Page 27 of Filthy and Dirty with the Bikers

“Very true. Right down to the part about my failing shop. Rosie told me today that if things don’t turn around by next month, she’ll have to sell her part of the shop, which means I have to sell mine too. There’s no way I can buy her out.”

“Fuck…” We squeeze Molly tighter, forming a bubble of heat around her. “We’ll figure it out. You’re not losing your shop.”

“It’s okay. I don’t need anyone’s help. It is what it is. Someone is teaching me a lesson right now. That’s all. Maybe something better is waiting for me.” Tears stream down her cheeks and I try to brush them away before the cold can get to them. “I think I’m going to head to the bathroom quick. You guys good if I take a break?”

Maverick and I nod as she stands and makes her way into the warmth of the cabin.

“Well, this fucking sucks.” Maverick folds his arms over his chest then unfolds them just as quickly before reaching for his phone. “Fuck!”

“What’s wrong?”

“I have to go check some poles. They lost power up in Rugged Mountain. I think there’s another storm system moving through. I’ll be gone the next few hours. Say goodbye to her for me, okay? I’ll be back by morning.”

“Dude,” I grab his arm before he walks away, “don’t do it. We need to think it all through.”

He narrows his brows and his eyes darken. “I’ve thought it through.”

I don’t even think Maverick knows the half of it, but I’m not getting into it all right now. He doesn’t need to lose his life or his freedom fucking with some asshole.

“Come on. Holden is on his way. We’ll have dinner and then get everything sorted out.”

He shakes his head and taps the back of his truck. “Like I said, man, I’ve got work. You, ugh, you do you and I’ll catch ya later.” A moment later, the exhaust from his truck is a cloud in the air and I’m alone in the driveway wondering how I can help my friend, Molly, and myself all at once. Usually, I can figure out puzzles like this rather quickly. This one is taking a lot longer than I’d like.

The porch door slams shut, and Molly stands with her long fuzzy jacket unzipped. She’s holding something, but I can’t see from here what it is.

I step closer, crunching through the snow as I stare at the girl I’ve loved for as long as time can remember. A tear falls down her cheek as she holds a plastic stick in the air.

“You okay, trouble?” I climb the steps to hold her.

“Yeah. I’m just,” she sighs and wipes away another tear, “I’m pregnant.”

Chapter Ten

Molly

I’m pregnant.I stare down at two pink lines on the stick in front of me, one a little darker than the other. I think I might pass out.

“Do you think it’s a mistake? I mean, maybe it’s a false positive. People get false positives all the time, right?” I know I’m grasping at straws, but straws are all I have left. I can’t be pregnant. I can’t even take care ofmyself.How the hell am I going to take care of a whole human being?

Rhett hasn’t let me go since we stepped back into the cabin. “Well, Maverick said you were sick this morning on the way to work. Have you been feeling sick for a while?”

“Yes… but it’s stress. I know it’s stress. I can’t…” Ihuff and say, “It’s stress.”

“Or you’re pregnant.”

“Why is today so fucking awful? The shop is going to close, Tyler is using my likeness to trick men into sending him money, and now I’m pregnant with his baby.”

“How do you know it’s his?”

I see what Rhett’s doing, but it’s not going to work.

I turn my gaze downward and shake my head. “We know it’s his.”

“Do we? You left him. He doesn’t deserve to be involved, and we’re already doing a thing. Seems pretty straightforward to me.”

“Are you forgetting the part where you’re my brother’s best friend or the fact that you’re so much older than me? Not to mention that I’m a fucked-up mess who can’t figure which of three men she’s in love with, so she fell for them all? I’m pretty sure no one wants to raisethatwoman’s baby.”

“You’re okay.” He lands his hand on the small of my back, rubbing gently. I’m not sure what I’d do without him. Hell, I’d probably still be with Tyler, trying to convince myself that all the yelling and heartache is what love feels like.

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