Road to Destiny (Scorpio Stinger MC Book 5) (17 page)

“Thank you, Eva.”

“You gave me a fright, hon. I’m just glad I heard you cry out.”

Ryder straightened up and put an arm around his sister and gave her a sideways hug.  I felt the loss of his body close to mine. How stupid of me to run away. I hadn’t solved anything by doing that except to be apart from my biker. It wasn’t something I ever wanted again.

“Ryder—” I bit into my bottom lip. There was so much to say and I didn’t know where to start.

“Hush, baby. Everything is going to be just fine, but first we have to get these babies into the world. You’re going to be induced as soon as Sylvia arrives.”

“What? No! The babies aren’t ready yet. What if—”

Ryder leaned back over me and held my face between his palms.

“Look at me, Jade.” It was a gentle command. I stared into his eyes. “Your water has broken. We don’t have much time to get the babies into the world. The doctor told me that they have every chance of survival if we act now. Sure they’re going to need help, but we’ve got the best damn team on the West Coast working with us.”

“I’m scared.” I grabbed his hand and squeezed it, digging my nails into his flesh. He didn’t flinch.

“I know, baby.” He leaned in to kiss me. Sweet and tender. Love poured from my heart as I returned his kiss. “I promise you it’s going to work out. Trust me, okay?” Ryder whispered near my ear.

Scrutinizing his face for signs of the dreaded twitch, I couldn’t detect anything. Either he was damn good at hiding it or he honestly had no reason to fear anything. I chose to believe the latter.

“Okay,” I whispered back, letting my body sink into the mattress.

Seems we were becoming parents soon, ready or not.

J
ade looked so helpless and vulnerable lying back against the pillows with her blonde hair strewn over it. Dark circles under Jade’s eyes sent a pang of guilt spearing through my heart.
She hasn’t been sleeping well—just like me.

“You have twenty minutes before we start the induction,” Susan, the midwife told us. “When there are complications like Jade has, it’s better to get the babies out as soon as possible.”

Middle-aged and with deep wrinkles running from her eyes to her mouth, I couldn’t help wondering how many new lives Susan had witnessed entering the world in her career. Something about her mannerism was kind and caring, yet I sensed that she could also be firm and tenacious when needed. Funny how one could size up a stranger within just a few minutes of meeting them.

Jade’s eyes widened and I saw a mix of anticipation and fear in their depths.

My heartbeat quickened and I swallowed hard. “I never imagined when I woke up this morning that I was becoming a father today,” I said dryly.

“I bet,” Susan said smiling at me before she looked around the room at everyone. “Shall we give them a bit of privacy before we let the games begin?”

Within a minute Sylvia, Eva and the other young nurse who’d been monitoring Jade’s blood pressure had left the room and closed the door behind them. This was exactly what we needed. The air was thick with all the unspoken words between us.

The funny thing? Our love for each other was fierce and beyond question.

But sometimes love alone wasn’t enough.

I’d learned that on the nights I reached for her in our bed and she wasn’t there. While my cock ached and my heart yearned for her, I’d discovered what kept two people together was
more
than love.

Love was just the beginning.
There
had
to be more if it was going to go the distance.

My mind was spinning with everything I wanted to tell her in the few minutes we had. I had so much to say that I didn’t know exactly where to start. Maybe with the most important thing? The one thing that was the truth she needed to hear from my lips.

I lifted her chin so she could look into my eyes. Hers were bright and filled with hope.

“I choose you, Jade. More than anything I want you in my life and by my side. You are my air. I can’t imagine my days without you.” My lips curled into a smile. “Or my nights. They suck when you aren’t there. When my arms are empty, my heart yearns for you, baby.”

Her breath hitched. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. Above everything I want you. If that means I have to leave the club, hang up my cut, and surrender my VP badge, I’ll do it in a heartbeat if you’ll have me back.”

She was staring into my eyes and straight into my soul. There wasn’t anything I wanted to hide from her. Not a thing. I wanted her to see that she was my true north.

Her voice cracked. “You’d do that for me?”

Tears spilled onto her cheeks even though she was smiling at me.

“I have no choice. Not really. It’s
you
that makes my life worth living. Nothing else. Not even the club.” I gave her a silly grin. “I’m the dumbest fuck in the universe.”

Jade didn’t even try to hide her amusement.

“You are,” she agreed with a smile, the tears on her lashes shining like diamonds. I stroked her cheeks with my thumb, drying the wetness from her skin.

“Careful now, Princess,” I warned with a raised brow. “I can still spank your ass, you know.”

“Hmmm, I’m looking forward to that. It couldn’t be half as painful as what I’ve been through today.”

The truth of that wiped the smile from my face. If I could take this ordeal out of her hands, I would. I hated seeing her in agony, yet I’d been a cause of a lot of it. I got onto the bed and lay beside her, rubbing up and down her back.

My heartbeat quickened just being so close to her again, our bodies touching as our gazes locked. She smelled so damn good and I couldn’t get enough of just staring into her eyes and drowning in them.

We lay in silence for the longest moment,

“It took you leaving me before I realized that without you it all means nothing. I want you to be my wife, Jade. I want us to be a family. I want that more than anything.” I cleared my throat. “I’m turning the presidency over to Razor. It’s the best thing to do. In time he’ll learn and he’ll turn out great.”

Jade laced her fingers through mine, her knuckles white as she pressed our joined hands to her chest. Beneath my palm the furious beating of her heart didn’t go unnoticed.

“Oh, Ryder! This must be so hard for you and I understand what you’re giving up for me.” She blinked a few times and her voice was thick with emotion. “I’ve been thinking too, and I realize that Cobra and Razor are your brothers and the guys are your family as much as my parents and brother are to me. I don’t know how, but maybe we can work something out.”

I held her face between my palms. I loved that she cared enough to want to compromise. It took a great person to be selfless.

“I fucking love you,” I said, my cock stirring because it hadn’t been inside my woman for a while.
She
was my home, no matter where the fuck we lived.

Our lips locked and I kissed her long and hard.

“I love you, Ryder. We’re in this together till the end.” Her voice was soft in my ear as I nuzzled my nose into her neck.

“Till the end, Princess. You and me, baby, you and me.”

What was it they said about fucking that brought on labor? Dirty thoughts ran through my mind just thinking about what I wanted to do to Jade. But it would have to wait because a knock on the door brought me back to reality.

“Come in,” I growled, not ready to let go of Jade just yet.

The clock was ticking.

One last kiss and I reluctantly rose from the bed as everyone eagerly barged back into the room. If that was twenty minutes, they were the shortest I’d ever experienced.

Jade rubbed over her stomach with large circular motions. In a few hours, her belly would be gone. We’d be a real family.

This was what I lived for. Breathed for. Would die for.

How could I ever have thought anything else?

M
y phone buzzed in my pocket, sending its urgent vibration through my body, the ringtone loud and startling in the quiet room. I watched as Susan prepared Jade for the birth of our babies and didn’t want to miss a damn moment of it, so I decided to ignore the call and let it go to the voice mail. I hoped it wasn’t important because I was going to be really busy for the next few hours.

When it rang for a third time, Susan gave me a tight smile. “I think we can spare you for a few minutes while you take that call.”

“Yeah, somebody really wants to talk with you,” Jade teased.

I looked sheepishly at the two women as I took the phone from my pocket and checked the screen.

Mia.

She knew I was out of the compound although I didn’t tell her why. When I told her to call me if she needed anything before I left, I hadn’t expected her to actually phone. Yet, she wouldn’t bother me if it wasn’t important.

“I’ll be back in a flash.”

Within a few long strides, I reached the door and left the room. The ringing had stopped so I immediately hit the button to call Mia back.

“Ryder!” she cried out within two rings. Strange sounds came down the line and I couldn’t make out if she was laughing or crying.

“Mia, is everything okay?” My voice echoed as it bounced off the walls back at me and I shuddered. I’d never get used to these damn cold and sterile hospital hallways.

“Sorry to bother you, but I have good news and I thought you’d want to know.”

My ears prickled. Not daring to get my hopes up that this was the news I wanted to hear about my friend, I spoke in the calmest tone I could manage. “Yeah?”

“Cobra. He’s awake. Isn’t that wonderful?”

“Cobra’s awake? That’s fucking awesome!”

“The hospital called me five minutes ago and I’m just on my way there with Ox. I’m so happy, Ryder. To think we had to decide about switching off the machines.” There was a sob in her voice. “I can’t imagine—”

I closed my eyes for a brief moment as a shiver ran up my spine. It was too horrible a thought to even dwell on for a second and one decision I was more than glad hadn’t been on my shoulders.

Mia’s sobbing grew louder and I wished I could give her a hug.

“Don’t think about that. You’ve been so brave through all of this, Mia. Cobra’s awake and that’s all that matters now.”

The crying died down after a while and I could hear Mia blowing her nose. I waited patiently although I was dying to get back into the room with Jade. I used the time to let the idea that Cobra was going to be around for a while longer seep into my bones and fill me with new appreciation for life.

Life and death.

Inevitable parts of being human. Yet I still sometimes struggled to deal with it.

This is going to be a good day.
Three precious lives to be grateful for and I’d smoothed things over with Jade.

“Thank you. You’re right and I’m just going to focus on Cobra getting better. I’m so damn lucky to have him back again.” Mia sounded better already.

“We all are,” I said, relief flooding me that I was off the hook in the best possible way. Even though I’d already made up my mind to turn down being pres of the club, Cobra coming back was a far better outcome.

“I’m going to insist Cobra retire from the club.” There was a firmness in Mia’s tone I hadn’t heard in a long time. “I couldn’t go through this again. I’ve aged ten years in ten days and the shooting would’ve taken a huge toll on Cobra too. We’ve got a long way to go before everything is fine again, and I’ll take every day as it comes, but Cobra’s days as president are over.”

She meant every word. Of that I had no doubt.

“Mia, shouldn’t Cobra be the one to decide?”

“No. Fuck that. Our lives are too precious to take more chances. I want my husband alive.” She let out a heavy sigh. “If he loves me he’ll quit putting himself in the path of more danger.”

“You know he loves you,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck. How would Cobra take the news? Once he was better, he’d want to get back to his job.

“Yeah, and I love him. But this ends here. He’s been given another chance to live.” Her breath hitched. “
Live
, Ryder, not sacrifice his life for the club.”

How could I tell her that the reason the contract was out on her husband was because of
her
? For stealing young Alessandra from the Don. For taking the blame for Daemon’s death.

Cobra’s life was the price demanded for his crimes.

All the things he did in the name of love. Things he would do again in a heartbeat for his woman because he told me so.

Just like I would for Jade.

Cobra and I were similar in so many ways, it was no wonder we’d bonded as brothers. He’d never want Mia to feel responsibility, nor guilt for his pain because ultimately what he’d done were his choices.

It was simply not my place to tell her the truth of why Cobra was in the position he was.

Some things were just better never spoken about.

“Hey, I’ve gotta go soon. Jade is getting prepped to have the babies. She had a complication and seems today is the big day I become a dad.” I couldn’t help the grin that beamed across my face, even if there was the slight tinge of worry nestled in my gut that wouldn’t be ignored.

“Oh, really? Here I’ve been rattling on about me and you’ve got somewhere else to be. I’m sorry.”

I waved it away as if she could see me. “No problem. I was going to call and tell you anyway once the babies were born. And I feel so much lighter now that I know about Cobra.” The doctor came down the hallway toward me and nodded before going into Jade’s room. I wanted to get back in there as soon as possible. “It’s good you called me, Mia. The doc just arrived, so I gotta go. Wish us luck!”

“I wish you luck and all the love in the world, Ryder. Tell Jade I’m praying for you all.”

“Thanks, Mia. I’ll call you when I have news, okay? And tell Cobra I’m coming to kick his ass for nearly dying on us.”

Mia let out a small laugh before I hung up. Now if only the fucking universe would keep bringing us good luck, everything would be just fine.

But then why was this churning in my gut not going away? I’d had enough shit to last me a lifetime and all I wanted was for Jade and our twins to be okay.