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Her eyes widened. “He said that?”
I rubbed my palms along my jeans. “Yep. Not long after he joined the club, I overheard him saying that to Bull.”
I dropped my head and put my hands in my lap, twisting the rings on my fingers. The rings that had once belonged to my mom and were given to her by my dad. Their love was without fear or anger or rejection. I wasn’t sure that kind of love was possible any more.
I shrugged and continued, “After that, anytime I was around him, those damn words played on repeat in my mind, and I would be mean. It wasn’t long before we just fell into a pattern of being mean to each other.” I looked across the room, lost in my thoughts and fears about what I was about to face downstairs. “And now he’s going to know I’m pregnant by a guy who doesn’t want me or the baby.”
Maggie leaned against my side and wrapped her arms around me. “Oh, Becs, I’m sorry.”
I let the warmth of her hug comfort me. I hadn’t had that in a long time, not since my mom died, and I only realized now how much I missed it. “Can I ask you to do me a favor?”
She nodded, so I continued, “Will you come downstairs with me?” When her eyes widened, I begged, already anticipating her answer to be no. “Please. You don’t have to stay long, but just until everyone knows. It’ll be nice to have someone who is there for me.”
She took a deep breath and watched me closely. I was asking a lot. I knew that. But I needed her there. I needed to know someone was standing beside me who knew the whole story because I sure as hell hadn’t told my brother about Race.
It was a long moment before she finally replied. “Okay.”
I jumped up, relief filling me. “Really?”
She stood beside me, but she wasn’t smiling. “Yes, really.”
“Okay.” I nodded. “Then let’s get you ready.”
“Ready?” She looked down at her pajama pants and hoodie. “Oh yeah, guess I can’t wear this.”
I chuckled. “Maybe not.”
I moved across the room and threw open her closet door, rooting around until I found something appropriate. It wasn’t anything special, but wearing jeans would help her blend in to the party, and I knew that was what she needed. Grabbing the folded clothes, I walked back to where she stood and handed them to her.
“This?” she asked but seemed unconvinced.
“Trust me, you’ll blend in better in something like this,” I promised.
She nodded and muttered, “Okay,” before heading toward the bathroom.
Sitting down on the side of her bed, I waited for Maggie to change and thought about my life. I’d had a good time over the past few years. I worked hard to be the best damn hairdresser in the shop my friend owned and partied just as hard. The more Race and I fought, the more I partied. Laying my hand on my stomach, I closed my eyes. Five months pregnant and I hadn’t even known. How could I not have known? I was partying so much that I hadn’t even realized how many months since my last period. But I did know who the father was. I liked to party, but I didn’t sleep around, so it could only be one person. I had one guy who I found when I needed to forget for a while. We had an unspoken agreement and became each other’s booty calls. My brother would hate him, so I was a little relieved that when I told him I was pregnant, he told me he wasn’t interested in being a father. He was only in this with me to have fun. I couldn’t be too angry with him for saying exactly what I’d expected him to say. After all, I knew who he was, and I also knew he wasn’t a stand-up kind of guy.
The bathroom door opened, and I snapped out of my thoughts and whistled when Maggie walked out. “Look at you, girl. Gunner’s gonna have a stroke when he sees you with your hair down.”
She blushed, and it was obvious she wanted Gunner to like what he saw. I didn’t want to tell her that he didn’t care what she wore or how she styled her hair, he was already in love with her, and if I had to guess, he had been for a long time. I wanted her to experience this with him. She deserved that. She deserved a good guy, and Gunner was one of the best.
Sadness rolled over me when I thought about her and Gunner, but I shook it off. That kind of love wasn’t meant for me, and I’d learned to accept it.
I gestured toward the door. “Let’s get this over with.”
Maggie followed me down the stairs, and I stepped aside at the bottom so she could stand beside me. “Look who I finally dragged out of her room.”
The guys all turned to face us and whistled, which made Maggie blush, but she also smiled. It was time she realized she was in a safe place with people who only wanted the best for her.
I watched my brother cross the room and stop in front of Maggie. “Hey, beautiful.”
“Hi, Bear.”
He smiled, which he didn’t do often, so I knew it made him happy that she came downstairs for the party. He wanted this for Gunner, but I think he genuinely wanted this for Maggie. She sacrificed a lot, including her life, to bring information to this club that saved our members. She didn’t have to do that, yet she did it because she knew it was the right thing to do. The Widows were into a lot of bad shit, including prostitution and drug smuggling, but they were also attempting to take down the Sinners. That would mean more loss in Bear’s life, and I wasn’t sure he could handle more. I knew I couldn’t. I also knew that because of what she did, he would protect her with his life, as would every other man in this club. I just didn’t think Maggie understood that yet.
But she would.
He shifted his attention to me, his expression filled with concern. “You ready?”
