Page 107 of Renascence

“Hey, Emily,” Ellen says, waving her over. Her son is sitting on her lap, having eggs and toast. “Gage left. He took Charger and Rico with him. Booker is off somewhere,” she informs me with a dismissive wave of her hand.

“Morning, ladies,” Emily mumbles, taking the stool next to Ellen.

“I’m not a lady!” Mikey exclaims. All the women laugh, including Emily.

“Of course not, my little man,” Ellen says. “Say hello to Emily.”

“Hello, Emily!”

“Hi there. What’s your name?”

“Michael Hunter Raymond!”

“Oh, that’s a cool name.” She leans in to stroke the boy’s cheek. “He looks so much like you, Ellen.”

“So everyone tells me. I think he looks more like Eddie.”

“Eddie?” Emily looks from Ellen to me and back.

“Oh, his biological father. He died right before Mikey was born.”

“My daddy’s in Heaven,” Mikey tells Emily. “But I have a new daddy now.”

“Yes, Jon—Einstein,” Ellen clarifies, “is great with him.”

Seeing that she’s more relaxed now, I head to the kitchen. As I walk away, I hear Ellen asking Emily to make Mikey’s cake for his fifth birthday. By the time I return, Mikey is gone and the women are huddled up, no doubt talking about one of us men. Emily beams up at me as I set the plate before her. The beauty of her smile leaves me frozen, wondering how this angel could think I deserve her.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, darlin’. Do you want me to stay, or are you okay with the girls?”

“I think I’m good.”

“I’ll be over there if you need me.” I motion with a tilt of my head.

“I always need you,” she says, her voice lowered.

Those four words warm me to the soles of my feet. I take her chin between my fingers, dipping my head to drop a gentle kiss on her lips. “Don’t say shit like that, Emily. I just might believe it.”

I join the men, sitting on the arm of the couch as I eat. My gaze keeps straying back to Emily. She’s the magnet to my steel, the Davidson to my Harley.

I’m fucked.

Well and truly fucked.

“You talked to Emily yet?” Razor asks.

“Nah. I don’t think she knows anything. Her ex is the only one she’s had problems with. After what we did to him, he’d be stupid to mess with her like this.”

“So you don’t think it’s him anymore?”

“I’m not ruling him out, but no.”

“Fuck. Our women can’t catch a break, huh?”

“And that’s exactly why we shouldn’t keep any around. It’s too dangerous, Razor.”

“I hear ya. What are you going to do about her?” He lifts his chin in Emily’s direction.