The Biker's Fate Chapter 71

Payton

MONDAY I SUFFERED through work. Luckily, my students were older which meant they tended to work quietly when instructed, but I was still exhausted and sad, and I missed Alex. Like my heart broke a thousand times in one day at the thought of not being with him.

At the end of the day, I headed home, surprised to find my mom in the kitchen. "Hi," I said. "You're home early."

She smiled. "I quit."

"What? You did?"

She nodded. "Took early retirement."

"Can you do that?"

"Apparently so. Your dad and I ran the numbers and it worked, so I quit. I gave them three weeks, but I need to burn up some vacation time or I'll lose it, so I'm only working one day at the end of that three-week period, and I'll still have five weeks paid vacation to cash out."

"Wow, Mom, that's awesome."

She studied me and then smiled. "What's up with you, honey? You look sad. How's Alex?"

I forced back tears again and made my way to the fridge, grabbing the O.J. from the top shelf. "It's been a rough couple of days."

"Want to talk about it?"

I poured a glass of juice and leaned against the island. "I don't know what to say. So much of it's complicated and I'm trying to work out if it's worth it."

"Honey, it's always worth it."

"What do you mean?"

"Let's sit," she said, and led me to the dinette table. I sat across from her and she squeezed my hand. "You've always been my careful one. You weigh the pros and the cons, make a graph and a chart, and then make your very informed decision based on the data you gather."

Does everyone think I'm a control freak?

"That being said, I don't worry about you... at least, not in the same ways I worry about your siblings. But that doesn't mean I don't worry about you in other ways. Alex is different than anyone you've ever dated and that boy loves you better than any of the others have." She smiled a little sadly. "He knows my baby. Truly knows her and that's more than any mother can hope for because I know he'll take care of you in all the ways that count."

"But you don't understand everything."

"I know, honey. And that part's where being an adult sucks, because it's ultimately your decision. Whatever way you go, you know Daddy and I will support you, and you know all of us will be here to help put your heart back together, but just know that we all love Alex, Kayla, and especially little Lily. They fit perfectly into our family."

"I know." I nodded, blinking back tears. "I really love him, Mom."

"But he scares you."

"So much."

"So did your dad, honey. He turned my world upside down in a way that rocked me to my core." She smiled again. "You and I are very much alike, Payton, so I'll give you a promise. When you take a risk, you reap really amazing rewards, and you will feel more alive than you ever have. It's worth it, honey, and I think he's worth it."

I sighed.

The house phone rang and my mom rose to her feet. "Hold that thought. Hello? Hi, Gordon." Her face fell and I sat up straighter. "Where is she? Yes. I'm coming now. We'll call everyone. Okay, honey. See you soon." She hung up and grabbed her keys. "Kris has been admitted. She's bleeding. They can't find the baby's heartbeat."

"Where is she?"

"Legacy."

I shot out of my seat, set my glass in the sink, and went for our coats. I fired off a group text to the rest of the family, knowing Mom would want to tell Dad herself, and then followed her into the garage.

As I climbed into my mom's car, all I could think about was I needed to talk to Alex. I was worried about my sister and I needed him to hold me and tell me it was all going to be okay. Since I didn't know if I could talk without crying, I fired off a text to Kayla, filling her in on what was going on. Kayla and Kristen were getting close and I knew that if Kayla felt Alex should know, she'd tell him.

When we arrived at the hospital, Mom took advantage of the valet parking, and we rushed inside and up to maternity. Gordon was pacing the waiting room and Elizabeth sat crying on one of the seats, but she rushed to Mom and wrapped her arms around her waist.

My mom stroked her hair. "Hey, honey. It's okay."

I went to Gordon and gave him a quick hug. "Do you need me to do anything at the office?"

Gordon and Kristen owned a pretty successful real estate company, and I had worked in the office during summer and school holidays during high school. It had been a great way to earn some money and get some administrative skills under my belt.

"No. I have an open house this weekend, but Sam's going to cover if I need him too. The paperwork's covered, so I'm set. But thank you."

"Well, if anything changes, let me know." I smiled. "Have you seen Kristen?"

He shook his head. "They're running tests. They won't let me see her until they're done."

"Okay," I said. I mean, what could I say? The whole thing was just awful.

We'd been at the hospital just over an hour when Gordon was finally called back to see Kristen. Elizabeth stayed with us, and by now, my dad, Anna, and Brock had arrived. Anna's husband, William, was still at work so Bailey had offered to watch all the kids at my parents' house until we could get things figured out. Elizabeth wanted to stay with her parents, so she stuck close to my mom.

I was sitting with my face in my hands when Brock said, "Payton?"

"Hmm?" I looked up and he nodded toward the open hallway. I followed his nod and my heart raced. Alex was walking towards us and in that moment, I knew. I just knew he was it for me. No more guessing, no more worry. Just love.

I rose to my feet and rushed to him. He held his arms out to me and I slid into his embrace, squeezing my eyes shut as his hands moved to my hair. "I came as soon as I could, baby. Sorry it took a little while."

I bit back a sob and nodded.

"Any news?" he asked. I shook my head, and he stroked my back and pulled me closer. "Okay, honey. I've got you."

I don't know how long we stood there, but if anyone had asked us to move, I probably would have kicked them. It was Alex who broke the moment, suggesting we join the family, and leading me back to the waiting area.

My mom hugged him, as did Anna, and the men shook hands, and then he was all about me again, and I gladly accepted the support. We sat on a love seat type thingy and he had his arm around me while my back was to his side. As we waited for news, no one spoke, which was weird for us, but I think we were all afraid to say anything wrong.