Chapter 11
After Shane told me about his meeting with Bickle, it took a little time for it to sink in. I was nervous about calling my dad to tell him that the guy wouldn't be a problem anymore. Although it was great news, I knew he would push hard for me to come home, and that was the last thing I wanted. I was still beyond angry with my dad for what he'd done. And I was so happy with Shane. I didn't want anything to come between us or spoil our first holiday together.
Almost as though he could sense that I was considering how long I could put off making that call, my phone rang and I saw his picture on the screen when I pulled it out of my pocket. Heaving a deep sigh, I tapped my finger against the green button and answered, "Hey, Dad. You must've heard me thinking about you. I wanted to tell you that the Silver Saints made a deal with that Bickle guy and—"
He interrupted me to say, "I know, Kiara. He just called."
My back straightened at his abrupt tone as fear seeped in that he was going to be a jerk now that his problem had been taken care of. "Oh, well then I guess you already know the good news."
"I wish I could agree that it was good, but what Bickle had to say to me was the exact opposite."
My brows drew together, and my head jerked up as I jumped off Shane's lap. He followed me as I switched to speaker mode. "I don't understand. How could it be bad that Bickle agreed to stay away from our family? That's what we wanted."
"I…have no idea how the hell I'm supposed to tell you this so I can soften the blow."
My body tensed at his anguished tone as I considered how enormous the last secret he'd kept from me had been. Shane took the phone from my trembling fingers and pulled me into his arms as Cash and Mac strode over to see what was happening. "Just say it. I'm here to make sure she can handle whatever the hell it is this time."
"There isn't anything else," my dad swore.
"Quit stalling and spit it out. You're just making this harder on Kiara," Shane growled.
"The deal you made with Bickle didn't cover Karina."
I lifted my face from where I'd buried it against Shane's chest to gawk at the phone. "Who is that? I don't know anyone named Karina."
There was a long pause before he answered, "Your sister."
My eyes widened as my breath caught in my lungs. "I don't have a sister."
"I'm so sorry, Kiara. I didn't want you to find out this way. Karina is your half sister. I didn't think Bickle would discover she existed, but I have another daughter."
My knees buckled as my vision darkened, and Shane's embrace was the only thing that stopped me from falling to the floor. Cash took the phone from him so he could sweep me into his arms and carry me back over to the couch where we'd been sitting. Dropping onto the cushion, he cuddled me against his chest while I tried to wrap my head around what my dad had just confessed. "How old is she?" I finally whispered.
Cash had followed us, along with Mac, so my dad was able to hear my question. "A year younger than you."
Learning that he had kept such a huge secret for so long tore my heart to shreds. I'd known that my parents weren't happy together, but I never would have suspected my dad cheated on her. "Are there any other surprise siblings out there that I should know about?"
My dad sighed. "No, just Karina. Her mom couldn't have any more children after we had her."
The way he worded that made me wonder if he had an actual relationship with the woman and it hadn't been just a fling that had burned out years ago. "Are you still with her? Have you been keeping a second family from me?"
"I couldn't just leave Karina's mom. Stephanie is…well, everything your mom isn't. When I'm with her, I feel free. I couldn't let that go, even though I've known all this time that what I was doing was wrong."
His explanation didn't make me feel any better. "I know things aren't great between you and Mom and she can be a lot, but how could you do this to her? To me?"
"I'm so sorry, sweetie. Please know that what I've done doesn't mean I don't love you. The only reason I didn't leave your mom was because you mean the world to me, and I couldn't do that to you. No matter how much I love Stephanie."
He really had a whole other family I never knew about. "I'm guessing all those judicial conferences and fishing trips were time you spent with her? Does she know about me? Or have you been lying to her for her entire life too?"
"This is going to come as much of a shock to her as it is to you."
I took some small comfort in the fact that the sister I'd never known would be going through the same upheaval as me. Maybe our anger at my…our dad would bring us together, like a weird bonding experience.
So many questions swirled in my head, but I couldn't bring myself to ask any of them. I didn't want to hear any of his excuses. Not after everything he'd done.
Tilting my face up to look at Shane, I shook my head as a tear trickled down my cheek. He pressed a kiss to my forehead before turning to Mac. "We gotta step in and make sure her sister is safe."
"Damn straight." Jerking his chin toward Cash, he demanded, "Take one of the SUVs and head over to the judge's house to get all the information on the girl. Then go get her and bring her back here while we hunt for Bickle."
"I'll be ready with everything you need," my dad confirmed before hanging up.
"No wonder Bickle agreed to the deal so easily," Shane muttered. "He had to have known about her already."
"The bastard is gonna pay for trying to pull a fast one over on the Silver Saints," Mac vowed.
Staring up at Shane, I asked, "After all the trouble you guys have already gone through because of my father, why would you do this for me?"
"Haven't you figured it out yet, baby?" He cradled me closer against his chest. "I'd do anything for you."
"You've already more than proven that, but I don't understand why," I admitted.
"Because you're mine, Kiara." There was no missing the emotion shining from his blue orbs as he added, "I love you."
"You do?" I sniffled, the tears welling in my eyes changing from shocked to happy at his gruff confession.
"Never would've claimed you as mine in every way I could if I didn't," he confirmed.
My lips curved as I thought about all the times that he'd called me his. I never should've doubted how much he'd meant it. "I love you, too,"
"You'd better." His hand dropped down to cup my belly. "Because I'm pretty damn sure you're already carrying my baby."
"What?" I shook my head, my eyes widening. "No."
"Baby." He chuckled and shook his head. "You've been tired as fuck and had morning sickness the past few days. I've been around enough of my brothers' women when they were knocked up to know those are sure signs of pregnancy, and I've damn well done my best to make sure you were."
My cheeks heated as I thought about how true that statement was. "Um, well…yeah. But you really think I'm pregnant?"
"I do." He stood with me in his arms, hugging me close before he gently set me on my feet. "But the only way we'll know for sure is if you take a test. You can sure as fuck use some good news after the shit your dad just laid on you, so I'll run out and grab one now."
"No need. I already sent out an SOS." I'd somehow totally forgotten we weren't alone. My head jerked back, and I turned to stare at Mac. "Patch finally wised up and started keeping them in stock when he got Willa pregnant. He's gonna bring one over for you."
I shook my head and laughed so hard that tears streamed down my cheeks and I couldn't catch my breath. I'd just gone through a roller coaster of emotions in a short time, not to mention I almost definitely had pregnancy hormones coursing through my body. So this small thing was enough to make me lose it, but in the best way possible.
When my laughter finally ended, Shane brushed his fingers against my cheeks to wipe the tears away. "You okay, baby?"
I nodded. "Yeah, sorry. That was just too hilarious."
"Not sure what was so damn funny," Mac muttered, earning him a glare from Shane at his disgruntled tone.
I loved how protective Shane was over me, but it wasn't necessary with his president. Mac had never been anything but kind to me, and I had just laughed my butt off over something he'd said.
Twisting around, I offered him a soft smile. "Sorry, it just struck me as super funny that your club doctor has a supply of pregnancy tests. It's the last thing anyone would ever expect from a motorcycle club, but I shouldn't have been surprised. One thing I've learned in the past couple of weeks is that the Silver Saints do whatever it takes to make sure their women have what they need."
"Damn straight," Mac agreed with a nod.
"Always gonna take care of you, baby," Shane confirmed.
Although I was still struggling with my dad's betrayals, I had no doubt that was true. Not just because Shane had shown me that I came first for him…but also because I'd seen how his club brothers treated their women. Any woman lucky enough to get claimed by a Silver Saint had a lifetime of love and happiness to look forward to.