Smokey (Hell's Bastards MC 2)

“It sounds perfect,” Ava said.

****

Smokey arrived at the appointment early with a bouquet of flowers. It was corny, he knew, but it was the best the florist had to offer. He’d talked to Abriana about the best way to win his woman back.

She’d said to give it time and attention.

Flowers were good. As were chocolate and food.

He stared around the parking lot. Ava had texted him five minutes ago to say she was leaving.

Leaning against his car, he waited for her.

The past couple of weeks had been slow. Big Dick and Hunter were still gathering as much information on the Twisted Bastards MC as they could. The few details he did have, he’d acted on. Creed owned two strip clubs and a brothel. Calling in a few favors from Carlos Santigo, he’d gotten all three places shut down and nice big fine for the trouble.

Smokey intended to take every single little bit of pleasure Creed found and make the bastard pay.

Slowly and painfully, he planned to bring the fucker down into the dirt, and then he’d crush them. Until he could accomplish his goal, he was content to tear the fucker apart.

Ava arrived twenty minutes later. She pulled up several cars away from him.

With the bouquet in hand, he walked toward her.

She looked up as he approached the car. “Good morning,” he said.

Ava looked pale. Under her eyes was dark as if she hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep the night before.

“Hey,” she said.

“These are for you.”

“They’re beautiful. You really didn’t have to get them for me.”

“You’re carrying my child. It’s the least I could do.” The flowers weren’t as big of a hit as he’d hoped.

Later today, he had a necklace due for delivery at her house. Would that work any better?

“I saw them and wanted to get them for you.”

“I appreciate them, Smokey. Thank you.” She laid them gently in the backseat. “Are you ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

She walked beside him, and he wanted to touch her. Sleeping was the worst for him. All night, he stayed outside her house, and it was in the morning he slept, fitfully. He’d gotten used to her being in his bed.

“What do you think to … you know, the baby?” she asked.

“I can’t wait to meet our guy or girl. I don’t care what the sex is. Have you felt it move yet?” he asked.

“Not yet. I don’t think. Sometimes I think I do, but then I can’t be sure if it’s wind. Crap, I can’t believe I said that. That’s so embarrassing.”

“Our kid is making you fart. I can’t wait to tell them that at their wedding.”

Ava burst out laughing. “They’re not even here yet and already you want to marry them off.”

“I’m planning ahead, you know?”

She snorted. “You’re so bad.”

“And you like it.” They got to the entrance of the hospital and Ava paused.

“Wow,” she said. “It was so easy to forget.”

“Ava?”

“No,” she said. “I don’t want to talk about it. Let’s just get this appointment over with.”

“I didn’t mean to upset you,” he said.

“I’m not upset.”

She paused, looked at him, and then turned away. He wanted to stop her, but instead, he followed her toward what he assumed was the pregnancy ward. They entered a room with a lot of heavily pregnant women, plenty of kids walking around. Men looking like they wanted to escape.

Ava signed herself in at the reception and took a seat. He sat beside her.

The room was quiet apart from random whispers of quiet, behave, and do something.

Ava rested her hands on her thighs. The dress she wore molded to her tits and waist, but flared out at the hips, hiding her stomach.

Smokey put his hand on top of hers, knowing she wouldn’t want to cause a scene.

Her hand shook beneath his, and he hated that he’d done this to them.

“You know, this wasn’t on the top of my list of experiences,” he said.

“No, I don’t imagine it was.”

He chuckled. “The club dominates everything. I never thought of having kids of my own.”

“Did you ever want them?” she asked.

“I didn’t even think about it. Not once. The club came first, and I’d have to trust a woman to want kids, which I never did.”

“And you still don’t trust me.”

He squeezed her hand as she tried to pull away. “I trust you, Ava. I fucked up. I made a mistake, but I promise you I won’t make that mistake again.”

“Smokey, this really isn’t the time.”

“When are we ever going to get time?” he asked. “We’ve got a baby on the way.”

She turned toward him. “You think I don’t know that? I do, but talking about this in front of a room full of strangers isn’t the time or place.”

Smokey held her hand. “Let me make it up to you.”

Ava tilted her head to the side. “You hurt me in so many ways, Smokey. You told them to. You packed my bag and was prepared to kill me.” He looked at her, but she turned away. “That’s not going to change with this baby.”