Page 133 of Stone

She giggled. “I guess.”

My eyes went to her stomach. It was softly rounded, but then it was that night, too. “How are you feeling?”

“Okay now,” she murmured, hand going to her belly. “I’ve had bad sickness in the mornings, but it passed a few days ago, so I thought it was time to drive up and see you. Thank you for asking, though.”

“You seen a doctor?” I asked.

“Yes. It all looks good, but I need to arrange my first sonogram appointment. I wanted to speak to you first, to gauge your reaction. It’s been awkward because I didn’t want you to miss anything, but I also didn’t know if you even wanted to be involved.”

“So, you’re gonna have the baby?” I inquired softly.

“Yeah. The other option’s fine for some, but not for me.”

My head fell back, and I looked up to the heavens, calling for divine intervention. It was that moment when it all hit me square in the chest.

I was going to be a dad.

A lump formed in my throat, and I dropped my head at the same time as my hand raised to rub my temple. “I’m sorry,” I rasped. “I used a condom.”

“John,” she whispered. “I was on the pill too. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t take it prolifically because I wasn’t sexually active, but we should’ve still been protected.” She grinned. “You must have pertinacious swimmers.”

I couldn’t stop a chuckle from tearing from my throat. “That today’s word?”

“Yes,” she said, eyes sparkling excitedly. “Isn’t it splendiferous?”

My lips hitched. “You’re a nut.”

Her face scrunched up prettily. “You may have mentioned it once or twice.”

And cute, my inner voice added.

A feeling of resignation washed over me because I knew what I had to do. It wasn’t about Elise or even Adele. It was about me, my honor, and the fact I had to look at myself in the mirror every morning and sleep easy every night. It was about Mom and the man she raised to do the right thing and about club and legacy.

But still, out of all of those things, it was mainly about my kid and being a father to him or her.

With a heavy heart, I leaned forward, took Adele’s hand in mine, and spoke honestly.

“Don’t got much to offer, Dell. I’m a Marine veteran biker who can’t give you hearts and roses. But I’m a stand-up guy, and I’ll look after and protect you. I think I could love you, and you love me, but you have to know, I’ll never fallin lovewith you, so you gotta guard your heart against fallingin lovewith me. However, I can give you both a good life if you let me. Will you marry me, Adele Whitlock? Will you build a home and a family with me?”

What was left of my soul wept deep inside. My chest contracted with its pain and its despair.

Tears sprang to her eyes. “John,’ she whispered. “I know you’ve loved and lost your one. But I haven’t met mine yet. What if I do? What if I meet him, but I’m married to you?”

“Then I’ll let you go,” I promised. “I’ll never hold you back. That’s my vow to you.”

“Are you sure you want to do this?” she demanded gently.

“I’m sure I want my kid to have my name and my legacy,” I explained. “So, yeah.”

She leveled me with her gaze, studying me for what seemed like an eternity. Her eyes searched mine, much the same way they did that night back in the diner when I asked her to spend the night with me.

Again, she must’ve found what she was looking for because she smiled and gave me one solitary nod.

“Then, I accept.”

Two weeks later, we were married by the Justice of the Peace in Laramie.

As I said, ‘I do,’ a lump formed in my throat that stayed there, hard as a rock, until six months later when my son was born.

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