Ultimate mc romance coll.., p.173
Ultimate MC (Romance Collection), page 173
“Is everything alright?”
“Nothing’s wrong, but things are a little more complicated than you might have thought,” I said.
“Meaning?” he asked as he looked over his shoulder.
“Can we sit down?” I asked. “Allegra’s getting too heavy for me to carry her around like this all the time.”
He motioned for me to sit in one of the chairs lining the wall, then he took a seat on the opposite side. “What’s going on?”
“I thought it was time that you knew who Allegra’s daddy is,” I said. I took a deep breath. “But I don’t want you to freak out when I tell you.”
“You know I can’t promise anything like that,” he said. “Who is it?”
“I don’t want this to be a big deal,” I tried again.
“Jenna, tell me!” he said a little too harshly.
“His name is Nathan Springer. I’m not sure if you know who he is,” I said.
Blaze flew to his feet. “You bet your goddamn life I know who that is! What the fuck, Jenna? What the fuck!”
He was shouting, and I held Allegra close to me. “I didn’t mean for that to happen the way that it did, but I’m not sorry, either!”
I didn’t want to fight with him, but I wasn’t going to act like my daughter was an accident. Or a mistake. She was exactly what I needed in my life, even though it was hard to deal with. I wouldn’t have traded her for the world, and I wasn’t going to let my brother guilt me into thinking that she was wrong.
“You get yourself knocked up by a rival MC? What the fuck?” he asked again.
“I was at a party and wanted to hook up, that’s not a crime!” I shouted.
“As if it wasn’t bad enough that you got yourself pregnant when you were eighteen, now I have to deal with the fact that the father is from our biggest rivals? What made you think that was a good idea?” he demanded.
“Because I wanted to fuck him that night, so I did!” I didn’t normally use such language when my daughter was present, but I felt he was pushing me to it, and I was sick of it. I felt he was telling me my daughter was a mistake, and I wasn’t going to stand for that.
“It’s bad enough that you were whoring around with anyone who was willing to fuck you, but did you really have to stoop to the levels of fucking a rival?” he snapped. “Fuck you!”
I covered my ears, holding Allegra between my legs on the floor. I didn’t want to hear this from him, not now. I hated that he called me that, and he had since I started doing it. But, I felt free with my body, and he certainly didn’t have any issues fucking a girl he met randomly.
I wasn’t going to let him talk to me like that, and I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry. I would stand up for myself, even if it was to my own brother. Hell, he wasn’t even very high ranking in the club, so he didn’t have anything on me except for the fact that our father wanted it for us.
“You know this is hard enough on me as it is, you aren’t helping,” I said.
“No, but it would have really helped if you hadn’t slept with a rival,” he shook his head. “It would have made life really fucking great.”
I flew to my feet. I was done with his shit, and I wasn’t going to take it any longer. “You know what? I’m the one who has been dealing with this for the past two years, and I’m not going to let you push me around or bully me for doing it now. Get over it!”
He gave me a look of disgust, but I meant what I said. I picked up Allegra, who was now crying and clinging to me. She didn’t like hearing us yell at each other, and we tried to avoid it as much as we could. But, there were times when we just had to tell each other how we really felt, and this was one of those times. I shook my head on my way out the door, the lump forming thick in my throat.
I marched straight back to the car and buckled her in her seat, not even bothering to look behind me. I didn’t know if Blaze would try to come after me or not, but I wasn’t going to stand for anything less than an apology.
I loved my daughter, and I thought Nathan was a good man for being there for me. He might not have been before, but he sure as hell was there now, and he wanted to be in his daughter’s life.
It didn’t matter what Blaze thought about it. He didn’t have the right to tell us how to parent, and I wouldn’t let him think he did. If he wanted to be in Allegra’s life, he was going to have to respect my wishes.
That’s all there was to it.
Chapter 13
Nathan
He’s pissed, and I don’t know what to do.
I didn’t answer the text. Jenna had let me know she was going to talk to her brother after she met up with her lawyer, and we both already knew it wasn’t going to go well when she did. How could it? I was a member of the rival club, and from what I knew about Blaze, he really wanted more from his own MC.
He wasn’t nearly as high ranking in the club as Vanessa had been, but that didn’t matter. He was going to stand up for what he thought was right, and that didn’t bode well for me.
The sound of the motorcycle pulling up outside the diner wasn’t at all unfamiliar. In fact, it was welcome. We loved it when travelers would show up on their bikes or when members from our own MC showed up for a burger and a beer.
But, this rider wasn’t welcome.
I gave Zach a nod. He looked through the window and swore under his breath. I knew the two of them hadn’t gotten along in the past, and this wasn’t bound to go well. I was glad Adam and Spencer were also hanging out at the diner. It would cut down on the likelihood Blaze would try anything stupid.
I knew I had to go out and talk to him, especially when he started shouting my name in the parking lot.
“At least, he has the sense not to come in here,” Zach said. “I’d grab him by the collar and throw him right back out.”
“I don’t know what he’s going to do,” I replied. “But he’s pissed.”
“Did you think he wouldn’t be?” Zach said. “This has to be a real shocker.”
“But it’s not his problem,” I said as I grabbed my jacket and threw it over my shoulders. I would wear it proudly as I stood in front of this guy. I didn’t care who he was, and I wasn’t going to let him bully me. Hell, if he was willing to come all the way up here, he was clearly serious about talking.
This was something I had to face, and I would. I strode out the door and walked right up to him, trying to act braver than I felt. He was a larger man than I thought. I had heard about him several times in the past, but this was the first time we’d actually met face to face.
If he was going to hit me, then he could hit me, but I wasn’t going to flinch.
“How fucking dare you take advantage of my sister like that?” Blaze snapped. “How dare you! She was eighteen! Barely more than a kid!”
“But she wasn’t a kid. She was an adult, and she was able to make her own decisions,” I said. “I didn’t take advantage of her, nor would I ever.”
“She was whoring herself out to anyone who would give her the time of day, and you were clearly one of the men who got in line!” he replied with a sadistic tone to his voice. “What did you think was going to happen?”
“First of all, she was an adult woman and capable of deciding what she wanted! Secondly, we didn’t mean for this to happen, but now that it has we are taking care of it as best as we can!” I put my hands up to show him I wasn’t threatening. I didn’t want to get in a fight with him, and I really didn’t want to make things harder for Jenna.
She was right, he was damn pissed about this entire thing, clearly on the fight. I was surprised that he hadn’t hit me already, and I could see my efforts of calming him down weren’t going as well as I’d hoped. I wanted to diffuse the situation more than I wanted it to escalate, but I was starting to lose my nerve.
This guy screaming in my face and insulting his sister was enough to bring back PTSD in my own life. I was used to combat. I’d seen more of it than this guy likely ever would, but that didn’t make this situation any easier for me to deal with.
I was scared the PTSD would take over, and the two of us would get in an actual fight. I wasn’t sure I could take him, especially with my arm, but I was even more concerned with what it would do to the MCs. Zach wanted things to stay good between us, and something like that would be sure to fuck it up.
“You can say what you want, but you know what happens when you’re fucking someone,” Blaze replied. “Don’t act stupid now.”
“Neither of us was stupid. These sorts of things happen sometimes, and I’m not going to hold it against her because it did. And neither should you! That woman is your sister, and she’s doing a damn good job raising that little girl. The least you can do is show her some respect!” I snapped.
It was hard for me to hear him insulting her like that, and I was afraid I was about to snap.
“You don’t need to tell me what I should and shouldn’t fucking do!” I had clearly crossed a line, and he was ready to get physical. “You and your goddamn MC aren’t going to tell any of The Enemies what they can and can’t do, and I’ll kill you if you try.”
He was coming for me, and I braced myself. I was ready for the blows, and gearing up to land a few myself, but I didn’t want to do it. I silently prayed Jenna wasn’t going to be too angry with me for getting in a fight with her brother. I’d do my best not to fuck him up too much.
And hoped he wouldn’t do the same to me.
“Are you sure you want to start shit when you aren’t even on your own turf?” Relief washed over me when Spencer’s voice filled the air. They had clearly been keeping an eye on things through the window, and now came to my rescue. I could get myself into a fight with this guy, but I was even happier that I now had backup.
In a second, Spencer was on one side of me and Adam on the other. They were both taller than me, and they crossed their arms over their chest like bodyguards. Blaze might be able to take any one of us in a fight, but there wasn’t any way he’d be able to stand up to all of us.
“Coming to his rescue?” he asked snidely.
“Isn’t that what we do? Or didn’t you have anyone to bring up here and bitch us out with you?” Spencer asked.
“I’m not bitching, I’m pointing out that this asshole got my whore of a sister pregnant!” Blaze snapped.
“Don’t call her that!” I snapped right back at him. With my boys on either side of me, I was feeling much bolder. I would have happily taken a step forward and hit the guy square in the nose, but Adam put his hand on my arm. He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t have to. I got his meaning.
None of the Folded Flags wanted to get in a fight with one of The Enemies right now. Zach had done so much to make sure the two rivals were at peace with each other, and for now, we were doing our best with nothing more than a truce. He wanted more than that, but if we went around getting in fights, that wasn’t going to happen.
Carl already wasn’t thrilled with the situation, so I didn’t want to think about how he’d take it if he found out I just got in a fight with one of The Enemies.
“I’m sure you’re aware of where we stand right now,” Spencer said. “Do you really want to be the one to break that up? Last I heard, you weren’t nearly as important to the MC as you think you are.”
Blaze laughed. “Where did you hear that?”
“I talk,” Spencer said. “This diner happens to be a great place to get information out of people, and boy, do people like to talk.”
“You can say what you like, but I don’t believe a goddamn word you say.” Blaze folded his arms back over his chest and took a step back, and I hoped Spencer was calling his bluff. I hadn’t heard a lot about Blaze. I didn’t keep up with what The Enemies were doing most of the time. But, if he was having problems in the club, then he’d have to know better than to pull something like a fight on our turf, even if he was pissed off over what had happened to his sister.
“But you do care what Marcus and Carl have to say, and I’m sure they would be willing to come over and work this out again. Though, I can’t say they would be happy to do it. Hell, it might get you thrown out,” Adam said. “I saw some shit go down before, and you aren’t Marcus’s kid. I’m sure he’d be willing to do a lot to make sure his little girl stayed happy.”
“Fuck you,” Blaze shot back. But, he was starting to back up. He clearly didn’t want to get either of the leaders involved, and I was relieved about that. I would do it if it meant we could avoid a fight and an ass chewing, but I didn’t want to be that guy.
And, I was sure Jenna didn’t want to get Marcus involved, either. It didn’t matter if she didn’t really associate with the MC. She was part of it, and she would have to deal with the same rules everyone else did.
“This isn’t over,” Blaze said when he got on the back of his bike. “I’m not going to be beat.”
“Just mind your own business and let us take care of ours,” I said. “This hasn’t got anything to do with you, and like I said, we’ve got it handled.”
I now folded my arms over my chest and stood as tall as I could. It felt good to see him running away, his tail tucked between his legs, but I was still shaking from the experience. I was glad my PTSD didn’t come out, and I wanted to kick the guy out of town for good.
But, I had my boys on my side, and Jenna, too. Blaze didn’t have the power to tell us what we could and couldn’t do, and I had to remind myself of that. I told Jenna that I wanted to be in our daughter’s life, and I was going to make that happen, even if I had to deal with assholes.
“Thanks, guys,” I said to Adam and Spencer as the three of us turned to head back into the diner. I was glad Zach had stayed inside. There was little doubt in my mind that it would have come to blows if he came out.
But now, we could brush off the entire thing, and I could go back to focusing on Jenna and working things out with her. With shaking hands, I pulled out my phone.
We need to talk, seriously.
I hit send and waited. The only way we were going to get through this was if we communicated with each other, and I wanted to do it as soon as possible. But, my heart sank slightly when she texted me back. I didn’t get the answer I expected, and I tried not to let it bother me too much, but the fact of the matter was that it did.
We’ll talk with our lawyers. I’m going to be busy until then.
Chapter 14
Jenna
I cringed when there was a knock at my door. I had been avoiding everyone since Blaze had gone off on me and Nathan, and I really didn’t want to talk to anyone. But, when I looked through the peephole of my apartment and saw Marcus himself standing outside, I knew there wasn’t any way that I could ignore it.
I took a deep breath and pulled open the door, forcing a smile. “Hey, please, come in!”
“I heard that was a bit of a scuffle in Santa Rosa the other day,” he said as he walked through the door.
“I wasn’t there, but that’s what I heard, too,” I admitted. “My brother isn’t happy with what’s going on right now, and I’m not sure what to do about it.”
“What is going on?” Marcus asked. “Something to do with your kid, from what I hear?”
I nodded, nervous to tell him the truth. But, he seemed to already know enough there wasn’t much for me to fill in. “Nathan Springer is her father.”
“How the hell did that happen?” he asked. “He’s only been back for a few months.”
“It was a one-night stand a few years ago. We randomly met at a party, and, well, things got heated between us. I found out I was pregnant and never told him the truth, but then we met again and he knows everything,” I blurted out the story, twisting my t-shirt in my hand as I did.
“And, he wants to share custody?” Marcus asked. I nodded.
“I’m okay with that. We’re working together to make it happen, but I need Blaze to get under control. I’m worried if he keeps running out there and acting like an idiot, the lawyers are going to side with Nathan and I’ll lose my daughter completely,” I said.
“I’ll talk to him,” Marcus replied. “But we need to be careful with everything that’s going on right now. We have a truce, Jenna, not a treaty. It could go south fast.”
“I don’t want that to happen any more than anyone else,” I assured him. “I just want to get along and make the best life possible for my daughter.”
He nodded. “That’s good. It’s not going to be easy, but it’s doable if you are willing to compromise.”
“I will,” I said. “I really will.”
Marcus didn’t stay much longer. I had to get Allegra to her babysitter so I could get to work, then we were meeting with the lawyers later that afternoon. I was going to have to get off early to make the meeting in time, and I knew I’d have to pick up Allegra from the sitter right when I got off.
She wasn’t going to her normal sitter that morning, since the girl called in sick. But, Khloe told me she’d be willing to take her for me for the greater part of my shift. I could always rely on her to come through for me.
After Marcus was gone, I took a deep breath and finished getting Allegra dressed for her day. She was happy to go to the sitter, but I really didn’t want her to leave. I was worried about how this was all going to play out, and with my brother being crazy, I had a feeling things could get worse fast.
But, there wasn’t anything I could do about it. I had to work to support both of us. Even if Nathan told me he was willing to give me money for our daughter, he didn’t have it coming in right now, and I had to still make ends meet myself. As difficult as it was, I had no choice.
I walked Allegra down to the car and put on a brave face when we got to the sitter’s. I didn’t want this strange woman to know what was going on in my life, and I was glad when dropping off Allegra was short and sweet.
“I’m going to get off around two-thirty so I can get her by three. Thank you so much for coming through for me on such short notice,” I said with a forced smile.
“Of course, we’ll be here when you get off. Don’t you worry about a thing,” the woman replied. She took Allegra by the hand and led her into the house, leaving me to head back to my car and go to work. I shook my head with a frustrated smile over what she had said.
