Bad Boy's Baby: Wicked Angels MC (25 page)

“I didn’t know you felt that way,” he said almost coldly. “I can see that you feel strongly about this, though. If it’s that important to you, I’ll try to impress them, Jenny. But not right now. I have to wait until things are in order, and until things are right. Does that make sense?”

I let out a grateful sigh. For a moment, I’d thought Tristan would be too hurt over what I said. Relaxed, I settled back into the seat and closed my eyes. Here I was, with a boy who loved me…who’d do anything for me. When I looked at Tristan, his eyes narrowed and focused on driving, love swelled in my body.

“I love you,” I said suddenly. “I’ll love you for the rest of my life.”

Pain throbbed in my head and I felt a pair of hands gripping me under the armpits.

“Jenny,” a familiar low voice urged me. “Jenny, wake up! It’s time to wake up, Jenny!”

Moaning, I tried to open my swollen eyes. Darius had beaten me so badly that I was barely aware of being carried out of the basement and propped up on the ground. When I was able to focus, I saw Tristan kneeling in front of me and stroking my face with his hand.

“Tristan?” I managed to croak, wincing with pain.

“Just hold on, Jenny,” Tristan said, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me close. “Just hold on.”

Tristan

After Eric, Rod, and I left Phin, we’d stormed the farm and started shooting everyone in sight. Darius managed to duck, even though I hit him in the leg with a bullet. His men were about to run away when the cops showed up—Phin had somehow managed to call 911 on my cell phone that I’d left in his care.

I feared the worst when it came to Jenny. After Phin had run out of the woods, I’d assumed she was hurt badly, or even dead. When I saw her like that, lying on the concrete floor of the basement and motionless, I felt like screaming to the heavens. But she managed to open her eyes and blink at me. I suddenly knew that she’d be alright. Darius had beaten the hell out of her—her lovely face was almost unrecognizable with blood and swelling—but she’d be alright. Phin was okay, and the three of us would be just fine.

I rode to the hospital with my guys. Phin rode with the cops; I hated turning him over to them, but knew that he’d be safer in a cruiser than on the back of my bike. After all, one of Darius’s men had escaped into the night and I didn’t trust him not to shoot at us with a rogue bullet.

I’d been so worried about Jenny that I didn’t even mind stepping foot in a hospital. And although I was dying to see her, I had to wait with Phin in a hallway that was painted in puke colors—green and dull orange. Phin burrowed into my side and wrapped his arms around me. He wasn’t shy any longer; he was a really animated, intelligent little boy. I was proud of him, especially for the way he’d held it together when all of the shit was going down.

“I’m really proud of you,” I told Phin. “You saved your mom. You should be proud of yourself.” I ruffled his hair as he snuggled up close. It was almost comforting, and I loved being close to the kid Jenny and I had made. It made me feel like I hadn’t missed out on all that much after all. Maybe things would really be okay in the end. Maybe not, but either way, I knew that I had to try now.

“Mr. Mayer?” A plain nurse was walking towards me, holding a clipboard. “I need to speak to you.”

I nodded and stood up, Phin still clinging to my side. “This is my son,” I said. “I don’t want to leave him alone.”

She pursed her lips. I knew she was about to tell me some bullshit hospital policy so I turned on the charm.

“Please?” I grinned at her. “My wife would be worried sick if she knew our son was alone. He’s very attached to his parents.”

Phin clung even tighter, illustrating the point. Finally, the nurse rolled her eyes.

“You can bring him,” she said. “But try to make him sit in the corner of the room with a book, okay? He doesn’t need to hear all the gory details.”

I rolled my eyes.
Lady, if you knew what this kid’s been through in the past twenty-four hours, you wouldn’t think he needed to be sheltered
. But looking at Phin’s thin frame, I knew she was right. He was a tiny little boy after all, and his heart was pounding through the thin skin on his neck.

The nurse led us down a hallway and into a small room painted in the same nauseating colors. She handed Phin a coloring book and he went and sat down in the corner, coloring in the lines obediently. I realized that I had no idea how to be a real father—I didn’t even know what most eight-year-olds liked. But Phin was different, and I had a feeling that we’d probably be alright. After all, he seemed to like me. But I wasn’t so sure how he’d feel once this was all over. Hell, I wasn’t sure how Jenny would feel either. Could she stand being around a man who had put her into so much trouble? I sighed. I desperately wanted to see her, but I was afraid of being told that it would be the last time.

“The offender and his men were taken into custody,” the nurse read perfunctorily from a sheet of paper in front of her. “A Mr. Darius…?”

“Darius Mendoza,” I said, clearing my throat. “He’s the president of the Iron Fangs, a motorcycle club around here.”

“I see,” the nurse said in this curt voice that made me want to slap her. “And you are…?”

“I’m Tristan Mayer,” I said loudly. “Jenny’s husband, Phin’s father.”

There was a hint of a smile on her fat face. “I see here that you’re leading the Wicked Angels?”

I shook my head and grinned at the nurse. “Was,” I said. “I’m not anymore. I’m a family man now.”

The serious face returned. “Your wife was gravely injured,” she continued. “She was very badly beaten, and she’ll need some physical therapy to regain her motor skills. But I’m confident that within a few months, she’ll be back to normal. She may suffer frequent headaches, and there’s a possibility of PTSD with all kidnapping cases.”

My mouth went dry at the extent of Jenny’s injuries. I felt so bad for her, and the yearn to see her was like a physical ache in my belly.

“I understand,” I said softly. “I’m committed to providing the best possible care for her, and I’ll hire a home nurse until she’s back to normal.”

The nurse nodded. “I’m glad to hear that,” she replied. “And what are your plans for the boy?”

“Excuse me? I didn’t think he was hurt.”

The nurse shook her head. “We strongly recommend that children who undergo trauma be placed in counseling,” she said. “Something to make sure that PTSD won’t develop at a later age. Are you willing to place him under the care of a professional?”

I nodded. “Of course,” I said. “Whatever Phin needs, he’ll get.”

The nurse smiled. “Phin? That’s a strange name.”

“We love it,” I said automatically, even though I’d agreed with her when I’d first heard his name. But now it seemed a part of him, like everything else. I’d never pegged Jenny to be one of those women who gave her kids a stupid name with a weird spelling, but now it didn’t seem dumb at all. And there was a nice ring to
Phin Mayer
.

“Well, I’m sure you’re very happy as a family,” the nurse said. “Would you like to see your wife now?”

Suddenly, I felt nervous. “Could I have a few minutes alone with my son? We haven’t really gotten a chance to talk since the officers picked him up.”

The nurse nodded. “Of course,” she said. “Just let me know. I’ll be right on the other side of the door, and then we can go see Jennifer.”

“Jenny,” I corrected automatically. The nurse didn’t smile as she let herself out. When she was gone, Phin peeked up at me from his perch in the corner.

“Can you come over here, buddy?”

Phin got to his feet and walked over to me. I could tell he was nervous, too.

“I’m hungry,” Phin said. “There was bread in the basement, but not a lot.”

“We’ll get you a cheeseburger as soon as we’re done here,” I promised. “With fries. Would you like that?”

Phin nodded excitedly. He climbed in my lap and wrapped his arms around my big chest. “Do you love my Mommy?”

I swallowed a lump that had formed in my throat unexpectedly.

“I do,” I admitted. “I love her very much. Do you want to go see her together?”

Phin nodded. He bit his lip. “I’m scared,” he said. “I shouldn’t have run away. I should have stayed with Mommy.” He climbed off my lap and walked towards the door, but I caught up with him and kneeled down to his height.

“No, you did everything right, Phin,” I said solemnly. “It was for the best that you ran. You did a great job, and Mommy and I are both really proud of you.”

Phin blushed. Standing up, I took his hand. The nurse showed us into Jenny’s room.

“She was asleep a few minutes ago, but I think she just woke up,” she said quietly. “I’ll give you fifteen minutes.”

Fifteen minutes seemed like torture compared to the years we’d spent apart, but right now, I was glad to take it. In the hospital bed, Jenny looked like a small, fragile figure. There were bandages all around her head and her face was puffy and swollen. When she saw me, a faint hint of a smile played on her lips.

“Tristan,” she said softly. I moved closer to the bed so I could hear every word. “Tristan, I’m so sorry.”

I shook my head. “Don’t talk,” I said firmly. “It’s fine. Everything’s fine. Phin’s totally fine, and he’s right here with me.”

“Good,” Jenny said. She let out a long sigh followed by a raspy cough. I was alarmed at how many bruises covered her pale body—she looked worse than any of my guys ever had. “I love you, Tristan.”

The lump that had formed in the waiting room suddenly intensified and I felt tears well up in my eyes. “I love you, too,” I told her, reaching forward and gently stroking the back of her hand with my index finger. “I love you so much.”

“Mommy?” Phin looked into the hospital bed. “Mommy, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, sweetheart,” Jenny said. She reached forward and gently stroked Phin’s hair. “I promise I’ll be just fine. Are you okay?”

Phin looked scared, but he nodded. “I’m fine, Mommy,” he said. “Tristan took care of me!”

Jenny gave me a smile and I could have sworn I saw the hint of a blush on her cheeks. “I think you should start calling him Daddy now, sweetheart.”

Phin grinned, a grin that stretched from ear to ear. “Mommy, Daddy loves you!” he chirped loudly. “He told me when we were waiting to see you!”

Jenny looked at me and I felt my heart swell. As I looked down at my family, I realized that I’d never been filled with so much love or so much pride in my whole life. Suddenly, they were the only things I cared about. I no longer cared about stepping down from the Wicked Angels, or the fact that Darius was taken into custody. Let the cops deal with him. I had a family now.

“Let’s always stay together,” Jenny said. She reached out and wrapped her swollen fingers around my hand. “Promise?”

I looked into her green eyes and felt just as deeply in love with her as I always had. “I promise,” I agreed. “We’ll always be together. You, me, and Phin. We’re a family now.”

Jenny smiled. She closed her eyes and leaned back on the pillow, clearly exhausted. “That’s what I’ve always wanted,” she said softly. “That’s what I’ve wanted ever since I met you.”

“I love you,” I told her again, stroking her hand until she’d fallen asleep. “And I promise, this time we’ll be together forever.”

THE END

I f***ing hate him!

He's arrogant, he's cocky, he's the star of a college soccer team... and he's everything that a girl like me should despise.

He didn't even know my name before this year.

So why can't I keep him off my mind?

Maybe it's because his dad is about to marry my mom.

Maybe it's because I've had the worst crush on him through all of high school.

Maybe it's because he's at my house now taking a shower after soccer practice, and my mom just told me to go hang a fresh towel by his bed.

The water stopped and I know he's getting out, so why am I still at the foot of his bed with the towel in my hands...

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