JAX: MC Biker Romance (New Adult Contemporary Bad Boy Romance) (21 page)

“Holy crap, have I really slept that long?”

“I’m so sorry!” She breathed, feeling guilty for sleeping in so late.

“What’s it like being pregnant?” the little girl asked, ignoring her apology. Brianne knew that she didn’t care how long she stayed asleep; neither did Julie for that matter.

The bed shifted as the girl jumped up and snuggled close. “Well, it’s something I can’t really explain,” Brianne whispered.

“It’s going to be a mini Jax,” Janie giggled.

Brianne smirked. She wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or bad thing, at first. She wasn’t sure if she wanted it to be. That is, until she really thought about it.

“Jax is my favorite brother…” Janie sounded off again, almost tearing a hole in Brianne’s heart. “He’s the good one.”

“Oh really, how’s that?” Brianne asked, making sure not to tip the girl off to the fact that she was angry at her brother.

“Jimmy and John only care about the money. Jax works the hardest and doesn’t care about any of that. He just loves us and loves this place,” she said, but as she talked, Brianne felt the baby kick.

“Wow!” she gasped, holding her tummy. “Here, feel here!” She grabbed Janie’s small hand and placed it over her belly and laughed as the little girl’s eyes widened in surprise.

“That’s it!” she asked, her face brightening more and more by the second.

Brianne nodded. “That’s it!”

Janie smiled widely, “I can’t wait to be an aunt.”

And that settled it, Brianne wasn’t wrong about Jax this whole time. If a child as wonderful as Janie thought that he was something, he had to be. He had to be worth it, and darn it all, she was going to make sure he knew that he was worth it.

He was distraught by the fact that Brianne wouldn’t talk to him the night before. He hated it, and he hated his brothers for making her feel that the only dang reason he was with her was for the money. They should have known better. They should have known him better than that.

After he found out that they’d talked to her, he didn’t know why, but he went to them. And, although he was ready to pop them both square in the face, he made them a deal. He told them that he’d make his own provision; that they’d all share the estate equally… all four of the kids, including Janie.

The bull-pen’s gate swung open and the beast exploded into the center. The monster led with his head and shoulders, throwing them left, and then right, all the while kicking his rear with every single inch he progressed.

He whooped each and every time the bull landed and he stayed on. He heard people cheering from the crowd, hooting and hollering for him to “hang on!”, as if he wasn’t already doing that.

The bull had thrown his head to the left again with a power that Jax uncharacteristically underestimated, his mind still reeling about Brianne and last night. His grip faltered and the bull jumped straight forward three or four times; whichever it was. All he knew was that on the last jump, he flew off, and with an astounding force, smashed onto the ground below.

Only it wasn’t over. In an instant, he felt a powerful wall crush his chest, and then his ribs and his legs over and over.

He knew right then that it might very well be over. He might never be a dad, he might never see Brianne again.

He knew right then that the bull was stomping and tearing at him.

His ears rang out, and all he saw was blurriness, until eventually, he saw nothing at all except white.

An ambulance’s lights blared from the distance as she drove one of the rancher’s trucks toward the rodeo grounds. She leaned over the steering wheel, hoping to get a better look. Did one of the bull rider’s get hurt?

The wheels rolled and crackled beneath the truck as she rode up the gravel path. She hoped that whoever it was was okay, and she hoped that she’d be able to find Jax through all the chaos as she pulled up into the parking lot.

She grabbed hold of the door handle and slung the door open. Jumping out, her curiosity got the better of her as her sight was set forward of the emergency vehicle. The lights whirled as the medics raced toward the back of the vehicle, clearly already having loaded the person onto the stretcher.

Craning her neck, she finally saw who it was.

And when she saw him stretched across a gurney that way, her stomach lurched and her head went light. She grabbed a hold of the driver’s-side door to steady herself as she bellowed out his name, “Jax!”

Tears were flinging out of her, and she felt her entire body shake with fear and pain. “Jax!” she repeated, as if he’d somehow jump up off the gurney and come catch her before she fell. And, she did fall. Her body crumpled to the ground, her knees too weak to support her weight.

In fact, she wasn’t entirely sure how she’d gotten to the hospital; if she’d driven or if someone had driven her there. All she knew was that she was there holding his hand firmly, tears streaming down her face as she sat in the chair beside his hospital bed. “I’m so sorry… I should have listened to you… I should have believed that you cared…”

And, she wasn’t going anywhere.

*****

He grunted and cringed at the pain as he pulled himself out of Brianne’s car. He took a deep breath, relishing in the crisp air of the ranch. He loved that smell; fresh hay, horses, cattle… he loved it all. He hadn’t even realized just how much he’d loved it until he was away from it.

He was still battered and bruised and felt like complete crap, but he was glad to be out of the hospital. He had to admit though, having Brianne right beside him in the hospital the entire time, at his beck and call, catering to every need and want that he had was nice.

More than nice, actually, it was amazing.

And, it made him sure of one thing. It made him sure that this – him and her, and their future child – was what he wanted more than anything in the world. The family life was for him. His father’s legacy was what he wanted; not for greedy reasons, not because he wanted the money, but because he wanted to be just like the man that had raised him. He wanted to be honorable and kind and loving and strong. He wanted to be a father and a husband. He wanted to be Brianne’s forever and vice versa.

A creaking sound rang out from the porch, and his head snapped up to see who it was. It was Julie, his mother. He smirked as she walked to the edge of the porch, tears of happiness present in her eyes. He wondered if it was because he was finally out of the hospital or if it was what he’d texted her about earlier, before he and Brianne left the hospital. “How was the drive?!” she yelled out.

Brianne smiled just before slamming the driver’s-side door and jogging around to the passenger’s side to link arms with Jax. “It was good! Hardly any traffic!” she yelled back to his mom.

“Honey, that thing you asked me for is up here!” He laughed, and leaned into Brianne’s shoulder as she closed the passenger’s-side door. His mom was never the best at being smooth, but that moment seemed like as good of a time as any.

He winked at his mom and knew that she was watching as he pulled his body off of Brianne and wobbled to steady himself. When she reached out to grab him, he shook his head. “No, honey… hold on,” he said, planting one foot firmly in the dirt as he struggled to fall onto one knee.

He watched as Brianne held her breath, and he felt his heart almost burst from his chest as soon as his mother’s footsteps could be heard and felt from behind him. Her hand was clasped around a blue velvet box as she reached over his shoulder to hand it to him from behind.

He smiled and pulled it open, presenting a ring that had belonged to his great great-grandmother – and his mother, too, for that matter – as it glistened with the excellence of over a hundred years.

He didn’t take his eyes off of her the entire time. He wanted to live in the moment, hold dear every single instance of it. Her eyes swelled with tears and she scrunched her mouth, as if she was doing her best not to cry.

“Brianne, I love you… so much. I need you in my life; whether it’s here in Texas or off in New York. No matter where it is, no matter what we do, I just want it to be with you. Will you marry me?”

It took her a minute to say anything. Her lips only quivered, and tears streamed down her face. His breath caught in his throat, feeling his own tears begin to well up at the brim of his eyes. His chest clenched and the moment seemed to last a lifetime before a single, “Yes…” fell from her lips.

The End

Bonus - Game Time

“Excuse me darlin,” a voice called. My hand stilled, a sigh escaping my lips. I didn't have to turn around to recognize the voice. A large group of old-timers who were now past drunk had ended up in my section at the diner and had spent the majority of the night cat calling and slapping my ass every time I walked by. Stuffing the rag back into my apron pocket, I turned on my heel and did my best to smile, as I approached their table.

“What can I do for you?” I said, addressing the man who has become their unofficial leader. They were all dressed in football shirts and caps and were obviously out celebrating the latest success of the local football team. I stood patiently, waiting for the man to recall why he had called me over, all the while feeling his friend’s eyes burning into my bare legs.

"Bring us the bill, won't ya," he said, a sly grin on his face. I had barely made it more than a step in the direction of the register before a firm slap came square across my ass. I turned to confront my assailant, my teeth gritted.

“Come here, darlin,” he said, looking up at me with a slimy grin. I resisted the urge to slap him firmly, but I knew that would bring nothing but trouble and I needed this job and the money.  His friends laughed.

"Awe, he don't mean no harm," His friend offered comfortingly.

"The bill," I said firmly, there was no mistaking my tone. It was time for them to go. It took an age for them to leave, shouting and hollering, as they headed out into the night and onto the next bar.

Amongst the litter and debris that laid strewn all over the large table, lie a single $20 bill.

"Did you at least get a good tip?" A voice from behind me called. The voice belonged to Ashley, and it wasn't long before she joined me considering the debris left behind. Without saying a word, I flashed the $20 in her direction before stuffing the bill in my apron pocket. Ashley winced,

"Ouch."

"At least, they are gone," I said, sighing. Picking up my plastic bin, I set to work collecting the dishes and returning them to the kitchen.

"I'm taking a break," I called to the front of the house, after finally clearing the table. The diner was quiet now. The early dinner rush was over, and now the punters would come in a steady stream. Checking the time on my phone, I could see several missed calls and messages lighting up the display. Christina, I thought to myself, that girl would not take a hint. Opening the conversation, I could see reams and reams of unread messages, which I had ignored over the last few months.

Hey babe, I'm back in town now getting ready for my big day on Saturday. That’s right Christina, I'm getting married!!! Of course, you will be there, right?

Call me.

Made reservations for tomorrow, lunch time at La Trevia, 1 PM. See you then.

Switching off my phone and stuffing it back into my apron pocket, I took a swig from my lemonade and thought back to the last time I had seen Christina. It was a few weeks after graduation before we had both gone our separate ways. Christina had headed straight to L.A. determined to become a famous actress, and I was ready to pack my bags and guitar and head straight for Nashville to a prestigious music school. I knew Christina, and if I didn't turn up tomorrow, she would come looking for me, and that was something I was keen to avoid.

The bell tinkled, as I shut the diner door behind me and headed out into the night. The night was quiet, as I waited for the bus that would carry me home. I didn’t have to wait long to reach home, my feet aching after a long double shift. Fishing the keys out of my pocket, I pushed open the door and headed into my apartment.

“Becky?” I called through the din of the apartment. The radio blared and in the small space, the sound of banging pots and pans echoed as if I was in a studio listening to a rock concert. A head popped around the corner, sweat and dirt streaked across her face, smiling when she saw me.

"Look whose home!" she announced excitedly.

"Mommy!" At the sound of my daughter's voice, all the worries of the day simply melted away, as she catapulted herself through the kitchen door and into my waiting arms. Her own blonde hair and bright face were marred with dirt and sweat. Licking my thumb, I tried to wipe away the dirt from her face as she giggled, trying to escape my frantic cleaning.

"Having fun Emmy?" Her bright blue eyes danced, as she rattled off the adventures that she had that day. Straightening up, I turned my attention back to Becky who stood leaning against the door of the kitchen.

"We had the best day. We went to the park, came home for a bath, but somehow, we ended up making music with the pots and pans. Sorry about the mess," she said, nodding back toward what I was sure was an Emmy whirlwind in the kitchen. I shrugged. All I cared about was Emmy's happiness and safety, not having a neat and tidy house to come home to each evening.