For a few moments, he held me there, his forehead pressed to the crook of my neck, both our breathing labored. I held him to me, kissing his temple, his neck, sensing he needed my love, first in the raw form we’d just shared and now, with tenderness.
Eventually, he set me on my feet, his blue eyes fathomless as he looked down at me. “Did I hurt you?”
I shook my head.
He reached over, shutting the water off, and stepped out, opening a towel for me to step into. I obliged, relishing the feeling of being taken care of as he painstakingly dried me off before wiping the towel quickly over his own skin.
“You want to curl up?” I asked, sensing he wanted to be close.
He nodded, taking my hand and towing me toward the bed. We crawled in, naked, and faced each other, my leg thrown over his hip, his hand spanning the curve of my waist.
I only had to wait a moment before he started talking. “Went to the club. Gun wanted to meet, thought he had info on my mark, but instead he told me that Thorn Archer, the prez of the Black Riders, he had a thing with my birth mom. So he did some more digging and it sounds like he’s my father.”
“Holy shit,” I murmured in shock, my hand pressing to the side of his neck where his pulse hammered. “How do you feel?”
“I’m not fucking sure,” he admitted. “Last thing I expected, that’s for sure.”
“Does Thorn know about you?” I wanted to know.
“Gunner doesn’t think so, and for whatever reason, neither do I. My mom didn’t prove herself to be much beyond a liar and a deadbeat. Wouldn’t put it past her to do something like that.”
“So he might have a son, you, that he may have never known about much less have had a choice in raising? Are you going to tell him?”
I was outraged at his mother. At the choices she’d made with Cash. For all we knew, Thorn could have given him a good life.
He was quiet for a time, and when he finally spoke, his tone was questioning. “I don’t know.”
It was a new side of Cash. He was always so sure about everything. Arrogantly so most of the time. And I loved that, when he wasn’t driving me crazy. But seeing this side now, and more importantly, having him let me see it, this was new ground. Vulnerable ground. And it was just as beautiful.
“You know that whatever he may say, whatever his reaction is, Riley and I are still right here. We aren’t going anywhere. Ever. You have your family. It’s just a matter of if he wants to be part of it.”
His hand flexed against my hip in a wordless response of gratitude.
I allowed the silence that followed for a time before speaking again, this time with what I hoped would lighten his mood. “So, his last name is Archer, huh?” I mused. “Sounds like some sort of warrior. I always knew you were a Viking.”
His blue eyes glimmered with mischief. “Oh, you did, did you?”
I nodded, biting back a smile. “I referred to you as the Viking warrior in my head before I knew your name. Had more than a few fantasies in that vein too.”
He rolled over me with a growl. “Well, maybe I should conquer you again.”
“And again and again,” I breathed as his lips found my neck.
It was time to pick Riley up by the time we came up for air. We’d made love so many times I’d lost count. And he’d held me as though his life depended on it.
“Strawberry, yes. Strawberry.” Riley nodded decisively at the ice-cream shop. It had been Cash’s idea to take her for a treat after school.
Cash nodded at the teen who dutifully scooped her far more than I’d let her actually eat. I walked her outside to an empty table while Cash paid.
“Strawberry. My favorite too.” A man at the table next to me winked, his eyes on me.
I inwardly groaned, knowing what was coming next. But to my surprise, it was Riley who spoke. “Don’t talk to my mommy,” she ordered.
I looked down at her in surprise as Cash joined us. “Baby, don’t be rude,” I chided.
“What’s goin’ on?” Cash asked.
“He was looking at Mommy with googly eyes,” she accused, pointing at the man who was now wisely gathering up his stuff.
I muffled a grin at her description as Cash put a hand atop her head. “That’s good lookin’ out, peanut. But tell you what, I’ll handle any googly eyes, okay?” His gaze was on the now departing man, his expression making it clear he was ready to do just that.
I sighed in relief that he wasn’t encouraging her behavior. He was seriously good at this parenting stuff.
“Okay,” she agreed around a huge bite of ice cream. “You can make googly eyes at her though,” she added earnestly.
He shot her a grin that melted me from the inside out. “Glad to hear that, baby.” He shot me a wink over her head. “Not sure I could help myself.”
I was trying and failing to keep Riley’s outfit from getting ice cream all over it when he pulled out his phone. glancing at an incoming text.
“Everything okay?” I asked, watching him carefully.
“Impromptu barbeque at the club with the Riders. Sounds like they want a meet,” he replied pensively. I knew he was thinking about his next meeting with Thorn and how he would handle it with what he now knew.
“You want me to come.” It wasn’t a question.
His eyes shifted to mine, softening as his full lips tilted into a tender smile. “Yeah, baby. So long as we can find a sitter for Ri. Not the kind of evening for her.”
“I’ll text Amelia.” I nodded. She’d offered to sit several times but I had yet to take her up on it.
He nodded his agreement, his gaze dropping to Riley’s overflowing bowl of ice cream. “You’ll get a serious belly ache if you eat all of that, baby.” Cash chuckled. “And besides, weren’t you going to save some for me?” He quirked a playful brow.
She giggled and shook her head but allowed me to take her bowl without complaint.
The three of us headed toward Cash’s truck, Riley’s hand in his, his arm around my shoulder.
It was so simple, that moment, and yet like a dream.
A dream that I desperately hoped to never wake up from.
****
When we walked into the club a short time later, having left a contented Riley playing with Amelia, who she idolized, my nerves began to kick in. I’d only been with Cash a few times, and it was still just as intimidating.
He squeezed my hand, sensing my mood. “You belong here. Same as me.”
I shot him a grateful look as he slung an arm around my shoulder, surveying the scene.
The place was packed with both familiar and unfamiliar faces; music blared and drinks flowed.
“Layla!” Emmie and Grace chorused, gesturing to me from the couches near the pool table where they sat with Wren, Olivia, and Ginnie.
“Go on, baby, I’ll find you in a bit,” Cash murmured in my ear, giving my ass a squeeze in parting.
“You don’t hang out with us near enough, woman. Have a beer,” Ginnie offered, handing me a can. I’d only met X’s girlfriend a few times, but I liked her no-nonsense attitude.
“It’s true,” I replied as I plopped into the seat alongside Olivia.
“Well, you have a valid and very cute excuse.” Wren winked from her spot on the couch across from us.