Page 37 of Knot What I Expected

Because my second job starts tonight, and without her agreeing to keep Matteo, there’s no way I could work both shifts.

Bartending.

At Dick’s Watering Hole.

Yeah.

I know.

The name is freaking terrible.

But the tips are supposed to be good, the hours don’t interfere with most of my shifts at The Joint, and right now?

I need every extra dollar I can get.

Not for rent.

Not for groceries.

Not even for the new sneakers Matteo desperately needs because my kid apparently grows overnight.

I need money because another payment is due. And if I don’t send it? I risk that asshole coming to look for me.

The thought makes the secret beneath my skin stir uneasily. I press my palms against the bathroom counter and stare at my reflection.

“Easy,” I whisper.

The restless energy quiets.

A little.

Hiding for the last couple of years hasn’t been easy.

Not when I know exactly what I am. And worse? I know what that makes me worth to the people I’m running from.

I’ve heard all the stories.

The warnings.

The threats disguised as tradition.

I know exactly what would happen if my old Wake found me.

They wouldn’t ask me to come back.

They’d take me.

Because females like me aren’t supposed to leave.

We’re supposed to stay where we’re put.

Do what we’re told.

Increase the Wake.

Produce the next generation.

Be useful.