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“Yeah, I’m fine.”She waved herhand in front of her face.“I, erm, I can’t have kids, and beingable to adopt Sally, and now she’s calling me mom—it’s a dream cometrue.”
“Did you adopt her at a youngage?”Charlotte asked.Her own heart was breaking over the childshe had lost.
“No.It was only a fewmonths ago to be honest.Sally fought us both at the beginning.Whizz told me she was acting out in case we sent her back to herfoster home.”Lacey took a seat.
“You wouldn’t dothat?”
“I know it’s strange,adopting a kid that will probably be going off to college, but Isaw Sally, I saw how broken she was, and I just knew I could helpher.Whizz and I, together, we could help her.We’re not perfectourselves, but we make a good life.”
“You make a goodteam.”
“I like to thinkso.”
“Will you adoptmore?”
Lacey sighed again.“I hope so.We’vespoken to Sally about it, and she doesn’t mind.We’re looking intoadopting once everything settles down at the club.”
“I hope Gash and I are not aproblem—” Before she could finish saying anything more, Lacey heldher hand up.
“No, you’re not a problem.You’llcome to learn in the MC life, it’s always hectic andchaotic, butthere are moments where it’s peaceful.You’ll learn to embracethose peaceful moments, and be happy about it.You and Gash aremore than welcome here.I just wish I could have made you somethingdelicious to enjoy.I’m not exactly good in thekitchen.”
Gash chose that moment to enter thekitchen.He stretched out his muscles, and Charlotte couldn’t helpbut stare at his hardness.His muscles were so big and thick, andshe felt like a complete girl just looking at him.
You’re a woman.
He was much bigger now than he was sevenyears ago, and back then he’d been ripped.
Charlotte, stop it.You’re notseriouslythinking about a guy being ripped?
“Showing off, are we?”Lacey asked.
Gash lowered his arms, which she founddisappointing.
“We know you’ve got the musclesand the hot body.There’s no need to brag.”Lacey rolled her eyesand jumped out of her chair.“I’m going to go and check on Whizzand Sally.Don’t fight, kids.”
Charlotte chuckled.“I like her.”Shespoke once Lacey had left the kitchen.
“She’s interesting.”
“You don’t sound like youbelieve that.”
He laughed.“What can Isay?She’s alittle eccentric for me.Whizz loves her, and yeah, that bastarddidn’t really smile for a time when I got out.”
Charlotte had seen the scars on Whizz’sface, and even the ones on his hands.She knew all about scars.Thelast thing she would do was stare at someone with visible marks ontheir body.She had her own scars, and not all of them were on theoutside of her body.There were some on her wrists and on her bodywhere she’d gotten desperate.Her scars were deep within her heart,and she hoped that helping Gash would ease the pain that was alwaysthere, making it hard for her to breathe at times.
Staring at the chicken stew, shelooked at the red sauce, which reminded her once more of blood.Pushingthe thoughts to the back of her mind, she moved to the pantry andfound some dried pasta to cook.
“What put that sadness in youreyes, Charlotte?”Gash stood behind her.She hadn’t even heard himmove.His hands gripped her hips, and she closed her eyes.Charlotte loved his touch, always had, and it had been herdownfall.
“I told you I’m notready.”
“Did Jeff hurtyou?”
Opening her eyes, she turned off thetap, and moved out of Gash’s arms to put the pot on toboil.
She went to tuck some hair behind herears but paused when she realized her hair was up in aponytail.
“Did he?”Gashasked.