Page 8 of Spring Surprise
“Come here.” I lift my arm, and she plasters herself against me, releasing a gusty sigh as she does. Little by little, I can feel her body relaxing. It’s as if my body recognizes the signal and does the same thing. It only takes a minute or two before my eyelids start to droop and sleep begins to take over.
Chapter 7
Neely
Lying here in the strength and safety of Toby’s arms, the chaos in my mind begins to calm, and I can finally draw the first decent breath since Toby’s doctor friend said TJ had to be admitted. I owe Toby an explanation. One I’m not sure I understand myself, but maybe by talking it out, we’ll both get some clarity.
“She wasn’t going to tell you about him,” I whisper into the darkness.
“Who?” Toby’s voice is already edging into sleep. I bite my lip, suddenly embarrassed for disturbing him. It’s been a long day. I should have waited until morning.
“Neely?”
“Janessa. She was never going to tell you about TJ.” I hear his throat click as he swallows. I brush my cheek against his chest in empathy. The heat of our bodies pressed together in the darkness is a comfort to me. Inhaling the appealing aroma of clean male and woodsy spiced deodorant gives me the courage to continue.
“Our moms were stepsisters. Sheila, Janessa’s mom, being nine years older than my mom. They were never close, so I only knew Janessa peripherally. When my parents died, they came to the funeral. Sheila thought she’d inherit something, I guess. She was sorely disappointed and made a scene before she left. Janessa, however, has kept in touch. You know, birthdays and holidays and such?”
Toby shifts. I lay my hand on his chest. It’s not a move meant to be sexual, at least I don’t think it is, but I can’t help marveling at how firm and defined his muscles are. I keep still instead of taking liberties. But holy cow, his skin is warm beneath my fingertips.
“Yeah. I have a few cousins like that—family, but not close.” He twines the fingers of one hand with mine. I’ve always loved holding hands. I shiver in sensuous delight. He must misunderstand because he adjusts the arm I’m lying on and pulls me closer by placing his hand on my hip.
“E-Exactly. Janessa got in touch with me last fall. She was distraught. She never wanted to have kids, her upbringing, I guess, so she was going to get an abortion. Except her mom and the man she was living with found out.”
“They stopped her?”
“After a fashion. They kidnapped her. Knocked her out and kept her locked up in a shed, but not for the reasons you might think. They said they were going to keep Janessa ‘safe’ until after the baby came, and then they’d sell him to the highest bidder.”
“Holy shit.”
“Yeah. Janessa somehow escaped and called me. She was in rough shape when I picked her up. Her mom’s boyfriend, Rudy Blanchard, took…liberties.” I shudder. Toby cuddles me closer.
Blanchard needs to be stopped. If he did this to Janessa, he’s doing it to other women, too. But if my club and I have anything to say about it, he won’t be doing anything for much longer. We’ll run him up the mountain. We just need to be sure we’ve found all the victims he has hidden first.
“So, why didn’t she have the abortion?”
“Maybe I shouldn’t have, but I pleaded with her not to. All life is precious. I would have fought just as hard for a litter of puppies. At first, I reasoned that the father had rights, too. Maybe he’d want his child. Janessa thought I was naïve.”Fucking stupidis what she called me, but there was this overwhelming feeling of rightness to the suggestion.
“She said, and I quote, ‘The last thing James wants is a kid fucking up his life.’ So, I said I wanted him. I offered her an iron-clad adoption contract, and I paid Janessa for TJ’s life.” I pause, waiting for Tobias to judge me. When he doesn’t say anything, I tell him the rest.
“A few weeks later, we were on our way to her doctor’s appointment when we were broadsided in a hit-and-run. I got a concussion and a broken arm, but Janessa… it was bad. The paramedics kept her alive long enough to get her to the hospital and deliver the baby, but there was no saving her.”
Janessa’s mom tried to step in and claim TJ, but Janessa and I took care of that when we made our contract. I was also her power of attorney, as well as the baby’s. Janessa’s one stipulation after we settled on a dollar amount was that her mother was to have no contact with the child. I was happy to agree and made sure my lawyer made the hospital aware of the circumstances.
Toby is completely quiet as I remember the aftermath of the accident. His breaths are slow and deep. He’s probably fallen asleep, and that’s okay. I can’t expect him to have the same visceral reaction as I do. I’ll tell him how I tracked him down soon.
Closing my eyes, I match my breaths to his and drift off, thinking how nice it is to have someone holding me together for once.
Chapter 8
Tobias
I don’t answer Neely when she finishes speaking. I can’t. I am doing all I can to keep my muscles relaxed and my breaths even, because her story releases chaos. Caustic and jagged memories of Therese, the woman I once loved, rip through my mind one after another.
“…tell them you changed your mind, Toby! I’m pregnant!” Therese screamed, stomping her foot for effect and making a scene in front of the truck full of recruiters and soon-to-be soldiers.
“A baby? I can’t just not go, Therese. I already signed the papers. Don’t you see that joining the military is even more important now? I’ll have a job and insurance. I can support our family.” I press my hand to her still flat stomach, tears misting my eyes. It wasn’t planned, but holy shit, I’m going to be a dad.
“Absolutely not! My parents will give us the money…”
