Page 7 of Sam (Crow MC 2nd Generation #2)

ABBY

My gaze drifts over to Sam’s side of our shared office, and I shake my head at the paper piled up on his desk. I’m proud of the man my son has become, even if my mama's heart hurts for him.

You think that when your children are grown, you’ll worry about them less. It’s a lie. When they are little, you can heal all hurts and keep them safe and happy.

The hurts they get as adults are not something a mum can kiss and make better. This last year has been a doozy for two of my children, and I’ve hurt for both of them.

Thank the Lord that Alec and Bren have sorted their shit out. Both Bev and I had long conversations about those two over the last few months, and we’re now both breathing a sigh of relief. With Bren squared away, I turned my attention to Sam.

My boy has a big heart, and it has been broken not once but twice this year.

Once by Alec. But the biggest hurt was by Bella.

None of us know what had happened. They’d seemed to be going in the right direction until they weren’t, and Alec had Sam on a plane and whisked him away, while Bella had disappeared from everyone’s lives.

It has left a hole in all our lives, and it isn’t a hole that we know how to fill back up.

Draco, Onyx, and Dog were going spare, trying to find out what was happening with Bella.

Maggie has aged so much in the last year with worry.

I hope that whatever it is that’s keeping her away from home is worth it.

I’ve wanted to slap her silly for what she’s done to Sam, but I’ve always thought that they weren’t suited.

If they had been, then they’d have been together long before now.

Sometimes you have to sit back and let things run their course, no matter how much you want to interfere.

Reaper and I, as parents, always allowed our kids to handle their own problems unless they sought our advice and help. They know we’re here to support them in any way when they need us to. Maybe that’s the wrong approach, especially after the last year.

Heaving a sigh, I turn back to my own work. There’s not much I can do to heal his heart, but I can find us an office manager. My phone rings, jumping around on my desk because I’d silenced it and put it on vibrate when I was on a business call this morning.

The interruption breaks my contemplation of the ad I’d been working on and yanks me from my thoughts. I wasn’t happy with the advertisement, but I’d put it off long enough. I’d get it loaded onto job sites tonight and see what popped up.

Not looking to see who’s calling, I distractedly answer, “Abby speaking, how may I help?”

“Hey, Abs, it’s me, no need for formalities,” Tilly chuckles.

Sniggering when I hear Tilly’s voice, I ask, “Tills, what’s up?”

“I may have an office manager for you.”

Immediately, she has my attention; I sit up, “Yeah,” I reply. “Who you got?”

Tilly hesitates a bit, piquing my curiosity.

“Ally.”

“Ally,” I echo, surprised.

“Yeah,” Tilly sighs, then admits, “I’m worried about her. She’s not sleeping and has nightmares. “She’s only been out of the hospital for a month,” she sighs again.

I can hear the concern in her voice as she adds. “This time.

“I’m worried she’s rushing it, but last night… well, early hours of this morning really, she told me she’s going to look for a job because she’s done letting that dickface ruin her life and she wants to take control.

“The thing is, you and I both know Adam is going to freak out not having her near us. It really did a number on him finding her like that. It was bad enough hearing about it, but for months afterward, he couldn’t sleep.

He still gets up at night to check on her as well as the other kids.

” Tilly sighs, sounding exhausted before she continues, “Actually, this might be good for everyone. Ally gets her independence, and Adam can heal, knowing she’s in a safe place.

“Sorry for all the word vomit I’ve just laid on you. And I’m sorry I’m in no way telling you to hire Ally, but if you could interview her and see if you think she’ll fit. She has the qualifications, and she’s worked for both JoJo and me from the age of sixteen.”

My heart hurts for my friend, and now that she’s mentioned it, Ally would be perfect. I know she’s capable.

“Children, hey, Tilly. I was just thinking that it doesn’t get easier being a parent. If anything, it gets harder,” I say.

“And never worry about laying it all on me. That’s what friends are for. And I’d be happy to interview Ally for the position, as long as she’s healthy enough to work.”

“She is,” Tilly assures me. “When would you want to interview her?”

“This afternoon, if possible.”

“Hang on a sec,” Tilly replies, covering her phone as she talks to someone. “This afternoon is fine. Thank you, Abby.”

“No need to thank me. It’s what friends are for. Maybe I’ll get Reaper to reach out to Adam—see if he can get him out of his head a bit. Even if they all go for a ride for the day.”

“That would be good,” Tilly replies, and I can tell right away she’s feeling lighter than when I’d first picked up the phone. “We’ll see you this afternoon.”

“See you later, babe,” I reply, ending the call and deleting the job advertisement I’d been working on. I’d rather recruit someone I know. The interview would be a formality. I knew Ally, trusted her, and I’d train her to do anything she didn’t know.

I’m feeling a lot better about everything all of a sudden, and after the interview with Ally, going over what she did and didn’t know, I was feeling more confident. This was the right decision.

Sam didn’t care who did the job as long as he didn’t have to do it anymore. Typical bloke, my son.

I’d not seen Ally since she’d been in the hospital a few days after she’d come out of surgery.

She’s half the girl she used to be. She’s still gorgeous, with her long black curly hair and big blue eyes.

There’s no hiding the toll the last few months have taken on her, though, by how thin and gaunt she is.

The dark rings around her tired eyes seem to make them look bluer.

But when she smiles, the old Ally shines through, and I hope that with her working and gaining independence, she’ll get her confidence back.

***

By the time Ally left that afternoon, I was confident that I’d made the right decision in hiring her.