Page 31
“Someone kidnapped my daughter again,” I said, tying my hair up into a messy bun as I stepped into the kitchen.
Eddie was at the stove, flipping fried eggs in a skillet while bacon sizzled in another. And judging by the starchy, greasy smell in the air, I bet hash browns were in the oven.
He lifted his spatula, pointing out the back door.
“I clean up,” I told him.
“Careful, I’m gonna get used to that,” he warned with a warm smile as I made my way out back.
I’d expected to find Jade or Sass.
But it was Coast who’d taken my little girl.
He was sitting on the top step of the pool with Lainey in a float in front of him, slowly turning her in a circle as she giggled.
“She screams bloody murder when you put sunblock on her,” he said as I moved to sit next to him. “Wasn’t even putting it on her face yet.”
“She does it with lotion too,” I agreed, leaning my head into his shoulder.
I lived for quiet moments like this.
Just the three of us.
Together.
Sharing something that should have been ordinary, but meant the world to me.
“Why didn’t you wake me?” I asked.
“I was already up when she started fussing. No reason to wake you up.”
It really was that easy for him.
For a man who’d claimed he lived for the fun, easy parts of life, he was really good with the practical, responsible parts.
“Besides, Levee said they were heading over for breakfast. So I knew if I didn’t get time with her now, I wouldn’t get any. Jade’s got baby fever something fierce.”
“I love her. I love all of them. This family of yours. It’s really amazing.”
His gaze slid to me, watching me with an intensity that made his blue eyes stormy.
“Dunno if I really noticed that was what they were until you.”
“Your family?” I asked.
“Yeah.”
“I adore you, Coast, but how can you be so blind to what is right in front of you?”
“Think I was focusing on the easy shit. The partying. The work.”
“The women?” I prompted.
“Not gonna lie—yeah.”
“We both have pasts,” I said, shrugging.
“I think connections were intimidating after a whole life of avoiding them. I mean, I’d ride-or-die for the men in this club. But sitting and having a meaningful conversation? Fuck no.”
“It’s a shame, because you’re really nice to talk to. You’re a lot wiser than people would otherwise give you credit for.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” he said, shaking his head at me.
“I think this club is amazing,” I told him, glancing over to see Kylo coming back from the tortoise enclosure, the tray for his greens tucked under his arm.
In the front yard, Caymen was mowing the lawn, shirt off, body slick with sweat.
Behind us, over at Che and Sass’s house, little kids laughed and squealed.
This was community, family, love.
It was the village everyone talked about.
It was the dream.
And I was beyond excited to be a part of it. Especially after being on my own for the hardest part of new motherhood.
“Yeah,” Coast agreed. “It is.”
“Where’s my baby?” Jade called from the driveway, making both Coast and I laugh.
“Looks like we have the next hour or two off,” I said as Jade came around the back of the house. “What should we do? Watch a show? Do laundry?”
“I got a better idea,” he said, pushing Lainey’s float toward Jade, then taking my hand and pulling me with him.
But not toward the clubhouse.
Toward the overgrown greenery at the edge of the backyard.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“To fuck in the shooting range.”
I had a feeling that was going to define a future with a man like Coast.
Sweet, soft domestic moments.
Followed by something wild and fun.
But, yeah, we totally fucked in the shooting range.
Coast - 3 months
“So, am I just supposed to accept being kidnapped?” Velle asked as I drove down the road from the clubhouse, “or can I ask where we’re going?”
I glanced over at him.
“We’re going to my house.”
“Your house. When did you buy a house?”
“When I saw the one I grew up in go up for auction.”
“Seems like there’s a lot to unpack there,” Velle said, flicking through the stations on the radio.
I felt like it said something that I’d chosen Velle to go with me on this errand. I could have picked someone like York or Caymen—men who would tag along while letting me keep my secrets. Or, you know, do it alone like I would have done in the past.
“The short of it is: I spent my teens there, raising the revolving door of foster kids my parents signed up for, so they could live off the checks.”
Velle’s brows shot up, but his head nodded.
“That explains so much.”
“You’re not gonna ask me why I bought it?”
“No, I can pretty much guess why you bought it. I’m curious why we’re going there, though.”
“The last lease was just up a week ago. And I didn’t re-up it.”
“I see.”
“Do you?”
“It’s time to go back and reclaim it. Reimagine it as a place for you and the girls.”
So, he did see.
I tamped down the discomfort at being seen, reminding myself that this was why I brought Velle along. I wanted someone to help me decide if this was healing or toxic.
“Something like that.”
It was also getting tight at the clubhouse.
With Lil’ Bit getting older—and getting more shit to play in and use—we were running out of room.
And, well, she was cramping our style.
Having sex in our room was basically impossible.
Sure, it was fun to fuck in the shower, in the shooting range, the garage, in the pantry, wherever we could steal a few minutes alone. But sometimes, you just wanted to fuck in a bed.
It was time for us to move on, move out, start something that was just ours.
We could still have the family that Zoe had grown so attached to. Only with more privacy and room to grow.
“Huh. Nice and close to the clubhouse,” Velle said as I flicked on the blinker before pulling up the drive.
There was an automatic tensing in my gut, but it quickly disappeared as the house came into view.
Suddenly, I was picturing the yard full of little kids chasing the poor lizards—squealing, laughing, stumbling and tumbling and having the time of their lives.
“Wow. Nice place,” Velle observed as I parked.
It was.
There were changes since the last time I’d seen it. Somewhere along the way, someone had repainted the stucco a warm yellow instead of white. The landscaping was lush and colorful where it had just been beds of rocks when I’d lived there.
Trees that had been small saplings had grown to provide ample shade.
It was familiar, but also new.
“Yeah,” I agreed as we climbed out and made our way to the front door.
The inside was as different as I’d anticipated, with several families having lived in the house since I’d last seen it.
The kitchen had been updated by the previous tenants, who’d asked me if they could ‘refresh it.’ They’d done more than that. The appliances were new. As were the countertops and floors. And they’d painted the cabinets. Though those were showing some wear and tear already.
In the other rooms, there were more subtle changes.
The white living room that had once been full of kids and toys, was starkly empty and painted a sage green.
“How many rooms is this?” Velle asked, turning in a circle.
“Five bedrooms.”
“Five,” Velle repeated. “You planning to make more babies with Zo?”
Before her, it wasn’t even a thought I entertained. I mean, beyond the occasional concern that—despite meticulous and constant condom use—someone might have an accidental pregnancy, no.
That said, watching Zo with Lil’ Bit, experiencing us as a trio, created this overwhelming feeling of rightness that I couldn’t deny, a desire for more of it.
“Maybe,” I said. “We haven’t really discussed it.”
Zoe was still recovering from the trauma involved with her surprise pregnancy, the end of her relationship and her career, then learning to try to eke out a living while taking care of a newborn.
She was still regulating, learning to get used to feeling safe and supported.
We could talk about that sometime down the road. As for me, I was at a place where I was open to either option: more kids, or just Lainey.
“Well, there’s time. At least Lainey can have her own room here. And peace and quiet.”
“Nah, Lil’ Bit is gonna miss the crazy at the club. She eats that shit up.” And the attention. She was constantly being scooped up and entertained at the clubhouse. It was going to be a big change for her to be somewhere else much quieter.
“Well, you’ll still be over there all the time. I’m assuming you haven’t talked to Zoe about this yet?” Velle asked, waving around the house as we moved out onto the back porch.
“No. I wanted to make sure it was livable before I even suggested it. But I got a feeling she’s gonna be game. She’s in nesting mode.”
“She can really spread out here. You know, it’s missing something, though.”
“A pool,” I agreed. Lainey was a complete water bug.
“Yep.”
“When are you going to tell her?”
“I was waiting to get your opinion. Do you think it’s weird?”
“Depends.”
“On?”
“Does she know about all this?” he asked.
“More than anyone else does.”
“Including that you still own it?”
“Yeah.”
“What’d she say?”
“She asked if I’d been back. And when I said no, why.”
“I dunno. I think so long as it doesn’t feel weird for you, she’s gonna love it. But if you don’t feel right here, you can both choose to sell it and start fresh somewhere else.”
“Yeah. That’s what I was thinking. I wanna get a crew in here to clean and paint. But once that’s done, I’m gonna drive her over here.”
“Well, that’s the perk to the club, man,” Velle said with a smile. “You got a built-in cleaning and painting crew.”
I hadn’t thought of that.
“Hey,” Velle called.
“Yeah?”
“This is big, man,” he said, reaching out to give my shoulder a squeeze. “It’s been nice, seeing Zoe and Lainey bring you out from behind your walls.”
As nice as it may have looked, it felt infinitely fucking better.
And better still to watch Zoe come into her own.
Her tension loosened. She smiled and laughed and made connections. She woke up early in the mornings to dance on the back patio.
We brought out the best in each other.