Page 37 of One Night with the Biker

Two days before Roman left, I knew the truth. I was pregnant with Reese’s baby. Roman’s leaving was a blessing in disguise because of the morning sickness that he chalked up to nerves over his departure. Today, he told me he’d return in two weeks and I finally decided I needed to talk to Reese.

When I confirmed my pregnancy with three at-home tests, my kneejerk solution was abortion. Reese didn’t want me. He definitely wouldn’t want our baby.

Despite Boom Boom’s violence, I was calming down again. Mainly because Roman allowed me to help him. My brother seemed to have gotten his sense of self back. I couldn’t be a pansy and fall apart.

“Do you know Scarlett O’Hara was almost named Pansy?” I blurted into the silence of the car.

Nova sat in the passenger seat, staring out the window. The closer we got, the more our tension grew. I felt so badfor dragging her into my mess. Now, she shook her head and laughed.

“Only you would know that. Why the fuck would you know anything aboutGone With The Wind?”

“Mitchell is better than Shakespeare.” IloathedShakespeare. IfWar and Peacehad been the alternative in high school, I would’ve chosen it.David Copperfield. A book handwritten by Medieval French monks. They couldn’t have done worse with their ‘thees,’ ‘thous,’ and ‘shalts,’ than The Bard. “I campaigned forLady Chatterley’s Lover. Roman wasn’t amused, neither was the principal, or my English Lit teacher.”

“I still maintain your brother should’ve allowed you to go to public school like the rest of us,” Nova grumbled. “Still, you chosethatbook.”

Jumping onto I-70 as GPS directed, I huffed. “When I gave my book report, I listed a bunch of grievances, but I stand by my decision.Romeo & Juliet, MacBeth, and Hamletwould’ve been bad enough.Titus Andronicus? No, ma’am. Stupid, stupid name with stupidly over-the-top violence. I discovered all I wanted to know about that crap since I was the only one who didn’t choose it.”

“Wait! Is this the class where the teacher put you dead last to give your report?”

“Yep. He skipped over me then because he said we ran out of time. Remember? And that stupid report was a major part of my grade.”

Nova snapped her fingers. “Didn’t you fail the semester and Roman asked why?”

“And I confessed.” I giggled. “Like magic, I received an A+. Didn’t even have to stand in front of the class and give the report.”

“So, wait! That teacher lived? Roman didn’t fuck him up for fucking with you?”

Sniffing, I glared at Nova, losing my good mood. “Roman isn’t a savage. For your information, the teacher transferred. According to Roman, it was somewhere out of state.”

“Okay, stupid. Believe that if you will. I guarantee that dude was bug food.”

I flipped her off.

Our surroundings soon shifted from suburban to urban and industrial. Warehouses, train yards, and aging brick buildings hinted at KCK’s working-class roots. Old factories and rail lines gave a glimpse of the city’s industrial past.

The closer I got to downtown, the more traffic I encountered. I swore the scent of barbeque drifted through the car’s vents and my mouth watered even as nausea swirled in me.

Nova shifted. “You know what I haven’t stopped wondering since I found out about the little biker that Reese parked in your garage?”

I wrinkled my nose. “Eww.”

“Oh, grow up. Would you prefer if I said the load he dropped in you that has the potential to fuck up your life?”

“I’d prefer if you called it my baby!”

“Why even think about it like that? It’s the enemy.”

“Are you out of your fucking mind? This is an innocent child.”

“Made by the seed of an enemy, stupid. Which, by the way, is completely fucking insane. What the fuck did you say to Reese Sinclair to make him fuck you raw?”

“The same fucking thing you must’ve said to Louisiana so he’d fuck you at all.”

“Not bare! Louisiana went without a few times, but then he had an abrupt about face about our lack of protection. I’ve tried many times to change his mind about a baby. He’s a fucking fanatic about my period. I think he knows my cycle better than me.”

“Stop thinking of my baby as an enemy.”

“You’ve already claimed it?” She sounded appalled, so I sidled a quick glance in her direction. She stared at me, mouth open. “You’rethe one who’s insane.”

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