Since I've Been Lovin' You | Happy Lowman/OC (Book 2)

seven | Thomas

SEVEN MONTHS SINCE ARREST

Thomas Teller II decided to make his worldly debut at eleven PM a month after Cameron all but admitted he was stalking Victoria. She was asleep in her room at the clubhouse when she woke to the sound of her cellphone ringing off the hook.

When she finally grabbed it, she saw she had eight missed calls. Two were from Tara's number, the rest were Gemma. She jumped out of bed, threw on a pair of sweatpants, and dialed Gemma back as she hurried out into the clubhouse. She knew why they were calling without speaking to anyone. Tara was in labor.

Brandy was behind the bar like usual, cleaning glasses and talking to the two prospects sitting across from her. She gave Victoria a look as she passed by. The kind that made Victoria uneasy.

Kozik was walking in the front door, a sleepy Abel in his arms. "Hey," Victoria said to him breathlessly just as Gemma picked up.

"Sweetheart, Tara's gone into labor. I didn't have time to wake you, but I dropped Abel with Kozik. I need you to meet me at St. Thomas," Gemma said.

"Yeah, I'll be right there."

She hung up the phone. "Are you okay with him if I go?" Victoria asked Kozik.

"Yeah, I'm good. I was gonna lay him down in your room anyway. Little man's still half asleep, if you didn't mind."

"No, of course not. Is Chibs around?"

"He's out with Opie and the Tacoma boys, I think. I haven't seen any of them in a few hours."

"Shit," Victoria said, realizing she had no way to get to the hospital.

"I could drive you," Brandy offered, and Victoria felt her heart drop.

There was something about her that made Victoria want to keep her distance, but she was the only one offering and Tara wouldn't trust Abel with the prospects alone, so Kozik wasn't an option. Ever since Brandy admitted to having been with Happy back in Tacoma, she tried to keep her distance even though Kozik had assured her whatever there was between Brandy and Happy, was nothing. In fact, Kozik didn't even know they'd been more than sex a time or two, so Victoria put it behind her.

"Um, are you sure?" Victoria asked.

Brandy tossed the towel down and smiled. "Yeah, it's no problem. Let me just grab my keys."

Fifteen minutes later they were in Brandy's Subaru driving toward the hospital, the two prospects not far behind. A pop station was on the radio, some easily digestible lyrics talking about true love, and Brandy was singing along under her breath. Victoria sat quietly, hoping to get a text from Gemma to let her know Tara's status, but nothing came through.

"I hope you don't hold any hard feelings toward me," Brandy said out of no where, nearly startling Victoria.

"What?"

"It was wrong of me to ambush you with that stuff I said. About Hap, you know? I didn't mean to put us off on the wrong foot."

Victoria closed her eyes for a second to gather her thoughts. She was still out of it from being woken so suddenly, and all she wanted was to get to the hospital to check on her friend without any uncomfortable conversations along the way.

"Don't worry about it," Victoria said, forcing a small, barely convincing smile, but Brandy didn't seem to get the hint.

"I'm sure he really cares for you if he asked you to move here for him. I mean, when he found out I was pregnant he couldn't get away fast enough."

Silence filled the car. A heavy, uncomfortable silence as Victoria allowed those words to process and Brandy waited to see what her response would be.

"What?" she asked again, not looking away from the road ahead of them.