Romance: Sports Romance: ON SIDE (Secret Baby Pregnancy Football Romance) (Contemporary New Adult Fiction) (7 page)

Epilogue

One Year Later

Sitting on the front porch, Micah was silent, cradling our child who was fast asleep, to his chest. The porch swing swung back and forth, creaking ever so slightly. The humid air around us felt suffocating – at least to me. I knew the struggle to breathe wasn't just from the air, however. It meant he was close.

“Are you sure you're gonna be fine?” I asked, biting my nail as I stared at the two loves of my life.

“We're going to be just fine, Lucy,” Micah said softly, turning those dark eyes toward me. “I'm more worried about you.”

I felt the heat rising in my face. To look at Micah like that, knowing I was going to be spending the night with his brother, hurt. But a deal's a deal, and it kept both my boys alive and actually meant they had to work hard to repair their relationship. Neither one wanted to hurt me. The easier solution would be for Deacon to stay away for good, to never come by, but was that fair to him? Our daughter could very well be his, and while Deacon wasn't the perfect fatherly-figure, he still wanted to see her. Even if it meant he stayed on the sidelines, posing as her uncle.

“I'm going to be okay, Micah,” I said, bringing his hand up to my lips. “And I'll be back here in the morning. I'll be back in your arms as long as you'll have me.”

“I'll always love you, Lucy. No matter what happens tonight. I know I couldn't ask you to cut all ties with him, knowing what I know now. Knowing how it hurts you when you can't go to him.”

“This is why I love you more than life itself, Micah Walker,” I said, leaning forward and brushing my lips against his. “This is why you'll always be the only true love in my life, the father of my children, and the man I spend all of the eternity with.”

I got one night with Deacon every few months, Micah got eternity. Deacon might consider that the raw end of the deal at times, but truthfully, he knew that family life wasn't for him. Marriage wasn't for him. Fidelity wasn't his forte. This way, he could sleep with other women, do as he pleased, and while I worried about his safety – because part of me would always care about him – he wasn't my entire world.

My world was right there, on the front porch of our home. Micah and our daughter, Ava. Ava Walker wouldn't have to grow up to be a typical Walker – which in terms of Walker women meant subservient to the men in the family. No, not my daughter. Not my little girl. Even Deacon agreed with that when we found out I was having a girl. He didn't like the way his father treated his mama, never liked the way women were treated amongst the lions – even though they did a bulk of the work rearing children and caring for the family while the men went on runs and got into trouble.

That was no life for me. That was no life for Ava.

Micah, on the other hand, was the perfect father. Doting, gentle, and absolutely in love with his little girl. Her room, once we found out what her sex would be, was decked out in pink polka dots, with her name hand-painted by him above her bed. When Deacon saw it, he'd actually complimented his brother, said there's no way he could have ever done something like that.

This arrangement might not be ideal, but it did bring the two men closer together in a way I could never have imagined. You'd think sharing a woman would tear them apart, and at first, it looked like it might. But they both knew their place in my heart, they both knew how important they were to me. Micah knew to never doubt my love. Even a night with Deacon wouldn't keep me from coming back to his arms or his bed.

I felt him before he even spoke, but his words still sent a shiver down my spine.

“Hey Lucy, Micah,” Deacon said, standing on the stairs.

He'd walked all the way here, knowing I wouldn't climb on the back of his bike anymore. It was too dangerous. I had a child to think of now.

“Deacon,” Micah said, nodding at his brother.

“How's Ava?” Deacon asked, looking down at the bundle in Micah's arms. “May I – ”

“Sure,” Micah said, standing up and walking over to his brother.

Normally, Micah might launch into a lecture on how to hold her, how to keep her head steady, but they'd worked through all that the last time. He'd given Deacon a lesson on how to properly hold a baby, and it seemed as if the tough guy had actually taken notes. Deacon smiled down at her and her eyes fluttered open as she was passed from one man to the next. She smiled, briefly, but it very well could have been gas. Not that we'd tell Deacon that because he was beaming with joy.

“She smiled at me,” he said.

“She loves her uncle Deacon,” I said softly.

Deacon kissed Ava's forehead before passing the baby back to Micah.

“Ready to go?” Deacon asked me, his voice choked up ever so slightly.

“Yeah, just give me a second, okay?”

He nodded. I turned to Micah, kissing Ava on the head. “I love you, sweet baby girl. Mama will be back in the morning.”

“You don't have to leave, if you don't want to,” Deacon said from behind us.

I stopped and locked eyes with Micah. Did he just – ? Did Deacon just offer to let me out of my end of the deal? I waited to see what Micah might say, thinking he'd leap at the chance not to share me. But Micah stroked my cheek, kissing me, before saying, “It's up to Lucy. I'm more than happy to let her have a night with you if that's what makes her happy, brother.”

“Thank you,” I mouthed to Micah, leaning into the softness of his touch. “I love you.”

“I love you too, baby,” he said, kissing the tip of my nose. “I love you too.”

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Owned & Claimed: Ava

By Em Covax

Chapter One

AVA

Sidling into the booth, hiding away in the far corner of the bar, I sat back watched everyone quietly. The bartender eyed me from behind the bar, but only because he was checking me out. Probably not because he knew who I was. I didn't order a drink, which might have looked suspicious if not for the fact that I was a lone female sitting in a bar. It made it look like I was waiting for someone – or better yet, looking for someone.

And in a way, I was.

No one in this town knew me – or at least they didn't think they did. A bunch of different people had seen me since I'd gotten back but nobody realized who I was. I'd been born in this God forsaken town a long time ago, but my family had moved me away. Thankfully so. But now, my family was dead. Wiped out. Well, except for one person – and that one person was supposed to be coming in this cheap dive bar tonight.

I had no doubts that when he saw me that he'd recognize me. Though he hadn't come to the funeral and we hadn't seen one another since before my parents died, I just knew he'd know me on sight. Just as I would know him on sight. There's no way I wouldn't be able to recognize him, considering the fact that he looked exactly like my father. They were twins, after all.

Raised voices and a raucous noise pulled my attention to the door. Several men inside stood up, their posture tense, almost as if they expected trouble. In walked my uncle, standing tall and proud, and beside him were his brothers. My parents kept me sheltered from my uncle's more private life, and even he didn't talk about it very much around me.

But I knew. I knew who he was and what he did. I wasn't blind, nor was I stupid. I knew what those tattoos meant and I heard the gossip around town every time he came for a visit. Nobody ever said my uncle was a good man, but what others thought of me or of him really didn't matter much. All I knew was that he'd always loved and cared for me, just as he'd loved and cared for my parents.

I was slightly surprised when I saw him. His long, black hair had more silver in it than the last time I'd seen him. His dark eyes were dimmer and were now surrounded by crow's feet. He'd lived a rough life already, it was written all over his body. And I was pretty sure the last few months had probably been even harder on him.

His dark eyes scanned the room before landing on me. I felt a strange rush of nervousness, but I smiled, waving at him. He smiled at me, and this smile was the real deal. It went all the way up to his eyes. He said something to the man behind him before leaving the group he'd come in with and rushing over to me.

“Ava,” he said, reaching out for me.

I stood, reaching out for him with tears in my eyes. “Uncle Deacon,” I whispered.

“Oh God, sweetie...” he said, kissing my forehead. “Look how big you are! You're nearly grown!”

“I'm almost twenty, Uncle Deacon,” I said, wiping my eyes and laughing at the same time. “I'm not a kid anymore.”

“Twenty years old? Really? Dammit, where did the time go?”

Deacon sat down beside me after I'd taken my seat, wedging his big frame into the booth. He couldn't stop staring at me and smiling.

“You look so much like your mama, you know that?”

“That's what everyone says. But I don't see it. I see more of you and daddy in me, what with the dark hair and eyes and all.”

“Yeah, I can see Micah in you too,” he said, his voice going soft and his eyes shining like he was fighting back some tears. “But you most definitely have your mama's smile and good looks.”

I playfully punched him in the arm, mainly to try and keep the conversation from turning too dark, too fast. It was my first time seeing my uncle in a long time and I wanted to spend a bit of it laughing and reminiscing about the good times.

But I knew that whether I liked it or not, we'd have to talk about their deaths sooner or later. That was why I'd been looking for him, after all. I needed answers to some questions I had. And I felt that he was the only one who could give them to me. I sighed, knowing that the lighthearted portion of our reunion wasn't going to last long.

“Listen,” I said, taking a deep breath and trying to prepare myself for what I was about to say. “You know my parents were murdered, right?”

Deacon raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

“They weren't in a car accident. I don't care what anyone says – I was there.”

“You were at home, Ava,” Deacon said, his face softening around the edges. “You weren't there at the time.”

I licked my lips and sighed. Yeah, that's what everyone said when I tried to explain my side of things, but there was more to it than anybody knew. More to the story than I could tell anyone. But Deacon, I knew I could trust.

I leaned forward, glancing around more out of habit than anything else. Deacon leaned in closer too. “Before they left that day, someone had stopped by – someone I didn't recognize. He was looking for you, though.”

Deacon's eyes narrowed and his whole body tensed up. “What did he look like?”

“Hispanic male, about thirty years old, I think? Maybe forty? Muscular with long, dark hair. And his eyes – ” I couldn't even being to describe them, but they were haunting. And remembering them, even so long after I'd seen them, still sent chills down my spine.

“Did he have any tattoos?” Deacon asked me.

I nodded. “Several. But the one I remember the most was in Spanish. Monstruo? Or maybe El Monstruo?”

Deacon stared at me as if he'd just seen a ghost. His entire body was tense, and his strong jaw line was clenched tight. He gritted his teeth and balled up his fists.

“What is it?” I asked him. “Do you know – ”

“Yes, I know who that is, Ava,” he said sternly. “And to be honest, you'd probably be better off forgetting you ever met that man.”

“Do you think it had something to do with the accident that day? I mean, we both know my mom wasn't the best driver – but to stall on the train tracks like that?” My eyes welled up with tears. “What makes it even more unbelievable to me was that my dad didn't do anything to stop it? He couldn't have been conscious when that happened. You know that as well as I do.”

“I didn't know what happened, honestly,” Deacon said, staring down at his hands. “I'd only heard there was a car accident and avoided the rest of the details. I'm sorry about that, by the way. I left you all by yourself because I just couldn't face the truth.”

For months, I'd been angry at my uncle for not coming to the funeral, for not visiting me. But I remembered that he had never been all that reliable. My mom often joked that the only thing you could count on Deacon for was to show up at the most inconvenient time and cause trouble. And he did. He seemed to bring mayhem with him wherever he went.

“I forgive you, Deacon,” I said, reaching out and taking his hands in mine.

He started to say something else, but another man walked up to the table, giving us both an apologetic look. Not that he recognized me, but he could obviously see we were having a moment.

“I'm sorry to interrupt, Deacon – ”

“No, it's fine,” my uncle said, standing up and giving me an apologetic look. “I'll be right back, Ava. I have some business to take care of here.”

I watched as my uncle walked away with the other man. They went to the bar and sat with another man – someone much younger than both of them. He was closer to my age but looked like he was still older than me by a few years. His skin was dark, as was his hair. I couldn't see his face, but even from across the room, I could see from his build that he was big. A strong man, but with more lean muscle than my uncle. And he didn't have the tattoos that literally covered Deacon's body. The three men talked, though I couldn't make out what they were saying. My uncle smiled and patted the younger man on the back before he called out to the group who was gathered around him.

“Listen up, assholes,” Deacon said, pounding his chest. “As many of you know, I'm preparing to step down as leader of this group in the coming months.”

Groans and boos broke out within the bar – all from Deacon's group.

“I know, I know, you don't want me to, but it's time to face facts. The Lions need some fresh meat in the mix, and since I don't have any children to pass my position down to, I've chosen my successor and he's someone I admire a hell of a lot. I know he'll do right by all of you, keep you out of trouble.”

The group laughed.

“Okay, maybe not, but hell – he's sure going to be better at that than I am, right? Besides, I'm personally grooming him to take over. So if you like me, you're gonna love him. And if you hate me – well, at least it's not me, right?”

More laughter broke out, though I could see a few guys – not members of his group – starting to look uncomfortable by the amount of noise and excitement in the room. When Deacon's Lions got out of hand, things could easily go sideways very quickly – even a celebration could turn ugly. Sometimes, things even turned deadly. Or so I'd heard. I'd been sheltered and wasn't allowed to witness anything like this before to know for sure.

“Most of you know Elias by now, and there's a reason him and I have been spending a lot of time together lately,” Deacon motioned for the man sitting on the bar stool to stand up, and when he did, my eyes grew wide.

He was muscular in a lean way but also tall. Taller than most of the people in this place, easily. And his skin was darker, signaling that he wasn't purely white, but was probably mixed with something. His eyes should have been dark to match his skin and hair, but instead, they were a bright hazel color. Almost green. And they stared over at me for some reason.

I tried not to waver beneath the weight of his gaze, but it was hard. His face appeared chiseled from stone, but yet, somehow appear to remain soft because his eyes were large and his lips very full. He could have easily been a model, the roughness of this life hadn't hit him yet. He appeared to be young – very young actually. His boyish face was so out of place amongst the hardened and grizzled men in Deacon's gang. But he'd earned my uncle's respect, so that had to count for something.

And the rest of the gang seemed to respect him too. Men came up and clapped him on the back, congratulating him. No one was challenging him or my uncle, though some men seemed sad to see my uncle step down. Not that I blamed them. He was a legend. But that was part of the problem. People knew who he was, knew him as the leader of the gang and that wasn't good for them. Even I knew that and I knew little about motorcycle gangs other than what I'd heard from people after my parents' death.

Deacon spoke to Elias before walking over to me, alone.

“So I guess you've heard the news,” Deacon said, running a hand through his hair. “I'm retiring from this life, Ava. Something your parents would have loved to have witnessed in their lifetime. I'm just sad they aren't here to see me actually go through with it.”

“But they are, Deacon. And you know it.”

“Yeah, I guess if you believe in that whole afterlife bullshit, but you know me – ”

“I'm not talking about that. I mean in spirit. There is something after this life, Deacon, that much I know.”

“Yeah, whatever helps you sleep at night, kid,” Deacon said with a smile.

“I'm not a kid anymore,” I said sternly. “Now sit your ass down and tell me about the man who probably murdered my parents.”