“Do you all live here?” I ask, shifting the conversation away from me. “Or do you stay at the clubhouse?”
“All the guys have rooms at the clubhouse. But most of us also have houses in the neighborhood. It helps keep the kids away from the antics of that place.”
Charlie spits out the bottle, and I move her to my shoulder to burp her. “Hayes said he never stays out here.”
“I’m sure he will now.” Willa eyes us. “Even considering…”
The girls share a look.
“Considering what?” I ask when she doesn’t finish herthought.
“This was his father’s house,” Willa explains. “I honestly don’t know the whole story, but I’m sure if you ask, he’d tell you.”
That’s ominous, but she’s right; I’d rather hear it from him.
“I know you’re worried,” Willa says, resting a hand on my knee. “It’s understandable. The club is a lot to take in. But these guys have good hearts. Especially Soul. He was the one who warned me not to break his best friend’s heart when I first showed up here.”
“Why would you break his heart?”
“Long story.” She scrunches her nose.
“Soul threatened Legacy that he’d ask me out on a date just to get him to face his true feelings,” Reagan says with a smile on her face.
“He was there for me when things got… messy,” Aimee says, skirting around what that was. “Tempe’s right, Soul has one of the biggest hearts of them all, even though he tries to hide it. He pretends he doesn’t care, but he does.”
I sigh. “I appreciate that, but I also know a baby is big news to drop on someone. I showed up here and surprised him with Charlie. I can’t expect him to just be okay with how this all happened.”
“Why not? You seem to have embraced it under much worse circumstances,” Willa argues.
“She’s my daughter.”
“Well, she’s his daughter too,” Tempe says. “And trust me, the way he stood up for the two of you with Jameson says everything I need to know about what that means to him. Circumstances don’t matter. You’re here now.”
He stood up to his president for us?
Hayes never told me that.
I offer Tempe a tight smile, not sure what to say. Thankfully, Willa seems to notice and steers the conversation to other things.
For hours, we sit and snack and talk. The babies sleep and eat, and it feels good to be doing something more than staring at Charlie, wondering how I’m going to protect her.
When the girls leave, silence overwhelms the house. It’s empty in a whole new way, but my heart is full. I cradle Charlie in a chair in the living room, slowly rocking her to sleep as my eyes get heavier.
I’d like to think I could belong here if Hayes could get past the hurt I’ve caused him. I’d like to think the girls are right and this could be the beginning of something wonderful. But then I remember my uncle, and my stomach turns.
Everything is perfect, but he’ll find a way to ruin it for me.
11
Soul
My hair is stilldripping wet when I walk through the door. I showered in my room at the clubhouse so Emery wouldn’t see me covered in blood, but then I rode straight here, unable to handle being away from them any longer. I’ve been tied up with the club since she arrived, and the distance is wearing on me.
Sure, I could have called her earlier. Or texted to check in. But the last thing I want is Emery feeling suffocated when her uncle didn’t allow her any freedom.
I refuse to be one more person in her life who strips her of her personal space or choices. Which is why I’ve given her space to get settled, no matter how much it wears on me not knowing how she and Charlie are doing twenty-four seven.
At least the girls came by today to help out. They assured my brothers that Emery was fine, and I let that be enough to get me through the afternoon.
