He found a bag, packed her shit up, and took her back to his truck. He left Russ with her as he went to find the landlord.
Sarge wasn’t a fool, and as he pounded the truth out of the bastard’s face, he knew he’d been overcharging Talia because she was young and didn’t know any better. He got her a refund and a clean break.
There was no way he was going to let anyone take advantage of his woman. No fucking way at all.
****
Talia spent Thanksgiving with Sarge.
He didn’t allow her to look for another apartment. Their time together soon worked its way toward Christmas. They put up a tree together during the first week of December. Their relationship was still a secret from everyone they worked with, and she didn’t mind. Cherry had long ago stopped asking her about who she was dating, but that could have something to do with the man she was dating.
They shared Christmas together and with the refund he got from her landlord, she’d been able to buy him a brand-new bike helmet. He’d gotten her a whole new array of lingerie and he’d insisted on seeing each garment that very morning.
New Year’s Eve came and went. This time, they celebrated inside the bar with everyone. He did kiss her in front of everyone, and then announced she belonged to him as people gawked at him.
Now, as Talia looked down at the pregnancy stick on Valentine’s Day, she felt sick to her stomach. She’d never gotten on the pill. Going to the doctor had long ago faded from her mind and now, she was in big trouble.
She’d started to feel sick around Christmas, but she’d put that down to her cooking. Then, her breasts had started to swell. Her stomach as well. She couldn’t deny the warning signs. Had already ignored them for nearly two months.
As the test said, she was pregnant.
Getting to her feet, she wrapped the evidence in tissue paper and stepped out of the bathroom.
Their time together was only supposed to be for fun, and now she was pregnant. She put a hand to her stomach. A child grew inside her.
Sarge wasn’t going to like this. He’d told her to get on the pill, and like a fucking child, she’d forgotten.
She was so damn happy, angry, sad, and so confused.
The crush she had on Sarge wasn’t that of a schoolgirl, but she had fallen in love with him. It went deeper than lust as well. Her feelings for him were so strong they scared her. The past few months had been the best of her life. Spending time with him was a dream come true. She loved him so much. The way he’d hold his arm open for her to snuggle up against. Waking up to his kisses down her spine, or on her pussy.
Yes, the sex was out of this world, but it was the little things she loved. He folded up her clothes for her. Made her breakfast. They had movie days together.
Now it was all ruined.
She put a hand to her chest, trying to control the fear that clutched at her. She closed her eyes, taking several deep breaths as she did. Panicking wasn’t going to help. She needed to walk, to clear her head.
Washing her hands, she made her way out of the bar, going straight toward the back door.
“Talia, babe,” Sarge said. “Where are you going?”
She tensed up. “I just need to get some air.”
“I need you to help clean up the mess I made in my office,” he said.
“No, get Cherry to do it, or someone else. I’ve got to go.”
“Talia, what’s going on?” he asked.
She spun around and glared at him. “You’re not my dad, okay? I just need to take a walk.”
Feeling even more like a child, she cringed at how she reacted but rushed outside. She picked up her pace and started to run. She needed to get as far away from him as possible.
A baby.
In her mind, she allowed herself the chance to think about what having a baby actually meant. A newborn baby. Someone to love, to hold, to cherish. She would take care of any baby she had.
The city wasn’t her favorite place to be. Out of breath, she came to a stop near a bench. It was still light out and she collapsed onto it. She hadn’t gotten herself a jacket and as she wrapped her arms around herself, she felt so fucking stupid.
Sarge didn’t deserve her anger. It wasn’t his fault that she’d fucked up big time. She dropped her head back against the bench.
She was going to be a mom. She didn’t know the first thing about raising a child. Sure, her parents hadn’t really been there for her, but they’d at least gotten her to a teenager. She knew how to take care of herself.
Not that she’d done a good job.
Pregnant.
If Sarge chose to, he could fire her. Who would hire a pregnant woman?
Tears filled her eyes. Emotions, that was what was happening to her. They were messing with her already. It wasn’t like she didn’t have enough problems in her life, now her feelings were going to be all over the place. It was just her luck at this time. She went from happy to emotional.
Great. Just great.
She reached into her pocket to grab the pregnancy test only to find her pocket was empty.
Talia frowned.
She’d put the damn thing in her pocket. Shoving her hands into both pockets, she groaned. The test wasn’t there.
Dropping her head into her hands, she groaned. With all her running, she’d probably dropped it somewhere, which was so
