Page 30 of Wilder's Promise
One Year Later
I check my watch for the third time in five minutes. The club meeting is running long, which isn't unusual, but today my nerves can't handle the wait. I pace across the main room of the clubhouse, one hand resting absently on my still-flat stomach.
"They'll be out soon," Evelyn assures me from where she sits on the couch, a knowing smile on her face. "Stop pacing before you wear a hole in the floor."
"I can't help it." I drop into the armchair across from her. "What if they freak out? What if Rex isn't ready? What if my father has a heart attack?"
"First, Rex adores you and will be thrilled." Evelyn counts off on her fingers. "Second, your father is only forty-four and in excellent health. And third, they both survived the Vultures war, I think they can handle becoming a father and grandfather."
I groan, dropping my head into my hands. "Easy for you to say. You're not the one about to tell an MC president that his daughter got knocked up by one of his soldiers."
Evelyn laughs softly. "No, but I am the one who told that MC president I was pregnant months ago. Trust me, he'll handle it better than you think."
I glance at her small baby bump, just beginning to show beneath her flowing top. My father's reaction to Evelyn's pregnancy had surprised everyone. He'd actually cried before sweeping her into a gentle hug. It was the most emotion I'd ever seen him display publicly.
My relationship with my father has transformed over the past year. After the war ended, I returned to college to finishmy degree in criminal forensics, but I spent every break and long weekend in Pine Haven. Gradually, the walls between us lowered. We started having real conversations—about his life, my mother, his regrets, my dreams. We'll never have a normal father-daughter relationship, but what we've built is honest, and in many ways, stronger for having been broken and rebuilt.
And Rex... God, Rex has been my rock through everything. Driving four hours to surprise me at college when club business allowed. Supporting my FBI aspirations even though it puts me at odds with the MC world. Loving me fiercely, protectively, but never trying to cage me.
The sound of the chapel doors opening pulls me from my thoughts. The brothers file out one by one. Ghost with his perpetual scowl, Blade looking serious as always, Ace and Viper arguing about something. Then Rex appears, followed by my father.
My heart jumps into my throat as Rex's eyes find me across the room. His face brightens instantly, the way it always does when he sees me. After a year together, that look still makes my stomach flutter.
"Hey, beautiful," he says, crossing to kiss me. "Didn't know you were waiting out here."
"I wanted to surprise you," I tell him, rising to meet his embrace. "Both of you, actually. I need to talk to you and my father."
Rex's expression shifts to concern. "Everything okay?"
"Yes," I assure him quickly. "Just... important."
My father approaches, giving Evelyn a quick kiss before turning to me. "What's this about, Emma? You look nervous."
"Can we sit?" I gesture to the couches. "Privately?"
The brothers take the hint, filtering out to the compound yard or the bar area. Soon it's just the four of us—me, Rex, my father, and Evelyn, who knows what's coming but stays for moral support.
I sit beside Rex on the couch, taking his hand in mine. My father settles across from us, his expression watchful.
"So," I begin, my mouth suddenly dry. "I've made some decisions about my future."
"The FBI?" my father asks, his voice neutral.
We've had this conversation before. He respects my career choice but worries about the obvious conflicts it creates.
"That's still the plan," I confirm. "But I'm taking a gap year before applying to the academy."
Rex squeezes my hand. "I thought you were set on starting right after graduation."
"I was," I say, drawing a deep breath. "But circumstances have changed."
My father's eyes narrow slightly. He's always been quick to read between the lines. "What circumstances?"
This is it. The moment of truth. I look from Rex to my father and back again.
"I'm pregnant," I say, the words rushing out. "Ten weeks along."
The silence that follows feels eternal. Rex's hand goes slack in mine, his eyes widening in shock. My father's expression freezes completely, unreadable.
