Page 72 of Cruz

I swallow hard. “I’m connected?”

All three women look at me again, and this time their smiles are softer.

“You arrived connected,” Ella says simply.

My face heats. “Because of Liam,” I say, even though I know that’s not all she means.

“Because of Liam,” Lark agrees kindly. “And because Cruz speaks about you like someone handed him the sun and told him he was allowed to keep it.”

My chest squeezes so hard that I have to look away.

“He’s…” I trail off, because where do I even start with Cruz? “He’s not what I expected.”

Willa grins. “None of them are, if you get past the leather and the scowling.”

That causes a few chuckles, and for a few seconds, we’re just women in a room, talking about life while a cat purrs and the men do whatever men do when they’re trying to prevent a war.

It helps more than I want to admit.

“What was it like for you?” I ask. “Becoming part of this?”

Lark tilts her head, considering. “Terrifying. Beautiful. Complicated.”

“That’s honest.”

“I wouldn’t lie to you. I’ll tell you mine and Tyrant’s story some day when we aren’t all on edge.”

Ella sits beside Willa on the bed. “We’re a family. I know Tyrant is my half-brother, and Lark my sister-in-law, but the club is family. Family can be a lot. Everyone knows everyone’s business. Everyone has opinions, and there might be disagreements. But when something happens, you’re not alone. Ever. Not unless you want to be, and even then, someone will probably hover in the hallway pretending they’re not hovering.”

“Cruz does that.”

“Of course he does,” Willa says. “He’s basically a security system with biceps.”

A laugh bursts out of me. “That is painfully accurate.”

Lark looks around Cruz’s spartan room. “He let you in here.”

“I’m not sure he had a choice. We brought the cat.”

“He had a choice,” she says. “Cruz always has a choice. He chose you before tonight, though. Everyone can see it.”

I don’t know what to do with that. It scares me and warms me at the same time. “He doesn’t have much in here,” I say, needing to shift the focus. “It looks like he’s ready to leave at any second.”

“He probably was for a long time,” Ella says gently.

The thought makes my throat ache.

“Maybe not anymore,” Willa adds.

I think about Cruz gathering clothes for me while glass lay broken downstairs. The way he kissed away my tears but didn’t let the kiss become more than comfort. The way he held my hand until he couldn’t. The way he gave me space and safety, both at once.

Can I walk away from that because I’m afraid? I think I already know the answer.

The door opens a crack, and Liam peeks in. “Mom?”

All three women turn. Prissy lifts her head again, then immediately relaxes when she sees him.

“I’m okay,” I say.