Never Told You

Brad

"Hey Milan, is Mar at your place?" I asked, admitting defeat as it became obvious Mar wasn't home. 10 minutes of knocking and calling was enough.

"She's at work, why don't you just come over and wait for her here." He said in a rush.

"She works at a bar, right? Why don't I just go there. Where is it?" I asked nod Ty looked at me confused.

"You don't want to know."

"Milan, what the fuck. 10 hours ago, you wanted me to get back with Marliegh, now that I'm fucking here you won't tell me where she is?" I snapped at him and he sighed.

"Duke's Pub on Hastings." He muttered and I nodded, motioning for Ty to head back to the elevators.

"Thanks man, I'll swing by later, alright."

"If you live that long." He hung up and I looked at Ty confused.

"What the fuck is Milan's problem now a days?" I asked and he chuckled.

"Oh, you'll see."

***

"This can't possibly be it." I stammered, turning to Ty as he came around from the driver's side of his rental SUV.

"What were you expecting? Cactus Club?" He chuckled, slapping my back, "Time to face the music, your girl works at a biker bar." He started walking towards the door and I hesitated for a moment, knowing this could go south quickly. "You coming?" Ty looked over his shoulder and I nodded, catching up with him.

Marliegh

"Can we get another round sweetheart?" Dave asked, nodding to the bar with the neck of his empty beer bootle.

Jude nodded, patting my leg and letting me up from perch on his knee, "Everybody?" I asked, already knowing the answer as all the men at the table laughed and nodded.

"Why not? We're celebrating, right?" The oldest at the table, William, beamed as he patted Jude's shoulder.

I smiled as I grabbed 6 beer and twisted the lids off, walking them over and clearing the empties before heading back behind the bar as the door opened and two familiar faces walked in.

Jude glanced over at me as Brad and Tyler walked up to the bar and I frowned slightly nodding, yup, that's the douche who stopped taking my calls.

"What can I get you?" I asked, trying to smile.

"5 minutes alone to talk." Marshy replied, not missing a beat.

"I'm working, Brad."

"I think this conversation is more important than some crappy biker dive bar, Mar." He insisted and I rolled my eyes at him as Jude slipped away from the table, leaning against the bar beside Brad.

"You having a problem with this guy, gorgeous?" He asked and I shook my head, "You might want to take this conversation outside then, before I take him outside."

"Jude-"

"Go ahead, these lazy fucks know where the booze is," He smiled at me as he nodded back to the table before dropping the smile and turning his intimidating frame to face Brad, "and Cupcake, show the lady some respect before I have to teach you some manners. 5 minutes, talk fast."

Brad

"Why the fuck do you work in a place like this, Mar?" I asked as we walked out into the large gravel parking lot and she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Really? You came back from Nova Scotia to cast judgement on my work place? If that's all you're here for, you can kiss my -"

"No. No, I came back because Tyler told me everything."

"So you believe us? We weren't going behind your back and you're just acting like a fucking two year old?" She snapped and I hesitated, making her furious, "So you still fucking think your best friend and girlfriend are lying to you? That's fucking fantastic, Marshy! Go back to No-"

"I know about the baby." I interrupted stopping her dead in her tracks, "I don't care about what happened, I just want to be with you and our ba-"

"Really? You want me back? You know when you could've told me that? In one of the 6 fucking billion phone calls you didn't fucking answer. If you wanted me back that fucking badly, you have a funny way of showing it, Marshand."

"Mar-"

"Times up, Cupcake." Jude called, walking out Duke's front door and lighting a cigarette. Mar turned on her heel and walked back inside as Jude made his way off the porch and across the parking lot to me.

"Good talk?" He asked, smirking and I rolled my eyes, "Good, because I want you to leave Marliegh alone."

"No fucking chance." I scoffed, "She's the future mother of my child, I'm not leaving her to raise my kid on her own."

"Oh don't worry, she won't be doing it alone. Didn't you see the ring?"

Marliegh

"Seguin, you are in deep shit." I glared at him as I walked back behind the bar and he looked at me shocked.

"What did I do?"

"I can't believe you fucking told him after I told you fucking not to." I growled at him, trying to resist the urge to kill him, "Jude and I just told everyone here it was his kid, now Marshy comes storming in like a bull in a China shop, making a scene."

The bar went quiet for a second as we heard shouting from outside and Dave and I took off running outside, knowing full well it wasn't good.

I threw open the door and couldn't believe my eyes, Jude was kicking Brad's ass right there in the middle of the parking lot.

"JUDE!" I screamed at him, jumping the porch steps and pulling him off Brad by his leather vest, "Go back inside."

"Out of my way, Mar." He growled at me as Ty pulled Brad to his feet.

"What's going on out here?" William demanded as he made his way through the crowd of spectators from inside to his son.

"Go back inside, Jude." I yelled at him as Dave pulled him back towards the bar. Jude shook his head and ripped his arm out of Dave's grasp before storming off inside.

"Mar-" I turned around to face Brad and the sight broke my heart. He definitely looked beat, with a split lip and what would soon be a massive shiner, but he also looked emotionally broken, "I'm sor-"

"Save it, Marsh. Why don't you just leave? You're good at that." I snapped at him before pushing through the crowd of people and running after Jude.

"Jude, what the fuck?" I asked when I found him in the back room, pacing it's length as he clenched and unclenched his fists.

"That's what I was thinking, what the fuck did you see in that little prick?" He was clearly still angry, so I let it slide.

"He's not usually like that, he just has a short temper like somebody else I know." I shot him a pointed glance and he sighed, crumpling down into a seat at the table.

"I'm sorry, Mar. It's just...you're this amazing girl but you always end up with these fucking tools and it just kills me because you're so much better than them and you fucking deserve someone who treats you as such!"

"Like my gangster rink rat bestie?" I joked, flashing him the ring he bought me this morning.

"I'll be getting that back now that Cupcake showed up, won't I?" He frowned and I sat down beside him, grabbing his hand and giving it a squeeze.

"I am never going to forget this, even if it was just for a day. I am always going to be grateful you were right here when I really needed you, especially with something as massive as offering to help me raise a baby." I slid the ring off and put it down on the table, leaning in to kiss his cheek, "You're a good friend, Jude."

"Offer still stands if you ever change your mind." He smiled assuringly and I shook my head.

"You're going to find a much better girl, just watch." I winked at him before walking out of the back room, straight into William.

"So it was all fake?" He frowned and I shrugged.

"We love each other, but in the rink rat childhood best friend kind of way, not the perfect marriage kind."

"Go." He smirked and I looked at him confused, "Jude will get over it and we can manage without you today, go make things right with Cupcake."

Brad

"Jude Tanner did this to you?" Milan asked surprised as he handed me a bag of peas for my black eye.

"Tall, long hair and a beard?" I asked and he nodded so I shrugged, "Sounds about right."

"I know the dude's a Hells Angel, didn't think he was the kind." Milan shrugged and Ty and l looked at him confused, "Jude's brother and I played minor hockey together, Jude used to chase Mar around the rink like a love sick puppy. Been best friends ever since."

"Well they're more than-" loud banging on the apartment door interrupted my grumbling as Milan ran over to answer it.

"Is Marshy he-re." Mar asked, barging past him but stopping short when she saw me, "Can we talk?"

"We did, at the bar, remember?" I asked and hurt flashed in her eyes, breaking my heart, "I guess a little more talking wouldn't hurt though."

"We'll give you a minute, why don't we go on a beer run?" Milan suggested and Ty nodded heading for the door without a word.

When the door closed behind them, Mar and I stood in an awkward silence for a moment, neither of us sure how to defuse the tension left between us.

"I'm sorry I didn't answer any of your calls." I started and she shrugged.

"I'm sorry my best friend kicked the shit out of you."

"Don't you mean fiancé?" I sneered and she waved her left hand at me - her empty left hand.

"Just for show, I was so scared I'd end up a single mom," she shook her head trying not to cry, "Jude offered to marry me and pretend it was his to help me out, but it's painfully obvious that he's had a crush on me for a very long time and I knew it wasn't going to end well when I said yes, but-"

I slid off the barstool I was perched on and crossed the room to shut her up with a long over due kiss.

"I love you, Mar, and I'm sorry for being an idiot, but if you'll have me I want to be with you, with our family."

"I love you too." She barely managed, already tearing up. I smiled, leaning in and kissing her again, but I stopped short and smirked.

"I just need you to promise me one thing...you'll never call me Cupcake."

She giggled, nodding, "I think I can manage that one."