Bishop: Heaven Hill Generations #6 Read online

“You two talked through so much last night.”

  “We definitely did, but the truth is, I have you to thank for all of it.”

  Intermittently, I look in the rearview until I can’t see him any longer. Now on Louisville Road, I roll down the window to not only hear the wind but also feel it through my hair. This is as close as I can get to a bike without being on one. Coming to a red light, I carefully stop before reaching down to cup my stomach. “Might have to get used to this for a little while but, as soon as you can, we’ll get you on the back of a bike, just like my parents did with me.”

  To this day, I can still remember the first memory I have of being on dad’s bike. The way he sat me in front of him, put his arms around me, and together we flew. Like a bird on the current of the wind, I held my arms out to the side and leaned into the breeze. Instead of freaking out, dad let me do it, not holding me back in the way mom would’ve. As he always had, he encouraged me to let go and learn the consequences of actions in the shadows of the safety dad gave.

  That confidence is there for me to this day but, as I turn into the doctor’s office parking lot, I’m hit with a wave of nervousness and nausea. Carefully, I breathe through my nose, easing the tightness in my throat.

  It’s a long walk to the front and seems even longer once I get inside and wait on the elevator. Once I step on it, my stomach rolls, not because I believe I have morning sickness, but because I’m scared as to what’s going to happen next.

  When the elevator dings and the doors open, I make the walk I’ve made a few times in my life. This has been my doctor for the last three years. I’m typically okay going and don’t have a lot of anxiety, but this time my hands shake as I get to the door and reach out to open it. Just as my fingers are about to touch it, it presses open from the other side.

  “So sorry.” A woman smiles, carrying a car seat with a baby inside it. “I didn’t realize you were on the other side.”

  My eyes flit to the baby, her bright eyes looking all around.

  Blue. So much like Bishop’s.

  “You’re good,” I assure her, before taking the door and holding it open for them.

  “Thank you.” She looks relieved, taking hold of the car seat with both hands.

  Like a stalker, I watch as she walks away, back toward the elevators, realizing this could be me. Sooner than I ever imagined it would be.

  Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and then step through the door. Slowly, I walk up to the front counter.

  “Do you have an appointment?” The receptionist asks.

  “I do. Harley Walker and I’m here to confirm a pregnancy.”

  Chapter Two

  Bishop

  * * *

  Watching Harley’s car drive away is difficult. It’s as if my whole heart is there and, truthfully, it is. Since the moment I came to live with the Walkers, life has been better. Everything that I always hoped it would be. Almost as if they scooped me up from a darkness I’d never thought it was possible to escape from and showed me what sunlight really was.

  “You alright?” Caelin asks as he comes up behind me.

  He and I, we’ve become closer since he married Justice. Because the girls hang out so much, we do too. I would venture to say he’s the closest friend I have. “I’m fine. Just some shit going on.”

  “Anything you need to talk about?”

  “Not right now, but can I keep that option open?”

  “You know my door is always open.”

  “Appreciate it.” I clap my hand on his shoulder. “Let’s get back to work.”

  What I need more than anything is to get my hands busy as well as my mind. If I sit here and think about what might be happening with Harley, I’m going to go fucking insane.

  Walking back into the garage bay, I grab a rag and start changing the oil on a truck that came in this morning.

  For some reason it reminds me of the first day I had working here. Drew and Tyler had taken it upon themselves to show me how to change oil.

  “Although it’s up above you, still be aware of where it is,” Tyler says as he points up to the truck on the lift.

  “Yeah,” Drew echoes. “When you unplug that drain, watch where it’s going. It’ll get you in the head if you aren’t careful.”

  I’m nervous as I reach up and do as they’ve instructed.

  “Put the tub under it,” Drew advises. “There ya go.”

  They’d always been encouraging and as I’d gotten more confident in all the other parts of the job, I’d learned more. These days I’m allowed to do almost whatever I want, which is why I head over to my corner.

  Instead of helping with one of the bigger projects, I stay over here on my own, choosing to be anti-social. It allows me to zone out and concentrate on the job at hand.

  Glancing out at the parking lot, I see a truck pull up and come to a stop. It’s not unusual for this to happen, but this particular truck is. I would recognize the Erickson money anywhere. It’s ostentatious and anyone who really knows this place knows people with vehicles like that don’t come here. We work on bikes and older models, not this less-than-two-year-old lifted Chevy sitting here watching what’s going on.

  The person inside is watching me. I can feel their eyes following me as I get up and walk to the front of the bay. Two years ago, I would’ve backed down, let them scare me. However, that’s not who I am now. The Bishop of now refuses to back down.

  Standing at my full height, I spread my feet wide, cross my arms across my chest, and tilt my head down. My lips are in a firm line, showing how unhappy I am with this turn of events. The driver revs the engine twice and then takes off out of the parking lot.

  “Something we should be worried about?” Drew asks, coming up to stand beside me while wiping his hands on a rag.

  Rubbing my hand across my chin, I shake my head. “I don’t know. Looked like my brother, but I can’t be sure.”

  I haven’t seen him since the day Drew saved me by asking me to come live with the Walker family. I still remember it as if it were yesterday.

  Back then, my life had been football and Harley. Not necessarily in that order, but I hadn’t been able to admit it to myself.

  The clock wound down - fifteen seconds left. My coach is motioning for me to take a knee because I’ve gotten the shit kicked out of me tonight. When I take the snap and then the knee, I’m equal parts grateful and fucking scared.

  Dad is on the sidelines screaming like the lunatic he is. “Don’t you ever take a goddamn knee, do you hear me? You don’t ever fucking give up! I taught you better than that.”

  Truth is, he hasn’t taught me much. Just to hold my anger and avoid his fists. Neither one I’m real good at doing. Glancing over to the sidelines, I groan. He’s being escorted off the field by resource officers which means he’s going to be madder than normal.

  I’ve learned not to be scared. Showing fear makes it worse in the end.

  Up in the bleachers, Justice is pointing toward the locker rooms, Caelin (who I know from football) and a few people I don’t know following her. The last thing I need is for others to get involved.

  Quickly, I head into the locker room, beating them all and hoping to spend enough time in here to wait them out. When I can’t kill time any longer, I walk out with a mission to my steps.

  “Are you okay?” Harley asks, hurrying to keep up with me. I have a good half-foot on her and she’s doing her best.

  My voice is terse. “Fine.”

  She reaches out, grabbing my shirt and keeping me from walking away from her.

  “Bishop,” she begs. “C’mon.”

  I continue walking, head down, dragging her along with me. “Not right now, Lee.” More than anything, I want to get out of here before my dad shows up and embarrasses all of us.

  “Look at me.” She grips my shirt tighter.

  Turning to face her, my voice is stern. “Harley, you need to get the hell outta here.”

  “Not until I know you’re okay.” She r
eaches up. “You’re bleeding.”

  I grab hold of her arm, focusing on keeping my touch light but also urgent. “Get the fuck outta here.”

  Behind her, I can see my dad walking toward us. He knows nothing about her and I want it to stay that way.

  “What the hell was that?”

  “Dad, I’ll deal with you in a minute.”

  The words I’ve just uttered are dangerous, but I don’t want her caught in the middle of what might happen between us. My priority is making sure she’s out of harm’s way. Grabbing her wrist, I pull her to me, holding her to my side with my arm around her shoulders.

  “What the fuck did you say to me?” He questions, dark eyes thundering as he gets a good look at the girl in my arms.

  “I said I’ll deal with you in a minute.” I push him off, turning to face Harley.

  “You better think again.”

  Pushing her away, I stand my ground as he advances on me. But I’m never ready. Not for the thirty pound advantage he has and he pushes me to the blacktop. In the back of my mind, Harley screams. Shame washes over my body; I don’t want her to see this. He raises his hand as if he’s going to do something to her when Justice comes out of nowhere, grabbing dad’s hand in a hold I’ve never seen before.

  Caelin joins the fray, pulling Justice to his side. “You even look at her the wrong way, my man, I’ll jack your jaw. You don’t advance on her, ever.”

  Harley rushes over to try and help me off the ground, but it’s the pair of motorcycle boots that come into my peripheral vision that draw my attention. He walks beside Harley, reaching down with her to help me up. His strength steadies me and it’s then that I see the Heaven Hill MC standing behind him. Everyone in Bowling Green knows who they are and while I’m relieved, I’m also very nervous. Drew claps me on the shoulder then turns to my dad.

  “I don’t know who the fuck you think you are to lay hands on your kid or mine, but I have one thing to say to you. You touch one tiny hair on either one of these girls’ heads and you’ll have me to deal with. It looks like, in your daily life, no one says no to you or they’re scared of you. See this patch.” He points to the president patch on his cut. “This right here means I’m the head of this group of men. They will do whatever I ask them to do, so make sure I don’t ask them to take care of you.”

  Dad swallows hard, his face ashen in a way I’ve never seen before. Drew steps up to him, slightly taller.

  “Do you understand me?”

  “Yeah, I got you.”

  Drew turns to where I stand with Harley. “This your son?”

  “Yeah and, if he knows what’s good for him, he’s coming with me.”

  Harley’s dad turns to me. “How old are you?”

  “17, I’ll be 18 in two weeks.”

  “Your choice, my man; you can come with us and stop living in fear or you can go home with this piece of shit.”

  Harley grabs hold of my hand. “Come with us, please.”

  “I don’t need your family,” I whisper.

  “Yeah, you do. Everyone needs a family like mine; they’re the best. Please come with us. In my family, love doesn’t mean getting hit; it doesn’t mean always having to win or always having to be perfect. We love and respect you for who you are.”

  I don’t mean to make the decision, but I do. I want something different, someone to appreciate me and love me for who I am. “Okay, I’ll come with you.”

  “I’ll report you as a runaway,” Dad threatens.

  “Go head,” Caelin talks from where he stands behind me. “You have no idea what I can do with a computer. It doesn’t take my hands to fuck your life up, although I’d love to do that too. You’re messing with the wrong group, my man. I’m telling you, let the kid walk. You start shit, everyone saw you overreact on that last play and get escorted out. It won’t be too hard to believe.”

  “You won’t get any of your stuff.” He holds it over me like there’s something in that house I want. Everything in there was bought by him and it can all burn.

  “That’s okay.” Harley turns on him. “We take care of ours. It doesn’t matter what they need, we make sure they have it.”

  “I hope it’s worth it.” He looks at me.

  Harley steps up to him. I can barely hear her, but what she says warms my heart. “Maybe you should tell yourself the same. All a kid wants from their parent is love and understanding. None of us wants to be scared, so I hope making yourself feel like a bigger man than your son was worth it to you. We’ll take great care of him.” She turns to smile at me. “I always knew I’d get you on the back of my bike someday. Ya know, since it looks like you’ll be hoofing it for a bit.”

  “Nah.” I smile down at her. “Bought that car myself. It’s the one thing I can take with me.” Situation slowly sinking in, I ask her, “Wanna go for a ride? Show me to my new home?”

  “Yeah, I think you’ll enjoy it.”

  And she’d been right. I’ve never looked back. This group has given me everything I wanted and so many things I didn’t know I needed.

  Now I just hope if she turns out to be pregnant, they’ve prepared me to be the father my own never taught me to be.

  Chapter Three

  Harley

  * * *

  It’s been a while since Justice and I have seen each other and I’m excited she’s invited me over for dinner. It’s hard for us to get time together by ourselves with everything we’ve got going on, but tonight I need my sister.

  I need her opinion and for her to tell me everything is going to be okay. It’s usually the other way around since she got kidnapped, but this time I’m the one asking for advice. Just being around her makes me feel better than when I walked in. She looks at me with suspicion in her eyes, though. I haven’t been my normal self and she can see it, but she hasn’t asked yet. I’m biding my time because I know it’s coming.

  As we sit down to the nachos she’s made for us, I brace. She’s got this look she has when she’s about to call me on my bullshit.

  “What’s going on with you?” She asks, shoving a chip full of refried beans into her face.

  I shoot her an annoyed look. “Maybe wait until you stop chewing to talk to me.”

  “We’re twins.” She laughs. “It doesn’t matter how we eat in front of each other. We know each other’s deep, dark secrets.”

  My eyes flitter down to the food on my plate, thinking of the secret I’m hiding from her right now. I’m used to the two of us hiding things from others, but not from each other. It feels wrong and dubious.

  Like she always does, she ignores me, carrying on. “Or do we? With the way you averted your gaze right there. That’s one of your tells.”

  “Is it?” I’m torn, knowing I want to tell her, but questioning whether I should talk to her before asking Bishop about spreading our news. The only people who know what’s going on are me and Bishop. Do I tell her before I tell my parents what I think is going on? But she’s my best friend and I’ve always confided in her. Why stop now?

  She takes another bite, chewing carefully and waiting me out. She’s more patient than I am. I’ll never be able to wait someone out. But she’s a lot like Caelin, which is why they get along so well. They can both sit for hours, shoulders straight and looking their prey in the eye. They’re great at staring others down while they wait.

  Me? I can’t stand the silence. It makes me nervous and gets my anxiety going. She knows this because she knows everything about me. Quickly, I put a chip in my mouth. “Stop.”

  “Weren’t you just on me about talking with my mouth full?” Her tone is that of a smart ass.

  Carefully, I swallow and, before I think about what I’m even going to say, I blurt it out. Which says more about how much I need to talk to her more than anything else does. “I took a pregnancy test and it was positive.”

  Her eyes are wide, mouth hanging open with shock. “You did what?”

  This time, I’m the patient one. Slowly and carefully, I say it
again. “I took a pregnancy test and it was positive.”

  “Harley, what are you going to do?”

  Shrugging, I try to play it off as easily as I can. “I went to the doctor to confirm. I’m waiting on the test results then I’ll see what’s going to happen.”

  “What do you mean you’ll see what’s going to happen? Like, what are your plans?”

  “I don’t have any right now. I never thought this would happen.”

  Justice glares. “You do know how to keep it from happening, don’t you? Were you and Bishop not taking precautions?”

  Now, I’m uncomfortable. Not wanting to answer questions that are judgmental. Not that she’s trying to be judgy, but there will be others who are. I’m not used to people asking me to explain myself and, no doubt, there’s going to be a lot of questions. “We’ve been together so long. Sometimes things just happen.” I use it as an excuse.

  She eyes me critically. “Even on birth control?”

  There’s a sinking in my stomach because I know I have to take responsibility for the mistakes I’ve made and what I’ve done. “I am on birth control,” I acknowledge. “But I’m bad about taking it and we haven’t used condoms in a long time. I mean, we’ve been together for over a year. I know where he is every night. I know he’s not cheating on me with some other chick and we got lax. One thing led to another. I guess I missed my birth control a couple of days in a row. We had sex and I didn’t tell him he needed to take precautions and this is where I am.”

  “Harley, are you gonna be okay?”

  I shrug. Right now I’m scared, not sure what’s going to happen. A lot of it will depend on who supports us and what we’re able to do on our own. “Everyone else in our family besides grandma has been able to avoid being a teen parent. Here I come along being the ultimate failure.”

  “You’re not a failure.” Justice grabs hold of my hand, her eyes soft. “It was a mistake.”

  Reaching down, I cup my lower stomach. “But was it? Who wants to say their potential child was a mistake? I’m all kinds of conflicted about this. What if I really am pregnant? How am I supposed to tell mom and dad? Dad took Bishop out of a situation that was dangerous. Now we’re gonna be teen parents. Like, what if he decides that Bishop is no longer allowed to be a piece of our family?”