Page 11 of Cougar

I swallow back a sob before I take a few steps to my brother and place my hand on his shoulder.

“Butcher, I didn’t know about the baby. I just found out. If I’d known about the baby the second she found out, I’d have been right by her side. That girl of yours, she’s my entire fucking world already. So is that baby. I will always love those two. I’ll lay down my life to bring The Company down if that means those two are safe.”

Shocking me completely, Butcher pulls me into a hug. His hands slap down onto my back, and I wince. This has to be a good thing, right?

“If you hurt my baby or my grandbaby in any way, your torture will last until I get bored from it, and then you’ll be piggy food. And a small piece of advice…. I haven’t gotten bored yet.”

“I believe you.”

Five

Aletta

*Two months before Rambo epilogue*

“This is my first grandbaby! I deserve to be there!” Mom yells at me as I get my things together to leave for my first appointment.

“It’s my first baby! You did this already. Let me enjoy this with my man.” I close my eyes and focus on my breathing. The last thing I need is to show up at my appointment with high blood pressure.

“Exactly, I will know what to ask the doctor. I’ll know what information you need to keep in your back pocket for later. I have done this twice.” Mom crosses her arms, blocking my path to leave.

“And it was just you and Dad. You guys got that moment to see Bennett and me. You got to hear our heartbeats and share that moment—no one else. I’m not doing this alone, Mama. I have a man who wants to be the best father to this little intruder.” I run my hands over my slightly protruding bump. It looks more like I ate a large lunch, but it’s still there.

“I had all these grand schemes of being there for you. I was going to be there when you went to your appointments, holding your hand. When you showed me that test, I was ready to be your partner.” Mom’s eyes get glassy. I know this is partially because I changed her plans but also because she’s seeing I don’t need her like I did when I came home.

I open my mouth to tell her something, but a knock on the door stops me from that thought. “That’s John, Mama. I get that you had schemes, but this is real. I want this with him. Please understand that I am doing this for John and me and not to you.” I open the door, and John comes in, smiling at Mom.

“Who’s ready to see a baby?” John asks, clapping his hands. He looks genuinely happy, and I couldn’t ask for a better partner in all of this. I still can’t figure out how I got this lucky. I have a man who loves me and treats me like a queen. A man who already claims a baby that isn’t biologically his. He takes all the shit his brothers and my parents throw at him with a smile.

Mom scoffs and rolls her eyes at him while hugging me. As she walks toward the door, John shuffles to the side of the narrow hall so she can leave. I swear, he is almost cowering away like she will hit him. I can’t help but giggle. Mama may be loud and give off the I can kill you vibe, but she wouldn’t hurt a fly. He has nothing to worry about.

***

John and I checked into the waiting room at the office. We were about thirty minutes early because I knew I had to complete all the paperwork. It didn’t take as long as I thought, as we didn’t need to fill out the father’s history, and my gyno history is very short.

I don’t know what John is looking for, but he scans the room. I start to look around and notice all the different stages of womanhood gathered. Young teens here for what I assume is their first appointment, mothers with brand new babies, pregnant women, and a few women my mom’s age. I can’t help the slight pang of guilt that hits at the thought of my mom.

“John, do you think I should have let Mom come to this appointment?” I ask him quietly. His eyes stop scanning the room and cut to me.

“I wouldn’t have had an issue with her coming today. But you were the one who wanted this to be just us, and I support what you choose when it comes to this pregnancy.” The guilt and hurt must have been evident on my face because he quickly added, “Maybe at the next appointment, we will invite her?”

“Ya, that is where we find out what this little intruder is.” I look down at my belly and run my hands over it. John reaches over and places his hand over mine, almost like he holds us both simultaneously.

“Besides, you haven’t decided if you will tell her the truth yet. From what Copper was saying, this appointment will confirm how pregnant you are. Her not being here gives you the time to decide if you want to tell her or not.”

I don’t say anything. I close my eyes, nod my head, and lean in for a kiss that he immediately returns.

The past few weeks since meeting him have been a whirlwind of emotions and feelings. He has jumped in with both feet, ready to take on the world with me. The moment he held out his hand, I grabbed it and continued holding on—enjoying the ride with him.

He hasn’t officially moved into the apartment with me, but he might as well have. The only time he isn’t there is when he has to go to work, where he sees me, or club business calls him away. If there isn’t a reason, he’s at home with me, building this new life we’ve decided to take on.

He will crash in his room at the bunkhouse if he gets in too late from a run. One time he stayed because it was so late after church, and I had the worst day; he didn’t want to wake me up. But he will always text me goodnight and good morning if he isn’t with me. Like last night. I’m never far from his mind when we aren’t together. I like the warm and fuzzy feelings the thought gives me.

I’m taken from my thoughts of him when I see John squirm in his seat out of the corner of my eye. He’s still scanning the room but looking increasingly uncomfortable.

“You okay there?” I ask, a bit of amusement in my voice.

“The bathroom is so far away, and I don’t want to miss anything.” He complains, crossing his legs again. “Did you finish your water?”

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