ROMANCE: BIKER ROMANCE: Valentine Biker (MC Alpha Male Pregnancy Romance) (New Adult Valentine Romance Short Stories) (109 page)

“That’s all you had to say Reina...Welcome home...Welcome home.” She whispered, rocking the sobbing woman.

They sat together for a long time, holding each other and whispering kind words and apologies back and forth. When Reina had finally calmed down enough to talk again, Irina leaned back and stroked her cheek,

“How about you come downstairs and have dinner with your family?”

Reina nodded and smiled weakly. “I think I’d like that.”

*****

After Reina and Irina patched things up and Reina discovered her place in the clan, things were brighter than they ever had been before. Reina was essential to Irina’s healthy pregnancy and Michael was happy to see the two women getting along. For the first time since Irina had arrived, they were truly a family.

              Reina moved all of her things out of the guest bedroom She’d been staying in and now the three of them shared the single king sized mattress in the master suite. The guest room was turned into a nursery for the baby. Painting and decorating was a form of therapy for Reina. She felt like she was contributing something to the baby’s health and well-being even if she wasn’t the one pregnant

              Together, Reina and Irina agreed that they wanted a home birth and that Reina would deliver the baby. The idea seemed to make Michael nervous but he eventually gave in, reluctantly agreeing. He had the most up to date birthing technology brought in, of course, and a doctor on standby. The women thought it was a bit of over-kill but they also knew that without it, Michael would have gone crazy with worry.

              Irina’s child was born on a beautiful spring day and they named her after the beautiful flowers that grew in the garden. Lily. It was a simple name that spoke so much to the little girl’s character. She was pure, bright and lit up her parent’s life.

Just like Irina promised, Lily grew up with two mothers and a dad. It never seemed strange to the girl that her family was a little different than everyone else’s. For one thing she had several siblings by the time she entered grade school.

Irina loved her children and was determined to have as many as possible and neither Michael nor Reina would deny her that. They loved the children just as much as she and they were all happy to have the big family they’d always wanted.

The children had just been put to bed and Irina was crawling into bed with Michael and Reina. She wiggled between the two and wrapped an arm around each, kissing their temples and smiling softly. They were both still awake and offered a happy sigh in response to the kiss.

“Goodnight, my loves.” Irina hummed as Michael and Reina each wrapped an arm around her and offered her a kiss.

“Goodnight.” Michael murmured, his arm tossed over both the beautiful women.

“Goodnight.” Reina echoed, her arm over Irina and her fingers tangling with Michael’s.

This was heaven as far as Irina was concerned. This was everything she could have possibly wanted in life, even if she hadn’t known it before arriving in New York on that fateful day. She never would have guessed that this would be her life, but she wouldn’t change it for the world. She had never felt so happy or so loved in her life, and while it wasn’t the usual happily ever after...It was her happily ever after.
The End

Book 5: The Bear’s Embrace

The persistent banging was happening yet again. Casandra was awoken to the noises outside her door once more, and she knew it wasn’t an animal. It was Keith, here to make sure she got no solace or happiness. After a bad break-up, Casandra was left alone in their lovely home once the house was awarded to her temporarily while the courts sorted everything out. Unfortunately, Keith was quiet well known in the community because he held a job in law enforcement. He had quite a high position, and it was well known the corruption that took place in that line of work, especially in the small Alaskan town she called home.

He could pretty much do whatever he wanted. Restraining orders were flimsy pieces of paper that didn’t stop him from abusing his power and getting away with it. Tonight was one of those nights. She stayed put in her bed, pulling the covers up close to her as she sat back against the headboard. She always tried to stay sane while he went on his rampages. He would break things, and one of his favorites was the large driveway light. It used to scare her because he might try to get inside while things were dark. It would force her to turn on a light in the house, and he would know where she was. She learned her lesson after the first couple of times. She would switch rooms that she slept in regularly, and she wouldn’t cut on any lights. Tonight, she was in one of their guest rooms. He had already been jiggling the lock on their bedroom window, and she could hear it. Now however, he was banging against a nearby wall and yelling all number of things at her.

“Aw, come on Cassie! You really are going to leave me out here? It’s so cold! Maybe some hot chocolate, you know, to warm my bones up? Then I’ll screw your brains out just like you like me to!” he yelled as he continued his insanity.

Casandra was losing her mind. She was trembling, and praying that he wouldn’t do anything unusual. Calling the police was pointless. They almost always came at their leisure, never responding to a call with urgency, at least not hers.

Eventually his banging got more persistent and he was yelling incomprehensible things. Casandra shut her eyes tight and prayed that it would soon be over. It got worse, and his yelling got more frightening, but with a suddenness, it all ended.

Casandra was sitting there in a cold sweat, her eyes wide and heart beating wildly. Strange as his actions were, she heard his truck start up and began to back out. She let out a sigh of relief.

His truck sounded as if it was pulling away, and she stood up to make sure all the locks were still in place. Just as she was checking the windows in the kitchen, she saw a sight that horrified her. The truck was speeding right back to where she was standing, and the headlights flooded the window.

She knew he could see her. She felt it in her bones, but then before his truck rammed itself into their house, he made a wild turn and lodged his truck right into her car. The back scrunched up and set the alarm off, and Casandra could only stand there horrified. Like some kind of madman, he turned his head to look at her, blood on his forehead from where he’d hit it on the dash. He rose a bottle of beer up to her as he smiled, and then took a long swig of it before he backed up and continued down the driveway.

Casandra stayed put for a moment, not wanting to do anything sudden for fear he might be back soon. After it was obvious that he wasn’t coming again, she quickly ran back to her room and began dialing her sister Rayleen on the phone.

It rang for what seemed like an eternity, but finally she picked up. “Cassie!” Rayleen said through the phone. “Are you alright?”

Casandra was now crying. The toll of the situation had gotten to her. “I-I’m fine. I think I’m fine.” She said softly as she sobbed.

“No you’re not. He came again didn’t he? Are you SURE you don’t want me to come up for a few weeks while all this gets settled? Or better yet, you come down here with me.” Rayleen pleaded.

“No. He’s not going to run me away from home.” Cassandra said. “Besides, you don’t have the room for me.” She finished.

“We can make it work. I’ll take the couch and you can take my bed.” Rayleen offered.

Casandra declined her help once more, “Everything’s going to be fine.”

Rayleen was quiet for a long time before she finally sighed. “Sometimes you’re too head strong. That man is going to kill you if you keep this up.” She said, “If you won’t accept my help, then at least get somebody else to protect you. Even if you have to hire them.” Rayleen suggested.

Casandra looked very thoughtful. “Ray…You might be right.” She said. “I’m going to go now, I might have an idea.” She said.

She hung up the phone and immediately ran over to her computer. Keith would be a lot more wary if there was another man around, and that was exactly what she was going to do. She looked all over the web for bodyguard services, only to find that the prices were astronomical, and she couldn’t afford anyone outright. She began to grow frustrated. “Maybe I should just take Rayleen up on her offer.” She thought unhappily, but then she saw an obscure looking link that could be the answer to her prayers. All it said was “Keep Them Out.”

Her cursor lingered over the link for a moment. She prayed this would be the one, and finally took the plunge. On her screen, she saw pictures of several handsome men who had profiles to view. None of them seemed like they would be able to overpower someone. As she scrolled through, she didn’t know for sure if she liked her options. It seemed like the link had just played off of what she typed in. Sighing once more, she leaned back in her chair to think. What exactly could she do in order to get this done? She wasn’t going to sleep a wink now. Every time Keith did this, she found herself wide awake and unable to get back to sleep. She knew it was bad for the baby.

She was already 6 months pregnant, and her bump was quite pronounced at this point. Little Anne Marie was already kicking lightly, and in her mother’s frenzy, she was at it once more. Casandra rested her hand on her stomach to calm the child. This wasn’t good for either of them, and as much as she wanted to quit, she didn’t have a choice.

She began to scroll through the men once more. They were “for hire” husbands, there to stand in and protect where needed, or even to help keep up appearances. She felt kind of strange browsing these men. She’d never had trouble getting dates. After all, she was a beautiful woman, with vivacious curves and a gorgeous face. Her head full of chocolate colored locks fell in tight waves and her eyes were a stunning blue that stood in stark contrast to her mane. Obviously, this was what attracted Keith.

She started to get impatient with her search, but suddenly a box popped up on her screen. “Is this not what you’re looking for? Contact us directly for assistance.” A phone number sat there almost tauntingly. She was so far at her wits end that even though she wouldn’t normally do this, she picked up her phone to dial. This all seemed legitimate, so she was more concerned with her situation coming to an end.

The phone rang and finally a man picked up. She quickly went over her needs with him, “I need an intimidating man, someone who will scare the hell out of a lunatic and also be able to hold his ground.” She explained, “I don’t see anyone like that on the website.”

“Well, we typically keep those guys off the home page. Most of our clients are looking for the suave and metro types. If you’re here because you need some protection, then I know just the one for you.” He said. “You won’t be able to see his picture online. He’s not good with that sort of thing, but he’ll be perfect for you. He’s a part of a new group we just brought in.”

“Yes, yes fine. I don’t really care about anything but whether or not he can throw a man’s head through a brick wall if he has to.” Casandra said. “I won’t be using him for anything intimate or romantic. Once the day is done, he can do whatever he wants.”

The man was quiet for a moment on the other end. Casandra wondered if she had screwed up. “Great! Then he really is the one for you. Let’s go ahead and get the process started!” he said enthusiastically.

Casandra was taken aback by his excitement, but either way it was a good thing. She gave him the information he requested, and before long, she would meet her new “husband.” He would arrive the next day sometime towards the evening because of her circumstance. It was surprisingly more affordable than the bodyguard services, but she wasn’t complaining. By the end of the night, Casandra went to bed feeling more secure. She couldn’t wait to see the look on Keith’s face when he saw her new friend…

*****

It was 5:30 in the evening when Casandra found herself pacing the house frantically. Keith didn’t come every night, but if he did he always made it late. She had hoped her new husband would be here earlier so she could make sure he was right for the job. The more time she had, the better.

She realized that they weren’t trying to be romantic or anything, but she didn’t want to look a mess for her guest either. She dressed herself up in a pair of hip hugging skinny jeans tucked into a pair of hiking boots, which of course sported a comfy baby band. She wore a printed waffle-knit top and a puffer vest over that, and her hair was trailing down her back. Normally, she’d just stay cozy in a pair of joggers and a tee shirt now that Keith wasn’t with her. She tried to tell him she wanted to be more comfortable now that she was pregnant, but he never cared about her comfort. He was more concerned with her keeping a rigid routine to ensure she looked like a bombshell 24/7. After that escapade, this could be considered a bigger attempt at looking put together.

She sat down after a moment and put her head in her hands. Her heart was pounding loudly in her chest, and she could feel her nerves right at the surface. “Please be right, please be right…” she repeated to herself. After she’d gotten off the phone with the guy, she realized just how easily this sort of thing could go wrong. For the last day, she had been extremely anxious, and hadn’t even gotten a proper night’s sleep. She had caked makeup on her face to detract from her tired eyes.

A knock jarred her from her thoughts and her head shot up to look at her front door. She froze for a moment, as if this wasn’t really happening. After a bit of initial shock, she stood up and made her way over to answer it. When she opened the door, she was met face to face with a very large man. He had to be at least 6’3 or 6’4. His broad build was coated in dense, well pronounced muscle, which his clothing did not hide. She found that he was oddly dressed for the weather however. He was wearing a pair of boots and heavy jeans, but up top he only sported a comfy crew-neck tee shirt. His hair was low cut, and his eyes were deep and almost wild looking. They were an intense shade of brown that mesmerized her.