Page 171 of A Love Like Venom

"And at the same time I don't want to lose you but you can't make me choose. If this baby is mine I will love him or her. This baby doesn't deserve to enter this world with hatred already upon it. I don't want the baby to grow and think that the father didn't love him or her." I can hear the emotion clogged in his throat and even more so in his eyes.

And I'm left thinking to myself how can I hate a man who will do what is right? Who will be in his child's life and show him or her love and affection. To not abandon it. For the baby to not be born and see hatred. The baby will not grow up alone. It will not be hated.

He will be the father his wasn't.

He will also be the fatherminewasn't.

How can I hate him for that? How can I not love him for that?

This baby will not grow up in a hostile environment like I did. Him or her won't be treated as unfairly as me.

And I can't do what my mother and sister did to me.

"Then you will be a father. A father the both of us didn't have." I smile at him with teary eyes.

"But what about you? What does that mean for you?" He asks desperately.

"If the baby really is yours that means you're a part of him or her. And I couldn't imagine not loving something that's part of you."

His brows furrow. "I don't understand. The baby would be with another woman."

I caress the side of his face and he leans into my touch. His stubble prickles my palm. I smile down at him, emotions strong but not heavy in my heart. "But you're right, the baby is innocent in this. I know what it's like to grow up being hated. And I promise you this baby will not know what living a life like that is like."

Suddenly he stands and while gripping my hips lifts me up to where I sit on the sink counter. Pushing my legs apart he stands between them and holds my face dearly in his hands. "You'll stay with me?"

A tear finally escapes. He catches it with his thumb. "I'll stay with you."

"Then you love me. Alice, do you love me?"

"I love you, Reed Carter. With all my heart. With all my soul. I love you."

His lips smash against mine and in the mix of our kiss is our tears.

When he presses a final kiss to my bruised lips his brush against mine as he breathes, "You are everything to me."

My fingers tangle in the ends of his hair. "We are in this life together. There's only you. There's only ever been you. We will figure this out. If she's lying or if she's not I am with you. I can't imagine my life without you."

"I can't imagine mine without you."

He kisses me again. Sweet and gentle. When he is done he rests his forehead against mine.

And I know this with absolute certainty, our love can survive anything.

All the challenges in the world that we might face may dare try but nothing can tear us apart.

With our love we will prevail.

And the war we are about to face stands no chance. Not as long as we are together. We stand together united and we fight for something The Crowned Devils MC doesn't have.

Love.

Snake

The past four days have gone by uneventfully. There has been no noise from The Crowned Devils MC. No havoc wrecked upon our town of Stonesville. Everything has been quiet.

And that’s exactly what I’m afraid of.

It’s always calm before the storm and there is a massive one forming. Thunder will boom and rock our foundation. Lightening will strike and flay us open. Catastrophic winds will destroy everything in its path.

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