Chapter 2
Three months later, Aria's hands shook as she stared at the pregnancy test. Two pink lines stared back at her like a death sentence.
"No, no, no." She grabbed another test from the box. Then another.
Three tests. Three positive results.
Her knees gave out and she sank onto her bathroom floor, back against the tub. This couldn't be happening. She was on birth control. She was careful. She was—
The memory hit her like a slap. That night at Murphy's Tavern. The stranger with storm-blue eyes and hands that knew exactly how to touch her. They'd been so caught up in each other, so desperate, that protection had been the last thing on either of their minds.
Her phone buzzed. A text from her study group about tomorrow's exam. Normal life, carrying on like her world hadn't just exploded.
Another buzz. Marcus.
"Saw you at the hospital today. You looked pale. Everything okay?"
She wanted to scream. Marcus had been "coincidentally" showing up everywhere lately. The coffee shop near campus. The grocery store. Her work. Three months since she'd broken up with him, and he still acted like they were together. The nausea hit again, sending her scrambling for the toilet. When had this started? The exhaustion, the queasiness, the way certain smells made her gag. She'd blamed it on stress from rotations. God, how could she have been so stupid?
"You're glowing," said Kelly, her roommate, when Aria stumbled into the kitchen the next morning.
"I'm dying," Aria muttered, pouring coffee then immediately pouring it out when the smell hit her wrong.
"Rough night studying?"
If only. Aria had spent the night researching options, her laptop screen burning her eyes as she read about clinics and procedures and what to do when your entire life plan gets derailed by one night of stupidity.
She didn't even know his name.
All she remembered was the patch on his leather vest. Iron Vultures MC. Some motorcycle club that probably had a dozen members who looked exactly like him.
"I need to tell you something," Aria said, then stopped. Kelly was pre-law, career-focused, practical. She'd never understand how Aria could throw away three years of medical school for some tattooed stranger.
"What?"
"Nothing. Just... stressed about boards."
Kelly nodded and left for class. Aria stood alone in their tiny kitchen, one hand pressed to her still-flat stomach.
A baby. Jesus Christ, a baby.
She'd always wanted kids someday. After residency, after marriage, after life was perfectly planned and organized. Not now. Not like this. Not with a father who was a ghost.
The women's clinic was tucked between a nail salon and a Chinese restaurant. Aria sat in her car for twenty minutes, staring at the entrance.
She could do this. Make the appointment, take care of the problem, move on with her life. It was logical. Practical. The smart choice.
A young woman about her age walked out of the clinic, tears streaming down her face. Her boyfriend had his arm around her, whispering something in her ear.
Aria's chest tightened. She thought of storm-blue eyes and gentle hands. The way he'd asked if she was sure, the reverence in his voice when he'd touched her.
Her phone rang. Marcus again.
"Hey babe, want to grab lunch? I know this great little place—"
"Stop calling me." Her voice came out sharper than intended.
"Aria, what's wrong? You sound upset." Everything. Everything was wrong. But Marcus was the last person she could tell. He'd probably insist they get back together, that he'd raise another man's child, that this was a sign they were meant to be.
The thought made her sick.
"I'm fine. I just... need space."
"How much space? It's been three months. I've been patient, but—"
She hung up.
Through the clinic window, she could see other women waiting. Some looked relieved. Others looked terrified. All of them looked alone.
Aria started her car and drove away.
That night, she lay in bed with her laptop, searching for Iron Vultures MC. The website was basic—just a logo and an address. Some kind of garage and clubhouse on the south side of town. She could find him. Track down the stranger and tell him he was going to be a father. But then what? He was a biker. Probably had women in every city. That night had meant nothing to him. But it had meant everything to her.
Her phone buzzed. Another text from Marcus.
"I know you're scared about something. Let me help. That's what people who love each other do." Love. Marcus thought controlling someone was love. Thought owning someone was the same as caring about them.
She thought about the stranger's hands, gentle even when he was desperate. The way he'd asked permission with his eyes before every touch.
Two lines on a pregnancy test. One night that changed everything. And somewhere out there, a man who didn't even know her name.
She opened her laptop and found the address again. Iron Vultures MC. A garage on the south side, forty minutes across town. She wrote it on the back of her hand in ballpoint, the way she used to write dosages before rounds, and told herself she was only keeping her options open.
Her phone lit up on the nightstand. Marcus.
"You should have told me about the doctor's appointment, babe. You shouldn't have to go through something like that alone."
Aria stared at the screen until it went dark.
She hadn't told anyone about the clinic. Not Kelly. Not her sister. Not one living soul.