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Riley shrugs. “Pretty much.”
“I didn’t know,” I say.
Riley rolls his eyes. “Because you’re too busy going blind while thinking about your nanny.” He feigns jerking off and I slap his hand.
“All of your girlfriends knew?” I ask the room.
“Of course, this is Winter Falls,” Riley says, and the rest nod in agreement.
I fist my hands. More evidence Love has been shut out of the community. This inclusive community where everyone’s welcome. Welcome my ass.
But ordering my brothers to be nice to Love and ask their partners to include her will get me nowhere. Instead, I need to show them Love isn’t the woman they think she is. She’s had issues in the past. Sure. But whose past is squeaky clean. Besides Peace’s? The man was born with a police badge in his hand and a whistle in his mouth.
“Do we actually play poker at these poker nights?” I ask since I’m done discussing any of this.
“We do.” Elder motions toward the table all set for poker.
“As long as Brody didn’t mark up the deck of cards,” Miller adds.
We make our way to the table. I clap Peace on the back. “Congrats, brother.”
The expression of pure joy on his face makes my stomach churn. I missed Maria’s pregnancy with my child. I missed Skye’s birth and the first five years of her life. And I will never forgive Maria for it.
But maybe Skye needs a younger sibling. Someone she could boss around.
I shove those thoughts away. Love has made it perfectly clear nothing is going to happen between us no matter how much she wants it to. And I will respect her decision. Enough people have not respected her in the past. I’m not joining the line.
Chapter 20
You can now order your holiday sugar cookies from me. Don’t tell Riley. ~ Message from Moon on the Winter Falls Facebook page
Love Hill
When I reach the school to pick up Skye, I notice a few women waiting outside for their children.
In the past, I would have ignored those women. Okay. Fine. I wouldn’t have ignored them. I would’ve made snooty comments to them about their men. But I am not that woman anymore.
I straighten my shoulders and paint on a smile.
“Hello,” I greet.
One woman’s eyes narrow on me. “Great. It’s the nanny who gets children in trouble.”
I eye the opposite side of the street. Why didn’t I wait over there? Oh right. Because I’m trying to be a better person. This shit is hard.
“Are you Meadow’s mom?”
She crosses her arms over her chest. “It’sMrs.Evans. And what are you going to do about it?”
Is she seriously challenging me to a fight in front of the school? I raise my palms.
“Nothing. I was merely asking.”
She leans close to hiss in my face. “You better keep your mouth shut from now on.”
“Oh?” I widen my eyes. “The same way Meadow will no longer tell a little five-year-old girl her mother doesn’t love her.”
The woman behind Mrs. Evans gasps. “Meadow told Skye her mother doesn’t love her?”
