Chapter Thirty Seven

A KNOCK CAME TO THE door. Katrina looked at Jagger and widened her eyes. The time had come. She planned to tell her dad about the baby and let him know how she feels about what went down between him and Jagger.

"I'm only doing this if he comes alone. If that bitch is with him, he can walk right back to his room." She wrung her hands.

Jagger leaned in and kissed her. "No fighting."

She scoffed. He was one to talk about fighting.

Motioning for him to open the door, she sat down on the end of the couch. She pressed a hand to her stomach. The doctor had told her, going by the dating ultrasound, she was now eleven weeks pregnant.

She and Jagger had created a baby the first time they got together after being apart for two years.

Jagger opened the door. Her dad walked in without saying a word. He looked at her, questioning. For two weeks, she'd refused to talk to him, so he was probably curious to know why Jagger asked him into the room.

Instead of anger, only concern showed in his gaze. She swallowed hard. Damnit.

Pregnancy hormones ruled her days lately, to Jagger's amusement. She couldn't imagine her life without her dad—good or bad. That's how it's always been. A fact she loved and hated equally because he wasn't perfect. But she loved him imperfectly.

"Are you okay?" asked Ruger.

She nodded and patted the couch beside her. Once he sat, she reached over and held his hand. The same hand that had hurt Jagger. The conflicting emotions hitting her all at once wasn't lost on her. When he was in prison, it was his hands that fascinated her the most, despite the chain, holding them to the table.

There was a time when those hands comforted and cared for her. But she couldn't remember.

"After talking to Jagger, I want to put what happened behind us." She looked at their linked hands. "While I understand if the situation involved others why the punishment went down but no one, not even you, knows what happened between me and Jagger—and I will always protect what we have."

"I let him live," said her dad. "That was for you."

Her dad was set in his ways. He had a black and white view of the world. She needed to accept him, or she'd lose him, that much she knew.

"I have something else to tell you." She let go of his hand and looked to Jagger for strength. "I'm pregnant."

Her dad's gaze whipped to Jagger. She grabbed his hand again before he reacted.

"I'm twenty four years old, Dad." She swallowed. "This is a happy time for me, and I want you to share it with us. I want you to be a part of my life, my child's life." She looked at Jagger. "I want you to get along with Jagger because he's the father of your grandchild."

Her dad pulled his hand away and pulled on his beard. "You're, okay? The baby isn't going to hurt you?"

"I imagine the baby is going to hurt me a lot." She laughed. "But, no, I'll be fine. I'm happy. Maybe a little nervous."

"A baby." Her dad blew out his cheeks. "More family."

She smiled. "That's going to make you a grandpa."

Her dad stood and rubbed the back of his neck. She stood with him. For her baby's sake, she wanted the hostility between her dad and Jagger to end. She needed her dad—the father who stepped up when her mom ran off. She knew he had it inside of him to help mend the rift between them.

Her dad palmed the back of her head and pulled her to his chest. "This'll take some getting used to. My baby is having a baby."

His heart raced against her ear. She wrapped her arms around him.

"We have time," she whispered. "At least six months."

Her dad cleared his throat and stepped away. Jagger walked over and opened the door. Her dad paused before going out. The two men spoke. She clasped her hands under her chin, wanting more than ever to rush over there to overhear what they were saying but knowing they both needed that moment, she stayed back.

If anything, she hoped the baby would bring her family together. Her dad only knew about her pregnancy. Cora had yet to tell her older brother that she too was having a baby.

Her dad left. Jagger shut the door. A big sigh of relief left her.

She walked into Jagger's arms and kissed him. Glad to have today over with, she ran her hands down his sides and cupped his ass.

"Do you think he'll grow to accept us being together?" she asked.

He kissed the tip of her nose. "Considering he just asked if he could transfer over from the mother chapter and ride for Seaglass Cove, I'd say he's going to stick around and either kill me or make sure his daughter is taken care of."

She came up on her toes and threw her arms around his neck. It was the most positive move her dad had made in a long time.

"Wait." She pulled back. "What about Rachel?"

She hoped the woman would leave. Her injuries were healed. There was no reason for her to stay in the clubhouse. Bitches weren't allowed. As the president's ol' lady, she wouldn't tolerate her living amongst the bikers.

"For now, she's staying."

"What?" She placed her hands on her hips. "Is he involved with her?"

Jagger shook his head in a non-answer. She scoffed, wanting to know what was going on with her dad.

A knock ended the conversation.

"I need to get out there." Jagger kissed her. "You'll be okay?"

"I'm pregnant, not fragile." She smacked his ass. "Go out and deal with your club. I'm going to the pool for an hour. I told Cora and Brooke, I'd meet them there and we could cool off in the shallow end while Skye had a swim meet."

"Keep your suit on." He opened the door and slipped out of the room.

She stripped out of her clothes and put her suit on, then pulled on a pair of cutoffs. The button was tight against her stomach. Soon, she'd have to put the shorts aside until after she had the baby.

She left the room with a towel over her shoulder. As she walked through the clubhouse, there were Havlin members already coming in for the meeting. She looked around, making sure Rachel wasn't mingling with the men but it looked as if her dad had her sequestered in the bedroom.

She went through the doorway, leading to the parts shop, and went out the front of the building. From there it was a short walk along the sidewalk to the pool next door. Catching sight of Cora ahead of her, she called her aunt's name.

Cora stopped on the stairs. She hurried to catch up.

"I almost called you to remind you about coming." Cora hugged her. "I'm glad you remembered."

"Yep." She climbed the rest of the stairs. "I also had a talk with my dad."

"No." Cora grabbed Katrina's arm and stopped her from going inside. "Spill the tea."

"He's staying in Seaglass Cove."

Cora's mouth opened and she jumped in place. Katrina held on to her aunt's arms in case she toppled at the top of the stairs.

"He now knows about the baby."

"I'm so glad. This is the best news ever." Cora leaned closer. "Was he happy?"

"Shocked." Katrina shrugged. "But I think he's okay with the idea of being a grandpa."

She kept the way her dad and Jagger had talked to herself. Not knowing what was said or where it was headed, she wasn't going to get her hopes up that they would work out their problems and become best friends again.

Besides, Cora never knew about the punishment. She had only heard that Jagger was involved in a fight at the clubhouse. Wire hadn't shared the news. That wasn't a surprise, since it was club business.

The warmth from the day penetrated her shoulders. She motioned for Cora to walk.

"Katrina!"

She turned around and found Dio jogging up the steps. "Are you coming or going?"

"Coming." She pointed at Cora. "We're going to swim for the next hour. Why?"

"Will you do me a favor?"

"Sure."

He reached behind him and removed a pair of swim goggles out of his back pocket. "Give these to Skye. Tell her they'll bring her good luck."

"Sure." She took the gift.

"Thanks." Dio jogged back toward the clubhouse.

She walked inside, waved at Daisy, and then headed to the locker room. Having already dressed, she went out to the pool and found Brooke.

Putting her towel on the chair, she turned toward the water. "Has Sky started swimming yet?"

"Nope, you passed her in the locker room." Brooke snorted. "I was kicked out. Apparently, none of the girls want help anymore, including braiding their hair. They have to do each other's hair before the meet."

She held up the goggles. "Dio gave me these to give her."

"Oh, that was sweet of him. She's been eyeing those goggles in the swim magazine. She'll be out any second and you can give them to her." She motioned to the chair. "Sit. Get off your feet. Relax. It's too hot to stand."

Cora joined them. The three of them sat in the corner with a view of the whole pool. The temperature gauge hanging on the wall hovered at eighty-five degrees.

Katrina fanned her face with her hand. The water looked inviting.

"Why are we sitting out here?" She moved to the edge of the pool. "I'm going in."

The kids came out in one large, rowdy group. She grabbed the goggles and called Skye's name. The young girl walked over to her.

"These are from Dio. He wishes you good luck." She handed over the gift.

"Dope." Skye marveled at the goggles. "He remembered. Thanks."

Skye walked around the pool to the deep end where the lanes were set up. Katrina sat on the edge and put her feet in. The cool water instantly comforted her.

"All we're missing is alcohol. I have to say, the pool is more fun when it's closed and only open to Havlin members." Brooke laughed "I never thought I'd say that."

"Count me out on partying for a while." She looked over her shoulder. "I'm pregnant."

"Me, too." Cora moved to the corner of the pool and walked down the three steps. "We're due two weeks apart."

Both had asked the doctor on their separate appointments if their night of drinking before they'd realized they were pregnant was going to affect the baby. The older doctor assured them the babies were fine.

"Are you kidding me?" Brook gawked at them as she got up from her chair and joined them in the water. "Am I the last to know?"

Katrina shook her head and laughed. It felt good to share the news with them.

It felt good to have women surrounding her that would support her. All her life she thought having bikers in her life was enough. But living in Seaglass Cove with Jagger had shown her that there was a place for girlfriends in her life, too.