“Why are you crying? What’s going on?” she questioned, pulling back, looking me in the face.
I just shook my head, as more tears ran down my cheeks.
“Oh my God." Her hand went to her chest. “It's Mason? Did something happen to him?”
My brother re-enlisted for another two years in the Army, much to her dismay. I think they were now taking a break, whatever that meant.
I shook my head no, unable to speak.
“Mia Ryder! You almost gave me a heart attack.”
“I'm so sorry. Can you take me home please?” I leaned against the window welcoming the cool sensation from the air conditioning.
“Not till you tell me what's going on.”
“I don't want to talk about it!” I snapped, the hormones in my body on overdrive.
“Okay, okay...” She put her hands out in front of her. “You know you can talk to me, right?”
“I know,” I whispered, still staring out the window. “You'll find out soon enough,” I said to myself. As she drove off.
By the time we pulled up to my house, my parents’ and my uncle’s cars were all parked in the driveway. I walked inside like I was walking to my execution. The second I opened the door, I could hear them all arguing. Going back and forth on what was going on, how to handle me, and what would happen next. Like they were the ones to decide my fate.
“What’s going on?” Giselle questioned, going in first.
I shut the door behind me, following close behind her. Everyone stopped talking and all eyes fell on me, once we walked into the room. Momma was sitting on the couch, looking like she hadn’t stopped crying since the truth was thrown in her face. Aunt Lily was sitting beside her, rubbing her back. Dad was standing by the far wall seething, even more pissed than he was before I left Uncle Austin’s.
All of my uncles stood around the room. Giselle went over to her dad, Uncle Dylan, with a confused expression on her face, mouthing, ‘What was going on?’
I took a deep breath, sitting on the step that divided the foyer and living room.
“I know you’re all disappointed in me, but I swear I never meant for this to happen. It was my first time. You know me… I’m not this girl. We used protection. I guess it just broke.”
Giselle’s mouth dropped open, her eyes widening in shock.
“The girl I know. The baby girl I raised would have never spread her legs open for some piece of shit on a motorcycle,” Dad snapped, speaking to me in a way he never had before.
Giselle’s jaw hit the floor, knowing exactly whom my father was referring to.
“Lucas...” Mom coaxed, shooting him a warning glare. Aunt Lily shook her head, knowing where this was leading.
“What, Alex? You’re going to excuse your daughter for getting knocked up at fifteen? Who do you think is going to raise that baby? Huh? Who’s going to help her? We are! Forgive me if I’m not babying my kid for her reckless irresponsibility that’s going to fuck up her entire future and ours! What the fuck were you thinking, Mia?”
Maybe it was the hormones.
Maybe it was the lack of sleep I experienced since I found out I was pregnant three days ago.
Or maybe it was just not giving a shit anymore.
It couldn’t get any worse.
“Now, you’re not going to baby me? That’s a first. You think I wanted this? You think I’m ready to be a teenage mom? Are you for real, Dad? All you’ve done in my almost sixteen years of life is treat me like I’m still five-years-old. I can’t go here! I can’t go there! I can’t do this! I can’t do that! I’m surprised you let me go to school and not have Mom homeschool me so I don’t ever leave the house!”
He stepped toward me, but Uncle Dylan placed his arm out in front of him, stopping him. “You’re blaming this on me? For protecting you?!”
“For suffocating me!” I stood, striding over to him, not giving a shit if I was about to cross the line. “Mason messed up all the time! How about the time you found weed in his truck? How many times did he come home drunk before he even turned sixteen? How many times did the school call you because he skipped or got suspended? How many times, how many times, how many times… the list could go on and on and on. Did he ever get punished? No! What did you do… Nothing! He got a slap on the wrist. Why? Because ‘boys will be boys,’ right? Isn’t that what you said? Bo does whatever he wants. He’s never even had a curfew! You even let girls in his room! Wonder what he’s up to in there, Dad!” I paused to let my words sink in. “Me, on the other hand, I get straight A’s, barely ever missed a day of school, and can never leave the house! What did you expect would happen?!” I screamed, stomping my foot. Needing to have my voice heard for the first time.
“You have never given me the chance to make mistakes! You never let me learn on my own! It’s not fair! Yes! I messed up. I know that. I’m sorry! But I’m a good kid, I’m a good daughter.” My eyes watered with fresh tears, my voice breaking. “You making me feel like a bigger asshole than I already feel like isn’t going to change the fact that I’m pregnant. I have a baby growing inside of me,” I cried, wiping them away. “And no, I’m not crying for you to feel bad for me. I’m crying because I can’t stop crying! I can’t stop throwing up! I can’t stop feeling like shit! I can’t sleep! Trust me, I’m feeling every last bit of the consequences for spreading my legs, Daddy. You can’t punish me any more than my body, mind, and heart, already have and will continue to do for the next nine months!”
No one said anything for the longest time. I sat back down on the step, the nauseous feeling returning again with a vengeance. I placed my head in my lap, trying to breathe through the queasy feeling. Hoping it would go away fast, I didn’t want to throw up again. I hated it.
I felt someone sit beside me moments later, rubbing my back, trying to make me feel better. I turned my head to the side to see who it was. Never expecting it to be my mother. Sitting there with a look of disappointment, hurt, and remorse all at once. Making me feel like a bigger piece of shit.
“Deep breaths, Mia, it will subside,” she coaxed, pulling my hair off my back, keeping me cool.
Aunt Lily sat on the other side of me, handing me a glass of water, telling me to take slow sips. I knew it was far from over by any means, but it meant so much to me that my mom and aunt were at least trying to make me feel better. Silently praying that maybe they understood.
“Who is he?” Dad demanded in a hard tone. Shaking Uncle Dylan off.
I looked back up, taking in his expression I’d never seen before. He eyed me up and down as if he hated to see me hurting, but the disappointment was too much for him to overlook.
“It doesn’t matter,” I simply stated. “It’s not Creed’s, okay? Not the guy who showed up at Uncle Austin’s. It’s his younger brother’s. I know it doesn’t make this any better, but it was an accident. It’s my mistake. It will be my responsibility.”
Dad narrowed his eyes at me. “So he gets you pregnant and the little shit won’t take responsibility for his own kid? What’s his name, Mia?”
“I’m not telling you. You’re just going to go over there. You don’t know who you are dealing with, Dad. Who his friends and family are.”
“Mia, is his whole family bikers? Is that your concern?” Mom inquired, trying to connect the pieces together.
“I don’t know…”
“What do you mean you don’t know? We need to talk to his parents’. They need to know what’s going on. It’s not as simple as you saying you’re pregnant, end of story. The boy needs to—”
“I don’t even know him,” I blurted, interrupting her. Regretting my words immediately.
“You don’t know him?” Dad repeated, taking a long hard look at me. “What do you mean you don’t know him, Mia? He’s not your boyfriend?”
My heart was beating so fast, I thought it was going to fall out of my chest as I looked around the room. Giselle’s face filled with worry and guilt. I wanted to scream “This isn’t your fault!” bu
t I didn’t want to call her out. She was the only person who had been there for me. This had nothing to do with her.
So I said the only thing to be true. “I went to a party…”
My father closed his eyes like he knew what I was about to say next.
“One thing led to another. He was nice. I don’t know what else you want me to say.”
I didn’t want to go into more detail than that. If I mentioned the drinking then they would think he took advantage of me, which couldn’t be further from the truth.
“I’m sorry. I know that doesn’t make anything better. I just wanted one night to feel like a normal teenager. I know what my decision has cost me. I get it, okay? I can’t change the past. I wish I could, but it happened. I’m pregnant. Nothing is going to change that. He didn’t do anything wrong. It was all me. I take full responsibility for it. So, please… just drop it.”
“Does he know, Mia?” Aunt Lily asked.
I nodded. “I told him, but I don’t want him to be a part of anything. I just told him because it was the right thing to do,” I lied, already knowing what my father wanted to do.
I could see it in his eyes, everything I was saying was pointless. It wasn’t going to end here. That was for sure.
“Giselle,” Dad said, turning to face her. “Do you know who it is?”
She shook her head no.
“Do you know who Creed is?” he followed, cocking his head to the side.
She looked back at me for a sign of what to say. I pleaded with her through my eyes. Begging her not to tell him.
“What’s his last name?” Uncle Dylan broke in, looking down at his daughter.
If she gave him a last name, he could find him, he was a detective. All he needed was a last name.
“Giselle,” he warned in a stern tone.
She frowned, mouthing, “I’m sorry,” to me. Slowly peering up at her father and said, “Jameson.”
I lost the battle.
Now bringing the war to Creed.
CREED
I stormed into Ma’s house looking for Noah. He was nowhere to be found at the clubhouse, I waited for him all afternoon. He never showed up.
“Noah!” I shouted, barreling my way into his room. Slamming the door open, finding him sitting on the edge of his bed with his head resting in his hands.
“Jesus, honey, what is going on?” Ma announced, walking into the room behind me.
“Ma know? Did you tell her?”
He glared up at me. “Obviously not. How do you know?”
“You left your partyin’ gift in my trash.”
His eyes glazed over, opening his mouth to say something but quickly shutting it. Looking back over to our mother.
“Oh, no… Noah… please tell me, you didn’t?” she pondered, her intuition kicking in.
“I used a condom. I don’t know how this happened,” he exclaimed and it took everything inside me not to knock him the fuck out.
“Please… tell me it wasn’t one of the club whores. I will kill your father.”
“No, Ma. She’s the farthest thing from that,” he replied.
“How did—”
“You little shit!” someone interrupted her, banging on the front door. Echoing in through the open windows. “Come out here, you piece of shit! You think you can knock up my daughter! Use her! Get out here and talk to me man to man!”
“Fuck…” I rasped, pushing Noah back. “Stay,” I ordered him, my hand still placed on his chest.
I left before he could answer. Pulling out my gun and leaving it in my room. The last thing I wanted was to go head to head with Pippin’s father, so I left my gun behind. If we were fighting, it would be with our fists. Even though I didn’t want to disrespect him more than I already had. Allowing my anger to get the best of me.
With him and especially with Mia.
I couldn’t blame him for showing up here. I would’ve done the same if it was my baby girl.
“I’m not here for you!” he roared, when I opened the door. “Where is he? Where’s your brother?”
I was shocked when my mother pulled back the door, standing beside me.
“I know you’re upset, sir,” she calmly stated. “I’m his mother, Diane. I just learned of the news myself, seconds before you showed up actually. I’m not happy about it either, but how about you come inside and we talk like adults.” She stepped aside, gesturing for them to come in.
I eyed her warily as she walked past me with everyone in tow, flashing me a reassuring smile. Although it wasn’t under the best circumstances, I felt a sense of pride wash over me. Finally realizing how far she’d truly come.
“Would you like something to drink? Can I get you anything?” she asked, nodding to them.
They shook their heads no.
“Where’s your son?” her dad demanded not wasting any time.
“Lucas,” one of his boys with long blond hair, tied back in a ponytail coaxed.
I knew it was Giselle’s dad, the detective. I recognized him from the pictures in her apartment. Also from some of the run-ins he had with the club when I was a kid. He eyed me when he saw I was checking out his holstered gun, quickly peering right over the Vice Prez on my cut.
“I’m not here for a pleasant conversation, I want to talk to your boy. Now, where the hell is he?” her dad snapped, bringing my attention back to him.
“Listen, man, I feel ya, I know he fucked up. But it takes two to tango. She’s just as much to blame as he is,” I proclaimed, even though it killed me to think of Mia as anything other than pure and innocent.
My Pippin.
He was over to me in three strides, getting right up in my face. His boys immediately came over, getting ready to hold him back.
I stood taller, not backing down.
“She’s my baby girl!” he seethed, shoving them off. “That little shit knocked up my only daughter! If he’s man enough to get her pregnant then he needs to step out here and man the fuck up! Instead of sending his big brother. Tell him to get his ass out here or better yet.” He tried to sidestep me. “I’ll go back there and drag him out!”
“The hell you are!” I pushed him back, regretting it was already coming to this. “Gonna have to go through me.”
I learned right then that Mia’s old man didn’t fuck around. We had more in common than I ever would have thought.
He stumbled a little, catching himself on one of his boys. “Not a problem!” Charging me, he rammed his shoulder into my torso and slammed me back against the wall.
I instantly fought back, grabbing ahold of his shirt, trying to wrestle him to the ground. Both of us trying to gain the upper hand until his boys stepped in, yanking us apart. Holding us back while we tried to break free. Ma stood there and screamed the entire time for us to stop. Car tires screeched outside, bringing our attention to the front window, seeing a car slamming on the brakes. I watched Mia get out of the car before it even fully stopped. Running up to the door with Giselle not far behind her.
I shoved them off of me, opening the door for them before they knocked. Mia instantly looked around the room with a worried expression written clear across her face, knowing exactly what just went down between me and her old man.
“Please… Don’t do this,” she pleaded, running to stand in front of her father. Placing her hand on his chest, hoping to calm him.
“Mia, what are you doing here?” he questioned, breaking the silence.
“You can’t do this! It’s not going to change anything! Please… it’s not Creed’s fault!”
“It’s not your fault either, Mia,” Noah announced, walking into the room. Never fucking listening to a word I said.
“This him?”
Mia nodded, holding her father back.
“I’m Noah,” he added, glancing over at Mia who had a surprised expression on her face. “Sir, I take full responsibility for my actions. You want a man, here I am.” Rendering him speechless and everyone else for that matter.
; Her dad eyed him up and down, taking in his tattoos, his cut, and the way he was standing. Then back at me, looking at me the exact same way with nothing but hatred and rage in his glare.
“How old are you?” he sneered through a clenched jaw.
Fuck, I knew where this was going…
“Eighteen, sir,” Noah replied, eyeing me. Knowing what he was insinuating.
“You little shit! I’m going to have you arrested! She’s fifteen!” He lunged at Noah as I stepped in front of him, but he was quickly halted by the detective grabbing ahold of him at the last second.
Stating, “Can’t do shit, Lucas. In the state of North Carolina, it’s not statuary rape if they’re within four years of age from each other. She’s also almost sixteen. It’s the legal age of consent here, too.”
I jerked back, caught off guard by the information. I never knew that. Her dad just shook his head, backing away. Grabbing Mia and pulling her with him. Taking one last look at us and turned to leave.
Mia and I locked eyes the entire time.
Both of us thinking the exact same thing.
Her sweet sixteen was only two weeks away.
TWENTY-SIX
CREED
I lay in the grass near the old train tracks with one hand supporting my head and the other resting on my belly. Looking up in the sky, watching the fluffy white clouds pass, blocking the warm sun. Thinking how my life had changed and what was yet to come.
I turned sixteen two weeks ago, and I was ten weeks pregnant and counting. My parents’ were still pissed beyond belief, but my mom started coming around. At least we were on speaking terms, and she was willingly helping me. My dad, on the other hand, I was lucky if he looked in my direction. I steered clear of him on most days, not wanting to endure anymore of his disappointment. They made the decision to pull me out of school for the duration of my pregnancy. Mom started homeschooling me even though she had a restaurant to run.
Bo wasn’t happy when I told him either, but mostly because he was my big brother, being protective over me. Wanting to know who knocked me up and when could he lay the boy out. Making me laugh. Mason hadn’t called. He was deployed overseas again, and there was no knowing when he’d be in touch. So, I sent him a letter letting him know he was going to be an uncle and breaking the news it was Creed’s brother’s baby.