Page 45 of Fallen Flame

The silence stretched between us.

She wrapped her arms around herself, staring out across the dark yard. “I miss them,” she admitted so quietly I almost didn’t hear it. “Some days are okay.” She gave a small shrug. “Some days I still catch myself reaching for my phone because I want to call my mom.”

My chest tightened.

“I know they’re gone, but...” She let out a shaky laugh. “Sometimes being alone just... gets loud.”

I looked over at her. “You aren’t.”

She frowned. “What?”

“You aren’t alone.”

She held my gaze like she was trying to decide if I’d actually meant it. “I don’t have anyone.”

“You’ve got Ever.”

A tiny smile touched her lips.

“Jude.”

She nodded.

“The club.”

The smile faded into something softer.

“And...” I cleared my throat. “Me.”

The word came out rough, almost reluctant, but once it was out, I didn’t take it back.

Lark stared at me for a long moment. “You mean that?”

I frowned. “I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t.”

Something in her expression eased, like a weight she’d been carrying shifted just enough to let her breathe.

Neither of us said anything after that.

We didn’t need to.

The quiet settled around us, comfortable this time instead of lonely, and for the first time since we’d sat down on the back porch, it didn’t feel like either one of us was sitting there by ourselves.

Chapter Ten

Lark

Five days had passed since our night at the Social Club, and I was starting to fall into a routine at the clubhouse.

It was a weird routine, considering it involved waking up in a room that wasn’t mine, eating breakfast with an entire motorcycle club, and having a hot, moody biker shadow me from morning until night.

But it was still a routine.

The Dairy Bar had reopened two days ago, and getting back behind the counter had helped. There were milkshakes to make, tables to wipe down, and customers who wanted to know why we’d been closed without being rude enough to come right out and ask.

Life was starting to feel normal again.

Or as normal as it could feel with Oliver waiting for me every morning when I stepped out of my room.