Page 165 of Caution to the Wind

She shrugged, sippin’ her coffee. “There was a lot to hide behind. She was your daughter’s best friend, seventeen years old, from the right side of the tracks when we were decidedly from thewrongside even if Mei liked slumming with us there. It wasn’t the right time.” She peered at me from under curly lashes. “Is the time right now?”

“Well, believe it or not, I was comin’ down here to tell you about Mei this mornin’, but you beat me to it. Not sure I expected you to take it so well, honey.”

Cleo put her mug down and swiveled on the stool in her oversized pink knit sweater to plant both her hands on my chest and smile up at me. “We’ve always been a family. And I’ve been through too much to ever be, I don’t know, jealous about the way you love each other. You and Mei have the biggest hearts I know; there’s room enough for all types of people and all types of love between us.”

“How’d I get so lucky to have you for my daughter?” I asked her, honest as fuck overwhelmed by her sheer goodness and angry still, deep in my gut, that some fuck had tried to take that from her.

Even after exactin’ retribution for Kate’s murder by dismantlin’ the Seven Song triad, a part of me would always rage I hadn’t been the one to murder The Prophet instead of Priest.

“You saved Mum and me,” she reminded me flippantly. “I think you deserve it.”

I wrapped her up in a big hug, pressed my nose into her fragrant hair, and just let myself feel awe and gratitude and sweet as fuck relief that she was still here with me. That The Prophet hadn’t succeeded in robbin’ me or the world of Cleo’s loveliness and magic.

“So what does this mean, then?” Cleo asked, muffled against my chest before I pulled away. “Will she stay here with us?”

My chest tightened. “I dunno, Glory. We haven’t talked about it.”

“You are dating, though,” she pressed. “She’s going to be your Old Lady?”

I ground my teeth together and shrugged one shoulder.

“Men,” she muttered.

“Hey, it’s not like Rocky loves to talk about her feelings either,” I protested.

“What happens when a dragon fights a tiger?” she asked, paraphrasin’ a Cantonese sayin’. “A freaking stalemate. Just, don’t fuck around here, Dad. For all our sakes. You guys deserve to be happy, and you both have a bad habit of forgetting that.”

I grunted as I moved away to take stuff outta the fridge to make us pancakes.

“You did ask her to Harleigh Rose and Lion’s wedding today, right?”

I paused with my head in the fridge as I grabbed the bacon then carefully pulled it out to place it on the counter by the stove, not facin’ Cleo.

She made a noise of exasperation. “Bikers, seriously, you guys are ridiculous. You’re all lucky women dig a guy in leather.”

I was still bustin’ a gut laughin’ when Mei trailed down the stairs and into the kitchen. She’d put on a pair of black sweatpants and a cropped black tee that showcased the taut, tattooed expanse of her belly and lower back.

My mouth went dry, and I’d had her twice only eight hours ago.

“Close your mouth, Dad,” Cleo teased under her breath.

I shot her an unamused glance, but she was already openin’ her arms for Mei, who walked right into the embrace and kissed her hair.

“No nightmares last night?” she murmured.

“No,” Cleo confirmed, pullin’ away to smile softly. “I slept like a baby knowing you guys were out taking down Kasper Kuan.”

Mei winced, slidin’ her gaze my way. “Uh, we didn’t actually get Kasper.”

Cleo frowned. “Kodiak told me you guys took out the bank.”

“We did, but Kasper wasn’t there,” I said, steppin’ in to fill in the blanks. Usually, I kept club business from my kid, but she was too caught up in this shit to be left outta the loop. “Curtains had him buyin’ a first class ticket to Hong Kong a couple hours after we took down Golden Door. He’s fleein’.”

A thundercloud rolled over her face and for a second there, she didn’t look a thing like a girl who loved pink and knittin’ thick, fluffy fuckin’ blankets curled up on the couch to watch classic movies or anime shows. She looked like a woman scorned who wouldn’t rest ’til vengeance was exacted on those who’d wronged her.

It was a look I’d seen in the mirror a thousand times, on Mei, too. On my brothers in the club and some of their women, even the softer ones like Cressida after King was shot.

But never on Cleo.