Nova grinned. “I think I’ll be fine.”
“Well, Lyric needs them on her tiny cuts.”
The girl suddenly remembered her earlier lies about her fingers. She looked at her hands and tried to remember which one was injured. Eventually, she decided they both needed Band-Aids.
Ten minutes later, Skylar entered the house to find Lyric bandaged up.
“I had a bad day,” Lyric said and hugged her big sister.
Skylar immediately decided on two things—she also needed Band-Aids, and Lyric should take a nap with her.
I smiled at the sight of them cuddled together in Nova’s bed. They faced each other and hugged the same stuffed animal. Nova exhaled deeply when she realized the girls had dozed off.
We walked to the quiet family room. Next door at Pax’s house, I heard motorcycles arriving. Goldie texted to warn that if I laughed at her hair, she would kick me in the ass. Nine gave me an update on Dalisay, who was now at the Sorority House.
“Is everything okay?” Nova asked when I kept checking my phone.
I handed her the phone so she could read my messages. While she looked them over, I nuzzled her damp hair and inched closer until I was nearly on top of her.
“What happens next?” she asked and handed back my phone.
“No idea.”
“When will your parents be here?”
“I don’t know,” I said and kissed away her frown.
Nova needed to turn off her brain for a while. Tonight was bound to be chaotic, and this might be our last chance to enjoy the quiet together. Nova gripped my shirt and straddled my lap. Our kiss deepened. I groaned when her hips rolled and gave my dick a little caress.
Exile’s voice outside broke the spell. Nova frowned in his direction before sighing in frustration.
Cupping her face, I said with utter conviction, “I’m going to marry you one day, Nova Shaw. Soon, we’ll have our own home with a room away from the girls, where I can make you go wild as loud as you want. When we aren’t naked, we’ll spend our time raising those sweet, rowdy little girls into sweet, rowdy women. But until that day comes, we’ll need to be patient.”
Nova’s smile promised me a long life of love and pleasure if I kept my eye on the prize.
NOVA
Not long after the girls went down for their nap, the police arrived to talk to Elle and me. Lula instructed me to remain vague, which wasn’t difficult since I didn’t really know who the men were. Elle said the attackers might have been drunk, but that she hadn’t been sure. Lula didn’t allow us to answer anything that might cause the club trouble.
After the police left, Elle returned to her house. As Lula and I entered our house, Pax joined us and settled in a chair.
“People are saying it was a domestic dispute. The media will pick up that lie.”
“Is everything okay then?” I asked while settling next to Boone.
“Tricky needs to decide whether he wants to protect these guys or if he wants to remain on good terms with the Crimson Guard,” Boone said as he stroked my head.
Pax nodded. “Ford was chatting up Joker earlier. Tricky’s daddy might need to get involved, which should keep everyone’s tempers in check.”
“Clint is putting together a meeting,” Lula said while checking her phone. “Wouldn’t hurt for Dad and Ford to come along. Their presence might keep Zodiac and Tricky from throwing down.”
Sighing, Pax nodded again. “Shit, I hope this meeting doesn’t run too late. I’m tired as fuck. Getting old isn’t nearly as fun as they make it seem in the movies.”
As Lula smiled at her dad, I considered my own father. I didn’t even know if he was alive. Though Google would answer my question, I didn’t want to know.
Tearing up, I wished Laverne were alive to meet Boone. If I had left South Dakota before she died, would my mom havefollowed me? Could Dan and Laverne have found a way to reconcile?
My earlier panic turned to sadness over what I had lost long ago. Boone held me while I cried. He made my life feel big and warm, just like him. Our future seemed so bright that I couldn’t help regretting how my mom would never be able to enjoy it.
