly feeling.

"Oh, just like you kept her from me you fucking bitch!"

"Wait? Lane what's going on?" Eli questions me, trying to figure out what the hell is going on.

"I'm a father! I didn't even know she was pregnant. I'm taking my daughter home with me."

"Lane, you can't just take her," Eli says, calmly trying to diffuse the situation.

"Watch me," I say turning around. Landon steps in front of me, blocking my path.

"Lane, give me the baby." Landon says calmly and I only do what he asks because I'm not done with Mallory.

"Lane, lets go. We can call uncle Evan and find out your rights, but you can't leave here with that baby," Gavin says. His words enrage me and I throw a punch that lands square on his jaw with a loud pop.

"You son of a bitch!" Gavin says shoving me against the wall. We both start throwing punches and the fight quickly moves to the ground as I sweep his legs, causing us both to tumble to the floor.

I hear someone calling my dad and telling him to get to the strip club and I can't help but laugh a little. Even in this moment of rage, I see humor in the fact that someone is calling my daddy. “Fuck!” I grunt as Gavin lands a solid punch to my kidneys.

"Would you two stop?" Eli says nonchalantly, adding his plea so that he can say he at least tried but I can tell he is in no rush to stop us. It's a good thing; I'd be kicking his ass too.

We throw a few more punches and although I know I'm going to hurt tomorrow, that's ok with me. Something will need to distract me from the pain that is inevitable, at least for a little while. With that in mind, I keeping swinging for God knows how long.

"Enough!" I hear my uncle Evan shout, but Gavin and I continue to fight. "For fuck’s sake! Stop it you assholes!" Finally, each of our punches stop connecting as we are pulled apart from opposite directions.

"Lane? What the hell is going on?" my dad questions, walking into the hallway and I hang my head shamefully. My father has always been proud of me, and I know I'm about to disappoint the hell out of him. "Son, what's going on here?" he asks again, demanding an explanation.

"I'm a father," I say, my voice thick with emotion and disbelief. I'm barely holding it together and I risk looking at him. To my relief, I don't see anger or disappointment. I see compassion although it seems mixed with a lot of confusion.

"What? When? How?” he asks, and I know he is trying to wrap his mind around this situation. “And you felt the need to fight with your cousin?" he questions.

"They won't let me take her. She's mine! I didn't know about her!" I say through a clenched jaw, anger once again making my blood boil.

"Is the mother here?" he asks.

I look around the hallway and realize I don't see her.

"Where is she?" I demand angrily. "Where is my daughter?"

"Relax, Lane. Landon took her and the baby into another room to calm down," Uncle Evan says.

"Where?" I demand as he points to the room.

When I walk in, I'm heartbroken, pissed, and now terrified that I have no rights to my daughter. How could she do this to me?

Mallory is in the corner crying, and her sister is holding my daughter as she sits on a leather couch. I don't feel even the slightest bit of guilt. She knows she's about to lose custody. No one can win against my uncle Evan. I turn to him and start talking, knowing she can hear every word. "How long before I can get custody of my daughter?"

"Lane, it could be a while. We have to do a DNA test; the mother would have to be deemed unfit. This doesn't all just magically happen overnight."

"Well, obviously she's unfit. I mean my daughter is in a strip club. And her mother is a fucking whore," I try to reason. If that isn't unfit, I don't know what is.

I hear Mallory's sister shout, "Mallory! No!" And turn just in time to catch a surprise right hook to the eye that jerks my head around. Immediately feeling my heartbeat in my face I turn, expecting to see my cousin back for round two, and am shocked when I see a side of Mallory I never knew existed.

Standing before me was not the little meek Mallory everyone knew. Standing before me is a force to be reckoned with. Rage has contorted her beautiful face into a red, tear streaked mess. She is standing as close to me as humanly possible without actually making contact with me and the fire in those eyes is blazing more than ever.

"Let's get one thing clear, Mr. Stone," she spits my name through clenched teeth. "YOU fucked me and told me to NEVER contact you again. To forget you ever existed. I did as you asked. And I was left pregnant, scared, and alone. I CHOSE to have my baby. I CHOSE to raise her on my own. You treated me like a used whore even AFTER you took my fucking virginity!" Mallory screams at me, her face mere inches from mine.

"Mallory?" I hear my dad question, as he walks into the room. How the hell does my father know Mallory?

"Noah? What are you doing here?" she asks, the rage draining from her face. She's clearly just as confused as I am.

"My son, Lane," my dad says and points to me. The color leaves her face as a deep sob shakes her body. She falls to her knees on the floor, a devastated mess of tears.

"I'm going to lose her. Please don't take her. Please. I nurse her Lane. Please."

I watch as my dad walks over and kneels next to Mallory. "Hey! No one is going to take Annie from you." Annie? She named my daughter after my grandma? But how did she know? She breaks down into my father's arms, crying harder.

"Everyone clear out. Lane and Mallory need a little time," my dad commands, and then looks back to Mallory smiling warmly at her. "I'm going to take Annie with me. Your sister can stay with us if that will make you feel safer. Ok?"

Mallory nods and then my dad looks at me with disappointment, and for the first time in a long time I know I’ve let him down. With a stern tone, he speaks to me low and serious. "She is the mother of your child. Do not EVER disrespect her again in front of me. If you want your daughter to know you, you'll hear her out. By the way, you owe me twenty-grand." And with that, he takes my restless daughter out of the room.

I turn back to Mallory and see her crumpled and crying in the corner. I start pacing the floor, trying to calm myself as I feel the bruise spreading around my eye from Mallory's little reality check earlier. Unsure of what to say or how to say it, I stop at the leather couch and sit. My face in my hands, I silently try to come up with a solution to this fucked up mess.