His words give me hope, although there’s still concern lingering in the back of my mind. I want to give him a chance though, everyone deserves a chance to prove themselves. I know Vinnie is a good man, and I really hope we can be a family, and that he can be happy. I want him to be happy, not just for him to do what he thinks is right—and then hate it.
I wrap my arms around him, sitting on his lap. I take his face in my hands and look into his eyes. “What if you change your mind?”
“I won’t,” he murmurs, turning his face to kiss my fingers. “I’d never do that to you.”
I lean forward and kiss his mouth. “Do you need more time to think about it?”
“No,” he replies instantly. “I’ve taken more than enough time to think about it when I should have been rushing over here straightaway, taking what’s mine. Can we go home now? Colt misses you.”
“Just Colt, huh?” I tease, burying my face in his neck. “Are you sure it’s only him who misses me?”
“I’m sure the others miss you too. I know Faye does; she’s been your number one champion.”
“Well, remind me to thank her, then.”
“Shay?”
“Yes.
“I need you to promise me that you won’t run again, okay? You have a problem, we deal with it. You need space, you go to Faye’s, or somewhere where I know you’re safe. You don’t just leave and turn to another man, even if it’s Talon.”
I swallow hard. “I promise.”
No more running.
“Shay?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s go home.”
FORTY-FOUR
Vinnie
I RIDE home on the bike, then return with the car, not wanting her to ride now that she’s pregnant. I even bring Colt in the car with me, and the smile that appears on her perfect lips is worth the barking I had to listen to the whole way here. Shay hugs Talon good-bye, and I give him a chin lift, a silent thank-you. He nods in return, his eyes telling me that he’ll always be here to save her, he doesn’t care who it’s from or who he has to cross to do so. I respect that. Talon isn’t so bad after all. I’d never admit it, but I get a little jealous as Shay kisses Colt on top of his head, telling him over and over how much she missed him.
“Can you stop kissing the dog, please?” I grumble. “How am I supposed to kiss you after that?”
“It’s not like I’m kissing his mouth,” she says, amusement dancing in her eyes.
“Still.”
She pats Colt’s head and tells him she’ll never leave him again.
“Faye wanted to come and see you. I told her you’re mine for tonight, so she said she’ll come see you tomorrow, and take you out for lunch or something, if you want to do that.”
“I’d love that.”
It seems she and Faye have gotten close, more so than she and any of the other women. Faye must like her a lot to take her under her wing. Even though Faye does take care of everyone, she and Shay seem to really get on well together. Shay told her about the pregnancy before telling anyone else, even me, and Faye was really on my ass to go and fix things. I don’t think I’ve seen her that worked up in a long time.
“How have you been feeling?” I ask her, placing my hand on her thigh. Colt bites at my hand until I remove it. I’m really regretting getting her that dog right now.
“I was sick today,” she says, turning to me. “I threw up a few times, so the morning sickness has officially started.”
Fuck.
She was sick, while I was drinking, or sleeping off being drunk.
“I’m sorry,” I say, squeezing the steering wheel. “I should have been there to look after you.”
She smiles sadly, then says, “Ranger was there. Although he wasn’t really helping much by standing and yelling through the door while I was being sick.”
I try to keep my tone even. “Why was he there?”
“He brought me groceries and stuff,” she says, watching me. “Then we watched some TV and hung out for a bit, I didn’t really feel like being alone.”
I feel my eye twitch, but luckily it’s the one that she can’t see. “I see.”
I can feel her staring at me, but I look straight ahead. “Are you jealous?” she asks, sounding amused. “What, you think I’m going to find a new man while I’m pregnant, and after I just left you, like, two days ago?”
“Well the women keep talking about Ranger, and how good-looking the fucker apparently is, so what the fuck am I supposed to think?”
She laughs now, and although it’s at my expense, the sound of it makes me happy and gives me hope. Not all is lost. What happened between us is just a bump in the motherfuckin’ road.
“He is good-looking, yes,” she agrees, making my jaw go tight. “And he’s actually a really nice guy.”
I wait for the but . . . but it doesn’t come.
“Well, he’s just perfect then, isn’t he?” I seethe, wishing I could punch this guy in the face. Then, I remember something. “Aside from the fact that he kidnapped Anna and hit her over the head, but hey, if you’re into men who hit women, then by all means.”
Shay starts laughing so hard that the dog jumps off her lap and gets into the backseat. “There’s only one biker for me, Vinnie. And it isn’t Ranger.”
“There’s only one woman for me too,” I say softly.