Give You A Kid? No Way!

Chapter 1

Aria

Aria Macy crammed her duffel bag into the trunk of her roommate’s Prius and glanced toward their new apartment building, missing it already.

At least it would be something to look forward to when they returned, unlike the dorm.

They’d both just finished their second year at the University of River Falls and had grown tired of living on campus. After becoming roommates, and then close friends, they’d decided they needed something bigger and had lucked out when the apartment had become available. Not only was it near the college, but a reasonable price for a two-bedroom. They’d just moved in the night before and now were heading to Poppie’s brother’s cabin - in Shore Lake, Montana - for a few days.

Aria almost wished she would have made up some kind of excuse to stay behind. At that moment, organizing her stuff, binging on Netflix, and baking cookies sounded like the perfect way to spend the next few days.

At least to her it did.

Poppie, on the other hand, couldn’t sit still for more than ten minutes without going stir crazy. She was always on the run and definitely not a home-body. Basically, the total opposite of Aria, who grew up in foster homes and had always dreamed of having a real place to live. A quiet place. One that made her feel safe and at peace. Like the new apartment.

Yeah, it was kind of a dump, but so much bigger than the dorm, and now they had a private kitchen and bathroom. To top it off, Aria would finally get some privacy. Although she loved Poppie, the girl had a wild side and was always bringing guys back for s*x. Most of the time, Aria would get a warning - usually a ribbon on the doorhandle - and she’d know to stay away for the next hour or so. But Poppie sometimes snuck them in late at night and Aria would wake to the sound of them getting it on.

Thank goodness she wouldn’t have to deal with any of that any longer. Trying to sleep while someone was having s*x in the same room was aggravating.

After getting into the car, she pulled her seatbelt on and glanced at Poppie, who was applying a light pink sheen of lip gloss to her mouth.

“So, you’re sure your brother is cool with me tagging along with you, right?” Aria asked. Apparently, he was rich and had this enormous lake home. Every early summer he threw a huge party and this year Poppie had begged her to come.

Poppie shut the visor and dropped the tube of lip gloss into the drink holder. “Are you kidding? He’s the one who insisted I invite you.”

Aria raised her eyebrows. “So you told him about me?’

She snorted. “Well, yeah. I mean you’re my best friend, so of course I told him. Besides, he’s very protective and wants to see who I’m rooming with.”

Every time Poppie referred to her as her “best friend”, Aria couldn’t help but smile. It felt so good to finally have a person in her life that truly cared about her. She’d spent most of her childhood moving from home-to-home and had learned not to get too attached to people. Especially other kids. Either they’d been untrustworthy or just when you developed a friendship, one of them would get transferred to another family. Like Jake Dawson, who she still missed to that day. He’d been thirteen and she ten when they’d ended up in the same foster family. Jake had treated her like a younger sister during the year they’d known each other. He’d been protective and had taught her a lot of things – like how to do tricks on a skateboard. He’d also taught her how to make pancakes and even defend herself when other kids picked on her. Then one day she arrived home from school and Aria had learned that Jake had gone back to live with his father. It had broken her heart and she’d cried for days. For awhile, she’d decided it wasn’t worth the heartache to get too close to anyone. It was bad enough not knowing what had happened to her birth mother, who’d abandoned her when she was very young, but then to lose Jake too. It had been devastating.

Poppie waved her hand in front of her face. “Earth to Aria. Are you there?”

She blinked. “Sorry, I spaced out.”

Poppie’s eyes softened. She gave her a reassuring smile. “Girl, you’re not getting all anxious about this are you? Don’t be. Everyone is going to love you.”

She knew firsthand that Aria wasn’t comfortable with families or socializing in general. The last party she’d dragged her to, Aria had stood awkwardly in the corner, playing on her phone and avoiding conversations. It had been a long night.

Aria snorted. “Nervous? Me? Right," she said dryly.

“Seriously, we’ll have a blast. Who knows, maybe you’ll even decide to move back with me after graduation.”

“Maybe.”

Aria had actually been hoping that Poppie would move with her to California. Her dream was to open up her own pet grooming salon, especially after working part-time as a shampooer. She was majoring in Animal Science and hadn’t been exactly sure how she was going to use her degree. But seeing the tips the groomers made at the salon, not to mention her love of animals, Aria had a good idea of how she wanted her future to look – making bank at a posh animal salon somewhere in Beverly Hills. It wasn’t going to happen overnight, but at least she had a plan. All she needed to do now was finish school and take as many grooming classes as she could.

“I think once you see how amazing Shore Lake is, you’re going to fall in love with it. Just think, people pay to vacation there and you could live there permanently. My brother rents out cabins and you wouldn’t believe how much they’re paying to stay there.”

“Sounds like something I won’t be able to afford.”

“Of course you would. I just know he’d give you a deal. Plus, think of all the rich vacationers who’d want their dogs groomed. I’m telling you, Shore Lake might be a gold mine of opportunity.”

She had to admit, it did sound interesting.

“Anyway, let’s stop at Starbucks before we leave town. I saw this coffee combo on t****k I want to try.”

“Okay.”

After grabbing some frozen drinks, they hit the highway and headed toward Montana. The drive would take almost seventeen hours, which she was a little excited about. Aria had never been on a long road trip before, so it felt a little like an adventure.

On the drive, the girls did stop at a few scenic spots, but the majority of the drive consisted of farmland and small towns. Still, she was expanding her horizons and it did feel good to try something new.

When evening approached, the two decided to stop at Shay’s Bar and Grille, to grab a bit to eat. Aria had read that although it was a hole-in-the-wall, the place was supposed to have amazing food. At first Poppie grimaced at the suggestion.

“I don’t know, Aria. I’ve driven past that place before. It’s seriously a dump.”

“We can try somewhere else. I just figured that it was on the way. Oh, and they’re supposed to have really good Wisconsin cheese curds. It was featured on some television foodie show.”

Poppie chuckled. “Really? Okay, fine. Let’s try it. We certainly don’t want you to miss out on some famous cheese curds. God forbid.”

When they pulled into the parking lot at the bar, they noticed the place was already busy.

“Must be Happy Hour,” Poppie said as they walked past a row of Harley’s. “Bikers, hmm.. Wonder if there are any hot guys inside.”

“Doesn’t matter. We’re only staying for dinner, not dessert,” Aria said dryly.

She laughed. “Girl, you really do need to get laid.”

Poppie's answer to everything seemed to either be s*x or food. The truth was, Aria had never even gone all the way with a guy. Not that she was saving herself, she just hadn't dated much and the last time she'd even made out with someone had been in high school.

As they approached the entrance, a rough looking biker with long grey hair tied back into a pony tail and a scar on his cheek walked out of the bar and lit a cigarette.

“Hey there, Pretty Ladies,” the guy said in a gravelly voice as he opened the door for them.

“Hey yourself,” Poppie said, friendly as always.

Aria smiled politely and then lowered her gaze. The way he was checking them out gave her the creeps. He was old enough to be their grandfather.

Maybe this wasn’t a such good idea, she thought.

As they entered the dark and dingy tavern, everyone seated around the bar turned to look. Like the man outside, the group seemed a little rough around the edges. Unlike him, however, Aria sensed an unfriendly vibe among them and it made her nervous.

“This is even more of a shithole than I’d imagined,” Poppie murmured under her breath as they looked around the place for a place to sit.

“You girls can seat yourself,” a frazzled looking waitress said, moving past them quickly with a tray of food. “Menus are on the table.”

“Thanks,” Poppie replied.

They took the only clean booth available, near the pool tables and dart boards, and slid in across from each other.

Aria waved away a fruit fly and frowned. “Gross. Sorry. We can leave if you want.”

Poppie opened up her menu. “Don’t be silly, we’re already here and there’s really nothing else nearby. We're not going back the way we came either.”

Aria looked toward the doorway, noticing the gray-haired dude stepping back inside. He headed over to a pool table surrounded by bikers, also staring at them with interest.

“Anyway, I’m so hungry I could eat a freaken cow. Maybe two.”

Aria decided the best thing to do was to ignore everyone, eat quickly, and get the hell out of there. She’d had to deal with creeps in the past, many times, and hopefully the ones in the bar would keep their distance.

“I’m starving too.” Looking at the menu, there didn’t seem to be much of a choice, but her stomach was growling. She could eat anything at the moment. “I might even get a burger.”

Poppie sighed. “Something tells me they don’t have meatless burgers here.”

“Probably not.”

After gaining some weight in her freshman year, Aria had gone Vegan and had shed some of the extra pounds around her waist. For her, the diet hadn’t been sustainable though. She loved cheese too much and craved eggs. So, she’d since turned vegetarian, which was easier to stick with. But there were times when she really missed a greasy, all-beef burger. Especially when she was around Poppie, who could put down a twenty-four-ounce steak without blinking an eye.

Aria's stomach growled. “I might have to settle for what they do have though. A salad just isn’t going to cut it.”

Poppie smiled in amusement. “Look at you, living life on the edge and all.”

“I know right? Oh, hey. At least they have the cheese curds.”

“Yeah, I can't wait to try them.”

Aria was about to say something else when the bar went completely quiet. That’s when she noticed an intimidating figure, who seemed to have appeared from out of nowhere. He stood at least six feet tall with broad shoulders and long legs, wearing all black leather clothing. His eyes glowed yellow in the dim light of the barroom as he moved towards them menacingly, stopping just short of their table.

Aria didn't know who this man was, or why he seemed so threatening, but she felt her heart racing nonetheless. Poppie, on the other hand, seemed surprisingly unphased by his presence.

He leaned his palms on the table, which emphasized his muscular arms covered in tattoos.

Poppie kept her gaze steady on him and asked if there was a problem.

He regarded her coolly. “Not yet. Let’s keep it that way.”

Aria didn’t understand his animosity or the way he stared at Poppie. Like she was some kind of threat.

Poppie’s eyes met Aria and she laughed. “Can you believe this guy?” She looked back at the stranger. “Did we steal your table or something?”

“We can move somewhere else,” Aria added, getting ready to get up.

“No.” The man’s face softened slightly as he regarded Aria for a few seconds. Now that he was under the light, she could see that he wasn’t much older than the two of them. His eyes, which had seemed to glow before – and must have been her imagination - were actually a startling shade of blue. He had a strong jawline, covered in a five-o’clock shadow, short wavy hair, and a very handsome face. Then his attention returned to Poppie.

"It looks like you're far from home, Poppie."

“Not that far,” she replied with an edge to her voice.

Aria couldn’t believe that they actually knew each other, or the tension between them.

Had she hooked up with this guy in the past and then ghosted him? Pissing him off?

It had happened before and Poppie was gorgeous, with her long blonde hair, bright green eyes, and cute dimples. She was tall and athletic looking - surprisingly strong for someone who looked so sweet and perky. She gave off cheerleader vibes and most people were automatically drawn to her and her friendly demeanor. Then there was Aria, who was quiet, short with long brown hair and dark eyes. She didn’t like people much, at least the ones she’d met before Poppie. As far as strength went, she could hold her own, but nothing compared to Poppie. The girl was strong enough to beat some of the college guys at arm-wrestling, which delighted her. Poppie was definitely a force to be reckoned with and Aria had always felt safe with her.

Until now.

Not with this guy and the tension between them. It wasn’t just a bitterness she sensed either. It was flat-out dislike for each other.

“Enough to be treading on dangerous ground,” he muttered and then looked at Aria. “Who’s your friend?”

"Selena Gomez," joked Poppie, who told Aria all the time that she looked like her.

"Selena Gomez," he repeated, his eyebrows drawing together.

Aria sighed. Whatever was going on between them didn't involve her. There was no reason to lie. "She'd kidding. My name's-"

“None of your business,” Poppie interrupted, a warning in her voice.

His attention turned back to Poppie and the animosity returned. “I know you’re alone, so finish your business here and then be on your way.”

Poppie looked bored. “We plan on it.”

“And you,” he looked at Aria again, “a word of advice - beware of thy enemie in sheep’s clothing.” He stared hard at Poppie again. “They can turn on a dime.”

Poppie rolled her eyes.

He straightened up and then turned away without another word. Aria watched as he walked away, leaving behind an air of mystery and intrigue in his wake...but also some relief now that the danger had passed for the time being.

Poppie glared at his back and then looked back at her menu.

“How do you know that guy?”

It took Poppie a few seconds to answer and when she did, Aria wasn't expecting the answer she gave.

“He’s my cousin, Dante.”