Page 13 of Hap

“Okay, I’m just going to stay standing if that’s okay,” I state, not really asking. I stand and begin pacing back and forth. “So, you remember the night of the 20thof May?” I ask him.

“Um, sorry, you are going to have to refresh my memory,” he says, tapping his chin.

“The night we, um, you know,” I clarify.

He grins, his eyes alight with amusement. “I know the date, baby. I ain’t about to forget any time soon. But if you are being factual, it was the day and night,” he states.

I pause my pacing and look at him. “Right,” I add before continuing my pacing. “Well, you may remember that I told you about my ex-husband and why we were getting divorced,” I ramble. I don’t wait for him to answer. I just keep going, walking back and forth, pacing like a caged animal. “Well, before I found him shagging my sister in the hot tub, we were trying for a baby. Well, I thought we were anyway,” I rush out. Suddenly I’m halted as Hap grabs my hand and pulls me into his chest. His free hand circles around my waist to my back, keeping my body close to him. His face is just an inch away from mine. He lets go of my hand and gently tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear.

“You got a lot of pent-up energy going on. You need to relax,” he says softly, brushing his lips over mine. My body instantly melts into his. “Tell me, what has you so worked up? Then I canfuck the stress right out of you,” he rasps, his lips still teasing mine.

I swallow and release a slow breath. “I’m pregnant,” I breathe. I feel his entire body stiffen against mine. His eyes search mine, as if I’m joking, and he releases his hold on me. I take a step back before I reach down and open my briefcase. I pull out the scan picture and hand it to him. He takes it from me, his face is set in a permanent frown of confusion. “I only found out myself two days ago. Actually, I fainted at work after I had just signed my divorce papers,” I scoff. “I am 10 weeks and 4 days,” I state.

He still doesn’t say anything as he stares down at the picture.

“Um, I’m telling you because you have a right to know. I’m not here to demand anything from you,” I say as I bend down and pull out the two files of paperwork. His eyes flicker to them. “I have had two files drawn up, one if you want no involvement. It’s just that if you decide that, I don’t want you changing your mind years later. The other is if you choose to be in its life, then it’s a custody arrangement,” I say as I place them down on his bed.

His eyes follow the movement, not uttering a single word. The silence stretches on as he just stands there, staring down at the picture.

“Okay,” I breathe, “I’m going to head off. You can keep hold of that,” I say, pointing to the scan picture. “And when the news has sunk in a little, you can give me a call and discuss anything you want to talk about,” I tell him softly. I pick up my case and tiptoe around him, like I’m trying not to disturb him. He doesn’t move to stop me, or say a word as I close the door behind me.

I quickly walk back the way we came to my car, and I make quick work of jumping in it. Speeding off out of the parking lot as quick as I can, tears prickle my eyes while a mixture of relief and disappointment mixes in my gut. I don’t know why I feeldisappointed. He’s 25, and it’s not like he wants to tie his life down to a kid. Hell, he’s a fucking outlaw biker for fuck’s sake. He’s a young guy who could have anyone he wanted.

I come to a stop at some traffic lights and rest my hand on my lower stomach. A small curve is already starting to grow that I’ve only now noticed. Cars behind me honk their horns, and I look up and realise the lights have changed to green. I suck in a shuddery breath as I put my hand up in the mirror to apologise.

Once home, I lock the door behind me, grab my jar of pickles, and head straight to bed. I want nothing more than to shut out the world and wallow in my self-pity for a few days until I have to return to work and face the real world.

CHAPTER SEVEN

HAP

“Pregnant?”Hawk sighs.

“Yeah,” I mutter.

“Are you sure it’s yours?” Beast asks.

I give him a glare. “She ain’t the type of woman to do that. Believe me.”

“Well, I mean, you’ve only known her for less than 24 hours, and you spent most of that time fucking her,” Scar adds with a shrug.

“The dates match,” I say in response. Sighing, I rub my face.

“Why are we having a meeting about this?” Rage asks bluntly.

“Because of the situation we are in with Eugene. Her being pregnant is another risk to include. If Hap wants all in, then she’s going to have to either move in here or have someone watch her 24/7. There ain’t no option,” Ghost grits out.

We were all slowly getting back to normal, but knowing Eugene was out there was a constant thought in our minds. Not that any of us were scared. We just wanted the mother fucker dead. Ghost had to find some fucking sex trafficking ring just for Rage to unleash his anger the way he needed to. Truthfully, it had helped all of us release some of our anger, but that thirst,that craving desperation I feel, the one we all feel to rip Eugene to shreds is still coursing through our veins.

“Fuck, the sooner we find him, the sooner we can breathe,” Acid sighs.

“I’m working on it, brother. Every time I think I have a hold on him, he fucking disappears. I feel like I’m constantly chasing my tail with this mother fucker,” Cash sighs. “I don’t know who would be hiding him. I’ve made it clear, and I’ve spread the word that we are hunting for him. Not looking, but fucking hunting. I have assured that anyone fucking helping him will become an enemy of ours, too. The Satans are reaching out to their connections, but they are coming back with nothing as well,” Cash sighs irritably.

“What about Elsie? She got any idea where he could be? She must have known some of his connections. A good friend of the family?” Beast asks Scar.

Scar shakes his head. “She said that he used to go away and stay with friends or members at a retreat somewhere. I get the impression those friends aren’t in the same line of work he is in. So, there is a possibility he could be with one of them, but I don’t know if he would be that stupid to stay with them. Surely he would know that Elsie would tell us.”

“A desperate man might make those mistakes. Get some more information from Elsie, and I will check it out. I can even hack the retreat security footage and see if he’s there or has been there. He could have gotten one of his buddies to book and pay for him,” Cash adds. “I’ve hacked his accounts, too. I’m watching them, seeing if anything pops up. So far there’s nothing,” he grumbles.

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