Page 19 of Infected By Virus

VIRUS

In the time since Rae had walked back into his life, he’d pored over the documents in the file folder again and again.

He’d practically worn out the pictures Rae took. He could tell they were hers. Her style was as unique as a fingerprint. It was as known to him as every pore of her body had once been.

The videos Outlaw took captivated him, too. He watched them repeatedly. Adam with his little voice and his chubby cheeks, all of it.

I have a son.

It was surreal and all too real at the same time. Seeing his son in Rae’s arms put his heart in an industrial vice grip. He wished, not for the first time since he’d been made aware of Adam’s existence, that Rae had been his mother, she was supposed to have been. It would be a connection between them and not a reminder of his betrayal.

Not for the first time, or the last, he hated who he’d used to be. Selfish was the nicest way to describe who he was.

He loved Rae more than anything back then, but himself. His pleasure, his happiness, his everything was priority number one. His ego had been the size of Texas and Alaska combined. At the time, he’d thought he was always putting her first, but sadly, she’d always been second. That wasn’t a realization he’d come to easily or until just the last year or two.

Even though he’d jumped into bed with Celeste because he believed all the bullshit about Rae, it boiled down to he did it because he wanted to. Plain and simple. He was horny and hadn’t had sex since Rae had broken up with him. Celeste was there and teasing him. As much as he’d wished there was an excuse, there wasn’t.

He’d shown up at Celeste’s place for Rae, or so he thought. Instead, her sister was there, wearing nothing but a towel fresh from the shower. She’d regaled him with all the things Rae had been doing since they’d broken up, including his ex-best friend. That was all it took to respond to Celeste when she threw her leg over his lap and started dry humping him.

He’d had to own that fact, that it was his behavior that ruined their relationship. It was his choices that landed him wherever he was at any given time. That had been the hardest of pills to swallow.

But swallow it, he did—eventually.

When Rae left, he was searching for … something. Somewhere to belong, and that led him right to the RBMC doorstep. Good thing too, because he would’ve never become a better person had he kept blaming other people for his situations. Being a prospect was the largest period of personal growth in his entire life.

It uncovered a better version of himself than he’d been when he’d lost Rae. Hell, he was better than he was just two years ago, better than last month. He prided himself on being able to grow. He could only hope that Rae could see that and understand that the other day had been a one off.

He just didn’t know how to show her that. Apologies could only go so far. She was a woman of actions and deeds. Her love language was not gifts and apologies, it was actions. They’d once been able to communicate without words. That’s where he needed to get them back to. Even if that only landed him in the friend zone, he’d take it as long as she was happy and knew that she wasn’t responsible for him cheating as he’d hurled at her as she drove off that night.

To be honest, he wanted so much more than friendship with her, god did he want more.

Virus shook those thoughts off. It would do him no good to go there. At least, not until he could finally tell Rae everything he’d wanted to say since the day they’d broken up. Even if it didn’t make a difference in their future, she deserved the whole ugly truth, along with his profuse apologies.

Outlaw had been tight-lipped for the most part since returning from Harmon’s, where Rae was staying. Stating only that they needed to speak to each other, and that Virus needed to listen more than he talked. That Rae had left the ball in his court as to when to call and start spending time with Adam. And always adding in that her friend Harmon was smokin’ hot.

Virus was finally ready to make the call. He’d spent a few days trying to decide which to do first, make amends with Rae or get to know his son?

Why not do both at the same time? Hook had asked him. It was solid advice considering Hook wooed Nova while wrapped around little June’s finger. He’d won them both over. The major difference being Adam wasn’t Rae’s, he was her sister’s.

He’d taken that bit of advice to heart and dialed Rae’s number before he had time to stop himself. She’d agreed to bring Adam and meet him at the pizza place downtown with all the games. It seemed like a solid plan to get to know his son and reacquaint himself with Rae on neutral, non-romantic territory.

“You guys ready?” he asked nervously.

“Always,” a few of them answered at the same time. No way he could go meet his kid for the first time without his brothers. They were family. Santa wouldn’t stop bragging about having met Adam first. If by meeting him first meant hitting on Rae and ruffling Adam’s hair.

He was still salty about that, but it was filed away to deal with later.

What a sight they made pulling up at the pizza place. An array of motorcycles and an SUV with a total of six tatted up men, two ol’ ladies, and a cute little blond that Hook hefted up into his arms after he donned his cut.

Zombie slapped Virus on the back as they entered the noisy establishment. “It’ll be fine, Virus.” Yeah, he wasn’t hiding his nervousness very well.

“Just be yourself, man. It’s your kid, he’s gonna love you.” That pearl coming from Hook just as June squirmed down from his arms and bolted for what looked like a hamster cage for kids with colorful and clear tubes and slides.

Virus spotted Rae right away, standing next to one of those tubes, just outside the netted wall that contained the balls.

When she turned, their eyes clashed. He couldn’t help the smile that stormed his face. She was beautiful in her disarray. Her hair, mostly contained in a low pony, was staticky, with bits and pieces standing out and dancing. He thought how amazing she looked without makeup. She used to hate it when he said that, but it was true. She didn’t need all that crap. Rae was and had always been the most beautiful woman in any room as far as he was concerned.

His eyes dragged down her body and his mouth went dry. Her shapely legs were on full display. Virus pushed away the memory of how they felt wrapped around his hips. That line of thinking would get him branded a perv for sporting wood in a kids’ play place.

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