The sun was out, and the day was gorgeous. Instead of spending her lunch hour cooped up in the office, Mandy had locked up, since Charity was doing home visits with clients, and walked the block down to the coffee shop. Today she was hungry; her stomach actually growled with hunger instead of trembling with the possibility of sickness. Going inside, she ordered a plain turkey sandwich, some fruit, and a sweet tea. Probably wasn't the best meal she'd ever had, but it sounded so good she couldn't deny herself.Taking her plate and drink out onto the sidewalk, she spotted an empty table in the outdoor seating area. It wasn't directly in the sun, but it was enough that she'd feel the warmth on her face. Having a seat, she moved her sunglasses to the top of her head, pushing back her longer pieces of hair, and took a large bite of her sandwich.Nothing had ever tasted so good in her life. It was as if her taste buds had come alive this morning. Everything smelled differently too, but th
"I don't want you to have to do this," Samuel argued as Deacon and Dalton sat in the kitchen of the little trailer, explaining to him what they were going to do. His face wore a mask of irritation, and he angrily flicked the ashes of his cigarette into an ashtray, his hand shaking as he brought the filtered tobacco up to his mouth and took a long drag.Dalton had never been so annoyed in his life. Trying to make this man see the truth and the light of day was beginning to wear on him. In his uncle's mind, he thought he could come up with the money he owed by himself. "Listen, I'm in the position that I can ask for it." Didn't mean he wanted to, but he would."It's not your job to save me." Sam leveled him with a stare.It was a stare that would have scared him back when he was a teenager, but these days Dalton faced scarier truths. Namely one about five foot six with long dark hair and the most soulful pair of hazel eyes he'd ever seen. After the night at Mandy's he'd realized wh
Mandy sat in the waiting area of Dr. Sparks' office. This early, she was the only one there, and she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed when she'd gotten there and there was no sign of Dalton. She had been telling the truth about not wanting to pressure him. If he wanted to be a part of their child's life, that would be his decision to make.Scrolling through her phone, she opened her social media account, and a memory popped up. It was dated a year ago, and it was a picture of the two of them. He had his arms around her waist, his chin resting on her shoulder. The smile on his face was geniune, and the look he gave her was one of unfiltered love.It brought tears to her eyes, but they weren't the tears of despair she'd been crying lately. These were good tears, they were a display the love the two of them had shared, and she had hope for the first time they'd get it back.Him stopping to join her for lunch yesterday was a huge step in the right direction. Something so
As she had driven over to a small café on the other side of town, Mandy had kept her eyes peeled on the bike behind her. She'd been waiting for him to turn at a stoplight or keep on going when she'd pulled into the parking lot, but he hadn't. He'd kept his bike tucked in behind her car, following every move she'd made."Is this okay?" she asked, as she got out and he parked next to her.He surveyed the parking lot. It was pretty empty this time of day, and they would have some sort of privacy."This is great." He took his helmet off and stuffed his gloves inside, hooking it on the taillight of the bike."Are you okay?" she asked, offering her hand to him. He'd become uncharacteristically overcome with emotion when he'd heard the heartbeat of their child. It'd brought tears to her own eyes as she'd watched him struggle to get a grip."I'm good." He squeezed their hands together.As they'd left the appointment, he'd put the ultrasound pictures in his wallet, almost as if they
Subconciously, both of them lingered over the pie and ice cream until there was nothing left. They made small talk, dug their forks in, and dragged their time out as long as possible. It was nice, though, being with one another again while letting the expectations go.Finally, Dalton set his fork down on the plate and cleared his throat. "I know I promised you answers, and I'll give them to you. The only thing I ask is you let me finish before you start asking. If I don't get this out now, I'm not sure I ever will."Mandy set her own fork down and took a drink from her glass, watching him with wide eyes. This was the scariest situation she'd ever been in. What he said here pretty much made or broke their relationship, and damn if that wasn't a lot of power to give another person. "Okay, I promise. I'll let you get this out, but only if you let me ask anything I want when you're done."He considered her request. It was fair, even if she asked something he didn't exactly want to an
This time, Mandy followed Dalton. They made their way out of the city and into the county towards the Heaven Hill clubhouse. As she gripped the steering wheel, the palms of her hands were slick. Worried about how her Dad would take this was an understatement. He'd spent the years since he'd come into their lives protecting them. It would kill him to know Heaven Hill would possibly have a target on its back.She had meant what she said though; she would make sure her family stayed together, no matter how hard it would be. If there was anything her mom had taught her, it was that. Mandy knew many people would call her a doormat because she wanted Dalton in her life, but she also knew she had a huge capacity for forgiveness. She called on that now, because Dalton needed to be in their lives. She breathed a sigh of relief as they turned onto the gravel drive leading back to the clubhouse. It was a landmark she always watched for. When she pulled into the driveway and her tires crunched a
They entered the room, Liam walking immediately to the opposite wall, facing it instead of Dalton. Knowing now wasn't the time to question the man in front of him; Dalton had a seat at the table and waited for him to speak. He could feel blood dripping from his lip, but he refused to try and staunch the flow. Adrenaline, anger, anxiousness—it all coursed through him at thousands of miles an hour.When Liam finally turned around, his eyes were hard. They weren't the mirrors of understanding they usually were when it came to his guys. It was obvious he wanted answers. "Tell me all of it now, and before you even think of lyin' to me, know that I've had Steele checking on you. The best thing you can do for yourself and the unborn child you hope to see grow up is be straight with me."Dalton took exception to the implication Liam had the power to keep his child from him, but he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut about it. "You know when we were younger Samuel had the gambling probl
"Dad?"Both Dalton and Liam glanced up at the soft voice in the doorway. Mandy entered the room cautiously, obviously not sure what was going on, or what had gone down."Have a seat," he invited her to sit next to Dalton. For the first time, he looked at her like she was truly an adult. She looked so much like her mother, it stole his breath. He could see the same glow Denise had when she was pregnant with Tatum. If he'd been looking closer before, he probably would have been able to tell she was pregnant, because she looked just like Denise had. Chest bigger, skinnier in the stomach. Obviously his girl had done the sick thing like her mother before her.She took the seat offered, smiling softly at Dalton as he took her hand. For the first time since this began, they were presenting a united front. Letting go of her hand, he put his arm around her, pulling her in close to his side. It felt good not to be alone and facing this man who'd meant so much to her for so long. But to say