“You need some help?” I asked him hopefully.
“Sure thing, little bird,” he replied with a gentle smile as I followed him out to the garage, a space we’d shared for as long as I could remember.
For a while, we just worked on his car together in silence. Truth be told, there wasn’t really all that much left to do on the Chevy, but I had a feeling he wanted the time together as much as I did.
“Would you be up for helping me with the Mustang?” I asked after a while. “Whether or not I can actually drive it is a whole other thing,” I added with a grumble.
He chuckled. “Max still tryin’ to get you in that Highlander?”
I wrinkled my nose. “Yes, but that isn’t happening. I was actually thinking, what if we installed some safety updates to her? Might be considered sacrilege to some, but it feels like a good compromise.”
He stood up, wiping his hands with a rag. “That could work. What are you thinking?”
We spent the next hour pouring over research and plans for what we could and couldn’t install.
I glanced at my phone, realizing how much time had passed.
“Max comin’ back to pick you up?” he asked casually.
I nodded. “He asked me to move in with him,” I shared, knowing it was now or never.
There was a pregnant pause before he spoke next. “That what you want?”
“I really do. But it’s important to me that you support me. That you support us. I know us getting together wasn’t easy on you, but I love him.”
He sighed, turning to look at me his blue eyes piercing. “You’re my little girl, Wren,” his deep voice rumbled. “I think I’ll see you that way forever,” he admitted. “But you’re not. You’re an adult, and you have a good head on your shoulders, always have. I admit I didn’t handle things well when I first found out about you two. You were easy on me growing up; you never showed much interest in boys. But that means your old man didn’t have much practice.” He chuckled self-deprecatingly before his expression grew serious. “Max is a good man. He’ll take care of you, protect you, and I believe he really loves you. That’s about all a father can ask for.” He shrugged.
I smiled through tears. “Yeah,” I croaked in agreement.
He wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “I’ll always be here for you, my little bird. Your mom and I both will. And if he hurts you, I’ll kill him.”
Many fathers might issue that warning, but with mine, the threat had a very real implication. Despite that, I rolled my eyes, wiping tears from my face for the second time that morning.
“I’ll be sure to tell him,” I muttered dryly.
“Let’s see what we can finish up on these plans before you need to take off.” He nodded toward what we’d sketched out. “I’ll order these parts, and we can work on it when we get time. She’s at the club,” he reminded me.
I grinned, relieved that despite so many changes, some of the very best things would be staying the same.
Chapter 20
WREN
“Buy you a beer, sweetheart?” the unfamiliar man on my left asked and was promptly met with a low growl from Max as we sat along the barstools at Mad’s.
I rolled my eyes as the man slunk off to a table in the back. “You’re such a caveman. It’s a good thing you’re cute,” I scoffed.
“Cute?” he demanded incredulously, clearly not liking that description.
“Cute, hot, and outrageously handsome,” I assured him with a grin, leaning into him for a quick kiss.
The past few weeks had been good. Great actually. I’d officially moved in with Max. My injuries were nearly fully healed, and I’d just recently convinced Max to let me ride with him. The summer was nearing its end, and we’d spent a few days at the lake with friends. After a blowup fight, the worst we’d had yet, I’d started back at work with a Knight member always in tow. My nights were spent wrapped up in Max. We’d been taking it slow—well, Max had. If lady blue balls were a thing, I had them.
Max’s phone pinged with several texts as I finished my drink. “I’m not gonna be able to take you home tonight,” he announced regrettably, looking at me briefly before turning back to his phone to fire off a text.
“What happened?” I asked, trying to hide my concern.
“Nothin’ for you to worry about,” he was quick to assure me. “But I gotta ride out with a few of the guys tonight. I’ll have Gunner take you home and keep an eye on things until I can get there.”
I wrinkled my nose at the prospect but knew better than to protest.
He chuckled at my expression. “Hopefully it won’t be long. And I’ll tell Gun I’ll pound him if he’s not on his best behavior,” he added.
I shot him a skeptical look. It wasn’t that Gunner was a bad guy; he just had the sense of humor of a fifth grader.
“I’ll be fine,” I assured him. I didn’t want him worrying about me when, despite his attempts to assure me, I could tell whatever he had to go deal with was important.
He reached over to pull my hand up to his lips, kissing my knuckles before tapping the bar twice and standing up to leave.
I watched him go, hoping the churn in my gut that felt like something terrible was about to happen was wrong for once.
****
Gunner took me home, striding into the house like he owned it, and after greeting both dogs, moved to the kitchen to immediately forage in the fridge.
“Making yourself comfortable?” I asked with a laugh as he stood up, an apple in his mouth and a beer in hand.
He shrugged. “I’m hungry.”
“Want me to make something?” I offered.
“You don’t have to,” he protested. Obviously, Max’s words of warning to be on his best behavior had at least somewhat made their way through.
“It’s fine,” I assured him, muffling a smile. “How about a grilled cheese?”
His eyes popped comically. “One of my favorites.”
I laughed at his enthusiasm. “Okay, I’ll get started.”
“So, how’s being shacked up treatin’ you?” he asked, plopping down in one of the barstools and taking a giant bite out of his apple.
I looked at him dubiously. “We’re going to small talk, really?”
He chuckled. “Well, damn, Wren, you always did like to bust my balls.”
“Wasn’t so much something I liked, more something that had to be done.” I sighed dramatically.
He shook his head, grinning.
“It’s really good,” I answered, serious now, looking down at an expectant Sky as she looked up at me, no doubt hoping I’d drop something. “Things with Max, they’re good,” I shared, waiting for him to tease me.
Instead, he nodded, his gaze sincere. “You two are good together.”
“Thanks,” I murmured. “How about you?”
“How about me what?”
“Anyone catch your eye around here?” Despite his antics, Gunner had never had a reputation as a ladies’ man.
“Nah.” He shrugged dismissively.
Something about the way he wouldn’t meet my eye said there was more to the story, but I didn’t push.