Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 42479 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 212(@200wpm)___ 170(@250wpm)___ 142(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 42479 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 212(@200wpm)___ 170(@250wpm)___ 142(@300wpm)
Ryot followed me into the bathroom, and we looked down at the test together.
Two pink lines. Positive.
I blinked, staring at it in shock. “Oh my gosh.”
Ryot’s arms tightened around me. He pressed a kiss to the top of my head, his voice full of satisfaction. “Told you I was gonna knock you up and keep you forever.”
Cage chuckled. “Congratulations, you two. I’ll give you a minute.”
As the door to the clinic clicked shut behind him, I looked up at Ryot, overwhelmed. “I’m pregnant.”
His eyes were filled with joy as he grinned at me. “Yeah, baby. You are.”
For a moment, all the fear and chaos of the day faded. There was just us…and the tiny new life we’d made together.
17
GAUGE
The following morning, tension crackled between me and Riley, filling The Pit with a charged energy that had mechanics quickly finding reasons to give us plenty of space. Riley stood stubbornly near her workstation, her eyes flashing with irritation as she argued about what tasks she could safely handle now that we knew she was pregnant.
The protective instinct in me had gone into overdrive, making it almost impossible to agree to anything that involved her bending, lifting, or standing for extended periods. Not to mention the fumes. I would have preferred for her to take off the entire time she was pregnant, but I wasn’t stupid enough to suggest it.
Riley wasn’t about to let me dictate her every move, and her fiery determination made for one hell of an argument. She planted her hands on her hips and glared at me as though daring me to keep it up. “I am pregnant, Ryot, not made of fucking glass. I can still work on bikes and cars without hurting myself or the baby. You’re overreacting.”
“Don’t give a fuck if I’m overreacting,” I shot back, folding my arms across my chest and doing my best to keep my voice steady, even though every protective instinct inside me was screaming to lock her away somewhere safe. “You’re not lifting engines, moving heavy parts, or breathing in fumes while you’re carrying our baby. Period.”
“I know my limits. I’m not an idiot.”
“No, you’re not.” I scrubbed my hands over my face. “But you’re stubborn as hell, woman. I’m not gonna apologize for making sure you’re safe. Get used to it, baby—because this is just the beginning.”
Before she could fire back another argument, Kane strode into the garage, a subtle flicker of amusement in his gaze as he watched us. Riley turned her glare toward him, clearly not appreciating the entertainment he seemed to find in our disagreement.
“Oh, don’t even start, Kane,” she grumbled irritably, arching a brow as she stared him down. “You were just as bad with Savannah. She told me how overbearing you were. Treating her like she was made of porcelain.”
Kane shrugged, completely unapologetic. “Savannah is my responsibility, same as you’re Gauge’s. Comes with the territory. You’ll get used to it.”
Riley huffed, tossing her hands in the air in clear frustration. “Unbelievable. You’re all impossible.”
Kane’s mouth curved slightly at the corners as he shifted his gaze back toward me. “I need to talk to you for a minute. Club business.”
She shot me one last pointed glare, stomping toward the door before turning around again and fixing me with narrowed eyes. “This isn’t over.”
My lips twitched into a smile despite myself, because even annoyed, she was fucking adorable. But I wasn’t dumb enough to tell her that. “Damn right it isn’t. Until then, be good.”
She muttered something under her breath as she stalked out, and I couldn’t help the grin that spread across my face watching her leave.
Kane shook his head, his expression more openly amused now that Riley had cleared the room. “You’re brave as hell, Gauge. That’s one badass woman. Probably best not to piss her off too much if you want more kids.”
“I’ll take my chances.” I grinned as I turned my attention fully toward my prez.
The humor faded from his expression quickly, his demeanor shifting back into the serious, authoritative man I was used to dealing with. He jerked his head toward my office and we went inside, shutting the door behind us.
“We need to talk about how we’re handling this situation with the gambling financiers. I know you’d prefer we just eliminate the problem and move on, but it’s not that simple. This isn’t just Shawn we’re dealing with. It’s a bigger organization. We need to strike a deal, make them understand Riley is completely off limits. Our priority is Riley’s safety and clearing her name as fast as possible.”
I tensed, frustration and impatience surging through me at the idea of leaving any part of this unresolved. My gut wanted a more immediate solution, something final and definitive, but I understood Kane’s logic. Taking down a group of dangerous players would require careful planning, and we didn’t have time to arrange something of that scale without leaving Riley vulnerable for too long. She’d be forced to either go into hiding or surrender to the warrant until her name was cleared.