Chapter 64 I love you, Angel: The Biker's Obsession
Catalina
I walked out of our room, one hand moving over the round curve of my belly. It had been five months. I found my sister Jenna in the common area, kicked back in a recliner. I sat on the love seat across from her.
“How are you feeling today?” I asked.
She let out a long groan. “Like this kid needs to pack her bags and get the hell out of me.” She made a face as her stomach moved under her shirt, a little foot or elbow pushing out, then sinking back. “She is never still.”
“I love watching that,” I said. “The best part is feeling this one move around. It is like my own little ocean in there. Where are the guys?”
“In the kitchen. Torque is making me a peanut butter and honey sandwich. With pickles. Rip came out earlier. He said he is making you one of those protein shakes before your appointment. Are you nervous? To find out what you are having?”
“So nervous. I do not really care either way. But with our house almost finished, Rip wants to start getting the baby’s room ready.”
“Torque lost his whole mind over unicorns for Narrisa’s room,” Jenna said, smiling. “The second the painters were done, he had an artist come in. Painted a whole magical forest on one wall, with unicorns in it. Then the crib sheets have unicorns. The little rug has a unicorn. There is a giant stuffed unicorn in the corner, waiting for her. I swear, that man went from being the scariest biker I know to the biggest, softest thing.”
“Only for you,” I said. “And for her, I guess.” I pointed at her stomach.
We were both laughing when the kitchen door swung open and our men walked out.
“What is so funny?” Torque asked, his voice a low rumble as he handed Jenna her plate.
“Oh, nothing,” I said, grinning up at him. “Just talking about you, Mister Unicorn Daddy. You have gone all mushy.”
Torque looked at me, and then a real smile broke over his face. “Only for the four of you. The rest of these assholes can get fucked.”
“You include me and my little nugget in that?” I asked.
And then, to my complete horror, and probably his too, my eyes filled up and I just started crying. Big, messy tears.
Rip let out this long sigh. He put my protein shake down on the table, leaned over, and picked me right up off the couch. He sat down and settled me in his lap, his arms around me, one big hand rubbing slow circles on my back.
“I am sorry,” I choked out, wiping at my face. “I do not know why I am doing this.”
Torque chuckled. “It is all right, little sis. Jenna’s feelings are all over the place too.”
When he said ‘little sis’, I let out a hiccup and then buried my face in Rip’s shirt, crying even harder.
Next to us, Jenna started sniffling. Torque looked at her, confused. “What did I say now?”
“You called her little sis,” Jenna wailed, her own tears falling.
Torque shook his head, then leaned right over and kissed her. A real, deep kiss that made her go quiet. I started giggling through my own tears.
“Sometimes,” Rip muttered into my hair, “I can not wait for this kid to be born. Maybe then you will stop turning on the waterworks every five minutes.”
“Oh, be quiet,” I said, swatting his chest. “Come on. We need to go.”
We said goodbye and headed out. Rip had to help me up into his big truck. He bought it because he said he would never be caught dead driving a minivan. I was fine with that. I did not want one either.
The drive to the doctor was quiet. He made me sit right in the middle, up close to him, so he could keep his hand on my leg the whole way.
We did not wait long at the office. Rip helped me get my pants off and lifted me onto the exam table like I weighed nothing. He pulled a chair right up next to me, took my hand, and kissed my knuckles. We just looked at each other, smiling like fools, until the doctor came in.
She walked in with a nurse, both of them smiling. “Hello, you two. How are we doing?”
“Good,” Rip answered for me. “Catalina finally stopped being sick all the time. I was calling it morning sickness, but it was more like all-day-and-night sickness.”
The doctor laughed. “I am much better,” I said. “I can keep food down now. Rip makes me these shakes.”
“Perfect. Your weight is still a bit low, but that should change. Keep drinking those. Now, are we ready to see this baby? I hear you want to know if it is a boy or a girl today?”
We both nodded. The nurse spread the cold gel on my belly and started moving the wand around. The black and white image popped up on the screen.
“Baby looks great,” the doctor said, her voice warm. “See the hands? It is sucking its thumb. Okay, let us see… right there. See that little shape between the legs? That is your answer. You are having a boy.”
Rip sucked in a breath beside me. My eyes filled with tears again, but this time they were happy ones. I looked at him. He was grinning so wide it looked like it might split his face. I laughed, a sound full of pure joy.
After they left, Rip helped me get dressed. Then he picked me up again, sat in the chair, and just held me.
“A boy, Catalina. Are you happy?”
“So happy. I would have loved a girl, too. But I really wanted a boy first.”
“Why is that?”
“So he can protect his little sister.”
“You are already thinking about more kids?”
“Yes,” I said. “I want a whole bunch of them.”
“Good. Me too.” He was quiet for a second. “What about a name? Now that we know.”
“I want his middle name to be Leonardo. For Papa.”
“I like that,” Rip said. His thumb stroked my arm. “What about Cameron for his first name?”
“Cameron? Why?”
“That is Beast’s real name. He is one of my best friends. He helped me through all that shit with Sophie. And… I trust him more than anyone. When we have our fun, when he joins us.” He paused. “He really likes your belly, you know.”
“I think he might have a thing for pregnant women,” I said, laughing softly.
“Maybe. So, Cameron Leonardo Michaelson. Do you like it?”
“I love it.”
That night, the whole inner circle of the club was around the big dining table. I kept looking at Beast, who was sitting next to Doc, eating his dinner. I really hoped he liked what we were about to do.
Rip cleared his throat and stood up. Everyone got quiet.
“Catalina and I found out what we are having today,” he said. “We waited to tell you all together. We love every brother in this club, but you all… you are our family.”
I nodded, looking around at the faces, Butcher, Doc, Torque, Beast, Rockstar, Bear, Clown, and all the women. Jenna already had tears running down her cheeks. We had told her and Torque earlier. We had also told her about our bet. She thought Beast would cry. I said no way.
“So,” Rip continued, his hand on my shoulder. “We are having a boy.”
The table erupted. People cheered, glasses were raised.
“Do you have a name?” Carrie asked.
I stood up and put my arm around Rip. “Yes,” I said, looking right at Beast. “We are naming him Cameron Leonardo Michaelson.”
For a second, the whole room was silent.
“You are naming him… Cameron?” Beast said. He looked completely stunned.
“Yeah, brother. For you,” Rip said, his voice getting thick. “You, Catalina, and me… we have something special. You helped us both. You were there. We love you, man.”
Beast pushed his chair back so fast it screeched. He grabbed Rip, pulling him into a hard hug, slapping his back. Then he pushed Rip aside and came to me. He bent down, lifted me right up, and planted a fast, firm kiss right on my mouth. Then he squeezed me so tight I squeaked. When he put me down, there were tears running down his face.
“Thank you,” he said, looking from Rip to me. “This… this means everything.”
“You owe me a hundred dollars,” Jenna said, pointing at me.
“No, you owe ‘me’ from when you bet the guys would not wear nice shirts to dinner.”
“You two bet on me?” Beast asked, wiping his face.
“Jenna said you would cry,” I admitted. “I did not think you would.”
“Well,” Beast said, trying to look tough and failing. “I am soft for my people.”
The whole table laughed.
“Says the man who nearly killed a guy for touching his bike,” Doc called out.
“Okay, fine! I am soft for my club and our women!”
All the women made sweet, teasing sounds, and the guys shook their heads, smiling.
“I do not know why you are all laughing,” I said, sitting back down. “Every single one of you would die for each other. For us.”
“She is right,” Butcher said, his voice serious now. “This group right here? This is it. This is family. The rest of the club is brothers, but people come and go. This group? We are tight.”
Everyone murmured in agreement, a low, solid sound of loyalty.
The day I walked into this clubhouse, my whole life changed. Jenna, Papa, and I were finally free. I looked over at the man I loved, and he was already looking at me. He leaned in and kissed me, soft and sure.
“I love you, Angel.”
“I love you too.”
Author's Note
Thank you. Thank you so much for reading our story.
Next, I will be writing Beast's book. It is called: The Biker's Obsession
Here is a little about it:
Lia is running. She is hiding from a man who hurt her, and from the man she thought would love her forever. Desperate, she calls an old friend from high school for help. One day, while she is out, she steps in to save Catalina from a dangerous man. That act catches the eye of Beast, the Secretary for the Lords of Chaos.
Beast is the club's playboy. Women love him. But when he sees Lia, he sees how fragile she is, and something in him wakes up. He needs to protect her. He will do anything to keep her safe.
But someone in the club recognizes Lia. They contact the ex-boyfriend who has been hunting for her.
What happens when he finds her? How far will Beast go to save the woman he realizes he loves completely?