Page 19 of Omen's Bombshell

I noticed the dark circles under Oaklynn’s eyes and realized she wasn’t getting enough sleep. What the hell is going on in her life that she’s not getting enough sleep. Is the pregnancy causing her harm? Is something wrong with her or the baby? So many questions flooded my mind as I took in every single inch of her. My eyes couldn’t stay off her round stomach knowing she was carrying my baby inside her body. So many things could be going on with her and I don’t know what it is. No, I haven’t read or researched anything about pregnancy since learning about Oaklynn being pregnant with my baby. I should, but I haven’t taken the time to do anything. Part of it is because I don’t want to accept that she’s actually carrying a baby and that it's mine. The rest of me feels as if she wanted me to know anything, she’d tell me. Oaklynn doesn’t typically have a problem saying what’s on her mind. Unless it comes to me I’ve noticed.

“Want a beer?” the Prospect asks me, stepping up behind the bar and stopping in front of me.

“Yeah. Thanks,” I answer him, letting my mind wander back to thoughts of Oaklynn.

Over the last week, I’ve been working tirelessly on designing the bike for the fire department. Homicide and Grudge have been helping me every second they aren’t working on their own projects. For the most part, this bike is all that’s taken up every second I’m awake. Other than when thoughts of Oaklynn creep up on me and I can’t push them away. I wonder what she’s doing, how she is, and so many other things. Melissa went with her to the last doctor’s appointment and didn’t tell me anything after she got back. She came to the clubhouse to meet Homicide for dinner and refused to talk to me. At least when my mom goes, I hear about what the doctor said and if anything is going on that shouldn’t be. I know Oaklynn’s been having Braxton hicks contractions as her body prepares for her to go into labor. Apparently they bother her and she’s having a difficult time getting comfortable whenever she sits or lays down. I can’t say I blame her with how big her stomach has gotten. Though, I’d never say that in front of her. Oaklynn cries at the drop of a hat and I don’t want to make her cry more than I already am.

“Prospect, get me a beer please,” my dad says, sitting down at the bar next to me. “Son, how have you been? Haven’t seen you around here much lately.”

“I’m okay. Been workin’ nonstop on the bike for the fire department. I’ve almost got the drawing done to send over for the chief to approve. If he doesn’t, I’ll make any changes and send it back to him. You know how I work when it comes to these projects,” I answer him, taking a long pull of my beer before setting it in front of me and turning to look at my dad as he accepts his beer and nods his thanks.

“You think he’s gonna like the first drawing you send him?” he questions, showing his normal interest in my business as he waits for me to respond.

“I hope so. I’ve got everything in the design we talked about durin’ our meetin’ and a few extras I thought would really make the bike stand out for anyone interested in biddin’ on it. I want it to represent the fire department along with the foundation. Most importantly, I want it to represent the fallen firefighters who have given up their lives while protectin’ those who need it most in their greatest time of need,” I answer him, my voice low so not many other people overhear our conversation.

“Good. I know you’ll nail the design and I’m sure the fire chief will love anythin’ you show him. You’ve always had talent when it comes to this kind of stuff and it’s why I knew you’d never stay at the garage with me as much as I wanted you to. You were meant for more than just bein’ a regular mechanic and since openin’ the shop on your own, you’ve made it thrive in less time than any of us thought possible. I’m proud of you, Kellan,” my dad says, causing a jolt of pride to shoot through me with the knowledge that he’s happy for my success in the business I’ve longed to have for as long as I can remember.

Working at the garage alongside my dad started my love for all things mechanical. He’d take me in as a young boy and let me tinker around the garage while he worked on customer’s vehicles. When I got older, my dad actually went to a junkyard and bought a beat up car for me to fix all on my own. It needed a complete restoration and I didn’t ask for help at all on the project he gave me. By the time I was done, the car looked amazing and I had several offers by customers to buy it from me. I didn’t accept a single one of them and to this day the car sits in my dad’s garage. Since he bought it for me, I gave it to him when I was done. Every now and then he brings it out and takes my mom out for the day while driving his car.

After going to a trade school to hone my skills, I was offered a position by several big name companies. I never once thought about accepting any of the offers sent my way. I wanted to be at my dad’s side and work close to him. Once Homicide joined the club, I started Calhoun’s with the help of the club. In the first year, I was able to pay back the loan I got from the Dirty Slayers and Calhoun’s is completely mine. Yes, I still give the club a percent of all earnings we make. The club members and Prospects get a higher percentage than the people who work for me that aren’t associated with the club. Everyone knows this and accepts it because we’re mainly the ones doing all the hard work and putting in the hours to design and create each bike that’s a custom job. Still, I pay all of my employees a good wage and they all love coming to work each day.

“Son, we gotta talk about Oaklynn. She’s gettin’ really close to her due date and your mom and Melissa have a lot of concerns about her. Oaklynn’s not sayin’ anythin’ to them, but they see the fear filling her when it comes to thinkin’ about givin’ birth and the last weeks leadin’ up to that. She won’t ask for anyone to be there with her so she’s not alone. However, we all know you’re the one who should be there with her. Have you even thought of what you’re gonna do once the baby’s here? Are you gonna be in his or her life?” my dad asks me, his voice going hard and cold as he looks at me.

“Dad, we’ve had this talk before and I’m not any closer to figurin’ this shit out,” I answer him honestly as I turn and take a sip of my beer.

“Well, you better fuckin’ get there, Omen. Every day that passes means Oaklynn could go into labor at any second. Not all women make it to their due date. Some do and some go over that date they’ve been waitin’ to get here. However, when it comes to Oaklynn, I believe she’s not lookin’ forward to her due date gettin’ here because she doesn’t want to go into labor when she’s all alone. I mean, what happens if it’s the middle of the night and she has no one there with her? Will she be able to get to her phone to call for help? Or drive herself to the hospital despite the contractions fillin’ her body with immense pain?” he questions me, his voice going even colder as he glares in my direction.

“I guess I haven’t thought about that aspect of things. Oaklynn hasn’t been around me since the Fourth of July, Dad. We were here at the clubhouse and she avoided me like the plague. If I even started to walk in her direction, she’d get out of her chair with help from Mom and Melissa and go somewhere else. Everyone can go around her but me. Even if I wanted to talk to her, she won’t let me close enough to have a conversation,” I inform him even though I know he’s realized what’s been going on between the two of us because he’s seen it with his own eyes.

“She refuses to go around you because she knows you don’t want anythin’ to do with her or the baby she carries. Instead of rubbin’ your face in that shit, Oaklynn is stayin’ away from any place she knows you frequent. She’s givin’ you the out you’ve shown her you want and isn’t pushin’ the issue with you. A lot of women would be up your ass, demandin’ you give in to what they want. That tells me all I need to know about Oaklynn and what kind of person she is. I know you were at the fair and couldn’t take your eyes off of her. It’s been all over the clubhouse from the guys who went with you. Plus, we’ve all noticed that since that last time with Skank One and Skank Two, you haven’t taken a single Slayer Slit to your room or fucked them anywhere in the clubhouse. Don’t think you’ve found a piece of strange from anywhere else either,” my dad states, a smirk on his face because he knows he has me by the balls right now with the knowledge that I haven’t been with a single woman since the day Oaklynn was attacked in the bathroom here at the clubhouse. My dick still won’t get hard unless I’m thinking about her and it’s driving me insane.

Plus, the thought of even being with another woman fills me with disgust. Even though I’m not with Oaklynn, it still feels like I’m cheating on her for some reason. So, I stay away and try to keep what I am, or not, doing private. It’s obviously not working since everyone here knows all this shit about my life.

“I’m not gonna deny the fact that I’m not fuckin’ anyone and haven’t since that day Oaklynn was attacked. Hell, I didn’t even fuck around with those two that day. I took them upstairs to my room and then kicked them out. Said I needed a shower and didn’t invite them to join me. That’s why they went after Oaklynn in the bathroom. Yeah, I’ve thought about bein’ with her and tellin’ her I want to try. Every time I get close to pickin’ up my phone or headin’ over to her cottage, somethin’ holds me back. I don’t know what it is other than my stubbornness. And I don’t know what’s gonna help me get to the point I can go to her and tell her how I feel and what I want,” I tell my dad honestly as I turn to look at him and see what his reaction will be.

“Kellan, I really want to stay out of this, but I can’t. This situation with Oaklynn is too important for you to continue fuckin’ up because you can’t pull your head outta your ass. You need to man up and go to Oaklynn. Talk to her about what you’re feelin’, what scares you, and how you imagine the future between the two of you. Oaklynn will listen because that’s who she is as a person. She’s got the biggest heart and gives way more chances than anyone else I know. With the exception of your mom, Melissa, and Kimber. There’s just somethin’ about the women we want as our ol’ ladies that draw each of us in and keep us locked in their hold. I’m tellin’ you right now to get your shit figured out and bring Oaklynn in so she knows you’ll be there for her and your son or daughter when they’re born,” he orders me as if he believes it’s that easy to do.

After everything he’s been through with my mom over the many years of their relationship, my dad knows nothing is ever as easy as we want it to be when it comes to the women who lock us in their hold. There are so many complications that could take place between Oaklynn and myself and we wouldn’t be the only ones to suffer the consequences. Our child would too. Both of us have to think about them when it comes to every aspect of our lives because at the end of the day, every decision we make will impact our son or daughter. I’m not sure I want to risk being with her and something going wrong so we aren’t together. If we didn’t have a baby on the way, it might be different. Our circumstances would be different and I could take all the time I need to make a choice about what I want and act on it.

“Dad, it’s not just about the two of us. The baby might not be here yet, but at the end of the day, we have to think about him or her and decide if bein’ together is worth the risk of hurtin’ the baby if things go wrong later on. I don’t know if it’s worth it yet. I’m not sure when I’ll be ready to make that decision. I will try to talk to Oaklynn and let her know that she has to put a plan in place so she’s not alone movin’ forward. Someone needs to be with her at all times so she doesn’t go into labor when she’s all alone. Maybe we should bring it up at church or somethin’ so the guys are on board and willin’ to take turns bein’ at her house,” I say, knowing as I’m speaking my dad isn’t going to like that answer as he frowns at me and his eyes turn to a glare once more.

“Make it fuckin’ happen, Kellan. You don’t need church to set up some kind of schedule or anythin’. Grudge needs to be one of the guys with Oaklynn. She knows and trusts him as much as she does Melissa. Those two have a special bond and no one will ever break it,” my dad says, standing from the stool next to me after draining the last of his beer. “Get your head outta your ass and make some damn decisions. Talk to Oaklynn even before then so maybe you two can work somethin’ out together instead of tryin’ to do it all on your own,” he demands once again as he leaves me sitting alone at the bar to think of the conversation we just had.

I know he’s angry and disappointed in me because he feels I’m making this harder than it has to be. Maybe he’s right. I should go to Oaklynn and talk to her about everything so I’m not the only one coming up with conclusions and trying to determine the best course of action. I mean, this isn’t about me and nothing to do with her. This is our life and maybe I can’t make any decisions because I’m not talking to her about the situation and what to do. It’s definitely something to think about.

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