Nova was quiet for a long time, then he nodded and released her. But he kept a hand on her arm, holding her closer to him. A low growl rumbled in my chest, and he glared at me. “We can discuss this back at the club,” he finally said. Then he turned and began to guide Arya down the steps.
We could've argued for the rest of the day, but in the interest of getting Arya back to my room and resting, I used a different tactic. “You all rode your bikes?”
Three male heads nodded. “Arya will go back with me then.”
Nova opened his mouth, and I cut him off. “She's pregnant. We aren't going to risk the baby by having her on the back of a motorcycle.”
“You don't know she's pregnant,” Nova muttered.
“You willing to take that chance?”
Nova grunted and switched directions, walking Arya over to the truck. He helped her into the passenger side and shut the door before stomping over to me and holding out his hand.
“No fucking way,” I said in answer to his silent question.
He swore a blue streak and slammed his fist into the side of the truck. Better than my face.
“Straight back to the MC, Dax,” he ordered. “You try to take her anywhere else, and I won't hold back next time.”
I didn't bother replying; I just walked to the driver's side and hopped into the truck. Arya was silent, and I worried that she was upset with me for how I was handling things, but then she slipped her hand in mine and gave it a gentle squeeze.
She fell asleep on the drive, and I hated to wake her when we finally arrived. I was going to carry her up to my room, but Nova—the jackass—stomped over and jerked her door open, startling her awake.
“Nova,” I growled. “I swear to—”
“Both of you shut it,” Arya grumbled. “You can act like buffoons later when I'm not around.”
Nova gave her a crooked smile and gently helped her down from the high seat. I met them at the front door, just in time to hear Nova saying, “You can rest and...um, shower.”
Arya chuckled. “Are you trying to tell me I stink, Nova?”
Nova wrinkled his nose and glared at me. “No.” His eyes said otherwise, and I just smirked.
We walked inside to be greeted by Mac, Bridget, and Link's old lady, Harlowe. “Let's get you to my room,” Nova murmured after lifting his chin at the trio.
“Abso-fucking-lutely not!” I barked. “Arya stays with me, and that's final.”
Nova spun around to face me and spat, “She's my sister.”
I took a menacing step forward. “She's my old lady, and unless you want me to burn your cut and carve that tattoo of your patch out of your back, you'll respect that hierarchy.”
Nova's face turned purple as he fought what I was sure was multiple desires to dismember me. After a minute, he took a deep breath. “She's not wearing your cut,” he grated out.
A flash in my peripheral sent my hand into the air in time to catch the vest Mac tossed at me. I gently, but firmly, pulled Arya toward me and helped her slip on her new vest. “She is now.”
11
Arya
I stared up at Dax in awe. “You had a property patch made for me while we were at the cabin?”
“Damn straight.” He flashed me a smug grin. “While you were busy making plans for the birthday party, I was setting everything in motion to make you mine. I was already planning on kidnapping you when you called to ask me for help. Your surprise visit made my approach a fuck of a lot less complicated. All I had to do was ask you to come early and steal you away.”
I dropped my forehead against his chest and giggled. “I can’t believe I delivered myself to my own kidnapping.”
“Don’t beat yourself up too much over it. I provided the ladder for mine back when Mac took me from my father’s house,” Bridget reminded me.
I lifted my head to flash her a grateful smile. “I guess I could do much worse than following in the footsteps of the president’s old lady.”
Bridget lifted her left hand and wiggled her fingers, the diamond on her ring twinkling in the light. “It looks as though Dax followed in Mac’s with how quickly he popped the question.”
“Oh, yeah.” I waved my hand in the air with a huge grin. “Surprise, we’re engaged!”
“How the fuck did I miss that rock?” Nova grumbled as everyone else crowded around us to offer their congratulations.
“I took more than one page from the prez’s book.” Dax rested his palm over my belly. “I did my best to knock her up while I had her all to myself at the cabin, too.”
“I do not need to hear this shit,” Nova muttered from behind me.
Glancing over my shoulder at my brother, I stuck my tongue out at him. “Then maybe you should’ve left us alone at the cabin instead of barging in, getting into a fight with my fiancé, and insisting I come back here.”
“Your fucking fiancé.” Nova pinched the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb, heaving a deep sigh. “What the fuck am I supposed to do with that?”
Mac strode over to his side and elbowed him in the ribs. “How about you offer them your congratulations before Dax decides to run off with Arya again and doesn’t come back until she has his last name and the kid he put in her belly is already born? You want to miss out on all that shit because you’re too stubborn to admit how happy your sister is?”
“Fuck,” he groaned, his dark eyes filling with remorse before he strode across the room to stand in front of Dax and me. A muscle jumped in his jaw as he held his hand out to Dax. “Congratulations, man.”
My eyes filled with happy tears as my two favorite guys shook hands. When I sniffled, their focus zeroed in on me. “Look what you fucking did. You made her cry,” Dax growled, slipping his arms back around my shoulders and pulling me close.
“I’m just so happy you two aren’t fighting over me anymore,” I blubbered as I wiped at my cheeks.
“I’m pretty sure Dax was right about getting her pregnant because that sounds an awful lot like the hormones talking,” Harlowe whispered.
“Yup. Been there, done that,” Bridget agreed.
Nova glared at them while Dax’s chest puffed out with pride. “Damn straight, I’m right.”
I huffed out a breath and rolled my eyes. “How many times do I have to tell you that it’s too soon to know anything for sure?”
“Yeah, you heard my sister. She’s probably not pregnant yet.” Nova pulled me from Dax’s embrace and twirled me around in a circle. Bending his head low, he whispered, “You still have time in case you change your mind about the motherfucker.”
When he set me back on my feet, I punched him in the shoulder. “All I said was that we don’t know for sure that I’m pregnant, not that it’s probably not true. And even if I’m not, I’m still going to marry Dax as soon as we can plan the wedding.”
“If you’re not knocked up yet, I’ll just have to work twice as hard to make sure your belly is round with my baby soon.” Dax wrapped his arms around my body, pulling my back against his chest as he settled his palms over my stomach. “The practice we got up at the cabin is bound to pay off at some point.”