The last week has been the best of my life. I would have thought it couldn’t get better than it already had, but I was wrong. We had dinner with Thea’s parents and my mom a couple of days ago. It went smoothly. It was a little awkward discussing marriage with Mom, considering everything going on, but she was happy for us. Bull made sure to ask me to come back to the club, but it’s not really an option right now. I miss my brothers. I’m not going to lie about that. Hell, every morning I get up and get dressed, I find myself reaching over to grab my cut to put on—only to remember I don’t have one anymore.
Getting Thea’s name tatted on me was good, too. Still, it hurt like hell to cover up the club’s mark. I’ve still not spoken with my father. I don’t really know what to say to him and I’m not ready to let go of the betrayal I still feel.
I push my thoughts away. I have crap I need to accomplish today. I’ve been working at the garage, so the yard has become a jungle. After I mow the grass, I’m going to straighten up the house, then run out and pick up Thea’s favorite meal from the Gondolier in town. Thea has been doing more than her fair share lately. I want to spoil her a bit. Maybe I’ll run by the floral shop in town and pick her up some flowers.
Before I can start on my to-do list. The doorbell sounds and I huff out an annoyed breath. It’s probably my dad. I’ve been expecting him. I know Bull has probably told him that Thea and I are engaged. Shit.
I open the door trying to figure out how in the hell to avoid this discussion, but everything in me comes to a screeching halt when I see Gabby standing at the door. My blood runs cold.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I growl.
“We need to talk,” she says and her voice—which I used to love—is nasally and makes my fucking skin crawl.
“We have nothing left to say to one another. How did you know where I live? Jesus, are you stalking me, Gabby?”
“Get over yourself. Are you going to let me in or are we going to have this conversation here for your neighbors to hear?” she asks with a damn smile on her face.
“I don’t want you in my house and I’m sure Thea wouldn’t want you in here, either. I also don’t want to fucking talk to you. Go spread your bullshit elsewhere.”
I step back to close the door in her face, but she puts her body in the way. “Either let me in, or I’ll scream to your neighbors that I’m pregnant and my baby daddy won’t even talk to me.”
“You’re not pregnant,” I huff. “Bitch, I haven’t even seen you in months.”
“And that’s why I have a nice little baby belly,” she purrs.
She’s got a flowing sundress on. To be honest, you can’t tell much about her body in it. She puts her hand on her stomach, pulling the fabric tight and fuck, her stomach is pooched out in a way I’ve seen on Lyla and Kayden. My blood runs cold. I feel all my dreams crashing around me again and the person doing it is the same one who has ruined so much for me already. Fuck, I know it’s not solely her fault. I fucked up huge, but she pulled strings and played me like a fucking fiddle, too.
All but stumbling backward, I let her in. I can’t fucking breathe and I’m pretty sure I’m going to be sick. The idea of any woman other than Thea pregnant with my baby is revolting. This can’t be happening. She must be lying. At the very least, if she’s knocked up, it’s not mine.
“You’re lying. We always wore condoms. I fucking insisted on them,” I argue.
“We did except for the last night we were together. The night you begged me to come to you. Remember? You wanted me bare that night.”
Her smugness is pushing buttons I didn’t even realize I had. My hands shake with the need to choke the life out of her. “You’re lying,” I growl. “I don’t care how drunk I was. I would never want you like that. I didn’t want kids with you when I was willing to claim you as my old lady. I sure as fuck wouldn’t now.”
“I’m not lying, and we both know it. You need to break things off with Thea. We belong together and now we’re going to have a baby. Honey, we’re meant to be. We’ve always known that,” she says, trying to be seductive by lowering her voice and putting her hand flat against my chest. She angles her body so the low-cut dress she’s wearing flashes most of her breasts. I ignore it, grab her hand, and pull it away from me. I don’t want her touch.
“I want nothing to do with you. You disgust me, Gabby. You’re nothing but a liar and have been all along. I was just stupid and didn’t see it. If you are pregnant and the baby is mine, I’ll take you to court for custody. You’re not fit to be a mother, and I would never allow you to raise my children.”
“You can say what you want, but we both know you won’t be able to. If you want to be a part of our child’s life, you need to stop being stubborn. We can have everything we used to dream of. All you have to do is kick your whore to the curb.”
I snap. Everything she’s saying, the way she’s acting like she’s better than Thea, and calling my woman names is slowly killing me. Hell, the fact she’s here announcing she’s pregnant is destroying the happiness and life I thought I finally had in my grasp. I can’t take anymore. I wrap my hand around her neck, walk her back, then pin her to the wall. Gabby squeaks, and I see fear enter her eyes. That soothes me. She should be afraid. It’s taking all I have in me not to choke the life out of her right now.
“Thea isn’t like you. She doesn’t spread her legs like they’re a revolving door for the next customer.”
“Dom,” she whimpers, panicking, while clawing at my hand.
“If you ever call her a whore again, you will not like how I retaliate,” I bark, releasing her. She crumbles against the wall, gasping for breath. Her hand moves up to caress her neck. As I step away from her, she gets a little braver. She stands up, shaking her head back and forth at me.
“You’re not going to do anything to me. I’m carrying our child. I will be this child’s mother. We’re partners in this, and you need to get that into your brain.” I literally feel sick to my stomach. How do I tell Thea any of this? Gabby is gaining steam as she walks around the room. “This place is a little small, but livable, I guess. I hope you at least have a room for a nursery. I’ll be moving in soon and we will need a room for the baby.”
“No fucking way. Hell will freeze over before I allow you to move in here. This house is mine and Thea’s. You’re never living here.”
Gabby actually laughs. When I look at her, I wonder how I ever thought she was a good person. She’s fucking enjoying this. “Poor, clueless Dom. Do you really think Thea will stay with you once she discovers that I’m carrying your baby? You need to stop fighting this. The two of us are meant to be. Now, I’m not like her. I’ll forgive you for sleeping with Thea. After all, I can admit that I let things with T go a little too far, but that’s all in the past. This baby is our chance for a new beginning. We’ve both made mistakes in our relationship, but ultimately, the blame is yours. You ignored me. You never gave me enough attention, and that’s the only reason I turned to T. We will start over with a clean slate.”
“Get the fuck out of here before I kill you.”
Gabby sighs, as if she’s disappointed in me. “I realize this has been a lot, so I’ll go—for now. I’ll even be generous and give you a couple of days to think things over. Think carefully, although I’m betting Thea will make it very clear to you when she learns the truth.”