STAG: MC ROMANCE (Forsaken Riders MC Romance Book 7) (88 page)

Chapter Eight

Victoria left work early for the first time in almost a year around two weeks later and made her way quickly to the pharmacy. It was even colder now and she had brought out the double scarf and glove combo she had chosen when it all started and the ice seemed to be inside her. When she was looking at the shelves, she felt almost embarrassed. She couldn’t even explain why she wanted to do this in the first place. But maybe she already knew the answer.

Things had been okay for a day or two. The feeling of dread she had every time she opened her eyes clung to her, but she got used to it quickly and after a week she was so accustomed to it she felt almost protected. It was nice to know that someone out there was looking out for her. She had worked as usual and gone about her days as if nothing had changed. She avoided Helen’s requests for boozy nights out and rolled her eyes as she listened to her go on and on about her latest sugar daddy. She tried again to get Victoria to go and work at the club with her. She could tell she was feeling down and thought that she should quit her job and make some real money.

“Honestly, Helen, I’m fine,” she had told her. And in a way, she actually meant it. 

After the second week had passed, she felt movement. It was low in her belly and rose up to her ribcage. It seemed to lay dormant during the day, but then when the world went dark, it began. Some nights she would wake and feel like she was being pummeled from the inside out. Like her intestines were being wrapped around its fists and dragged up and down.

“Help me,” she would whisper through the dark, just hoping one of them would listen.

She placed the test on the counter in front of the cashier and he bagged it up. She spent the last of her cash on it and walked home slowly, delaying the inevitable.

In her bathroom she watched the clock for two minutes before she dared to pick up the white stick and check the result. She almost expected it to say she wasn’t, that she was in fact crazy and that she had imagined the whole thing. At least then she could go and root through her chest of drawers and find the leaflet for the shrink. She exhaled and said aloud, “I hope you’re all finding this funny,” and then she stood up and swiped the test from the side of the sink.

Two pink lines….

Pregnant.

“Fantastic,” she smiled.

She closed her eyes and willed him to her:
Come and get me… I know now… The time is right… Come and get me…

She lay in bed and looked up to the ceiling. The presence seemed stronger and the movements inside of her were powerful. Her belly was round, swollen, and protruding, and she knew it was going to happen. It was like her acceptance was all that was needed to bring the pregnancy to full term.

All around her the hum of what could have been an engine started. Light flashed before her eyes before she felt weightless once more.

The next thing she knew, she was waking up in a completely different room, in a beautiful house, with a gorgeous baby boy in a bassinet beside her. Victoria looked around and at the adorable little creature next to her. He was bright white skinned with large dark eyes and a cute little wisp of white hair.

“Hey, cutie,” she whispered as she ran her hand down his cheek.

“Oh, you’re awake.” The man’s voice came from the hallway and he joined her with fruit juice and toast on a tray. “I thought you might like these.”

It was the man from the bar. The alien man who had started it all and taken her to the ship. Victoria looked up at him, bewildered, and shook her head.

“What’s happening?” she asked.

“You’re being rewarded,” he moved closer to her and tipped her chin up so her lips met his, before he kissed her so deliciously slow that she thought she was going to melt in his arms.

“Rewarded?” she asked when they broke away.

“You’re the mother of The Lord’s heir… you are going to be looked after more than you could have ever dreamed.”

She looked down at the baby and then up to him.

“But… you?” she said.

“I’m a guardian,” he whispered, “I’ve been watching you for a very long time and I handpicked you for this, Victoria. The time had come, and it was right for you. This is your destiny.”

She sank back into the bouncing soft sheets and pulled her baby onto her chest. He was amazing. A wonderful mix of alien royalty and human humility. Victoria then looked up to the wonderful alien guardian by her side and felt the warmth spread throughout her body. She had finally got her happy ending… Her life had finally taken on some meaning. And she couldn’t have been happier.

THE END

Samantha Leal

Copyright ©2015 by Samantha Leal. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic of mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Thank you so much for your interest in my work!

Table of Contents

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

1.

After all of this time, it was finally happening. Emma watched Dale pack his bags. He was tipping the drawers out onto the bed and sweeping his clothes inside them in big crumpled balls, refusing to look at her as he went. She had never wanted this to happen, but after two years of trying to make their relationship work, she knew now that she had to cut her losses and get out before it was too late.

“Dale,” she whispered. “Please, at least talk to me.”

“I’ve got nothing to say,” he hissed as he zipped up one bag and started on the other. “I get it, you don’t want to be with me and that’s fine. What else is there to say…?”

Emma sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at him. He was right, but she still deserved some closure. They had been in each other’s lives for such a long time and even though it would be futile, it seemed wrong to simply end everything without a proper discussion.

It hadn’t always been so bad between them. When they first met, Dale had been everything she thought she wanted in a man. He was handsome, together, well brought up, and he had ambition and was going places. But as the weeks, months and years passed, Emma grew to realize that just because someone is conventionally good on paper, it didn’t mean that those particular set of characteristics were right for her. Dale was dependable and safe, he was a sure thing…and even though his predictability had become tedious and boring, that hadn’t driven her away. For all of his good points, he had one major flaw and that was he was unprepared to give her the one thing she wanted most.

Even though it had terrified her to admit it, she finally did one night as she watched him sleeping and knew that she felt nothing…

She needed more.

She needed something exciting.

Dale zipped up the second bag and turned to look at her.

“Let’s not leave things like this,” she began. “I never meant to hurt you.”

Dale held up his hand to stop her from speaking.

“Let’s not do
this
,” he said. “I don’t want to hear any more of what you have to say.”

“But…”

“No,” he said as he slung both of the bags over his shoulder. “I knew this was going to happen one day. I was just kidding myself.”

“You never really wanted me either, admit it,” she said, standing up to face him and placing her hands on her hips.

She remembered back to their conversations, all of the nights they had talked about their dreams and aspirations. He knew how much Emma wanted children, but he always laughed it off like she was a fool for having that basic human desire. It was like Dale had never even entertained the idea, and the more she brought it up, the more he seemed to resist. After a year, she had almost given up  talking about a baby altogether and that was when the love she had for him began to die. She knew what she wanted and he was never going to give it to her.

“I just don’t want to be forced into something,” he said finally. “But maybe we never have been on the same page.”

The relief Emma felt when he admitted it was overwhelming. She sat back on the bed, flopped backwards and closed her eyes, exhaling and letting go of all of the negative energy. It was sad to part with a person who had been her whole world for over two years, but she had put her life on hold and it eventually ground to a halt. She couldn’t wait forever for something that was never going to happen.

“So I guess this is it?” Dale said from the doorway.

They had shared that room for over a year and slept side by side every night. They had cuddled together underneath the covers and watched old movies, they’d eaten tubs of ice cream and Dale had helped her pick outfits for nights out with her girlfriends. But it was also the place where he had on a countless number of occasions made her cry, made her feel like she wasn’t good enough for him and repeatedly refused to discuss their future. Emma knew that when it really came down to it, there was no deep emotion running under it all. They weren’t unbreakable, and she knew that she could live without him.              

“Goodbye, Dale,” Emma said without even looking up.

He sighed and she heard his footsteps heading down the hallway before the slam of the front door. She was alone in the house for the first time in months, but she didn’t mind. She was about to completely restart her life, and this time, she was up for anything.

2.

“I can’t believe you actually did it,” Leanne said giddily as she poured Emma a refill on her coffee, as well as one for herself.

“No,” Emma sighed, “I can’t either...”

Emma had driven straight across town to see her best friend less than an hour after Dale left and now they were in the coffee house where Leanne worked on weekends. Emma had always liked the place; it was homey and welcoming, and if there was anywhere she had to be after a bad break-up, it would be there. She could sink back into the big, comfortable couches, turn off her cell phone and relax while enjoying some people watching. When Leanne was working, she didn’t have to worry about outstaying her welcome. The other staff barely seemed to notice her as she sat cradling her cappuccino and staring out the window as she watched the world go by.

“So how did he take it?” Leanne sat down on the arm of the couch and rubbed Emma’s shoulder.

“Not great,” she sighed. “In fact, he made me feel terrible.”

“He was a jerk, Em,” Leanne said, getting to her feet. “Don’t feel guilty, you just didn’t work… You both want different things.”

“I guess,” Emma said. “I know you’re right. I just hate feeling like this, you know?”

“Sure,” Leanne smiled. “But you did the right thing, you couldn’t keep ignoring how you felt… He was never going to commit all the way, and he seemed to just think he could string you along…”

“Yeah.” Emma smiled meekly as she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.

“Come on,” Leanne smiled. “Not only that, but now we’re free to let loose a bit.” She wiggled her eyebrows, and Emma couldn’t help but smile.

“Oh, God,” Emma rolled her eyes. “I dread to think what you have in mind…”

“Well, I’m not telling. You’ll just have to trust me.”

Leanne grinned and turned on her heel before making her way back to the counter and picking up her notebook and pen. It was nearly 5pm and it was getting busy in there. Emma let herself sink further into the couch, and she turned so her back was to the majority of the room. She didn’t want to risk seeing someone she knew who might ask how Dale was doing and where he was. That would be the last thing she needed, along with all of the awkward questions that would follow…

She sipped her drink and closed her eyes. It had been a long, emotionally draining day. All she wanted to do was go home and crawl into bed, but at the same time she wasn’t sure if she was ready to be alone. She opened her eyes and looked around. She noticed all of the happy couples sitting at the adjacent tables and she felt a small pang of jealousy. She had never wanted to end up single again, but she knew she had to be honest and true to herself, and Dale was never going to be the one.

On the table in front of her was a magazine aimed at women just her age. It was glossy and the cover had a gorgeous stick-thin model splashed across it with big, juicy, pouting lips. She opened it up and her eyes were instantly drawn to a two-page spread on dating for millennials. She shuddered at the thought.

Me, dating
… she thought.
I wouldn’t even know what to do
.

It had been such a long time since she had dipped her toe in the dating pool, she hadn’t even heard of half of the things that were listed in the magazine’s guide. Out of nowhere there were apps for meeting people around you or by similar interest, there were hook-ups and hot-or-nots. It all seemed so scary and intimidating. Emma closed the magazine and threw it back on the table.

That is not for me
, she thought.
I think I’d rather stay single forever
.

She picked up her coffee and finished it before getting to her feet. She swung her purse over her shoulder and made her way to the counter.

“I’m going to get going,” she said to Leanne.

“Okay, hon,” Leanne smiled and kissed her on the cheek. “What are your plans for tomorrow?”

She hadn’t even thought about it. The weekend loomed ahead, empty and terrifying.

“I don’t know,” she replied, “For once, I have absolutely nothing planned.”

“Good,” Leanne slapped her hands together. “I’ll be at your place at eight tomorrow night. I’ll bring some wine and we can have a few drinks before hitting the town.”

“Seriously?” Emma groaned. “I don’t think I’m ready to go out and be sociable.”

“What happened to restarting your life?” Leanne demanded. “That’s all you’ve talked about since you decided a few weeks ago that you were going to dump Dale, and now you’re backtracking.”

“I know, but…”

“No buts,” Leanne snapped. “This is exactly what you need, and I’m not taking no for an answer.”

Emma nodded her head and smiled. Although Leanne could be harsh with her and sometimes hard work, she did know how to bring her around and make her feel better.

“Okay,” Emma agreed, “I’ll see you at eight… Where are we going? What should I wear?”

“Don’t worry about that now,” Leanne grinned. “We can sort that out tomorrow. Just leave it to me.” She nodded at Emma with wide, confident eyes. “Now go home, get into bed, do your crying if you need to, and tomorrow you’ll be a new person and we’ll never speak about Dale again, okay?”

“Okay,” Emma smiled as she saluted her. “Thanks, Leanne. I appreciate it.”

“I know you do.” She tapped the cash register and it pinged. “Now go on, I don’t want to have to tell you twice.”

Emma laughed as she turned and walked towards the door, waving over her shoulder as she went.