Falling For The Biker: The Vice President's Girl Chapter 138

Ezra

The car crawls to a stop outside a quaint little house with lush greenery and white picket fence.

My hands tighten on the wheel, stomach squeezing. Wren gives me an encouraging smile but it doesn't seem to calm my mind.

Before and during the trip, I was fine. But now, staring at Diane's house, I can feel the nausea rolling up my stomach.

Wren squeezes my thigh, and I inhale deeply.

"Daddy? Are we getting out?" Hannah asks.

When Wren gives me a small nod, I unclip my seatbelt and turn to Hannah. My lips twitch at the colored stains around her mouth from the skittles.

"Hannah," I croak.

A toothy grin spreads across her face, "Yes, daddy."

God, I love her. My little, blonde, Hannah bug.

As I look at her, I remember the day Diane left her at my doorstep. She told me she couldn't do it, especially without Pete.

She told me she wasn't ready, and I could either take the baby to Mitch or foster care. I was barely surviving, I was struggling.

My mom, Ajax, Beth...it was the craziest year of my life, but one look into those gorgeous eyes, I knew I couldn't do it.

Maybe I should've told Mitch earlier, maybe I should've taken her to them but...I'd already grown attached.

And now, I have to do the right thing. But I'm also not ready to face what this might mean if they want her back.

Can I really go back without Hannah?

"Ezra," Wren whispers. "You've got this."

"Daddy?" Hannah blinks.

My eyes prick with tears but I smile through it. "Baby, I need to tell you something."

Her eyes go round, and she stops crinkling her skittle wrapper. She's so smart.

"Do you want to know who we're visiting?"

She nods. "Yes."

The angle is awkward but I manage to reach for her, placing a heavy hand on her knee. "We're visiting your mommy, sweetheart. Do you want to meet your mommy?"

"My mommy?" Her brows pinch. "But I'll have two mommies!"

Wren frowns. "What do you mean, sweetie?"

"Daddy, I want Aunt Wren to be my mommy when you get married."

Oh.

My heart stops.

Wren freezes, and her eyes well up immediately. She shakes her head, reaching for the door handle.

"I'm sorry, I..." she swallows, and a tear rolls down her face just before she stumbles out of the car.

Hannah's eyes fill immediately as she stares out the window at Wren. "She doesn't want to be my mommy?" And she starts to cry.

My heart squeezes in my throat because I want to join them too. God, how do I even break this news to her?

"Hey, hey," I pat her knees. "That's not true. Aunt Wren loves you —"

"But she said 'no'"

"She didn't say no, she's just...a little sad."

"Why?" Hannah sniffles.

"Because we're taking you to see your real mommy, and she m-might want to keep you... f-forever."

It breaks me to say that. Absolutely wrecks me to even think of that.

The words slowly register in her little mind and her lips wobble as she wails. "No, daddy. I don't want another mommy. I want to stay with you."

I step out of the car immediately and pop her side open, taking her out of the car seat.

She sobs in the crook of my shoulder, her little arms wrapped tightly around my neck.

"I want to stay with you, daddy," she hiccups, "-and aunt Beth, and aunt Wren, and Uncle AJ, and grandma Andrea, and Noah. I don't w-want another mommy."

My jaw tightens but not hard enough to stop the tears that are so close to spilling. I pinch my eyes shut and press my lips together.

"I want you to stay with us too," I rasp. "But if your real mommy and daddy and uncle want you, we have to...to..."

I can't say it. The words are stuck in my throat.

She shakes her head rapidly. "No, I don't wanna!"

Wren comes to us immediately, her nose and eyes are red, cheeks blotchy.

My two favourite girls are hurting and there's nothing I can do about it.

"How about we just say hi," Wren suggests softly, rubbing Hannah's back. "You'll come home with us, but we just want to say hi. You might even like your mommy."

Hannah's head lifts and she reaches for Wren who wastes no time in taking her from me. She wipes at her tears. "We'll only say hi, sweetheart. That's it."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Wren and I exchange a look, and I pull them in for a hug, wiping both their tears while also trying to keep mine at bay.

After locking the car, we walk up the short path to the house and with a deep breath, I ring the doorbell.

The door opens to reveal a man with cropped dark hair, and a lean build.

He frowns when he sees the three of us, neck tilted. "Can I uh...help... you?"

I try to peek into the house if I'd see Diane or something. Well, this is awkward, I hadn't thought this far ahead.

"I'm Ezra Jax," I introduce. "And this is Wren and Hannah, my girlfriend and...daughter."

"Okay..."

I guess we won't get an introduction then.

"I'm looking for a 'Diane Beckett' ?"

His eyes flash to Hannah, then back to me and something flickers in his eyes before they turn sad. "Why are you looking for her?"

"It's a bit personal. We'd appreciate it if you let us know where we can get her, or...we could drop a number and she could reach us?"

"That..." his Adam's apple bobs, "-that might not be so possible."

"Why not?"

The man stares at Hannah again. "God, your daughter...she...she's got...her eyes are..."

My lips twist. "Can we get a hold of Diane? I promise, we won't waste any time."

"I wish I could get hold of her myself too, I want nothing more than to hold her one more time," he says then looks up, eyes shining with tears, "Diane's dead. She passed away a few months ago."

For a second, everything freezes. Numbness creeps up my spine as the words ring over and over in my head.

Wren stumbles a bit, but I support her before she can trip.

"W-what?" I blurt. "I...I don't understand. How do you know?"

"I'm her husband, Benjamin Hall. She got into an accident," he sniffs, voice thick. "We thought she'd get better, and..and... few weeks after, she just didn't...wake up."

He rubs a hand down his face, then opens the door wider before walking in. We don't know if to follow or not, but before we can make any decision, he comes back out again.

"This is her, yes?" It's a framed picture.

I still remember the beauty Pete was obsessed with. Her blonde hair is shiny, blue eyes bright.

Just like Hannah's.

Pain squeezes in my chest as my shaky hands take the small frame. "Y-yea," my voice cracks, "-it's her."

"I'm so sorry," Wren says.

I don't know if she's talking to me, or to the man.

What does one say to this?

When I reached out over the years, she never responded. I assumed she didn't want to talk anymore, so I never texted again.

And now? She's...dead? Gone? Just like that?

I can't imagine how he's still standing, still surrounded by her things.

"I'm sorry," I tell him and I mean it. "I didn't know. I...I actually came to...to...this is her daughter." I pat Hannah's back. "It was years ago, she didn't know any better, and...it is complicated, I..."

"I know," he cuts off my rambling with a small smile. "She told me she had a daughter when she was in the hospital. She never liked to talk about her past, I...I'm sorry, please, would you like to come in?"

It takes a minute to realize we're having all this conversation on his front step. But I'm too overwhelmed by this information to care.

"No. I mean, we'd love to...but we also need to be somewhere else, and..."

"I get it. I do...I've not really had anyone to talk to about this," he chuckles dryly, and shakes his head, "ignore me. I understand that you have to leave—"

"We'll stay," Wren blurts.

My gaze whips to her. I mean, I'd love to stay and be a shoulder to him, to listen to him speak about Diane, and have Hannah listen, but do we really have the time?

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Wren confirms. "We'll stay, but only for a couple minutes."

His breath of relief is loud. "Thank you." He rubs at his wet eyes, and I appreciate Wren for doing this.

He sounds like he needs some company.

I guess a couple minutes won't hurt anyone.

Oh Diane...does Pete know? Mitch?

God, I really fucking wasn't prepared for this.