Page 24 of Fallen Dove (Fallen Lords MC 2nd Gen #1)

Tonight felt different. The pool tables were mostly empty, the jukebox hummed low in the corner, and even the axe-throwing lanes had only one group playing. For once, I could take a second to lean against the bar without someone hollering for another round of beers.

But I couldn’t take my eyes off Mason.

He was behind the bar, sleeves pushed up, forearms flexing as he dried pint glasses one by one. The cameras were up in their corners, their little red lights blinking, but all I could see was him. The set of his jaw. The way his shoulders filled out that black T-shirt. The quiet control in the way he moved.

I forced myself to look away before someone noticed, and that’s when the door swung open.

Alice.

She breezed in like she owned the place, and hell, she practically did, being Wrecker’s ol’ lady and the queen of chaos in Weston. Her hair was up in a messy bun, hoop earrings swaying, and she wore a denim jacket with paint splatters that looked more like intentional art than accident. She slid onto the barstool right in front of me, with a smirk as if she already knew something.

“You figure that out yet?”

she asked.

I blinked.

“Figure what out?”

She tipped her head toward Mason, who was now restocking liquor bottles like the responsible grown-up he was. “That.”

Heat shot up my neck.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Alice laughed, loud, unbothered, and way too knowing.

“Oh, sweetheart, don’t play dumb. You’re good, but you’re not that good.”

I busied myself by straightening the stack of coasters in front of her.

“Want a drink?”

“Mm-hmm,”

she hummed and leaned in.

“I’ll take an amaretto sour. And while you’re at it, how about you admit you’ve been eyeing Mason like a starving woman at a buffet.”

My hand froze on the glass. “Alice.”

She raised her brows.

“What? You think I haven’t noticed? Adley, you light up like a damn Christmas tree every time he walks by.”

I tried to laugh it off, but it came out weak.

“You’re imagining things.”

Her smirk widened.

“Nope. Wrecker and I figured it out months ago.”

That made me snap my head up so fast I nearly dropped the glass. “What?”

“Christmas,”

she said simply, like that explained everything.

I furrowed my brow.

“What about Christmas?”

Alice shrugged and reached for a napkin to doodle on, like this was casual.

“You and Mason had a little chat after presents, remember? Wrecker stepped outside to head to the barn for a little roll in the hay with me. He overheard you two talking.”

My jaw dropped.

“Oh my god.”

“Relax.”

She winked.

“We agreed it wasn’t our business. Kept it to ourselves.”

I shook my head, still reeling.

“So you’ve known all this time?”

She grinned. “Yep.”

I pressed my hands flat on the bar, needing something solid.

“Mason’s terrified. He thinks Slayer is going to kill him.”

Alice snorted.

“The club won’t kill him. Slayer, though? I wouldn’t put money on it either way. You’re his only kid, Adley. His baby girl. Doesn’t matter if you’re thirty-one, you’re still his little girl.”

I sighed, my chest tightening.

“Do you think it’s wrong? Me and Mason?”

Alice tilted her head, actually giving the question some thought. Then she shrugged.

“I’ve had a few months to wrap my head around it, and no. It’s not wrong. It’s ten years. If you brought home some guy from Chicago who was ten years older, no one would blink. It’s just… Mason. And he’s part of the club. That’s what makes it complicated.”

I nodded slowly.

“Yeah. That’s what I’m afraid of.”

Alice reached across the bar and squeezed my hand.

“Listen. You love who you love. Mason may be terrified, but you? You’re not doing a damn thing wrong.”

My throat tightened.

“Thanks, Alice.”

She leaned back, smirking again.

“Don’t thank me yet. I’m just excited I don’t have to keep sneaking around pretending not to notice the way you two practically undress each other with your eyes.”

I covered my face with my hands, groaning.

“Kill me now.”

Alice laughed and patted the bar.

“Nope. You’re gonna be just fine. Graduation party’s in three weeks. That’s when the real fireworks are gonna hit. Cameras, booze, half the damn town. You might wanna brace yourself.”

Three weeks. My stomach flipped.

“Promise me you won’t say anything,”

I said quietly.

Alice winked.

“Cross my heart. Until you and Mason decide to come clean, my lips are sealed.”

I blew out a shaky breath. For the first time in days, I felt like maybe, just maybe, I wasn’t carrying this secret alone anymore.