25 More Than One Way

Lisa's P.O.V.

We started on the kitchen table, but that wasn't where we ended. My hands were bound by one of my soft silk scarves Davis made into an impromptu bind. He was being creative, trying new things, since I told him he could do what he wanted. I enjoyed seeing him think, seeing what some of his fantasies were. It helped that everything he had done so far had brought me immense pleasure.

"Are you sure you're okay for me to keep going?" Davis asked again. He'd gotten worried as we continued that I would be too sore, or that I was already hurting and not saying a word.

"I promise I'm fine, more than fine. Please, Davis, keep going."

That was all the permission he needed as he gripped my hips firmly with his large, rough hands. He penetrated me deeply into this position, which allowed him deeper access than I thought possible. He pounded into me hard, making his balls hit my clit with each hard thrust, and grabbed my hair again, pulling back on it so that I had to look up. It didn't hurt, but it showed he was in charge in a way. I liked it more than I thought I would.

I'd already had about four orgasms. The last one being so intense I couldn't move without my clit feeling like it would burst. Davis was on a whole other level right now, but I could see him tiring. He thrust deeper and harder into me, causing me to yell in absolute pleasure. The smack of his balls against me had my toes curling with each thrust. He was close. I could tell by the way he was grunting. I felt the burst of his seed as he stilled, buried deep inside me.

"Thank you for my gift, Lisa."

He kissed my shoulder before plopping onto the bed beside me. In the position we had been in, he couldn't stay like he normally liked. Unless he wanted to crush me with his weight.

"Thank you for mine. Want to go for a ride?" I asked him excitedly.

He gave me that deep chuckle, the one that rumbled in his chest and made my heart flutter. He brushed my cheekbone lightly with his thumb, staring at me admiringly as he undid my binding.

"Of course, I do. I love it when you drive."

I smiled brightly at him, glad that he didn't mind sitting on the back. I knew a few too many men, Lucas included, who hated to sit in the back. They felt it was degrading as a man. Although, with Lucas, it was just that he had to be in control of any bike or vehicle he was in. His was more trauma than ego.

"Let's shower and go. We can visit Izzy in her new house. You never did tell me how she liked it when you gave it to her."

"She punched me pretty hard, but then she hugged me real tight and ran inside." He laughed at the memory and it made me smile.

"Sounds about right."

Izzy was an interesting girl.

"I thought you didn't mind me driving the bike," I complained to Davis, dropping the keys in the bowl by the attached garage door. He had been gripping me tightly all the way back home from Izzy's.

"I don't, but I do mind when you're being reckless," he snapped at me.

Is this a fight?

"I was not being reckless. I was just having some fun."

"Lisa, if you're going to drive like that, I'm going to have to take the bike back." He was making me feel like a child.

"Davis Erik Havard!" I yelled his full name, so he knew how badly he messed up. "I am not a child. You can't ground me like one. I'm your girlfriend, your equal. Don't try to tell me what I can and cannot do!"

Davis froze for a moment, taking a step back. He stared at me, surprised—shocked, really. I don't think anyone has ever scolded him before. It seemed to root him in place for a good minute.

"You're right," he finally spoke.

"Damn right, I'm right."

"Lisa, I just want you to be safe. Please, for me, would you just drive more carefully?" His eyes were enormous, begging me to put him out of his misery.

"I'll be more careful, but I can't promise I'll follow the speed limit." I winked at him, running off with a giggle.

"Don't let me catch you, Lisa."

He chased after me, making me laugh harder. I raced upstairs to our room, wanting him to catch me and wrap me in those arms of his. The arms that have always made me feel safe and warm.

My happy place.

He caught up to me before I even opened our bedroom door. He spun me around until my back was against the wall and his hands were on either side of my face.

"I said don't let me catch you."

I smiled up at him, loving this new game. He gave me a smirk back before tenderly kissing me.

"I have something serious to talk to you about."

I furrowed my brows, not sure what it could be. There had already been so much bad news, so many dark secrets revealed. I couldn't deal with anything more right now.

"Okay, I'm listening, but if it's bad news, can we wait until tomorrow?"

"It's not bad news. Just a question."

My heart thundered in my chest. A question. "Okay, shoot."

"I have made all these plans for bringing your father to justice, but I am not the one who should be seeking it. In my need to keep you safe, I overtook your revenge on your father. Lisa, do you want to go through with my entire plan? Do you want Lucius to hurt your father? To hurt him so badly he remembers it all his life?"

The question was unexpected. Yes, Davis had made plans of his own to hurt my dad. He'd kept me informed, and he helped me to make my plan a reality. With his help and Mandy's, I could dig up dirt on dad that I would release tonight. Pictures of dad in those illegal sex clubs, the video of him hitting me. The pictures of the girls at those clubs after he finished with them. The world would finally see the monster my father really was.

I stayed silent a while longer, thinking further. Yes, I wanted Dad to hurt, but for some reason, the idea of torturing him didn't sit right with me. He'd tortured me emotionally for years. Abused Lucas all our lives, and abused mom both physically and emotionally. He deserved to feel pain, to know what it was like to live with that abuse. I just didn't want to be responsible for torturing him. I may not be the one to do it, but I would be complacent about it.

"No, I don't want that," I finally decided. "It feels like too much."

Davis seemed like he was disappointed with my answer. His hand fisted beside me against the wall. He closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths before opening those beautiful blue eyes again.

"Okay, Lisa, then we won't do it. Tell me what you want to do. What do you want to happen?"

I smiled at him, feeling extremely respected and loved at the moment.

"I want him to feel broken. I think the best way to do that is to ruin his business. Help me ruin his image and take down his company. Let his embezzlements and illegal activities come to light. Lucas already said he would hire the workers that did not help or co-conspire in those activities. His business has been taking off, especially with him staying home with Abi more. His ideas have been running wild."

"Okay, my little warrior. I will make it happen."

"Thank you, Davis," I whispered tenderly, feeling so much love for the man before me.

My savior, my guardian, my strength.

"We'll start tomorrow," he said.

"Okay. So for tonight, how about we keep trying to make a baby?" I winked at him, sliding out from between his arms and running towards our room again.

He gave chase, catching me and throwing me down on the bed. He was on me within seconds, turning me on the way only he could. The night felt short as we tangled in the sheets together. There was no breaking us apart, fucking like rabbits. It wasn't until two in the morning that we finally stopped, tired and spent. There was absolutely no energy left in either of us.

"Goodnight, my future child's mother." He kissed my forehead, filling my heart with such joy at his words.

"Goodnight, my future child's father."

We fell asleep with smiles on our faces. Too bad tomorrow didn't bring the same happiness.

"I'm sorry, Lisa."

I thought I had gotten bad news before. News that tore my world apart, but this…this was just as bad as the day John died. My gynecologist sat behind her desk, looking at me with those pitying eyes, pushing a box of tissues my way. I didn't want to cry, but my eyes did so without permission.

"You have both fallopian tubes blocked and scarring in your uterine lining. It will be extremely hard for you to get pregnant. If you do, your chances of another ectopic pregnancy are very high," she further explained as I stayed quietly listening. "You had one two years ago, correct?"

I nod, remembering the day my heart shattered into a million pieces. Shortly after John died, I found out I was pregnant with our child. All alone and in horrible pain, I went to the doctor, only to discover I wouldn't be able to bring it into the world. I had an ectopic pregnancy that brought my world crumbling to its knees. It would appear that it did more damage than I thought.

This was not the news I expected to get when I came in today. She called me asking to speak with me about the results of the ultrasound and various other tests we had done. I was kind of glad I didn't bring Davis with me, unsure of how he would handle this news. On the other hand, I had to be the one to tell him I couldn't have his kids. It felt soul crushing, and my soul's already been crushed enough.

"You've told me of previous injuries to your abdomen. I believe some of these could have caused the scarring."

In seconds the memory of Dad's shiny black dress shoes, kicking me in the stomach flashed back. After this day, Lucas started taking all the hits. But it wasn't just Dad who had hurt me there, Branden, and now Chris had as well. It was a wonder I wasn't more broken.

You really hate me, don't you, God?

"There are other ways to have children. You can adopt, try IVF, or hire a surrogate. Here are some brochures and literature on these subjects. Read through them, take your time, and let me know what you decide. There's more than one way to become a mom, Lisa," she assured me, pushing the pamphlets my way on her desk with sympathetic eyes.

I nodded, unable to speak anymore. I grabbed them from her desk, standing to leave. There was no way I was staying a minute longer than I had to. My heart was hurting, wanting to cry in the privacy of my home.

"It'll be okay, Lisa," were her final words to me as I left the room.

Would it be?

I pulled my bag over my shoulder and marched out with my head held high, as if I hadn't just received some of the worst news of my life. My mind raced with thoughts of the baby I could never have. It could have been a boy with John's bright smile and bright blonde hair. The thought tugged at my chest like a black hole, sucking away any happiness I had been feeling lately.

I wanted a baby to hold, a child of my own wrapped and bundled in my arms. I wanted to feel my stomach grow, to feel their little kicks and know I was growing a life. Hell, I even wanted the dreaded morning sickness. I wanted it all, but just like that, my dream was cut out of my life.

There is more than one way.

I reminded myself, but my words felt hollow. They felt like things you tell someone whose body refused to do the most natural of things. Does this make me less of a woman?

God, what would Davis say?

I had to fight back my tears as my thoughts continued to spiral. Every thought brought more questions, more anxiety, and depression. Life had thrown every fucking curve ball my way, and I thought I was owed some happiness.

Stupid me.

Davis would be the only happiness I get in this life. The only ray of light that I would have. I needed to be okay with that. Davis was an amazing man, and I must have used up all my luck, and all my miracles, to bag him.

Unable to hold it back anymore, I wept the moment I shut my car door. The car was filled with the sound of my sobs, and my hand hitting the steering wheel. I screamed, furious at the world, then cried some more. It wasn't until my phone rang that I collected myself. Clearing my throat, in the hopes of getting rid of the evidence of my sobbing, I answered.

"Hello?" My voice shook, unable to hide my emotion as well as I thought.

"Lisa?" Davis' voice rang in my ear, but I could have sworn it was Jared's name on my screen. "Hello? Lisa?"

I cleared my throat again. "Hey, what's going on? Why are you calling from Jared's phone?"

"You need to come before I murder the kid." He sounded so serious as he spoke.

"What the fuck happened?" I asked, still reeling from my emotions.

"I found him kissing Izzy."

"Oh my God, Dad, it was one kiss!" I heard Izzy yell in complaint in the background.

"One kiss too many!" He yelled back.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Havard. I know you've taken great care of me and I didn't mean to dishonor your trust, it's just that-" I could hear Jared trying to explain himself.

"I don't want to hear it, kid. If I were you, I'd take a step back."

I was already reversing out of my parking spot and racing to Izzy's new house, which thankfully wasn't too far from my doctor's office.

"Davis, calm down."

"I will not cower away, sir," Jared answered back, causing me to smirk because that was the best move he could have made right now.

Good job, Jared.

"Oh, really?" Davis asked, but I could hear him struggling to keep the anger in his tone. Jared had just impressed him.

"I'll be right there. Don't hurt anyone."

I hung up, focusing on the road as I sped through. I jumped out of my car, running inside expecting to see a fist or two flying, but when I stepped through the doorway, I saw them all sitting at the table, talking seriously. There was no laughter floating through the air, no smiles spread across their faces.

"I really like your daughter, Mr. Havard. She's an amazing woman, and I'd really like to continue to date her if she still wants me." Jared was laying it on thick with the Mr. Havard crap, but I think Davis liked it.

"And do you Izzy? Want to date Jared?" Davis asked her with his elbows on the table and his hands clasped before his face.

"I do. He's a good guy, Dad."

"I know that, Izzy. That's the only reason he's not pinned against the wall."

I laughed, unable to stay silent any longer, causing everyone to look my way. It was the first time since leaving the doctor's appointment that I didn't feel like crying.

"Izzy and Jared, you have our blessing. Just be careful and take things slow. You guys are still young." Davis looked at me, so flabbergasted that it made me smile wider. "Davis, come with me and leave these two alone. You and I both know that you like Jared. Stop being stubborn. Besides, we have something important to discuss."

Izzy smirked with her arms crossed, while Jared stared at me in surprise. My Viking looked as if he had forgotten how to function as he stared at me with his lips slightly parted. Eventually, he regained his composure, standing from his chair, eyeing Izzy and Jared for a moment.

"If I see you kiss her again before you properly start dating, I'll break your jaw. Whether or not I like you, that's my baby girl." Davis pointed at Jared menacingly before he marched his way towards me. He grabbed my hand, pulling me out of the house.

"What is all of that? I had him scared good," Davis complained.

"I promise, he's still scared."

Davis looked at me with his arms crossed and a frown on his face. He sighed as he noticed how indifferent I was about his pout. "Okay, what did you want to talk about?" He asked, uncrossing his arms and taking my hands instead.

"Not here, at home."

I didn't want anyone to overhear, and I certainly didn't want to cry in Izzy's yard. She'd fight the doctor for giving me bad news. She'd probably even offer to get me new fallopian tubes.

Funny girl, that one.

"You're worrying me," he whispered with his brow pinching together in concern.

"Let's go home. I'll tell you everything."

"I'll see you there," he told me, kissing my forehead before getting onto his bike and putting his helmet on.

I'm sorry, Davis.