Page 61 of Savage Loyalty

“Start talking,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest as I leaned back against the table. My tone was sharper than I intended, but I didn’t care. Six months of silence, and this was how she decided to show up? She had a lot of explaining to do.

Delilah hesitated, her hand still resting protectively over her stomach. “I found out five months ago,” she said finally, her voice soft but firm. “I didn’t know how to tell you… or if I even should.”

The words hit me hard, each one settling heavily in my chest. “If you should?” I repeated, my voice rising slightly. “You’re carrying my kid, and you weren’t sure if I should know?”

She flinched at the accusation in my tone, but she didn’t back down. “You know why I left, Ryder. I didn’t want to be part of this—part of the club, the war, all of it. I was trying to protect myself and… and the baby.”

“And you thought keeping me in the dark was the best way to do that?” I shot back, the frustration bubbling to the surface. “You don’t get to make that decision for me, Delilah. That’s my kid, too.”

Her eyes flashed, anger sparking behind them. “It's my child too. And I don't want it raised in an MC like I was. The lying, the secrets, the cheating. the danger. I want a different life for my baby."

I opened my mouth to argue but stopped short. She was right. None of this could’ve been easy for her. Hell, it wasn’t easy for me, and I’d only found out five minutes ago.

The silence stretched between us, thick and heavy. I scrubbed a hand down my face, trying to gather my thoughts. “So why now?” I asked finally, my voice softer. “Why come back now?”

Her hand dropped from her stomach, and for the first time, she looked uncertain. Vulnerable. “Because the baby deserves to know you,” she said simply.

I stared at her, at the woman who had walked out of my life and then walked back into it carrying a future I hadn’t even known existed. The vulnerability in her voice cut through the anger, leaving me feeling raw and exposed.

She squared her shoulders, her tone steady but sharp. "I came back to tell you about the baby because you deserved to know. This isn’t just about me or what I want, Ryder. Our child deserves to have a father. Whether or not you decide to be that father is up to you, but I wasn’t going to keep this from you any longer. I’m not here to make your life harder, and I’m not here to beg. I’m here because this is bigger than both of us, and the baby deserves a chance to know its father."

Her words hit like a hammer, and for the first time, I didn’t have a comeback. I didn’t know what to say. All I could do was stare at her, my mind racing with a million thoughts that refused to settle.

“You don’t think I know what you’re walking back into?” she said, her voice sharper now. “This isn’t about you, Ryder. It’s about protecting my baby from the bullshit you call a club war. Serpents, Vipers, Reapers—none of it matters when there’s a child caught in the middle. I won’t let that happen.”

I flinched at her words, the weight of them slamming into me harder than I wanted to admit. “You think I don’t know what’s at stake?” I shot back, my voice rough. “You think I don’t lie awake at night wondering who’s going to make the next move, who’s going to bleed because of it? This isn’t some fight we can just walk away from, Delilah. The Serpents, the Vipers—they don’t play fair, and they sure as hell won’t stop just because there’s a baby in the mix.”

I paused, dragging a hand through my hair as the frustration simmered just beneath my skin. “This war? It’s not going anywhere. And if you think there’s a world where the Vipers, the Serpents, and the Reapers just shake hands and call it even, then you’re dreaming. They’ll never leave us alone because they can’t. That’s the reality, Delilah.”

“Then maybe that’s why I left,” she snapped back. “Because I couldn’t raise a child in the middle of a goddamn battlefield. Because I couldn’t stay here and watch it destroy everything. You think I wanted to come back? This isn’t about wanting, Ryder—it’s about doing what’s right.”

Her words were like a knife to the gut, cutting through all the defenses I’d built up. I ran a hand through my hair, the frustration boiling over. “So what, Delilah? You want me to pick between the club and you? Between the only family I’ve ever known and a life I don’t even know how to live?”

Her eyes softened, just for a moment. "I’m not asking you to pick, Ryder. I’m asking you to be a father. That’s all." She paused, letting her words settle between us, her gaze steady and unflinching. "I get that this war isn’t going anywhere. I get that the club is your life. But this baby? They’re yours, too. And they deserve a father who’s willing to fight for more than just turf and power. They deserve to know you for who you are, not just the vice president of the Crimson Reapers. I’m not asking you to change who you are or what you’ve built here," she continued, her voice firmer now. "But I am asking you to think about what kind of world you want your child to grow up in. Do you really want them to inherit this? To grow up learning how to survive in the middle of a goddamn war zone? Because I don’t. I won’t."

The weight of her words hit me like a gut punch. I opened my mouth to respond, but she wasn’t done.

Her words sliced through the haze of anger and confusion in my mind, leaving only the raw truth in their wake. "You think I don’t want that for them too?" I said, my voice quieter but no less intense. "You think I don’t want to give them something better? But this is who I am, Delilah. This is my world. And like it or not, it’s going to be a part of their world, too."

"It doesn’t have to be," she said, stepping closer. "You have a choice, Ryder. You can choose to protect them, to give them something better. But if you’re going to be a part of their life, you have to show them they’re worth more than this."

I stared at her, the fire in her voice daring me to argue. But before I could respond, another question clawed its way to the surface, one I hadn’t thought to ask until now. "Does your brother know?" I asked, my voice low, measured. "Have you talked to him about this?"

Her expression faltered, and for the first time since she walked through that door, she looked uncertain. "No," she admitted after a long pause. "I haven’t told him. Not yet."

My jaw tightened, and I stepped closer, lowering my voice so only she could hear. “And what’s going to stop him from using this baby to get to me? To the club?"

“Are you serious right now?” Her eyes narrowed, the uncertainty replaced with that familiar defiance. "This isn’t about my brother, Ryder. This is about you. About us. And whether you’re going to step up or not. I’ll tell him when I’m ready. But right now, you’re the one who needed to hear this."

“Dead serious,” I snapped, the anger bubbling just beneath the surface. “Your brother would jump at any excuse to put the Reapers in his crosshairs and don’t tell me you don’t know that. If he gets even a hint about this, do you really think he wouldn’t use it to screw us over? To screw me over?”

Her mouth tightened, and she took a step back, her hand protectively resting over her stomach. “This baby isn’t leverage, Ryder. Don’t you dare make it sound like that.”

“You’re telling me he wouldn’t see it that way? That he wouldn’t use it against me if it suited him?” My voice rose, the frustration breaking through the thin veil of calm I was trying to hold onto.

She squared her shoulders, her gaze locking onto mine with the same fire that had always drawn me in. “This baby has nothing to do with my brother or his club. And I sure as hell won’t let it be dragged into whatever war you think he’s planning. I came here to talk to you, Ryder. Not to justify myself or the decisions I’ve made to keep my child safe.”

“Safe?” I barked out a bitter laugh. “You think keeping me in the dark was safe? Do you think walking out of here without a word was safe? Because let me tell you something, Delilah—it sure as hell wasn’t.”

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