“Bold claim,” I say as he turns around. My eyes straight away lower, I can’t even help it.
I point at it when he takes a step in my direction. “Don’t bring that thing near me!”
Dex walks in and sighs when he sees Arrow’s bare state.
“Fuckin’ hell Arrow,” Dex barks, turning to me and checking my expression. I take this time to check him out myself. Black track pants on his narrow hips and no shirt. I could really get used to the view.
“I’m traumatized, but I’ll live,” I reply. “At least I know why you all call him Arrow. That thing points at its next victim!”
Arrow spins to me, his eyes wide with surprise. “I’m actually glad you’re here, this place was getting boring.”
“Arrow!” Dex growls, clearly losing his patience. “That boner better not be for my woman.”
Arrow laughs.
Dex stares him down.
I puff out a dramatic sigh.
“I’m gone,” Arrow finally replies, taking his plate of food and leaving.
“They don’t have to wear clothes on the account of me,” I tell him, wiggling my eyebrows.
The smile drops from my face, then I run to the bathroom just in time.
I hate morning sickness.
In my haste I didn’t lock the door behind me, and Dex comes in rubbing a hand down my back. How embarrassing. I think I could have gone through my life without a man seeing me throw up.
“Faye,” he says, sounding worried and a little horrified.
“I’m okay,” I manage to say, bracing myself.
“What do you need, tell me,” he implores, stroking my hair.
“Can you get me some water and maybe make me some toast with vegemite?” I ask him, really just wanting a moment’s privacy.
“Yep,” he says, quickly leaving to do the task. I clean myself up and brush my teeth before he calls out that my breakfast is ready. I see a plate on the bed with two slices of toast and a bottle of water.
“Thanks,” I tell him with a small smile, sitting down and taking a bite.
“Do you get sick every day?” he asks, frowning.
I lift my shoulder in a shrug. “Sometimes.”
“And you’ve been going through it alone these last few months?”
“Well, yeah. No one can really help me,” I say, chewing and swallowing. “It’s just something pregnant women go through.”
“Still, I wish I had been there for you,” he says.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” I tell him, looking down at my plate. Maybe I would have told him one day, maybe I wouldn’t. I don’t really know, to be honest.
“Why didn’t you?” he asks, the atmosphere in the room turning tense.
I consider it. “Eric told me you were the VP for a motorcycle club, and I realized I didn’t know you at all. We had a one-night stand; that was it. Even though we knew each other growing up—our age gap never really let us know each other. I guess I was telling myself I could do this on my own…”
“I went to Mum’s to visit, and I heard him telling her you were pregnant. I knew it was mine,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck. “Then I came to find you.”
“How did you find me?” I ask.
“Tracker didn’t get his name for nothing,” he says, lips curving into a megawatt smile.
We sit in comfortable silence for a few moments, watching each other. “What are we doing here?”
“You’re going to study and relax, and I’m going to take care of you,” he says, piercing blue eyes never leaving me.
Take care of me, how exactly?
Because I could use some taking care of right now.
“What’s going on in that head of yours?” he asks, raising an eyebrow at me in question.
“Oh, you know. The usual things,” I reply. “So how did you find yourself in an MC?”
“Sometimes you need to make your own family,” is all he says.
It’s all he needs to say, because I get it.
“Maybe I could do that,” I say, lifting the second piece of toast to my mouth. I don’t have my parents anymore. I don’t have Eric—who has been in my life a very long time. I have some cousins and family in Melbourne, but that’s about it. It would be nice to have people in my life I can rely on. People who can be there for me, and vice versa.
I wouldn’t take that for granted.
“You already are babe,” Dex replies in a gentle tone. “You aren’t getting rid of me so easily.”
“Who would have thought we’d be here right now?” I say, lip quirking.
“Not me, that’s for sure,” Dex says. “But I don’t regret it. Any of it.”
Well that’s nice.
Really nice.
“Thanks for strawbmaking me come here Dex. It’s a lot better than what I would be doing right now, living in a shitty motel and working my ass off to make ends meet,” I admit, letting the expression on my face show him that I was indeed grateful. I might not understand the appeal of an MC lifestyle, but I knew I had it better here than I would on my own.
I felt safe.
I didn’t have to work, instead I could continue my studies, giving me a more promising future.
I appreciated it more than I could express.
“You’re welcome babe. You know you’re stubborn as shit though, yeah?” he says, shaking his head at me, something like admiration shining in his eyes.