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“Do you like strawberries?”
“Love them.”
“Leave it to me.” Hanna skips back to her post. She comes back a few minutes later with a cup of deliciously brewed mocha-flavored coffee and a strawberry custard tart. One bite and I’m hooked. Hanna’s Bakery is going to become a hazard to my waistline. I see an extra twenty minutes on the treadmill in my future, but I don’t care because it’s worth it.
Rose has left to tend to her shop, giving Hanna and me a chance to get to know one another. I’m blown away by her honesty. “Risk saved me, you know. I was working fourteen hours a day and couldn’t make ends meet. When he found out my ex-father-in-law was conspiring against me, he made sure that came to an end. He made me believe in love again. I never thought I could trust anyone again, but Risk made me believe in him,” she said.
“You deserve to be happy.”
“It’s hard to come back from being an abused wife. If it weren’t for Risk and the other guys, I don’t know where I’d be,” Hanna confesses.
I’m unable to hide my shock. “Your ex-husband hurt you?”
“Repeatedly,” she murmurs, then snaps out of it. “That’s all in the past. Poor Risk had a hard time of it. I didn’t make it easy for him to get close to me.”
Those words penetrate, and they do it deeply. I’m living what Hanna has already been through, although it seems as if she’s been through much worse. I reach across the table and cover her hand with mine. “I’m sorry that happened to you. I’m happy that Risk was your knight in shining armor.”
Hanna starts to answer, but the door swings open and in comes Vi. “I’m here and ready to shop,” she announces with a laugh that fills the room. “Hanna, sweetie, can I get?—”
“Lemon bars are packed and ready. I added two chocolate cupcakes for the kids, and I have red velvet cake bites for Orion. A dozen should keep him happy for a while,” Hanna responds before she can finish.
“You are the dessert goddess.” Vi does a little bow, showing her appreciation for Hanna’s talents.
This totally reminds me of Hammer’s request for apple crisp something or other. “Uh, Hammer mentioned apple crisp something. You wouldn’t happen to have some, would you?” I ask hopefully.
“Apple crisp tarts,” both women say in unison.
“They’re Hammer’s new obsession,” Vi says. “Next to you, of course,” she teases.
“Until I find a new recipe, then he’ll switch it up.” Hanna giggles. “I’ll get them ready for you.”
Vi sits down. “I hear you have a date,” she says, raising her brows suggestively.
“Yes.” I sigh. I decide to lay it out on the table. “Vi, I like Hammer. A lot. But look at me.” I pause. “I had a meltdown in Rose’s shop because I didn’t know what to wear. I have a closet full of clothes, yet I’m near tears because I don’t have a pair of jeans. I’m loony.”
“All that says is that you care enough about Hammer to want to make a good impression.” She leans in. “I’ll let you in on a secret. You’ve already done that.”
I blink.
“Hammer’s hot. He doesn’t have to look far when it comes to women. But you caught his eye.”
“I don’t want to be one of his girls,” I state abruptly, shaking my head.
“Believe me, you’re not.” She gives me a sly smile. “It’s clear you know nothing about MCs and the men in them. I’m going to give you a quick lesson.” I move closer to take it all in. “Brothers are united, always. There’s nothing they wouldn’t do for one another. They also choose their women carefully because the MC code in Satan’s Pride is that the woman you call your old lady is protected by the club.”
“I’m not his old lady,” I return in a soft voice.
Vi grins wider. “He went to his brothers last night and claimed you as his. It might not be official yet. But everyone knows you’re different from the rest and he’s serious about you.”
I draw back, my jaw hanging open. “But—but he hardly knows me.”
“Guard saw Ava, and two seconds later, he claimed her as his. War fought his attraction for about a day before he couldn’t fight it anymore with Maddie. Orion didn’t even know I was his until I left him because he couldn’t commit to me. He didn’t know I was pregnant with Gabriella when I left. From what I’m told, he went crazy looking for me, and when he found me, he swore he’d never let me go,” she says. “How long does it have to take? Hammer knows what he wants. What you need to ask yourself is if you want the same thing.”
“There’s so much he doesn’t know. He might change his mind about me. I come with baggage, and not the kind he’d be used to,” I say, furrowing my brow.
“Get it out in the open. Tell him. If he can’t take it, that’s on him,” she advises with a shrug.
“Sounds simple, but it isn’t. He makes me feel safe. I haven’t felt that in years,” I admit, looking down at my hands clasped on the table.
