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Caden eyed his son. He knew his love for Marissa ran deep. How could it not? She was the one and only woman in his life to ever show him love. He’d feel this hard, feel it for her.
Caden drew in a breath and grasped the counter behind him. “Two years ago, she was in a car accident. Her mom and dad died.” He cleared his throat. “And her three-year-old daughter.”
Trevor’s face paled, and his jaw dropped. “Fuck, Rissa had a kid?”
Caden nodded. “Bad accident. She was the only one who survived.”
Trevor sank into his seat, staring down at the table. Caden glanced over to his dad, who hadn’t said a word. He thought maybe he was confused, but his father stared back at him, and Caden knew he understood everything he was saying.
The room fell in silence, and Caden watched his dad’s and son’s heart break for the woman he loved. For the woman they all loved.
“Telling you this ’cause if she’s moving in here, ya gotta know. Riss comes with baggage and a shit ton of heartbreak. We take her on, we take everything, not just the good, but everything she needs. We gotta be there for her. I want this, I want her, but we all gotta be in on this, not just me.”
He expected a delayed response. He didn’t get one. Trevor immediately sat up and turned to Caden. “Whatever she needs, Dad, I’m in.”
Caden nodded with a small smile. Then he glanced over at his dad, who’d been staring down at the table. “Pop?”
He rested his elbows on the table, cupping his mouth with his hands. “She lost her baby?” he whispered.
“Yeah,” Caden said, eyeing his father.
He shook his head. “Her whole family. Gone.”
Caden drew in a deep breath. He couldn’t imagine. Seeing his father and son sitting next to one another, he couldn’t imagine his life without his family. And Marissa had lost hers.
His dad sat back in his chair. “I’ll fix this.”
Caden furrowed his brows. “Pop.”
His dad raised his hand. “She’s ours now. We’ll take care of her.”
Caden smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. Marissa would be taken care of. By all of them.
****
Her afternoon with Bailey had ended too soon. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d actually spent time with a girlfriend. She was reminded of how much she had missed it. They had met up in town and had lunch, which turned into a four-hour deal. They finally scooted out of there after getting a few annoyed glances from their waiter.
They made plans for Marissa to go up to Ghosttown. With Caden helping out so much, Bailey offered her place to hang out for a change of scenery from the clubhouse.
When she pulled into the back lot, most of Caden’s guys had left for the day. It was just after seven as she made her way into the unit.
The apartment was dark when she walked in. The curtains had been drawn closed with a sliver of light escaping through the center. She closed the door behind and reached for the light switch. A large figure sitting on the couch caught her eye when the room illuminated. She screamed, jumping back, knocking into the wall and grabbing her chest.
“Coll?” Jack leaned forward, and his eyes searched her face.
Her heart pounded against her chest, and she sucked a long deep breath in. Holy shit! He’d scared the crap out of her. “Hi, Jack.”
“You all right?” His tone was filled with such sincerity and genuine concern she couldn’t help but smile and then laugh as her breathing began to steady.
“I’m fine. You just caught me off guard.” She scanned the small living room. They were definitely alone. She gazed up at Jack, who was staring at her. His lips were pulled down into a frown, and the corners of his eyes were crinkled. Even the creases in his forehead seemed stressed.
“You okay, Jack?”
Jack leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees and pushing up. He slowly walked toward her, stopping a few feet away. She was struck by his sadness. He reminded her of the night she found him except he didn’t appear lost or confused, just sad. “I’m sorry.”
She swallowed the knot in her throat. “For what?”
His lips pursed together, and he nodded before stepping a foot closer. He bowed his head. “Cade told us about your family, about your little girl.” His gaze never met hers, but she couldn’t stop staring at Jack. His face softened, and his chin lowered. “Losing your baby. Coll, I’m so sorry.”
