Chapter Nineteen

"Seriously? Are you even hearing me right now?" Oh, I'm hearing her, all right. I'm just choosing not to fucking listen. Big difference.

That being said, she's tired and not really thinking straight. Maybe there is such a thing as too many orgasms. Fuck, did I break her on that last one? Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure she blacked out for a moment, there.

"Look…" Taking in a deep, steadying breath, I place my hands on my jean-clad hips and hang my head long enough to gather my thoughts. Now is not the time to lose my cool.

"Don't you dare ‘look' me. You fucking look. I'm not looking at shit right now." Wow. Okay, so she really feels strongly about this or…

"Is this…" My index finger does a recap of the whole room like I'm showing her pieces of evidence in a courtroom. "The hormones?"

I'm going to blame this on my age. Or maybe the fact that I've never been around a pregnant woman, or any woman on an intimate level for very long. But I've never regretted my words so quickly before in my entire fucking life.

"You did not just say that." Her stance as she aggressively whispers those heavy-as-lead words to me is like an MMA fighter goading her opponent. The fuck am I supposed to do or say now?

"Nope. I did not. That was Ninja." Sorry, buddy, but she'll spare you, and with the way she's peeling my skin off with her glare, I don't think she'd have the same kind of pity on me.

Raising both her brows at me when she means to raise only one, I fight the urge to chuckle because… well, I like my balls right where they are.

"Google says no long trips but, at three months, I can totally get on my bike for a short, ten minute ride. You're just being all…" Her hands are flying around like she's the one pointing out the evidence and obvious errors of my ways. "Over-the-top protective and shit. I'm pregnant, not fucking incapacitated."

Now she's the one standing with her hands on her hips, one hip cocked in a battle stance and two fingers tapping on her waist like she's begging the universe to give her the strength to refrain from killing me.

"If something happens to you, Cherry, I won't survive it." There. It's been said. It's out there. Do with it as you see fit.

Right before my eyes, she melts into a puddle of water that cools down our argument and gives us both some much-needed perspective. It also, however, scares the fuck out of me because who can change moods like that, so quickly and without effort?

Aw, fuck. Now, she's crying and I don't… what the fuck am I supposed to with that?

Needless to say, I will never say it out loud again, but I'm pretty sure the hormones have kidnapped her, which means this is going to be my future for many months to come.

Another thing I won't mention—for obvious reasons—is that I fucking love that my little swimmers made her this way. That I put a baby inside her and now the entire chemistry of her brain has been somewhat altered.

Because, yeah. I don't give a fuck what those dates at the doctor's said, that baby is mine. Just like Cherry is mine. There's no fucking way my sperm didn't make it to her egg before those motherfuckers got there. Even if it was a tie, my little dudes would have beat their asses right back to the tiny dick hole that dared touch my woman.

End of.

Mackenzie practically tackles me, wrapping her arms around my neck and sobbing into my chest. The way she climbs my body until our mouths are sealed in a hot, desperate kiss that electrifies my entire nervous system has my dick rock hard in an instant.

"I'm sorry, baby. I just… I'm gonna miss riding and I just want to feel her between my legs one last time before I have to… ya know…" I know exactly what she's doing and I'm choosing to let her win this little battle, if for no other reason than her mouth is fucking magical. "And race night is in the next couple of weeks, right? So I won't even be able to win my money." Yeah, I'm gonna let that slide, too. First off, no, she's not fucking racing and two, who says she would've beat me?

"Ten minutes to town, we take a pause, then ten minutes back. And—" Like a little monkey, she squeezes her four limbs around my neck and waist, peppering tiny kisses all over my face. "And…" I pause until I have her full attention. "The brothers come with us. Those Toxic fuckers are out there and there's no fucking way I'm tempting fate and risking any of them recognizing you."

"Deal. I'll agree to your conditions and add the wig for when my helmet is off as a peace offering." I don't mention the fact that the wig was already a given because I just want this to be her win right now.

"Okay, baby." She slides down my body, and as she lands on her feet, I fall to my knees and place my hands on her waist, my mouth on her belly and my words for my future.

"Make sure Mommy doesn't do anything stupid on that bike or else you're gonna be born grounded until you're eighteen." I look up at Mackenzie and grin before unwrapping a sucker and popping it in my mouth. And just like that, we're back to me and her. Her and me. Cherry and Psycho gearing up for a ride into town.

"Oh! How about ice cream at the river? That way it's private and I don't have to be all stealthy and shit."

Rising to my full height, I pop the sucker out of my mouth, kiss her grinning lips and murmur, "That sounds perfect, Cherry Pie." Then I push the cherry flavored delight between her lips and watch as she sucks on it, her tongue twirling, her eyes mischievous.

She wouldn't.

The unmistakable sound of crunching has me narrowing my eyes at her.

"Rude."

The earlier, cuter grin turns devilish as she springs onto her tippy toes, kisses my lips and a second later she's straddling one of our spare bikes.

I've never seen her suit up so quickly and didn't realize she liked to sing while doing so. There are a million things that Mackenzie does like a fucking boss, but singing just ain't one of them.

I'm not telling her that, either.

"Don't forget Ninja. He loves going to the river, right?" She looks up at me with expectant eyes like she's doubting her memory.

"Yeah, he's a regular water nut. Maybe he'll swim on his back for you." I cluck my tongue and Ninja comes barreling from his little castle cage, running around my leg and up my belly until he's nuzzling my neck and finding his favorite spot in my hoodie.

"I hope he doesn"t bite off our baby's toes." I freeze. What the actual fucking fuck is that supposed to mean?

"Uhm, Cherry baby, why the fuck would you say that?" Now I've got horror images swimming in my brain of mutilated body parts and Ninja going all Count Dracula on my kid.

She shrugs and slaps me on the ass. "I'm just fucking with you. You ready to go?"

Fucking Christ.

Some of the brothers were working at the garage on a couple of late orders so I rounded up the ones that were lazing around the rec room. The prospects were chomping at the bit for some riding time and I'm pretty sure going to the river for some ice cream beat reality television for Grinder. Although, his attention was rapt on whoever had been eating the grossest fucking insects on the planet.

In the end, Bear, Sledge, and Crow decided they wanted some down time before we geared up to slash some Toxic throats. The plans are in the making, but Prez is meeting with the deputy to put all of his ducks in a row. So to speak.

The sounds of our engines roaring as we file out of the compound's circular drive bring an automatic grin to my face. It may not be climate change friendly, but the revving engines and burning rubber always pulls my blood pressure down to reasonable.

In order of rank, we follow each other to the river downtown and as soon as we hit the main road, our antics begin. Since Python's passing, Bash has taken up the role of tech dude. Nowhere near as good as our lost brother, but he's holding his own and researching and learning as best he can. Another thing he's been keeping up with are the videos of us riding and doing tricks. He'll be earning his full patch very soon, no doubt.

Like right now. Grinder is making some lewd Magic Mike moves on his bike like he's fucking his way through traffic without caring that he may or may not have caused a fender bender three cars back.

Not to be outshined, I rev my engine once, twice, then give the throttle a sudden twist of the wrist and speed by him on my back wheel, fast enough to make him lose the tiniest bit of control. No doubt the consequences to my actions will be quick and amplified because when we're on our bikes, we regress in mental age. It's not about boys will be boys, it's all about bikers and their need to feel the power beneath them, push the boundaries of their machines, Hell, push the boundaries of all the things.

Except for Mackenzie. She needs to be a good girl and ride the speed limit.

Which she obviously doesn't because, of all the riders out here today, she's the one I can least control. But dammit, I try. As I bring the front wheel back down and look to my left where I know Cherry is flanking me, I pump my palm down in the universal sign for slow the fuck down. As expected, all I get in return is another universal sign. Only, hers is telling me to fuck right off.

Growling in my helmet at the risks she's taking, it doesn't escape me that Bash takes this very second to catch up and film her giving me the middle finger.

Fucker.

Thankfully, most of the way to the river is small downtown roads, which means we try our best not to be assholes and ride like normal humans. I say "try" because we're still us, and "us" is too far from normal to be boxed into anything specific.

By the time we make it to our favorite spot, the prospects head to the ice-cream shop as the rest of us settle on the shallow banks and get comfortable.

"Come here, baby." I pat my thighs as she places her helmet on a small rock, careful that it won't fall over.

"What about Ninja?" At the sound of her voice calling his name, my little buddy pokes his head out of my hoodie and sits on my shoulder, his tiny nose sniffing the air like he's investigating our surroundings. Grinder pats his leg and my travel partner abandons me quicker than I thought his little legs could go. Guess he's going swimming.

Around us, Bear, Crow, and Sledge all sit in various positions and it's not long before Sledge starts rolling a joint and Crow lights up a cigarette.

We asked Darlene and Sabrina if they wanted to come out with us, but apparently Mackenzie's mom isn't comfortable leaving the room yet. Sabrina wrote down the word "agoraphobia" and nodded like it was the explanation to everything. A quick web search told me it's about fearing crowds and open spaces, which I guess makes sense. That being said, in her position, I'd have a fear of white coats and hospital beds, but whatever.

"Dude, smoke that over there. We don't want the smell here." All eyes turn to me before I even finish my order, my eyes locking with Bear and having an entire conversation without a single word being spoken.

"Well, I'll be damned." Fucker grins at me, and without even looking, he reaches to Crow, takes his cigarette, and crushes it into a soda can.

"What the fuck, man? Do you know how much that shit costs?" Crow's too laid back to be really pissed off, and Sledge's booming laughter at the scene only makes it all seem funny. What they don't know is that nothing is more important than my Cherry's and our baby's health.

Not a fucking thing.

"Before or after health care costs? Those things won't just kill you, they'll take all your fucking money, then kill you." Bear, ever the level-headed one.

"Save lives, smoke weed, mate." Fucking Sledge missing the whole fucking point.

"Ain't about that, brother." Bear grins but doesn't elaborate and I know why. It's our secret to tell. Not gonna lie, I'm bursting at the seams with my need to make it official to the club, choosing to ignore the little growl coming from my not-so-sweet-Cherry. Sure, we agreed to wait until Darlene was in the know before announcing it to everyone else but… Did I mention patience isn't my forte?.

"Aleko." Mackenzie squeezes my hand hard enough to cut off my circulation, my name sounding like acid in her mouth, but my lips start moving before my brain has time to add up the consequences.

"Ain't good for the baby." It's all I say, waiting to see how long it'll take them to catch on. "Ow! Fuck, Cherry, I need my leg to ride back." Chuckling as I rub my shin from where she's kicked me, hard, with her fucking Docs, I flash her the grin I know melts her panties because she's made it abundantly clear in the past.

"We're the only ones here, man. C'mon!" Crow reaches for his pack when Bear punches him in the upper arm and growls.

"Read the room, man." He can barely keep a straight face as his eyes look pointedly at my large hand lying protectively on Cherry's belly.

It takes them a second, but both Sledge and Crow start hootin' and hollerin' at the news. It doesn't escape my notice that Sledge doesn't put out the joint. Instead, he moves farther down the banks. Without apology, he shrugs like… congrats, man, but I'mma take a toke anyway.

The prospects come back with full hands, and barely arrived, we're on them like we've got fire ants crawling up our asses. The most feral of all being Mackenzie, who's been jonesing for some Rocky Road since we first mentioned our little outing.

"What're ya gonna name it?" Sledge asks on an inhale.

"Not Sledge." Raising a brow at my answer, he nods his head and blows out the smoke.

"I wasn't even gonna suggest it, mate. What about Rainer, though, ey?" Sledge watches the smoke leave his mouth with rapt fascination.

"Still no."

"Fair, fair. Although, he'd get some high-quality tail with that name. I would know." Grinder comes back with Ninja in his hand, cuddling into his chest.

"Who's getting laid?" Dude has some on-point comedic entrances. "Well, besides me on the regular?"

"Psycho's kid." At Crow's words, Grinder stops and does a double take.

"Are you fucking serious?" His voice is barely louder than a whisper, like saying it out loud might anger the gods.

"Yep, already in the second trimester according to the doc." No doubt my pride can be heard, felt, and tasted a mile away.

"Fuck yeah! I'm gonna be the best fucking uncle who ever uncled in the history of all uncles. You mark my words, assholes." As if to agree with him, Ninja crawls up his arm and sniffs at his neck. Then I remember Cherry's ridiculous joke, and bloody toes and fingers flash around in my head.

"I'm so fucking mad at you right now." My words are only for Cherry.

"What did I do?"

"You planted a horror movie in my head with your Ninja comment." She laughs and it takes me a moment but, eventually, I laugh with her. But still, the worry doesn't completely escape me.

All good things must come to an end and, as promised, Mackenzie didn't grumble when we decided it was time to head back.

Apart from slaloming in and out of traffic, we remained responsible riders on our way home; waving and honking at kids as we passed them by. Grinder even got close enough to fist bump a teenager in a beat up truck before opening the gas and bolting away.

As we turn a few blocks from our neighborhood, I almost have a coronary as Mackenzie comes to halt, the back tire sliding across the asphalt and her leg planting on the road before she steadies, puts the kickstand down, and jumps off the bike. It's like watching a disaster happening in slow motion and not being able to stop it. Except, of course, my woman is in total control. Still, she's pregnant with my baby and anything apart from moving slowly and deliberately scares the fuck out of me.

I'm so focused on her that I don't see the kid lying on the sidewalk, convulsing and puking his guts out. There's no one around so he's lucky we were coming this way at this very moment. And of fucking course, Mackenzie would stop

"Call 9-1-1, hurry up." Mackenzie's EMT training kicks in immediately. To my untrained eyes, it doesn't seem that all those months away has slowed her down or made her rusty.

Crow is the first to have his phone in hand, giving the dispatcher all the information Mackenzie is calling out to him.

Young man. Early twenties. Unconscious. Seizing. Vomiting. Possibly drug related.

When the dispatcher tells Crow an ambulance is on its way, I look at Cherry and growl. "We need to go. They can't see you."

Conflicted but still reasonable, she gives Crow instructions and he takes her place as they wait and she jumps on her bike, worry etched over every one of her beautiful features.

I think it's what I love most about her… her empathy.

And that thing she does with her tongue.

That's when she silently hands me the baggie with the smiley face on it and my teeth grind in anger.

Fucking hell, this shit again.