Kristen shakes her head thoughtfully. “He’s good with her.”
“He has definitely come a long way,” I agree. Ky is standing with Kira by the edge of the pool. They look cozy, facing each other and holding hands, but looks can be deceiving.
Kristen pays little attention to me. It’s been that way for a few days now. She’s cycling through emotions just like the rest of us. But Kristen’s scars, like Kira’s, run deep.
I place my hand on her hips and rest my chest against her back. Here we are in our big, beautiful house, financially stable, our children with us, and the picture that is supposed to be perfect is broken. There’s a crack, and I am doing everything in my power to fix it.
“She’s been through so much,” Kristen thinks out loud. I’ll take whatever thoughts she wants to give me. Even the bad ones. She's been so quiet and distant, I was beginning to go crazy. “What if she can’t bounce back from this?”
“She will.” I wrap my arms around her and place my chin on her shoulder. “She has you, and me, and Ky in her corner. And she’s strong. Just like her mother.”
It’s been a week since Ky has been out of the hospital. He’s bouncing back just fine. It’s Kira we’re all concerned about. She’s been having a rough time of it. Not sleeping, barely eating, and deathly afraid of the water. She went through a traumatizing experience. We all acknowledge that. And unfortunately, it wasn’t her only one. She and Kristen have traveled down this road before. I have only ever known Kira to be a sweet, beautiful, happy girl. A loving, loyal, woman any man would be proud to call his daughter. Stepdaughter or daughter-in-law.
Kristen’s body language is so stiff. She has never felt like this in my arms. Not even after I told her about my past, about the awful things I had done all in the name of being a rebel without a cause. When you’re young, you want to be tough. You want to be taken seriously, especially in the arena I grew up in. But then events happen in life that make you see things differently. You have a child. You hold this defenseless little being in your hands, and you suddenly want to be better. Do things better. Do things differently. I didn’t want Ky to grow up and follow my path. When his grandfather Alfred passed down the presidency to me, I knew I wanted to make a change. So, I did, gradually. And to my surprise, the majority was behind me. Turns out a simpler life was what most of us were after. Just riding free, enjoying our family, and having a little fun. Deacon was part of the minority. He was my right-hand man for a long time. He loved the life. Loved hurting, stealing, and killing. So, when things started to change, he did everything in his power to keep them the same. He got in bed with some bad people, tried to use the club to launder money and push drugs. Had the 5-0 turning eyes on us. It got to be too much, so I gave him an ultimatum. Quit it or get the fuck out. He didn’t appreciate my bluntness, so he tried to kill me with the knife currently stabbed into the bar top at the Den. Things obviously didn’t turn out in his favor. He left that day, bloody and bruised, and was never heard from again.
“What if it happens again?” Kristen turns to look at me, wrath in her beautiful blue eyes.
“I want to say this was a fluke thing, Darlin’, but there’s no guarantee in life. I’ve done a lot of bad things, but most of the people I crossed are in the ground.” Put there by yours truly.
Kristen frowns, her forehead wrinkling. I don’t like that expression one bit on my beautiful girl.
“I’m scared, Gerard. And I’m angry. And I’m worried, and all I can think is that it’s my fault.”
“Your fault?”
“Yes. Maybe we moved too fast. Maybe I didn't give it enough time. I put my daughter in jeopardy again—”
“Kristen, stop.” I fluster, taking her face in my hands. This conversation is taking a hard left down a road I don’t like. “I will do everything in my power to prevent anything like this from happening again.”
“It shouldn't have happened in the first place.” Tears spring to her eyes.
“No, it shouldn’t have,” I agree. “But it did, and we all came out okay.”
“Did we?” She’s referring to Kira.
“She will be fine. I will not rest until she’s as happy and confident and secure as she was before, and Ky won’t either. You are not alone, Darlin’. Not anymore.”
That has always been one of Kristen’s biggest weaknesses, taking everything on herself. By herself. She’s as strong as they come wrapped in one gorgeous, feminine package.
“I want to believe you.”
“Don’t just believe me, believeinme.” I clutch her face sternly. Kristen visibly relaxes, and I think I have finally gotten through to her. Kristen begins to cry, and it’s the first time I have witnessed real emotion pour out of her since she got home from Paris.
She buries her face into my neck and lets the tears loose. I hug her tightly, allowing her to just let it all go.
Ky can see everything that’s happening inside, but luckily Kira’s back is turned. He stealthily shoots me a knowing look. He’ll keep Kira distracted. We both know seeing her mother break down will not be conducive to her healing process.
“Why don’t we go upstairs, Darlin’? For a little more privacy.”
“Okay,” Kristen sniffles, with no indication of detaching herself fromme.
“Do you want me to carry you?”
“No,” she blubbers adorably, wiping her wet cheek on my shirt.
“Better?” I gaze down at her as she rests her head on my shoulder. She looks exhausted, and stressed, and in need of some decent rest.
“A little.”
