The Timber he viewed coming into the diner had fallen back into the reserved woman who pretended not to know what was going on around her—or pretended not to care.
And her behavior had to do with Dice.
Romeo tightened his hold on her and kissed the top of her head. He refused to let her dad ruin what he'd accomplished with her.
The door swung open, and Dice burst outside, quickly followed by Onyx. Romeo turned around, sheltering Timber from the scene.
"What the fuck, man?" Onyx shoved Dice farther away from the diner. "You can't come into the diner and disrupt business. I don't give a shit if you're hurt. I'll kick your ass."
Dice walked around Onyx and approached Timber. Romeo held up his hand. "Back off, Dice."
"She's my daughter. She doesn't belong to you."
Romeo shifted, needing both hands free. Nudging Timber to stand behind him, he faced down her dad.
"I've already told you she doesn't want to see you and seeing as how she's an adult—"
"Where's Ronna?"
Romeo shook his head. "That's something you'll have to figure out on your own."
"Bullshit." Dice's gaze went to Romeo's left. "Where the hell is your mother?"
"Away." Timber lifted her chin and stepped forward. "I need to go back in and work."
Romeo grabbed her hand. She needed to stay with him until someone dealt with Dice. The sooner her dad handed over some answers, the faster Romeo could send Dice on his way.
"Damn that woman." Dice grabbed the chain at his hip and yanked his wallet out of his pocket. "When's the last time you saw her?"
Timber looked everywhere but at her father. Romeo raised his hand and gripped the back of her neck, taking some of the strain from her. She held herself stiff. If he let go of her, she'd crumble like a fallen icicle.
"Timber." Dice's voice rumbled. "When was the last time you saw her?"
She stilled. "March, I think."
"You think?"
"I left the beginning of June after the landlord put an evacuation notice on the door." Timber stepped away from Romeo. "I need to work."
Dice's hand shot out, blocking her from going inside. Onyx stepped in front of Romeo, planting a hand on his chest, keeping him away from Timber and her dad.
Dice clutched a handful of money, urging her to grab the cash. "Take it."
Timber shook her head in refusal, but Dice picked up her hand and forced her to accept the cash. She backed away, staring at her dad as if months hadn't gone by without seeing him. As if the bruises on his face weren't there. As if there was no emotional connection between them.
Romeo pushed past Onyx, but Timber slipped inside before he could reach her. He whirled around and faced Dice.
"What the fuck, man?" Romeo pointed at the door. "You haven't seen her in how long? And that's the hello she gets?"
"Stay out of it." Dice walked in the opposite direction.
Romeo strode forward, following him until he caught up. "Are you sticking around?"
"Probably not." Dice kept looking forward, refusing to meet Romeo's gaze.
"What about Timber?" When Dice refused to answer, Romeo continued. "She's a kid, brother. She's working hard to support herself with no support."
Dice stopped and turned to Romeo. "I just gave her money. Do you want to help her? Go ahead."
Verbally sucker punched, Romeo fisted his hands. Dice walked over to his motorcycle, and after two attempts to throw his leg over the seat, he sat on his bike and started the engine. The son of a bitch was going to ride away.
Onyx slapped Romeo on the back, urging him to go inside. He wasn't going to fight his MC brother over a difference of opinion. But his opinion of Dice had shifted.
No man should ever walk away from his family.
Chapter Fifteen
Romeo, Brody, Turner, Sander, and Axel stood in the living room. Timber lugged her bag to the front door by herself. The only one who wasn't around to say goodbye to her was Caleb.
"I don't get it. Living here is better than staying somewhere else by yourself. You don't have anyone to talk to or to protect you." Sander's frown matched Axel's expression. "Hell, Timber, you're hardly here."
She was here more than any of them. Working part-time at the diner meant she had more free hours to sit around.
"I'll be fine on my own." She glanced at Romeo. "I'm used to it."
He was the only one whose opinion mattered to her. The other men were only an added bonus of living here. They made her feel like part of the family. They made her feel welcomed.
"Ready?" asked Romeo.
She nodded and opened the door, needing to get out of the house before changing her mind. Her dad had given her enough money to find somewhere else to live. It'd taken her three days to find other accommodations close enough to the diner to keep working.
Instead of running away, she'd sat Romeo down and explained to him her reasons for moving out. She wanted to leave the right way without anyone stopping her.
When she broke the news to the Muel family, she hadn't told them where she was going, though. It was for the best.
It was the only way.
Used to moving on short notice, she became accustomed to staying by herself. Her mom was rarely home, and her dad never came around. Plus, it wasn't like she was moving to an unsafe location. Staying in an apartment meant there would be others around to notice if something wasn't right.
Outside the house, she gave her bag to Romeo, who tied it on the back of the motorcycle seat. Once he straddled the bike, she squeezed in behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Knowing it would be the last time she'd ride with him, she pressed her cheek against his back, letting the warm leather of his vest comfort her.
She wanted to tease him by asking if he was taking her for a joy ride or if her being on the back of his motorcycle was all business, but she couldn't open her mouth. The lump of emotions sitting heavily in her throat choked her.
She'd miss him slipping into the bed, trying not to wake her every night. The shock of sleeping with him had worn off after the first time. They never came into contact with each other because the bed was large—too big for two people.
But, she loved listening to his breathing.
Once in a while, he'd let out a low moan in his sleep. It was the sexiest sound she'd ever heard. The sound always rolled over her as if he'd touched her. Touched her in the right place.
When he left the bed in the morning and quietly walked into the bathroom to take his shower, she would roll to the other side of the bed and lay in the warmth he'd left behind. It was almost as if she'd had a chance to touch him.
She never told him how she felt about him. He obviously wanted to keep his distance from her because he avoided being in the bedroom when they were both awake.
And what could she say about her attraction toward him? She wasn't even sure why being around him made her feel good.
Sure, he was sexy and confident. He was blessed with extremely nice features that seemed to work to his advantage when it came to the opposite sex. All he had to do was flash his dimples, and any woman within twenty feet stripped off their clothes—going by the rumor mill.