Page 11 of Seizing Control: Part Two

Slash deserts me for the sin of rising above my jealousy at his previous dalliance with Bebe and taking in their child and claiming him as my son. Zeke believes that it’s acceptable to sneak back into my life and leave the proof of his ongoing desire for me on my stomach before ditching me again. Our world is in disarray, we’re constantly fighting forces that refuse to attack us head on, but even with those excuses to vindicate their behaviour, their version of eternal love certainly leaves a lot to be desired.

As that understatement enters my head, I roll my eyes, a borderline snort that’s part-scoff, part-choke erupting from my mouth. My life is beyond ridiculous right now. Forever my champion, and also one of the first people to tease me over the calamities that befall me, Nadia shoots me a look that tells me she’s questioning my sanity.

“What?”

She baulks at my decision to run headlong into her scepticism.

I hit her with another snarky eye roll.

This one elicits a stammered response. “Anna... you... it’s...”

Since it’s a lot more amusing to me than facing the truth of my life, I ignore Nadia’s unease to press her. “Got somethin’ to say, Nads?”

In response, my best friend flushes red, purses her lips, and sniffs. She leans against the door jamb while I pull on panties and a bra. I accept the maxi-dress she’s selected for me to wear when after she hands it to me, tugging the flowy material over my head without breaking the silence between us. Although Nadia doesn’t speak, her eyes still track my every movement. She’s waiting for me to give into my emotions.

Her caution is in vain because my crying jag in the shower has helped me gain a tentative hold on my inner turmoil. Zeke’s resurrection can’t be discussed with her until I know the truth myself. I rarely keep secrets from Nadia, and I’d be lying if I said the need to spill the beans to her wasn’t stalking me like a wolf in need of a decent feed.

Juggling surprise motherhood and pregnancy makes me the perfect prey for my anxiety.

They both have a claim on me that supersedes our lopsided love triangle.

Hunter has confirmed that Slash is Garrett’s father.

In less than five months, I’ll need him to determine my baby’s paternity.

Since I discovered I was pregnant, my intuition has whispered that Zeke is the dad.

So, enduring feelings for the two men aside, I am likely to be linked to them for life.

And I no longer know if that’s something I want now I’m aware of their cruel ruse...

Nadia uses my distraction to ambush me. “Why aren’t you makin’ Slash come home? This is his fuck-up, so he should be here while we work out how to explain little G-man’s existence once your pregnancy becomes too advanced to hide.”

My fierce best friend is the first person to directly address the issue of my wayward husband and his denial of our son. In the week since Garrett was left with Everett in the middle of the night, I’ve done my best to hide his unexpected arrival. His existence remains a secret, outside a select few within the Shamrocks. It’s been hard, but I’ve tried to stay inside the house as much as possible too. Out of an abundance of caution and with Doc’s blessing, I’ve delayed my next ultrasound for a few weeks to buy myself time to come up with a plan, however, that’s been a bust.

I keep getting stuck on the numbers.

Bebe made it clear in the letter she left with my son that she’d fudged his date of birth to throw anyone who goes looking for him off the scent. When Cub and Hunter searched public records, they discovered that Jameson Jack St. James and his wife, Gráinne Beatrice Squire registered the death of stillborn daughter five days prior to Garrett being left with my brother at the rehab centre. The birth of Christopher Garrett Hudson to Carter and Lilianna Hudson was recorded two days earlier.

Of course, these dates are likely to be inaccurate. Whether they are or not, we have no way of verifying his actual birth date. Despite Toker’s unhelpful suggestion that we have him “aged” by counting his rings like scientists do to trees, I’ve learnt that it’s impossible to scientifically measure a person’s exact age. I have two of the most brilliant minds in the country in my life in the form of Cub and Hunter, and they have also confirmed that the technology doesn’t yet exist to determine Garrett’s true date of birth. So, using the clues Bebe’s provided when she stomped into the compound to throw her pregnancy in Slash’s face, and cross-referencing that with the public records she’s falsified, our best guess is that the little man is three week’s old at the most.

I’m four months pregnant, which mean it’s impossible to pass off both Garrett and the baby I’m carrying as my biological children. On the surface, this discrepancy shouldn’t be a problem that keeps me up at night. We have the Adjudicator on our side. The Shamrocks are allied with the Trinity. Every advance made by the Maddison clan is swiftly parried by our combined might. Unfortunately, the bond between the guild and the MC is due to be cemented by the union of mine and Slash’s bloodlines.

It’s one of the four clauses in our deal.

Crystal returns from the dead to take her place within the UK guild.

As the president of our founding chapter, Slash must use the MC to benefit the Trinity.

We marry, and I provide a child within two years.

Failure to meet any of these conditions would result in Zeke’s death.

The only outstanding part of the agreement is a child.

For the past few months, I haven’t worried about my role in this arrangement. I have silently hoped that the baby I’m carrying belonged to my first love. It was my way of keeping a part of him with me forever. Having another child with my husband would be the next step, one that we didn’t have to rush since the man the Trinity was using to pressure us into compliance was already dead.

How do I approach this situation now that I know Zeke only faked his death?

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