“Remind my kids I love them when you tuck them in tonight. Can you do that for me?”
Ethan grips Kevlar’s shoulder. “Yeah, I can. Bye, Jovie, it was good meeting you.” Ethan takes off after the kids, leaving me with a bereft Kevlar.
I turn to face him. “Are you okay?”
Kevlar rubs the back of his neck, then leans against the bar. “She still makes her tea parties about her mother… that can’t be healthy, right?”
I exhale, moving in beside him. “Every child copes differently growing up without a parent. Sadie might remember her mother in pieces or small fragments… maybe she’s confused about where she’s gone and is trying to keep her memory alive by pretending Em is at her tea parties with her?”
Kevlar exhales. “But it’s the pretending that’s not healthy, right?”
I shrug. “If it helps her to feel comfort, then for now, I think it’s okay. There’s no right or wrongs in this, Kevlar. She seems perfectly normal to me. Maybe the problem is you don’t like to be reminded of her mother?”
He jerks back like I’ve electrocuted him.
Shit! Maybe I’m out of line.
“Sorry, I shouldn’t be talking about your wife. It’s not my place—”
“No… I think you might have hit the nail on the head. I feel awkward when Sadie or Lucas bring up their mother. The longer time goes on, the harder it gets to talk about Em with them.”
I reach out for his hand, linking my fingers with his, just to give him a sense of comfort right now. “Being a single parent can’t be easy, Kevlar. You’re doing the best you can. Everyone sees how much you adore them. You do what feels right. They’re young, they don’t need all the ins and outs on their mom right now. When they’re older and understand better, they will want to know more, and by then, you will have had time to process, and you’ll know exactly what to say.”
Kevlar turns to face me, gratitude written all over his face. “Thank you. I really needed this right now.”
I move in, resting my head on his shoulder. “Glad I could help.”
Wraith walks past with Prinie, fussing over her as they pass. “Will you stop. I need to help the girls.”
Wraith wraps his arm around her widening waist. “You won’t! You will come sit down and give those swollen feet a chance to rest.”
“I am not swollen,” Prinie scoffs out as she detaches from him.
Zero walks past chuckling like he’s enjoying Wraith getting in trouble. “Glad she’s giving you a dose of hell, VP!”
“She’s gonna give us all hell when she’s worn out and can’t fucking walk. Will you sit. The. Fuck. Down!”
Prinie snorts out a laugh. “Since when did you think taking that bossy tone with me would ever work?”
I smirk at Kevlar as they keep walking toward the kitchen. “Princess, for the sake of our baby, will you please rest?”
I gnaw down on my bottom lip as Prinie exhales. She stops, turns to face him, then wraps her arms around his neck. “Fine, but only because you used our baby against me.”
Wraith smiles. I feel like that might be something seldom seen from him as he leans in to kiss her. His hands move to her ass, and I avert my eyes while letting out a small laugh. “They really have a good bond, don’t they?” I ask Kevlar.
He snorts. “Prinie and Wraith? Shit, those two are like fireworks in a gas tank. One of them ignites, then it’s like a fucking explosion of epic proportions. It can either be emotional or physical, but those two… hell, their story is addictive.”
Warmth floods through me. I want a love like theirs. Something that sinks in right to the very depth of your soul—a love that consumes you. One where you know you’re meant to be with the other person. My eyes shift to Kevlar, and my skin riddles in goosebumps, my heart beats a little faster.
“Are you cold? Want me to get you a jacket?”
“No, I’m fine. But thank you.” I grin.
Kevlar’s lips turn up at me, beaming with graceful ease. He’s the light in all this darkness, and with him by my side, I see the world with a new perspective. Everything might have been dark, it might have been bleak with my father chasing after me to join the Slavers, making me a fugitive from my old life. But the way Kevlar is looking at me right now, there’s something, a small spark making me feel like somehow, in some way, this is all going to work itself out.
“Actually, this party is probably going to get a little wild. You were in a car wreck… you and Sav should rest up tonight and tomorrow. Honestly, I’m sure this party will continue on into tomorrow night if you wanna head up to bed.”
My shoulder is aching like a bitch, and I have to admit, I’m tired as all hell from the pain meds. I want to stay up for Kevlar, but he’s giving me a clear out here. Maybe I should take it. “You won’t mind me bailing on your first night back?”
His caring eyes meet mine, sincerely. “Honestly, it would make me feel better knowing you’re resting and heeling like you need to be.”
“Are you sure?”
His face lights up in a genuine smile. “C’mon, I’ll tuck you in myself.”
I link my sore arm with his as we head for the stairs. “You’re good to me, you know that?”
He tightens his grip on my arm. “You’re good for me, too.”
We traipse the stairs, my head feeling heavier with each step until we get to my door. “Thank you… for rescuing me.”
His eyes meet mine, and an understanding washes over me that maybe I may have just rescued him too.
The Next Night
Kevlar was right, the party is still continuing, and even though I’m still sore, I’m making sure to have more of an appearance tonight than last night.
“You wanna head outside… sit by the fire pit?” Kevlar asks me.
“Yeah, that sounds great.”
Kevlar places my hand in his, and he leads me out the side to the cookout area. The moon shines brightly above as the flames from the giant circular firepit flicker up, cracking and popping in the evening air. Bikers are already mingling outside. An older man and woman are by the grill dealing with the food while others stand around drinking.
Kevlar leads me over to the fire pit, and we sit in a couple of seats right beside it, the heat of the embers radiating over my goosebump-laden skin. My skin isn’t raised from the cold, it’s simply from Kevlar’s presence.
Slouching back, I take in everyone around us.
Savanah’s partying with a younger guy.
“Who’s that?” I ask Kevlar while gesturing over to Savanah and her new friend.
“That’s Phantom. He’s our latest patched member. He’s kind of a practical joker.”
“So, shouldn’t he be the Joker or the Riddler, rather than the Phantom?”
“It’s more of a hiding-in-shadows and always-there-when-you-need-him kind of name rather than the comic-book spin you’re thinking.”
“Got it! And the young kid running laps around the compound?” I ask, watching the young guy doing sprints like he’s training for the Olympics.
“That’s Koda, Prinie and Zero’s brother. He’s taken to running lately… seems to calm him down.”