She follows me to the back door, and I stop by the coat rack. She tilts her head, her eyes narrowing, still notbelieving I’m here because I want to be here. Or maybe she’s wondering if I’m not capable of looking after her because I’m in a wheelchair.
“Has the club ordered you to watch me? That’s how this works, isn’t it?”
I grab my coat and shrug it over my shoulders. My gloves are in my pocket and I slip those on too, then check that Isla’s got gloves. Cody snuggles against her chest with a knitted hat covering his tiny head. “Is he going to be warm enough out there?”
I’ve been around enough babies at the clubhouse to know they get cold pretty quick, especially newborns.
Isla buttons up her coat so it covers the both of them, and his little head peeks out the top. She smiles warmly at him. “He’s got my body heat, and we won’t stay out for long.”
Satisfied they’re both ready for the cold, I push open the door and answer Isla’s question.
“I volunteered.”
What I don’t mention is that I didn’t give anyone else the opportunity to say otherwise.
I told Raiden I would spend the night here and move my stuff in tomorrow. As long as Isla and Cody are here, I’m here.
It’s stopped snowing, and the thin layer covering the ground crunches under my wheels. It’s crispy but not yet slippery.
I’m limited to where I can go around here while in my wheelchair. Raiden had the entire compound re-concreted, so it’s easy for me to get around withoutbumping up against uneven surfaces. Man, I owe that guy a lot.
There are some mountain trails that have boardwalks and well-tended even paths, but others are bumpy with tree roots and rocks and mud, especially with the snow we’ve had.
I’ve got a set of prosthetics, but I hate wearing them, and I don’t want to draw attention to my missing limbs by stopping to put them on. I hope a few laps of the compound is enough to give Cody whatever it is he needs to get to sleep.
Isla falls into step beside me. “I don’t think Ian’s going to come looking for me.”
At mention of her ex, my hands clench into fists. I don’t know what the asshole did, but it was enough to make her run on Christmas Eve. He doesn’t deserve Isla or Cody. “What makes you say that?”
She takes a moment to answer. “I think it will be a relief to him that I’m gone.”
I huff out a big breath. If Isla and Cody were mine, I’d search to the ends of the Earth to find them.
“Then he’s a fool.”
We round the side of the building, and the valley comes into view with the first dawn light tingeing the sky gray. There’s a narrow path that runs around to the front of the restaurant, and I drop back so we can go single file.
Isla waits for me at the front of the restaurant, staring out at the valley. I wheel up next to her, and we saynothing for a long while as the sky turns from gray to pink.
“I’m scared.” She says it so quietly I almost miss it.
My hand reaches for hers, and I curl her fingers into mine. Even through our gloves, I feel the spark of warmth that radiates from her. I have no right to hold her hand, but she doesn’t pull away.
“I won’t let him hurt you again.”
She shakes her head. “He never hurt me, not physically.” She shivers, and I tighten my grip on her fingers. “Not yet.”
Her voice wobbles, and she presses her lips together. She looks scared for a moment until she swallows it down. Her hand comes up to the Cody-shaped lump in her coat, and she rubs his back in slow circles. I wonder if she’s soothing him or herself.
A fierce protectiveness flashes through me, and with it an agonizing frustration at my limitations.
I wish I could be the man she needs; I wish I could stand up and take her in my arms and tell her it will all be okay.
If I was a whole man, I’d hunt the fucker down and make him pay for the fear he’s put into Isla. But all I can offer is protection while she’s here. While she’s in my clubhouse, where I have an adapted space, I can move freely in and my MC brothers to stand by me.
“I’m scared of what comes next,” she whispers. “I ran to get away from Ian, but I don’t know what I’m running to.”
I squeeze her hand. I can already tell from the shorttime I’ve known Isla that she’s a smart woman. “You’ll figure it out.”
