{Three Ways to Worry - Chibs Telford x F!Reader}
Part 1 of 3
Summary - A few practice contractions, a club lockdown, and one very overprotective biker who's convinced you need feeding every five minutes.
Word Count - 5300ish
The funeral home always felt different after dark.
Not frightening. You had never found it frightening, despite what people assumed when you told them where you worked. The building simply became quieter once the last family had gone, taking their flowers and carefully contained grief home with them.
At night, there were no ringing telephones or low conversations slipping beneath closed doors. No children being told not to touch things. No relatives asking you for the fourth time whether the shade of lipstick was the same one their mother had worn.
There was only the faint hum of the ventilation system and the clean, sharp smell of disinfectant clinging to your hands.
You stood beside the preparation table, arranging the final few instruments before covering them. Mrs Donnelly had been moved to the viewing room nearly an hour ago, her silver hair curled exactly the way her daughter had requested and her favourite brooch pinned carefully to the collar of her blue dress.
She looked peaceful.
You knew people said that about the dead because they did not know what else to say, but this time it was true. The tension illness had carved into her face was gone. Her daughter had cried when she saw her, but she had smiled too.
That was the part of the job you tried to carry home.
Not the bodies. Not the grief.
The small moments when someone looked at the person they had lost and recognised them again.
You peeled off your gloves and dropped them into the bin. A familiar tightening gathered low across your stomach before you could reach the sink.
You stopped.
One hand settled instinctively beneath the curve of your belly while the other gripped the edge of the counter.
The pressure climbed slowly, turning your stomach hard beneath your palm. It was not exactly painful. Uncomfortable, certainly, but you had been uncomfortable for so long that the word had nearly lost all meaning.
Your back ached. Your hips ached. Your feet had somehow become complete strangers to the shoes you had worn comfortably for years.
You breathed through the tightening and waited.
After half a minute, it loosened.
âThere,â you murmured to the baby. âWeâre fine.â
The baby responded with a solid movement beneath your ribs.
You rubbed the spot. âThat wasnât an invitation.â
The front bell chimed somewhere beyond the preparation room.
You checked the clock on the wall and frowned. The doors had been locked after the last family left, and your aunt had gone home more than twenty minutes ago.
A second later, the muted sound of boots travelled along the corridor.
Only one person ignored a locked door with quite that much confidence.
âYou know,â you called, turning on the tap, âmost people knock before breaking into funeral homes.â
âAye, well, most people answer their bloody phones.â
Chibs appeared in the doorway, broad shoulders nearly filling it, his leather kutte sitting over a dark shirt and his expression caught somewhere between irritation and relief.
You smiled despite yourself.
âThere you are.â
His eyes moved over you quickly, checking your face, your hands and the heavy curve of your stomach before returning to your face.
âHere I am,â he said. âBeen calling you.â
âMy phoneâs in my bag.â
âAye. Very useful place for it.â
âI was working.â
His gaze shifted briefly towards the covered preparation table, and some of the tension left his expression. Chibs understood that you could not simply walk away because someone wanted you elsewhere. He might not like it, particularly now, but he understood.
He stepped fully into the room and held out your coat.
âWe need to go, love.â
Something in his voice made your smile fade.
âWhat happened?â
âNothing you need to worry about.â
You stared at him.
Chibs sighed.
âNothing you need to worry about yet.â
âThatâs much more reassuring.â
âClubâs going into lockdown.â
You turned off the tap and dried your hands slowly. âWhy?â
âJax got word there may be trouble headed towards Charming. Clay wants everyone behind the gates till we know what weâre dealing with.â
âAnd you came to get me.â
His eyebrows lifted as though the alternative was ridiculous.
âCourse I did.â
âYou couldâve sent a prospect.â
âI couldâve sent Tig wearing nothing but a raincoat. Doesnât mean I would.â
A laugh escaped you before you could stop it. âThat sounds more like something Tig would volunteer for.â
âAye, and thatâs why we donât give him ideas.â
Chibs crossed the room and stopped in front of you. Up close, you could see the strain around his eyes and the hard set of his mouth. He was trying to make this feel ordinary, but he had not driven across Charming at this hour because Clay wanted everyone together for a friendly drink.
His hand came to rest against the side of your stomach.
The baby moved again, pressing into his palm.
Chibsâs face softened instantly.
âThereâs my wee troublemaker.â
âYour wee troublemaker has been using my ribs as footholds all afternoon.â
âStrong legs.â
âViolent legs.â
âGets that from you.â
You looked pointedly at his kutte.
âYes. Clearly Iâm the dangerous influence.â
He smiled and bent to kiss you.
It was not a hurried kiss, despite the urgency that had brought him there. One hand remained spread over the baby while the other slid around the back of your neck, his thumb moving beneath your ear.
You leaned into him, letting yourself have those few quiet seconds.
When he pulled away, he did not go far.
âYou eaten?â
âYes.â
âWhat?â
You opened your mouth.
Nothing came out.
Chibs gave you a knowing look.
âI was busy.â
âAye, so thatâs a no.â
âI had half a sandwich.â
âWhen?â
âLunch.â
His eyes narrowed.
âIt was a large half.â
He muttered something in Gaelic or possibly just inventive Scottish swearing and reached inside his kutte. He produced a slightly flattened paper bag.
You stared at it.
âWhat is that?â
âFood.â
âI can see that.â
âThen weâre making progress.â
He handed it to you. Inside was a sandwich from the diner and one of the lemon cakes you had been craving for the last three weeks.
Your irritation collapsed immediately.
âYou brought me cake?â
âI brought you dinner. The cakeâs so you donât complain about the dinner.â
âI never complain.â
Chibs looked at you for a long moment.
âEat in the truck.â
You folded the top of the bag closed and set it beside your handbag. âI need to finish cleaning.â
âAlready looks clean.â
âYou have no idea what clean means in this room.â
âI know I donât want to be standing in it longer than necessary.â
You glanced towards the covered table. âShe wonât bite.â
âNever worried about her.â
His hand returned to your stomach as if he needed to reassure himself you were still there.
You softened.
âFive minutes.â
âTwo.â
âFour.â
âThree, and Iâm watching.â
âThat seems fair.â
You moved towards the counter, but another tightening caught you before you reached it.
This one came more quickly than the last.
You stopped, drawing in a slow breath through your nose.
Chibs noticed immediately.
His hand closed around your arm. âWhat is it?â
âNothing.â
âDidnae look like nothing.â
âMy stomach tightened.â
His face changed.
âHow long?â
âItâs already stopping.â
âThatâs not what I asked.â
You breathed out as the pressure began to fade. âMaybe thirty seconds.â
âHow many?â
âToday?â
His grip on your arm tightened, not enough to hurt.
âHow many, sweetheart?â
You considered lying and decided he would know.
âFour. Maybe five.â
âSince when?â
âThis afternoon.â
âAnd you didnât think to call me?â
âTheyâre Braxton Hicks.â
âYou know that for certain?â
âTara said they were normal.â
âTara also said youâre supposed to rest.â
âI rest.â
âYou work with dead people for ten hours at a time.â
âTheyâre not very demanding.â
He did not laugh.
You turned towards him and laid both hands against his chest.
âTheyâre irregular, they arenât getting worse and they stop when I move around. My waters havenât broken. The babyâs moving normally.â
Chibs studied your face as though he could find the truth written there.
âYouâre sure?â
âYes.â
Another small movement passed beneath his palm.
You covered his hand with yours.
âWeâre both fine.â
The tension in his shoulders eased slightly, though not enough to fool you.
âYouâre done working.â
âFor tonight?â
âTill the baby comes.â
You laughed. âYouâre welcome to explain that to my aunt.â
âI will.â
âShe embalmed a man twice your size this morning.â
âIâve dealt with worse.â
âShe has scalpels.â
âSo do I.â
âFilip.â
His mouth twitched.
There he was.
You rose onto your toes and kissed the edge of his scar, the one that curved along his cheek. He became still beneath the touch, as he always did. Not uncomfortable exactly. Simply aware.
âYou came all the way here to get me yourself,â you said quietly.
âWasnât letting anyone else do it.â
âYou have things to deal with.â
âYouâre one of them.â
âThat was almost romantic.â
âAye, donât tell anyone.â
You smiled and brushed your thumb through the grey at the edge of his beard.
His gaze dropped briefly.
It was such a small thing that someone else might not have noticed. You always did.
âWhat?â you asked.
âNothing.â
âYouâre a terrible liar.â
âOld man shouldnât be running across town every time his girl forgets to answer her phone.â
You tilted your head. âMy girl?â
His hand tightened at your waist.
âYou objecting?â
âNot even slightly.â
You kissed the grey in his beard this time.
âI like my old man.â
âAye?â
âVery much.â
âEven when heâs telling you what to do?â
âLetâs not ruin the moment.â
He laughed softly and rested his forehead against yours.
For a few seconds, the locked gates, the phone calls and whatever trouble waited outside Charming did not exist. There was only Chibsâs hand covering the baby, his breath warm against your face and the quiet steadiness of him.
Then his phone vibrated.
The softness disappeared from his posture before he even looked at the screen.
âWe need to move.â
You nodded.
Chibs picked up your bag and coat before you could reach either. He held the coat open and waited while you carefully eased your arms into it.
âI can dress myself.â
âNever said you couldnât.â
âYouâre hovering.â
âAye.â
âAt least you admit it.â
When you bent to adjust the tongue of your shoe, your stomach stopped you halfway.
Chibs caught your elbow.
âLeave it.â
âItâs folded under.â
âI said leave it.â
Before you could argue, he crouched in front of you.
You looked down as he loosened the lace, straightened the shoe and retied it with surprising care for a man whose hands were more often wrapped around handlebars or weapons.
âYou know,â you said, âmost women have to work much harder to get a biker on his knees.â
Chibs glanced up at you.
âAye, and most women arenât carrying my child while threatening to fall on their arse.â
âI wasnât going to fall.â
âCourse not.â
His mouth pressed briefly against the side of your stomach through your dress before he stood.
The tenderness of it caught you off guard.
You touched his cheek.
âYouâre worried.â
He covered your hand with his.
âIâll be less worried when youâre behind the gates.â
âAnd then?â
His eyes held yours.
âThen I deal with whateverâs keeping me worried.â
You knew better than to ask for details he could not give you in the middle of a preparation room. You also knew the moment you reached Teller-Morrow, Jax or Clay would pull him away.
For now, he was here.
Chibs took your handbag in one hand and placed the other against your lower back, guiding you towards the corridor.
At the door, you looked back to make sure every light was off and every surface was covered.
âDone?â he asked.
âDone.â
He locked the funeral home behind you and tested the door twice.
His truck waited beneath the streetlamp, dark and familiar.
Chibs opened the passenger door, helped you climb in and tucked the paper bag carefully onto your lap.
âEat.â
âYes, Dad.â
His expression flattened.
You grinned. âToo far?â
âMuch.â
Laughing, you unwrapped the sandwich while he closed the door.
Another small tightening stirred beneath the curve of your stomach as Chibs walked around the front of the truck.
You rested your palm over it and waited.
It passed before he climbed behind the wheel.
Braxton Hicks.
That was all.
At least, that was what you told yourself as Chibs started the engine and turned the truck towards Teller-Morrow.
The sandwich was still warm.
That was the first thing you noticed once Chibs pulled away from the kerb.
The second was that he had remembered exactly how you liked it.
No tomatoes. Extra mustard. The crusts left on because, despite what Tig insisted, you were not six years old.
You took a bite and looked sideways at him.
Chibs kept his attention on the road, one hand resting loosely at the top of the wheel. Streetlights moved across his face in brief flashes, catching the silver threaded through his hair and the scars along his cheek.
âYou went to the diner before coming for me.â
âAye.â
âYou were already late.â
âAye.â
âBut you stopped for food.â
He glanced at you. âYou saying I shouldnât have?â
You took another bite.
âIâm saying I love you.â
His mouth softened.
âEat your sandwich.â
âThat sounded suspiciously like you love me too.â
âThought that was obvious.â
âItâs nice to hear.â
âAye, well.â His eyes returned to the road. âDonât get greedy.â
You smiled and settled more comfortably against the seat.
The truck smelled faintly of leather, cigarettes and the soap Chibs used. His gloves sat on the dashboard, and an old receipt had been tucked into the cup holder beside a handful of loose change. The heater blew warm air against your legs despite the mild evening because Chibs had decided weeks ago that pregnancy had made you permanently cold.
It had not.
Arguing about it had achieved nothing.
You finished half the sandwich before folding the paper back over it.
Chibs noticed.
âYouâre not done.â
âIâm pacing myself.â
âYouâve eaten four bites.â
âThey were substantial bites.â
His fingers tightened slightly around the wheel.
You sighed and unwrapped it again.
âBossy.â
âAlive.â
âI was hardly going to starve between the funeral home and Teller-Morrow.â
âNo, you were going to eat half of that, tell me you were full, then steal my dinner later.â
âThat happened once.â
âLast night.â
âYou werenât eating it.â
âI went to get a drink.â
âYou abandoned it.â
âFor thirty seconds.â
You took another deliberate bite while Chibs shook his head.
The quiet that followed was comfortable at first.
You watched the familiar streets pass outside the window, businesses closing for the evening and porch lights appearing one by one as Charming settled into night. Nothing looked different. There were no sirens, no smoke and no sign that something had made the club gather every family behind locked gates.
That almost made it worse.
You brushed crumbs from the front of your dress.
âHow bad is it?â
Chibsâs jaw shifted.
âNot sure yet.â
âThat usually means bad.â
âIt means weâre being careful.â
âFilip.â
He released a slow breath through his nose.
âJax got word someoneâs asking questions about the club. Our runs. The families. Teller-Morrow.â
âWhat kind of someone?â
âThe kind we donât want knowing where everybody sleeps.â
Your appetite disappeared.
Chibs saw it happen and reached across the space between you, resting his hand on your thigh.
âNothingâs happened.â
âYet.â
âAye. Yet.â
He did not lie to you.
That had been one of the first things you loved about him, even when the truth came carefully portioned and stripped of names. Chibs might tell you that he could not answer. He might tell you that something was club business and ask you to trust him.
He rarely told you not to worry when there was every reason to.
âIs this connected to the cartel?â you asked.
His thumb moved once against your leg.
âCould be.â
âYou donât know?â
âWe know enough to lock the gates. Thatâs what matters tonight.â
You looked down at his hand.
The rings on his fingers caught the dim light from the dashboard. You placed your hand over his and traced the edge of one with your thumb, following the familiar scratches in the metal.
âAnd once Iâm inside?â
Chibs did not answer immediately.
That was answer enough.
âYouâre leaving again.â
âJax needs me.â
The tightening in your chest had nothing to do with the baby.
âFor how long?â
âShouldnât be more than a few hours.â
âYou donât believe that.â
âI believe Iâll get back as soon as I can.â
âThat isnât the same thing.â
âNo.â
The truck slowed at a junction. Chibs looked at you properly while the light remained red.
âIâd stay if I could.â
âI know.â
âI need you to know that.â
âI do.â
His hand turned beneath yours until your fingers slid between his.
The light changed.
He lifted your joined hands and pressed his mouth briefly to your knuckles before returning them to your thigh.
You watched the road ahead.
âIâm not asking you to stay,â you said.
âWouldnât blame you if you did.â
âYouâd only spend the entire time listening for gunshots outside the gates.â
His expression tightened.
âAnd if whatever this is reaches the clubhouse while youâre sitting beside me, youâll never forgive yourself.â
âAye.â
âSo you go. You deal with it. Then you come back.â
âAs simple as that?â
âAs simple as that.â
Chibs gave you a tired look.
âYouâve been spending too much time with Gemma.â
âGemma wouldâve added a threat.â
âYou havenât finished yet.â
You squeezed his hand.
âCome back, or Iâll let Tig choose the babyâs middle name.â
Chibs stared at you.
âYou wouldnât.â
âI might.â
âHeâd name the poor thing after a dog.â
âHeâd name them Tig.â
âOver my dead body.â
âThen we understand each other.â
A reluctant laugh escaped him, low and brief, but it loosened something inside you.
âThereâs my incentive,â he said.
âI thought I was the incentive.â
âYou are.â
The words came without hesitation.
Chibsâs humour faded, leaving something quieter behind.
âYou both are.â
Your throat tightened.
You turned your face towards the window before he could see too much.
Chibs always noticed anyway.
His thumb stroked slowly across the back of your hand.
The baby shifted beneath your coat, a rolling movement that pushed firmly against one side of your stomach.
You placed Chibsâs hand over the spot.
âSomeone heard you.â
His palm spread wide.
âThere you are.â
The movement came again, directly beneath his hand.
Chibs smiled.
Not the sharp, amused smile he gave the club. Not the one that warned someone they had pushed too far.
This one belonged to the quiet rooms of your home. To mornings when his hair was still mussed from sleep and nights when he thought you had already drifted off.
âThereâs my wee one,â he murmured.
You watched his profile.
âYou know, you become unbearably soft whenever they move.â
âDo not.â
âYou absolutely do.â
âBabyâs kicking me. Nothing soft about that.â
âThe baby is kicking me.â
âAye, but I feel it.â
âThat must be very difficult for you.â
âTerrible burden.â
You smiled and covered his hand with yours.
Another pressure gathered low in your stomach.
This time, it came with a faint pull through your back.
You kept your face turned towards the window and focused on breathing normally.
In.
Out.
Chibs continued rubbing his thumb over the babyâs last movement, unaware for perhaps three seconds.
Then your fingers tightened around his.
His eyes flicked towards you.
âAnother one?â
You nodded.
His hand left your stomach and returned to the steering wheel as he checked the road around them. âDifferent?â
âNo.â
âYou sure?â
âYes.â
The pressure increased.
You breathed out slowly through pursed lips.
Chibs watched you whenever the road allowed it.
âTalk to me.â
âIâm breathing.â
âNot what I asked.â
âItâs tight.â
âPain?â
âPressure.â
âYour back?â
âA little.â
His jaw set.
âFilip.â
âHow long?â
âIt only started.â
He glanced at the clock on the dashboard.
You almost laughed.
âYouâre timing it?â
âAye.â
âYouâre worse than Tara.â
âTaraâs not here.â
âShe will be at the clubhouse.â
âGood.â
The tightening held for several more seconds before gradually easing.
You relaxed against the seat.
âGone.â
Chibs checked the clock again.
âForty seconds.â
âYou really did time it.â
âAye.â
âIt was still Braxton Hicks.â
âSo you keep saying.â
âBecause it is.â
âYouâve had two since I got to the funeral home.â
âIâve been sitting still. They happen more when Iâm tired or dehydrated.â
âYou have water?â
âIn my bag.â
Chibs looked at the bag near your feet.
You knew what was coming.
âI can get it myself.â
He pulled into an empty space beside the pavement anyway.
âFilip.â
The truck stopped.
Chibs leaned across you before you could reach down, retrieved the bottle from your handbag and twisted the cap open.
He handed it to you.
âDrink.â
You took it, mostly because refusing would only make the stop longer.
âYou know Iâm still capable of opening a bottle.â
âNever said you werenât.â
âYouâre treating me like Iâm made of glass.â
âNo.â
His answer came too quickly.
You lowered the bottle.
Chibs looked through the windscreen for a moment before turning towards you.
âI know youâre not fragile.â
âDo you?â
âAye.â
âBecause sometimes it feels like youâve forgotten.â
His eyes moved over your face.
âI know exactly how strong you are.â
âThen why are you watching me like Iâm about to break?â
His hand came up and settled against your cheek.
âBecause strong things can still get hurt.â
The irritation left you.
Chibs brushed his thumb beneath your eye.
âIâve spent too much of my life arriving after the damage is done,â he said quietly. âLet me worry when Iâm here.â
There was more beneath the words than the present moment.
Belfast. Fiona. Kerrianne. Years taken from him by violence and men who knew exactly where to cut.
You leaned into his palm.
âIâm all right.â
âI know.â
âThe babyâs all right.â
âAye.â
âAnd these are practice contractions.â
His mouth twitched faintly.
âThat last one sounded less convincing.â
You turned your head and kissed the centre of his palm.
âTake me to the clubhouse.â
Chibs studied you for another second before nodding.
He pulled back into the road, but his hand returned immediately to your thigh.
You drank more water to satisfy him, then reached into the paper bag for the lemon cake.
âThatâs dessert,â he said.
âI ate the sandwich.â
âHalf.â
âThe baby wants cake.â
âConvenient.â
âYouâre arguing with your unborn child now?â
âWouldnât be the first time.â
You broke off a piece and held it towards him.
Chibs opened his mouth without looking away from the road.
You fed him the bite.
He chewed thoughtfully.
âYou bought me this and now youâre eating it.â
âTax.â
âFor what?â
âDriving.â
âI didnât ask you to drive me.â
âPregnant women arenât getting on the back of my bike.â
âI havenât been on your bike in months.â
âAye. Because Iâm sensible.â
You laughed.
Chibs glanced at you, his expression softening again.
âYou miss it?â
âThe bike?â
âAye.â
âSometimes.â
âNot me?â
âI see you every day.â
âCruel woman.â
âYou knew that before you got involved with me.â
âThought youâd mellow with age.â
You looked at him pointedly. âWhich one of us is meant to be old?â
His smile faded at the edges.
Only slightly.
You noticed.
You always did.
You reached over and brushed your fingertips through the grey at his temple.
âDonât.â
âDonât what?â
âUse that voice.â
âWhat voice?â
âThe one where you make a joke before you start worrying Iâll wake up one morning and realise youâre too old for me.â
His gaze remained fixed ahead.
âNever said that.â
âYou donât have to.â
The road grew quieter as you moved towards the outskirts of town.
You traced the silver at the edge of his hair, then let your fingers move down to his scar.
âI know how old you are.â
âAye.â
âI knew when I kissed you the first time.â
âYou were young.â
âI was twenty-four, not fourteen.â
His mouth tightened.
âYou had options.â
âI still have options.â
That earned you a sharp look.
You smiled and slid your hand behind his neck.
âAnd I keep choosing you.â
Chibsâs eyes returned to the road, but his hand closed firmly around your knee.
âYouâre very sentimental tonight,â he muttered.
âYou started it.â
âDid not.â
âYou brought cake.â
âAye, well. Moment of weakness.â
You leaned across the centre console and kissed his cheek.
âGood thing I like you weak.â
He turned his head enough to catch your mouth before you could move away.
The kiss was brief and awkward with the seat belts between you, but warm.
When you settled back into your seat, the Teller-Morrow sign was visible ahead.
Floodlights washed across the compound. The gates stood open just wide enough for vehicles to enter, with two prospects posted on either side. Cars and bikes already crowded the lot.
Chibsâs hand tightened on your thigh.
The softness left him piece by piece.
His shoulders straightened. His eyes sharpened. By the time the truck approached the gate, the man beside you was still Filip, but Chibs had returned too.
You covered his hand.
He looked at you.
âCome back to me,â you said.
Something flickered across his face.
Then he lifted your hand to his mouth and kissed your knuckles.
âAlways, love.â
The gates began closing behind the truck before Chibs had even switched off the engine.
The gates had barely shut before the compound swallowed them. Prospects moved across the lot with weapons tucked beneath their kuttes. Cars stood wherever there was space while women unloaded bags, blankets and sleepy children. The garage doors were closed despite the lights burning inside Teller-Morrow, and someone had been posted at every entrance. It looked less like a lockdown than the entire extended family had been told to prepare for the end of the world with twenty minutesâ notice. Chibs switched off the engine but did not immediately move.
His attention travelled across the lot, counting faces and vehicles before settling on the clubhouse door. You folded the paper around the remains of your sandwich.
âYou planning to carry me inside?â
âHadnae ruled it out.â
âI knew letting you tie my shoe was a mistake.â
He released your seat belt before you could reach it.
âYouâre mouthy for a woman who left half her dinner.â
âI ate the cake.â
âThat doesnae count.â
âIt counted when you stole it.â
His mouth moved faintly. Before opening his door, Chibs placed one hand against the side of your stomach.
âAnything?â
âNo.â
The answer was nearly true. It had been several minutes since the last tightening, though the ache in your lower back remained. His eyes narrowed.
âIâd tell you.â
âAye?â
âEventually.â
âComforting.â
He kissed your temple and climbed from the truck. Your door opened before your fingers reached the handle. Chibs held your handbag and the food in one hand while offering you the other. You accepted it because the drop from the truck felt farther than usual. The moment your feet touched the ground, pressure settled low through your pelvis. You paused. Chibsâs free hand came to your waist.
âWhat?â
âNothing. The babyâs sitting low.â
âYou sure?â
âYes.â
He waited until you took another step before loosening his grip. A motorcycle came through the secondary gate as a prospect secured it again. Happy crossed immediately towards Jax, who stood outside the clubhouse with Bobby and Juice. Jax saw Chibs and lifted two fingers in a sharp summons. Chibs acknowledged him but kept walking with you.
âYouâve been called,â you said.
âHe can wait.â
âFilip.â
âTwo minutes.â
You knew better than to waste one of them arguing. The clubhouse door opened. Tig stepped outside carrying a box of canned food. He took one look at Chibs hovering at your side and grinned.
âThere she is.â
âWere you worried?â
âTerrified. Funeral homes are dangerous.â
âOnly when you annoy the staff.â
âSo Iâm never safe.â
âNot once.â
His gaze moved from your face to Chibsâs hand at your back.
âEverything good?â
âFine,â you said.
âSheâs had a few practice contractions,â Chibs added.
Tigâs expression sobered.
âNeed Tara?â
âSheâs fine,â you said.
Chibs answered at the same time.
âAye.â
You looked at him.
âTara can confirm that Iâm fine.â
Tig passed the box to a prospect and held the clubhouse door open.
âInside before Jax starts threatening people.â
âJax always threatens people,â you said.
âTrue. Before he gets creative, then.â
Chibs guided you through the doorway. The room was already crowded. Every table held food, bags or weapons. Children sat near the pool table with colouring books spread around them while Gemma directed three people at once from behind the bar. Tara sat at one of the tables with Thomas against her shoulder and a small medical bag open beside her. Her attention sharpened when she saw you. Chibs chose the couch near the chapel doors, away from the busiest part of the room.
âI can sit at the bar.â
âNo.â
âThe couch is too low.â
âIâll get you up.â
âThat is not the point.â
âSit, love.â
You stared at him. Tig wisely disappeared towards the kitchen.
âIâll sit because my feet hurt,â you said.
âCourse.â
âNot because you ordered me.â
âWouldnae dream of it.â
You lowered yourself onto the cushions. Chibs kept one hand beneath your elbow until you were settled, then frowned at the flat pillow behind you.
âItâs fine.â
âItâs useless.â
He removed his kutte, folded it and placed it behind your lower back. The leather was warm from his body. Your irritation softened.
âYouâll need that.â
âNot for five minutes.â
He crouched to loosen your shoes.
âYou really donât have to do that.â
âAye, I do.â
âYou enjoy treating me like Iâm incapable.â
âI enjoy seeing you stop pretending your feet donât hurt.â
He removed the shoes and placed them neatly beneath the couch.
âBetter?â
You flexed your toes.
âMuch.â
Tara approached with Thomas still against her shoulder.
âHow are you feeling?â
âFine.â
Chibs looked at her.
âSheâs had five or six tightenings today. Two since I picked her up.â
You sighed.
âNot painful. Not regular. No leaking or bleeding, and the baby is moving normally.â
As though proving it, the baby shifted beneath your ribs. Tara smiled.
âAny back pain?â
âA little pressure.â
âHow long are the tightenings lasting?â
âThirty or forty seconds.â
Tara checked your pulse and rested a hand lightly against your stomach when another small movement passed beneath it.
âYou may have overdone it. Drink water, finish your food and rest. If they become regular, stronger or closer together, tell me.â
âI will.â
Tara looked at Chibs.
âShe knows her body.â
âAye.â
âBut?â
âNo but.â
Neither of you believed him. Tara gave you an encouraging smile and returned to the table. Chibs handed you the water bottle from your bag. You accepted it without argument. He sat beside you, the cushion drawing you gently towards him. His arm came around your shoulders. You leaned into the familiar warmth of his side.
âYou shouldâve called me earlier,â he murmured.
âYou were busy.â
âNever too busy for you.â
You looked down at the bottle.
âYou came.â
âCourse I did.â
âYou always say that like itâs obvious.â
His fingers tightened gently against your arm.
âIt should be obvious to you.â
You looked up at him.
âIt is.â
You kissed the scar along his cheek. Chibs turned enough to catch your mouth. The kiss was brief and soft, more reassurance than heat. When it ended, his forehead rested against yours. The baby moved beneath his hand. Chibs rubbed the spot.
âFeels lower.â
âYouâve said that every day this week.â
âIt does.â
âYou know nothing about babies.â
âKnow theyâre stubborn.â
âThat could still be me.â
âAye. Fair point.â
Jax appeared in the doorway, his gaze moving from Chibsâs arm around you to the men waiting outside.
âWe need to go.â















