“Cade.”
“What kind of name is that?”
“I was born with it.”
“The brothers ain’t given you a nickname yet?”
“Other than, ‘hey asshole,’ no, they haven’t.”
“They call him Traveler,” Stud said, taking a seat next to his father-in-law.
“Why they call him that?”
“Because they know he’s not here to stay,” Stud answered. “He’s waiting for me to finish building his bike.”
“I thought you finished that bike a week ago.”
“I did,” Stud answered, meeting Cade’s eyes. “I was trying to get him to stay around until after Christmas.”
“You shouldn’t hold the man up if he wants to leave,” Skulls reproached Stud.
“You can give me the bike. I’m not going anywhere,” Cade told Stud. “I’m done traveling. I’ve gotten weak. The whole time I was moving from town to town and fucking woman after woman, I thought I was happy.” His eyes went around the clubroom, looking at the men he had grown close to over the past few months. His eyes stopped on Jane.
“When I met Jane, I was attracted to her. I planned to fuck her before we left Corpus, but she took off before I could. When I came to Jamestown, I thought I’d fuck her then leave town.” He gave a wry smile. “How I felt about her scared the shit out of me, so I fucked it up. I couldn’t admit even to myself how much I cared until Sex Piston let it spill about the baby.” Cade’s voice went hoarse. “Never thought I wanted a woman and kid until I lost them both. I won’t be making that mistake ever again. Everyone at this fucking clubhouse has become my family, despite me not wanting one. I might not have been born into the family I wanted, but one day, I’ll die in one that was everything I could ever want.”
Stud nodded his head. “Stop by the garage and pick it up tomorrow.”
Cade grinned. “Looking forward to it.”
“What are those girls doing now?”
Cade and Stud both looked toward the dance floor to see Jane and Demie fighting. Sex Piston, Killyama, T.A., and Crazy Bitch were daring anyone to interfere.
When Cade reached the dance floor, Jane had Demie on the floor with her hands buried in her hair. One of her earrings was lying on the floor next to her with a piece of the skin still attached.
“I told you not to bother me. Maybe now you will listen!”
Cade wrapped his arms around Jane, lifting her off Demie.
“What in the hell happened?” Stud yelled.
“Stupid bitch kept taunting Fat Louise about fucking Cade. Said he knocked her up, too!” Sex Piston snarled at the woman trying to get to her feet.
“He did! I’m three months pregnant!” Demie yelled.
Fury hit Cade at Demie’s accusation. “You’re lying, and you know it.”
“Don’t touch me.” Jane tried to get away from Cade, but he held on to her.
He jerked her off the dance floor, taking her to his room despite her flailing arms as she tried to get away. Cade managed to get his door open then pushed her inside before shutting the door behind him.
“You bastard! Did you know?” Cade saw the hurt in her eyes.
Battling back his own anger from her not believing him, Cade told her grimly, “I did not get her pregnant. I haven’t touched her since I started seeing you again.”
“Did you use a condom with her?” Jane shrieked at him.
“Yes. I haven’t fucked anyone but you without a condom.”
“Thank God I made you use one after that one night.” While Jane walked agitatedly around the room in circles, Cade used the time to diffuse his own anger, leaning back against the door.
“Jane, if she’s pregnant, I’m telling you, it’s not mine.”
Jane came to a standstill, and Cade swallowed hard at the heartbreak on her face.
“You could be. You had sex with her.”
“Any brother here could be the baby’s father. Except Stud,” Cade clarified.
“You didn’t know I was pregnant until it was too late, and my baby was gone.” Jane went to her knees on the floor, burying her face in her hands.
“Our baby.” Cade knelt beside her, holding her close as sobs tore through her body. His own eyes watered. “Do you really think that, after losing one baby, I would ever deny a child that was mine?”
Jane looked up at him and saw his anguish at losing that fragile life. She had needed to know he cared, that he, too, had wanted to see their child grow into adulthood. To know that he had experienced the same feelings of loss she had suffered.
“There’s something inside of me that’s broken, and I can’t fix it.”
“We can fix it together, you don’t have to do it alone.” Cade promised.
“What’s broken can’t be pieced together again.” She cried out, her arms holding her stomach as she rocked back and forth.
“No, but it can be made into something new, something stronger, that can’t be broken.”