Page 105 of The Loves We Lost

I chuckle as Vi walks in with Avery’s little backpack. “We’re not allowed to stay in here,” I tell Vi as I take the backpack from her and put it on Niro’s bed.

“We’re not?”

Avery shakes her head. “No mommies or daddies. Just aunts and uncles.”

I kiss my daughter on the head. “Be good for Uncle Colton. He tells me you misbehaved, I won’t let you sleep over again for a while.”

“You want to give that warning to your bestie too,” Catalina says. “It could be that I’ll be the only grown-up in the house tonight.”

Niro’s eye roll makes me laugh.

“You ready, Vi?” I ask as she hugs Avery.

“I am. Be good. I’ll see you tomorrow. Uncle Colton has my number if you need it, okay?”

When I step outside, Vex is scanning the underside of my truck.

“What’s up, brother?” I ask.

“Just checking everyone’s vehicles to make sure we don’t have any trackers I didn’t plant on them.” He climbs to his knees, then stands. “You’re all good.”

I slap his shoulder. “Thanks.”

He tips his chin to Niro’s truck. “I checked his too, seeing he’ll be transporting Avery in it. And I opened up a live feed to Niro’s place on a laptop in the kitchen. Got a schedule for the guys to watch it. Your girl is good, I promise.”

“Thank you,” Vi says, spontaneously stepping up onto her toes and kissing his cheek. “It’s good to know you’re looking out for us all.”

I swear to god, Vex looks embarrassed by the praise.

“Sure thing,” he says and heads back inside.

I open Vi’s door. Before I let her inside, I kiss her deeply, letting my lips savor hers and our tongues meet for a moment. “I fucking love you,” I say finally.

Vi smiles as I help her into the truck. “I love you too.”

The hour in the truck is filled with easy rock played loud. We sing along. I’m kinda meh. Vi can carry a tune but wouldn’t win any awards.

And it doesn’t bother either of us.

Neither do the two prospect bikes following at a safe distance behind.

“Your uncle’s cottage,” Vi says when she finally realizes where we are going.

The meadow out front is a little overgrown, and the cottage hasn’t gotten any prettier over time, but there’s a stream out back, and it’s sunny, and we’re alone. “Thought we needed some time alone. Just the two of us.”

“What about them?” she says, glancing at the two bikes that followed us.

“They’re going to camp at the bottom of the road and keep watch. We’ll have privacy.”

“Are you sure Avery is going to be okay?”

“Vex has got security covered. And did you see the way she sidled over to Niro as quickly as she could?” I pull the truck to a stop outside the timber cabin.

“But Niro. He’s ... different. I know he likes her and is good with her, but is he ... he can be impatient and rude ... well, she’s five. And acts like a five-year-old.”

I turn to face Vi, remembering what Niro told me when we had a fight night at the clubhouse. That I could tell Vi about his diagnoses if it helped. “He has antisocial personality disorder, which would make it darn impossible for him to pretend he liked Avery or spend time with her if he didn’t want to. He has ADHD too, so he bounces around like a five-year-old most of the time. If Avery starts to get bored, he’ll figure out the next thing to do in a heartbeat. And I happen to know he’s already got the items needed to make cupcakes, build a doll’s house from wood and decorate it, and has arranged with the pound that the two of them could go read books he’s bought to the dogs in the shelter.”

Vi’s face loses the worry and turns soft. “She’s safe with him then?”