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The sun would soon set, leading to another perfect evening spent with family.
She smiled at Chloe. “It makes me so happy to know that I’ve been good for him, but please don’t thank me. He’s given me as much or more than I’ve given him. I’m not doing anything but loving him. I couldn’t stop that if I tried. He’s it for me.”
“Damn, girl, you should write greeting cards,” Brooke muttered.
“Seriously.” Chloe wiped her tearful eyes. “We’ve both been through a lot in the past few years, and to know we’ve both found a soft place to land is more than I could’ve ever asked for. I really like you, Liv, and I know this might be premature, but I hope we’ll become family one day. Well, even more than an MC family.”
Now it was Olivia’s turn to have wet eyes and a tingling nose. “Stop, you’re gonna make me cry.”
“Okay, enough schmoopy stuff,” Brooke said. “I get it. You just met and have all these squishy feelings to share, but if the guys walk out and you’re all blubbery and snotty, I’m gonna get in trouble for not keeping you happy.”
That had them all laughing. “Good point,” Chloe said. She winked. “Though why do I feel like you enjoy getting in trouble with your man?”
“Because you’re a smart woman.” Brooke’s sly smile disappeared behind her margarita glass as she sipped.
Chloe laughed while Olivia smiled.
“Okay, one last serious question, then I’ll be ready to talk about frivolous stuff,” Chloe said, eyes on Olivia. “How are you holding up after everything that happened last month?”
And there went her mood. She could almost hear the shrill whir of the rocket crashing to the ground. Thirty-five days had passed since she made the terrible mistake of returning to Lance. Thirty-five sleeps since he’d nearly raped her and since Scott killed him. Most of those nights were interrupted by nightmares. Always one of the same three nightmares.
Scott didn’t rescue her on time.
Scott found her, but Lance killed him.
Scott killed and had an entire SWAT team waiting for him when he stepped off the plane.
Every time she woke sweating, gasping for air, and crying, Scott was there to wrap her in his arms and remind her they were alive and safe. Either the man stayed up waiting for her to freak out all night, or he was so attuned to her that he woke at the slightest whimper.
Regardless, his presence, kisses, and strong arms were slowly healing her from the trauma.
“I’m holding up okay,” she said with a half-smile. “Not great, but okay. I have nightmares, and sometimes I feel crappy during the day. Anxious, I guess. Scott has been my rock. I should probably speak with a professional too, but I’m not ready for that.”
“You’ll get there,” Brooke said. “Don’t rush anything. You know what you need.”
“Yeah. We’re flying to Chicago soon to close the sale on the house. I’m nervous to go back, but Scott will be with me.” She shrugged. “It’ll just be hard to be around people who knew us together.”
Lance had been a stickler about financial and estate planning. Early on in their engagement, he’d drafted a will naming her sole beneficiary of his property. She planned to donate all six-million dollars she’d be receiving from the sale of their ridiculous mansion to organizations helping victims of sexual assault and human trafficking—a fitting way to memorialize Lance.
Nodding, Chloe pierced her with a solemn look. “I’m assuming Scott hasn’t told you because he’s very respectful of my privacy, but I was raped a few years ago. It’s too hard to go into details, but I’ll just say it was really bad. Rocket rescued me. It’s how we met.” She took a long sip of her margarita. “Anyway, I went through a scary dark time afterward. And again, Rocket saved me. So I understand how difficult it can be to heal from trauma. Most of the women in the club have been through their fair share of trauma and tragedy. You have a wonderful crew of strong women ready and willing to help anytime you need it.”
All she could do was reach out and squeeze Chloe’s hand in gratitude. This was the first time she’d had unconditional support from her family and friends.
“You’re welcome,” Chloe said with a watery smile.
“Now I’m crying too!” Brooke sniffed as she wiped her eyes.
“Okay, okay. I’m done. Does anyone want to talk favorite sex position? Maybe how much they love their guy’s dick?” Chloe turned toward Olivia and then wrinkled her nose. “Never mind. There are some things about my brother I never want to know. Eww.”
Olivia choked on her margarita. Her nose burned, and her eyes watered. That had the other women cracking up.
They sat there for the next half hour, talking and laughing about anything and everything, building their bond as women in the club.
