Page 53 of Heavy

As she leans in for a hug, I nearly put my hand down to stop her, but I know he can do that. Except, he doesn’t, and she embraces around his hips tightly with a long‘Mmmm’that only ends when she releases him.

He places a hand onto her head. “Go check on Murphy, I think they chained him in the backyard. Cal likes animals, she’ll be fine.”

Mia giggles, turns and heads right out the door in the kitchen, screaming, “Here, boy!” at the top of her lungs.

Ronan takes my chin into his hand and redirects my attention back to him, just as I hear footsteps approaching us. “I want to revisit the question from earlier. Who would be following you?”

Damn it.

The gentle moment we shared is gone. I want to go back, to have him stay with me instead of stepping away and letting Ken join us. The urge to beg him to hold me again is so fucking strong that my chest tightens, and I have to wrap my arms around myself to stop from reaching out for him.

“It was just an instinct I had,” I say, looking away from him when he releases my chin.

“Boss,” a man says, but I don’t look up to see them. “Fuel line was snapped. It’s risky to weld it, best bet is to get a new one and replace the entire thing.”

“Get it done.” I’m surprised it’s Ronan that speaks. It’s only then I peer up at him. He still has his eyes on me, and under his heavy gaze, I just know he doesn’t believe it was purely instinct I ‘think’ someone was following me.

“Great instincts, doll face,” Ken says with a laugh, then addresses his friend. “Sent the boys after the car, ain’t back yet but I’m sure when they are we can speak with them.”

“I’ll get the part ordered but won’t be done for a few days.” When I shift my gaze behind Ronan, it’s a boy likely no older than I am, with bright blue hair and grease all over his shoulder and face. “I’ll fix it right up, Barbie, don’t worry.” He catches me staring and gives me a wink.

As if sensing the slightly flirtatious remark, Ronan steps between him and I.

“Thanks, Cedric,” Ken says. “Ro, we are about to order some Chinese food, stay for dinner while we wait for the boys.”

His chest rises as he takes a deep breath, and I’m shocked as the back of his hand comes to brush across my cheek. He drags it back and brushes my hair behind my ear, then releases a heavy sigh. It’s in this moment his strong façade cracks and an expression I’ve never seen encapsulates him.

Sadness.

“Hang with Mia for a bit, baby girl. I’ll just be out front, okay?”

I want to argue and ask him to not leave, but I don’t cling. He wouldn’t leave me here if it weren’t safe.

“Okay… thank you again, Ronan. I’m sorry for all this trouble.”

Ken cuts in before he can say anything. “No trouble at all, but now you owe me double.” He sounds like he’s joking, but Ronan doesn’t laugh, just turns away from me and heads toward the front door.

Sadness… Oh, Ronan, please let me in…

17

Calista

I'vealwayslovedkids.Any time the topic came up in conversation, I could easily picture them in my future. But after spending the last three hours with Mia, that hope feels even more certain.

She’s absolutely adorable and talks non-stop. I don’t know much about ten-year-olds, but she seems way smarter than I expected.

When dinner came, she insisted I sit beside her and her baby cousin—the one who needed the booster seat. His name is Dylan, though she calls him Lin. She mentioned that his parents left him with her dad because they couldn’t raise him right. My heart broke a little, but Mia’s smile reminded me to focus on the bright side.

It was clear that Dylan was loved by everyone, from Ken and the guys with the various hair colors to Amy, and even Ronan in his own way. He kept sneaking the little boy fortune cookies until Ken noticed around the third one.

Even though Ronan didn’t laugh or smile at everything that had the table bursting into laughter, when he did, it was glorious. I don’t know why seeing him break from his stoic shell sends such a rush of serotonin through me, but it does. With tattoos from his neck likely down to his ankles, a hard-set jawline, and full lips that rarely show emotion, he’s the definition of unapproachable. The kind of person you’d instinctively avoid rather than seek out for comfort.

Hard on the outside, and just as hard on the inside.

But I’ve broken through that barrier a few times. After I was attacked, when he stayed by my bed after the bar to make sure I was alright, and again today. The look in his eyes when he first saw me was intense, like he was ready to set the world on fire for hurting me.

I don’t deserve that but damn, I want to. I want his protection, even though I know I shouldn’t; it could put him at risk of far worse than just going back to prison. He shouldn’t have to bear my burdens, and maybe I should be the one saving him, not the other way around.