Page 15 of Tempt Me

“Wanna get an early dinner before you head to the apartment?” Hawkeye questions, keeping his eyes on his sister as if he knows something is going on with her.

“Um, I guess we can. I haven’t eaten today,” Zoey says, a small smile on her face as she looks at the younger brothers. “There’s a diner just around the corner we can go to. They have really good food.”

“Lead the way, kitten,” I tell her, kissing the top of her head.

Zoey takes us to the diner and we take the booth at the back of the place so we can see everyone coming in while no one can get behind us. The second we sit down, Zoey looks around and her entire body stiffens as she looks at the counter. Moving my eyes there as I lean down close to her ear, I see a man dressed in a cop uniform. I have a feeling this is the fucker who’s been harassing my girl.

“Is that the one who keeps pullin’ you over for no reason?” I question her, my voice a murmur only she can hear.

“Yeah. He hasn’t seen me yet,” she answers, pulling her hood over her head while looking down at the table in front of her.

“We’ll make sure he doesn’t see you,” I state, leaning forward to block her out more as the triplets catch on to what’s happening right now.

Hawkeye gets up and grabs a chair to sit at the end of the table so he can further block his sister from anyone seeing her. We all talk softly and I keep my eyes on the cop as he pays for the food he takes with him and leaves the diner. In seconds, Zoey’s entire body sags in relief. Again, I’m pissed as fuck that people can make her feel so fucking small and if she’s not worthy of breathing the same air as they do. These fuckers need to be taught a damn lesson and when it comes to the cop, I have no problem being the one to put his ass down. Fuck him and everyone else here. With the exception of the Phantom Bastards that is.

Chapter Eleven

Zoey

AFTER HAVING DINNER with my brothers, Jameson and I head back to my apartment. For the first time in over a month, I laughed and forgot about everything weighing me down. My brothers seem to have that effect on everyone around them and I’m not immune to their infectious behavior. Jameson, yes I’m thinking of him as Jameson again, laughed harder than I’ve seen him laugh in a very long time. Not since we were all still in Clifton Falls and no one had graduated from high school yet. Before our lives took over and we all went our separate ways. It’s refreshing and nice to see everyone so carefree knowing the second we step through the door we’ll be facing problems in the world again. I’ll take this time with my brothers for now and let everything else fade to the background until it’s time to think of it all once again.

When we get close to the door to enter the apartment, I don’t have to pull out my keys because it seems Jameson has one of his own. Though, I recognize the keyring and know my dad gave him his copy of my key. That was one of the conditions to me getting an apartment and living on my own. My dad had to have a key so he could get in if there was ever a time I couldn’t answer the door and needed him. Now, Jameson has his key and I have nothing to say about it because that’s my dad’s way of approving our relationship or whatever the hell this is moving forward. I don’t even know other than Jameson telling me he’s not going anywhere. I guess time will tell how true those words are.

Jameson doesn’t let go of my hand as we make our way to my apartment and he unlocks the door to let me walk in with him right at my back. I know he’s looking at everything the second we walk through the door and it closes behind us. He’s not going to give anyone a chance to sneak up on us or try to get some kind of advantage on us by him not checking the apartment out as we enter. And, since he’s the only one with me, he’s not about to leave me in the hallway without someone standing with me. He’d rather have me at his side if someone is sneaking around so he can ensure my safety.

The second Jameson is satisfied no one’s been in my apartment, he leads me to the bathroom so I can pull out the pregnancy tests. With two boxes set on the counter, I wait for Jameson to leave me alone in the bathroom so I can pee on these damn tests. When he makes no move to leave me alone, I stand with my hip leaning against the counter.

“You can wait in my bedroom, Jameson,” I finally say as we start to have a stare off with one another.

“I’m fine in here,” he states, folding his arms across his chest.

“Jameson,” I groan, my voice filled with my frustration. “I am not going to pee in front of you. If you wait outside the door, I’ll let you know the second I’m done peeing so you can come back in. We can look at the results together. Either way, I’m not going to keep this from you.”

“Fine,” he huffs, making me smile as he leaves the bathroom and closes the door behind him.

I take the tests with me to where my toilet is and read the instructions of each test after laying a strip of toilet paper down on the back of the toilet. They seem simple enough to use. Pulling my pants and panties down, I sit down and take care of business, setting the tests on the toilet paper so I can move them to the counter once I’m done. After pulling up my pants, I grab the tests and toilet paper, taking them to the counter by the sink. Setting them down, I wash my hands before moving over to open the door for Jameson to come in the bathroom again.

Jameson makes his way in and his eyes zone in on the tests. I can’t look at them. I sit on the edge of my tub and slightly rock back and forth as anxiety fills me. This moment is going to change our lives in one way or another. We’re either about to learn we’ll be parents or Jameson will run out of here because he’s getting off easy by not having me in his life permanently. I honestly don’t know which way I want this to go.

Am I ready to be a mom right now? No, I’m really not. I’m still in school and have goals I want to accomplish.

Do I think Jameson wants to be a dad right now? I can’t really answer that. I know he’s the type of man who will step up and be there for his child. He doesn’t understand how to be anyone else. Not after the way Cage and Joker stepped up and raised Reagan and him when they didn’t have to. Those are his role models and I know for a fact Jameson will be with me because of the baby and not because of whatever he thinks he feels about me.

“How long do we have to wait?” Jameson asks me, standing in front of the counter while turning his head to look at me over his shoulder.

“Three minutes or something like that. I’m sorry, Jameson. No matter what happens, just know I don’t expect anything from you. I mean, I know you’ll be there for your kid if I’m pregnant, but it doesn’t mean we have to be together or anything like that. You have a life you’ve been building in Clinton City and I won’t ever keep your child from you,” I tell him honestly, biting on my thumbnail.

Jameson turns around to face me as he crouches down and grabs my hands in his.

“No matter what that fuckin’ test shows, I already told you I want you, kitten. If you’re pregnant, I’m gonna be there for every damn appointment, cravin’, tear, I’ll watch your stomach grow round with our baby as he or she grows and becomes strong enough to enter the world so we can meet them. What I feel for you won’t change regardless of the outcome of these tests. If I have to prove it to you every day for the rest of our lives, I don’t have a problem doin’ that because you’re worth it,” he tells me, his voice hard with determination.

I don’t say anything to Jameson’s words. There’s really nothing for me to say to that. I’m sure Jameson believes his words and will do his best to stand by them. Right now, I don’t believe him. He’s lived his life fucking anything with a pussy and fucking with the Fallen girls at the clubhouse. There’s no reason for him to change his ways for me. If he were going to do that, it wouldn’t have taken him this long to make up his mind about what he wants with me. He’s known, along with everyone else in our lives, for years how I feel about him. Even when I tried, I couldn’t hide the love I feel for him or how often my eyes strayed to him when we were in the same general vicinity. Now, all of a sudden, he’s decided that he wants to be with me and only me. It doesn’t add up to me. I guess for now I’ll see what happens as we move forward and take each day as it comes.

“Can I look at them now?” Jameson asks me, his voice deep as the weight of the tests rests on our shoulders.

Nodding my head, I don’t stand to look at them with him. I remain perched on the edge of the tub. By the time he tells me what the tests say, I’m not going to have a thumbnail left as I continue to bite on it. It’s an old habit I’ve been trying to get past and I thought I was doing a good job of doing so. I guess when it comes to Jameson and our new situation in life that’s not the case. I can’t even make myself pull my thumb away from my mouth as he bends over the counter and stares down at the tests.

One of them is digital so there’s no trying to read it. It will tell us one way or the other if I’m pregnant. The other one is supposed to show a positive sign if I’m pregnant. My eyes watch every move Jameson makes as he finally stands up straight and slowly turns to face me. A large smile covers his face as he takes the few steps needed to enter my space again. Kneeling down, he pulls my hand from my mouth and holds it in his.

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