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With a nod, Copper brought the focus back to Mak. “If at any point you feel unsafe, let us know, and we’ll have someone keep an eye on your house. Does that help?”
“Yes,” she said. “Thank you.”
Thunder had every intention of making that happen whether she admitted to feeling unsafe or not.
“Hey, Mak, why don’t you let us take the kids tonight?” Shell reached across the table and covered Mak’s hand with her own. “We can have a giant sleepover party and give you a little time to yourself.”
It was clear in the way her eyes lit up and she sucked in a small breath that Mak loved the idea. How long had it been since she’d had any time to take care of herself?
“Shell, I can’t ask you to do that. It’s…it’s a lot. Too much.”
“Well, first off, you didn’t ask, Thunder came up with the incredible idea. And second, I would not offer if I didn’t want to. Beth would be over the moon, and between Mama V and myself, we got it under control.”
“The older ones can come stay with us,” Toni added. “I know Rissa and Lindsey have hit it off. I bet Amy would have fun with them as well. Then you just have to get rid of Lee for the night and, you can have some time alone.”
Mak chewed her lower lip, most likely at war in her head between the teeny tiny part of her that thought she deserved some quiet time and the ruling part that felt selfish and as though she’d be taking advantage of Shell’s kindness.
“Let them do this for you, Mak. You deserve some time to relax. You need it,” he said, as though the rest of them weren’t staring. He leaned in close. “Think about it. A whole night to yourself. You can eat whatever you want. You can drink an entire bottle of wine. You can sleep for twelve straight hours if it makes you happy.”
Mak groaned, and lust shot straight to his cock. Fuck, that was a sexy sound.
“All right.” She turned to Shell. “Thank you. Thank you so, so much.”
“It’s my pleasure. Trust me when I say we’ve all needed a little help from time to time.”
“Oh, and Thunder has something for you,” Copper said. “From the club.”
“Shit, that’s right.” He pulled the thick envelope out of his back pocket and pressed it into her hand. “Don’t even think about refusing this.”
Mak’s forehead scrunched in the most adorable way, and he had to clench his fists to resist rubbing a thumb across the lines. He’d already given the guys enough to interrogate him over the moment she left. No need to pour gas on the fire.
“What is it?”
“Open it.”
With a wrinkled nose, she opened the envelope and gasped at the sight of twenty-five crisp twenty-dollar bills. “What? No, I ca—”
He slid a palm over her mouth, shaking his head. “No. Just say thank you, Copper.”
Mak sagged, and he removed his hand. “Thank you, Copper,” she said, emotion bleeding through.
The big man nodded. “Trust me when I say it is the very least we can do. I wanted to put more in there, but Thunder told me you’d never accept it.”
Her cheeks flushed red. “He was right.”
Something about those three words had his chest filling with warmth. In the short time since he’d met her, he’d come to know her in a way he’d never bothered to understand other people. To predict how she’d respond to a gift showed a level of intimacy he didn’t let himself find with women.
But Mak was different.
“Okay, we’ll let you ladies finish closing up and Shell, you and Mak can work out the details. Rest of you need to be at the clubhouse for church tonight at six.”
“Mak, you’re done for the day. Go home and chill. That’s an order,” Toni said, pointing a finger at Mack.
Everyone fled the table, leaving him alone with Makenna. She turned to him with a troubled expression. “You shouldn’t have done that.”
How did he know this conversation was coming? “Done what?”
Her frown deepened. “Any of it. I could have made up the money with extra shifts here. And I’m used to being tired, Thunder. It’s just a fact of life.”
Christ, she broke his heart. “But you don’t have to be. You’re one of the crew here, Mak. And we take care of our own. Why suffer through it alone when we’re all willing to help?”
She didn’t so much as crack a smile. In fact, she looked utterly confused by the question. “Because I’ve always had to do it alone, and I will again, only next time, I’ll be so much worse off because I’ll know what I’m missing.” She shook her head. “I sound so ungrateful. Thank you, Thunder. Thank you for thinking of me.” She leaned in, pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek, then got up from the table, taking a large chunk of his heart with her as she went to gather her belongings.
