meant I was guaranteed their eternal safety.
“Pres,” Bane barges in, instantly causing my blood pressure to rise as Bella jumps, startled by his intrusion.
“For fuck’s sake is nothing sacred around here anymore?” I bellow out, slamming my sandwich down onto my desk and ushering Bella up from my lap. “Learn to fucking knock, Bane. I could’ve had my woman butt ass naked in here,” I snap, my declaration earning me a sly grin from her that I notice out of my peripheral.
“It’s Gunner,” he blurts out, “he’s here… in a suit.”
“And that’s what surprises you? His suit? I’m more curious as to why he’s here unannounced. We just spoke on the phone last night.” I turn to Bella because I’m about to have to cut our lunch date short and hurt her feelings; something I am not fond of.
Before I can say anything to her, Bane adds in, “He’s also brought one of his patched members. Can’t remember his name. The tall, dark-haired, younger fella with the brown eyes.”
I scrub my face with my palm. “Please ask him to give me a few minutes, huh?” I request.
“Will do,” he answers, leaving my office and pulling the door closed behind him.
Turning to Bella, I watch as she steals a quick peek through the blinds of my office window. Noticing the color appears to have drained from her face and she’s now sporting a look of concern; I feel the need to console her. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.” I approach her and run my hands up and down her arms trying to comfort her. “I know you have questions, and I know you’re worried, but I promise you it’s nothing to get yourself this worked up over. I’m not gonna let anything happen to you or this club, ever again.”
She looks at me with eyes that beg for mercy and begins to fidget nervously. “I-I don’t know about that,” she stammers out in a raspy tone. Reaching for her bottle of water on my desk, she opens it and begins to chug before placing it back down.
“Bella, why are you acting so strangely? Something is off, way off.” I take her hand into mine. “Why are you acting as if you’re afraid of something? What is it?”
She rushes to my office door and backs herself up against it. “Look, I need you to hear me out, and please, please, try to understand that I was lost and confused at the time. I only ever wanted to do what was best for everyone involved. At one point, it did backfire on me, which is partly where I think we’re at now.”
I close the distance between us. “Why are you fretting and what are you rambling on about? Now is not the time for surprises.”
She audibly gulps and as she looks at me from underneath those lashes of hers, I can tell immediately she’s holding life changing information. I can already feel my blood begin to heat. “I had a son, Rogue… well, I have a son.”
I step backward, away from her as I mentally absorb her revelation, although I’m still unsure to what degree this will affect myself or this club. “What are you saying, Bella?”
“That man, that patched club member Gunner has brought with him is my son,” she begins, her voice shaky, “I haven’t seen or spoken with him in nearly five years now. It’s a long story, Rogue, and now isn’t the ideal time to tell you this, but clearly I have no choice.”
Time stands still and her revelation begins to slowly sink in as I recall our one night together. “Spit it out, now,” I demand, “no need to hold anything back at this point on my account. God forbid this concern me,” I snap angrily in her direction and she freezes. “Right? I mean exactly how does this, your son whom you’ve never spoken of before concern me? Is. He. Mine?”
“I’m not sure,” she reveals, tears now slowly streaming down her cheeks.
“How in the fuck are you not sure?” I roar, pounding the side of my clenched fist onto my desk, causing her to flinch.
“I was upset, not in the right frame of mind after the night we had spent together. I drunkenly slept with a man I’ve never seen again about a week after I’d left here,” she admits through a sob.
I can’t even stand to look at her right now as my mind begins to process this information. “Go to the house. We will discuss this tonight.