Page 81 of Creed

“Yeah, but I don’t get it.” Laura tilted her head. “Why does that matter? Why did it ever matter?”

“I don’t know,” I lied, swirling the wine in my glass.

“I think you do.” She leaned in, her tone gentle but firm. “I think you know it has something to do with that club. It’s why he never took you there or let you meet any of them. He was afraid you’d finally see that something was up.”

I opened my mouth to deflect, but nothing came out. Instead, I let out a shaky breath and lowered my eyes. “I thought the same thing until I actually met them and got to know them.”

Laura’s eyes softened, but she didn’t back down. “And?”

“They’re nothing like you’d think they’d be. They’re funny and smart and… they’re good people.” I looked over at her as I said, “And their women are impressive. Tallie is a lawyer. Jenna is such a good mother, and Tabitha has this massive barn where she helps neglected horses. Who does that?”

“They sound pretty cool.”

“They are cool.” I giggled under my breath when I thought back to Jameson referring to himself as a cool dude. He was right. About more than I’d realized. “They’re like one big family.”

“That doesn’t mean there’s not something shady going on.”

“No, it doesn’t.” I took another sip of wine, letting the warmth settle over me. “But for the first time in a long time, I feel like I can breathe. I’m not constantly waiting for the next call or the next face I couldn’t save. I’m happy. I’m happy loving him and letting him love me back.”

She watched me for a moment, then reached over and put her hand on mine. “I just don’t want you to get hurt. Not like you did before.”

“I know.” I squeezed back. “But I think this is where I’m supposed to be.”

“Then I guess I’m gonna need to get to know these biker boys.”

“Yes, you will,” I answered with a giggle. “And they are gonna love you, but you’ll have to watch out for Goose. He’s a big ole flirt.”

“Is he hot?”

“Yeah, he’s attractive, and totally your type.”

“And what’s my type?”

“Trouble with a sexy smile.”

She took another big sip of wine before saying, “Oh, yeah. I’m gonna need to meet the Goose fella.”

“I’ll bring you the next time they have a gathering at the clubhouse.”

“I’ll look forward to it.” Her brows furrowed as she said, “Wait a minute. It’s Saturday night, and you don’t have the kids. Why aren’t you with Mr. Wonderful tonight?”

“He had to work, but he’s going to try to stop by later tonight.” I glanced over at the clock and was surprised to find that it was almost eleven. I’d expected to hear from him by now, so I grabbed my phone from the counter and checked to see if I’d had any messages. When I didn’t, I mumbled, “Hmph.”

“What? Something wrong?”

“No, I was just…”

Without finishing my thought, I sent Jameson a message:

Me:

Hey.

Everything okay?

Jameson:

Been a busy one.