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Could she forgive him for getting shot and sending her down a panic spiral? Could she live a life with a MC that doesn’t always live by the law? These were things that she’d have to think about before bringing the man back into her life.
Her phone rang and when she looked down, she saw Big Sexy on the caller ID. She didn’t answer the phone, but she wanted to. What could she say to him? “Why don’t you head back upstairs,” Amber suggested.
Maisie’s focus was now on the boxes set up in the living room. “You’re not donating my movies to that place are you?” she asked.
Amber let out a light sigh. “No, just clearing up some clutter baby,” she said. “What would you think about moving again?”
“To Turnabout? With Mountain and Spot?” Maisie beamed.
Amber chuckled at the kitten being a big draw to her daughter.
“Because all the houses he showed us had rooms just for me.” Maisie nodded.
“Maybe for a bit,” Amber said with a sigh. “You wouldn’t mind if Mountain lived with us?”
Maisie shrugged. “He’s more fun than when Dad lived with Ms. Tiffany. She made us call her Ms. Tiffany. Did Mountain ever tell you his real name, Mommy?”
“Björn,” Amber replied and her body betrayed her by warming in all the wrong places as Mountain’s real name fell from her lips.
“I know why he goes by Mountain.” Maisie laughed. “You think I could get a nickname too? You got one and it seems like all the important people get ones. Even Murphy and Braxton have one.”
“Well, maybe, Beno, Maddox and Harlow haven’t gotten theirs yet and they’re pretty important.”
“Guess I’ll have to do something really big, so I can get one.” Maisie headed back upstairs.
Amber sat back, with phone in hand she made a call.
“Nightingale,” Roadkill’s voice was melodic. “Please say you’re coming back. Red didn’t even realize how much we needed a second nurse until we had one and the two of us could go home and weren’t passing out during dinner.”
“Yes. I’m sorry I haven’t been in this week.”
“Hey, I get it. And so does Red,” Roadkill said.
“It might only be for a little bit, but I’d love to come back to work tomorrow.”
“We will take whatever you’re willing to give.”
Amber noticed that was the way with the Steels. People weren’t brought in or forced to do anything. Choices were made and no one was pushed into a life they weren’t comfortable with. Even the Hoez, as Mountain called them, were women living their best life in a way. And isn’t that what everyone yearned for? A life where they didn’t feel anything big was missing. The pain in the center of Amber’s chest told her one very big thing was missing and may never be replaced. That was what hurt the most. That Mountain would take a chance with his life that could have taken him from her permanently and for little more than a few dollars.
* * *
Freaky walkedinto the clubhouse and right over to where Mountain was sitting on a recliner resting his body.
Barely a week out from getting shot, he’d found it better stay put in this chair and watch TV. If nothing else, Spot was enjoying the wide open clubhouse for exploring even though she spent most of her time snuggled up over his right side in healing mode. The purring helped put him to sleep even when his favorite episodes ofDeep Space Ninewere on. And now he no longer worried about Creature around the kitten, the nanny dog had wandered over with her master during wound checks and the two animals seemed to have come to an understanding. Humans needed care and any differences between them would have to be secondary. Strange, how accepting of what life throws at them animals could be.
Hoez brought him food and the side table next to him had the necessary prescriptions to keep the ache in his gut away. The one in his heart remained unchanged even when the rest of his body was numb with enough narcotics to put a horse in a coma.
“Hey man, I was wondering if you wanted to go and check out this new house we’re working on. I thought maybe Amber might be interested in it?”
“Why are you asking me? I haven’t seen her since I got shot.” Mountain scratched between Spot’s ears and the calico stretched out across is lap letting out a small squeak when she did. “I’m pretty sure my opinion would carry as much weight as Maddox’s. Pretty sure, she doesn’t want to see me.”
Mountain had tried calling her, but she didn’t answer his phone calls. The text chain on his phone was a long line of green from his unanswered words. While he could see she read them, not even a preliminary three dots of an incoming response showed up. Was he supposed to be hopeful because she hadn’t told him to fuck off and never contact her again?
“Didn’t ask you to see her, just check a place out, and tell us if it fit what she was looking for. No reason to waste her time if she can’t stand the color or if the place wasn’t gonna work out,” he replied. “You know what she wants.”
“Not really,” Mountain grumbled filled with self-pity over losing the first woman in a decade he even thought of being around for more than a night or two. Worse yet, the family he’d envisioned where even Maisie had softened to him in a way.
“Mountain,”Maisie’s sweet eyes blinked up at him, the last of her tears pooled at the edge of her eyes. Nightingale had left the room to check in with Callum and do her best to not completely snap on Kevin.
