Page 41 of Raptor

I watch as Jayne sighs and pulls Mallory into her arms once again. The two of them seem close, a lot closer than what I recall Mallory had said previously. I'm grateful Jayne's been around to help her when I wasn't.

I keep Mallory and Shay close as we walk out of the clubhouse. Mallory's wincing with every step she takes, and I know she's in a lot of pain. I need to find out why she wouldn't take any pain pills when the doctor offered them to her. Wrath's already at my truck, the car seat in hand as he prepares to install it.

"I can do it," Mallory says as she steps forward.

"Darlin', the man's got two kids. He knows what he's doin'," I assure her.

She sighs. "Sorry," she says sheepishly. "I'm not used to the help."

It fucking burns me that she had no one other than her mom to help her. I don't understand why Maverick and Freddie didn't help. Fuck, even Stephen. That fucker set this shit in motion by killing that bastard. Why did no one check in with Mallory sincethat shit went down? I'll never wrap my head around the fact not one person seemed to give a fuck about her wellbeing.

"All set, brother. You good puttin' your boy in?" he asks, unable to keep the smile from his face. He's pleased as fuck for me, and I can't lie, it feels good to have my brother have my back. "He's the spittin' image of you, Rap."

Mallory laughs. "I do all the hard work and he comes out looking like his da," she says dramatically.

I glance down at my boy, who's watching me with those curious eyes of his. He's taking everything in and I fucking love it. "We're good, brother," I tell Wrath. "Thanks, man."

He slaps me on my shoulder. "Any time. Mallory, it was fuckin' great to see you again. Next time, stay a little longer. Hayley would love to catch up."

Mallory nods but there's no happiness in her eyes. Now I have even more questions to ask.

Once Wrath leaves, Mallory shows me how to put Shay into his car seat. She's patient as she explains it. "He'll be asleep before you even hit the city center," she says with a small smile. "He loves the car."

I help her into the passenger's side of the truck, and once she's secure, I hop into the driver's side while she inputs her address into the GPS system. "Okay, darlin', let's get this out of the way," I say as I start the truck.

"I was so scared when I found out I was pregnant," she says, hesitating to give me what I need. "I was around three months along when I found out. I wasn't sure how far along I was. I didn't know if it happened in New York or when you came here." She starts to wring her hands together nervously. "When I found out, I told Ma, and I wasn't sure what was going to happen."

I reach over and place my hand on her thigh. "Keep goin'," I encourage.

"I felt conflicted. I wanted to tell you but I had this dread. It felt so suffocating. I didn't want to upend your life. You lived in New York, Rap. You lived there with your brothers and you were happy. I didn't want you to resent me and Shay. I couldn't do that to our son. But I had so many doubts. I wasn't sure if I should tell you or not and it weighed heavily on my mind daily. I was selfish. I just didn't want to force you into doing something you never wanted to do."

"I get it," I say evenly. I'm still pissed, but I get her reasonings. She was eighteen, alone and pregnant. I lived over three thousand miles away. I get why she did it. It doesn't mean I agree with it, but I understand. "What about your conversation with Chloe?"

She glances out the window. "She told me about what was going on with the club women; how they were trying to get pregnant on purpose." There's a sadness in her tone and I fucking hate it.

"I'm goin' to make somethin' perfectly clear. I haven't fucked anyone since I met you, Mallory."

She turns to face me, her lips parted. I've shocked her. Good. "You haven't?"

I shake my head. "Babe, for fuck’s sake. I gave you my name. No one, not even my brothers, have that. You think I'm givin' you that and goin' to fuck anything that walks? Seriously? I thought you knew this was more than just a casual hookup?"

She blinks, tears shining in her eyes. "What?" she breathes.

"Mallory, darlin', you really need to open your eyes and realize what's happenin'."

She inhales deeply. "I didn't know," she whispers. "I didn't know that was what you wanted. How was I to know? You're all I know, Raptor."

I grin, loving the reassurance she's given me—not that I needed it. She's not the type to sleep around, not to mentionshe was pregnant and had a fucking shit ton of drama going on. "Darlin', my name's Shane. Fuckin' use it."

Her lips twitch. "Really?" she asks. "After everything I've done?"

“You're the only one who gets to use it. What you did was fucked up, and I've missed a fuck of a lot, but I had some part in this too. I should have made it fuckin' clearer what was goin' on between us, not to mention given you my new number or a number for you to contact." I reach for her hand and intertwine my fingers with hers. "Now carry on. What else did Chloe say to you?"

"She said it was despicable for a woman to trap a man into getting pregnant. I panicked, Shane. I couldn't breathe. All I kept thinking was: is that what everyone's going to think about me? I panicked, and I'm so sorry. I really am."

"Alright, darlin'. You've explained why you kept your pregnancy a secret. I get your reasoning, though it doesn't mean I'm not angry. I've lost months with my son, with you. But I'm goin' to deal and we're goin' to move on."

She sobs softly as she nods. "Thank you. I always knew this day would come. I thought you'd hate me."

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