“So,” Hadley says, “Scarlett told us you’re in nursing school. How’s that going? The clinic must be intense with school on top of it.”
I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, still a little nervous. “It’s… a lot. But I like it. I like helping people. And the clinic is busy, but Scarlett’s been really good about letting me study when it’s slow.”
Erica nods. “That’s smart.”
Tessa leans forward, eyes wide and dramatic. “Wait, wait, wait. You’re nineteen, working at a clinic, going to nursing school, and you still live at home with your dad who sounds like a total control freak? How are you not crawling out of your skin? I would’ve set the house on fire by now. Metaphorically. Probably.”
“Tessa,” Hadley says, but she’s smiling.
“What? I’m just saying!” Tessa throws her hands up. “She’s too responsible. It’s suspicious. I bet she color-codes her notes and everything.”
I can’t help it, I laugh. “I do color-code my notes.”
Tessa gasps like I just confessed to a crime. “I knew it. You’re one of those terrifyingly organized people. I respect it, but also, I’m scared of you.”
Erica takes a sip of her drink and says calmly, “There’s nothing wrong with being organized. Especially if you’re the one taking care of everyone else.” She looks at me. “Who takes care of you, though?”
I don’t know how to answer, so I just shrug and take a sip of my soda.
Hadley bumps my shoulder gently. “Well, you’ve got us now. No one here is going to judge you for wanting a break from whatever’s waiting at home.”
Tessa nods so hard her hair bounces. “Exactly. And if your dad ever gives you shit for coming out, you just tell him you were with me. I’ll take the blame. I live for that kind of drama.”
After a few minutes of them talking around me, I start to relax. They don’t treat me like I’m nineteen and sheltered. They treat me like I belong here.
Hadley leans back in the booth, swirling her drink. “I get wanting something that’s just yours. I transferred from my old university because of a controlling ex. It was bad for a while. When I started working at Perdition, everything changed. That’s where I met the twins, Wyatt and Weston. Total chaos from day one, but the good kind. They made it impossible to stay away.”She smiles. “Now this place feels more like home than anywhere else ever did.”
Erica nods, quiet but steady. “I know what it’s like to need to get away from your dad. Mine was the president of a rival club. When everything went down and Hadley got taken, I went with them when she was rescued. It was the only way I could finally breathe. Steele gave me that chance and I’ve never looked back.”
Tessa grins, unapologetically dramatic. “Cole and I were best friends since high school. Like, ride-or-die, know-every-embarrassing-story-about-each-other best friends. We only just got together recently. Everyone kept telling us we were obvious except us. Turns out they were right.” She points at me with a cherry from her drink. “The point is, sometimes the best things happen when you stop doing what you’re supposed to do and start doing what you actually want.”
I listen to all of it while sipping my soda. These women are so different from anyone I’ve ever known, loud and quiet, chaotic and steady, but they all have this same easy closeness. Like they chose each other and built something real.
I take another sip of my soda while Tessa argues with Hadley about something completely ridiculous. The clubhouse feels less intimidating than it did when I walked in. People laugh across the room, a game of pool breaks out near the back, and the knot in my stomach starts to loosen.
Then Tessa glances over my shoulder. "There's our lonely giant."
I turn before I can stop myself. Near the bar, a man stands as he laughs at something someone says. He's enormous. Easily the biggest man I've ever seen. Broad shoulders, tattoosdisappearing beneath the sleeves of his black T-shirt, dark hair cut short.
He catches someone in a headlock, laughing while the other man shoves at him.
The whole room seems to move around him. He looks...Happy. "Who's that?" I ask quietly.
Hadley smiles into her drink. "That's Tiny."
Tessa sighs dramatically. "Sweetest man you'll ever meet."
"He doesn't exactly look sweet."
All four women laugh. "That's because you haven't met him yet," Scarlett says.
A little while later, three big men make their way over to the table. My stomach tightens on instinct. They’re all tall, broad, covered in tattoos and leather cuts. The kind of men my father would tell me to cross the street to avoid.
The first two are identical, same sharp jawlines, same confident swagger, same easy grins. One of them slides in behind Hadley and drops a kiss on the top of her head.
“These two troublemakers treating you okay?” he asks, nodding at Tessa and Erica.
Hadley laughs and leans back against his chest. “They’re being nice. This is Lucy. Lucy, this is Weston. The one who thinks he’s funnier than he actually is.”
