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“Depends. I can’t keep her out of school too many more days.”
She shrugs. “I could stay with you again. If you don’t mind—”
I tickle one of Lincoln’s tiny feet. “He’s always welcome at our place, Serena. Always.”
Lincoln gurgle-giggles as if he’s agreeing with me.
A burly, bearded, redheaded guy that I recognize from other club events—the vice president of Dex’s charter, I think—ambles into the kitchen and heads in our direction. Without their leather vests and various patches, I’m having trouble remembering everyone’s names. It probably doesn’t help that I’m only half-paying attention to what’s going on around me. Without my permission, my gaze keeps searching the immediate area for Dex’s familiar form.
“Hey, Murphy,” Serena greets.
He stops next to her and lifts the empty green glass bottle in his hand, then silently points to the two bins lined up along the wall.
“The blue one,” Serena says.
He tosses it in then hesitantly sweeps his gaze over Serena, then me. “Emily.” He dips his chin in a hello. “You did good up there today.”
At first, I can’t tell if he’s making fun of me—I’ve noticed how much the guys love to razz each other and sometimes the women. But he touches his chest and nods in a way that I interpret as a genuine compliment.
“Thanks.” I wrap my arm around Serena’s shoulders. “Anything for my girl.” I drop my gaze to baby Lincoln. “And my godson.”
Underneath his beard, Murphy’s mouth curls up. His intense green eyes focus on Serena again. “I don’t know if Grinder ever told you, Rock used to send Teller and me to visit him—”
“I think you told me that once, actually,” Serena says.
He nods. “G was hard on us when we were kids. But good to us too.” His gaze slips to the side. “I hated seeing him in there. He shouldn’t have—” He stops and shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter now. Every time we left, I used to wish he’d get released and find someone who’d give him the life he should’ve had.” He drops his gaze to Lincoln and a faint smile crosses his expression. “He’s like night and day now. You make him really happy, Serena.”
Tears glisten in her eyes but her lips pull into a shaky smile. “He makes me happy too.”
“Good. You both deserve that.” He reaches out and tickles his finger against Lincoln’s little hand. Lincoln stretches and sort of swats him away, which makes Murphy grin. “He’s always going to have a big extended family who’ll be there for him.” He laughs. “He’ll probably hate every second of it.”
“Yeah.” Serena lets out her own dark laugh. “We know it’s better than the alternative, though, right?”
The smile slips from his expression. “Right,” he agrees.
A baby’s cry from somewhere deeper in the house faintly reaches us. Murphy cocks his head. “Ah, that one’s mine. I’ll catch you two later.” He nods to both of us quickly before walking away.
“That was awfully sweet,” I whisper to Serena.
“Yeah.” She leans down and brushes a kiss against Lincoln’s forehead.
“All the guys seem to have a lot of love for Grayson,” I say.
“They do.”
“Putting all his happiness on you is a big responsibility, though,” I say gently. As much as I like Grayson, Serena’s best interests will always be my priority.
She shifts Lincoln in her arms. “I don’t think they mean it that way. It’s more of a respect thing.”
“No, I get that.” I hold out my arms. “Do you want me to take him for you again?”
“No.” She sniffs, ducks her head closer to Lincoln and sniffs again. “I think I need to change him.”
“Okay, that was not listed in my godmother duties, so that one’s all you.” I hold my hands out like I’m stopping traffic.
She chuckles. “Fair enough. Give me a few minutes.”
“Sure. I’ll finish up in here.” And by finish, I mean hide out, but I don’t want her to worry that she has to entertain me or stick by my side when she has so many other guests.
“I’m okay,” I assure her. “When I’m done, I’ll go find Libby and make sure she’s not holding Shelby hostage.”
Another laugh bubbles out of Serena. “I really don’t think Shelby minds.”
I start working on another meat platter when heavy heels clonk over the kitchen tile. I glance up and find Willow carrying an almost empty veggie tray. She sets it on the counter next to me.
“Huh. I guess I owe Serena an apology,” I mutter.
Willow chuckles. “Sparky really loves carrots in blue cheese.”
Sparky’s the sweet, gentle stoner with the funny jokes, if I remember right. “I think we have a whole bunch more. Hold on, I’ll load up the tray again for him.”
A kinder smile flickers over her pretty face. “Thanks.”
In the fridge I find more carrots, celery, and blue cheese dressing. I pull everything out and start chopping again.
