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I knew it was a figure of speech, but it made no fucking sense. Mice weren’t freaking quiet. The damn things got in the walls and scurried around, making more noise than a whore in a brothel.

“Maybe while you’re here you could help Tabby,” I offered, hoping she would get just as attached to her and never want to leave.

It was a fool’s errand, because I know she saw herself as Dani’s mom, for good reason. And well, Tabby had two parents now. But I could fucking hope.

“Why doesn’t she speak?”

“Her mother abused her.”

“Ellie?”

“No, Ryder’s ex-wife. Ellie wouldn’t hurt those girls. She has trouble fucking disciplining them. It all falls on Ryder to keep those girls in line. Ellie loves them so fucking much she lets them get away with murder.”

“That’s not good for them. Children need discipline and boundaries. That’s how they learn.” She slipped her hands into her pockets. “It’s the parents’ job to teach them right from wrong.”

The furrow in her brow told me what she was thinking as she looked at Dani.

“Hey,” I said, turning her to face me. “The girls know right from wrong. Ellie is a great fucking mother. She loves those girls as if she gave birth to them. You don’t know her childhood trauma. She grew up in New York. Her and Jingles both. Their parents were shit.”

I let go of her arm when I saw her wince. Not realizing how tense my hand had gotten. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” she said, rubbing her bicep.

“It’s not fine,” I conceded, running my hand through my hair. “It’s just, Ellie is special. She’s so fucking sweet and she’s gone through a lot recently. The whole clubhouse has.”

“Are you involved in whatever Danny and Dante are doing?”

“Not directly, no. But Ellie and Danny are close. Dante too. She’s worried about her friends and their daughter.”

“I get it. The entire situation is fucked up.” She paused and looked at me. Lust swirled in her eyes. I let her see the hunger in mine as her gaze roamed over my face. Taking a step forward, I reached for her and she stepped back. “My priority is Dani.”

Swing and a miss.

“Mama,” Dani cried, and Melissa spun around, searching for the little girl. Dani was sitting on a pile of snow. Melissa rushed over, pulling her up. “Cold,” the little girl said.

“Snow,” Melissa said, picking up a handful and letting Dani put her fingers in it.

“No,” Dani repeated.

“SSSSSSS,” Melissa made a sound like a snake hissing and I watched in awe as she taught Dani a new word.

Dani repeated the hissing sound but when she said snow again, it still came out no. Melissa praised her attempt, then turned to me.

“I need to take her inside. She’s all wet from the snow. It’s crazy to me how warm it is, yet there is still snow on the ground.”

“Yea, we tend to get a few really warm days mixed in with all the snowy ones. Is this the first time you’ve seen snow too?”

Like the rest of the guys who moved here from Arkansas after growing up in the south, that first winter was my first experience with snow. Couldn’t say I loved it. But it sure was fucking pretty after the first storm of the season.

Melissa laughed. “No, I attended some lectures in New York when I was in school. The first time I went to hear Dr. Scott, I almost didn’t make it because I was so caught up in the falling powder.”

“You heard Malice speak?”

She furrowed her brow and asked, “Malice?”

“Gideon Scott. His road name is Malice.”

“Dr. Scott is a biker?”