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Mara prods him for more information about Murphy’s road captain duties and I’m only half-listening when Heidi arrives.
“Blake! What are you doing here?” Heidi jumps into Murphy’s arms before he stands up from the bench. Next to me, Mara chuckles at their affectionate greeting and mutters, “Ah, young love.”
“Hi, Mara, Lilly,” Heidi greets when Murphy sets her down.
“Just wanted to see you for a few minutes.” He presses his forehead to hers and they talk in low voices to each other.
Murphy ends up pushing Alexa and Heidi on the swings for a while, but after receiving a few texts, says he has to get going.
“You can head home with him, honey,” Hope offers. “Alexa can stay with us. We’re fine.”
Heidi hesitates and ruffles Alexa’s hair. “Are you sure?”
“I gotta stop by Furious,” Murphy says. “Might be a while.”
“That’s okay,” Hope assures him.
They work out the details and, after stopping to chat with Birch, Murphy promises to send someone for Heidi’s car.
“I need to get home,” Mara says. “Next time, let’s do this without the little people and with copious amounts of wine.”
She leans over to give me another hug and Chance surprisingly asks Mara for a hug too. “You’re going to be quite a heartbreaker, aren’t you,” she says.
After they’ve left, Hope leans back and sighs. “I’m exhausted. Tell me this gets easier?”
“I think so. I haven’t decided yet.” I glance at Grace and then Alexa. “Why’d you tell them to go?”
She shrugs. “Heidi’s working so hard and Murphy is too since the gym opened back up. They never get to see each other lately.”
“Aw, you’re the best mom,” I tease.
“Ugh. Everyone really needs to stop with the mom stuff.”
“But you are a mom now.”
“I know.” She grins and peeks in Grace’s stroller. Sweet baby coos make me lean in too. “She’s just beautiful, Hope.”
“I never knew how much I wanted her until…gosh, I just love her so much.”
“Think you want more?”
“No. We’re lucky. We were blessed with Grace. I won’t tempt fate.”
I reach over and squeeze her hand.
“What about you?”
There’s an edge to her question and, as friendly as Hope’s been all day, I’m not sure she’s one hundred percent forgiven me for skipping out on Z.
Direct and to the point has always been my style. “You and Z are close, huh?”
She sighs. “Yes. He looks out for me.”
“And you look out for him?”
“I don’t know about that.” She pauses, seems to consider what she wants to say, and I wait for her to get it out. “He was so good to me when I was pregnant. When Rock was away on business, Z helped me out a few times. Whatever you think you know about him, Lilly…he’s so much more.”
A lump of…guilt? Sadness? Jealousy? I’m not sure what it is tightens my throat. “I know,” I whisper.
Her expression hardens. “He was serious about you before you left. And now,” she gestures toward Chance, “you can’t—”
“I’m staying.” Wow, just how much personal stuff do they share? How could I ever explain to her that it wasn’t reservations about Z that forced me to leave?
The sky darkens and the wind picks up, swirling bits of dead grass and leaves around us and Hope sighs.
“I knew the nice weather couldn’t last.” Hope reaches into Grace’s stroller and tucks another blanket around her before calling for Alexa.
“I told Z that I’m not leaving again, and I meant it.”
“Good.” She reaches over and squeezes my hand again. “I understand the club stuff seems…overwhelming and I swear I’m not trying to induct you into our insular cult or anything. But it really is a family—”
“I see that, Hope.” I say, gesturing to Birch who’s ambling over carrying Alexa on one arm and holding onto Chance’s hand.
I want to explain to Hope that it’s not the club that made me leave either. But while she might look like preppy-biker-housewife today, underneath it, she’s still a fierce dog-with-a-bone lawyer who will have a mi
llion and one questions for me.
Questions I don’t think I’ll ever be ready to answer.
Twenty-Seven
Z
“Thanks, Hope,” I say, squeezing her hand. “I’m glad you two hung out today.”
“It was no problem, Z. Mara was happy to catch up with Lilly too.” Her mouth turns down. “I really get the sense she’s been alone, doing everything by herself.”
“Well, that won’t be an issue anymore.”
“Good.” She glances over at Lilly who’s busy talking to Trinity. “How are things between the two of you?”
“Better.”
“She said she’s staying,” Hope says in a lower voice. Almost like a question.
“Yeah, I think she needs to pack her stuff up in Cali, but I’ll go with her and help her out.”
One corner of her mouth slides up.
“Not because I want to keep tabs on her.” I tilt my head and pretend to think about it. “Well, maybe.”
She punches me lightly on the arm. “I think that’s good.” Her expression softens. “Chance is more than welcome to stay with us if you want to take an ‘adults only’ trip.”
“Thanks, I appreciate that.”
Someone’s phone goes off and Rock steps away from the noise around him.
“Are you sure?” His loud voice makes all of us stop talking and stare.
When Rock hangs up, he shakes his head and glares at us for a second before ordering all the brothers into the war room.
“What’s going on, Prez?” I ask as soon as Rock shuts the door behind him.
Everyone, except Dex and Bricks who are still down at Crystal Ball, waits near their chair.
Rock blows out a breath and slowly approaches the head of the table. He’s always level and not prone to dramatics so this behavior has Wrath and I making what-the-fuck faces at each other across the table.
“That was Sway’s son.”
“Danny-boy. What’s he want?” Murphy asks. “Decide to try prospecting again?”
“No,” Rock answers, staring down at the phone still in his hand. “Sway was shot.”
“Holy shit.” I sit straight up. “Is he alive?”
