Exhaling, I rub the back of my neck. “I have these strong feelings for Jovie. I just… is it too soon? It’s only been three years.”
Bub scoffs while Fox scowls at me. “Don’t be a dickhead. Don’t go back on your word to my daughter, to your wife. Does Jovie make you happy?”
A slow smile crosses my lips. “Crazy happy.”
“Then, that’s your damn answer, son. Don’t throw something away because one… you’re scared, or two… out of guilt, or three… a combination of one and two. Grow some damn fucking balls, Kevlar. Relationships are hard. Yeah, you were hurt. Yes, you lost something fucking spectacular, but life with Jovie doesn’t need to be spectacular… find a different adjective, like amazing, astounding, marvelous, sensational, wonderous. You can have one thing with Em, and something equally as perfect with Jovie, but they don’t have to be the same is what I am saying.”
I let out a small laugh. “So, you’re okay, then… with me and Jovie?”
Bub reaches out, taking my hand in hers. “Oh, honey, is that part of the problem? That you’re worried what we’ll think?”
“I don’t want to offend you—”
“That’s horseshit! You know where I stand. We’ve already had this heart-to-heart before Savanah interrupted us. Kevlar, you’re my son. I don’t say that as a term of endearment. I mean it. You’re family to us. Nothing you do, no matter who you date, who you fall in love with, who you eventually start a family with, is going to change the fact you are my son!”
“If you’re happy, don’t let anything hold you back. Let go, Kevlar. Let go of anything that’s keeping you from giving yourself to Jovie fully because she is in. She is all about your family, so you need to take that step and meet her halfway,” Bub suggests.
Warmth floods through me like nothing before, so I nod.
With both of their approval, it’s like a weight has been lifted. I know there will always be a place in my heart for Emma. She will never leave me. But I’m opening myself up to love Jovie, to take her into my life fully because she is worth it. She’s worth so fucking much.
“Thank you. Thanks for helping me with this. I’ve been struggling with my guilt, but I think I can let that go and maybe now show Jovie what she means to me.”
“That’s what I like to hear.” Fox grins so freaking wide, I feel like his face might explode with happiness.
Standing from the table, I dip my chin at them. Then turn to see Jovie, Savanah, and Neon sitting at a table over on the other side of the room. Now might not be the time to show Jovie how I feel, but I know the time will come at some point. For now, though, I have to be near her.
I turn back to Fox and Bub, “Thanks again… for everything.”
They smile as I spin, making my way over to Jovie. Her eyes shift to meet me as I slide in beside her to hear Neon discussing detailed plans on what to do if an attack happens at the club. Jovie’s shoulders are tight with tension, and there’s a worried expression on her face.
“So, the best thing you can both do is to grab the kids and head to either of your rooms or find the nearest safe place to hide. We have certain rooms in the club that have extra safeguards in place. The kitchen is one, so if you’re close by, you run inside there and shut the door. If, for some reason, you can’t make it in there, then head behind the bar. It might look old, but it’s reinforced, no bullets can pass through,” Neon tells them.
Savanah’s wide eyes tell me she’s taking this all in.
Jovie, though, she simply glimpses at me. “And you? If an attack happens on the club, where will you be?”
What did I walk into?
“I’ll be out here, fighting off whoever’s trying to come in.”
“So… you could get hurt?” The panic in her eyes is clear.
Savanah and Neon both look away, leaving this discussion I wasn’t prepared for to us.
“Yeah… but I’d be doing it to protect you and the kids.”
“Kevlar, how can we be a family if you’re killed trying to protect us?”
“It’s not as—”
My cell rings, interrupting the conversation I really don’t want to have right now. I pull it out of my pocket seeing it’s Ethan and exhale. “I’m sorry, sunshine, I gotta get this.”
She huffs but nods.
I swipe the screen, relieved to be out of the shots being fired my way. “Ethan, what have you got for me?”
“Liam, are you at the club?” His tone is rushed and unnerved.
The hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention. The last time he sounded like this, I found my kids huddled together in a damn freezer. I sit up taller, taking in a low breath. “Yeah, why?”
“I got intel. Honestly, man, it’s not good. You’re not gonna like it. I don’t even know if I should be telling you thi—”
“Ethan! You need to calm the fuck down and talk to me.”
He hesitates for a moment, then he groans out, “Fine! You need to tell Zero, the Baron and Damir have broken out of prison.”
Fear wracks through me so intensely that I stand in such a rush, and my chair topples over, which, of course, grabs everyone’s attention in the main room.
“They broke out… together?”
“Yes! This is what I’m trying to tell you. They had help. It was an inside job. There’s no sign of forced entry or exit. Nothing. They have someone on the inside.”
My entire body tingles, and not in a good way. I’m not sure if I want to be sick, pass out, or punch some asshole. Maybe all three and not in that order. “You and Lou need to get over here, now. You’re in danger, just as much as we are.”
“Liam, if they come for the club, it won’t just be the two of them.”
“Understood. Now get a bag packed as fast as fucking possible and get your ass over here.”
“Be there soon.” He ends the call, and I let out a hurried breath I didn’t know I was holding.
I lean over, grabbing the edge of the table for support as Neon moves into my side. “What the hell was that?”
“We need church. Right. Now!”
Jovie stares up at me, concern running through her features. “Kevlar, what’s going on?”
I turn to face her. “Two of the club’s biggest enemies have teamed up and are gunning for us. We need to prepare for the wrath of their vengeance.”
Her eyes widen in terror. “So, everything we just talked about? Does it mean we need to prepare for that?”
“It means whatever happens, I need you to promise me you will take care of the kids.”
“Kevlar!”
“Promise me!”
Jovie’s bottom lip quivers, her eyes glisten. “I promise.”
I lean in, kissing her briefly, then I take off with Neon. I’m scaring Jovie, but honestly, with the Baron and Damir teaming up together, we need to be scared. Here I was thinking about my future with Jovie, and it might all come to a sudden halt sooner than I was prepared for.
Neon and I rush over to Zero, who’s playing pool with Wraith.
He already has his eyes on me as I approach. “Something happening, Kevlar, that phone call seemed intense?”