Page 9 of Kingston (Angels Halo MC Next Gen #14)

Chapter Nine

Kingston

Pulling my truck into Aggie’s parking lot, I kept the vehicle running while I glanced in the rearview mirror.

Iris was still glowering at me, her arms crossed over her chest in the most adorable sullen pout I’d ever seen.

She was pissed at me for letting the doctor look in her ears instead of telling him no.

I hadn’t wanted to put her in a situation where she was scared, but she had a real fear of doctors after her history of ear infections.

She’d looked to me to protect her, and I’d held on to her while the doctor did his thing, but she’d still been uncomfortable with the thorough inspection the ENT had to perform to get a better idea of what was going on.

She was grumpy as fuck and mad at me and her mom, but we at least had a care plan that was going to save her ability to hear. Once she got the tubes placed in her ears, the ENT was confident that Iris wouldn’t have as many infections.

Demi sat quietly in the passenger seat beside me, her hands clasped in her lap. She hadn’t said much since we’d left the doctor’s office earlier. I could see the wheels rapidly turning in her head. The worry that weighed her down must have been crushing.

Money had never been an issue when I was growing up.

My parents were well above the comfort zone when it came to finances.

The only reason my mom worked was because she wanted to, not because she had to.

Dad was a patched Angel’s Halo member, so he got a percentage of the MC’s funds on top of his share of the profits from Hannigans’.

I’d been making my own money since I was fourteen, bussing tables at Aggie’s and doing the dishes. When I was twenty-five, I bought in to Aggie’s. It wasn’t just because I wanted to give Mom a business partner and take some of the day-to-day pressure of running a restaurant off her shoulders.

Aggie’s was my passion, just as much as it was my mother’s.

Between the profits I earned from my share of the diner and the bar, plus what I made from my position in the MC, I’d never known what it felt like to struggle to pay bills—to worry about what would happen if I got sick and couldn’t afford to go to the doctor. But worry was all Demi did.

And I wanted to fix it for her. I wanted to give her and Iris the fucking world. I was going to take the load of stress off her shoulders and make sure she didn’t have to worry about anything ever again.

But I knew it was going to take time for her to trust me. Time to see that I was going to take care of her and her precious little girl. I just had to be patient and show her that everything was going to be okay.

We’d been parked for a few minutes before Demi finally blinked and focused on her surroundings. “I thought we were going home… I mean, back to your house.” She fidgeted with her seat belt. “I need to get my clothes out of your dryer, and then Iris and I can get out of your hair.”

Gritting my teeth to bite back the displeased growl that tried to break free every time she said something about leaving me, I unbuckled my seat belt and then her own. “It’s past lunchtime. I’m starving, babe. And I bet Iris would be a lot less grumpy if we filled up her tummy.”

“Kingston—”

I opened my door, shoving it closed before she could get out whatever protest she might have ready.

Opening the back door, I reached in and unfastened Iris from her car seat that I’d taken out of Demi’s car.

That vehicle was a deathtrap, and I was going to replace it as soon as I could.

I might have gone outside and disconnected a few wires so it wouldn’t start while she was getting ready for the doctor’s appointment, making sure we had to take my truck.

But Demi was smart as hell—and resourceful.

She’d had to play mechanic enough times on her own to know a thing or two about what made her car tick, and she’d noticed the issue right away.

Thankfully, we were running behind, and she hadn’t had time to fix the car without making us late for the doctor.

While we’d been in the waiting room and Demi was filling out the family history forms for Iris, I’d texted my cousin Max to have someone pick up the car from my driveway with his tow truck.

If it were left up to me, I’d crush the fucking piece of tin, but Demi seemed attached to the damned thing.

Max was supposed to do a full service on it personally, replace the brakes, tires, and fluids.

Whatever it needed to make it safer, I’d told my cousin to ensure it got done, and I’d pay for it.

Iris let me take her out of her seat, but she still had her arms crossed over her chest, turning her face away from me when I tried to kiss her cheek. She was a tiny heartbreaker, but I wasn’t above a little bribery to get her to like me again. “How about a milkshake?”

“No,” she said stubbornly, that crease between her brows reminding me so much of her mom, I got a squeeze in the middle of my chest.

“Chocolate cake?” I offered, walking around the back of the truck to open the passenger door since Demi hadn’t moved from her seat yet.

“No, no,” she shook her head, causing her blond pigtails to swing back and forth. “Hmph! ”

I held out my free hand to Demi, almost holding my breath until she hesitantly placed hers in mine. With my heart giving a happy little kick, I tried to pretend like this woman hadn’t just given me a precious gift. “Ice cream sundae with extra hot fudge, sprinkles, and whipped cream?”

Iris started to shake her head again, but when I got to the whipped cream, she paused. “I likeded the whipped creams.”

“I’ll put extra, extra, extra whipped cream on your ice cream,” I bartered. “But only if you eat some mac and cheese and maybe some chicken strips. Or do you want a hamburger?”

“Fries?” Iris suggested, batting those long, dark-blond lashes at me.

“Definitely fries,” I gave in as we entered the diner.

The place was still crowded from lunch, but there was a table and two booths free.

As the door shut behind us, every head turned so fast, a few people no doubt got whiplash from it, conversations fading until only a few voices could be heard.

Almost every eye was trained on us, causing Demi to blush and duck her head.

Shooting everyone a hard glare, I tugged her toward the booth in the back. Making sure she was comfortable before I placed Iris down across from her, I nodded at a few of my MC brothers who were in the middle of their own meal.

One of the younger waitresses came over as I dropped down beside Iris. “Hey, Kingston. I thought you were off today.”

“I am,” I told her coolly, sliding into the booth with Iris. “My girls are hungry. What do you want to drink, princess? Milk, water, or juice?”

“Appie juice?” she asked hopefully.

“Apple juice for her. I’ll take a Coke. Babe?”

“Um, water is fine,” Demi said softly.

“Okay. I’ll be right back with those drinks,” the girl said, watching us curiously. I gave her a hard look, and she gulped. Muttering an apology, she rushed to do her job.

I laid my hands palms-up on the table, wiggling my fingers at Demi. “What are you hungry for, baby? You barely ate anything at breakfast. How about a cheeseburger? Do you prefer onion rings over fries?”

Her smaller hand slid on top of mine, and I nearly crowed in triumph.

It was a small, innocent thing, but it felt like I’d just won the grand prize.

Demi didn’t even seem to notice she’d done it, barely glancing at me before turning her gaze to Iris and then the window.

“I’m not very hungry. I can eat some of Iris’s fries. ”

“Would you prefer something lighter, maybe a salad? We have grilled chicken as well as fried tenders that you can add to it. Or steak. You need some protein.” She shook her head, and my gut clenched. “Baby, please eat. For me?”

Her teeth sank into her bottom lip, and I felt her fingers tremble in my hand. I wrapped mine around hers, locking her in place in case she decided to move away. “I’m really not hungry, Kingston.”

Skimming my eyes over her face, I blew out a breath. I could see how tired she was. She had dark circles under her eyes. She needed sleep and food, and I didn’t need her to confirm what I already knew. My girls had been living in that tin-can car of hers.

I was pissed the fuck off about that, but not at her.

Demi was doing what she thought was best for her and Iris.

Protecting her baby girl and herself. From what, I didn’t know yet.

But I’d fucking figure it out. It was me I was mad at.

She’d run because of what had happened that last morning she brought in her muffins.

That was on me. But I’d fix this and teach her that she didn’t have to be scared of anything or anyone as long as she had me.

“Demi?” Mom’s voice had Demi’s fingers clenching around mine. She tried to pull her hand free, but I lifted it to my lips, kissing her palm before I looked up at my mother. But Mom’s focus was solely on the woman across from me.

With a wobbly smile and tears in her eyes, Mom held out her arms. “It is you. Oh sweetheart, I’m so happy to see you.”

Shyly, Demi stood and let Mom hug her. I didn’t miss how she flinched even at Mom’s touch. Her thin arms went around my mother hesitantly. “Hi, Quinn. It’s good to see you too.”

When Mom pulled back, her gaze dropped to me. Blue eyes widened before narrowing on me in a way I remembered from my childhood. “I have so many questions,” she half growled at me.

“Do you want to ask them now so the entire town can hear my answers too? Or would you rather wait until we’re alone, and then that information can slowly filter through the rest of Creswell Springs?

” I slid my arm across the back of the booth, drawing her attention to the little girl beside me.

“Because I’m okay with either, Ma. I’m just curious if you are or not. ”

“You might be grown, but I still gave birth to you, Kingston Everett Hannigan.”

I grimaced at being full-named. It was a freaking mouthful, and neither of my parents used it unless I was in trouble. Even at thirty-five, hearing my entire legal name from my mother was enough to make me lower my head a little.

But then I heard the softest, sweetest giggle in the world. Flicking a glance at Demi, I saw her put her hand over her mouth, surprise at her own action causing her eyes to widen, but she laughed a little louder.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t laugh, but you don’t look like an Everett to me. I picture an old farmer working his crops. Not…” She paused, her pretty eyes raking over me, causing her cheeks to darken from light pink to glowing red. “…all of this.”

“Hey now,” Mom complained, ready as always to defend her name choice. From what my father had always told me, she’d researched for weeks before deciding on a middle name. “It took me forever to decide between Everett and Charles, but Everett means resilient and brave.”

Demi’s face went blank, her smile fading along with the color in her face. “You definitely picked well. I would take an Everett over a Charles any day of the week.”

“Right? I was so glad we went with Everett because I’ve met a lot of guys named Charles who are douchebags.” Mom snickered, not immediately noticing the other woman’s reaction, but I filed that away for later. “What are you three eating? I’ll go cook it myself.”

“Ma, you should take a break. Let’s have lunch together. Come on,” I urged when she hesitated.

“We’re almost at capacity, honey.”

I gave the dining room a quick appraisal, noting all the customers were being taken care of.

Everyone had drinks except for us, but I saw our waitress carrying a tray in our direction with the three beverages.

All the waitresses were doing exactly what they were supposed to do.

There was happy chatter and the sounds of utensils against dishes.

No one seemed to be displeased with their service.

“You can take time for a meal, Ma.” I nudged Iris. “Tell Grammy you want her to eat with us, princess.”

Demi and Mom both gasped, but I was focused on the kid beside me. I winked down at her. Iris did that brow-crease thing for a few moments before nodding, giving me a smile, and turning the full effects of that beauty on my mom. “Will you eat with us, Gammy?”