I shook my head, sick to my stomach. “Jesus, Harrison. You can’t be serious. It's my baby we are talking about.” I was shaking from head to toe. I sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm myself. I couldn’t believe that Harrison of all people would suggest I kill my unborn child. It was ludicrous.
Complete madness.
I’d never realized just how deep Harrison’s hatred ran. It scared the living shit out of me. I came to stand directly in front of my brother, lifting my chin to look him squarely in the eyes, continuing my rant, even though I was finding it hard to breathe. “I want this baby. Have you stopped for one damn minute to think about what’s good for me?” If I had been raised any differently I would’ve smacked his goddamn face. “I love Ryder and we want this. Deal with it.”
Harrison balled his fists by his sides. His eyes were nearly bugging out of his head. “You aren’t married. The career you’ve worked so hard for? You’re messing it all up. Your future is going down the drain, fast. I can’t stand by and watch you throw yourself at a biker like trash. And I won’t let you throw your life away.”
I jabbed my finger into his chest, hard, wanting to hurt him as much as his words were cutting me. “You don’t get it, do you? Love changes everything. When you love somebody, it's all that matters. No career in the world can replace love.”
Harrison sneered down at me. “Don’t fool yourself that Ryder is in love with you. I always thought you were a lot smarter than that, Jade. You disappoint me. An intelligent girl like you—falling for his bullshit.”
Refusing to believe him, I shook my head vehemently. “Ryder fucking loves me. And he wants the baby as much as I do.”
“Sure he does. You’re his meal ticket into the good life. But when your belly gets big and round and he can’t fu—have sex with you anymore? He’ll go find it elsewhere. Screw every chick he can get his dick into. I know his type. I've seen it happen more than once, and I'm not having that happen to you.”
His cruel words knocked me in the gut, making me stagger backwards to put distance between us. “There is nothing you can do to stop me. I'm having this baby—with Ryder.”
He went quiet for a moment, his jaw working fervently. “Has Ryder asked you to marry him? Has he even made the slightest commitment to you for the future?”
Blood drained from my face, my body running cold. The smirk twisting Harrison’s lips was hard to watch without wanting to physically harm him.
“That’s what I thought. The prick hasn’t made any long-term commitment to you, has he? He’ll probably up and leave before the bastard child of yours is born.”
My knees were folding beneath me. I clung to the back of the chair, placing a hand over my belly. No. Not Ryder. He’d never do that to me. Would he?
“I should kill him just for having sex with you. Never mind for getting you knocked up.”
I sucked oxygen into my lungs. Where has all the air in the room gone?
“I love Ryder. I want his child. Why can’t you understand that?”
He shook his head, sadness in his eyes. “Jade. Young and naïve, Jade. Men like Knox don’t operate like that. He doesn’t care what you want. Now he’s had the goods, and as soon as you are no longer attractive to him he’ll drop you and move on. His type always does.”
My throat burned. I blinked rapidly, trying to stop the tears from welling up in my eyes. I didn’t want Harrison to think this was a mistake. That I was doomed. This didn’t mean my life with Ryder Knox was over.
Did it?
“Harrison, I pity you. You clearly don’t understand love. But one day soon, you will meet the right woman, and she will knock the breath out of you.” I drew air into my lungs. “And she’ll knock your shit out of you, too. Mark my words.”
His laugh was cold. Hard, even. “That, my dear sister, will never happen. There isn’t a woman on this planet that will ever get to my heart again. It's chained to Amy. Nobody can ever take her place. And don’t you dare speak to me like that again.”
I’d gotten to him—he was clearly rattled.
Was there a woman who could unchain Harrison’s cold and bitter heart? She’d have to be an angel. Superhuman. Because the chains around his heart were rusty, binding him to the past forever.
Chapter Twenty-Nine — Ryder
I stopped the Harley in the driveway, eager to get inside and to see Jade. I’d just taken the shortest route back from the MC club where I’d met with Razor and the boys. Cobra had taken Mia and the kids away for a few days, so it was safe for me to go there without bumping into him or causing an altercation.