I remove my cock from her lips and tuck it back into my pants. “Good girl. Now go get yourself cleaned up. We’re going to see Stone. Dress like an Old Lady would.” With the majority of my fury burned off, I can think beyond the rage I’ve shoved into a box. I can see her point of view. She hates her dad. From the sound of it, she spent her entire life trying to forget him. Its good on her that they changed their last name. It means they were trying to hide. Maybe I can spin the safety angle. We just got serious. If I tell him she brought it to me personally, he’ll be more lenient. The thought of lying to my President makes me sick, but what he might do to her if he thought she was a mole outweighs that.
I have a baby to protect. I’m going to do what I need to. The little white lie is going to mess with me. The anger flares again. “When were you going to tell me?”
“Tonight. After you had a chance to see what he did to my family. So you could understand how much I hate him,” she seethes.
I watch her move around the room. At twelve weeks pregnant, she’s starting to get the slightest hint of a baby bump. I can’t take my eyes of it. “You expect me to believe that?”
She pulls a tank top over her head and turns to pin me with a glare. “Yes, because it’s the truth.”
“You broke trust with me.”
“Not so easy to bare the things we hate most about ourselves. You should relate to that.”
“This is about me, not you. My shit didn’t put anyone in danger. This shit could get us both in some deep shit.”
Her eyes round and her lower lip trembles.
“This ain’t a fucking small thing. We’re not playing house. You’re pregnant with my kid and in everyone else’s eyes…You belong to me. That means your shit is my fault.”
Fear flickers in her green depths.
“You finally getting it? This shit might seem easy outside looking in, but your view has changed. You’re in this up to your neck and you need to adjust. You got any other skeletons libel to pop out of the closet…now’s the time to speak.”
“No.” She shakes her head. “I’m really not that interesting. What you see is what you get. This Daddy shit has always fucked with my head. It’s why I hid it. There’s shame there. I spent a lot of time feeling worthless. I mean, what kind of dad chooses drugs and shit over their child? Why weren’t we enough? Why wasn’t I? Not dealing with this shit is what got us here. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”
I ignore the part of me that wants to soften toward her. I need her to understand this shit won’t fly and can’t happen again. “Let’s just get through this.”
She shimmies into a pair of ripped up jeans and sits on the bed to put on her white tennis shoes.
I help her up and head for the door.
***
/> I pull into the lot, unexcited about being here for the first time I can remember since being a prospect. I resent Ruthie for that. I get off and wait for her to dismount. The vibe between us is icy at best. I place my hand on the small of her back and guide her inside.
The place is fairly quiet. Small groups of brothers line up at the bar, and around the pool table.
“Pres here?” I call out.
“In his office,” someone says.
I steer her through the clubhouse and down the hallway to the small room that serves as Stone’s office. I knock.
“Yeah.”
I push the door open. “You got a minute for us?” I ask.
“Yeah, come on in,” Stone says setting his laptop aside and leaning back into his chair. “Close the door behind you.”
Ruthie fidgets beside me.
“Sit,” I tell her.
She sinks into the chair closest to the wall.
Stone peers from me to her with eyes full if curiosity.
“So we did the meet the parent’s thing today and it turned into a complete cluster fuck. Turns out her family went through great lengths to separate themselves from her bio dad.”