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He nodded. “Pretty much every day. They’re working a case right now, and Kyle needs to be in the field a little, so I’m off until next week.”
“Good.” I paused, but only briefly before I continued. “You settling in okay? Like your room and shit here at the club?”
He shrugged. “Yeah, it’s cool. Like hanging out with Dom and some of the other prospects.”
Running my hand along my beard, I admitted what he must’ve already guessed. “Look, kid, I’m shit at small talk.”
His grin grew. “Yeah, I can tell.”
Chuckling, I put my hands on my hips. “Your mom wanted us in each other’s lives for a reason, and I plan to make that happen.”
“You don’t have to do that,” he said, but I could tell he wanted it. He was just afraid to reach out and ask for something he could lose. I understood that all too well.
“Want to,” I admitted. “Truth is, I was disappointed the test results returned the way they did.” His eyes widened, so I continued. “But if I’ve learned anything from the people in this club, it’s that blood doesn’t make you family. We decide who our family is, and I want you to be a part of mine.” I gestured toward him. “If that’s what you want.”
His expression turned hopeful just before he got ahold of it and tried to appear indifferent. “I guess that’d be okay.”
I grinned. “Alright.”
He hesitated a minute, and I waited while he decided how he wanted to ask me what was bothering him. “What does that mean, though?”
“Means I’m here for you, kid. You need something, you find me. I can’t help, I’ll make sure I find someone who can. Got a couple of extra bedrooms at my house with Jane. You ever want to live with us or just spend some time, you got a room there.”
He swallowed hard. “That sounds cool.”
My grin widened. “You got some time this weekend?”
He shrugged, but he was smiling. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“You like football?”
He nodded, and his eyes lit, so I knew we at least had that in common. “Yeah.”
“Come over. We’ll get some food and watch the games.”
His eyebrows drew together. “You’re not workin’?”
He was paying attention, which confirmed what I thought. He wanted to spend some time together, probably wanted to talk about his mom, but he was afraid to make the move to ask.
“Not if you got time to hang out.”
He nodded again just as Jane stepped up beside me and smiled. “Hi, Leo.”
“Hey.” He returned her smile.
“Just invited Leo over this weekend to watch some football,” I told her.
She frowned, and I saw Leo’s face drop, but when she started talking, he laughed. “Hmm…I don’t know how to make football food. I’ll have to ask Ritz for some ideas.”
Bear and Josie stopped just as they were walking past us. “Ritz only makes fancy shit. All you need to watch football is beer and pizza.”
“And wings,” I added.
“Hey, who made this chocolate cake? It’s really fucking good.”
Jane’s head snapped toward the prospect holding up his cake before looking back at me wearing the biggest smile I’d seen. “That’s what I made.”
Bear laughed at the prospect. “Don’t get too excited, Jane. He’s pretty drunk.”
