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“Look, all I know is we left to get a better life for all of us. That means you too, Mak.”
Couldn’t he see that’s what she was trying to do? Get a better life for herself? One she enjoyed. One where she could grab a little slice of happiness. Even if only for a short time.
“You deserve more than some biker who’s gonna treat you like a piece of property.”
“Lee, that’s not fair. You barely know him. I thought you trusted me. We’re a team, Lee.” Her voice broke. “We’ve always been a team. I’d never do anything to hurt any of you. He’s a good man.”
“Yeah, well, I guess that remains to be seen.”
The words sliced through her heart, proving that despite all they’d been through, he didn’t trust her. They stared at each other across the kitchen, hurt and accusations making the distance seem like miles instead of feet. If there’d been one person she could always count on to have her back, it’d been Lee. How had they drifted so far apart? And what on earth did she do to mend the rift?
“Uh, everything all right in here?” Thunder’s voice had both their head whipping to where he stood in the entryway to the kitchen.
“Fine,” Mak said, plastering on a smile. “Where are the girls?”
He strode in, tall and confident. “Getting washed up for dinner. I’ll tell you, those two are a trip. Got everything you asked for.” He set the bags on the counter then moved to her, winking. “And maybe a few things you didn’t.”
“Thanks.” Sure it was childish, but she glared at Lee over Thunder’s shoulder as if to say, See, he’s helpful and reliable, and your sisters love him.
Thunder captured her face between his hands. He gave her a long, slow kiss, not seeming to care that Lee looked on. “You’re a shit liar,” he whispered when the kiss ended.
With a chuckle, she just shook her head. “Just some sibling drama. Nothing to worry about.”
“Hmm.” Thunder didn’t look convinced, but he let it drop.
“Everything go okay?” she asked. Now that they were home, safe and sound and the tension bled from her body, she realized how uptight she’d been about this trip to the grocery store.
“Yeah, babe, all good.” Thunder kissed her again. “Told you we got it covered. Crank isn’t stupid enough to show his face in town again so soon. We’ve got eyes all over.”
With a nod, Mak leaned into him. Whenever he engulfed her in his strength, it seemed nothing could touch her.
“I’m heading out,” Lee announced without so much as a hello to Thunder.
Her heart sank. “What? Lee, I promised the kids you’d eat with them tonight. They’ll be crushed.” Was this how it’d be now? Lee would disappear whenever Thunder came around. He’d been fine when the man was getting him a job.
He shrugged. “They’ll be fine.”
“You start work tomorrow, right? Morning shift?” Thunder circled her waist and gave a reassuring squeeze.
Eyes narrowed to slits, Lee nodded.
“Sweet, I’m on the same shift. Probably be the one training you.”
Oh, fantastic.
That wouldn’t be awkward at all.
“Why don’t you stick around? I’ll fill you in on how some of the shit works. Even tell you about the time I caught my brother Maverick doin’ his ol’ lady in the locker room.”
Mak snorted. What did it say that she wasn’t shocked by that news?
Lee fell quiet, and she held her breath.
Come on, stay.
When she’d been certain he was about to refuse, Lee nodded. “Yeah, I guess I could do that. Might help to have a leg up.”
Thunder kissed her cheek then moved toward Lee. “That’s the spirit,” he said, slapping her brother on the back. Footsteps pounded down the hall a few seconds before the four absent siblings piled into the kitchen.
“When’s dinner? I’m starved,” Rissa announced with a loud stomach growl. “See?”
Mak giggled. “You finish your schoolwork?”
“Yep.”
“Great. We’re having chicken tacos. Everything is out on the counter. Grab a dish and bring it to the table, please. I’ll carry the meat over.”
Chaos ensued as all the kids scrambled to grab a dish. The sooner the food got to the table, the sooner they could eat.
Thunder snatched a stack of paper plates off the counter then crouched down in front of Emmie. “Hey, baby doll, I got a really important job for you. Can you handle it?”
Her light blue eyes lit up, and she seemed to grow two inches. “Yes! I can do it by myself.”
“All right. I need you to carry these plates to the table. But don’t drop them because we won’t have anything to eat on! Okay?”
With her little face screwed up in concentration, Emmie nodded and held out her arms. After depositing the paper plates in her arms, Thunder began to stand up.
“Wait!” Emmie shouted. “Kiss!”
“What?” He dropped back down just in time to receive a big old kiss on his cheek from Emmie. The plates mashed between their bodies as she plastered herself against him.
