Page 23 of Rebel
“I left because I’m being hunted. The same men who came after Rebel and Bolt are coming for me, too. I had no choice but to take off, otherwise I’d risk putting everyone that I cared about in danger—including you.” She was sure that he didn’t mean to just tell her that he cared about her. Sure, they had circled each other for weeks at Savage Hell, but they never really talked. Notuntil the night that they agreed to spend together. The night that she had gotten pregnant.
“Jace, I’m going to need you to look at me,” she said. He hesitated, and she thought for sure that he wasn’t going to give in to her demand, but he did. He looked her over from head to toe, and she could tell the exact moment that he noticed her belly. His eyes rested on her bump as she gently rubbed it.
“What is that?” he asked.
“Well, this is my belly, and inside, there is a baby. Tell me that you’ve seen a pregnant woman before, Jace,” she teased. Her go-to move for uncomfortable situations was to use humor—and right now, this was the most uncomfortable situation that Winter had ever been in.
“Of course, I’ve seen a pregnant woman before, Winter. I just didn’t think that you’d be, well, you know, pregnant.” Jace handed her the cup of hot tea, and she thanked him. “I guess I should say congratulations.” Yeah, he was taking his time getting to the realization that he was the baby’s father, but she was pretty sure that once the shock wore off, he’d figure it out.
Winter crossed the room to sit on the sofa, feeling more fatigued than ever once she started to warm up. “How far along are you?” he asked, sitting down next to her.
“About six months,” she whispered. This was the part that she had dreaded and dreamed about for months now. She was going to have to spell it out for him, though, and she wasn’t sure how to do that.
He stilled next to her on the sofa, and she nodded her head. “It’s why I’ve come all this way, Jace,” she breathed. Now it was her turn to avoid eye contact with him. “I’m pregnant and the baby is yours.”
He took her hot tea from her and set it on the coffee table. She worried what he might do next, but she hadn’t figured on him pulling her onto his lap and wrapping his arms around her.“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” he whispered against her neck. “I could have helped you.”
“I didn’t really need any help. Besides, I didn’t know where you were, and when I finally got up the nerve to ask Rebel, she said that she couldn’t tell me. I figured that you just didn’t want to see me again and left it at that.”
“Rebel said that you asked about me, but she never said that you’re pregnant. I’m pretty sure that I’d remember her telling me that,” he said.
“She doesn’t know about the baby. I hid him under my baggy clothing. If someone asked about my weight gain, I told them that I have a sweet tooth. It’s not a lie—all this kid wants is sweets.”
“Did you just call the baby a him?” Jace asked. Winter thought back over what she had just said to him and nodded.
“Yes,” she said. “We are having a boy.” She shifted off his lap, back onto the sofa, needing to say this next part without him touching her. “I don’t expect you to be involved in either of our lives, Jace. I just wanted you to know about him.” She rubbed her hands over her belly, smiling when the baby kicked her.
“He’s kicking,” she whispered. “Do you want to feel?” Jace nodded, and she took his hand and placed it on her belly. The baby seemed to take that as his cue to kick his father’s hand, and Jace’s expression was pure magic.
“That’s so fucking cool,” he whispered, as though saying it too loudly would scare the baby off.
“Yeah, it took some getting used to. Especially at night when he kicks me so much that I can’t sleep,” she admitted.
“What if I want to be a part of the baby’s life, Winter?” he asked, not taking his hand off her belly. “What if I want to be a part of both of your lives?” Hearing him say those words to her was almost too much.
She swiped at the hot tears that spilled down her face. “Stupid hormones,” she said, blaming her emotional outburst on something other than the kind words that Jace had just said to her was the easy way out. Winter hated mushy love declarations, not that Jace was making one right now.
“I think that we’d both like to have you in our lives,” she admitted. It was more than she could have hoped for, but at the same time, it scared her to death. She had never been in a relationship that lasted more than a night or two, and she never called them relationships. But for some reason, Winter dared to hope that was what Jace was offering her. Winter was going to get her Christmas miracle, and for a goth girl from the wrong side of the tracks, that was the best gift of all.
Ho-Ho Hell (Royal Harlots: Huntsville Chapter Book 8-Not Your Typical Feel-Good Christmas Story!) Universal Link-> https://books2read.com/u/3LOLL7
Love a Halloween story, mixed with MC, a bit of chaos, and it’s Why Choose? Then, you won’t want to miss what’s coming next from K.L. Ramsey! Monster’s Madhouse (31 Days of Trick or Treat Collab) is coming October 2025! Here’s a sneak peek!
Monster
Monster hated the month of October from the very first day to the last. He hated the sadness that engulfed him on October first, but there was never any way to avoid it happening. October was the month that his pregnant wife, Heather, had died and changed the trajectory of his life forever.
He blamed himself, of course, because if he had just driven her to Heather's OB appointment, his family might still be intact. But he was an idiot and insisted that he couldn’t miss work. He was stressed out about having to get everything that the baby would need before birth. Plus, he was saving every penny, wanting to make sure that his family would have financial security for anything that might come up in the future. But it had all been for nothing, because now, he had no family, and yeah, that was all his fault.
Even five years later, he remembered that day as though it were yesterday. Heather was driving through a nasty thunderstorm to get to her appointment. The weatherman had said that it was supposed to be a sunny, warm day, but he had it all wrong. When the thunderstorm warning popped up,Monster tried to call to warn Heather to stay home, but he was too late. She had already left for her appointment. Monster got the call to come to the hospital minutes after trying to call her, and he knew, deep down, he knew that she was gone. He felt an emptiness that he just couldn’t explain until he heard the doctor tell him that both Heather and his daughter were gone.
“It’s a girl?” he asked the doctor as tears streamed down his face. Monster and Heather had decided to hold off on finding out the baby’s sex, wanting it to be a surprise. She was old-fashioned like that, and Monster loved everything about Heather.
“Yes,” the doctor said, “you’ll have to identify your wife’s body down at the morgue, I’m afraid, and then she can be released to a funeral home of your choice.” There was a place down the street from the bar that he owned, and Monster knew that he could trust the owner, Drifter. He was a regular at the bar and seemed like a decent guy. Monster nodded at the doctor, not sure that there was anything more to say, and started for the elevator. He was going to go to the morgue, say goodbye to the only woman he’d ever loved, and find a way to walk away from what was supposed to be his future. He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to do it, but somehow, he found the strength to.
Monster still missed Heather and the baby that he never got to know, but he had found a way to move forward. He had to. It was what Heather would have wanted him to do, but it wasn’t easy. He had his friends down at his bar—Monster’s Madhouse. That name fit the rowdy bunch of guys and their Ol’ladies who came in night after night to eat, drink, and cause a ruckus. They had formed an MC called the Toxic Monsters after him. They elected Monster to be their Prez, even though he really didn’t want the job at first. Over time, he learned to love being the patriarch of his band of brothers and couldn’t imagine playing any other role in the club.
Drifter walked into the bar, looking like someone had kicked his puppy, and sat down at the bar. “You okay, man?” Monster asked. He grabbed a frosted mug from the freezer and poured Drifter a draft.
