Chapter 14

14

LAYLA

G etting shot was awful, but waiting for Roman to come back to the compound afterward was even worse. I wasn’t completely sure how he and the other guys planned to handle the situation, but I knew enough to admit it wasn’t going to be one hundred percent on the up-and-up in the legal sense, as Oakley had put it the first time I’d been here. Luckily, a bunch of the other women kept me calm while we bided our time until our men returned, along with several Silver Saints to watch over us.

I’d been waited on hand and foot—with food and drinks brought to me before I even knew I wanted anything. I was comfortable, but all I wanted was to have Roman’s arms around me. No matter how awesome everyone else was, nothing could distract me from the fact he was in danger.

Time moved slowly, but the guys finally returned. Roman pushed through the door first, and I jumped out of my seat to race across the room and throw myself into his arms. A lot of relieved wives were doing the same, but everyone else faded into the background because my entire focus was on my man.

“Careful, gorgeous.” He flattened his palm against my lower back to pull me close, pressing a kiss against my forehead. “I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

“I’m fine, really.” Leaning my head back, I smiled up at him. “It was just a flesh wound and a few stitches.”

“None of that makes me feel better.” His hand slid up to wrap in the back of my hair. “Especially since Patch let me know that you’ve been throwing up the past couple of days. Something that you should’ve told me yourself so I could take care of you.”

I wrinkled my nose with a sigh, wishing his club brother had waited for me to tell him that myself. Preferably after he’d had the chance to calm down over me being shot. “Yeah, my stomach has just been a little off lately. I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about.”

His palm slid down my back and around to cover my lower belly. “No, but it is something to celebrate.”

“Celebrate?” I echoed softly, my breath catching in my throat as realization dawned. “Oh my gosh, I’m pregnant?”

Roman nodded. “Yup. Patch suspected so he confirmed it when he ran your blood work.”

It was wild to think that the only reason we’d discovered the news so soon was because I’d been freaking shot in the arm. With all the unprotected sex we’d been having, I definitely should’ve realized what was going on. But I’d been so wrapped up in Roman giving me a property vest and going to my apartment to grab some of my things that I’d totally missed the possibility that my nausea was due to more than just nerves.

“I’m carrying your baby,” I cried, tears welling as I thought about how different this conversation would have gone if I’d been standing a few inches to the left. “Is everything okay? Did the numbers look right?”

He used his thumbs to swipe away the tears as they streamed down my cheeks. “Yeah, gorgeous. You’re perfectly pregnant. No worries there.”

I cupped my still-flat belly. “I know it’s probably too soon to really see anything, but maybe I should get an ultrasound?”

“You can get one as soon as you want,” he promised. “With as often as my club brothers knock their women up, Patch put a machine in his clinic here.”

I slumped against him, wrapping my arms around his waist as I pressed my cheek against his broad chest. “Good, that makes me feel a lot better.”

“I swear you and our baby will be safe from now on,” he vowed, his amber eyes filled with determination as he tilted my head back so he could stare down at me. “Nothing bad is ever gonna touch you again.”

“I know.” Even with the twinge of pain in my arm, I trusted Roman’s promise. And my new friends had explained to me that the Silver Saints compound was normally the safest place in town with all of the protection the guys put in place for their women and families. “Please don’t blame yourself. What happened to me wasn’t your fault. Those guys were desperate jerks, looking for a way to hurt you just because you didn’t go along with their awful plan. As though you should’ve been willing to spend years in jail for something you didn’t do!”

“Calm down, gorgeous. Getting all worked up isn’t good for you or the baby.” He stroked his palm up and down my spine while I took several deep breaths. “I don’t regret a single day I spent in jail waiting for my brothers to clean up the mess the Devil’s Jesters created. They’ve been taken care of now, and in the end, the shit they pulled brought you into my life. If I had to do it all over again, I would. Without a second thought.”

I knew how hard that whole ordeal had been for him, so I was blown away by what he’d just said. “I don’t…I can’t…that doesn’t make any sense!”

“Sure it does, gorgeous.” He flashed me a sexy smirk, but his amber orbs remained serious. “One thing I’ve learned from my club brothers as they’ve fallen for their old ladies is that a man will do anything for the woman he loves.”

My breath caught in my throat as I blinked up at him. Being shot had been a shock. Finding out I was pregnant was another, but in the very best way. Hearing Roman use the L-word was even better. “You love me?”

“Of course I do.” He brushed his lips against mine and murmured, “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, Layla Holmes. I love you so damn much.”

“I love you, too.”

“You better because I’m gonna spend the rest of my days building a family with you.” The smile he beamed at me was filled with joy. “And I’m fucking thrilled that we’ve already got a head start with our first little one on the way.”

“I love you. You love me. And we’re going to have a baby,” I whispered.

Roman didn’t lower his voice at all when he yelled, “That’s right, you’re having my baby!”

Our Silver Saints family quickly surrounded us, everyone congratulating us on the good news.

“This calls for a celebration,” Mac announced. “Time for us to put the shit with the Devil’s Jesters behind us and focus on what’s important. Our women and children.”

As the others started to plan the impromptu party, Roman pulled me back into his arms, and my world shrank to just the two of us again. “My prez is right. You’re what matters to me, and I want to spend every day for the rest of my life with you.”

“I want that so much.” I shook my head with a giggle. “I guess I should’ve let you talk to my landlord like you wanted so I could get out of my lease early. I’ll also need to notify the school about not coming back next year. We’ll also have to make another trip to get the rest of my stuff. And I’ll have to talk to my parents…after the bandage comes off my arm so I don’t freak my mom out about anything except for the fact that I’m pregnant but not married.”

“Maybe being engaged will be enough to keep her off your back.” He dug in the front pocket of his jeans and pulled out a small black jewelry box. Flipping open the top with his thumb, he tugged out the ring and slid it on my finger. “I planned on doing this earlier, but then all hell broke loose.”

I stared down at the diamond solitaire in awe. “Are you asking me to marry you?”

“No, gorgeous. I’m telling you that we’re getting married as soon as you can plan the wedding of your dreams. I know you want to get all dressed up for the big day.”

I laughed softly, loving how well he knew me after only a month. “I do.”

“You better be ready to say those words soon,” he warned.

Thinking of all the details that went into a wedding, I narrowed my eyes at him. “How soon?”

“You’re gonna have to put that smart brain of yours to work because you’ve got a month to pull it all together.”

“A month?” I sputtered. “That’s just not possible.”

“Sure it is.” He jerked his chin toward all of our friends. “You have an army of people to help.”

“I suppose you’re right,” I begrudgingly admitted. “But be prepared to wear a tuxedo. With a tie and dress shoes.”

“Anything you want, gorgeous,” he promised. “Just so long as it happens in a month or less.”