Born Into Destiny Read online

  Sara interrupts my musings of playing hookie. “Morning, babe! Don’t you look cute today,” Sara says, too fucking chipper, if you ask me.

  “Cute? I look fucking fat and uncomfortable, Sara, so don’t try to sugarcoat this shit, it will only piss me off.” I would feel bad for my tone, but I just can’t find it in myself to care. I see her face fall at my words, which makes me want to cry. Fucking hormones! “I’m sorry, Sara, I didn’t mean that,” I say, blinking away tears.

  She comes out from behind the desk and pulls me in for a hug. “Yes, you did, and that’s okay. I know how shitty you’ve been feeling lately. If you need a punching bag, hopefully only verbally though, I’m your girl.” She ends with a smile full of pity. I hate when people pity me, but I already feel bad about being a bitch to her, I don’t need to add to that. Then I’ll not only hear about it from Toby, but I’ll really start crying and will probably drown everything in the building.

  “No, I’m fine, really. So what do I have today? Please tell me I’m not booked solid,” I say, walking into my station with Sara following.

  “Actually, you only have one appointment today. The one you had scheduled for this afternoon called to reschedule, but we just got a call for a walk-in. He should be here any minute, actually.” Well, that’s something. Maybe I really will go home after this appointment. I’m sure Louie can handle any other walk-ins that may come in.

  “All right, just call for me when he gets here. Do you know what he wants?” I ask, going through my supplies to make sure I’m stocked since I didn’t do it last night.

  “The only thing he said was that it was a sleeve, but he’s willing to do it in sessions,” Sara answers before she walks back to the front of the shop.

  Usually right about now I’d be jumping for joy and praying that I get to design whatever it is they want, but today, all I’m hoping for is that he has a stencil all ready for me and it’s tribal or something easy.

  Ten minutes later, I hear Sara call from the front that my appointment is here. Getting up from my stool takes a couple of tries, and once I’m standing, I have to grab onto the customer chair to steady myself. Yup, definitely going home after this.

  I walk into the front and see a guy standing in front of the glass cases hanging on the wall that displays our flash tattoo designs. I can’t see his face, but he’s tall, tan, and muscular. He’s wearing a hat that’s backwards and a PT tank top.

  When I clear my throat, he starts to turn toward me. “If you’re ready, we can head—” I begin, but when I get a look at his face, I’m speechless. His eyes and the set of his mouth are so familiar to me, but I almost don’t want to ask his name for fear that I’m wrong.

  “Hello there, you must be the infamous Dani. I—” I cut him off.

  “Jax?” I ask, both praying he’ll confirm it and hoping I’m wrong. Jax became my best friend after Zane left for college. He was always there for me when I needed him. God, I haven’t seen him since my grandmother’s funeral. Is it really him?

  “Uh, yeah, how did you know?” Jax asks, really focusing his eyes on my face now, trying to see if he knows me.

  I don’t give him time to try and figure it out though before I leap into his arms and cry. “Jax! I can’t believe it’s you,” I sob, holding him tightly, afraid he’ll disappear if I don’t hold onto him.

  I’ve thought of him a lot over the years, but never tried to find him. I just wanted my past to be just that; the past. I wanted to move on and be done with all that shit, but seeing him now, I realize how much I’ve missed him. Before I left for college, I heard he was down in Florida, so I have no idea why he’s here.

  Jax is stunned silent for a couple of seconds, either because he has no idea who the crazy pregnant woman is that’s clinging to him for dear life or because he figured out who I am and can’t believe it either.

  Finally, he snaps out of it and pushes away from me, but not far, just enough so he can lean down and look into my eyes. “Danielle, is that you?” he says in disbelief. All I can do is nod my head, but that’s enough for him. He wraps his arms around me again and holds me so tight I lose my breath, but I don’t care. I can’t fucking believe he’s here in my shop!

  The sound of someone clearing their throat breaks us out of our happy reunion. “Someone care to tell me what the fuck is going on out here?” Louie sounds pissed. Shit, I forgot he was here. I pull out of Jax’s arms, but not far enough away that I can’t put my arm around him. I don’t want to let him go, I’ve missed him so much.

  Looking from Jax to Louie, then back to Jax, I say, “Louie, this is Jaxon. We went to high school together and were best friends,” I say in way of explanation, though it’s not his fucking business, but I’m in a sharing mood. Anything that will get him off my back and let me catch up with Jax.

  Louie, of course, having to argue with me about everything, says, “I thought Blaze was your best friend.”

  Cutting my eyes to him, I give him a hard look. “He was. Until he left to go to college, or the Marines, as it turned out. Jaxon and I started hanging out my junior year and stayed in touch when he left for college. Unlike some people,” I add that last part quietly, not really meaning for everyone else to hear, but Jax catches it. When I look up at him, he gives me a confused look, but I just shake my head and whisper, “I’ll tell you about it later.”

  Not needing to explain myself further, I pull Jax behind me toward my station. I want to be alone and know what he’s been up to, how he’s been, and why he’s here in California. I hope he lives here and isn’t just visiting. It would devastate me to just get him back in my life, only to lose him again.

  ***

  Jax ended up not getting his tattoo today, settling for just sitting in the back room with me talking. He told me about Florida and that he left there about six months ago to move here. He’s currently working a private security job that’s only for a year, but he’s hoping to find something so he can stay. He said even before he knew I was here he wanted to stay, he liked it here, but now having found me, he didn’t think he’d be able to leave California. That news made me happy.

  I told him about Zane, leaving out the bad parts, and just said that after my grandmother died, I tried college but couldn’t stay there, so I came here. I told him about the MC and about all the amazing people I’ve met. How they’re like my family.

  Jax knows about my mother dying and my father leaving. He obviously knows about my grandmother dying and now knew that Zane went into the military, so I was pretty much alone. But I assured him that as soon as I moved here, I met Mack and everyone else, and they became my family.

  “Why didn’t you just call me? You know I would have come home or, shit, at least offered you a place to crash at my place in Florida,” Jax says when I’m done telling him everything.

  “I just needed a fresh start, Jax. I’m sorry, I hope that doesn’t upset you. It wasn’t personal, and to be quiet blunt, I really wasn’t thinking about anyone or anything, except getting the hell outta Dodge.” I really hope he understands. It would kill me if he was mad or hurt that I didn’t confide in him.

  He smiles and grabs my hand. “I get it. Sometimes, you just have to start over and do things for yourself,” he says, complete understanding in his eyes. I smile back and squeeze his hand. “I’ve missed you so much, Jax,” I say, tears threatening to fall again, but I push them back.

  “I’ve missed you too, Danielle,” he replies, leaning forward and pulling me into another hug.

  Chapter 8

  33 Weeks Pregnant

  Zane

  This week has been hell, that’s for sure.

  When I went to pick Dani up at the shop last week, I walked in to see her cuddled up with some fucking guy. They were sitting on the couch; laughing, holding hands, and looking too fucking happy together.

  When I hauled him up by his shirt and had my fist an inch from his face, Dani jumped up and yelled, “STOP!” It gave me enough pause that she was able to worm her w
ay between us.

  “Zane, stop. This isn’t what it looks like. He’s a friend—of both of us.” That had me even more confused since I didn’t know the fucker standing in front of me wearing that smug smile.

  I let go of his shirt and pushed him back with a little too much force, which made his smile slip and mine grow. “The fuck he’s a friend of mine,” I said, looking at him and not Dani. I didn’t want to take my eyes of the fucker in case he did something stupid.

  “Zane, its Jax. You remember him—from high school? He played football with you,” Dani says, starting to get attitude.

  “Jaxon Reynolds?” I ask, the name vaguely ringing a bell. If I remember correctly, he was a year younger than me. He’s also one of the guys I told to stay the fuck away from Dani. Okay, I lied. I actually told every guy in the school to stay away from her. Looks like someone didn’t fucking listen.

  Jaxon walks forward with his hand held out. “That’s me, brother. Long time no see. How the hell have ya been?” he says. I stared at his hand with no intention of shaking it until Dani slapped my shoulder. When I looked down at her, she was glaring at me.

  Sighing, I shook his hand. “Yeah, not fucking long enough,” I said, which garnered another glare from Dani. Sorry, Baby Girl, you’re just gonna have to deal with it.

  Dani and Jaxon made plans to meet up the next day before we went home. The ride was silent and every time I looked over at her, she had a big smile on her face. Why the hell is she so fucking happy about this guy? I haven’t seen her smile like that in months.

  After we got home, we talked for a long time; how she and Jaxon became friends, how he was there for her when she needed someone, and how much she’s missed him since coming here. She looked so sad when she told me she regretted leaving Texas and not telling him where she was going, but that she needed a new start. And now seeing how happy she is, how the fuck can I be mad about that? I can’t, but I sure as fuck can tell him to keep his hands to himself from now on, otherwise he’ll be missing a limb or two.

  The last couple of days, Jaxon has been coming over a lot to help Dani with last minute baby shit. I was pissed at first, because that should be me doing that stuff with her, not him, but then I figured at least she’s happy and safe. That has to count for something, right? I don’t have to be one-hundred-percent happy about it, but it is what it is.

  Tonight he’s supposed to be coming over for dinner; I guess they both have something they want to talk to me about. What the fuck it is, I have no idea, but it has me on edge and pissed off. Not sure why I’m pissed, but ever since he’s been around, that’s been my mood more so than not, so fucking sue me.

  Walking into the house, I can hear them laughing in the kitchen. Great, he’s already here.

  I don’t even bother taking my shoes off, I just want to get in there and see my girl. What I see surprises the hell outta me. Dani is sitting at the kitchen table with her feet up on the chair next to her and Jaxon is cooking. I’m stunned. I know she’s been tired lately and her feet have been hurting but I never thought he’d do something like this. I hate it, but it makes me have to like him even more, taking care of my girl like that.

  “Hey, Baby Girl, how you feeling today?” I ask as I walk up behind her, then lay a kiss on the top of her head. When Jaxon looks at me over his shoulder, I nod my head in greeting. He gives me a look that says, “See, I’m not a bad guy.” As much as I hate to admit it, he’s really not. Over the last week, I’ve seen how close they are and it really is like a brother-sister relationship. Even though I still don’t like it when he touches her in any way, I can see that he means nothing by it and she’s never looked at him the way she looks at me. Maybe I should put this shit behind me. Seems like he’s here to stay, so I don’t really have much choice unless I want to cause problems with Dani and me, and that’s something I will do anything to avoid.

  “I’m tired, my feet are swollen and sore, and I’m fucking huge and uncomfortable. Other than that, I guess I’m okay,” she says with a smirk. I know she’s telling the truth, but she’s trying not to be a bitch about it.

  “Soon, babe, soon our son or daughter will be here and you’ll forget all about how you feel right now.” Fuck, I hope that’s true. It’s what I’ve read in books anyway.

  She laughs and playfully shoves me away. “Whatever, fucker. You carry a baby around for nine months, have your body change in ways that shouldn’t be possible, and then tell me that you can forget how you felt.” I laugh with her, then grab her face and kiss her hard on the mouth.

  “I may not be able to understand how you feel, but I can tell you that I love you and you look more beautiful every day.” Maybe that’s cheesy and a pussy thing to say, but she’s my girl and it’s the truth. She’s fucking sexy carrying my child, and I’m not ashamed to say it or that I fucking love her.

  “Kiss ass,” she whispers with a smile on her face.

  Standing up and walking over to the fridge, I take out two beers. I pop the tops on both, then hand one to Jaxon. “Need any help, man?” I ask, feeling a little bad that he’s in my house, cooking for me and my woman.

  “Nah, I’m good. It’s about done anyway,” he says as he stirs what looks like some sort of stir fry. Damn, that smells good!

  Setting my beer down, I grab plates and set them around the table. Not being able to resist, I drop another lingering kiss on Dani’s lips, but we’re interrupted by Jaxon clearing his throat. “All right, you two, that’s enough. Wouldn’t want me puking in the food, would ya?” Dani and I both laugh, and I’m suddenly reminded how things used to be with Dani, Zeke, and me. I wonder, if he never would have died, if we would still be here right now, but maybe minus Jaxon.

  “Ha-ha, Jax.” Dani laughs, making me shake my head to clear those thoughts. Zeke is gone and that’s not gonna change. No use wondering what could have been.

  Jaxon brings over the food and we all dig in. He and Dani talk about the tattoo he wants while I listen in. I love it when she talks about her work. She’s so passionate; you can tell just by looking at her when she’s talking about drawing or tattooing. I’m so grateful she was able to find Mack. Not just because she was safe and found a family in him and the club, but she was able to find what she truly loves to do. He did that for her. I’ll never be able to repay him for what he’s done for her, and ultimately, me.

  When we’re done eating, I stand to clear the table. Jaxon stands to help, but I wave him off. “I got it, man. You cooked so I’ll clean up.” I don’t wait for him to answer, I just clear the table and put all the dishes in the dishwasher.

  Sitting back down, it looks like Dani and Jaxon are having a silent conversation. Waiting a couple of moments, I wait to see if they’re going to tell me what’s going on, but when they don’t, I ask, “What’s going on?”

  Dani gives Jaxon one last encouraging look before he looks at me. “Well, Dani was telling me about the company you’re starting. Security, right?” he asks. Not sure where this is going and why he’s interested, I just nod my head. “I’m not sure if you know this, but I came here for a temporary job. In security. I’ve been doing some work with private companies and some work with people who are in the media a lot.” I still don’t say anything, but I think I know where this is going. “Was wondering if you needed any help or were hiring,” he says, leaving the last part hanging.

  I make a show of thinking about it, but really, there’s nothing to think about. I’m pretty much doing this by myself, but some of the brothers at the club have offered to do some jobs if needed. It’d be nice to have someone work with me that isn’t a part of the club, that way if shit happens, I’ll have someone on the outside that would always be available. “You got references?” I ask, not really caring either way. I’ve seen the way he is around Dani and can tell he’d be good at the job.

  “Yeah, I can print out my resume and give it to you tomorrow if you’d like.”

  I shake my head. “Nah, don’t worry about it. Why don’t you come i
n next week and you can fill out some paperwork. I should have the office done by then,” I say, looking over at Dani, who is smiling broadly at me.

  “Yeah, sure thing. When do you think work will start?”

  Thinking about everything that needs finished at the office, I answer, “Well, office won’t be completely finished and ready to open till next month I’d guess, but we’ve already got some jobs lined up. If you’re okay with it, I can contact them and we can start end of next week. Take on a few jobs before we actually open up.” The more I think about it, the more I like the sound of that. With me doing all the work in the office myself, with a little help from the brothers, I haven’t been able to do any jobs yet, telling them they’ll have to wait till we open. But if Jaxon is game, then we can get started sooner than I thought.

  “Yeah, I’m good with that,” he says, then we spend the next fifteen minutes going over details while Dani just listens intently, offering a smile when we look over to her.

  Chapter 9

  34 Weeks Pregnant

  Dani

  Waking up, the first thing I notice is I’m alone in bed. Not like that is an odd occurrence lately, but I thought since things have been going well the past week maybe he’d be home more. Guess not.

  Second thing I notice is my back is killing me. Well, more so than usual. Figuring I slept weird last night, I get out of bed and decide a long hot shower is in order.

  Grabbing a pair of capri yoga pants and one of Zane’s t-shirts, I head into the bathroom. I take my time washing my hair, then lather my loofah with my body wash and scrub my body. After that’s all done, I wash my face then stand under the spray. I keep turning the knob every time the water starts getting colder, and don’t get out till all the hot water is gone. Zane better hope he doesn’t come home anytime soon for a shower ’cause he’ll be shit outta luck.