Chapter Sixteen

Savannah

A WEEK HAS passed since we took the girls out of school and started them on homeschooling. Fox made sure they all had computers set up with extra security that will alert him to anyone trying to hack them. The girls get up at the same time they would each morning so they can sign into their first class of the day before attendance is taken. Each of their teachers goes through their classes as they normally would and video it so the girls can answer or ask questions, email their homework or projects into them, and get the notes each day. It's almost like they're in school, but they get to do everything online and from the safety of the clubhouse. The only thing they don't get to video in is gym. We've arranged it with the school so that we'll do forty-five minutes of exercise with them each day. The school knows the club has a gym set up even if I've never seen it before and that we have a ton of room to play volleyball, kickball, and everything else the school would be doing.

Ava is the only one of the girls really upset about her current situation. She wants to be in school and going to the games and competitions with the cheerleading team. My sister is old enough to understand why we can't allow her to do that right now, but it doesn't make it easier for her to accept. Especially when they're reaching the end of the football season and she'd be getting ready to try out for the basketball cheerleading team. Something she wants to continue doing. I've talked to the coach and she's assured me that Ava will be on the team when she's able to return to school. Right now, their goal is the same as ours about keeping the girls safe and in one piece. My sister will get past this and we will be looking into the competitive cheerleading that Annabell found once this is all over with.

I haven't been feeling the best for the last few days and it took me until this morning to realize I've missed my period. Annabell brought me up a few pregnancy tests because Shy and her are the only ones who know I think it might be a possibility. I don't know how it would be because I'm on birth control and never miss going to get my shot. It's one of the few things I mark down on my calendar and always ensure I'm early to the appointment. I wasn't supposed to go for another month and that would've given me more than enough time to find a doctor here and get the shot taken care of when it was time. Shy also reminded me I could've skipped a period because of stress. No matter how much stress I have, I've never missed a period before. Plus, add in the aversion to coffee lately and I'm guessing I'm pregnant and not just sick from stress or anything else.

After Zach left with the girls, I took the tests and waited for the results in our bedroom. I tried to make the bed and pick up the dirty clothes from last night without constantly looking at the bathroom door I closed in order to stop myself from standing in front of the tests on the counter. No matter what I do, my attention is constantly drawn to the bathroom where our future sits on the counter. We're either about to add a new member to our family, or I've got something else going on and might need to get checked out by Doc or something. I've set an alarm on my phone and I jump when it finally goes off. Grabbing my phone from the night stand, I shut the alarm off before making my way to the bathroom so I can see what the tests say. I took all five Annabell brought me just to be on the safe side.

Stepping in the bathroom, my eyes are immediately drawn to the tests and I see positive signs on every single one of them. Holy fuck! I'm pregnant. Zach and I are going to have a baby of our own and I don't know how to feel about that as I slump down on the bathroom floor and rest my head against the wall behind me. Now is really not the time for me to be pregnant with Conrad still out there and gunning for me. Zach and I really haven't talked about having kids either. I don't know what he's going to say when he finds out.

Grabbing my cell phone from the counter by the tests, I throw all but one away. Tucking the last test into one of the drawers, I make my way downstairs to grab a bottle of water so I can head to the clubhouse. Shy let me know she was making lunch for everyone there and I know Zach and Court are with the girls. They were going to sit with them during their classes and then take them out to run an obstacle course Court set up for the girls. It's nothing too hard but things they'd be doing in gym if they were still going to the actual school building. So, I can be near them and still get my work done before Vault fires me from doing the books for the club businesses.

As I leave the house and make sure the door is locked behind me, my phone vibrates in my hand. Looking down I see Shy sent me a message and I know she's going out of her mind wondering what the tests said.

Shy: So, what's the verdict?

Me: All five indicate it's positive. Don't know what I'm gonna do now. On the way to the clubhouse.

Shy: I'll meet you in your office. I've got a sub with your name on it and some chips. It might be too early for subs, but I think this situation calls for it.

I can't help but laugh because Shy is always trying to feed those she loves. No matter what's going on in our lives, she always says whatever food she's prepared is in order to help solve the problem. In this case, I think she might be right. I was so nervous that I didn't eat breakfast and now I'm paying the price for skipping it. My stomach rumbles in hunger and I know soon it's going to start getting louder and louder if I don't get something in me.

Walking a little quicker, I get a deep sense of dread filling me. looking around the yard between the houses and clubhouse, I don't see anything out of the ordinary. On top of the clubhouse are some guys with guns down at their side. They're not talking or anything other than looking out over the compound in search of any threats. From this distance, I can't tell who's up there as I wave to the man looking behind the clubhouse. He doesn't acknowledge me at all and I'm not surprised. When the men of the Phantom Bastards are like this, nothing can distract them. I could literally be running around the yard naked and none of them would spare me more than a passing glance to determine I'm not a threat. Especially if it's one of the Nomads who are helping Vault and Zach in this chapter until the boys get patched in. I don't really know any of the Nomads except for Court.

Court is Zach's best friend and he's been hanging around more and more. I like the man and have heard him talking to the girls more than once. Ava asked him one day if Court was his real name or a road name and he explained it's his road name and why. Apparently he used to be a lawyer until he went off on the judge and his client. The client in question had been lying to him and was guilty of murdering and hurting multiple women. He'd paid the judge off and he was going to dismiss the case so the client would be back out on the street. Court couldn't handle the idea of that happening, so he exposed the client and judge after beating the hell out of both men. He didn't go into graphic detail with Ava, but I'm sure there's more to the story than what he said. Still, I can stand behind a man who's not afraid to stick to his morals and take out the trash when necessary.

Since we started homeschooling the girls, Court has been there every day with myself and Zach. He's really smart and the girls are constantly asking him questions about their work. He explains it in ways they can understand when the teacher doesn't. Even Ava is asking him about her work and getting help with her papers. Court never bitches or complains about helping the girls and will go out of his way to make sure they're passing their classes and taking breaks to eat and get something to drink while stretching their legs. He's also the one who discovered yesterday that we need to get Miracle to the eye doctor and have her eyes checked. She's been complaining about headaches the last few days and he has a feeling it's the added screen time she's getting now. So, I scheduled her an appointment and we will take her in tomorrow.

Entering the clubhouse, I make my way to the common room where the girls are set up at a table beneath the TVs so they can't see them. They've all got their headphones on so there's no distractions if anyone enters the common room and are paying attention to the computers in front of them. The rest of the kids are sitting around at tables and working on work they've brought with them. We have a regular school house in the clubhouse right now as the ol' ladies work with the rest of the kids to keep them on track and answer any questions they have about their work. The only one not out working on his homework is Kingston. He's been doing it later in the day so he can help his dad and Buzz.

Shy sees me and immediately makes her way over to me.

"The girls are doing good. I don't think we should distract them just yet. Ava just got into her next class and it's math. You know how she feels about math. That's why Court is at her side so he can figure out what the hell the teacher is trying to teach them," Shy informs me as I look at the girls again and see Court shaking his head and my sister's shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Okay. I should get to work anyway. I've been neglecting my duties and Vault is gonna fire me if I don't get back on track," I tell her as she looks at me like I've grown two heads and Vault enters the common room.

"Why am I gonna fire you, Sweetheart?" he asks me, his voice filled with laughter as he stops just in front of me.

"For not working like I should be," I tell him as Slim and Playboy step up next to him with smiles on their faces.

"Sweetheart, I think you've had a few things goin' on over the last few weeks. If I were worried about the books, I'd have talked to you about them. You've already gotten a lot of work done and I have no doubt you'll catch back up quick as fuck. Work when you can and don't push yourself," Vault assures me as I spot Annabell walking downstairs.

Vault notices me looking over his shoulder and turns to see his wife coming downstairs on her own. He rushes to her side and helps her while whispering something in her ear. Annabell's face lights up before turning a deep crimson. I can't help but smile at them because they're so damn cute together and I'm glad they found their way back to one another. Annabell gave Vault a second chance when most wouldn't because of the way he treated her when we all lost Hound. It was a dark time for the club and no one took his loss harder than Vault and Zach. They lost their remaining family member and both men took it hard even though Zach tried to lean on the rest of us to mourn and work his way through the grief consuming him. Honestly, it's kind of what started the rift between the two of us.

"I'll see you all later. I'm gonna get to work," I tell Slim and Playboy as Shy follows me to my office and I unlock the door before letting her enter the room ahead of me.

Shutting the door behind me, I take my seat and turn on the computer Buzz set up for me before turning and taking the plate of food from Shy. She made me a ham sub with light vegetables and extra mayonnaise on it. My favorite chips sit on what's left of the plate and almost fall over the edge. Setting the bottle of water I grabbed from the house on the desk, I take a huge bite of my sub and close my eyes because this is the best thing I've had to eat since dinner last night. At least now I know why I'm starving all the time. Though I'm surprised I haven't actually thrown up from that morning sickness or whatever it's called.

"So you're pregnant. What are you gonna do?" Shy asks me after I've chewed my first bite of the sub and have taken a sip of my water.

"I don't know what I'm gonna do yet. I mean right now isn't the time for me to be pregnant. Conrad's still out there and we have no clue when he's gonna come for me. There's no way in hell I'm gonna regret this baby at all. I don't even know how Zach's gonna feel about the pregnancy. I mean, it's not something we've talked about in depth at this point," I tell her honestly, wanting to be happy and filled with hope about the life Zach and I have created.

"Sweetheart, you do whatever you feel is best for you. Yeah, you need to talk to Zach about the baby and talk with him about the situation. At the end of the day the two of you should figure out what's best for you as a couple and family. You'll have our support no matter what you decide to do though," Shy says, a soft look on her face as she looks at me and watches me eat my sub.

"I don't think I could ever get rid of my baby. I guess I just wish the timing was better if that makes sense. I'll talk to Zach when we get a minute alone. I'm not sure if we should tell the girls right this second. Zach just adopted them and things have been changing so fast for them over the last few weeks. Moving here. Starting a new school. Getting taken out of school to start homeschooling. The adoption. And now I'm pregnant. That's a lot for me to take in and they're so much younger than I am," I say, thinking of the girls and how they'll receive this news about a baby and expanding our family.

"Okay. Well, if you want Valor to come in here now so you can talk to him, I'll go sit out with the girls and Court. Honestly, I don't even know why Valor sits with them because the girls have been turning to Court for any questions and that kind of stuff. Valor helps how he can, but school was never his strong suit and it still isn't today," Shy says, laughter filling her voice as she talks about Valor and school.

I know he was never a straight A student in school. It's not because he's not smart enough to get those kind of grades. Zach was more worried about football and girls than studying and doing his homework every single day. The only time it was definitely done on time was between school and practice. He'd leave school long enough to get something to eat then go back and do his homework while eating before going to practice. Other than that he was all about everything but school and the work he had to take home with him. Vault was the same way.

"No. Now isn't the time to talk to him about this. I'll do it when we're home and the girls are in bed. It will give me a little more time to wrap my head around the news. As long as he doesn't go home and into our bathroom before I tell him, he shouldn't find out until I talk to him about things," I assure her, finishing my lunch and taking a few more sips of water. "I'm just gonna get back to work and try to make a dent in everything."

"Okay. Are you sure the pregnancy is all that's bothering you?" Shy asks, always so in tune with those around her.

"No, it's not. I have a feeling of dread that's settled in the pit of my stomach and I can't shake it no matter what I do. Whatever Conrad and his father have planned for the girls and me, it's gonna happen sooner rather than later. I know that's what this feeling is from," I tell her honestly as I pull up the program I need on the computer. "I don't even want the girls leaving the house, but everything for school has been set up here and it's where they need to be."

"Talk to Valor. I'm gonna send him in. You don't gotta tell him about the baby, but tell him about this. If you have a gut feeling then don't ignore it. We've all told you that and you know it based on the situation at your mother's house. Savannah, if you don't want the girls leaving the house, there's a reason for it," she says, her voice going from one of sympathy to one that's the most serious I've ever heard her before.

"I will. Just not right this second. Let me get some work done and then I'll go out and talk to him about things," I tell her knowing everything I'm putting off on dealing with is important as fuck and I need to work on it. Unfortunately, I'm trying so hard not to think about it so I can focus on work and what's in front of me this very second.

"Okay. I'll leave you alone so you can get to work. If you need me, send me a message and I'll be right in," Shy says, leaning over to give me a hug before leaving my office.

I turn on the music and let it fill the office. Focusing on the books in front of me, I start putting the information I need into the computer and get lost in the numbers and accounts. This is what I love doing and why I got my degree in accounting. Most people will never understand my love of numbers and the way it relaxes me. This is truly when I'm my most relaxed and I can forget the world around me. I mean, the girls are never far from my mind, but other than that, nothing else matters but the numbers. Zach is the only one who ever understood what I was talking about when I first started thinking about taking classes for my degree. Now, I need the distraction and it's the best time for me to work instead of sitting alone and thinking about everything that could possibly happen.